Touch the Night

Review: Fate's Edge by Ilona Andrews

2012-01-18T11:53:00.002-06:00

Title: Fate's Edge
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Edge, Book 3
Genre: Fantasy Romance
Release Date: 29 November 2011

Audrey Callahan left behind her life in the Edge, and she's determined to stay on the straight and narrow. But when her brother gets into hot water, the former thief takes on one last heist and finds herself matching wits with a jack of all trades...

Kaldar Mar-a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he's going to need Audrey's help…

This book started a bit slow for me. There was quite a bit in the beginning in Jack and George's POV, which was interesting, but I was really looking forward to getting to the story.

Once Kaldar - what a great character, full of life, charm, and loyalty - and Audrey met the story really picked up and I couldn't stop turning pages, staying up far into the night to continue reading.

If you've read Bayou Moon you know Kaldar of the Mar family. He's taken a job with the Mirror in order to gain his vengeance on the Hand. The Hand had dwindled the numbers of his family, killing a favored aunt, in their last meeting. Kaldar is determined to make every last one of them pay. He's the same charming, smooth-talking grifter that he always was, and watching him work his own particular brand of magic was a pure delight.

While Kaldar treasures family and would do anything for them, Audrey comes from the opposite side of that coin. She only wants to be left alone by her family. She'll do anything to get them to forget she exists, including one last job, where her picklock experience is needed. When the job is over and she goes home she has no idea that her life as she knew it is all but over. Regret, duty, and just a little bit of thrill compel her back into the field to right the wrongs she unknowingly spurred.

Seeing the ultimate conman meet his match in another of his kind was brilliant. They knew each other so well because they were so like one another. They fit together perfectly. With hills and valleys to fill the other. Watching them go from mild flirting, to desperate wanting, to true desire and finally love was like a pot of water slowly brought to boil. The heat built and my anticipation with it.

The world continues to be first rate, switching between the Broken, the Edge, and the Weird smoothly. New characters pop up to make things interesting, and known characters continue to make themselves a part of the story.

Fate's Edge was a thrilling roller-coaster ride of intrigue, locks, spells, battles and love to the end. I can't wait to see what Ilona Andrews has in store for us next in The Edge.

Grade: A-

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Sony | Book Depository | Ace Books

Review: Blood Rose by Riley Shane

2012-01-15T01:45:00.003-06:00

Title: Blood Rose
Author: Riley Shane
Series: Realm of Nine, Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 29 November 2011

To save his people, a half-mad prince must enlist the aid of a woman who has no reason to help him...and who he has every reason to desire.

At sixteen, Rose Carrison lost both her parents and her freedom. Since her father’s death, Rose has had to pick up the mantle of her family’s legacy and guard an object of incredible power, one the monsters who murdered her parents would kill to get their hands on. After ten years on the run, Rose’s luck finally runs out. A fate worse than death threatens to consume her. Then, out of the darkness, comes the most unlikely of rescuers...

Grayson van Court is a man skating on the edge of damnation. He’s a revenant: a powerful, blood-drinking, returned-from-the-dead, magical creature that no other magical species wants anything to do with. For centuries, Gray has bargained and fought for the revenants’ right to survive, but his efforts are hampered by his sociopathic mother and the madness that permeates his own soul. When Gray rescues Rose from his mother’s machinations, his intention is only to stop the attacks against his people that would surely come if Rose were harmed. But then he sees her, and everything changes. Two people who should never have met soon find themselves fighting side-by-side for the chance at a love that could prove to be their salvation.

I have to start this off talking about the two main characters - who drive this story. When we first, really, meet Rose, she's a young woman that's having everything stripped from her. Her family is dead, her control over her life is done, and her very survival is dependent on those more powerful. She's just a human, surrounded by eight species that are all contain magic and strength in abundance. But that doesn't take anything away from her. She's strong, with opinions of her own, smart, able to reason through things others often overlook, and incredibly caring.

Gray is honorable at his core, but he's fighting a pretty damning madness - one that's threatening to overtake him. While fighting for his people, against his mother no less, he certainly doesn't need anything more pulling at him. Honor pulls his to rescue Rose, but then he gets something he never bargained for. Rose pulls him, eases him, challenges him as nothing ever before. He's thrilled by this, and scared by the possibility of following a little too closely to his father's footsteps. The line he walks between good and evil is as sharp as a blade, and I was pulling for him to overcome everything and get his happiness throughout the book - even when I sometimes wondered how that'd come to be.

The Realm of Nine is the world that Rose and Gray inhabit. So called because of the Nine species that make up the balance of magic: Fae, Elf, Shifter, Merrow, Sylph, Shadowkin, Goblins, Witches/Revenants, and Humans. I loved how the world was, at the same time, incredibly intricate and detailed, and practical and easy to understand. Everything made sense within the world, I never felt lost on how the magic worked or why, and there's definitely enough there to keep me wanting more. With so many species in the world, I know that Ms. Shane has a lot more up her sleeves for me to learn!

Blood Rose fairly thrums with tension, from beginning to end! I couldn't wait to see how Rose and Gray could work through their incredible difficulties and tasks. And they never let me down. One of the true pleasures of this story was seeing them work as a team. They went from attraction, to lust (oh-so-sexy times!), to love beautifully. It was easy to see why they fell in love with each other, because they fit one another.

Because I usually like to know this, there is some deception (by omission) in this story. While this is usually a hot-button issue for me, I thought it was well done, the reasoning for it was completely understandable, and it was perfectly handled. In fact, I'd say this is how it should be done.

I'm so excited to see where Ms. Shane takes me next in the Realm of Nine. I'm particularly interesting in a certain cousin to Gray - and definitely interested in the mystery that pops up near the end. I've got some ideas and can't wait to see if I end up right!

Highly, highly recommend for those looking for an excellent paranormal romance. This one has everything I look for. Characters you can love and root for, a world you could live in, and tight plotting that keeps you turning pages.

Grade: A+

Book Link | Kindle | Sony | Loose Id

Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole

2012-01-13T15:04:00.000-06:00

Title: Lothaire
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark, Book 12
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 10 January 2012

From the humblest of beginnings a millennia ago, Lothaire the Enemy of Old rose to power, becoming the most feared and evil vampire in the immortal world. Driven by his past, he will not rest until he captures the vampire Horde’s crown for himself. The discovery of his Bride, the female meant only for him, threatens to derail his plot.

Elizabeth Peirce is a mere mortal, a glaring vulnerability for a male with so many blood foes bent on annihilating anything he desires. Yet soon he discovers his Bride’s secret. A magnificent power dwells inside the fragile human, one that will aid his quest. But to possess that power, he will have to destroy her. Will Lothaire succumb to the torments of his past, or seize a future with her?

I started Lothaire with a huge sense of expectation, and finished it out of breath after being unable to put it down.

Lothaire is great - don't expect too much reformation from him. He's still the same great character that, if you're like me, we've always loved. He's a smart-ass, brilliant, a consummate strategist, and a collector of debts.

His heroine's fantastic. She's totally underestimated, and extremely intelligent and able to see clearly through people and situations. She has a great instinct and she isn't afraid to follow it. I really like her. While the 'hill-billy' drawl (she's from the Appalachian Mountains) was sparingly used, it did get on my nerves having it typed. Of course I prefer to imagine Scottish brogues instead of reading them phonetically.

The sexy times in this book are off the wall hot. I've seen some compare it to dubious consent, and I guess I can see that, but I'd consider it more of a mutual using for personal gains. I think it works, and can appreciate what each hopes to gain, as well as how it moves them closer to their HEA.

But my favorite part was watching Lothaire be totally caught off guard by Ellie. Their verbal sparing and discussions were a true delight. They fit each other.

Some other perpetually favorite characters make appearances, as well as a whole host of new characters. The Dacian that we meet will apparently feature in Ms. Cole's new series - Realm of Blood and Mist - which starts with Shadow's Claim due August 21, 2012.

I enjoyed every moment of reading, though thinking back it doesn't seem like much happens, the story moved along at a good pace. However, I did finish it feeling like there was that indefinable something missing from this book. I still can't lay a finger on what exactly, but there was that little bit that takes a great book to truly amazing - and it wasn't here.

I'm positively on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens with Nix, and Furie, Kristoff and a whole host of other characters that are soon to be hugely affected by events that occur in Lothaire.

Lothaire's another wonderful entry meaning this continues to be one of the strongest series I read. The world building and time lines continue to be true to themselves, and the characters remain interesting and layered.

Grade: A-

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Sony | Book Depository | Gallery Books

2012 New-To-Me Author Challenge

2012-01-04T20:52:00.000-06:00

I've tried this previously, but never with much success. However after seeing how many new-to-me authors I tried last year, I'm determined to try again this year. I found quite a few new favorites among authors I'd never read before last year, so I'm looking forward to a great amount of the same success this year.

The Challenge: Read 20 or more books this year by authors you’ve never read before.

Dates: January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

My List:
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2012 Books Read

2012-01-04T20:47:00.001-06:00

A friend of mine, Kat lists the books - in order - that she reads each year. I thought this would be fun, so I've decided to do it too.

This list is only of books and novellas I've read and finished (though if I read an entire anthology, I list only the anthology title). The books are listed in the order I read them.

Additionally, at Goodreads I've challenged myself to read 225 books this year (which is 25 more than I read last year).

There are sure to be many wonderful books on the list, but the ones with a ** by them are ones I highly recommend.

Gift of Magic (Nine Kingdoms, Book 6) by Lynn Kurland - 4 January
Beauty and the Black Sheep (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 1) by Jessica Bird - 4 January
His Comfort and Joy (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 2) by Jessica Bird - 5 January
From the First (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 3) by Jessica Bird - 5 January
A Man in a Million (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 4) by Jessica Bird - 6 January
The Billionaire Next Door (O'Banyon Brothers, Book 1) by Jessica Bird - 7 January
Club Shadowlands (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 1) by Cherise Sinclair - 7 January
Dark Citadel (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 2) by Cherise Sinclair - 8 January
Breaking Free (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 3) by Cherise Sinclair - 9 January
Lean on Me (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 4) by Cherise Sinclair - 10 January
Make Me, Sir (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 5) by Cherise Sinclair - 11 January
To Command and Collar (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 6) by Cherise Sinclair - 11 January
Lothaire (Immortals After Dark, Book 12) by Kresley Cole - 12 January
On the Edge (Edge, Book 1) by Ilona Andrews - 14 January
Blood Rose (Realm of Nine, Book 1) by Riley Shane - 14 January

2012 A to Z Challenge

2012-01-04T20:45:00.000-06:00

I've really enjoyed this the last two years I've participated:

Challenge Details:
1. January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012
2. Read 26 books (or more) with titles that begin with the letters of the alphabet.
3. You may ignore articles like A, An and The at the beginning of the title.
4. For 'X' - read any book that has an 'X' in the title.
5.You can sign up anytime. Please only list books you have read. You can read them in any order.
6. A book only counts once, so you can include a re-read the first time you read it.

A -

B - Beauty and the Black Sheep (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 1) by Jessica Bird - 4 January

C - Club Shadowlands (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 1) by Cherise Sinclair - 7 January

D - Dark Citadel (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 2) by Cherise Sinclair - 8 January

E -

F - From the First (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 3) by Jessica Bird - 5 January

G - Gift of Magic (Nine Kingdoms, Book 6) by Lynn Kurland - 3 January

H - His Comfort and Joy (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 2) by Jessica Bird - 5 January

I -

J -

K -

L - Lean on Me (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 4) by Cherise Sinclair - 10 January

M - A Man in a Million (Moorehouse Legacy, Book 4) by Jessica Bird - 6 January

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O - On the Edge (Edge, Book 1) by Ilona Andrews - 14 January

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2011: Best Of...

2012-01-04T20:41:00.000-06:00

2011 was a year full of extreme highs, and bitterly disappointing lows. I've been doing a 'Best Of' post for a couple of years now, but I'm going to change the format a bit.

A good friend of mine, Kat at Wit and Sin organized hers beautifully - and we all know I can't resist something that's perfectly organized.

Number of books I read (not including re-reads): 202
Number of new-to-me authors I read: 39

Favorite New-to-Me Authors of 2011: Jim Butcher, C.C. Galloway, Kevin Hearne, Josh Lanyon, Sarah MacLean, Nicole Sheldon

Favorite Authors of 2011: Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs, Kresley Cole, Lynn Kurland, Karen Marie Moning, Riley Shane, Nalini Singh

Solid Read Authors Discovered: Jennifer Estep, Elle Kennedy, Jill Shalvis, C.L. Wilson

Now for the really fun part. I've included not only my favorite new books for 2011 - some of which weren't published in 2011 because I've just found them - books that nearly made the list, and because this year was filled with some horrible let-downs, the Disappointments category. I've never listed one before, and even as I hit 'publish' I'm wondering if I should now...

My Top 25 Books of 2011 (new to me)
Note: Because I hate ranking my favorites, at any time, these are listed in alphabetical order by author (and if needed in series order).

Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, Book 5) by Ilona Andrews

I loved this newest addition to the Kate Daniels world. Like each previous edition, it kept me turning pages. In my opinion you can't get better than the combination of fantastic characters and a solid, fascinating world than this series.

River Marked (Mercy Thompson, Book 6) by Patricia Briggs

One of my favorite series - Patricia Briggs consistently delivers strong books with two of my favorite characters. I loved that we got so much time with Adam and Mercy together in this one.

Hunting Grounds (Alpha & Omega, Book 3) by Patricia Briggs

Even though Ms. Briggs is one of my favorite authors I'd avoided this series since the beginning. I think because I didn't feel that there was any possible way she could deliver two awesome series simultaneously. I'm so happy to know that I was wrong. Charles and Anna have joined the ranks of my favorite characters.

Heart of Steel (Iron Seas, Book 2) by Meljean Brook

Ever since I first met Yasmeen in The Iron Duke I've been wanting to read more about her, spend more time with her, and see her find the man who would compliment her. I loved everything about this book.

Storm Front (Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher

This series has been on my radar for a long time. I've heard nothing but good things about it and was slightly trepidatious about starting it. I worried it wouldn't live up to what I'd heard. But Harry Dresden is a fantastic character and I can't wait to read more about him.

Dreams of a Dark Warrior (Immortals After Dark, Book 11) by Kresley Cole

I stopped reading this series for a while - around book 5 - and just recently started my catch up again this year. Luckily I had 6 books to devour. They were all fantastic, but there was something extra special about this book. I wasn't sure how Ms. Cole was going to handle the redemption of the hero. I went into it thinking it was going to be a very hard sell. I was amazed that she not only pulled it off, she did it beautifully.

Hail Mary (Portland Tide, Book 1) by C.C. Galloway

It's so hard to find good contemporary romances. I grabbed this one because it's a sports romance too. The characters are great and it's obvious that C.C. Galloway knows her football, which is a refreshing change from a lot of sports romances I've read. I can't wait to read more from her.

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 1) by Kevin Hearne

One of my favorite finds of 2011, this series is something fresh and new and interesting. It runs the line between fantasy and urban fantasy. Atticus is a 2,100 year-old druid - the last of his kind. With a deep connection to the earth, both drawing power for his magic from it and feeling the need to protect it, Atticus has been on the run from an angry Celtic god. And now he's been found.

Hexed (Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 2) by Kevin Hearne

Witches. Fallen Angels. And Hunters of darkness. Atticus can't catch a break and gets tangled in a mess that he didn't ask for. But he won't back down from it.

Hammered (Iron Druid Chronicles, Book 3) by Kevin Hearne

This series just keeps getting better and better. I can't wait to see what happens with Atticus next!

One Enchanted Evening (DePiaget/MacLeod, Book 21) by Lynn Kurland

This is one of my favorite authors. I found her a few years ago, in a book swap library at work. I'm so grateful I did. I fell a bit behind in her series of books, so I was playing catch up in 2011. Finally, finally I got to Montgomery's book - who I'd been looking forward to since I first met him. I was so happy to see he got a heroine that was perfect for him.

The Adrien English Series by Josh Lanyon - I'm cheating here and putting a whole series, because honestly, I can't choose a favorite out of it. I think this was the find of 2011 for me. (Includes 5 books: Fatal Shadows, A Dangerous Thing, The Hell You Say, The Death of a Pirate King, and The Dark Tide)

This is a fantastic series. Romance, mysteries, heartache and, best of all, a happy ending. I've been glomming up Josh Lanyon's extensive back list ever since I finished it. Adrien and Jake are still my favorite though.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake (Love by Numbers, Book 1) by Sarah MacLean

What a great set of characters! This was a fun, diverting historical romance. Callie and Gabriel were perfect for each other. I'd thought that I had burnt myself out on historical romances long ago. The title of this was what made me decide to give it a chance - and I'm so glad I did. Honestly, this one book made Ms. MacLean an auto-buy author for me. I've been trying to space out her other books, but I've already bought books 2 and 3 to read.

Shadowfever (Fever Series, Book 5) by Karen Marie Moning

A journey started in 2006. I eagerly awaited each installment in Mac's story, and the final year for the concluding story was by far the most interesting. We'd learned so much, but had many more questions. There was a lot I looked forward to, but mostly I wanted to see Mac hold that happiness that she'd been fighting for.

This book blew me away. I was sure my expectations were going to ruin it, but this finish made it my all-time favorite series.

Two-Man Advantage (Seattle Marauders, Book 1) by Riley Shane

After reading The Taste of Magick last year, I was so ecstatic to see another book coming from Riley Shane. AND it was a romance with hockey, which I love. It was an absolute joy to read this story, and I'm happy to say that there are more coming. Thankfully the next Seattle Marauders book is already scheduled (In the Penalty Box coming in March 2012).

Read my review here

Chasing Alex by Riley Shane

A quick reunion story that was sexy and satisfying.

Read my review here

Blood Rose (Realm of Nine, Book 1) by Riley Shane

The first m/f paranormal romance from Ms. Shane. Just wow. I love the world, the characters and the story. I can't wait to see more in this series. I'm especially looking forward to Cáel right now. Though there are quite a few others that have me intrigued.

International Relations (International Relations, Book 1) by Riley Shane

Beautiful start to the story of Connor and Delaney. I loved that the second book in the series came out so closely after this one, because I was excited to see what had happened to this couple I fell in love with.

Winter Wonderland (International Relations, Book 2) by Riley Shane

Years later. Such a sweet story. Even better than the first. I hope we get to visit Delaney and Connor again! Right now there's a story planned for this summer.

Unlikely Protector by Nicole Sheldon

An exciting novella by a debut author. I expect great things if this is how it starts. Nicole Sheldon created a believable, detailed world and kept me eagerly turning pages caught up in the story and the characters lives. I've got a couple of full length novels to look forward to this year, according to her website and I can't wait to see where she takes me next!

Read my review here

Make Me, Sir (Masters of the Shadowlands, Book 5) by Cherise Sinclair

When a friend first recommend Cherise Sinclair to me, I didn't know what to expect. What I got was a fantastically layered set of stories set in the BDSM lifestyle that soon became the bar I measured every other BDSM themed erotica by. I look for erotica that doesn't just have sex for sex's sake, but for the very vital reason of furthering the plot, character development or arc. Ms. Sinclair delivers. And this story delivered a compelling suspense story-line too.

Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, Book 3) by Nalini Singh

It's probably no surprise how huge a fan I am of Nalini Singh. She consistently writes books that keep me up well into the night. I've long considered her a master of the perfect balance of world and characters. Not only does this book have one of the most beautiful, fitting covers I've ever seen, the story inside is not to be missed.

Read my review here

Kiss of Snow (Psy-Changelings, Book 10) by Nalini Singh

Another highly anticipated book this year. I've been waiting for Hawke's story since I first met him back in book 1, Slave to Sensation. Ms. Singh didn't let me down. This is one of my favorites of the series.

Read my review here

Archangel's Blade (Guild Hunter, Book 4) by Nalini Singh

Not one, not two, but THREE full length novels that absolutely blew me away. Dmitri was another favorite from the first meeting. I loved everything about this book, most especially his heroine - Honor. I loved it so much that immediately upon finishing it I started at the beginning again.

Read my review here

Lord of the Fading Lands (Tarien Soul, Book 1) by C.L. Wilson

I'm always on the look out for fantasy romance novels. For some reason they seem to be few and far between. I'd had this entire series on my shelf for more than a year before some random urge made me pick it up. And once I started I couldn't stop. This book made me stay up all night reading, until I had to get in the shower to go to work the next day.

Honorable Mentions
Note: These are the books that were just shy of being on my 'Best of' list. I couldn't not mention them, because they're fantastic books.

Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, Book 1) by Ann Aguirre

I'm not usually into science fiction. I think they have a tendency to get a bit too technical for my tastes. However, I gave this one a shot after much prodding. And I was pleasantly surprised to find out how wrong I was. This book has some fantastic characters, and interesting plot, and a really detailed (without being overly so) world. I'm looking forward to reading further in this series, and more by this author.

Bayou Moon (The Edge, Book 2) by Ilona Andrews

I read On the Edge, the first book in the series before ever starting the Kate Daniels series and absolutely loved it. So when this second book came out I was so excited. William is a great hero and Cerise is an interesting, awesome heroine. I've quickly come to the conclusion that I love almost everything by the writing team that is Ilona Andrews.

Geist (Book of the Order, Book 1) by Philippa Ballantine

I admit I was first drawn to this book because of the cover. But Philippa Ballantine quickly drew me into an intricate world with geists (ghosts) and those that protect people from them - called Deacons. Following along after Deacon Sorcha's husband was gravely injured in a geist attack and seeing her battle ghosts, possessed sea creatures and deal with devious humans, all with a new partner in Deacon Merrick was truly gripping.

Demon From the Dark (Immortals After Dark, Book 10) by Kresley Cole

Malkom, the hero of this story, is one of my favorite characters ever. He made me love him from the first. Ms. Cole handles her intricate over-arcing plot beautifully. When I think about the details and timeline she's keeping straight it amazes me. I'm so glad I'm able to read something so, seemingly, well thought out and planned.

Read my review here

Spider's Revenge (Elemental Assassin, Book 5) by Jennifer Estep

This entire series is enjoyable, if with some flaws, but by the fifth book Ms. Estep brought the main arc to an amazing conclusion. There are more books scheduled and I'm excited to see where Gin goes next.

The Out of Uniform Series by Elle Kennedy - Again with the cheating on my listing, but I eminently enjoyed this series and read them one after the other this year. (Includes 6 books: Heat of the Moment, Heat of Passion, Heat of the Storm, Heat It Up, Heat of the Night, and The Heat is On)

This series was a lot of fun to read. There was very real chemistry and palpable feelings between the characters in this series. I look forward to reading more of her work...after re-reading these, of course.

Spellweaver (Nine Kingdoms, Book 5) by Lynn Kurland

This is actually the second book in the second trilogy set in the Nine Kingdoms world. I won't say too much because I don't want to spoil the first series at all, but the Nine Kingdoms is probably my favorite fantasy romance series. Great characters that make me fall in love with them.

The Perils of Pleasure (Pennroyal Green, Book 1) by Julie Anne Long

While there is suspense in this historical romance, I loved that the characters still actually fell in love - not just lust. I was rooting for them the whole way through and look forward to more from Julie Anne Long.

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice, Book 1) by George R.R. Martin

I started this book because of the (then) upcoming HBO series. Full of politics and intrigue, I was mostly drawn in by the characters. I've decided to read a book just before each new season starts, and I'm excited to see where we go next.
Be warned: If you need to know that your favorite characters are going to be okay, this is probably not the series for you. Mr. Martin has no qualms about killing off beloved characters.

Initiate (The Unfinished Song, Book 1) by Tara Maya

I started this book excited by the fresh book description. While it starts out a little slow (probably to be expected with it being the first book in a planned 12 book series), I was soon drawn in and couldn't put down my Kindle. I'm looking forward to reading much more from this author about these engaging characters.

Read my review here

Instant Attraction (Wilder Brothers, Book 1) by Jill Shalvis

A fun contemporary romance set against the backdrop of the Sierra Mountains. Katie and Cameron are both recovering from tragic events that have affected them deeply. Seeing them find peace and happiness with them was a true joy.

Disappointments

Living on the Edge (Edge, Book 1) by Shannon K. Butcher

I actually wanted to read the Sentinel series by Ms. Butcher, but this was available at the time I looked. It sounded like a good romantic suspense so I decided to give it a shot. After getting more than halfway through I decided I just couldn't finish it. I was just extremely bored throughout and decided this wasn't for me.

This Side of the Grave (Night Huntress, Book 5) by Jeaniene Frost

I've enjoyed the first 4 books in this series quite a bit. But this one was a huge disappointment to me. There was something missing here, and I'm still not quite sure what. There's something that kept me from being engaged in the story and characters here. I just didn't really care. I still look forward to each new release by Ms. Frost.

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf, Book 1) by Molly Harper

Perhaps expectations were high for me on this one. I'd heard a lot about the humor of Molly Harper and was looking forward to a good book filled with laugh-out-loud moments. What I got was a bland story, filled with exposition, and what humor there was felt forced.

Dragon Bound (Elder Races, Book 1) by Thea Harrison

There was a ton of love of this book around the blog-o-sphere, but I had far too many problems with it.

Read my review here

Ascension (World of Ascension, Book 1) by Caris Roane

There was a lot of potential here, but the confusing, inconsistent world building and characters that seemed to act in strange ways kept me from really enjoying this book. I'll be happy to give something else of Ms. Roane's a chance in the future.

Shadow Kin (Half-Light City, Book 1) by M.J. Scott

Technical problems kept me from getting into this story, and made it far too easy for me to pick at the flaws that I saw. No seeming direction to the plot, erratic world building, and characters that were both weak and assholes left me with nothing to enjoy.

Read my review here

The disappointments were extremely disappointing, but looking at this list it's easy for me to see that there were far more great moments than bad. I'm looking forward to an even better year in 2012!!

What were some of your favorite, or disappointing, reads of 2011. What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Waiting on Wednesday: Blood Rose

2011-11-23T00:01:00.000-06:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which
spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

This WoW is the first paranormal romance book by one of my favorite authors! It sounds fabulous and I can't wait to pick it up!

Title: Blood Rose Buy Link

Authors: Riley Shane

Series: Realm of Nine, Book 1

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Release Date: 29 November 2011

Book Description (from Goodreads):

To save his people, a half-mad prince must enlist the aid of a woman who has no reason to help him...and who he has every reason to desire.

At sixteen, Rose Carrison lost both her parents and her freedom. Since her father’s death, Rose has had to pick up the mantle of her family’s legacy and guard an object of incredible power, one the monsters who murdered her parents would kill to get their hands on. After ten years on the run, Rose’s luck finally runs out. A fate worse than death threatens to consume her. Then, out of the darkness, comes the most unlikely of rescuers...

Grayson van Court is a man skating on the edge of damnation. He’s a revenant: a powerful, blood-drinking, returned-from-the-dead, magical creature that no other magical species wants anything to do with. For centuries, Gray has bargained and fought for the revenants’ right to survive, but his efforts are hampered by his sociopathic mother and the madness that permeates his own soul. When Gray rescues Rose from his mother’s machinations, his intention is only to stop the attacks against his people that would surely come if Rose were harmed. But then he sees her, and everything changes. Two people who should never have met soon find themselves fighting side by side for the chance at a love that could prove to be their salvation.

Review: Shadow Kin by M.J. Scott

2011-11-16T17:29:00.001-06:00

Title: Shadow Kin
Author: M.J. Scott
Series: The Half-Light City, Book 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 6 September 2011

On one side, the Night World, rules by the Blood Lords and the Beast Kind. On the other, the elusive Fae and the humans, protected by their steadfast mages...

Born a wraith, Lily is a shadow who slips between worlds. Brought up by a Blood Lord and raised to be his assassin, she is little more than a slave. But when Lily meets her match in target Simon DuCaine, the unlikely bond that develops between them threatens to disrupt an already stretched peace in a city on the verge of being torn apart…

First, this book is told in alternating first-person POV. There are, apparently, character-specific symbols that mark the beginning of each section, but I'll be honest and say that I never paid attention to these. Resulting in it taking me a couple of lines (or paragraphs sometimes) to get into who's voice it was.

I think that there's potential with this author, but unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark for me.

Lily, the main character, is a Wraith. A fae half-breed, with some special powers and has been turned into an assassin by the Lord of the Blood (think vampires), Lucius.

Simon, the other main POV character, is a sunmage. I have to admit that his powers seem pretty spectacular actually, but like Lily's they just came off as boring.

I think my biggest problem throughout the whole books was the lack of urgency about anything.

We're told that the wars between the Fae, Blood, Beasts (werewolves?), and Humans were so bad that they eventually had to make treaties, which are renegotiated every 3 years. So we're thrust into this quasi bad world, where no one is really fighting for anything.

The world building was...erratic at best. Was it medieval? Victorian? Victorian steampunkish? Modernish? I don't know. I stopped caring part way through.

Unfortunately, the characters didn't make up anything for me. Lily was the weakest assassin I've ever had the occasion to read. Not only was she completely under someone else's control (which wouldn't normally bother me so much), but she could barely make a decision to make a decision.

Simon came off as naive and petulant. And, even, at the end a complete and utter asshole - who didn't grovel nearly enough to gain the heroine's forgiveness, much less mine.

In the end, I may try something else by this author in the future, but I certainly won't be looking forward to it as much as I did this one.

Grade: D+

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Sony | Book Depository | ROC

Kevin Hearne Book Order

2011-09-22T20:46:00.001-05:00

Iron Druid Chronicles

* "Clan Rathskeller" - free short story in back of Hounded
* "Kaibab Unbound" - free short story in back of Hounded
1. Hounded
2. Hexed
3. Hammered
4. Tricked (24 April 2012)
5. Trapped (TBA)
6. Hunted (TBA)

Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information on books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://www.kevinhearne.com/

Jennifer Estep Book Order

2011-09-22T20:40:00.001-05:00

Elemental Assassin Series

* "Poison" - free short story available here
* "Web of Deceit" - free short story available here
* "Spider's Bargain" - free short story available here

1. Spider's Bite

* "Web of Death" - free short story available here

2. Web of Lies

* "Wasted" - free short story available here

3. Venom

* "Tangled Dreams" - free short story available here
* "Tangled Schemes" - free short story available here

4. Tangled Threads

* "Spider's Nemesis" - free short story available here

5. Spider's Revenge

6. By a Thread (31 January 2012)

7. Widow's Web (28 August 2012)

Mythos Academy (YA) Series

* First Frost (ebook only short)
1. Touch of Frost
* "Halloween Frost" in Entangled anthology (ebook only short)
2. Kiss of Frost (29 November 2011)
3. Dark Frost (29 May 2012)

Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information on books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://www.jenniferestep.com/

Review: Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

2011-08-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

Title: Archangel’s Blade
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunter, Book 4
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: September 6, 2011

The severed head marked by a distinctive tattoo on its cheek should have been a Guild case, but dark instincts honed over hundreds of years of life compel the vampire Dmitri to take control. There is something twisted about this death, something that whispers of centuries long past…but Dmitri’s need to discover the truth is nothing to the vicious strength of his response to the hunter assigned to decipher the tattoo.

Savaged in a brutal attack that almost killed her, Honor is nowhere near ready to come face to face with the seductive vampire who is an archangel’s right hand, and who wears his cruelty as boldly as his lethal sensuality…the same vampire who has been her secret obsession since the day she was old enough to understand the inexplicable, violent emotions he aroused in her.

As desire turns into a dangerous compulsion that might destroy them both, it becomes clear the past will not stay buried. Something is hunting…and it will not stop until it brings a blood-soaked nightmare to life once more…

In Archangel's Blade the past comes back to haunt, from the ancient to the near present. Dmitri's memories come back to the fore when someone seems intent on paying homage to his very bloody beginnings. A taunt thrown directly at him, as Raphael is still out of the country when the book starts, Dmitri will use everything he can to put an end – once and for all – to this viciousness.

For Honor St. Nicholas, a hunter for the Guild, the history is much more recent. After living less than a half-life, recovering from a brutal torture that lasted two months, she must learn to live again, and find those who hurt her. When she's contracted to help decipher a strange tattoo she finds Dmitri may just be the best one to help her…and the most dangerous to her.

Welcome back to the world we've come to know and love with Elena and Raphael. The story flows naturally, each scene building on the last until I was holding my breath wanting more. While we get more of the vampires, and the depths of violence they can descend to, this is absolutely a character driven story.

I've been absolutely fascinated with Dmitri from the start. Cruel, capricious, and lethal while still containing that honor, loyalty, and protectiveness. By the time I was just a quarter of the way into Archangel's Blade I was in love with him. He's everything I just said, but it goes so much deeper. Demanding and possessive, protective and patient, gentle – yes, gentle – and unrelenting. He is exactly who he is, not without regrets and pain, but he doesn't ever make excuses for himself either. I love that Ms. Singh doesn't try to make him softer and easier to accept. He has a razor sharpness about him that isn't dulled.

What can I say about Honor to do her justice? Not only is she one of my favorite heroines now, but I would love to know her. She's strong, not just physically because I think most hunters would be, but emotionally, psychologically. She came back from one of the most horrific experiences, and she managed to retain the core of compassion, care and niceness. Then there's the part of her that just won't give up. Plus, she does vengeance really, really well.

It was absolutely a joy to watch the two incredibly strong characters come together and find love.

I loved learning more about Dmitri's past, and seeing Honor come back out of her shell after her torture. We did see a bit of Raphael and Elena, but they didn't take over the story by any means. Another fantastic thing was seeing the interactions between Dmitri and Illium. Having always loved Bluebell, it was great to see him from another perspective.

Ms. Singh takes you deep into the darkest reaches of the vampires in this latest installment of the Guild Hunter series, pulling Dmitri and Honor out into the light. Archangel's Blade is a story that resonated deeply within me, making my heart ache and then soar. All my expectations were absolutely blown away and I can't wait to read the next book in this fantastic series.

Grade: A+

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Sony | Book Depository | Berkley

Waiting on Wednesday: Cross Bones anthology

2011-08-10T08:16:00.000-05:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which
spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

This WoW is an anthology of male/male pirate stories, including my favorite
male/male author - Riley Shane!! Who doesn't love a good pirate story, and
there are a lot of them in this anthology!

Title: Cross Bones

Authors: Rebecca Cohen, Jana Denardo, E.S. Douglas, K.R. Foster, Cornelia
Grey, Ellen Holiday, K.J. Johnson, Juan Kenobi, Maggie Lee, Emily Moreton,
MJ O'Shea, Riley Shane, B. Snow, Piper Vaughn, and Cooper West

Series:

Genre: Male/Male Romance

Release Date: August 15, 2011

Book Description (from Dreamspinner Press' website):

Ahoy, me proud beauty, shiver me timbers! I ask ye to sail me
jollyboat on the high seas, lubber, but will ye dare to accept? On offer be
a pirate's life full of danger and risk, and not just to yer neck, but to
yer very virgin heart! There's man a bodice to be ripped - or perhaps I
should say many a codpiece to be snapped - and should ye be graced enough to
cross bones with a corsair, don't be an addlepate! Heave ho, lad,
hondsomely, and show him how ye bury yer treasure!

Pirates didn't only sail the high seas in historical times. Modern day
renegades and futuristic rebels are just as ripe for asdventure and plunder.
No matter the time, place, or circumstances, bad boys steal affection as
often as they salvage treasure, and in these stories of romance, a rogue's
black heart always conceals a center of gold.

Review: Unlikely Protector by Nicole Sheldon

2011-08-04T21:12:00.000-05:00

Title: Unlikely Protector
Author: Nicole Sheldon
Series:
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Romance
Release Date: July 15, 2011

The Mayan Calendar was right. The world ended, as we knew it, on December 21, 2012. That was the night the Supers - supernatural creatures - came out to play. Everything from dragons to dark wings (ravens that turn into men) to zombies and a whole lot more. As Moira says, the only hope was that you were eaten alive by a quick eater.

In this world, with death around every corner, surviving is the first and last thing on everyone's mind. Moira managed to stay alive for days in the urban wilderness of the world before Luke saved her from the closet she'd finally had to hide in and took her to a safe refuge.

When things start to go crazy again a few months later, Moira and Luke are thrust back together - with some intersting feelings and desires to mix it up. Can they survive long enough to find out what they have together?

Moira is a great character - smart, strong, and just a touch of vulnerability. She clings to life, almost stubbornly, even when fear is riding her hard.

Luke is silent, brooding, and stubborn. He can't survive if he cares about anyone else in this world, so he tells himself he doesn't care. But he shows so much more than that. He won't leave people behind, won't give up, and protects at all costs to himself. When Moira pushes past the barriers he's erected between them and shows him what is possible. Oh boy, do the sparks fly.

This is a fantastic story, set in a desolate, post-apocalyptic world that still manages to show the hope that can always flourish. Wonderful characters, that are layered and, quite frankly, people I'd like to know, take us through this world. They made me care, and made me want to know more.

If you're looking for a fantasticly built world, and a strong romance, you can't go wrong with Unlikely Protector. Quite simply it was a joy to read, and I eagerly turned the pages looking for more. I highly recommend it and will definitely be looking for more from this Ms. Sheldon.

Grade: A+

Book Link | Kindle | nook

Waiting on Wednesday: Unlikely Protector

2011-07-13T12:46:00.006-05:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which
spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

This WoW is by a debut author, Nicole Sheldon, and I'm really excited for
it's release on this Friday!

Title: Unlikely Protector
Author: Nicole Sheldon
Series:
Genre: Post Apocalyptic Romance
Release Date: July 15, 2011

Book Description (from author's blog):

What would you bring to the plate if the world ended? Moira is finding that her knowledge of wine and club clothing isn't much help in the end of times, but her ability to problem solve has landed her a job at the camp she and a few other survivors live in. But she can't seem to solve the problem of her ever constantly growing sexual tension for the man who saved her life and brought her there.

When their safety is threatened and the camp has to move, will Moira find new safety and solve her biggest issue in the process?

Review: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

2011-07-13T11:39:00.001-05:00

Title: Dragon Bound
Author: Thea Harrison
Series: Elder Races, Book 1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 3, 2011

Half-human and half-wyr, Pia Giovanni spent her life keeping a low profile among the wyrkind and avoiding the continuing conflict between them and their dark Fae enemies. But after being blackmailed into stealing a coin from the hoard of a dragon, Pia finds herself targeted by one of the most powerful-and passionate-of the Elder races.

When I first saw this book, and read that it was going to be about dragons -
one of my favorite things to read about - I was excited and anxious to get
my hands on it. Then the awesome reviews started...just one or two here or
there.

Then the flood came. Review after glowing review saying this was the best
thing since the literary version of sliced bread. Me, being well me, I
became skeptical. I just couldn't believe that something that had NO (at the
time) critical reviews pointing out anything that was wrong could possibly
be true. I tend to avoid trends, fads, and anything that gets glowing praise
unless it's from a good friend that knows my tastes. It wasn't until several
people, whose opinions I usually agree with, gave it fantastic reviews that
I decided to give it a shot.

It started off fairly good, and I was excited again. Pia, a good girl caught
in a bad situation, is running for her life. She made the mistake of
trusting an ex-boyfriend and everything is now spiraling out of control.
Dragos, alive since the forming of the universe apparently, has a ton of
power, money, influence...and is bored out of his mind. That is, until
someone breaks into his very guarded horde and steals something from him.

After that it started to go downhill. I think the biggest problem for me was
the characters. Pia and Dragos just never completely settled into character.
Pia switched from being submissive, scared, unsure of her place to yelling
out orders, smoothing things over, and generally becoming a 'queen.'

For example - she's just been brought to Dragos' penthouse. She's not sure
of her place there, is she a prisoner or a guest. She's naked in bed with
Dragos, conflicted about how she feels in his arms. The "breakfast fairie"
(no I'm not making that up) busts into the room to deliver their morning
meal, sees them in bed (why isn't the bed in a separate room?) and Dragos
FLIPS out about Pia being seen in bed in a less than ideal state. He's
growling at the fairie who is stammering out apologies. Pia just takes over.
Calms Dragos, apologizes for him to the faerie and asks her to knock before
coming in next time. Her FIRST morning there.

Dragos went from very wooden thoughts, actions and dialogue - to slang,
street-talk, and things I'd equate a teenager saying. In addition he was a
bit too possessive, demanding and protective. Almost the entire 2nd half of
the book takes place in Dragos' Cuelebre Tower....and the one time Pia
decides to leave it, well of course she gets kidnapped.

The mystery of what type of Wyr Pia was intrigued me for a little bit, until
I realized that the first thing I guessed was the truth. Dragos apparently
didn't know until she'd changed though. That doesn't do a lot to convince me
of his superior intellect.

Then there's the whole problem with the evil Dark Fae King. He's supposed to
be smart, ahead of the game, and calculating - apparently evading Dragos for
a very long time. Yet Pia manages to fool him, outright lie to him, escape
from him (in a very unbelievable scenario) and get almost all the way home
before he catches up.

Lastly I'm going to address the dragons (and gryphons, thunderbirds, and
harpies) that make up most of the shifters we've met to this point. There's
nothing especially special about them. They're like every other shifter I've
read - that's not a bad thing necessarily, but it doesn't make them special
either.

In the end, I think part of my grade is because of the insanely high
expectations that all the glowing reviews set for me. If I had gone into
this book with normal new-to-me-author expectations I may have thought it a
good book. As it was, it felt fairly average with little to make it stand
out from the crowd.

Though I probably will check out the sequel because Tricks was the one
character that I thought was supremely interesting.

Grade: C-

Book
Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Berkley

Review: Solstice by P.J. Hoover

2011-06-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

Title: Solsitce
Author: P.J. Hoover
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Dystopia/Paranormal Young Adult
Release Date: May 4, 2011

Where Mythology and Dystopia meet...

Piper's world is dying. Global warming kills every living thing on Earth, and each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles which threaten to destroy humanity. Amid this Global Heating Crisis, Piper lives with her mother who suffocates her more than the chaotic climate. When her mother is called away to meet the father Piper has been running from her entire life, Piper seizes an opportunity for freedom.

But when Piper discovers a world of mythology she never knew existed, she realizes her world is not the only one in crisis. While Gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper's life spirals into turmoil, and she struggles to find answers to secrets kept from her since birth. And though she's drawn to her classmate Shayne, he may be more than he claims. Piper has to choose whom she can trust and how she can save the people she loves even if it means the end of everything she's ever known.

Solstice has a pretty interesting setup. The world is basically on fire. They've had to learn to live with 113 degree Fahrenheit days, barely getting relief at all at night. This is where we're introduced to Piper. A young woman, seventeen, still in high-school, Piper is raised alone by her mother - never knowing her father.

When she meets two young men at school, who make her feel things she's never experienced before, things really start to change. Shayne shows up in one of her classes - saying he'd been there all year - and Piper feels an instant connection. She meets Reese through a mutual friend, and is irresistibly drawn to him, even losing a bit of her better common-sense when he's around.

I don't want to give away too much, because the story is pretty intricately tied to the mystery of who everyone is. Though this is set up as a dystopian/mythological story, and I can definitely appreciate the skill with which P.J. Hoover combined them, it's much more a mythology or paranormal story.

The beginning is firmly entrenched in the dystopian aspect of the world though - a world dying from global warming, and that's really the impetus that drives it. It's fascinating seeing what humans in Hoover's world have come up with to combat and survive the heat. I wanted to know more, dig deeper, understand better.

It does begin to get bogged down a little bit, losing some of the interest when we're put more through the paces of introducing the mythological aspect. And without saying anything to spoil what it is essentially a retelling of, I will say that if you have even a rudimentary knowledge of classic myths you'll recognize these characters fairly early on. What kept me reading from that point was to see if there were going to be any unexpected twists thrown in. There weren't.

Solstice is an interesting story that sometimes gets lost in the details. I would recommend it for younger readers (middle-school and up) as I do think it's a fun way to retell this particular myth (which has always been one of my favorites). I look forward to reading more of Ms. Hoover's work in the future.

Grade: C

Book Link | Kindle | nook

Review: The Starlight Rite by Cherise Sinclair

2011-06-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

Title: The Starlight Rite
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Series: Stand Alonen
Genre: Science Fiction Erotic Romance
Release Date: August 3, 2010

Blurb from Goodreads:

Her voice is known throughout the galaxy; her face is completely unknown.

Fleeing her monstrous husband back on puritanical Earth and the police assassins he's hired, singer Mella Archer becomes stranded on the frontier planet of Nexus. Desperate to survive, she picks the wrong target--Dain, the head of planetary security.

Dain is amused by the attempted theft, and when Mella is sentenced to serve time indentured as a bedroom slave, he buys her contract. As he introduces the repressed Earther to the pleasures of sex with a dominating warrior, he slowly comes to realize that the little thief has stolen his heart.

When the monster arrives on Nexus and has lunch with Dain, Mella is panic-stricken. Her owner must be part of the conspiracy to kill her, and it will only be a matter of time before the monster discovers that she's still alive. She attempts to escape. She fails. Embittered by her lies and mistrust, Dain returns her to Indenture Hall to be sold again.

Now the monster has found her. And she has nowhere left to run..

I’m not generally a fan of science-fiction romance. I’m not sure why, I’ve just never really been able to get into it. You wouldn’t think it’d be so far off of my fantasy romance, or paranormal romance – both of which I love, but it just is for me. However, because I love Cherise Sinclair, I dug right into The Starlight Rite

Dain and Mella are both great characters, interesting, three-dimensional, and I came to care about them. The world is well-thought out and it was enough to intrigue me into wanting more.

Unfortunately, there was one aspect of this story that just didn’t work for me. And even more unfortunately it was a major aspect of the story. The plot.

This is most definitely a ‘capture’ fantasy type of book. And I’m not saying anything that isn’t in the blurb, so I knew it going in. It just didn’t work for me. The lack of choice is a fairly big deal, and it comes up over and over again throughout the book. There's one scene in particular that almost broke it for me. Even though we get from her POV that she enjoys what's happening, she still thinks about her lack of choice in the matter.

While The Starlight Rite didn’t work for me, I am sure there are many others that it will work for. Ms. Sinclair’s writing is as good as it always is and the subject matter isn’t handled badly, this is just one of my pet-peeve issues and I couldn’t get past it enough to truly enjoy the story.

Grade: C

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | Sony | Book Depository | Loose Id

Review: The Unfinished Song: Initiate by Tara Maya

2011-06-04T00:36:00.000-05:00

Title: The Unfinished Song: Initiate
Author: Tara Maya
Series: Unfinished Song, Book 1
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 22, 2010

DEADLY INITIATION

A DETERMINED GIRL...
Dindi can't do anything right, maybe because she spends more time dancing with pixies than doing her chores. Her clan hopes to marry her off and settle her down, but she dreams of becoming a Tavaedi, one of the powerful warrior-dancers whose secret magics are revealed only to those who pass a mysterious Test during the Initiation ceremony. The problem? No-one in Dindi's clan has ever passed the Test. Her grandmother died trying. But Dindi has a plan.

AN EXILED WARRIOR...
Kavio is the most powerful warrior-dancer in Faearth, but when he is exiled from the tribehold for a crime he didn't commit, he decides to shed his old life. If roving cannibals and hexers don't kill him first, this is his chance to escape the shadow of his father's wars and his mother's curse. But when he rescues a young Initiate girl, he finds himself drawn into as deadly a plot as any he left behind. He must decide whether to walk away or fight for her... assuming she would even accept the help of an exile

When I was first offered this book to review, I thought it sounded absolutely fascinating – not quite like anything I’d ever read before. I was definitely right.

The book starts out rather slow. There’s a lot of description of the place, the people, the setting. It was a little hard to get into at first, because I was having trouble following the story among all the descriptions.

But it wasn’t too far into it that the story really picked up. When Dindi is taken for her Initiation, and Kavio is kicked out of his tribe, everything starts to get interesting.

I could not put my Kindle down. The story flows beautifully, and naturally, from this point forward, and I was up late into the night finishing it.

Dindi is an great character. She dances in secret, she’s not supposed to before becoming a Tavaedi, with the fae and wants nothing more than to be able to continue to dance. She’s not entirely sure of herself, but she’s sweet and kind.

Kavio is something else entirely. He’s strong – physically, mentally and emotionally. He willingly takes his punishment as exile, when all he was doing was trying to save his tribe. He fights off those that would do more harm, saves young girls from drowning, and doesn’t expect anyone to give him any trust or belief. He sets out to make his own way – refusing to let that way be less than what he was, he strives for better.

I really loved both main characters, as well as being incredibly interested in a few of the secondary characters we got to know (Gwenika comes to mind immediately). The Corn Maiden – I sure hope we're going to learn more about her!!

The real prize here though, is the world. It’s an intricate, beautiful, harsh world. Ancient, ancient times – think Neolithic – with tribes that remind me of the Native American or African tribes of old. Magic and fae still populate the world, and if you have magic you are admitted to an entirely different class of the tribe. The customs and interactions between the tribes were fascinating. I could see the influence of a few different ethnicities and histories, and they were seamlessly woven together into a brand new whole. Honestly, it delighted me.

Tara Maya has given us a beautiful new fantasy world. The Unfinished Song: Initiate will pull you in, immerse you in the people and stark beauty of Faearth, and leave you wanting more when you’re done. I know I definitely can’t wait to start The Unfinished Song: Taboo to see what’s next for Dindi, Kavio and the rest.

Grade: B

P.S. There is a cliffhanger at the end, but the second book The Unfinished Song: Taboo is already out and it looks like the final book in the series should be out next month!

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook

Review: Chasing Alex by Riley Shane

2011-06-01T15:08:00.001-05:00

Title: Chasing Alex
Author: Riley Shane
Series: Stand-Alone
Genre: Contemporary M/M Romance
Release Date: June 1, 2011

Chase Larkspur is a rodeo cowboy who likes a good ride…as long as he’s the one calling the shots. Alex Dawson is a bull rider who tests every limit Chase has ever set. The passion between them burns bright and hot, until Alex grows tired of keeping their relationship a secret—and of being the one who’s always ridden. Alex lays down an ultimatum, and then the rest is up to Chase. Does Chase let the best thing in his life run away to the family ranch, or is he brave enough to chase Alex down??

Reunion stories are some of my favorites; I love the idea of people that were together finally finding love with each other. In this case there was the ultimatum – and the events that led to it – that tore Chase and Alex apart. When they come back together, their reunion is both steamy and emotional.

It’s great to read a short story, just over 30 pages, that manages to pull me in and make me care. But this one definitely does. I was rooting for Chase and Alex to get back together, to understand one another and to give themselves, and each other, a chance.

Chasing Alex is a quick, sexy, eminently satisfying read. Riley Shane has a gift of writing great stories with characters that I love and want to see more of. Recommended!!

Grade: A+

Book Link | Dreamspinner Press

Review: Miss Bramble and the Leviathan by Kristen Painter

2011-05-31T00:00:00.001-05:00

Title: Miss Bramble and the Leviathan
Author: Kristen Painter
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Steampunk Romance
Release Date: September 13, 2010
Length: Novella

Blurb from Goodreads:

When Pandora Bramble steps aboard the Company’s premiere airship Daedalus it’s not for the exclusive VIP tour. It’s to secure proof that the Company stole the regulator valve her father designed—even if it means tearing the engine apart. Foiled by the unexpected appearance of a handsome crew member, she despairs of ever getting another chance—until he kisses her.

Captain Theolonius Hatch, sentenced to engine room duty for refusing to take part in the Company’s fleet week activities, never dreamed a woman like Pandora existed. Her brains match her beauty, a combination that adds up to more trouble than he ever expected.

As Pandora allows Theolonius to sweep her into a whirlwind courtship, her wildest dreams come true. As do her greatest fears, leaving her to decide what matters most. Loyalty…or love.

After getting my first taste of steampunk with Meljean Brook’s Iron Seas series (review of The Iron Duke here), I was anxious to delve further into the genre. It was fun, fresh and fascinating.

I really liked Pandora. She’s a fun, smart, fascinating heroine. She’s more at home tinkering in an engine room than in a formal dining room and when she is in formal society she’s in the shadow of her beautiful, society-minded friend. All this adds up to a woman who’s a bit alone in the world, taking care of her father and their shop essentially by herself.

I had a few problems with this one though. First, the steampunk world was more window-dressing than anything else. It didn’t play a very big part in the story, and could just as easily been a regency romance. That’s not such a big deal, but I think I would have appreciated it more had I know that going in.

The second is mostly I think due to the length. I just didn’t feel like there was enough time to properly develop the relationship between the hero and heroine. Pandora and Theo were keeping secrets from each other, truthfully thinking the other already knew, but not talking about them, for most of the story. This is one of my pet-peeves in reading so I’m not sure how big of an issue it really is. The things that they don’t talk about – like her father’s design – is a pretty major story point, and while I can understand each of their motivations for keeping mum on the subject it just got to be a little too much for me.

That being said, I loved how it ended. Kristen Painter didn’t take the easy way out with the ending, and I really appreciated the complexity that she layered in there. I definitely look forward to trying more out by Ms. Painter in the future.

Grade: C

Book Link | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Samhain Publishing

Review: Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

2011-05-30T13:56:00.000-05:00

Title: Kiss of Snow
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy/Changeling, Book 10
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 31, 2011

**Warning – Contains mild spoilers for the previous books in the series***

Blurb from Goodreads:

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would've been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other's secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna's darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Hawke’s book has been highly anticipated by me since I first read Slave to Sensation, the first book in this wonderful Psy/Changeling series. Over the past year I’ve tried to subdue that anticipation as much as possible – sure that it could only lead to disappointment.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This is the story I’ve been waiting for. The sexual tension between Hawke and Sienna is nearly explosive. Hawke doesn’t take too long to come around to the decision that his wolf has been pushing him towards – pursue Sienna. It might take a little creativity on Sienna’s part, but once he does; Oh boy. There are a few ‘almost’ moments, where Hawke and Sienna’s courting is interrupted by everything from injuries to Psy scouting parties to outright attacks, and you could feel the frustration, as well as the responsibility in each of those moments.

Hawke was the same alpha that I’ve always loved. The alpha who has feral wolves claiming him as their own alpha. In this dangerous war with the Psy, Hawke barely has time to set aside his responsibilities. So he never does. He and Sienna steal small moments, with the help of their Pack, and they don’t give up on what they have together.

Learning more about Sienna, and what she has grown up with, what she’s grown up expecting – to die before she reaches 25 – was heart-wrenching at times. And yet she always managed to impress me with the way she’s managed to become such a strong young woman. She is absolutely more than a match for Hawke. But she’s so much more than a perfect match for him, she’s a fierce, beautiful, determined, resourceful woman that’s not afraid to take chances with her heart, and will protect those she cares about, no matter the cost to herself.

There’s an additional side story between Lara, SnowDancer’s healer and Walker Lauren. It’s an incredibly sweet story that I was happy to read. There’s a lot of focus on the Lauren’s in general in Kiss of Snow, with more of one of my favorite characters (Judd) showing up quite a bit too.

By now there are around 50 distinct characters that we’ve met more deeply than passing by in Nalini Singh’s Psy/Changeling world. She continues to give each of them a voice that is solely their own. They act within their character all the time and are each noticeably different. Combine that with a world that continues to grow while following its own rules and Ms. Singh continues to blow away all my expectations.

Kiss of Snow satisfied every one of my expectations, and then some. It’s a sexy, sweet, enthralling story from beginning to end. I literally could not put it down from the moment I started it and was up late into the night inhaling this story. There’s no end in sight for my love of Nalini Singh’s writing, and I’m eagerly anticipating her next release.

Grade: A

Review: Full Exposure by Evangeline Anderson and Lena Matthews

2011-05-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

Title: Full Exposure
Author: Evangeline Anderson and Lena Matthews
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Contemporary Interracial Erotic Romance
Release Date: August 29, 2008

Blurb from Goodreads:

Keeley Jackson has a problem. She's madly in love with her cousin's friend Sean Hastings, but the trouble is, he doesn't know she exists. All he sees is the flat-chested little girl with the big glasses whom he always called "Squints".

Despite what she might think, Sean has definitely noticed Keeley is all grown up. The proof is right there every time he looks her way. He's just not sure if he's willing to risk losing his best friend in order to have her.

For Keeley, enough is enough. With the help of her best friend, she cooks up a plan that will surely show Sean she's not a little girl any longer, even if that means posing suggestively for erotic photographs. It's a risky venture, but Keeley knows in order to get Sean for herself she will have to risk nothing less than full exposure.

My good friend Kat recommended Full Exposure to me. I think this was the first book I read by either Evangeline Anderson or Lena Matthews, and it’s still one of my favorites. Often with a shorter length novel you don’t get enough character or relationship development to be able to really feel like you know the characters and that they’re going to survive after the story ends. Happily, that isn’t a problem here.

Keeley and Sean have a history together, as friends over a long time period, and when Keeley finally decides to up the ante I was rooting for her the whole time. Both of them are extremely well developed and I immediately fell in love with Sean as well.

The bulk of the story takes place over a couple of days and almost entirely in Sean’s studio. As you can imagine, with the boudoir photography, it steams up pretty quickly – and never lets up. This is a story that has a bit of deception, generally something I can’t stand, but that I felt was really well done. It made total sense, and was, in my opinion, perfectly handled.

Full Exposure is a sexy, scintillating, HOT read that I highly recommend.

Grade: A

Book Link | Ellora's Cave

Review: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

2011-04-02T00:26:00.002-05:00

Title: Angelfire
Author: Courtney Allison Moulton
Series: Angelfire, Book 1
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Release Date: February 15, 2011

Ellie is a normal sixteen – soon to be seventeen – year old girl. She gets bored in economics classes, does homework, goes to movies and shopping, is looking forward to getting her first car and, like a lot of girls her age, she’s trying to figure out how to get into the college of her choice. There’s just one difference: she’s been having these horrifying nightmares about creatures that kill her every night.

On the night of her seventeenth birthday she finds out the nightmares are real when she comes face-to-face with a reaper – those who devour human souls and send them straight to hell. Armed with swords the appear out of nowhere, an immortal sworn to protect her, and memories of her past lives coming back, Ellie soon finds herself on the front lines of an ages old battle between archangels and the fallen.

One of the things I appreciated most about Angelfire was the absolute normality of Ellie. Both of her parents were in her life, and though things definitely weren’t perfect at home, there was the strong point that her mother was actually a mother. She cared about where Ellie was, and what she was doing, and wasn’t just another convenient plot point. Ellie wasn’t an outcast at school; in fact she had a group of great friends while still not being obscenely popular. Obviously her parents were fairly well off, and they lived in a nice neighborhood, but everything was comfortable and normal. Plus (and this is probably my biggest thing), Ellie had common sense. See a weird boy following you – make a plan to stay away. I loved that.

Of course the weird boy turned out to be her immortal guardian, Will. Having been with her, in many lives, for the past 500 years, Will is the key to her remembering her duties, powers, and history. While he is her guardian, don’t mistake that for meaning that Ellie is weak. Far from it. Will often says, and we get evidence of it, that Ellie is stronger than him and he’s just there to watch her back – what they fight isn’t an easy enemy.

Another thing that was greatly appreciated was the fact that Ellie didn’t shy away once she learned who she was. Yes, she questioned, and had some freak-out moments, but for the most part she just kicked ass while struggling to come to terms with her new reality. And trying to integrate that reality into the one she already had. She’d train and do homework, then go hunting for more reapers. She still went to movie night with her friends, even dragging Will along saying he needed to act more ‘normal.’ I enjoyed this balance.

This isn’t to say Ellie’s perfect, but I do think she’s realistic for a teen girl dealing with incredible circumstances.

The action in Angelfire moves at a fairly decent pace, though there were times I was anxious to get back to it. It is interspaced with Ellie learning about herself and her powers, or trying to maintain a normal life, and learning more about Will.

Speaking of Will, there’s a strong romantic thread here too. While anyone who has read YA recently could probably see this coming, I thought the difference was that for once I could actually understand why they were interested in one another. It was a gradual growth of feelings based on what they knew of each other, and spending time together talking. I’d like to see where this goes further as there’s a rather interesting twist at the end to add the suspense to this storyline – and surprisingly it’s not a love triangle!

The biggest downside to the book is the writing style for me. It’s a bit choppy and doesn’t flow well all the time. I could start to see the improvement in that in the later half of the book, but it would still occasionally pull me out of the story, but it wasn’t that much of a distraction.

All in all, I was eagerly turning the pages of Angelfire to find out what happened next. A quick, easy read, with characters that I definitely want to get to know better, Angelfire left me wanting more – in a good way. It was eminently satisfying to see a lot of the young-adult conventions turned on their heads. Angelfire is the first book in a planned trilogy, so don’t look for the story to be neatly tied up in this book though there is a nice stopping point chosen.

Grade: B-

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Harper Collins

Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward Giveaway

2011-03-23T18:10:00.000-05:00

So, Elisha at Forever Growing, Forever Evolving is hosting a giveaway of J.R. Ward's latest book, Lover Unleashed.

I've been a long time fan of Ms. Ward's books, and am constantly spreading the love of her books to anyone I can get to listen.

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

GIVEAWAY LINK

All you have to do is leave a comment!

Review: The Perfect Play by Jaci Burton

2011-02-27T17:12:00.000-06:00

Title: The Perfect Play
Author: Jaci Burton
Series: Play by Play, Book 1
Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance
Release Date: February 1, 2011

Mick Riley is an all-star football player for the San Francisco Sabers. For years he’s been happy to take advantage of the lifestyle made easily available to him, including a different woman for every occasion. But when he meets a determinedly single mom everything just might change…

Tara is an event planner, with her own business, and a fourteen year-old boy. It hasn’t been an easy road for her to get where she’s at, providing a stable life for both her and her son, but Tara’s never regretted a moment – and never looked back. So when she meets Mick at the party she organized for the Sabers, and ends up in his bed for a night of unforgettable sex, Tara quickly relegates it to one-night-stand territory.

What she doesn’t know is that Mick’s determined, and plans to resolutely pursue and win her, with the perfect play.

I’ll admit, I’ve been eyeing this cover for months now, waiting for the book to come out so I could own it, even though covers like this don’t generally draw me. Definitely a win on the cover.

I was really looking forward to a good sports romance, and I definitely was not disappointed here. Jaci Burton definitely knows her football, and it showed in almost every detail. The world really came alive and felt very real to me.

I really enjoyed Mick and Tara’s story. I thought that they were well matched, and I really enjoyed the growing relationship between all the characters, including Tara’s son Nathan and Mick, as well as Tara and Mick’s family. The issues that created problems for Mick and Tara, I felt, were extremely realistic and handled really well.

I had a few issues while reading, that ultimately didn’t take away a lot of my enjoyment of the book, but they were things that pulled me out of the story and I want to mention them. Throughout a good half of the book Mick is comparing Tara, favorably of course, to his past ‘flings.’ I can understand and get the point of this, but I felt that it got a bit old. Tara was so much better, more real, etc, etc, etc…

One of my hot-button issues is the ‘Big Misunderstanding’ so I’m perhaps a little overly sensitive to it. There was a misunderstanding issue about midway through that was really quickly resolved, and I loved how that was handled, because there was no time for it to become this big thing. Tara even admonishes herself for not trusting Mick, but just a few chapters later she’s doing the exact same thing. She doesn’t even ask him, or try to talk to him, just gets upset and storms out not wanting to talk to him.

The Perfect Play is an incredibly incendiary read. The really nice thing, I thought, was that it was all in line with the story and characters – it didn’t just feel like it was thrown in there to make the book hotter. Mick and Tara are both ‘talkers’ in their love scenes and after something in their words started to not feel right to me, though I still can’t lay my finger on what exactly. But, again, that did not diminish the sexiness of these love scenes, nor how extremely well-done they were.

I greatly enjoyed The Perfect Play and look forward to reading the next book in the series, Changing the Game which comes out August 2, 2011.

Grade: B-

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Berkley Heat

February 18 2011 Follow Friday Tag Along

2011-02-18T05:47:00.000-06:00

Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Her question this week is: If you are a fan of Science Fiction what is your favorite book? If you haven't read Science Fiction before...any inkling to? Anything catch your eye?

Honestly, I haven't really ever read science fiction. Here and there a few things, which has usually done more to confirm that it's not one of my favorite genres. But. There are a few that I want to check out. I really want to read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card for one.

If you've got some AWESOME recommendations for science fiction (straight up, romance, erotica) leave them in the comments, I'd love to have more to choose from to dive into.

Recent

Review of First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones - Debut author book

Review: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

2011-02-12T15:16:00.002-06:00

Title: First Grave on the Right
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson, Book 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: February 1, 2011

Charley Davidson was born a reaper. The Grim Reaper, to be exact. She convinces the dead to go into the light. They’re drawn to her, and she to them. Because of this she often ends up investigating the deaths that happened under unusual circumstances – like murder. Which is good, since being a reaper doesn’t really pay the bills.

When three attorneys turn up dead, Charley helps out the PD with their case, through her Uncle Bob who’s a detective. While she’s searching for the culprit, and trying to help her other clients, Charley is also trying to figure out if her nightly visits from a phantom lover are more than they seem. This phantom has been following her all her life, and he just might not be dead. In fact, he could be something a whole lot more disturbing.

First Grave on the Right is sarcastic, humorous, quick and fun. There’s the two mystery threads – the attorneys murders, and the spectral visitor – that serve to move the story along, though Charley’s phantom is given much more credence and is much more interesting because of it.

Charley herself is extremely sarcastic. Extremely. She uses it to keep people and situations at arms length from her. I think this is a realistic defense considering what she is, but it also served to keep me at a distance. I think that I would have liked to be able to delve a little bit more into her, get some more depth and gotten to know her. I had a hard time connecting with her.

That being said, I caught myself laughing out loud a few times, even if I wasn’t loving the fact that she named her breasts which just seemed absurd to me. There were times when it felt like she was being witty for the sake of being witty.

The ending I absolutely loved. The resolution of the Big Bad that's been haunting Charley is a fantastic hook. It completely pulled me in and made me want to find out what happened next, making me think that First Grave on the Right is really more of an introductory book to get us into the world and life of Charley Davidson. I will be picking up the second book, Second Grave on the Left when it’s released to see if I can connect more with Charley.

First Grave on the Right is an enjoyable, witty ride with an interesting premise. I really enjoyed the idea of a grim reaper and what that meant for the world. I’m definitely interested in seeing where Darynda Jones takes Charley, and us, next.

Grade: C

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | Sony | Book Depository | St. Martin's Press

February 11 2011 Follow Friday Tag Along

2011-02-11T05:57:00.001-06:00

Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Her question this week is: What is your favorite romance hero-type? Stereotype wise. Do you like the strong silent type or the brute macho man?

I like a variety. I don't want to read the same thing over and over again. But if I were forced to pick, I love a big male that is possessive, a touch dominating, strong, intelligent and absolutely devoted to the heroine.

Calling all 18 and over book bloggers, are you looking for more bloggers like yourself? Well please join in so we can tag along with each other. This is for a specific group and your blog needs to primarily have book reviews and post adult book content. In other words, if you read books like erotic and adult romance and have adult pic, then you can play tag along. Sorry YA readers, but if you read both (I know some of you do) you can tag along also. Just make sure you have both YA and adult romance on your blog.

It doesn't matter what you read if it’s paranormal, suspense, historical, contemporary or mystery, along with erotic with any genre. As long as it is adult then you’re in.

To join in the fun and get details click here. This tag along is hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

If you have an adult book blog, please sign up for this tag along. There are others including myself that are looking for you so please join us.

This week's question: Whats your favorite genre?

I've always been fascinated by the supernatural, so I naturally gravitate towards anything to do with paranormal - whether it be Paranormal Romance or Urban Fantasy. Those are probably my two most read, but I like to mix up genres too. I also really enjoy Fantasy, Steampunk, Historical Romance, Contemporary Romance and Romantic Suspense (on occasion). And if I see a BDSM erotic romance story - I can't turn it down.

Recent

Review of Master of the Abyss by Cherise Sinclair
Review of Two-Man Advantage by Riley Shane
Review of Dead Man's Eye by Shaun Jeffrey
Review of Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews
My Waiting on Wednesday Pick

Waiting on Wednesday: Kiss of Snow

2011-02-09T05:44:00.000-06:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

I can't believe that I haven't had this one for a WoW pick already! If you dig around my site at all it'll be pretty easy to realize that I'm a huge fan of Nalini Singh's books. Her writing is always engaging, lush, and evocative. My first introduction to her work was her Psy/Changeling series, where there were three races trying to share the planet.

First, or they would say they were first, are the Psy - psychic beings - more of the mind than the body, but with some incredibly awesome powers. There were telepaths, telekinetics, medical, foreseers...some are able to insert a 'virus' into another's brain. Some can travel vast distances, or rip a body apart with their mind. Others can heal, see inside the body and brain to figure out what's wrong. And they're Silent, meaning they've chosen to purge all emotion from their lives - usually with fail-safes to prevent them from having any sort of emotional response.

Then we have the Changelings. Beast and Human combined, they are not one or the other, they are always both. We've learned of Changelings of cats, wolves, birds, snakes, deer and it seems that Changelings can be of almost any species. Though we spend most of our time with the Dark River (leopards) and Snow Dancer (wolves) packs. The Changelings live by Pack rules. Law enforcement lets them take care of their own. They're incredibly territorial and, in contracts to the Psy who deal in a near emotionless state, the Changelings emotions often seriously impact their lives.

Finally, there are Humans. Seemingly powerless in this struggle between those that have stronger minds, and those that have stronger bodies and senses you might be tempted to count the humans as nothing but pawns. You'd be wrong to do so. They're as much a part of the survival of the world as both the Psy and the Changelings.

Into this explosive dynamic we are thrust. Where the tides of change are already beginning.

Title: Kiss of Snow
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy/Changeling, Book 10
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Berkley Books
Release Date: May 31, 2011

Book Description (from author's website):

Since the moment of her defection from the PsyNet and into the SnowDancer wolf pack, Sienna Lauren has had one weakness. Hawke. Alpha and dangerous, he compels her to madness.

Hawke is used to walking alone, having lost the woman who would’ve been his mate long ago. But Sienna fascinates the primal heart of him, even as he tells himself she is far too young to handle the wild fury of the wolf.

Then Sienna changes the rules and suddenly, there is no more distance, only the most intimate of battles between two people who were never meant to meet. Yet as they strip away each other’s secrets in a storm of raw emotion, they must also ready themselves for a far more vicious fight…

A deadly enemy is out to destroy SnowDancer, striking at everything they hold dear, but it is Sienna’s darkest secret that may yet savage the pack that is her home…and the alpha who is its heartbeat…

Review: Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

2011-02-08T19:45:00.000-06:00

Title: Magic Bites
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book 1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: March 27, 2007

From Ilona Andrews Website about the Kate Daniels World:

The world has suffered a magic apocalypse. We pushed the technological progress too far, and now magic returned with a vengeance. It comes in waves, without warning, and vanishes as suddenly as it appears. When magic is up, planes drop out of the sky, cars stall, electricity dies. When magic is down, guns work and spells fail.

It's a volatile, screwed-up world. Magic feeds on technology, gnawing down on skyscrapers until most of them topple and fall, leaving only skeletal husks behind. Monsters prowl the ruined streets, werebears and werehyenas stalk their prey; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds.

In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But sometimes even trained killers make friends and fall in love, and when the universe tries to kick them in the face, they kick back.

Kate Daniels is a mercenary for the Guild. She’s having a bit of trouble making ends meet when she gets a visit suggesting that she get in contact with her guardian. But when she tries she gets stonewalled. And then she finds out he’s dead, killed by an apparently unknown magical being.

Now Kate’s on the job, searching for the answers, which brings her into contact with some of the most powerful beings in Atlanta. She’ll travel from the heart of the vampire’s power, the People’s Casino, to the shapeshifter’s Keep, ruled by the Beast Lord and everywhere in between.

I read this book quite a while ago, finally, at the insistence of one of my best friends – who had been recommending the series to me for over a year! What on earth took me so long? I’m doing this review now because I just got done listening to the audiobook and wanted to comment on both.

First, I absolutely love Kate. Not only does she kick ass and have a smart mouth, but because when she does talk, she can back it up – unless she’s trying to aggravate Curran of course. She’s not perfect, she makes mistakes, she has flaws! Sometimes she even makes rash decisions. And this is probably one of my favorite things about her – when she does any of the above, it doesn’t always turn out the way she wants and sometimes she has to accept the consequences of her actions. I’ll say it again, because I think it’s something that’s missing in a lot of urban fantasy I read – Kate’s (and truly all the characters) actions have consequences and they don’t just go away, they have to be dealt with. And it’s not always easy. Another thing to love about Kate is that she has a personal code of conduct, and she sticks to it. Honestly, there’s not one thing I didn’t love about Kate. Impressive, considering how difficult it is to make me truly like a heroine.

Now, I’ve spent all this time talking about Kate and haven’t mentioned a single other character. And there are so many wonderful characters to mention. Curran, I can’t even describe how much I love Curran, the Beast Lord of Atlanta. Strong, sexy, dominating, fierce. He’s arrogant and eminently sure of himself – with good cause. I was immediately enamored of him.

Honestly, I can’t do justice to all the well-developed characters in this book, so I’ll just say that all of them are fully three-dimensional and intriguing.

Magic Bites moves at a very quick pace, with lots of action set in a fabulously complex, detailed world. The world is a character all itself. I love the idea of the magic and tech asserting themselves at ever-changing intervals and the effects that has on our protagonist. The world building was flawlessly integrated into the story, and I never got hopelessly lost in it, though I was completely immersed.

Now, onto my thoughts about the audiobook, read by Renée Raudman. I just did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. Ms. Raudman made Kate sound weak and stupid – neither of which I associate with her, obviously. Add to that all the times that I felt she got the inflection of speech or thought wrong, completely changing the meaning or tone of what they were saying and it about drove me insane. Still, even that couldn’t totally detract from the beauty of the story. Also, it’s probably not quite enough to stop me from listening to the rest of the series as well.

I highly recommend this series if you haven’t started it already. Magic Bites a rocket-fast story, set in a vivid, ever-changing world with characters that fairly jump off the page and make you beg for more.

Grade: A+

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Ace

Review: Dead Man's Eye by Shaun Jeffrey

2011-02-01T20:26:00.001-06:00

Title: Dead Man’s Eye
Author: Shaun Jeffrey
Series: Stand Alone Novella
Genre: Horror
Release Date: December 30, 2010

Joanna Raines has just undergone a corneal transplant in one eye to stop her from going blind. It’s a complete success, but as it begins to heal she starts seeing shadowy coronas surrounding certain people.

Terrified that something is going wrong and she’s never going to be able to see again, or worse – that she’s going crazy, Joanna searches for answers.

What she finds out is much more difficult to believe than a simple operating complication. The shadows surrounding people are proof that demons are amassing to take over the human population!

Now, she is the only one that stands in their way. A young woman with the ability to see what they really are. She just has to convince everyone else.

I was pulled along with Joanna, anxious to see her come to the understanding that there were demons walking among us and to see what she was going to do about it. Twists and turns are seamlessly spun throughout the tale and, while not entirely unexpected, offered another level of suspense.

But the thing that stood out for me most in this novella was the quality of the prose. It fully immersed me in the tale. Fast-paced, with a lot of action, it doesn’t let you go for the entire length of the book.

Dead Man’s Eye is a lively-paced, well-crafted, eminently enjoyable read. I look forward to seeing more from Mr. Jeffrey.

Grade: B-

Book Link | Kindle | Kindle UK | nook | kobo | Sony | Smashwords

Review: Two-Man Advantage by Riley Shane

2011-01-31T20:22:00.001-06:00

Title: Two-Man Advantage
Author: Riley Shane
Series: Seattle Marauders, Book 1
Genre: Male/Male Erotic Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 25, 2011

Blurb from author’s website:

When Professor Nathan Troy walks into his cabin and finds a naked man in his bed, he figures his one-man vacation to snowy Lake Tahoe can’t get any worse. It’s not that Nate doesn’t appreciate the view…he’d just prefer he knew the man in question.

Kyle Harper has come to Lake Tahoe to escape the memories of his former life – one where he was a star hockey player until a career-ending injury shattered his dreams forever. All Kyle wants is peace, and he certainly isn’t going to get it with a prickly, stubborn man waking him up, insisting that Kyle is in his cabin.

An accidental double-booking and a wary compromise puts the two in close quarters. Attraction heats things up, but Nate’s not about to let his libido lead him into making the mistake of getting involved with his unexpected roommate. Kyle, however, seems determined to get under his skin at every turn. Both men soon learn that they can’t outrun desire. But lust is easy; it’s opening their hearts that’s hard. Each will have to let go of the past before they can take advantage of the future the two of them could have together.

Nate and Kyle both end up at the Tahoe resort running from something. Past pain, hurt and heartache. But regardless of what they’re trying to escape these two wonderful heroes are fighters. When something good comes along, no matter how improbable it seems, they’re both willing to take a chance. To grab life and see where it leads. That endeared me greatly to both of them.

Nate’s just out of a relationship that had really died a slow death quite a while ago. More than pain and loss there’s embarrassment and resignation, which are still two difficult things to get over. Kyle’s loss is deeper. His entire life-dream has been shattered. When Kyle gets to the cabin he’s floundering, trying to find his place again.

Watching them come together made me smile. These are two heroes that I rooted for getting their happily-ever-after. Added to the way they complemented each other, filling in missing needs, I would be remiss if I didn’t add that they are sexy-as-hell together.

Two-Man Advantage is a hot, sinful, and incredibly romantic love story. I kept sneaking glimpses while at work, as I just couldn’t put it down! Riley Shane gave us two heroes to fall in love with, to cheer for, and that left me begging for more. Highly recommended!

Grade: A+

Book Link | Loose Id

Review: Master of the Abyss by Cherise Sinclair

2011-01-30T18:57:00.000-06:00

Title: Master of the Abyss
Author: Cherise Sinclair
Series: Mountain Masters, Book 2
Genre: BDSM Erotic Romance
Release Date: October 26, 2010

When Jake Hunt uncollared his slave, she committed suicide. Guilt has been a constant companion for him in the two years since and he now only allows himself to commit to a woman for one night. The rest of his time is spent devoted to the mountain lodge that he runs with his brother.

Kallie Masterson had a hard childhood, growing up passed around from family to family, feeling unwanted and unloved. After she finally settled in this small mountain town Kallie worked hard to become a wilderness guide, and is the best at what she does. While proud of her accomplishments, and content with her unfeminine apparel, she’s disappointed that Jake never looks twice at her.

Kallie’s abruptly thrown in Jake’s path when he rescues her from a bar brawl, and then guide business brings her to his lodge. The lodge that caters to an alternate crowd. To be sure she can handle their clientele’s lifestyles Jake invites her to a BDSM night, where he’s shocked to discover a warm, responsive and submissive woman under her ugly clothes.

Fully warned with his standard ‘one night only’ speech, Kallie knows that she can’t get connected, but when one night turns into two, and then more, how long can she hold onto her heart?

The first time I read Cherise Sinclair it was her Club Shadowlands book, first in the Masters of the Shadowlands series, and I loved it so much I quickly glommed up the rest of her backlist (all of which I’d highly recommend). Soon, I’d finished it all, ending with Master of the Mountain, the story of Jake’s brother, Logan. Then I was stuck waiting for Jake’s story, which I was very much anticipating.

I loved delving further into Jake’s history, and the guilt, and feelings that he has over his ex-girlfriend’s death. It’s such an important part of him, and the story, and I thought it was really well handled.

Kallie, though she and others often call her macho, it’s not something I particularly understood. She was a strong female, physically as well as determined to make her own way in the world. But she had a few key vulnerabilities about abandonment, which were very well justified.

I thought that Kallie and Jake were well matched, and watching them work closer to each other was a true joy.

I don’t want to give too much away, but there is a suspense storyline in here too, that definitely plays into the story really well.

I did have a slight moment of disbelief at the end at how well everything was tied up and resolved, but overall it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

Ms. Sinclair does some of the best BDSM books I’ve read, and I look forward to what comes next from her!

Grade: B-

Book Link | Kindle | Sony | Loose Id

January 28 Blog Hop Follow Friday Tag Along

2011-01-28T05:06:00.000-06:00

Waiting on Wednesday: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

2011-01-26T06:15:00.000-06:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

Dreams of a Dark Warrior is the 11th story in the Immortals After Dark series, and while I think that Ms. Cole has done a really good job of making each one be able to be read as a stand alone, there is an overarching storyline that is probably best read in order. I've enjoyed each book in the series and have been waiting a while now for Regin's Berserker to catch up with her again.

Title: Dreams of a Dark Warrior
Author: Kresley Cole
Series: Immortals After Dark 11
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: February 15, 2011

Book Description (from Goodreads.com):

HE VOWED HE’D COME FOR HER . . .
Murdered before he could wed Regin the Radiant, warlord Aidan the Fierce seeks his beloved through eternity, reborn again and again into new identities, yet with no memory of his past lives.

SHE AWAITS HIS RETURN . . .

When Regin encounters Declan Chase, a brutal Celtic soldier, she recognizes her proud warlord reincarnated. But Declan takes her captive, intending retribution against all immortals—unaware that he belongs to their world.

TO SATE A DESIRE MORE POWERFUL THAN DEATH . . .

Yet every reincarnation comes with a price, for Aidan is doomed to die when he remembers his past. To save herself from Declan’s torments, will Regin rekindle memories of the passion they once shared—even if it means once again losing the only man she could ever love?

Review: Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

2011-01-24T17:56:00.000-06:00

Because everything after this is a spoiler for the first four books, and I truly believe it's a journey that's best enjoyed the way the author wrote it, I'm going to offer up a mini-review first.

It's amazing. Epic. Beautiful. I loved it from beginning to end. If you haven't started this series yet waiting for the end - to avoid cliffhangers - this is the final book, now go and enjoy! For those that need to know if there's an HEA (and I have a lot of friends where this is a requirement):

Title: Shadowfever
Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever, Book 5
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 18, 2011

From Author's Website:

"Evil is a completely different creature, Mac. Evil is bad that believe it's good."

MacKayla Lane was just a child when she and her sister, Alina, were given up for adoption and banished from Ireland forever.

Twenty years later, Alina is dead and Mac has returned to the country that expelled them to hunt her sister’s murderer. But after discovering that she descends from a bloodline both gifted and cursed, Mac is plunged into a secret history: an ancient conflict between humans and immortals who have lived concealed among us for thousands of years.

What follows is a shocking chain of events with devastating consequences, and now Mac struggles to cope with grief while continuing her mission to acquire and control the Sinsar Dubh—a book of dark, forbidden magic scribed by the mythical Unseelie King, containing the power to create and destroy worlds.

In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.
Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams? More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master’s penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac’s journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.

I've always been a little incoherent about this series. Usually the most I've been able to manage is: "It's awesome! Read it! You'll love it! Read it!Read it!Read it!Readit!" I'll try not to devolve into that here today, though there's likely to be some squeeing fan-girl moments.

From the start, Darkfever, this has all been about Mac's journey. When we first joined her she was somewhat sheltered, a little self-centered, full of light, rainbows and love and absolutely comfortable with her place in life – which involved never leaving her small southern hometown. Throughout the previous four books we've seen her worldviews shattered and her convictions tested.

We've also had a lot of questions come up. Honestly, I was a little worried how Karen Marie Moning was going to fit all the answers into a single book and not make it seem like one big info-dump. Then there were my worries that my expectations were so unbelievably high that there was no way she could possibly produce a book that would live up to them. I spent months trying to lessen my anticipation – without success – and then worried some more. Happily, I needn't have worried at all.

Karen Marie Moning manages to answer all the questions that need answering, as well as taking us on one hell of an emotional, action-packed ride. I cried, I laughed, I grinned like mad, cried some more and by the time I was finished I felt like I'd taken every step of this right alongside Mac.

I've spent over four years speculating on so many different aspects of the books, so I was a little worried that I'd have figured it out before hand. And there was stuff I did figure out, which left me cheering and grinning because I'd gotten something right. But there were more things that I didn't even come close to unraveling. Which made me even happier. Karen Marie Moning once said:

"I believe a really good story gives you enough of the facts so that shortly before the truth comes out, you're onto it, and hopefully, when the time is right in this series, you guys will know in your gut whether it's a baby grand or a couple of sofas pushed together, before I yank the sheet off the covered furniture you've been staring at for several books."

And she absolutely succeeded! There's nothing I love more than a series that makes me think, and still doesn't let me get it all before the author shows me what's been hiding just below my vision.

The author deftly shows us Mac's, at times chaotic, thoughts and emotions. They're striking and hers and very, very real. I felt each one with her. And while there is growth in Mac, throughout the series and in this book, I feel that the author managed to do something spectacular in keeping the character true to herself. She is who she always was. Perhaps a little more stripped down, a little more 'savage,' but she's still Mac. The same girl that got off the plane all those months ago looking for her sister's killer.

All in all, it was a fantastic conclusion to the series. For days afterwards the only thing I could say about it was 'It's Epic. With a capital E.' I still feel that way. It had my brain, and my heart, engaged from beginning to end. It's the best series I've ever read. I couldn’t ask for more than that.

I've got to add one other thing – it's a minor spoiler, concerning a major character in the series. I'm putting it in a spoiler button because there's a lot of questions going into this book. Click at your own risk.

Grade: A+

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Delacorte Press

Review: Archangel's Consort by Nalini Singh

2011-01-23T21:22:00.000-06:00

**Warning** There are going to be spoilers for the first two books, Angels' Blood and Archangel's Kiss, which can't be avoided.

First of all, this cover is absolutely stunning. I found myself staring at it for several minutes. I think it captures Elena beautifully and think that this series continues to have some of the best covers out there.

Title: Archangel’s Consort
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Guild Hunters, Book 3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 25, 2011

After the devastating events in Beijing, Guild Hunter Elena and her Archangel, Raphael, have returned home to New York. Elena doesn’t expect her return to be easy, after all she is the first angel-Made in the even not-so-recent history of angels. She’s determined to reclaim her place in her city, but knows that there will be a period of adjustment.

What she doesn’t expect is for the world to be under onslaught of terrible natural disasters, where the ground shakes, the waters crash and the winds blow cutting ice. Then shortly after their return vampires begin descending into bloodlust that’s too intelligent to not be calculated. When Raphael shows signs of a foreign rage, the signs are only too clear.

An Ancient rises from Sleep, and the madness gripping the city, and the world, begins to carry the hint of a scent – whispering the name Caliane. Raphael fears his mother will rise as insane as he last saw her, but even more worrying is the knowledge that only one being stands in the way of Caliane reclaiming the son she used to sing lullabies for—Elena.

Elena definitely doesn’t receive an easy acceptance by Raphael’s Seven, even after all she’s been through with her Archangel and his most trusted. She’s still struggling to find her place, and earn their respect. I really enjoyed seeing her continue to work at this. She fights for the right to be by Raphael’s side, and even if some of the Seven are reluctant in giving her their respect, she’s definitely earned mine.

Raphael continues to fascinate me. He’s absolute, powerful, beautiful, utterly immortal with a new vein of mortal consciousness from Elena. Even while his love for her is so wonderfully apparent, he is still autocratic – expecting to be obeyed. But this doesn’t stand in the way of Elena calling him on it, and him examining his own decisions – and her feelings on them. He’s willing to make compromise for the one who holds his heart, and, from Raphael, that is incredibly sexy.

Their relationship continues to grow, to bloom, with them both fighting – sometimes with each other – to give themselves the strong foundation that they need to thrive with each other. I loved seeing each little development, each bit of trust given and accepted. Elena and Raphael are both so strong, unused to relying on others, that to witness them beginning to not only acknowledge, but count on each other, was striking.

I’ve spoken a lot about Elena, Raphael and their relationship. The reason is that I feel this book, even more so than the last two, focuses on them. Yes, there are external things happening in the world, and that aspect of the story definitely doesn’t suffer, but each one of them serves to also further develop these two that I’ve come to love so much.

The events that take place strive to break open old wounds in both Elena and Raphael. They must face even more of their past, breaking themselves open to each other in order to stand stronger together. Elena has to face the difficulties of coming back to her city so changed that she’s stared at, an anomaly, an oddity. Then her family, her father, are suddenly entering back into her life for reasons that hit entirely too close to home. Raphael struggles with the conflicting memories of his mother, struggling against the knowledge that if she has returned still mad he will most likely have to be the one to carry out the execution. As the deaths, and rages, continue to mount, both of them must prepare to face things they never expected.

The last thing that I want to mention is the simple grace that Nalini Singh writes with. With a few words she can convey the beauty of angels flying, the darkness of storms that threaten to overtake the world, and the heart-wrenching reality of facing histories long thought buried.

And, fear not, there’s plenty of Dmitri, Illium, Aodhan and even some Venom. I can’t wait to read more about them, and am greatly looking forward to Dmitri’s book, Archangel’s Blade (isn’t that a sexy title?) due to come out in September 2011.

Archangel’s Consort just added another layer to the love I have for this series. It’s a wonderfully deep addition to Elena and Raphael’s story that is absolutely not to be missed. Nalini Singh continues to enchant and exceed expectations. If you haven’t yet started this series, I urge you to go pick up all three books and dive in.

Grade: A

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Berkley Sensation

January 21 2011 Follow Friday Tag Along

2011-01-21T05:52:00.000-06:00

Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Her question this week is: Who do you cheer for?

Having grown up in Wisconsin, I think it's an easy guess that I cheer for the Packers and the Badgers. And, though, over the years I've cheered for other teams occasionally, my heart has always lay with them.

I love football though. This weekend should be awesome games to watch!

Who do you think is going to the Superbowl? Predictions on who's going to win?

Recent

My review of the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy
My thoughts on the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning - before the release of Shadowfever
My Waiting on Wednesday pick - hot and sweet m/m erotic contemporary romance

Waiting on Wednesday: Two-Man Advantage

2011-01-19T06:50:00.002-06:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

This book is one I've been looking forward to for quite a while. I absolutely loved Riley Shane's debut short story The Taste of Magick (review). Ever since then I've been anxious for another, longer, read by Riley Shane. Now, finally, I'm going to have one. And soon, too.

Title: Two-Man Advantage
Author: Riley Shane
Series: Seattle Marauders, Book 1
Genre: Male/Male Erotic Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Loose Id

Release Date: January 25, 2011

Buy Link!!

(live on Jan. 25 2011)

Book Description (from author's website):

When Professor Nathan Troy walks into his cabin and finds a naked man in his bed, he figures his one-man vacation to snowy Lake Tahoe can’t get any worse. It’s not that Nate doesn’t appreciate the view…he’d just prefer he knew the man in question.

Kyle Harper has come to Lake Tahoe to escape the memories of his former life – one where he was a star hockey player until a career-ending injury shattered his dreams forever. All Kyle wants is peace, and he certainly isn’t going to get it with a prickly, stubborn man waking him up, insisting that Kyle is in his cabin.

An accidental double-booking and a wary compromise puts the two in close quarters. Attraction heats things up, but Nate’s not about to let his libido lead him into making the mistake of getting involved with his unexpected roommate. Kyle, however, seems determined to get under his skin at every turn. Both men soon learn that they can’t outrun desire. But lust is easy; it’s opening their hearts that’s hard. Each will have to let go of the past before they can take advantage of the future the two of them could have together.

Read an excerpt here

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

2011-01-18T12:16:00.000-06:00

**WARNING** There is no possible way to discuss Mockingjay without spoilers from both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (links to my reviews of them). Continue at your own risk. If you're looking or a quick answer on if I thought it was satisfying – that would be Yes.

Title: Mockingjay
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games, Book 3
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Dystopia
Release Date: August 24, 2010

Katniss Everdeen has done the unthinkable. She's survived the Hunger Games not once, but twice. And, as before, she's in even more danger now than she was when she entered the arena. President Snow holds her responsible for the unrest that continues to grow in the Districts. Not only that, he's apparently made it his personal vendetta to break her. Now, no one is safe, not her District, her friends, and most definitely not those she loves most.

As she navigates an increasingly deadly, heartbreaking terrain, Katniss will struggle against internal and external forces that threaten to defeat her.

I'm caught between counting myself lucky that I started this series when it was complete, and missing out on all the conversations and speculation and discussion that occurred while everyone was waiting for this last installment. I think I missed out a little bit, but I can't deny that I was extremely grateful that I could, after the shocking end of Catching Fire, immediately pick up the final book in the trilogy.

And just as with the previous installments, it pulled me further into Katniss's world and made me even more invested in these characters I've come to love.

I have to say that I finished this book breathless, broken and drained. It squeezed every last bit of emotion out of me throughout the course of it, and did not let up until the very end.

If you think that, after reading the first two books in the trilogy, this mostly a story about love set against the backdrop of a rebellion, I'd disagree. I think this is more a story about a rebellion and war and the people that fight them with a bit of love and romance thrown over the top of it.

We're thrust into District Thirteen with Katniss where she realizes that evil doesn't always reside only on the other side of the line. Where being a pawn is sometimes the only choice you have until there's another one. Katniss continues to deal with an increasing amount of stress from her experiences in the Games, and it shows in her actions.

Part of the reason that this hit me so hard was because of the utterly heartbreaking truth of what had, and was continuing to, happen to Katniss, Finnick, Peeta, Gale and all the others that I'd been on this journey with.

It's not an easy story. It's heart-wrenching, exhausting, and sometimes painful to look at. It pushes you to see things that, I think, a lot of people would rather not examine. But don't get me wrong, this isn't just a book that looks into the darkness. It's also a story of hope and fighting for that hope. The hope for a better tomorrow.

I was absolutely absorbed in Mockingjay from the moment I first opened it to the very last page. Weeks later, I haven't been able to stop thinking about this incredibly deep, thought-provoking, and well written trilogy.

Grade: A

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Scholastic

Feel the Heat Catch the Fever

2011-01-17T21:49:00.000-06:00

So here we are. A little under FIVE hours from the release of Shadowfever, the fifth and final book in Karen Marie Moning’s hugely addictive Fever series.

I started this series back in October of 2006, when Darkfever was first released. I devoured it. And then couldn’t believe I had a year interim for the next book.

Little did I know that would just be the beginning of a wait that would continue for my foreseeable future.

A little over four years later, and that wait is almost over.

Finally.

I can’t begin to do this series justice. I’ve tried, over the years, to explain what it is that draws me so. And so I’ll try one more time, without spoilers for those that haven’t read them – and I’ll ask that no spoilers be posted in the comments either. I hope to have a proper review up for Shadowfever in the next couple of days – after I’ve read and digested it.

MacKayla Lane is a young woman who has never had to worry about anything more dire than if her favorite shade of nail-polish is going to be discontinued. Her life is good. She has friends, a decent job, lives in beautifully-lush Georgia with her parents, and her sister – who’s currently in Dublin, studying abroad.

Then she does something as innocent as answering a ringing phone. And her life changes, forever. Her sister, Alina, has been murdered in Dublin, horrifically. The Garda are searching for answers, but there just aren’t any. When Mac discovers a cryptic message that Alina left on her cell phone voicemail mere hours before her death, it starts Mac on a quest to find her killer – even if it means going all the way to Ireland to do it.

Once in Ireland weird things start happening. Mac thinks she’s losing her mind as she begins to see things that can’t possibly be there. Delving deeper into the mystery, she learns that things aren’t always what they seem. The Old Ones, faeries to you and I, are still among us. Though the worst of them are imprisoned, somehow they are beginning to escape.

When she runs into a bookstore seeking shelter and a phone to call a cab, she meets the mysterious Jericho Barrons. And soon he becomes the only one that’s ever offered her any sort of answers. But he’s not the only one interested in Mac. V’lane, a Fae Prince, has suddenly started shadowing her.

The boundaries between the worlds are faltering, and the only thing that’s clear is that Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh – a powerful book of dark magic – because if she doesn’t, someone else will. And then they’ll hold the very fabric of both worlds in their hands…

This is the world we’re thrust into. We learn right along side Mac. She knows nothing about her heritage, or the fae when she shows up in Dublin on a rainy afternoon. But the further she digs, the more we come to understand the huge consequences of what is happening.

I’ve followed Mac on a journey of four books, seen her grow and mature, learn and falter. She’s made huge triumphs, and devastating mistakes. She’s been hurt and healed. It has not been an easy, joyful ride, but a heart-wrenching roller coaster of a journey.

And now that we’re just under FOUR hours away, I can’t wait to see the conclusion of this epic tale.

January 14 2011 Blog Hop Follow Friday Tag Along

2011-01-14T12:13:00.003-06:00

Calling all 18 and over book bloggers, are you looking for more bloggers like yourself? Well please join in so we can tag along with each other. This is for a specific group and your blog needs to primarily have book reviews and post adult book content. In other words, if you read books like erotic and adult romance and have adult pic, then you can play tag along. Sorry YA readers, but if you read both (I know some of you do) you can tag along also. Just make sure you have both YA and adult romance on your blog.

It doesn't matter what you read if it’s paranormal, suspense, historical, contemporary or mystery, along with erotic with any genre. As long as it is adult then you’re in.

To join the fun and get details click here. This tag along is hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

If you have an adult book blog, please sign up for this tag along. There are others including myself that are looking for you so please join us.

It's been a busy few weeks here at Touch the Night, so there's a lot if new content.

Recent

I posted some more free ebooks
And more yet...
Another
Last one

I reviewed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I reviewed Quinn's Hart by Cassandra Gold
I reviewed Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire
I reviewed Yes, Captain by Rebecca Royce
Review of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I added Ilona Andrews reading order and updated all my other reading order lists (at the top in the sidebar if you're looking for quick links to them)
I posted where I finished in challenges I participated in in 2010

BEST OF 2010 LIST

I'm hosting the A to Z Reading Challenge for 2011!

A to Z Reading Challenge Review Link Post
Stop by and join in! I had so much fun with it last year.
Other Challenges I'm participating in
One more Challenge I'm participating in

Waiting on Wednesday January 5: Magic Slays
Waiting on Wednesday January 12: Lover Unleashed

I hope everyone had great holidays!

What are you reading and loving (or not) right now?

One More Challenge - New (to me) Author Challenge

2011-01-12T21:08:00.000-06:00

I did this challenge last year and discovered some great new-to-me authors along the way, and since my friend Kat, decided to host it again I thought I'd give it another shot!

The Challenge: Read 20 or more books this year by authors you’ve never read before.

The Rules:
1. Post about the New (to you) Author Challenge on your blog.
2. Use the url from that post below in the MckLinky entry form at the bottom of this post so I know you’re taking part in the challenge and can stop by :)
3. Take the Challenge button (code below) and display it in your challenge post and/or on your blog’s sidebar.
4. On your blog, list the authors’ names and titles of the books you read.
5. Discover some great new (to you) authors this year!!!!
6. (Optional) Rate and/or review the authors’ work, letting other readers know what great discoveries you’ve made.

The challenge is retroactive, so the official dates are January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: Lover Unleashed

2011-01-12T05:48:00.000-06:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

I started reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J.R. Ward about the time the fourth book was going to be released. I'd resisted for a long time thinking that I did not want to read about vampires in romance. Up to that time I'd only ever read about vampires such as Bram Stoker's Dracula or Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Amazon was persistent though in recommending it to me, so I finally gave in one day and started Dark Lover. Turns out it was one of those book-life changing moments.

Now, we're eight full length novels into the series, and I am still just as invested in this series and looking forward to the next book...

Title: Lover Unleashed
Author: J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publisher: NAL
Release Date: March 29, 2011

Book Description (from Goodreads):

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2011-01-08T21:07:00.000-06:00

Warning first. There is no possible way to discuss Catching Fire without spoilers for The Hunger Games, so be prepared. I will mention, by necessity, some things that occur in the first book of the trilogy. For those that merely want to know if it was worth it after my great review of The Hunger Games, I can unequivocally say Yes. I stayed up until 4am reading this book and was eager to start the final book in the trilogy as soon as I finished. Now, onward and upward…

Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: The Hunger Games, Book 2
Genre: Young Adult - Dystopia
Release Date: September 1, 2009

After the shattering events of The Hunger Games Katniss finds herself in even more danger. When she and her fellow District 12 tribute, Peeta took a stand at the end of the last Games, forcing the Capitol to choose between two victors or none, they inadvertently became the symbols, and heart, of the brewing rebellion. Naturally this paints a bulls-eye on them for the Capitol. They must navigate a continuously more difficult field to ensure the safety of not only themselves, but their families.

As you may remember, when I finished The Hunger Games I was practically salivating for the rest of the story. I was beyond thankful that I had both of the next two books available to me, and didn’t have to wait a year (or more) to get to the end.

Katniss hardly has a moment to rest, and begin to deal with the trauma that her bout in the Hunger Games had left her with before she found herself within the Capitol’s sight again. The victory tour of the twelve Districts is a yearly, and necessary, event she has no choice in. She’s hardly looking forward to it, but when she comes home to discover President Snow in her home with barely veiled threats, her future looms before her as a terrifying thing.

Now Katniss finds herself with the task of convincing the people of the Districts that she has never had an intention of standing against the powerful Capitol, but that she and Peeta are desperately in love – and it was that which caused her to make that heart-stopping choice. Not only that, but she must convince the President himself, a person that has Katniss’s death in his eyes, a thing even she can see.

Catching Fire is a rocketing-fast, nail-biting, action-filled, heart-wrenching sequel to The Hunger Games. I was immediately drawn into the story, and it did not let me go until I finished, at four in the morning. There’s a wonderful blend of action, world building, and increased character growth and depth. I simply couldn’t get enough of it.

The pacing here is another thing that’s absolutely fantastic. The tension continues to build, with hardly any let up, and at the same time doesn’t sacrifice anything of the character development. The plot is tightly woven and continues to build on the events and machinations only hinted at in The Hunger Games. And I’ll freely admit to being shocked, truly shocked, a few times in the story. There are few things that I love more than a novel that can keep me in suspense.

The love triangle, that appears to be somewhat necessary in young-adult novels these days, is more deeply explored in Catching Fire and while I’m not generally a fan of this particular trope, I have to admit that it’s handled really well here. It’s not only believable, it’s understandable. One of the things I loved was seeing Katniss explore her own feelings and struggling to come to terms with them. While she cares, deeply, she’s not the most emotional person. She is eminently practical and tries to apply that to what she feels, not always with the greatest results. It’s when she’s not thinking about things that I think we get the clearest glimpse into her heart. So while there were times that I wanted to smack her and tell her to stop trying to rationalize everything, I still completely stood by her while she worked through all these very difficult feelings and thoughts.

In The Hunger Games the cast of players was relatively few. Not so here, there are a multitude of secondary characters that we’re introduced to in this novel. Many of them felt like they deserved their own stories told, some were only around shortly, but each one felt fully developed with a complete history and personality. We also revisit those that we first met in The Hunger Games, learning more and yet still left with questions. One of my favorite new characters is Finnick, whom I couldn’t help but love and hope to see much more of.

All in all, Catching Fire more than lived up to my expectations. In fact, it blew them away. I was immediately, once again, enthralled in the world Suzanne Collins created and, upon finishing, couldn’t wait to delve into the final book in the trilogy.

Grade: A

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Scholastic Press

Waiting on Wednesday: Magic Slays

2011-01-05T17:47:00.000-06:00

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights eagerly anticipated upcoming releases!

***Possible Spoilers for the first Four books in the series.***

A couple of weeks ago I finally picked up the first book in the Kate Daniels series. I was immediately hooked! (reviews to come) I couldn't put it down and quickly bought the rest of the books in the series, and any short story, specials and everything else I could get my hands on. Ilona Andrews' crafts a fascinating world that alternates between tech and magic. And you never know which one is going to hit when, because they can't co-exist. Add to that a heroine that I loved instantly - which is saying something for me - and a hero I can't get enough of, well you've got the makings of an instant hit with me. Now I'm eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.

Title: Magic Slays
Author: Ilona Andrews
Series: Kate Daniels, Book 5
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: 31 May 2011

Book Description (from author's website):

Plagued by a war between magic and technology, Atlanta has never been so deadly. Good thing Kate Daniels is on the job.

Kate Daniels may have quit the Order of Merciful Aid, but she’s still knee-deep in paranormal problems. Or she would be if she could get someone to hire her. Starting her own business has been more challenging than she thought it would be—now that the Order is disparaging her good name, and many potential clients are afraid of getting on the bad side of the Beast Lord, who just happens to be Kate’s mate.

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price . . .

Review: Yes, Captain by Rebecca Royce

2011-01-04T19:20:00.000-06:00

Title: Yes, Captain
Author: Rebecca Royce
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Futuristic Romance
Release Date: 7 August 2010

Five years ago Lizbeth had to deal with the sudden disappearance of her captain, and best friend, Acton. In the middle of space, surrounded by nothing but stars, he simply disappeared off the bridge. And that’s when she realized that she was in love with him. Now, finally, she’s located him. In the far reaches of an area they’re not supposed to breach due to alliances, Acton is on a little planet called Earth.

After convincing the acting-captain to let her go in to get Acton, Lizbeth finds herself directly in his path. He nearly runs her over, but doesn’t recognize her, or himself. In fact he thinks he’s a human lawyer named Charles. With no time to explain she transports them back up to their space vessel and hopes he remembers who he is.

Because they’ve got trouble. They’re somewhere forbidden and the dangers increase with every moment. As they reacquaint themselves with one another, and their shared passion they’ll have to outwit a traitor, who wants only their deaths.

Yes, Captain is a quick fun read that centers on a futuristic race from another planet who look and act much like humans. The characters are interesting and when I started reading I wanted to know more.

The plot is quick and keeps moving at a fast pace. Somewhat to the detriment of the story. Things are moving along so quickly that it’s, at times, hard to get to know the characters or understand their motivations. While it’s a fairly simply story and you don’t need a lot of explanation, I wanted more insight into the characters. They were appealing and had a ton of potential. Unfortunately I felt like some of the potential of Yes, Captain was lost due page count. I think it, easily, could have done with a longer format and more depth.

All in all, Yes, Captain is a quick read that’s enjoyable if you aren’t looking for too much world-building or depth.

Grade: C-

Book Link | Kindle | Liquid Silver Books

Other 2011 Challenges

2011-01-02T21:19:00.000-06:00

Apparently 2011 is going to be the year of challenges for me! I found a bunch of them all over the place and decided to take part. I did not list all the rules, and some of the challenges have prizes. Also some will have posts up to link to your reviews. I encourage you to check them out!

My Tracking Page

Hosted by: The Betrayed Writer
Rules: Read Ten (10) Books Featuring the Fae

Hosted by: The Betrayed Writer
Rules: Read Ten (10) Books Featuring Witches

Hosted by: Parajunkee's View
Rules: Read Twenty (20) Books Featuring a Vampire as a Main Character

Hosted by: Parajunkee's View
Rules: Read Twenty Books that have a Shifter as the Main Character

Hosted by: Book Chick City
Rules: Read Twenty-Four Horror or Urban Fantasy Books

Hosted by: Bitten by Paranormal Romance
Rules: Read Twenty Adult Paranormal Romance Books

Hosted by: Darlyn and Books
Rules: Choose One of the Following Levels of Fantasy Books to Read

Curious – Read 3 Fantasy Fiction novels
Fascinated – Read 6 Fantasy Fiction novels
Addicted – Read 12 Fantasy Fiction novels
Obsessed – Read 20 Fantasy Fiction novels

Hosted by: BA Reading Challenges
Rules: Choose One of the Following Levels of Steampunk Books to Read (I chose Geared)

Geared – Choose 5 books to read
Cogged – Choose 15 books to read
Goggle Mad – Choose 30 books to read
Victorian Lord/Lady – Choose 50 books to read
Steampunked! – Choose 75 books to read
Zephyr Pilot – Choose 76-125 books to read
Inventor – Choose 126-200 books to read

Hosted by: BA Reading Challenges
Rules: Choose One of the Following Levels of Dystopian Books to Read (I chose Asocial)

Asocial – Choose 5 books to read
Contagion – Choose 15 books to read
Soldier – Choose 30 books to read
Drone – Choose 50 books to read
Conditioned – Choose 75 books to read
For extra hard challenges
Brainwashed – Choose 76-125 books to read
Totalitarian – Choose 126-200 books to read

Hosted by: Midnyte Reader
Rules: If you feel literarily negligent dust off those old, classic books, stories or plays you've always wanted to read and join me in the 2011 Dusty Volumes Reading Challenge. Books must be published prior to 1960!

Hosted by: BA Reading Challenges
Rules: Choose One of the Following Levels of Books to Read that you CURRENTLY have in your TBR Pile

Tempted – Choose 5 books to read
Trying – Choose 15 books to read
Making A Dint – Choose 30 books to read
On A Roll – Choose 50 books to read
Flying Off – Choose 75 books to read

Hosted by: The Unread Reader
Rules: Read Twelve Legally Obtained Free e-books

If you made it this far - Congratulations! (and wish me luck please) LOL

A to Z Challenge 2011 Reviews and Discussion Page Live!!

2011-01-02T17:45:00.002-06:00

Review Links and Discussion Page

Link to the Sign Up Post

The Rules:

1. Challenge begins on January 1st 2011 and runs through December 31st 2011.

2. Read 26 books which titles begin with each letter of the alphabet.

You may ignore articles like A, An and The at the beginning of the title.
For the letter X, any book title with the letter X in it is acceptable if you can't find on that begins with X.
A book only counts one, so you can include a re-read the first time you read it this year.

A - Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunter, Book 3) by Nalini Singh (January 23)
B -
C -
D - Dreamfever (Fever, Book 4) by Karen Marie Moning (January 13)
E -
F - Faefever (Fever, Book 3) by Karen Marie Moning (January 2)
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S - Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassins, Book 1) by Jennifer Estep (January 4)
T - A Tapestry of Spells (Nine Kingdoms 2, Book 1) by Lynn Kurland (January 8)
U -
V -
W - Web of Lies (Elemental Assassins, Book 2) by Jennifer Estep (January 5)
X -
Y -
Z -

Updated: January 24, 2011

Free eBooks 21 Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T15:13:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!!!

I wasn't planning on doing a post today, but got online and realized there were quite a few new books for free on Amazon. The Samhain books are available until at least the 14th, so make sure you go grab them!!

I'll be off to enjoy football for the rest of the day, hopefully watching my Wisconsin Badgers win in Pasadena!

Kobo Books free ebooks.

Borders free ebooks

And Barnes and Noble Free ebooks

All Romance Free eBooks.

Amazon

Samhain Publishing
Rough Cut by Mari Carr (free until 1/14/2011)
Oleander House: Bay City Paranormal Investigations 1 by Ally Blue (free until 1/31/2011)
Going All In by Jess Dee (free until 1/15/2011)
The Bite of Silence (Biting Love 3) by Mary Hughes (free until 1/15/2011)
Make Mine Midnight by Annmarie McKenna (free until 1/15/2011)
With This Ring: A Tabloid Star Story by T.A. Chase (free until 1/15/2011)

Historical Romance
Mistress by Mistake by Maggie Robinson

YA
Don't Die, Dragonfly by Linda Joy Singleton

Urban Fantasy
Hunted By The Others by Jess Haines

Historical Fiction
The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent
Heidegger's Glass by Thaisa Frank

Historical Thriller
Medicus by Ruth Downie

Thrillers
The Perfect Woman by James Andrus

Contemporary Fiction
Two Rivers by T. Greenwood

December 31 2010 Follow Friday

2010-12-31T08:27:00.002-06:00

Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Her question this week is: WHAT ARE YOUR NEW YEARS BOOK BLOGGING RESOLUTIONS? This question is also being asked by Melissa at My World...in books and pages Check out other bloggers New Years Resolutions there.

Mine are pretty simple.

1. Comment more on blogs I follow. I am always reading them, but only occasionally manage to make it over to say hi.
2. Post more reviews.
3. Continue to have fun!

Recent

I posted some more free ebooks
And more yet...
Last list of free ebooks for the year

I reviewed The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I reviewed Quinn's Hart by Cassandra Gold
I reviewed Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire

I added Ilona Andrews reading order and updated all my other reading order lists (at the top in the sidebar if you're looking for quick links to them)
I posted where I finished in challenges I participated in in 2010

I'm hosting the A to Z Reading Challenge for 2011!

Stop by and join in! I had so much fun with it last year.

BEST OF 2010 LIST

Lastly I hope everyone has a safe, and happy New Years Eve! And I send best wishes with you in to the coming year.

Review: Edge of Sight by Roxanne St. Claire

2010-12-30T22:14:00.002-06:00

Title: Edge of Sight
Author: Roxanne St. Claire
Series: The Guardian Angelinos 1
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: November 1, 2010

When Samantha Fairchild witnessed a murder as a young girl it changed her life. Now bound for law school at Harvard history repeats itself and Samantha can’t believe it when she sees yet another person killed – with her as the only witness. To make matters worse apparently the killer knows she saw him, and she’s just become his next target.

Desperate for help that the police won’t provide Sam turns to her old friend Vivi Angelino, an investigative reporter, hoping she can get some information and stop cowering in her apartment. But when Vivi recruits her brother, Zach, for protection duty, Samantha isn’t sure what’s worse. The danger to her life, or the danger to her heart because she and Zach share an intense history full of heat and ending in heartbreak.

Zach is a Special Forces vet, scarred and struggling to find his footing out of the military. After disappearing from Sam’s life when he left for war, he never thought to be back in it. But now that circumstances have pushed them together again, Zach’s realized that the one thing he can’t stand is losing her again. Now Sam and Zach have to face the painful past, and the dangerous present in order to have a chance of a future together…

It’s been quite a while since I’ve read a new romantic suspense novel, and I thought I was burned out on them. I’m glad to say that Roxanne St. Claire proved me wrong. Edge of Sight delivers an action-packed, emotion-filled, hot, reunion romance.

Zach is a truly tortured hero, with scars not only on the inside, but that are visible to the world too. Then there’s the PTSD and survivor’s guilt that he’s living with day in and day out. Floundering, he’s not sure what to do, not sure where to go from here. The one thing he is sure of is that he doesn’t deserve happiness. Or love. Especially not the kind of love Sam offered to him before he left her three years prior.

Sam’s life took a hard left turn, and then a few more, after Zach left. She’s grown and is determined to help those that are left without recourse. But due to one significant mistake she has trouble trusting her instincts. So when things start to heat up again between her and Zach, she’s doesn’t know what to think. Is it just the close proximity that him protecting her is engendering this renewal of emotions? Or is it something more? And how can she ever be sure?

I really loved watching Zach and Sam work towards each other. They both have issues, they both aren’t sure all the time. They question. And then they talk. Which is one of the things I love most about this book. The hero and heroine don’t let themselves, or each other, stew in what could potentially turn into a Big Misunderstanding. No, they take a moment to actually discuss what’s going on with each of them, keeping the lines of communication not only open, but flowing.

The suspense part of Edge of Sight has a lot to do with Vivi wanting to start up her own private investigative and protection agency. She’s trying to talk a lot of her, rather large, family into joining her in this venture. And Samantha’s their first client. The plot moves at a quick pace, never dragging, instead it’s pulling you along down the paths the characters travel as they try to unravel the truth.

This is obviously the first of, probably, a long series. There are already a lot of extra characters that will need their own stories, and I’m sure that they will only continue to come. But the nice thing here is that even though I knew this, it never felt like sequel-bait. The family is an important part to the series and they’re all really well fleshed out so that I simply want to see more of them.

Edge of Sight is a smart, exciting, edge-of-your-seat, sincere love story that will have you rooting for Zach and Sam. And eager to see what Vivi will find for the Guardian Angelinos next.

Grade: B

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Forever

Free eBooks 20

2010-12-30T20:51:00.000-06:00

Kobo Books free ebooks.

Borders free ebooks

And Barnes and Noble Free ebooks

All Romance Free eBooks.

Amazon

Romance
A Taste of Magic by Tracy Madison
Cowboy Trouble by Joanne Kennedy
Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye

Fantasy
The Blood That Bonds by Christopher Buecheler
Phenomenal Girl 5 by A. J. Menden

YA/Children's
The Middle Passage by Julia Golding

Historical Fiction
The Traitor's Wife by Susan Higginbotham

Chick-Lit
Milie's Fling by Jill Mansell
Sweetie by Kathryn Magendie
Mossy Creek by Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, Virginia Ellis, Nancy Knight and Donna Ball

Cookbooks
Circle of Friends: Meatloaf Recipes
Circle of Friends: Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes
Circle of Friends: Macaroni and Cheese Recipes

Biographies/Memoirs
A Dog Named Slugger by Leigh Brill

A to Z Challenge 2011

2010-12-30T14:24:00.004-06:00

I had so much fun doing this last year, and ended up reading some books that I might otherwise have not gotten around to, I thought I'd share this year and see if others are interested.

The Rules:

1. Post about this challenge on your blog stating that you are taking part in it. That post is what you should use below to in the McLinkyLink

2. Grab the button and display it in your post, and/or on your sidebar, so others can join in.

3. Challenge begins on January 1st 2011 and runs through December 31st 2011.

4. Read 26 books which titles begin with each letter of the alphabet.

You may ignore articles like A, An and The at the beginning of the title.
For the letter X, any book title with the letter X in it is acceptable if you can't find on that begins with X.
A book only counts one, so you can include a re-read the first time you read it this year.

5. There will be an additional post that goes up on January 1st where you can link to your reviews of these books, or just discuss them in the comments.

6. HAVE FUN!!!

A -
B -
C -
D -
E -
F -
G -
H -
I -
J -
K -
L -
M -
N -
O -
P -
Q -
R -
S -
T -
U -
V -
W -
X -
Y -
Z -

A Year in Challenges - 2010

2010-12-29T18:18:00.000-06:00

So, this year I took on two challenges. Mostly that I set up by myself. I think I'll do them again next year because they were so much fun, but here are my results. Not too darn bad, if I do say so myself.

Overall it's been a really good year for me and books. There are very few that I've read that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. I don't know if that means that I'm getting better at picking them out, that there are more and more good books out there, or that I'm listening to friends recommendations more!

A to Z Reading Challenge

(click the title to see the rules)
This one I managed to finish on December 23rd! Cutting it close I know, but I had issues with 'N' if you can believe it. I was shocked that was my last letter left.

My List

A - Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunters 4) by Nalini Singh
B - Breaking Free (Masters of the Shadowlands 3) by Cherise Sinclair
C - Candy Coated Passion by Kat Alexis
D - Dark Desires After Dusk (Immortals After Dark 6) by Kresley Cole
E - Edge of Sight (Guardian Angelinos 1) by Roxanne St. Claire
F - From Dead to Worse (Sookie Stackhouse 8) by Charlaine Harris
G - Graceful Submission by Melinda Barron
H - He Loves Lucy by Susan Donovan
I - Ice Cream, You Scream by Kat Alexis
J - Judgement in Death (In Death 12) by JD Robb
K - A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught
L - Lover Eternal (Black Dagger Brotherhood 2) by JR Ward
M - Mistral's Kiss (Merry Gentry 5) by Laurell K. Hamilton
N - Never Seduce a Scoundrel by Sabrina Jeffries
O - An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons 3) by Julia Quinn
P - The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Q - Quinn's Hart by Cassandra Gold
R - Roping the Wind (Turner Brothers 1) by Kate Pearce
S - A Spanking for Valentine by Evangeline Anderson
T - The Turning (Blood Ties 1) by Jennifer Armintrout
U - Undercover Submission by Melinda Barron
V - Veil of Midnight (Midnight Breeds 5) by Lara Adrian
W - Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? (Turner Brothers 2) by Kate Pearce
X - A Little Harmless Sex (Harmless 1) by Melissa Schroeder
Y - Yes, Captain by Rebecca Royce
Z - Zane's Way by Maggie Casper

New Author Challenge

(click the link to see the rules and list)
This challenge I still haven't been able to tackle. But I made it a heck of a lot closer than I did last year (I only managed a maximum of ten, even though I had a list a mile long.

I finished up with 36 New to Me Authors that I read this year. And by and large they were good reads and I've found new authors to enjoy. Check out my finish here.

A Year in Books

(click for full list)
This was something I did just for myself. I wanted to track what I was reading, and how much I ended up reading this year. I was actually surprised at how much I read. I mean, I knew I read a lot, but this was more than I was expecting.

I've finished the year at 144 books. And there will probably be one more that I'll finish tomorrow, but even still. Working full time, writing, two-two month reading slumps, and all the other things life has thrown at me this year - I'm pleased with that number. Oh, and that's not counting some of the series that I read a couple of times....

I plan to have up a post detailing all the challenges I'm going to do in the coming year, 2011.

Have you guys surprised yourself with some of your reading habits, numbers, finds this year? How have the books you've read this year stacked up to previous years?

Ilona Andrews Book Order

2010-12-28T18:41:00.004-06:00

Kate Daniels Series

* "A Questionable Client" in Dark and Stormy Nights anthology
1. Magic Bites
2. Magic Burns
3. Magic Strikes
* "Magic Mourns" in Must Love Hellhounds anthology
4. Magic Bleeds
* "Magic Dreams" in Hexed anthology
5. Magic Slays
* Magic Gifts - free short story

**Read Andrea Book 1 here**

6. [Untitled] (February 2013)

Andrea Nash Series

1. Gunmetal Magic (31 July 2012)

Edge Series

1. On the Edge
Declan and Rose

2. Bayou Moon
William and Cerise

3. Fate's Edge
Kaldar Mar and Audrey Callahan

Alphas

1. "Alphas - Origins" in Angels of Darkness

Kinsmen

1. Silent Blade (Samhain Publishing)
2. Silver Shark

Stand Alones

"Grace of Small Magics" in Mammoth Book of Paranormal Romance or available in the ebook Under Her Skin (along with short stories from Jeaniene Frost and Meljean Brook)

Please note: This page was written by me, so as always, please visit the author’s website for up-to-date, author-verified information as well as for information on books that have not yet been included to this list.

http://www.ilona-andrews.com/

Best of 2010 - Books

2010-12-28T18:21:00.000-06:00

Overall this year I've read a lot of fantastic books, some of them from authors I follow, but most of them I found through fantastic recommendations. Because there were so many books and authors I discovered this year through older releases I'm going to break this list into two parts, the first part will have my 'best of' for books released in 2010, the second part will be the books that I discovered late – for whatever reason. Also, because it will, most likely, be rare that I read anything released in December actually in December, I'm going to include through the previous year's last month.

Also, these are in alphabetical order by author, as it would be impossible for me to rank them.

Part I – Published in 2010
Magic Bleeds (Kate Daniels 4) by Ilona Andrews (review to come)

The Kate Daniels series is one that was recommended to me by a very good friend around a year ago. I, of course, went and bought the first book right away. And then it sat on my bookshelf until about a week ago. I don't know what it was about starting that series that scared me. Now I want to kick myself in the a$$ for not starting it sooner. I devoured all four books, as well as all the short stories I could find, in a week. And I want to go read them again right away. I'm bouncing already with the wait for the fifth book in the series - Magic Slays. If you haven't read this series yet, I highly recommend you start (books one through three are in the second part of my list). Because I've got a review to come, I don't want to say too much...just read it.

Scoundrel (Blades of the Rose 2) by Zoë Archer (review)

Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson 5) by Patricia Briggs

Patricia Briggs is one of those authors whose books I look forward to, and jump on at release day, every time. Mercy Thompson is one of my favorite series and it's always a pure pleasure to read.

The Iron Duke (Iron Seas 1) by Meljean Brook (review)

"Here There Be Monsters" in Burning Up anthology by Meljean Brook

The short story that made me fall in love with steampunk. Rarely before have I ever read a short story that made me go out and buy the next book, as well as most of her backlist. Definitely impressive. (P.S. Nalini Singh's short story is well worth it in this book too.

Demon from the Dark (Immortals After Dark 8) by Kresley Cole (review)

Mockinjay (Hunger Games 3) by Suzanne Collins (review to come)

The Hunger Games trilogy is another one that I devoured in a short weekend. I couldn't get enough of Katniss and everyone else in Panem. This, for me, was an eminently satisfying end to a extremely well written trilogy.

Quinn's Hart by Cassandra Gold (review)

The Taste of Magick by Riley Shane (review)

Archangel's Kiss (Guild Hunter 2) by Nalini Singh (review)

Bonds of Justice (Psy/Changeling 8) by Nalini Singh (review)

Play of Passion (Psy/Changeling 9) by Nalini Singh (review)

Part II – Published Prior to 2010
On the Edge (Edge 1) by Ilona Andrews (review)
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels 1) by Ilona Andrews
Magic Burns (Kate Daniels 2) by Ilona Andrews
Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels 3) by Ilona Andrews
The Turning (Blood Ties 1) by Jennifer Armintrout
The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie (Highland Pleasures 1) by Jennifer Ashley
The Hunger Games (Hunger Games 1) by Suzanne Collins (review)
Catching Fire (Hunger Games 2) by Suzanne Collins (review to come)
Breaking Free (Club Shadowlands 3) by Cherise Sinclair
Master of the Mountain (Mountain Masters 1) by Cherise Sinclair

So, there you have it. My best of 2010 list. It's far more than a Top Ten, but I couldn't stop until I'd gotten everything that really captured me this year.

What are some of your favorites?

Happy Holidays!!

2010-12-24T10:51:00.000-06:00

Hanukkah has already passed us by (and I just barely got my friend her present on time!), the Winter Solstice was just a few days ago (anyone manage to catch the lunar eclipse? Wish I could have seen it), we're in the Yule season and Christmas morning is tomorrow. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, Yule, Satarnalia, Hogmanay, Chahar-Shanbeh Soori, Diwali, a mixture, or nothing at all - I'm wishing you the very best in these last days of 2010.

I'll have a Best of 2010 List coming up in the next couple of days, as well as the closure of the few challenges I took part in this year.

For all those travelling, I hope you have safe, uneventful travels and arrive on time without hassle.

I hope your holidays have been, and will continue to be, filled with joy, family, friends, love and laughter.

Review: Quinn's Hart by Cassandra Gold

2010-12-20T21:25:00.000-06:00

Title: Quinn's Hart
Author: Cassandra Gold
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: M/M Contemporary Romance
Release Date: 22 February 2010

Unbearably-shy Quinn Delaney has never had much luck with men. Uncomfortable, partly due to his imposing frame, he’s never been comfortable in large groups and spent his time trying to fade into the background. But when his former foster sister calls and begs him to fill a vacant spot on a singles trip to Walt Disney World, Quinn can’t say no. Dreading it, he’s certain he’ll be miserable. Until he meets Josh.

Three weeks ago Josh’s boyfriend dumped him. On his answering machine. Instead of getting down about it Josh decides to take the vacation they were planning to The Magic Kingdom anyway. With a few minor changes to his plans he’s rebooked on a single’s trip and excited to enjoy his time and possibly meet someone to share it with.

He’s not expecting shy, sexy Quinn – who’s clueless about his own appeal – and the more he gets to know him, the more he wants. Josh is Quinn’s dream man, but if he’s going to win him he’ll have to open up and take risks. He’ll have to risk the one thing he never has before – his heart.

Cassandra Gold writes a pure, sweet love story in Quinn’s Hart. Josh is a nice, out-going, caring man that doesn’t let anything get in the way of what he wants. I loved that he was not only willing, but eager, to embrace life and Quinn. Quinn I fell in love with from the first page. He’s sweet, shy, a bit beat down about love, and has a huge heart.

As we get to know them, and they each other, you can’t help but root for them to get their happily-ever-after. There are some minor obstacles for them to overcome, but each one helps them grow. Not only individually, but in their relationship.

Quite simply, Quinn’s Hart just made me happy. I think I was smiling all the way through it and upon finishing it I wanted to start all over again. And did. I definitely recommend Quinn’s Hart to anyone looking for a happy, sweet romance with two great protagonists that you will absolutely love.

Grade: A

Book Link | Kindle | Amber Quill Press

Free eBooks 19

2010-12-17T21:03:00.000-06:00

Kobo Books free ebooks.

Borders free ebooks

And Barnes and Noble Free ebooks

All Romance Free eBooks - All Romance is featuring a free ebook a day from now until December 24th, I won't be listing them, but it's worth checking out...

Today is Jane Austen's birthday, and in celebration of that, Sourcebooks is giving away digital copies of a bunch of Jane Austen related books (links below for Kindle)

Amazon

Jane Austen
Darcys and the Bingleys by Marsha Altman
Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview
What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy by Abigail Reynolds
Lydia Bennet's Story by Jane Odiwe
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll
Eliza's Daughter by Joan Aiken
Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange
Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One by Sharon Lathan
Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins

Illustrated Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
Mansfield Park
Emma

Romance
What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown
Going All In by Jess Dee (Samhain - free until 1/14/2011)
The Bite of Silence (Biting Love 3) by Mary Hughes (Samhain - free until 1/14/2011)
Make Mine Midnight by Annmarie McKenna (Samhain - free until 1/14/2011)
With This Ring: A Tabloid Star Story by T.A. Chase (Samhain - free until 1/14/2011)

Fantasy
Travellers' Rest by James Enge

Young Adult
Wish by Alexandra Bullen
House of Dark Shadows (Dreamhouse Kings 1) by Robert Liparulo

Humor
Stupid American History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions by Leland Gregory

Sample
The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook Presents: A Magical Christmas Menu Sample by Dinah Bucholz

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2010-12-14T18:30:00.000-06:00

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Series: Hunger Games Trilogy 1
Genre: Young Adult Dystopia
Release Date: October 1, 2008

So after months of seeing nothing but blog post after blog post for the release of Mockingjay, the third book in The Hunger Games Trilogy, after hearing a very close friend rave about the series, I caved. I went out and bought the first book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

You may be wondering why I had to cave at all. Well, I’ll tell you. I’m a person that can become almost violently opposed to something that’s become so popular. I’m honestly not even sure why. I would imagine some psychologist could come up with a reason, like I’m a non-conformist who likes to walk her own path and that I have a compelling need to rebel against…something. Or perhaps it’s something else entirely – maybe a subject for a different post. But it’s really beside the point. The point is that I was two years late in starting this series. And I just finished the first one. What follows may be my somewhat rambling, meandering thoughts, so bear with me.

In the post-apocalyptic world, where North America once lay, is the country of Panem. With it’s shining Capitol at the center of twelve districts. The Capitol rules all. The very lives of the people are not even under their own control, they live and die by the Capitol’s generosity and greed.

Seventy-five years ago there were thirteen districts, and there was a rebellion. The districts rose up against the rule of the Capitol. And were squashed. District 13 was destroyed utterly and the other twelve live an even more bleak existence. Since then, the Capitol, to remind the people of their absolute power and the futility of dissent, has required that each district provide two tributes. One girl and one boy between the ages of twelve and eighteen are taken to compete in the Hunger Games. A nationally televised event that pits these children against each other, and only one can come out alive.

When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her place in the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games she regards it as a death sentence. Having to feed and provide for her mother and younger sister for the last several years has made Katniss persevere. She already knows how to fight to live, how to endure difficulties, and it will take every inch of her abilities in order to gain success. But if she’s going to win, Katniss is going to face hard decisions. Life against love. Survival against humanity. And at the end of it all, if she actually manages to succeed, will she be someone she can live with?

Because I know there are people out there that haven’t read these yet, I’m going to try to remain spoiler free. I really believe that this series is one that’s best enjoyed as it unfolds. Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job of pulling me along and wringing emotions out of me, from smiles, to tears, to outright shock.

Katniss has had a hard life. She lost her father quite a while before the story begins and because her mother was so stricken with grief, it fell to Katniss to make sure that her family lived. She became the main provider, going outside the electrified fences that surround the district in order to hunt. Learning to trade and bargain. Selling and buying in order to keep her sister from ever knowing the depth of despair she had. She’s a strong heroine, but she’s not perfect.

She makes mistakes, misreads people and their objectives – even when it seems so clear to everyone else – and she can be exceptionally hard-headed. I admit that there were times when I wanted to shake her to make her see the truth of something, but in the end all it did was endear her more to me. Katniss is a heroine you can root for. Flaws and all.

The relationships between Katniss and everyone around her was something I truly enjoyed. For all her rough edges, Katniss has a very big, soft heart and you could easily see that in her thoughts and conversations. From her family, to her mentor for the Games, to her fellow tribute, even other competitors in the arena, each interaction brought more…just more of everything. There were several times I was moved to tears and sometimes I was smiling through them.

Beyond the characters, which I absolutely fell in love with, the world surrounded me in its embrace, holding me tight and showing me everything. I felt involved there, connected to the people and the place. More than anything I wanted to fight alongside them, with them, for them. Ms. Collins paints a vivid picture of a dark and gritty world, brushed with realism that, quite honestly, hit me like a punch to the gut.

With my emotions, frequently, running high I raced through The Hunger Games anxious to see what would happen next. It kept me on the edge of my seat, staying up late into the night. In fact, I finished it around midnight on a Friday, fell asleep and woke up to immediately go to the store to buy the next two. Which I promptly read.

The Hunger Games is a dark, gritty, emotional story filled with pain, joy, loss and love. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get lost in a vivid world filled with characters that make you feel and a plot that doesn’t let you go.

Grade: A

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Scholastic Press

Free eBooks 18

2010-12-10T19:05:00.000-06:00

Kobo Books free ebooks.

Borders free ebooks

And Barnes and Noble Free ebooks

All Romance Free eBooks

Amazon

Romance
Outta the Bag (Me, Myself and Why? Prequel by MaryJanice Davidson
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear
Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

Young Adult
Reaper by Rachel Vincent
Merlin's Harp by Anne Eliot Crompton

Thrillers
Watchlist by Jeffery Deaver

Cookbooks
Cooking from China's Fujian Province: One of China's Eight Great Cuisines by Jacqueline M. Newman
Old Havana Cookbook: Cuban Recipes in Spanish and English by Rafael Marcos
Fine Filipino Food by Karen Hulene Bartell
Nile Style: Egyptian Cuisine and Culture: Ancient Festivals, Significant Ceremonies, and Modern Celebrations by Amy Riolo

Humor
Stupid Christmas by Leland Gregory

Other
Understanding the Americans: A Handbook for Visitors to the United States by Yale Richmond

Games
Blackjack

December 10 2010 Blog Hop Follow Friday Tag Along

2010-12-10T18:41:00.002-06:00

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books.

About the Hop: In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This weeks question is: What is the thing you like most about reading book blogs? Is it the reviews, author guest posts, articles, giveaways, or something else entirely?

My favorite thing is just the enthusiasm that other book bloggers have. I just love having other people that are as passionate about books to talk to about them. Finding new recommendations to add to my to-be-bought list is never a bad thing either.

Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Her question this week is: Do you have an under-noticed author that you think we should all know about?

My favorite author, that I can hardly ever get anyone to read, is Lynn Kurland. She writes romance that is sweet, funny, and tugs at my heart. I found her purely by accident one day, and immediately upon finishing the first book I read, Dreams of Stardust I went out and glommed up her entire backlist. Her books are everything from historical to contemporary, time travel to ghosts.

Beyond her straight romance she writes fantasy romance trilogies which are some of my favorites every year. Check out her book order here. Her romance books, while connected, definitely do not need to be read in order as they're all self-contained. The fantasy trilogy should definitely be read in order to avoid confusion.

Calling all 18 and over book bloggers, are you looking for more bloggers like yourself? Well please join in so we can tag along with each other. This is for a specific group and your blog needs to primarily have book reviews and post adult book content. In other words, if you read books like erotic and adult romance and have adult pic, then you can play tag along. Sorry YA readers, but if you read both (I know some of you do) you can tag along also. Just make sure you have both YA and adult romance on your blog.

It doesn't matter what you read if it’s paranormal, suspense, historical, contemporary or mystery, along with erotic with any genre. As long as it is adult then you’re in.

To join in the fun and get details click here. This tag along is hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

If you have an adult book blog, please sign up for this tag along. There are others including myself that are looking for you so please join us.

This week's question: Whats your hot book pick this month so far?

Hot book pick for this month. It's absolutely got to be Quinn's Hart by Cassandra Gold (review to come soon). I absolutely loved this book and can not get enough of it! It wasn't released this month, but I just read it and I highly recommend it to everyone. You can buy it here.

Hellllooooooo!!

2010-12-02T17:25:00.000-06:00

I've been neglecting everyone here!! I'm so sorry! Life got a bit ... hectic for me. I'm hoping they're finally on the upswing though. *firmly crossing fingers*

Anyways! How is everyone doing? Did y'all have a good Thanksgiving? I got together with my family (parents and brother/sister-in-law) and had a wonderful dinner. It was great to get time to play with my nephew too, who is growing up entirely too fast.

Other than that, I've been reading (or trying to - more about that in a bit) and watching TV/movies from Netflix (I just did a post about my favorite new show, Leverage, about a week ago).

I did manage to get my butt to the theater to watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 on Sunday. And I really enjoyed it! It's not exactly like the book, though I never expected it to be. It's been awhile since my last re-read so I probably wasn't noticing what was missing/added as much. But I thought it was really well done, and immediately upon finishing it I wanted to watch it again!

What've I been reading? Well, not as much as I'd like. I've been in a bit of a reading rut. I keep picking things up, and putting them down (feel free to friend me on Goodreads), and picking up other things and then never reading them. It's been a bit depressing actually because reading has always been my escape, my favorite thing to do.

I finally decided to go back to some favorites. I picked up Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning, the first book in the Fever series (I've been talking about this series almost since I started my blog, here's one of my earliest posts I've got a fever). I can not properly express my love for this series. I actually just finished the first book today and loved it just as much this time as I did the first. I, briefly, considered doing a review on here for it but I really don't know if I can. I might still try. You'll be the first to know if I come up with something LOL

Back to the reading rut though - what do you guys do when you're in a rut? Is there anything new (to me) that you can recommend that might pull me out of it? What has been able to pull you out ruts?

I miss you all!

Angela

Free eBooks 18

2010-11-23T21:48:00.000-06:00

Just found some more from Amazon, so I thought I'd share. Enjoy!!

Romance
Santa, Honey by Sandra Hill, Joy Nash and Kate Angell

Science Fiction
I've previously listed Star Wars 1-3, and these just became available.
Star Wars: Savior: Lost Tribe of the Sith 4 by John Jackson Miller
Star Wars: Purgatory: Lost Tribe of the Sith 5 by John Jackson Miller

Awesome TV: Leverage

2010-11-23T21:43:00.000-06:00

So for the last couple of months I've been dealing with a herniated disc in my back. This has left me unable to do much when I get home from a very long day at work, so what I have been doing is reading more, and watching movies and TV more.

But because I hate commercials I avoid actual TV, or if it's a current show that I'm watching (like Modern Family which I love, or NCIS and Supernatural which I love and am already caught up on) I DVR them so I can fast-forward through the stuff I don't want to see.

And yet, still, I have a lot of time on my hands. So I started watching TV shows I hadn't seen before. I've found some good ones, some okay ones, and some that were just plain awful. But there is one that is by far above and beyond the rest.

I know, I know - this is a book blog...mostly. But I just have to share.

This was recommended to me by a friend, and I can't stop raving about it! I started getting it from Netflix and ended up loving it so much I went out and bought both seasons. Already I've gotten a lot of use out of them.

Leverage is kind of a Robin Hood story. Five thieves team up to help the innocent and powerless against the rich and powerful. Each week they run an elaborate con to accomplish their goals. When I first started talking about this I likened it to Ocean's Eleven, and I'd still say that likeness is there, but it's so much more too.

There is not one thing lacking in this show. There's action, intrigue, adventure, humor, and fabulous characters. Seeing the corrupt, greedy and powerful corporations and people get their just desserts is truly a pleasure. The way the team does it often makes me grin and I spend a good portion of the show trying to figure out how the con is going to work, or when things start to go wrong - how they're going to get out of the mess they're in.

A truly wonderful cast brings this show to life though. There's Timothy Hutton staring as Nate Ford, a former insurance investigator. He was one of the 'good guys', working to get back stolen or lost property so the insurance company didn't have to pay the claims. But then something happens, and suddenly things aren't so black and white anymore. He's the mastermind behind the cons. He knows all of his team's strengths and weaknesses and has the knowledge, and guts, to bring it all together.

Then there's Sophie Devereaux, played by the fabulous Gina Bellman. She's the Grifter, and as she said in one episode, when things are going right the mark just hands over whatever it is she's trying to take. Gina has a real gift for accents and truly does a great job as Sophie. I'm always excited to see what she's going to pull off next.

Next is Alec Hardison, played by Aldis Hodge. He's the Hacker. And if it involves computers you can count of Hardison to get the job done...and then some. He's totally easy going, and has a wonderfully dry wit.

Eliot Spencer is the Hitter, played by Christian Kane. Self-described as a 'retrieval specialist' Eliot is a highly skilled fighter and weapons expert. Often his job is to protect the team, though he also has a vastly underestimated intelligence. While highly skilled with firearms Eliot doesn't like them because of their 'limited range of effectiveness' and spends a good deal of time disarming his opponents before taking them down.

Lastly, but most definitely not least, is Parker played by Beth Riesgraf. She's the straight up Thief of the group. Parker grew up in the system and doesn't have a lot of people skills. She doesn't know how to relate to others and that causes her some problems. But give her an impossible location to break into and she can crack it like no one else. She's the world's best thief. She'll jump off a building and suspend on a rope forty stories off the ground, do acrobatics to get past laser grids, and be gone before you even knew she was there.

What I didn't mention is the great relationships that build between each of these characters. Sometimes you have a cast that while great separately, doesn't work well together. Not so here. Not only is there plenty of action and intrigue there's a ton of emotion and heart in this show. I can't recommend it enough!

Leverage starts again on December 12th on TNT at 9pm/8pm Central

What are some of your favorite television shows? Have you found any new ones lately that you're just absolutely loving? Is there anything else I should be checking out?

Free eBooks 17

2010-11-21T19:40:00.000-06:00

I have to apologize for not being around much lately. I've been dealing with some stuff, but wanted to pop on and give you guys some links to newly-free ebooks ;)

Kobo Books free ebooks.

Borders free ebooks

And Barnes and Noble Free ebooks

All Romance Free eBooks

Amazon

Contemporary Romance
My Christmas Wish by Ember Case (Samhain Publishing)
Snowy Night Seduction by Arianna Hart (samhain Publishing)
Holiday Bound by Beth Kery (Samhain Publishing)
Slow Ride (Rough Riders 9.5) by Lorelei James (Samhain Publishing)
Twas the Night by Sandra Hill, Kate Holmes and Trish Jensen

Paranormal Romance
Pack Challenge (Magnus Pack 1) by Shelley Laurenston (Samhain Publishing)

M/M Romance
The Dickens With Love by Josh Lanyon (Samhain Publishing)

Thriller
Get Some by Daniel Birch
Serial by Jack Kilborn

Historical Adventure
Whirl of the Wheel by Catherine Condie

Fantasy
Avempartha (Riyria Revelations 2) by Michael J. Sullivan

Not Sure Where to Categorize
Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin
Crossing the Line by Stephen Jay Schwartz (pre-order)
Boob Tube by Mark Coker and Lesleyann Coker

Humor
Stupid History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Throughout the Ages by Leland Gregory

Enjoy!

November 12 2010 Blog Hop Follow Friday Tag Along

2010-11-12T06:01:00.000-06:00

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-For-Books.

About the Hop: In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and share our love of the written word! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs to read!

This weeks question is: "If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, do you always start with the first title?"

99.9% of the time, Yes. I just...have to. I need the history, the background, the buildup. There are series that can be read out of order, without any loss to the story, but I've always found that the investment I have in them is greater when I start at the beginning.

However, this sometimes works against me too. Because I'll start at the beginning and the book ends up not being very good and I never get to the fifth book in the series that I wanted to read in the first place.

I can only think of one series that I've read out of order, and that was by complete accident. Most of the time I research a book before I buy it - I love internet on my phone. LOL

Follow Friday is hosted at Parajunkee's View.

Her question this week is: What is your usual monthly book budget?

Um. I don't have one. I actually try not to think about what I spend on books. And some months are heavier than others. Honestly, I have no idea what I even spend on books a month - I make sure I have the money to buy what's coming out that particular week, or pay-period, and then I buy them. I think if I looked at actual dollars spent I'd be afraid.

I actually had a person at Borders the other day try to tell me how much I'd spent there this year already, and I told them I didn't want to know. We both laughed over that. I try to keep my spending reasonable.

Though I am trying to get myself onto a budget plan, but more of a budget of read vs. bought. So, this is my goal - for every two books I read, I can buy one new one. *nods* We'll see how well this works...

Calling all 18 and over book bloggers, are you looking for more bloggers like yourself? Well please join in so we can tag along with each other. This is for a specific group and your blog needs to primarily have book reviews and post adult book content. In other words, if you read books like erotic and adult romance and have adult pic, then you can play tag along. Sorry YA readers, but if you read both (I know some of you do) you can tag along also. Just make sure you have both YA and adult romance on your blog.

It doesn't matter what you read if it’s paranormal, suspense, historical, contemporary or mystery, along with erotic with any genre. As long as it is adult then you’re in.

To join in the fun and get details click here. This tag along is hosted by Laurie at Bitten by Paranormal Romance.

If you have an adult book blog, please sign up for this tag along. There are others including myself that are looking for you so please join us.

New this week:
Review: Play of Passion by Nalini Singh
Review: Scoundrel by Zoë Archer
Free ebooks 16 I found a great site with free ebooks, so check this post out!

Right now I'm reading Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews, second in her Edge series. It took me a bit to get into, but the pacing picked up and the chemistry is intense! I'm really enjoying it and hope to have a review up this weekend.

What are you reading and loving this week? Or not loving, because I know I don't love everything I read.

Review: Scoundrel by Zoe Archer

2010-11-06T20:41:00.001-05:00

Title: Scoundrel
Author: Zoë Archer
Series: Blades of the Rose 2
Genre: Historical Paranormal Adventure Romance
Release Date: 1 October 2010

Bennett Day has never denied being a scoundrel. He loves women. Every single one he's ever been with. He has no expectations of them, and they none of him - except that he's sure to leave. He's spent a good portion of his life traveling the world to protect ancient sources of magic for the Blades. His quick mind solves puzzles, breaks codes and unravels riddles with ease. But in Greece he meets the woman that may take more time than he usually commits to learn...

London Harcourt has been brought to Greece in order to decipher an ancient language for her father. After years of being subjugated to her father's will London Harcourt welcomes the chance to travel and earn respect for her knowledge of languages. Brought to the Greek isles and told only that she's to decipher an ancient language for the good of England, she has no idea that her father is part of the Heirs that would dominate the rest of the world under their rule.

A chance meeting brings them together and London soon learns the truth, of the Heirs, including her father, the Blades and their mission, and of the man she's wildly attracted to. Bennett, who not only respects her quick mind, but encourages and stimulates her, and is connected to her in unimaginable ways. Now she must choose between family and her own sense of right and wrong. Between a stifled life full of lies and a future filled with truth and a chance of love.

Racing across the waters of the Aegean, Bennett and London strive to save the Source as each realizes that not only are their lives in danger...but their very hearts...

Having previously read Warrior, the first Blades of the Rose book, I was greatly looking forward to Bennett's book. His absolute joy for life was infectious and I couldn't wait for an entire book devoted to him. Bennett is a man who loves freely, and openly, but never deeply. Brave, without a doubt, he strides into situations almost without fear. He constantly made me smile because he was usually smiling. He just embraces life and I couldn't help but love that.

London has always yearned for a life of more, but that wasn't something she was likely to get back in England. A casual stroll takes her through a market in Greece where she firsts meets Bennett. The chemistry between them is instantaneous and flares bright. It was really fun to see her bloom out in the world as she fought side by side with Bennett. She has such an open heart, and a strong sense of fairness and rightness that it's easy to respect her. And it was equally easy to see why Bennett fell in love with her.

The growth of their relationship is by far my most favorite part of the novel. While the search for the Source pulls the story along, it's London and Bennett that are the heart and soul of Scoundrel

Bennett and London unravel languages and riddles throughout their action-packed journey through the waters of Greece. The story is well paced and flows nicely from the flurry of activity to more thoughtful contemplation. While I really liked Warrior, I thought this was a much better plotted book. It pulled me through and made me want to keep reading. I really loved the backdrop of Greece and her mythology. It's so fun to travel to these different places with the Blades, from what we normally see in historical novels.

Next up is Rebel, which thankfully I bought this past week so I can dive right in. Though each book very strongly stands on it's own, I think that you definitely get more of a sense of the world if you read them in order and Warrior is assuredly worth picking up.

All in all, Scoundrel is a heart-filled, fast-paced, thrilling addition to the wildly imaginative world of the Blades of the Rose.

Grade: A-

Book Link | Amazon | Kindle | nook | kobo | Borders eBook | Sony | Book Depository | Zebra

Free eBooks 16

2010-11-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

Kobo Books free ebooks.

Borders free ebooks

And Barnes and Noble Free ebooks

Also, I just found this site and haven't had the chance to look around much, but it seems there are quite a few ebooks availabilt for free: All Romance

Amazon

Thriller

Crush (Karen Vail 2) by Alan Jacobson - If you've been following my free ebooks posts, you've now been able to get all three Karen Vail books for free ;)

Historical Paranormal Romance

A Certain Wolfish Charm by Lydia Dare

Review: Play of Passion by Nalini Singh

2010-11-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

Title: Play of Passion
Author: Nalini Singh
Series: Psy/Changeling 9
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: 2 November 2010

If you haven’t read the first eight books in this series, first – What are you waiting for? Rush out and buy them. You won’t be disappointed. Seriously. Secondly – there are going to be spoilers for the first eight books below. Not many, but I highly recommend you stop reading here and go pick up the first book. You can thank me later. *wink*

Drew Kincaid is well used to long, difficult hunts as the pack tracker – responsible for reining in wolves that go rogue, giving in to their animal halves. Doing everything he can to save them and bring them back, before making that impossible choice to kill them – for the good of the Pack. But nothing has prepared him for the challenge he faces to win the heart of the one woman that he’s wanted for so long.

Lieutenant Indigo Riviere is comfortable in her own skin as a dominate female, and has very specific ideas about the kind of male she should mate with. With a dreary example of what happens when a female mates with a less dominant wolf, she’s surprised – and worried – when her attraction is to the most playful wolf in the pack. Her mind tells her to stop this, before it burns them both up and destroys the Pack by creating havoc in the hierarchy, but her heart starts to tell her different. And she never counted on Drew’s perseverance, or his charm.

With the world ready to explode around them, Drew and Indigo find themselves playing a wickedly, hot game with each other. As the stakes grow, and their home is stalked, can they find a way to overcome everything threatening to keep them apart and save the pack too?

Passions collide in the intensely satisfying Play of Passion. If you’ve read any of my other reviews of Nalini Singh it’s probably easy to tell that I’m a huge fan. And if you haven’t, here’s my disclaimer: I am a definite fan-girl for Ms. Singh. Play of Passion did nothing to change that status. In fact, as I went into the book not knowing what to expect with the first wolf/wolf pairing, she blew me away!

Drew is wickedly sensual, playful, and charming. Yet at the same time, he’s most definitely a dominant, smart, observant, loyal and beyond stubborn. All of these things come together to make one deliciously perfect male. Quite simply, Drew charmed me. Every step he took towards Indigo just made my heart sigh for him.

It was awesome to see another dominant female, and the differences, after Mercy’s book Branded by Fire. Indigo is definitely her own woman, and with insecurities that she doesn’t even really realize she allows to affect her, she definitely touched my heart. Strong and more than capable, she’s also full of love to give, and affectionate with those she trusts and cares about. Which always included Drew. But when he suddenly ratchets it up to the next level, Indigo is put off balance and struggles to regain it.

Drew isn’t about to let her find it though, until she finds herself in his arms.

Beyond their romance, which is definitely the heart of the book, there are so many things that I loved about Play of Passion. Even while Drew and Indigo are dancing around, and with, each other, they both have the best interests of the Snow Dancer pack at heart. And when threats come, from both outside the den and in, they fight for what’s theirs. The danger coming from inside the pack isn’t the same as it was in Caressed by Ice. But it is just as important. Some of the juveniles are coming close to losing control of their wolves, and I loved seeing how Hawke, Drew and Indigo decided to handle this. How the realities of keeping the pack healthy was shown so clearly.

While they take steps to make sure they’re helping those that need it within, they’ve also got the threat of the Psy trespassing into their lands. And it’s obvious that the Psy have something awful planned. As everyone struggles to put together the puzzle pieces, allowing us to see more of Dorian, Brenna, and Judd, the risks get higher. I especially loved seeing more of Judd as he’s one of my favorites. Seeing him continue his work with the Ghost, and continue in his duties as a Lieutenant for Snow Dancer was a welcome glimpse into his and Brenna’s continuing life.

If you’ve been reading since the beginning of the series, you surely know that the tensions between the Psy and the Changelings and Humans have been skyrocketing, especially lately. There’s no let up on that front in the explosively charged Play of Passion. There’s a bit of a cliff-hanger at the end about this, and it’s left me on edge for the next book in the series, which just happens to be Hawke’s – who I’ve been waiting for ever since Slave to Sensation, book one.

I can’t end this review without mentioning Hawke. He plays an integral part in this book as the leader of Snow Dancer and I was ecstatic to see more of him. I’ve long speculated, as have many others, that his mate is going to be Sienna Laurens. The scenes between them, so restrained and short in Play of Passion and yet they fairly ignited the pages with their chemistry. I. Can. Not. Wait. for their book.

Immediately upon finishing Play of Passion, which made me laugh out loud and tear up, I said: “The only thing wrong with this book is that I have to wait seven months for Hawke’s.” A few days after finishing it, I can safely say that sentiment is still true. Ms. Singh continues to get better and better and I can’t wait to see where she goes next!

Grade: A

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