Monday, August 31, 2009

August 2009 Reading Re-Cap



1. Unshapely Things - Mark Del Franco 3 out of 5 stars

2. Unclean Spirits - MLN Hanover 1 out of 5 stars

3. Bloodline - Maggie Shayne 4 out of 5 stars

4. Bloodsucking Fiends - Christopher Moore 3 out of 5 stars

5. Skin Trade - Laurell K. Hamilton 4 out of 5 stars

6. Dark Time, Mortal Path Book 1 - Dakota Banks 4 out of 5 stars

7. Bad Moon Rising - Sherrilyn Kenyon 5 out of 5 stars

8. The Darkest Whisper - Gena Showalter 5 out of 5 stars

9. Random Magic - Sasha Soren 4 out of 5 stars

10. Intertwined - Gena Showalter 5 out of 5 stars

Star Rating System:

5 stars - Loved It!!
4 stars - Really Liked It
3 stars - Liked It
2 stars - Didn't Like It
1 star - Hated It

I didn't read as many books as usual this month - but overall, it was a month of really good reads. :)


M

Review: Intertwined


This is a YA novel by Gena Showalter.

Book Blurb:

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.

One can raise the dead.

One can tell the future.

And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late..

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist.

Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger - but not everyone will come out alive..

I loved this book. :)

This is a YA book and one of the first books issued under the new Harlequin Teen line.

I love the whole concept of 4 souls trapped inside one 16 year old boy. Each soul has a different and unique ability and because they are inside of Aden, he has those unique abilities as well.

I am intrigued by the way Aden interacts with the voices he hears - it amazes me that he is not sitting in a corner screaming or self medicating to the point of zombie land.

I don't like to give spoilers in my reviews - merely my thoughts on each book. I can't say enough about Intertwined - it is a really great read. I am so hoping this will become a series. The way the book ended - I can see at least 3 more books. :) I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and if you're a fan of YA or just looking for something outside your usual read - I suggest this book. :)

M

Novels by Gena Showalter

Animal InstinctsOh My Goth!Catch A MateIntertwined
The Amazon's Curse

Friday, August 28, 2009

Review: Random Magic




Random Magic is the first novel by author Sasha Soren.

Book Blurb:

When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes. Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan. Such as it is. Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.


It is obvious from the book blurb that Random Magic is not my normal PNR. But the author, Sasha Soren emailed and asked if I were interested in reading this book for review and I said yes.

I am very glad I did. Random Magic is cute and quirky. I love the 'no guts, no glory' attitude of young Winnie Flapjack. Winnie is determined to see Henry through on his quest to find Alice - no matter the obstacles. And those obstacles are many - but funny.

Winnie and Henry's adventure is non stop - they move from one challenge to the next with their goal firmly in mind. Each challenge is met and overcome by Winnie using a little magic, a little daring and common sense - well, common for the world she lives in.

I really enjoyed this world Ms. Soren created and all of the characters that occupy this world. I think Random Magic would make a wonderful family movie.

The only thing that made me go hmmmm - was the book cover. The lady on the front looks just like Nicole Kidman - I wonder if that was intentional. LOL

I give Random Magic 4 out of 5 stars. :)

M

You can find Random Magic on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Random-Magic-Sasha-Soren/dp/0979777410/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251468162&sr=1-1
  • Paperback: 420 pages
  • Publisher: Beach Books, LLC; First Edition edition (January 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0979777410
  • ISBN-13: 978-0979777417

Thursday, August 27, 2009

New Series And Book Cover by Jacquelyn Frank





This is the first book in the new Gatherers series by Jacquelyn Frank.

Book blurb forthcoming. :)

Due out January 1, 2010.

M

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Christmas Shopping and Book Store Run

Hubby and I were running errands today and thought why not do a little Christmas shopping. Well, we did manage to get a few things that we remembered our son asking for - mainly he wanted this great big honking Nerf gun that shoots nerf darts. LOL Needless to say, that came home with us and is now safely hidden from prying eyes along with a few Wii games.

The daughter wants a lap top and as much as I hate buying a Christmas present with one of the kids along - she's gonna have to pick that thing out. I have no idea about lap tops and what she'll need for college next year....so there goes the surprise, but I'd rather get one she likes with all the things she needs than try to pick it out myself and get the wrong thing.

So we leave the computer store and what is just a few doors down - the book store. LOL I say to Hubby, let's run in the book store. Hubby visibly girds his loins (or maybe he just had an itch) and in the book store we go.

Honestly I just wanted to see if they had any new releases...I had no intentions of buying a book. (Well, you got me. Who can go in the book store and come out empty handed?)

So I found one and it was the 2nd in the series - so I moved on to see if they had the 1st and lo and behold - they did. Well needless to say, I grabbed them both and met Hubby in the travel section where he was drooling over Micky and Minnie and the little black book of Disney secrets.

Without further ado, these are the books I purchased today and if anyone has read the first one I'd love to know what you think about it. :)



Book Blurb:

After being laid off from her job as Half Moon Hollow's children's librarian, Jane drowns her sorrows in Electric Lemonade and Mudslides using her severance package (a $25 Shenanigans gift certificate). Atthe bar she's kept company by a magnetically attractive (if a bit pale) stranger, Gabriel Nightingale - who follows her out and takes matters into his own hands when Jane's car breaks down and she's mistaken for a deer by a drunk with a rifle as she's headed home in the dark, on foot. If Gabriel doesn't turn Jane, she'll be, as the saying goes, dying young and leaving a pretty corpse. Being undead, though, is just the beginning of Jane's problems. She's still unemployed, has "family issues," a best friend who finds love with a werewolf (werewolves and vampires don't mix well); she's also being framed for murder, stalked by a former crush, and romanced by her moody sire. What's an undead girl to do?







Book Blurb:

Once a devoted children's librarian, Jane Jameson now works at a rundown occult bookstore. Once a regular gal, she's now a vampire. And instead of a bride, she's an eternal bridesmaid -- which leads her to question where exactly her relationship with her irresistibly sexy sire, Gabriel, is headed. Mercurial, enigmatic, apparently commitment-phobic vampires are nothing if not hard to read. While Jane is trying to master undead dating, she is also donning the ugliest bridesmaid's dress in history at her best friend Zeb's Titanic-themed wedding. Between a freaked-out groom-to-be, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and Zeb's mother, hell-bent on seeing Jane walk the aisle with Zeb, Jane's got the feeling she's just rearranging the proverbial deck chairs.

Meanwhile, Half Moon Hollow's own Black Widow, Jane's Grandma Ruthie, has met her match in her latest fiancé. He smells like bad cheese and has a suspicious history of dead spouses. But Jane's biting her tongue. After all, would a nice girl really think she has a future with a vampire?

M

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The Den of Shadows Quartet


This is an omnibus 4 in 1 edition of the Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.

I have wanted to try this series for some time now - so imagine my delight when I found this omnibus at Wal-Mart for less than $10. I love the cover.

This is a YA series.

Book Blurbs:

FOUR COMPLETE NOVELS-ONE CAPTIVATING WORLD

In the Forests of the Night
Three hundred years ago Risika had a family - a brother and a father who loved her. Three hundred years ago she was human. Now she is a vampire, a powerful one. And her past has come back to torment her.

Demon in My View
Jessica isn't your average high school student - she's an acclaimed published author of vampire fiction. Now two new students at her high school strongly remind her of her favorite characters. But those characters only live in her imagination-right?

Shattered Mirror
Christopher Raneva and Sarah Vida may look like a normal high school couple, but he's actually a vampire who's sworn off human blood and she's an incredibly powerful, vampire-hunting witch. As if that weren't enough to prevent their love, his past and her future collide when they get tangled up with Nikolas, one of the most reviled vampires ever.

Midnight Predator
Once a happy teenager, Turquoise Draka is now a vampire hunter. Her current assigment is to assassinate Jeshikah, one of the cruelest vampires in history. But to do that, she'll have to enter Midnight, a fabled vampire realm, as a human slave. . . .

Monday, August 24, 2009

Review: The Darkest Whisper


This is the 5th book in the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter and the story of Sabin and Gwen.

Book Blurb:

Bound by the demon of Doubt, Sabin unintentionally destroys even the most confident of lovers. So the immortal warrior spends his time on the battlefield instead of the bedroom, victory his only concern - until he meets Gwendolyn the Timid. One taste of the beautiful redhead, and he craves more.

Gwen, an immortal herself, always thought she'd fall for a kind human who wouldn't rouse her darker side. But when Sabin frees her from prison, battling their enemies for the claim to Pandora's box turns out to be nothing compared to the battle Sabin and Gwen will wage against love.

I love this series. :)

I know that these books have the same premise: Demon possessed ex guardian of the gods finds his soul mate and demon is tamed. Much sex and happiness follows.

But even knowing that, I really like this series and look forward to each new installment because each demon is different and effects their male host in a different way. That is what makes this series so appealing to me.

I want to know what each mate is going to bring to the table, how said mate is going to break through the walls that each demon has forced upon their hosts.

Honestly the one that intrigues me the most is Torin. He carries the demon of disease and can not touch another being without releasing disease and killing whoever he touches. I can't wait for his story.

And Cameo, the only female Lord. She carries the demon of Misery and every word that she utters holds all the worlds misery. No one wants to hear her speak - she has compelled people to kill themselves with just the sound of her voice.

So even though the premise of each book is the same : demon bound guy + girl = happiness. It is one of my favorite series and I eagerly await each new installment.

I give this book and the entire series 5 out of 5 stars. :)

M

Lords of the Underworld
1. The Darkest Fire (2008)
2. The Darkest Night (2008)
3. The Darkest Kiss (2008)
4. The Darkest Pleasure (2008)
5. The Darkest Whisper (2009)
The Darkest FireThe Darkest NightThe Darkest KissThe Darkest Pleasure
The Darkest Whisper

Friday, August 21, 2009

Book Cover & Promo: Beneath the Skin


This is the 3rd book in the Maker's Song series by Adrian Phoenix.

Book Blurb:

CHAOS CONTROLS HIS FUTURE.
ONE MORTAL WOMAN COULD BE HIS SALVATION.
THE COUNTDOWN TO ANNIHILATION BEGINS WITH
DANTES CHOICE. . . .

THE FATE OF THREE WORLDS . . .


The dark pieces of vampire rock star Dante Baptiste’s past
are violently emerging, and it is only a matter of time before
the Fallen discover he is the creawdwr they have sought for
thousands of years. The destruction he left behind in Oregon
threatens to reveal his identity as Maker and True Blood,
exposing the young nightkind to shadowy predators—mortal
and supernatural—who will do whatever it takes to win his
favor . . . or destroy him.

RESTS IN DANTE’S HANDS.

When beautiful FBI agent Heather Wallace went AWOL on
assignment, she chose irresistible Dante over the shady
government forces that now stalk them both. Heather has her
own secrets of the past to uncover, but she is also the only
one who can hold her nightkind lover together when his
dangerous quest for the truth threatens to send him over the
edge. And as she and Dante fight for their survival, she
realizes they must work together to protect their future--
before his mysterious destiny tears them apart….


Due out December 29, 2009

Book Cover & Promo: Blaze of Memory


This is the 7th book in the Psy/Changeling series by Nalini Singh.

Book Blurb:

Dev Santos discovers her unconscious and battered, with no memory of who she is. All she knows is that she’s dangerous. Charged with protecting his people’s most vulnerable secrets, Dev is duty-bound to eliminate all threats. It’s a task he’s never hesitated to complete…until he finds himself drawn to a woman who might yet prove the enemy’s most insidious weapon.

Stripped of her memories by a shadowy oppressor, and programmed to carry out cold-blooded murder, Katya Haas is fighting desperately for her sanity itself. Her only hope is Dev. But how can she expect to gain the trust of a man who could very well be her next target? For in this game, one must die…

Due out November 3, 2009

*I don't think this cover is as sexy as the others. LOL

M

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Review: Bad Moon Rising


This is the 26th Dark Hunter book by Sherrilyn Kenyon and the story of Fang and Aimee.

Book Blurb:

Trouble’s on the rise in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter universe as war erupts among the lycanthropes, blood is spilled, and alliances are forged…and broken. In the middle of the chaos is Fang, a ferocious werewolf who lives to stalk his prey and rejoice in the kill. The quintessential lone wolf, he walks alone, asking for nothing—and expecting to get it. It has been said that behind him is the trail of a million broken hearts, from women who tried to tame him and failed.

But today is different. Today is the day he meets Aimee Peltier of the Bear clan, the one woman whose touch can shake him to his core. In the world of the Were-Hunters, like stays with like, species don’t mix, and they definitely don’t fall in love. But not so for Aimee. From the moment she sees Fang, all these conventions are tossed aside, and their passion is the stuff of legend. But times are dark, and there’s a bad moon rising on her and her mate. When Aimee is accused of treachery, Fang is her only hope. And to save her, he must break the law of his people and the faith of his powerful brothers, an act that could very well spell the end of the Were-Hunters and change the world forever….


I loved this book.

Bad Moon Rising is so very sad - but wonderful. LOL I can't believe the heart ache both Fang and Aimee must go through before they get their HEA. But they do get it, in the end. :)

This Dark Hunter world that Ms. Kenyon has created is absolutely endless. We were introduced to even more individuals in Dark Moon Rising that Ms. Kenyon can write about in the future and I must say that I am very interested in knowing more of three of them. :)

Simi made an appearance and I just love the Simi. :)

I guess for me, the only spot that makes me pause and go 'what' is that this book is set in 2003. I know Ms. Kenyon writes her books with more than one story going on at a time - but it just threw me for a minute when a character was mentioned that I know was killed a few books back. Other than that, everything was smooth. :)

I give this book and the entire series 5 out of 5 stars and look forward to the next installment. :)

M


Dark Hunters
1. Fantasy Lover (2002)
2. The Beginning (2002) (in Sins of the Night)
3. Dragonswan (2002)
4. Night Pleasures (2002)
5. Night Embrace (2003)
6. Phantom Lover (2003) (in Midnight Pleasures)
7. A Dark-Hunter Christmas (2003) (in Dance with the Devil)
8. Kiss of the Night (2004)
9. Night Play (2004)
10. Winter Born (2004) (in Stroke of Midnight)
11. Seize the Night (2004)
12. Sins of the Night (2005)
13. Second Chances (2005)
14. Unleash the Night (2005)
15. The Dark Side of the Moon (2006)
16. A Hard Day's Night-Searcher (2006) (in My Big Fat Supernatural Wedding)
17. Until Death We Do Part (2006) (in Love at First Bite)
18. The Dream Hunter (2007)
19. Devil May Cry (2007)
20. Upon the Midnight Clear (2007)
21. The Dark-Hunter Companion (2007) (with Alethea Kontis)
22. Dream Chaser (2008)
23. Acheron (2008)
24. One Silent Night (2008)
25. Dream Warrior (2009)
26. Bad Moon Rising (2009)
Night Pleasures / Night Embrace (omnibus) (2005)
Fantasy LoverSins of the NightDragonswanNight Pleasures
Night EmbraceMidnight PleasuresDance with the DevilKiss of the Night
Night PlayStroke of MidnightSeize the NightSins of the Night
Unleash the NightThe Dark Side of the MoonMy Big Fat Supernatural WeddingLove at First Bite
The Dream HunterDevil May CryUpon the Midnight ClearThe Dark-Hunter Companion
Dream ChaserAcheronOne Silent NightDream Warrior
Bad Moon RisingNight Pleasures / Night Embrace

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Blog Awards


Christine over at The happily ever after http://theromanticlife.blogspot.com/
honored me with this award.

Christine has a great blog with wonderful reviews and author info. Stop by and take a look. :)

M

Award


Patti gave me this award over at her non-book blog http://sleeplessinneworleans.blogspot.com/

I am supposed to list 7 things about me.

1. I have one sister. She is 3 years younger than me and a nurse.

2. I have never been on a plane.

3. I have never been out of the US of A.

4. I love True Blood, Weeds, Californication, Big Love and I am looking forward to the new Spartacus show that is coming to Starz in January.

5. I am a huge action movie fan. The more guns, fighting and blowing up of things the better. :)

6. I love Chinese good. I could eat Chinese every day and not get tired of it.

7. I hate math - with a fiery passion. I can add, subtract, multiple and divide whole numbers, decimals and fractions - but after that, forget it. I'm clueless.

And that is a little bit about me. :)

Oh and I am supposed to nominate 7 blogs - but ya'll know how I am about those link thingies so I nominate everyone who reads this and leaves a comment. :) Grab your award and post 7 things about yourself. :)

M

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Review: Dark Time, Mortal Path - Book 1


This is the first book in the new Mortal Path series by Dakota Banks.

Book Blurb:

Three hundred years ago, she sold her soul to a demon. Now she wants it back.

For centuries, the woman calling herself Maliha Crayne has lived a second life - as an assassin for the malevolent creature who owns her soul. A haunted killer with the blood of countless victims on her hands, she has finally discovered a way to nullify the demonic pact that chains her: If she saves a life for every one she has taken, she will be free.

But if she fails, her punishments will be unspeakable, unendurable . . . and neverending.

This is an Urban Fantasy from EOS.

I really enjoyed this book.

Dark Time opens in the year 1692 and Susannah Layhem, a healer, is expecting her first child with her husband Nathan.

As the story unfolds Susannah is wronged in a most heinous way and a demon gives her an out -but with conditions. Susannah accepts those conditions.

The story jumps ahead a few hundred years and Susannah has become disenchanted with the bargain she made with the demon and she seeks a way out. Oddly enough the demon tells her what she must do in order to break her contract.

The story moves ahead another 50 or so years and Susannah, now Maliha Crayne, is steadily working towards her goal of breaking her contract with the demon and finding the lost artifacts that will put an end to the demon as well as its' siblings.

I enjoyed the way the story moved back and forth in time, giving glimpses into what Maliha went through to get where she is now.

I easily sympathized with Susannah and the loss she suffered - but I embraced Maliha and the woman she's become just as easily. And I look forward to the next installment in this series. Ms. Banks left me with a cliffhanger - and as much as they drive me crazy, cliffhangers leave me wanting more. :)

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. :)

M