A Book Obsession..

Early Review: Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep

2013-06-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep

Mythos Academy # 4.5

I'm Logan Quinn, the deadliest Spartan warrior at Mythos Academy. At least I was--until the day I almost killed Gwen Frost.

Professor Metis and Nickamedes say that I'm fine, that Loki and the Reapers don't have a hold on me anymore, but I can't risk it. I can't risk hurting Gwen again. So I'm leaving Mythos and going somewhere far, far away.

I know Gwen wonders what's happening to me, whether I'm safe. I can't tell her, but this is my story. . .

When I heard there was going to be a novella from Logan's perspective I was really excited. I was furious with him for his choices at the end of Crimson Frost, so I felt like this novella was going to be the perfect look into his head to see what was going on, and maybe understand him better. Honestly though now that I've read it, I have to say my excitement wasn't exactly warranted. I guess I was just hoping for more than this novella allowed. I mean sure we got to see inside his head, but honestly it wasn't anything I hadn't already figured out from his prior actions via Gwen's perspective. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the guy is broken up about what he did while being possessed, but I just don't think that warranted nor excused his sudden emo behavior. Also the fact that he kept in touch with their other friends and kept asking them about how Gwen was, yet wouldn't even answer her calls, really infuriated me. I'm hoping that this depression of his gets out of his system soon as I like Gwen thought she could always count on him, and he's really let her down.

I've always been a big fan of novellas in a series and short stories as it is always nice to have those little extras that just don't have a place in the full length books. Yet, I'm not sure this one was quite necessary. Would I recommend this novella? Perhaps for die-hard Logan fans, but otherwise it can just as easily be skipped as nothing drastically important happens, so you won't miss anything if you just go onto the next real book instead.

(Received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley)

Rating:

Pre-order:

Other Reviews:

Tome Tender

Smokin Hot Book Blog

Nomalicious Reads

Previous Books:

1. Touch of Frost

2. Kiss of Frost

3. Dark Frost

4. Crimson Frost

Book Birthdays: New Titles This Week (41)

2013-06-18T07:00:00.000-04:00

Releasing 6/17 - 6/23

Intuition by C.J Omololu
Transcendence #2

As Cole begins to accept her new life as Akhet, someone who can remember flashes of her past lives, every new vision from her past lives helps explain who she is in this life. As her passion for Griffon grows, she learns to identify other Akhet around her, including Drew, the young self-made millionaire who reveals his startling connection to Cole-he was her husband in Elizabethan England and gave her the ankh necklace that has been returned to her after centuries in hiding. Drew's attentions are overwhelming as he insists that their connection in the past signals their future destiny together, but before she can decide who she truly loves, Cole must learn to harness her unique Akhet abilities if she is to ever understand her role in this strange new world.

Amazon The Book Depository

Lexicon by Max Barry

At an exclusive school somewhere outside of Arlington, Virginia, students aren’t taught history, geography, or mathematics—at least not in the usual ways. Instead, they are taught to persuade. Here the art of coercion has been raised to a science. Students harness the hidden power of language to manipulate the mind and learn to break down individuals by psychographic markers in order to take control of their thoughts. The very best will graduate as "poets”: adept wielders of language who belong to a nameless organization that is as influential as it is secretive.

Whip-smart orphan Emily Ruff is making a living running a three-card Monte game on the streets of San Francisco when she attracts the attention of the organization’s recruiters. She is flown across the country for the school’s strange and rigorous entrance exams, where, once admitted, she will be taught the fundamentals of persuasion by Brontë, Eliot, and Lowell—who have adopted the names of famous poets to conceal their true identities. For in the organization, nothing is more dangerous than revealing who you are: Poets must never expose their feelings lest they be manipulated. Emily becomes the school’s most talented prodigy until she makes a catastrophic mistake: She falls in love.

Meanwhile, a seemingly innocent man named Wil Jamieson is brutally ambushed by two strange men in an airport bathroom. Although he has no recollection of anything they claim he’s done, it turns out Wil is the key to a secret war between rival factions of poets and is quickly caught in their increasingly deadly crossfire. Pursued relentlessly by people with powers he can barely comprehend and protected by the very man who first attacked him, Wil discovers that everything he thought he knew about his past was fiction. In order to survive, must journey to the toxically decimated tow nof Broken Hill, Australia, to discover who he is and why an entire town was blown off the map.

As the two narratives converge, the shocking work of the poets is fully revealed, the body count rises, and the world crashes toward a Tower of Babel event which would leave all language meaningless. Max Barry’s most spellbinding and ambitious novel yet, Lexicon is a brilliant thriller that explores language, power, identity, and our capacity to love—whatever the cost.

Amazon The Book Depository

Reviver by Seth Patrick

Revivers. Able to wake the recently dead, and let them bear witness to their own demise. Twelve years after the first reviver came to light, they have become accepted by an uneasy public. The testimony of the dead is permitted in courtrooms across the world. Forensic revival is a routine part of police investigation. In the United States, that responsibility falls to the Forensic Revival Service. Despite his troubled past, Jonah Miller is one of their best. But while reviving the victim of a brutal murder, he encounters a terrifying presence. Something is watching. Waiting. His superiors tell him it was only in his mind, a product of stress. Jonah is not so certain. Then Daniel Harker, the first journalist to bring revival to public attention, is murdered, and Jonah finds himself getting dragged into the hunt for answers. Working with Harker's daughter Annabel, he becomes determined to find those responsible and bring them to justice. Soon they uncover long-hidden truths that call into doubt everything Jonah stands for, and reveal a threat that if not stopped in time, will put all of humanity in danger ...

Amazon The Book Depository

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood
The Cahill Witch Chronicles #2)

With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

Amazon The Book Depository

Covet Feature Author: Susannah Scott

2013-06-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

As long time readers of this blog know, I absolutely love all things Paranormal. So much so, that when the position for the Publicity Director of Entangled Publishing's Paranormal Romance line, Covet, opened up, there wasn't even a moment's hesitation in knowing this position was perfect for me. Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about our titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow us on Twitter, and LIKE our Facebook page.

I love being able to combine work and play, so I'll be featuring all of our authors as they release their new titles. Each one will be stopping by to share their top 5 favorite paranormal characters. Today's guest is Susannah Scott whose new title Luck of the Dragon features nothing other than an uber sexy dragon shifter and the woman who brings him to his knees. This is one you won't want to miss! So, please join me in welcoming Susannah!

I am thrilled to be here today discussing my top five favorite paranormal characters.

Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones

Source

I have to admit, until last week I was a total House of Stark fan. Loved Rob. Loved the wolves. Loved John Snow. Then Rob and the wolf met a sad end and John Snow abandoned Ygritte in a flurry of hooves. I love the how Dany has evolved from a simpering girl to a Queen. And, I especially love how she is outsmarting all the men on her march to the Iron Throne. Her dragons are little now, but one day they will be big, and they already know how to incinerate on command. Love this series. I haven’t seen the HBO finale yet, so no spoilers!

Michael Corvin and Selene - Underworld

Source

My husband thinks that Kate Beckensale’s rubber suit should have been my number one pick. While I have to agree, Kate makes curvy-corseted-chick look extra good, it is her twin strength and vulnerably that I really love. When she falls for Michael Corvin… bliss. I wasn’t crazy about the last installment, but the first couple hit all my paranormal markers.

Joe Manganiello – True Blood

Source

Confession. I have never seen an episode of True Blood. But, I sure like the way gorgeous Joe fills out a wet tee shirt, and I love werewolves, so I’m going with him sight unseen. I just know. He would be on my list. The fact I’ve never actually watched him act, unimportant.

Rapunzel - Tangled (Yep, the Disney flick)

I was blown away when I sat down to watch this movie with my kids. This movie is perfectly plotted, from the inciting incident to the Happily Ever After. I love the “deny of the call,” which has Rapunzel manically vacillating between guilt about leaving her (evil) mother and her desire to see the world with Flynn. We get to see Flynn being patient and kind with her. We get to see Rapunzel’s angst. The whole interaction is only 5 minutes long, but it is brilliant. The evil mother is a fantastic villainess too. Just a wonderful story, start to finish. If you are a writer, bring your pad to take notes!

LadyHawke - Isabeau

I was watching this movie when everyone else was watching Princess Bride. This was one of Michelle Pfeiffer’s first movies. It is about a magical curse and a reformed thief who comes to the aid of tragic lovers. Isabeau is cursed to become a hawk every day at sunrise and Navarre turns into a wolf at sunset. I’m not sure how it was received by the critics of the day, but I wore out our VCR tape watching it. It has rotten music, but wonderful elements: an ill-fated romance, a magical curse, and reformed thief.

Thanks so much, Katie, for letting me wander down my paranormal memory lane!

All my best, Susannah Scott

P.S. Luck of the Dragon, releases June 24, 2013, and pre-buy links are available now. Check my website for contact, blog tour, and other giveaway information. www.susannahscottbooks.com. You can also follow me on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks Susannah! I'm a huge fan of Michael and Selene as well. So I was really bummed that he wasn't in the most recent movie and like you, it just wasn't the greatest for me. But I could watch the first two over and over. :)

Author Info:

SUSANNAH SCOTT lives in the Missouri Ozarks and is the lone female in a very loud household of males ranging in age from 4 to 40. While she jokes that the extreme levels of testosterone inspired her to write romance, it is really the love of creating an excellent story, and the occasional dreams of twenty-foot dragons, that wake her and send her to the laptop before the chaos of daily life ensues. Susannah loves to hear from her readers. Please visit her website at www.susannahscottbooks.com or follow her as Susannah Scott on Facebook and @Susannah_Scott on Twitter.

Find Susannah online:

Website Twitter Facebook Blog

Book Info:

Luciana de Luca has a PhD in sass and gemology—and a problem. Her twin brother’s gambling debts have gotten out of hand, and a mob enforcer is blackmailing her to rob the latest, greatest mega-casino on the Strip. Although Lucy has worked her whole life to get away from her family’s grifter past, to save her brother, she dons three-inch heels and a sluts-r-us dress and struts into Alec’s Gerald’s casino, determined to put her long-forgotten thieving ways to the test again.

Alec Gerald, a shape-shifting dragon, has built the Crown Jewel casino to provide sanctuary for his people amongst the flash and awe of Las Vegas. Unfortunately, the sexy little thief trying to steal his largest diamond exhibit turns out to be his mate, and he must woo her before he loses his dragon form forever. But before he can handcuff her to his bed and explain the details of a mating ceremony, an enemy attacks and threatens to destroy his casino, his people, and his newfound mate.

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Monday Wrapup (152)

2013-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading, hosted by Book Journey, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Reviews for the past week:

Fiery Edge of Steel by Jill Archer (Early Review)

"It is never a good thing when you finish a book and wonder "what was the point?" Unfortunately, this was my first thought at the end of FIERY EDGE OF STEEL. I just felt like there was absolutely no momentum in this book."

A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer (Early Review)

"Trust me, if you enjoy a kick ass world, with a stellar plot, great characters, and more than a little steam, then A KISS OF BLOOD is one you won't want to miss."

Kirsten's Book of the Week:

Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole (Review)

"A strong follow up to the first book in a series that looks to blend military fantasy, and comic book-esque elements in a world that’s very much rooted in a reality like our own."

Other Posts:

The Revelations Tour stopped by.

Book Birthdays featured 3 new releases for this week.

Fifth Grave Past the Light by Darynda Jones was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

Plenty of Bargain Books & Kindle Deals this week!

This week's Covet Feature author was Brux Boone

Upcoming List:

Spartan Frost by Jennifer Estep
Damn Him to Hell by Jamie Quaid (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: TBD

Early Review: A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer

2013-06-14T07:00:00.000-04:00

A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer

Vamp City #2

ONLY ONE WOMAN CAN SAVE VAMP CITY

One of the few humans who managed to escape the deadly twilight world of Vamp City, Quinn Lennox vows to never return. But the vampires want her back, for only she has the power to renew the magic of their crumbling world--and free the vampires trapped within.

When the handsome, dangerous, and all too seductive Arturo Mazza comes for her, Quinn knows she can never trust him after the betrayal she suffered at his hands. But with her beloved brother's fate hanging in the balance, and her own power beginning to emerge, she chooses to risk all on yet another perilous journey back to Vamp City. And though she tries to deny it, her heart begins to hold hope that even a ruthless vampire can learn the meaning of true love….

When Quinn escaped Vamp City, she had hoped to never return. But deep down she knew that was only a pipe dream as the vamps would never let her go since she is the only one who can save the crumbling city. This was only further cemented when her brother falls ill and must return to the city before the lack of magic consumes him. Despite her every instinct telling her not to help the vamps renew the magic hold their world together, now that her brother's fate is tied to that very magic, she doesn't have a choice. Further complicating matters is her fierce attraction to Arturo, the vampire who betrayed her. Despite knowing she can't trust him, she know it won't be long before her heart won't listen, and once again she'll fall under his spell.

Can I just say how much I love the dynamic between Quinn and Arturo? I mean every look, every touch, just smoulders right off the page. And yet, they are far from the perfect couple, if you could even call them that. Neither one is willing to give into each other and accept the relationship. They each have their own iron will, and their reasons for trying to keep themselves apart, but it's rather futile, as they fail and fail. There's just something about the pair of them together that seems right despite her not being able to fully accept him, and his terrible tendency to betray her. I will say that he made major headway I redeeming himself in A KISS OF BLOOD, especially as the reasoning behind his previous lack of emotion was revealed. That being said, it will still take some time for Quinn to be able to really open up and let him in, but I can't wait to see it.

Everything about the world in A KISS OF BLOOD was just as enthralling as the first installment, and yet it didn't seem quite so dark. In all honesty it really surprised me how much I enjoyed the first installment due to its darkness and utter lack of hope, but somehow it worked. That being said, I was rather pleased while reading this book as I realized it wasn't going to be quite so dark. Don't get me wrong, the threats are very real, and the stakes are just as high, but this time around I had hope. I think a lot of that was in part due to Arturo's turn around and fierce protectiveness of her, so I felt like she had more of a fighting chance this go round. But the biggest change I have to say is the amount of allies she had surrounding and helping her. It just turned the tides and made both her and I realize that despite prior appearances, not everyone supernatural in vamp city is a monster. Some are genuinely good guys, and it really helped give me that light at the end of the tunnel I needed.

We're only two books into the Vamp City series, and already it's shaping up to be one of my favorites. It has all the action and danger you could want plus an incredible amount of sexual tension and steamy moments that boil right off the page. Honestly this kind of hybrid between paranormal romance and urban fantasy is something I would love to see more of as it isn't something often found. Trust me, if you enjoy a kick ass world, with a stellar plot, great characters, and more than a little steam, then A KISS OF BLOOD is one you won't want to miss.

(Received a copy from the publisher via Edelweiss)

Rating:

Pre-order:

Other Reviews:
Fangs, Wands, and Fairy Dust
Tome Tender
Bad Ass Book Reviews

Previous Books:
1. A Blood Seduction

Kirsten Reviews: Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole

2013-06-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole

Shadow Ops #2

The Great Reawakening did not come quietly. Across the country and in every nation, people began to develop terrifying powers—summoning storms, raising the dead, and setting everything they touch ablaze. Overnight the rules changed…but not for everyone.

Colonel Alan Bookbinder is an army bureaucrat whose worst war wound is a paper-cut. But after he develops magical powers, he is torn from everything he knows and thrown onto the front-lines.

Drafted into the Supernatural Operations Corps in a new and dangerous world, Bookbinder finds himself in command of Forward Operating Base Frontier—cut off, surrounded by monsters, and on the brink of being overrun.

Now, he must find the will to lead the people of FOB Frontier out of hell, even if the one hope of salvation lies in teaming up with the man whose own magical powers put the base in such grave danger in the first place—Oscar Britton, public enemy number one...

Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole is a strong follow up to the first book in a series that looks to blend military fantasy, and comic book-esque elements in a world that’s very much rooted in a reality like our own.

People are able to control the elements, wield magic, resurrect the dead, and even create doorways, or portals to other worlds. Unsurprisingly, the United States government's response to this is ‘we will be taking control’ because to them, “magic is the new nuke.” The even give it a name: “Latent.” Anybody who realizes that they have these abilities is required to fess up, otherwise they can be prosecuted as “Selfers.” It’s a bit like the idea of mutants in the X-Men comics, and works well, especially considering the implications. Even the pull quote on the book proclaims that the book is a combination of Black Hawk Down and X-Men, so it’s easy to see the similarities.

The second book finds readers with a different protagonist. Instead of sticking with the same character throughout a series, Cole has done something different, and jumps into the world of Colonel Alan Bookbinder, who is basically a bureaucrat. His biggest concerns are whether the right forms got filed, and if he has enough coffee in the morning. He isn’t a warrior, and feels out of place among soldiers who’ve seen combat. But all of that changes when Bookbinder finds out that he’s Latent. This means an end to a pretty cushy life, and he has to figure out how he’s going to adjust to his change in circumstances.

On the one hand, Bookbinder, whose name is very appropriate, of course - doesn’t know what to do in combat with any confidence, is fairly uncertain about how he fits into this new role, but on the other, he’s also somebody who had settled into himself, and it’s interesting to see how he adjusts.

This book does tie into the previous one, and there are some events that are revisited, but from a new perspective. The author’s increased confidence shows in Fortress Frontier, and the plotting is tight and well thought out. However; this is not a series with a lot of female characters, and there’s more focus on their appearance than any character development or involvement in the plot. While this book offers a lot in the way of world building and interesting abilities, it isn’t a book friendly to women, and the entire world seems to be built without them being equal members of society. With that being said, if the author is able to overcome this, the series will be the better for it.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

Order links:

Other Reviews:
Ranting Dragon
Paranormal Haven
Only the Best Science Fiction & Fantasy

Previous Books:
1. Control Point

Covet Feature Author: Brux Boone

2013-06-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

As long time readers of this blog know, I absolutely love all things Paranormal. So much so, that when the position for the Publicity Director of Entangled Publishing's Paranormal Romance line, Covet, opened up, there wasn't even a moment's hesitation in knowing this position was perfect for me. Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about our titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow us on Twitter, and LIKE our Facebook page.

I love being able to combine work and play, so I'll be featuring all of our authors as they release their new titles. Each one will be stopping by to share their top 5 favorite paranormal characters. Today's guest is Brux Boone whose new title Suddenly Beautiful features the son of Aphrodite and the daughter of Ares. As they say all is fair in love and war. ;) So, please join me in welcoming Brux!

Paranormal, I love it, in theory. If I had to face some of these characters in real life, I might not be so enamored. But as a reader and a writer of paranormal I think the strange and awesome powers of these characters make for fantastic tales. So here are my top favorite.

(Side note from Katie: freely licensed images are so hard to find, so I've added images of MY favorite books with Brux's favorite type of characters)

1. Reapers: I love the concept of helping others to cross over. Depending on what story you’re reading, reapers can be funny, sassy twenty-something females, or truly terrifying angels of death.

2. Demons: Don’t ask me why I love them so. I think for the same reason I love reapers. The thought of a demon trying to repent while his or her comrades feel differently catches my attention every time.

3. Angels: Sexy angels are a major turn on. But I would have to ask myself, would I allow one of them to give up his immortal soul for me? The reality would be that the issue would never come up. Their calling is probably much higher than a lifetime putting up with my crap—but it’s a nice fantasy.

4. Dragons: I want one for a pet and I want to be able to shift into one. But if I had one for a pet it would have to be small. I have enough trouble cleaning up the dog poop in my yard. I can’t imagine having to scoop up Volkswagen size piles—unless it had magical powers and I could sell it to the local farmers. I feel a storyline coming on.

5. Last but not least, I really enjoy a good familiar. Animals that don’t shift, but have some connection to humans make for great secondary characters. My familiar of choice would be a raven. Not only could they bring me shiny objects, but they’re freakin’ cool and smart. If I was a reaper with a raven familiar, that would be the best of both worlds.

So there you have my top five paranormal characters—or creatures if you will. What is your favorite paranormal character? Vampire? Fae? Weremoose? Thankfully in today’s paranormal stories anything goes.

Thanks Brux! I hope you don't mind me adding my favorite books in there to feature your types of characters. Although you should have chosen a demi-god so I could have put your book up there. ;)

Author Info:

As a multi-published and an award winning author, Boone's writing drips with experiences from real life.

Addicted to anything that might make a good story, she weaves tales that range from dark fantasy to humorous romance. Settled in the icy regions of Alaska with the love of her life and twin daughters, it's not uncommon to find her tapping away on her iPad on a windy beach or the barren tundra.

Be warned, anyone and everything is fodder for one of Boone's novels.

Find Brux online:

Website Twitter Facebook Blog

Book Info:

Being the son of Aphrodite isn’t a walk in the clouds. Rebelling against his demi-god status, billionaire make-up mogul Toraos Stephanos fights to separate his personal life and the immortal world by swearing off demi-god girlfriends forever. Too bad his newest employee can't take the hint.

Though Nikki secretly pines for her smoking hot boss, no way will she jeopardize her job and independence professing her love to a guy so clearly out of her league. Too bad that leaves her with only imagining him naked and thinking evil thoughts about the new girl. After a single bottle of Ambrosia and one night of passion... Nikki finally thinks she has a chance with the man of her dreams. But the next morning, Tor pretends like nothing happened, leaving Nikki with an emerging drive for combat—after all, turns out she is the daughter of Ares and she's about to make her mama proud.

All is fair in love and war... and Nikki's not about to let anyone forget it.

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Bargain Books & Kindle Deals (46)

2013-06-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

I've decided to make my Bargain Book and Kindle Deal finds a weekly feature here at A Book Obsession.. If you guys are anything like me, your book addiction can easily get out of hand, so any sales/deals are a huge help. If you like any of the deals below, I would appreciate if you use the affiliate links below. All earning support the giveaways here on the blog. :)

(Prices accurate as of 6/11)

Bargain New Paperbacks/Hardcovers:

Kindle Deals: If you find one of these kindle deals that has expired, please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

$0.99

$1.99

$2.24-$2.99 $3.49-$3.99 $4.00-$5.99

Waiting on Wednesday (151)

2013-06-12T07:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

Fifth Grave Past the Light - Charley Davidson #5

by Darynda Jones

Publication Date: July 9th, 2013

Pre-Order:

Charley Davidson may not look like your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper, but she has vowed to reap grimness wherever she goes despite this unfortunate fact. Sadly, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. As he is the main suspect in her arson case, she has vowed to stay away from him until she can find out the truth.

However, when dead women start appearing in her apartment - lost, confused and terrified beyond reason - Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes's help, especially when it becomes apparent that her own sister Gemma is the serial killer's next target. With his ability to observe incorporeally, surely he can find out who's responsible. And even if he can't, he is the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return: Charley. All of her - body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she might be willing to pay..

Review: Fiery Edge of Steel by Jill Archer

2013-06-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Fiery Edge of Steel by Jill Archer

Noon Onyx #2

Lucifer and his army triumphed at Armageddon, leaving humans and demons living in uncertain peace based on sacrifice and strict laws. It is up to those with mixed demon and human blood, the Host, to prevent society from falling into anarchy.

Noon Onyx is the first female Host in memory to wield the destructive waning magic that is used to maintain order among the demons. Her unique abilities, paired with a lack of control and reluctance to kill, have branded her as an outsider from her peers. Only her powerful lover, Ari Carmine, and a roguish and mysterious Angel, Rafe Sinclair, support her unconventional ways.

When Noon is shipped off to a remote outpost to investigate several unusual disappearances, a task which will most likely involve trying and killing the patron demon of that area, it seems Luck is not on her side. But when the outpost settlers claim that an ancient and evil foe has stepped out of legend to commit the crimes, Noon realizes that she could be facing something much worse than she ever imagined…

Noon is the only known female to hold waning magic, the power used to control the demons who won the apocalypse eons ago. So to say she has a bit of a hard time fitting in would be an understatement. Unlike her counterparts, she does not revel in the power and it's destructive nature, and as a result is very reluctant to learn to harness it. This has led to a lack of control that gets dangerous at times. But, she's still trying to come to terms with the need to take charge of her ability, and reluctantly sets out on a mission to investigate a string of disappearances. But this is no ordinary case as tales of an ancient demon plaguing the area are rampant. Noon will have to learn to use her magic in more than just a passive way if she is to have any hope at surviving the journey, let alone her destination.

Noon's behavior had seemed to start to turn around by the end of the previous book as she slowly accepted who and what she was, so I wasn't expecting to have to sit through her constant whining about her lot in life this time around. I don't want to sound too hard or picky, but she has said multiple times that she's finally accepted who she is, but yet she refuses to step up and take the steps to control her magic. There always is some excuse and she just shrugs off her dangerous misfires. Then there is a pretty surprising reveal later in the book that she does not handle very well at all. In fact, I was incredibly disappointed in her behavior and felt absolutely no sympathy for the pain it put her in. I was of the opinion that she made her bed and now has to lie in it, but she behaved like a wronged party. It just all sparks of an immaturity that I would not expect in a college age character and makes her seem much younger than she really is and just not someone who I could identify with at all.

It is never a good thing when you finish a book and wonder "what was the point?" Unfortunately, this was my first thought at the end of FIERY EDGE OF STEEL. I just felt like there was absolutely no momentum in this book. Between the plot and the almost complete lack of character development, especially on Noon's behalf, I just felt like the whole book only moved in circles. I constantly found myself getting distracted by other things rather than wanting to continue reading, which is never a good thing. When I read, I want to become immersed in the story and that just didn't happen here. Another thing preventing that immersion for me was the terminology. I had hoped that since this was the second book I would have had an easier time following the really complicated mythology and excessive amount of obscure names, but that wasn't the case. Unfortunately my constant frustration at trying to remember who or what that different name/term meant made it incredibly hard to enjoy this book.

The first book in this series was only a mediocre read for me, but I was intrigued enough with the world to want to continue on and give it another shot. Unfortunately, as I've said in this review, it just didn't turn around one bit making it not up to par for a preferred read. At this point, I'm pretty sure I won't be picking up this series again, which honestly is a shame because the world and premise have so much potential, but potential can only carry me so far before it's time to move on, an unfortunately that's the case here.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

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All Things Urban Fantasy

Previous Books:
1. Dark Light of Day

Book Birthdays: New Titles This Week (40)

2013-06-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

Releasing 6/10 - 6/16

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.

Amazon The Book Depository

The Registry by Shannon Stoker

The Registry saved the country from collapse. But stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained by the state to fight to their death.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous thoughts. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.

All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Amazon The Book Depository

Rush by Eve Silver
The Game #1

So what’s the game now? This, or the life I used to know?

When Miki Jones is pulled from her life, pulled through time and space into some kind of game—her carefully controlled life spirals into chaos. In the game, she and a team of other teens are sent on missions to eliminate the Drau, terrifying and beautiful alien creatures. There are no practice runs, no training, and no way out. Miki has only the guidance of secretive but maddeningly attractive team leader Jackson Tate, who says the game isn’t really a game, that what Miki and her new teammates do now determines their survival, and the survival of every other person on this planet. She laughs. He doesn’t. And then the game takes a deadly and terrifying turn.

Amazon The Book Depository

Revelations Tour

2013-06-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Revelations by Lindsay Anne Kendal
Bloodlines Trilogy #3

In this final installment of the Bloodlines trilogy, Keira and her friends face their toughest battles yet. Not only with the ones they believe have set out to destroy them, but also with themselves and each other. A shock revelation throws the group into confusion, torn between what each of them think is right and wrong. Keira now has to make a hard choice – does she stay with the people she loves, and fight with them – Or does she leave them, join forces with the person they originally thought was heartless, cold and brutal, but in fact, is doing something she actually agrees with. Something that could benefit and comfort almost every person who has ever lived. Revelations will take you to a place you never could have imagined existed. Heart-wrenching passion, death-defying friendship, treachery and pain, mixed with extreme battles, powerful magic and self-belief, make for an unbelievable climax that will stay with you until the end of time.

Author Info:

I have lived in Droylsden, Manchester, all my life. I live with my parents, my younger sister, Cheryl and her little girl Faith.

I never knew what I wanted to do with my life until I began writing. This is my dream. I get most of my inspiration from music, I’ll sit there listening to it and suddenly I’m no longer in the room. My stories play like videos in my mind, then I go and write them down.

I’m a very dark person, I love anything spooky, supernatural, or unexplainable, and so that’s the genre I want to write in for the rest of my life.

I love watching scary films, although I find it very hard to find one these days that actually frighten me.

I also love getting creative with graphics. I've designed over twenty book covers so far. I create promo art and even book trailers.

I have had a love of photography from being a child. I have literally thousands of photographs which I have taken over the years. Now, I have a professional DSLR camera and I'm looking to do photography as well as my graphics as a sideline project.

Find Lindsay online:

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Monday Wrapup (151)

2013-06-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Reviews for the past week:

Tempest Unleashed by Tracy Deebs (Early Review)

"Putting my high exceptions for the final battle aside, the way things played out left me with a smile on my face, and I felt it all ended exactly as it should have and made the book an overall decent read in the end."

The Registry by Shannon Stoker (Early Review)

"THE REGISTRY is one of those books that could have been great due to its interesting premise, but ultimately fell flat. Between the massive amounts of plot holes, and characters that were two dimensional at best, this one just really didn't work well for me."

Kirsten's Book of the Week:

Sharp by Alex Huges (Review)

"The protagonist and premise are engaging, and with the addition of telepathic abilities and a clash with law enforcement, the story keeps up its fast past from beginning to end. "

Other Posts:

The Hellhound Blog Tour stopped by.

Book Birthdays featured 8 new releases for this week.

We debuted our new look!

Weird Girls by Cecy Robson was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

Kirsten Weiss stopped by to talk about female fighters in fiction.

Upcoming List:

Fiery Edge of Steel by Jill Archer
A Kiss of Blood by Pamela Palmer (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: TBD

Early Review: The Registry by Shannon Stoker

2013-06-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

The Registry by Shannon Stoker

The Registry saved the country from collapse. But stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained by the state to fight to their death.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous thoughts. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.

All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back.

Years ago America was about to collapse, but The Registry changed that. Girls are raises to be subservient and seek only to achieve beauty and perfection for their future husband that will one day purchase them. Boys are abandoned at birth to be raised in their early years in an orphanage, then thrown onto the streets until it is time for them to serve in the military. Enlistment in the military nor The Registry is not voluntary for either gender. But that's their lot in life, and the people don't seem to know any different. At least Mia never questioned her role in life until a warning came from her older sister which opened her eyes to the possibility that things aren't as they seem. To avoid her fate, Mia escapes her family's clutches to go on the run to Mexico. But she waited too long as the man who was determined to buy her for his own isn't taking no for an answer and when he finds her, she may not survive his wrath. Running is truly a game of survival, one she may not have a chance to win.

The world behind THE REGISTRY can be likened to a train wreck. The events in it were so horrible, yet you just can't bring yourself to look away. The situation the people were was so horrific, yet none of them seemed to realize just how terrible it was. Perhaps it was a case of them not knowing better, but honestly it turned my stomach. In fact I almost dreaded turning the page whenever I finished a chapter, because each new one started off with a message from either "The Boys Guide to Service" or "The Registry Guide for Girls." And my disgust grew with each and every single one. It was all just sickening. I have to give the author credit for creating a world that elicited such a response from me, even if it wasn't a positive one. I read to be impacted or drawn into the story, and that definitely happened here. That being said, horrific world that sucks you in or not, there were a good bit of plot holes and inconsistencies that left me feeling rather underwhelmed by the end. I won't get into most of them to avoid spoiling things, but I will touch on one thing that happened pretty early in the book. Mia's parents showed absolutely NO emotion at all when one of their daughters came to them trying to escape her horrible situation. In fact they ensured she made it back, despite knowing what it would mean. All they saw was a payday. Granted I guess to some extent you would distance yourself from children that you know you would have to sell some day, but to the extent that Mia's parents behave, just sparks as unrealistic to me, especially when you consider that it's implied that their lack of care is the normal.

Even when you put those plot holes aside, I still had a hard time with this book as the characters had absolutely no substance, save for one, which I'll get into in a minute. Mia is as air-headed and flighty (and of course the most gorgeous girl ever to be put in the registry) as they come, and granted I realize she was raised and literally groomed to be that way, but come on, I needed something more than I was given to attach to. Her friend, who is supposed to be so incredibly brilliant that she has such a low score that she will never be chosen to be a wife, in all reality seems to be even more of an airhead than Mia herself. I cannot tell you how many times I wanted to strangle the pair of them throughout the book. Then you add in either of the boys from the love triangle, and things don't get much better. They both seems to fill some formula character need, and it all was rather predictable. The only character who had any real substance was the man chasing Mia, determined to claim her. He was so vile and malicious and vindictive, that you couldn't help hating him. In all honesty he was the only real personality in the entire book, and consider just how horrible he was, it did not make the read very pleasant.

THE REGISTRY is one of those books that could have been great due to its interesting premise, but ultimately fell flat. Between the massive amounts of plot holes, and characters that were two dimensional at best, this one just really didn't work well for me. In all honesty, the only reason I finished this book was because my curiosity got the better of me. Well that, and the fact that I had thought this was a stand alone, so I was expecting to have some sort of gratification in the end. But of course that didn't turn out the way I had hoped because things were not wrapped up at all, and there looks to be a sequel in the works due to the very small excerpt at the back of the book. That being said, I won't be continuing on with this series as it earns a pass from me.

(Received a copy from the publisher via Edelweiss)

Rating:

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Other Reviews:
Book Brats
Fangs for the Fantasy
Brizmus Blogs Books

Kirsten Reviews: Sharp by Alex Hughes

2013-06-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Sharp by Alex Hughes

Mindspace Investigations #2

HISTORY HAS A WAY OF REPEATING ITSELF, EVEN FOR TELEPATHS.…

As a Level Eight telepath, I am the best police interrogator in the department. But I’m not a cop—I never will be—and my only friend on the force, Homicide Detective Isabella Cherabino, is avoiding me because of a telepathic link I created by accident.

And I might not even be an interrogator for much longer. Our boss says unless I pull out a miracle, I’ll be gone before Christmas. I need this job, damn it. It’s the only thing keeping me sane.

Parts for illegal Tech—the same parts used to bring the world to its knees in the Tech Wars sixty years ago—are being hijacked all over the city. Plus Cherbino's longtime nemesis, a cop killer, has resurfaced with a vengeance. If I can stay alive long enough, I just might be able to prove my worth, once and for all...

Sharp, the second of the Mindspace Investigations novels by Alex Hughes. The protagonist and premise are engaging, and with the addition of telepathic abilities and a clash with law enforcement, the story keeps up its fast past from beginning to end.

For those picking up the series for the first time, it won’t be too difficult to catch up. The premise is that after a war that killed much of humanity, a lot of technology has been banned. But, law enforcement still has to prevent crime, and that’s where telepaths come in.

Adam is a Level Eight telepath, which is fairly impressive. However, he’s not the most popular guy since he was kicked out of the Guild of Telepaths after they learned that he was not only an addict, but that he’d burned out three of his students. That means he essentially eliminated their telepathic potential. Now Adam works with the police, using his abilities to interrogate suspects in what’s called ‘Mindspace,’ think of it as the psychic plane. His partner on the force is Detective Cherabino, but they’re having problems too after the events of the first book. Adam set up a mental bond with Cherabino, without her permission, meaning they can hear each other’s thoughts. Cherabino is pretty upset about this, and when Sharp begins, it’s been less than a couple months since the events of the last book, and Adam is recovering from burning himself out. Recovery from burning out is possible, but it takes time, and he’s still not operating at full strength.

Suffice to say, Adam isn’t well-liked, but at the same time, he’s getting better at what he does, and the reader gets to see him improve and learn how to investigate crimes, figure out who’s guilty and innocent, and yet, his competence has made him somewhat notorious. The Guild isn’t happy that he’s working on his own, and the FBI is making noises about him working for them.

So the mystery he gets called in to help investigate is problematic in a couple ways: nothing about the crime sits right with him, and Adam thinks it was a professional that committed the murder. While he tries to solve the mystery, the Guild is evaluating him, and on top of that, there’s a smuggling operation and the possible use of illegal technology to handle.

Adam is definitely an underdog; he’s made mistakes, will make more, but he’s trying to do the right thing, and mostly not screw up and get people killed. Anybody who likes that sort of protagonist will find him likeable and enjoy a book that offers a different take on telepathy. .

(Received a copy from the publisher)

Rating:

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Previous Books:

1. Clean

Kirsten Weiss Guest Post

2013-06-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Female Fighters in Fiction

After reading author Steve Bein’s post on his writing experience with martial arts, I was inspired to write about the female martial artist’s point of view. The thing is, I love kick ass heroines. And for my Riga Hayworth series of paranormal mysteries, I wanted Riga to be able to defend herself. Realistically.

In addition to being a writer, I’m also a student of martial arts. My instructor tells me I’m one of the best in the class when it comes to technique. But during sparring, I routinely get beaten by fifteen year old boys.

I really hate sparring.

Here’s the thing: technique is awesome, and I’m glad I’ve got it. But men are stronger and faster, and that gives them a tactical advantage. So when I’m not “clean fighting” in a sparring match, I’m practicing how to fight dirty. Just like my heroine.

Her go-to kick is in the crotch. So as not to break her hand, she strikes with the palm heel, fingers curled into claws so she can break the bad guy’s nose and claw his face and/or gouge his eyes. She’s also a big fan of throwing elbows, and if she can disable someone with a strike to the neck (a potentially lethal blow), she’ll do it. Riga understands that if a man is attacking her, all bets are off, and she can assume his intentions are the worst.

Most men will fight to win. Women have to fight to survive.

It’s a very different mentality, and it’s tough to get your head around it. As women, we’re taught to play nice. Don’t hurt anyone. We don’t even want to hurt people’s feelings.

Riga’s got that survival mindset. But even so, she doesn’t win every fight. She’s no black belt and she makes mistakes. Fortunately, she’s a team player, and won’t go into a dangerous situation without backup. And when she can, she’ll avoid it completely.

Even so, Riga manages to get into plenty of trouble. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a story!

*****

Author Info:

Kirsten Weiss is the author of two paranormal mysteries available on the Kindle: the urban fantasy, The Metaphysical Detective, and The Alchemical Detective. She is hard at work on the sequel, The Shamanic Detective.

Kirsten worked overseas for nearly fourteen years, in the fringes of the former USSR and deep in the Afghan war zone. Her experiences abroad not only gave her glimpses into the darker side of human nature, but also sparked an interest in the effects of mysticism and mythology, and how both are woven into our daily lives.

Now based in San Mateo, CA, she writes paranormal mysteries, blending her experiences and imagination to create a vivid world of magic and mayhem.

Kirsten has never met a dessert she didn’t like, and her guilty pleasures are watching Ghost Whisperer reruns and drinking good wine.

Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/RigaHayworth, view her world boards on Pinterest http://pinterest.com/kirstenweiss/or check out her blog athttp://kirstenweiss.com

Find Kirsten online:

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Book Info:

When Riga Hayworth finds a dead body in her bedroom a week before her wedding, it’s par for the course. When the corpse drives off with her fiancée… That’s a problem.

Riga knows dead. More intimately than she’d like. So when a murdered photographer gets up and walks away, she’s believes there’s necromancy afoot. And when she discovers that several of her wedding guests are under the influence of dark magic, she’s certain. But how can she catch a killer and stop a necromancer when even her nearest and dearest are lying to her?

Murder. The undead. Irritating relatives. The Infernal Detective is a fast-paced, paranormal mystery, where nothing is quite as it seems, and magic lies just beyond the veil.

Waiting on Wednesday (150)

2013-06-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights an upcoming release we are greatly anticipating.

My pick this week:

A Cursed Embrace - Weird Girls #2
by Cecy Robson
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2013
Pre-Order:

Celia Wird and her three sisters are just like other twenty-something girls—with one tiny exception: They are the products of a curse that backfired and gave each of them unique powers that made them, well, a little weird…

After Celia Wird and her sisters help master vampire Misha save his family, their powers are exposed to the supernatural community of the Lake Tahoe region. But fame comes at a price, and being “weird” isn’t always welcome.
To make matters worse, Celia desires the love of Alpha werewolf Aric, but his pack is bent on destroying their relationship to preserve his pureblood status. And once weres start turning up dead—with evidence pointing to the vampires—she must face the prospect of losing Aric forever. But the chaos only masks a new threat. An evil known as the Tribe has risen—and their sights are set on Celia and her sisters.

New Look!!!

2013-06-04T23:49:00.000-04:00

As you can see, we've debuted a new, cleaner look. We've been around for over three years, so I felt it was time. Over the next week or so, this blog will be a mess as I work out all the kinks, but please bear with us and let us know in the comments what you think of the new design!!!!

Early Review: Tempest Revealed by Tracy Deebs

2013-06-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Tempest Revealed by Tracy Deebs

Tempest #3

Half-mermaid Tempest Maguire is trying to have it all: fulfilling her duties as second-in-line to the merQueen Hailana while periodically returning home to the California coastline to be with her family and longtime boyfriend, Mark. Living under the sea and rebuilding Coral Straits is grueling work, while being back home reminds her of everyone she loves and misses. But when her old flame Kona arrives bearing news that Hailana has died and Tempest is now officially merQueen, she returns permanently to Coral Straits--even though it devastates her family and rips her apart from Mark. Once there, she discovers that an old enemy has resurfaced, hell-bent on taking over her throne...with or without her. As Tempest prepares for her final showdown against Tiamat and anyone who stands with her, she must decide what--and who--is really important to her. Because there will be few survivors in the ultimate sea battle that is brewing--and Tempest isn't sure she will be one of them.

Tempest is trying to do the impossible, live part of time on land with her family and her boyfriend, Mark, and still live up to her duties as first in line for the MerQueen Throne. It's isn't easy, but she's managing, if only barely. But all that comes tumbling down when the Queen dies while Tempest is away and her people are left without a queen. She rushes back to Coral Straights leaving her family and Mark behind, for good this time. But what she finds there is not what she expected, and claiming her throne won't be as easy as she expected. And to make matters worse, Tiamat is back and causing more devastation than ever. Tempest knows the final showdown will be coming soon, and she's doing everything she can to prepare for it, but she knows that in order to triumph, she may just have to sacrifice herself in the end to protect everyone she loves.

Before I even started this book, I was so over the love triangle, so I was really hoping all of the angst wouldn't play a part since Tempest seemed to have finally made her choice for good this time. But I should have known better. I mean love triangles grate on my nerves more often than not, but when you add in the fact that Tempest kept changing her mind back and forth so much that I got whiplash, it just turned me off. But I've always had a fascination with mermaids ever since watching The Little Mermaid for the first time as a child, and there was enough action in these books to outweigh the love triangle mess. That being said, when Tempest decided to leave one of the guys yet again in this book, I was incredibly close to chucking my kindle. Sure I got her reasons this time around, but by that point I'd just had enough. Because of all this change and wishy-washness, I wasn't ever able to connect to either romance, which kept me from becoming as immersed into the story as I would have liked.

There was an incredible amount of intense action and high stakes in the previous two books, that I could not wait to get my hands on this book. However, after finishing TEMPEST REVEALED, I have to admit feeling a bit let down. I guess I was just expecting more after that incredible build up. Even throughout this book, there were several harsh blows that left me reeling, and yet when it came to the final showdown, I feel it was too easy. Sure Tempest acted like her use of that power came at a great cost, but honestly I didn't see it. So, in the end, I just can't believe Tempest didn't just do what she did much sooner, even if it was a horrible thing to do, countless lives would have been saved. I just think it took too much to push her over the edge, and that it should have been harder in the end to triumph.

It seems to be a pattern of late that series ending books just disappoint me. I'm not sure if my expectations are set too high, or that I just have an inability to let favored characters go, but I have to say that it is getting rather frustrating. I guess I just want more from these ending books than I've been getting and unfortunately this one was no exception to that. That being said, putting my high exceptions for the final battle aside, the way things played out left me with a smile on my face, and I felt it all ended exactly as it should have and made the book an overall decent read in the end.

(Received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley)

Rating:

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Other Reviews:
a GREAT read
Singing and Reading in the Rain
Reading Until Dawn

Previous Books:
1. Tempest Rising
2. Tempest Unleashed

Book Birthdays: New Titles This Week (39)

2013-06-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Releasing 6/3 - 6/9

Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur
Dark Angel #5

Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones is beginning to believe that the only way to find the keys she’s been searching for and save her friends is by dying. And when Wolfgang Schmidt, the lover of her boss at the vampire council, is found dead, her worst fears are confirmed. With the first portal of hell permanently open, the energies of the dark path are leaching into the world.

Searching for Schmidt’s killer and the keys at the same time, Risa and reaper Azriel track a shape-shifting spider spirit capable of changing her form into a seductive woman. But when they finally find the second key, the Aedh Lucian snatches it and disappears.

Risa is intent on finding Lucian and fighting him to the death—for in her mind, she knows that neither can remain while the other lives....

Amazon The Book Depository

Elegy by Tara Hudson
Hereafter #3

Tara Hudson brings the dark, romantic Hereafter trilogy to a thrilling conclusion with her YA novel Elegy.

The passionate love between ghost girl Amelia and human boy Joshua was powerful enough to break the barrier between life and death. Now the star-crossed lovers believe they can finally be together.

But demonic forces threaten to tear them apart. The evil beings tell Amelia she must turn herself over to darkness or they will kill a human every week.

Forces of light offer Amelia a solution. She can join them in gathering souls. If she does, however, she will never see Joshua again.

Amelia refuses to be separated from Joshua. She will fight the forces of darkness and light if that’s what it takes to keep him.

Amazon The Book Depository

Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead
Age of X #1

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

Amazon The Book Depository

The Keep by Veronica Wolff
The Watchers #4

JUST BECAUSE YOU WORK FOR THE DEAD DOESN’T MEAN YOU WANT TO JOIN THEM.

Drew has just started her second year on the Isle of Night, and the weather isn’t the only thing changing drastically. She has ascended to the rank of Initiate. She’s also found an intimate love in the handsome vampire Carden. But most important, she no longer dreams of escape. She dreams of vengeance.

Her friend Emma was brutally wounded by the savage vampire Alcántara and may have been taken to the dreaded castle, from which none of the living returns. With so many different stories from so many people with so many of their own deceits and machinations, Drew can’t be sure of anything—except that she must find a way into the castle to discover the truth and take down Alcántara once and for all.

But Drew isn’t the only one out for revenge. Someone very dangerous on the island is also out for blood….

Hers…

Amazon The Book Depository

Phoenix by Elizabeth Richards
Black City #2

Weeks after his crucifixion and rebirth as Phoenix, Ash Fisher believes his troubles are far behind him. He and Natalie are engaged and life seems good. But his happiness is short-lived when he receives a threatening visit from Purian Rose, who gives Ash an ultimatum: vote in favor of Rose’s Law permanently relegating Darklings to the wrong side of the wall or Natalie will be killed.

The decision seems obvious to Ash; he must save Natalie. But when Ash learns about The Tenth, a new and deadly concentration camp where the Darklings would be sent, the choice doesn’t seem so simple. Unable to ignore his conscience, Ash votes against Rose’s Law, signing Natalie’s death warrant and putting a troubled nation back into the throes of bloody battle.

Amazon The Book Depository

Shapeshifted by Cassie Alexander
Edie Spence #3

Nurse Edie Spence is once again called upon to save a life…and this time, it’s personal. Can her new community of zombies, vampires, and shapeshifters come to her rescue when she needs them most?

When Edie was fired from her paranormal nursing job at County Hospital, her whole world came crashing down. Now she’s is once again shaken to her core. Her mother is deathly ill and there’s only one thing that will save her: vampire blood. But with the paranormal community shunning Edie, where can she obtain it…without losing her own life in the process?

SHAPESHIFTED

Edie hopes to procure it at her new job at the clinic across town, where the forces of evil loom large. Vampire gang wars are rampant. Old underground enemies are rising to the surface. And Edie’s zombie ex-boyfriend has arrived at the scene—but is he the same man he used to be? And what should she make of the enigmatic doctor with whom she shares an unexpected connection? She’ll have to figure it out soon, because all hell is about to break loose—literally—and time is running out…

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Tempest Revealed by Tracey Deebs
Tempest #3

Half-mermaid Tempest Maguire is trying to have it all: fulfilling her duties as second-in-line to the merQueen Hailana while periodically returning home to the California coastline to be with her family and longtime boyfriend, Mark. Living under the sea and rebuilding Coral Straits is grueling work, while being back home reminds her of everyone she loves and misses. But when her old flame Kona arrives bearing news that Hailana has died and Tempest is now officially merQueen, she returns permanently to Coral Straits--even though it devastates her family and rips her apart from Mark. Once there, she discovers that an old enemy has resurfaced, hell-bent on taking over her throne...with or without her. As Tempest prepares for her final showdown against Tiamat and anyone who stands with her, she must decide what--and who--is really important to her. Because there will be few survivors in the ultimate sea battle that is brewing--and Tempest isn't sure she will be one of them.

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The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
The Testing #1

It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await.

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Hellhound Tour

2013-06-03T12:00:00.000-04:00

Please join me in welcoming Kaylie Austen for her Hellhound Blog Tour. She's talking about her top 10 favorite authors today. Make sure you don't miss the giveaway at the end of the post!

My favorite authors:

1) William Shakespeare by far. I fell in love with his plays in high school.

2) Jane Austen, a classic who inspired me to read and write.

3) Gwen Hayes, who changes her voice with every book.

4) Shelle Sumners, a new and upcoming author on the side of women’s fiction.

5) Ann Aguirre, who writes YA post-apocalyptic and adult science fiction.

6) Indu Sundaresan, who writes historical fiction based in India.

7) Marissa Meyer, who has this incredible way of combining multiple storylines and a horde of characters into a flawless, easy-to-follow read.

8) Anna Banks, because she has a quirky voice and makes me laugh out loud.

9) Sherrilyn Kenyon, for her entertaining twists on mythology and zombies.

10) Charlaine Harris, because of her lovable, flawed, and sexy characters.

Author Info:

I was born during a monsoon in an Indian village that lacked both a doctor and a hospital, but had many nesting cobras nearby. That’s the most fascinating thing about me. Other than that, I’m a true Texan raised in Austin, and yes, I bleed orange (Longhorns!). Currently, I reside in the Pacific Northwest where my muse takes my imagination through many tales of adventure, romance, and plain awesomeness. My novels include YA fantasy, YA sci-fi, and paranormal romance/mystery. Please check out the tabs above to get a better description of upcoming novels and release dates.

I’ve been writing since the age of ten, and completed two novels before high school graduation. My work appeared in school and state competitions, and my poetry was used for future finals in my college freshman English class. I love to learn, my life is rich with culture, and I’m an undercover nerd. My celebrity crushes include Stephen Hawking and Patrick Stewart, Nathan Fillion is close behind. My ultimate goal in life is to dominate Comic-Con and bring plaid back. My improbable desire is to be an X-Men. And, I can be bought with food, so don't hesitate to try.

Find Kaylie online:

Website Blog Twitter Facebook

Book Info:

Selene is the Hellhound, a powerful and ruthless descendent of the Greek gods. She is bound by tradition and tied by bloodlines to lead her people against the mortals. Although she is arranged to marry Nathanial, she falls for Demetrius, the self-professed Black Angel, and things take a bitter twist. When she stumbles across the corpses of her father and Nathanial, all eyes move in on Demetrius. Selene must take the assignment to hunt down her accused lover. Facing the untrustworthy cerebral chamber, powerful shape-shifting sentinels, superhuman archers, and a deceitful Council, the Hellhound must work quickly to uncover the truth before she is forced to annihilate her lover.

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Monday Wrapup (150)

2013-06-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Reviews for the past week:

Darkness Unmasked by Keri Arthur (Early Review)

"I haven't read a Keri Arthur book yet that I haven't loved, and DARKNESS UNMASKED is no exception. I finished this book only wanting more, and while I feel like a broken record when it comes to Keri's books, I am absolutely desperate to get my hands on the next installment!"

The Keep by Veronica Wolff (Early Review)

"THE KEEP was an entertaining read that I highly recommend to fans of the series."

Kirsten's Book of the Week:

The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee (Review)

"The secondary characters include a prince in jeopardy, which is a nice switch from the traditional ‘prince saves damsel’ trope, and the sisters are determined to get to the truth, even when things get increasingly dangerous for them."

Other Posts:

Book Birthdays featured 7 new releases for this week.

Damn Him to Hell by Jamie Quaid was featured for Waiting on Wednesday

Candace Havens & Tiffany Allee were this week's Covet Featured Authors

We received 15 books in the past month. Check out our Stacking the Shelves to see which ones.

Upcoming List:

Tempest Unleashed by Tracey Deebs (Early Review)
The Registry by Shannon Stoker (Early Review)

Kirsten Reviews: TBD

Stacking the Shelves (25)

2013-06-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Here's the books that we have received in the last month:

For Review:

Thank you Signet Select, Ace, Roc, Tor, & K-Teen!!

From Netgalley:

Thank you DAW, K-Teen, & St. Martin's!!

From Edelweis:

Thank you Pocket!!
Won:

Thank you Fiktshun & Amanda Carlson!!

Bought:

Early Review: The Keep by Veronica Wolff

2013-05-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

The Keep by Veronica Wolff

The Watchers #4

JUST BECAUSE YOU WORK FOR THE DEAD DOESN'T MEAN YOU WANT TO JOIN THEM.

Drew has just started her second year on the Isle of Night, and the weather isn't the only thing changing drastically. She has ascended to the rank of Initiate. She’s also found an intimate love in the handsome vampire, Carden. But most of all, she no longer dreams of escape. She dreams of vengeance.

Her friend, Emma, was brutally wounded by the savage vampire Alcántara, and may have been taken to the dreaded castle, from which none of the living return. But there are so many different stories from so many people with so many of their own deceits and machinations, Drew can’t be sure of anything—except that she must find a way into the castle to discover the truth and take down Alcántara once and for all.

But Drew isn’t the only one out for revenge. Someone very dangerous on the island is also out for blood…

Hers…

Drew may have survived her first year at Isle of Night, but she is far from safe. Despite her bond and relationship with Carden, a very old, very mysterious vampire, she still isn't satisfied with life on the island. She's determined to have vengeance for her lost friend Emma, who may or may not be alive. All she knows is that Emma was taken to the castle, the one place no human ever returns from. Between warding off attacks left and right and plotting a way to take down the vamps that control her, Drew may have just bitten off more than she can chew. If she isn't careful she'll the next one to never be heard from again.

I love Drew's character, but she also really frustrates me at the same time. She's so strong and despite being tested over and over again, somehow manages to hold onto her humanity, which I find to be incredibly impressive. Yet, she's also incredibly hard headed, especially when it comes to information that she wants. No matter how many others tell her to let something go, she ignores them and put herself and others at great risk in her quests to find the information. I understand not just swallowing what she's told, but a lot of her behavior just sparked me as selfish whenever she would put others, particularly Ronan, in extreme danger due to her stunts. It's one thing to continually risk her own life, but it really bothered me that she kept doing it even though she knew the dangerous position she was putting others in. Honestly, I think if she spent a little more time planning out things, she'd still be able to get her answers, but with much less risk. She truly could be a force to be reckoned with if she just used that brain of hers a little more rather than just reacting.

I absolutely adore the bond between Carden and Drew. It's so sweet and innocent, yet incredibly dangerous at the same time. I really enjoy seeing how it makes the normally tough as nails Drew lose some of her confidence and act like a normal inexperienced girl. Carden, despite being a vampire in a world where it seems like being a vampire means pure evil, seems to genuinely care for Drew above and beyond just what the bond makes him feel. I really loved how he was always so fiercely protective of her and always knew what to do or say to brighten her day. Of course it isn't all roses between them as if their bond were to be discovered, it could be deadly for one or both of them. And of course Carden was rather frustrating at times in his need to protect Drew by shielding information from her. Which really wound up being pointless as she put herself in much more danger as she went out in search of those answers on her own. But it was still fun to see the dance between them as they test the limits of what their bond means for them, and I can only hope that somehow in the future they will find a way to escape together.

I've said this before in a previous review, but it bears repeating. As much as I enjoy this series, the lack of real momentum in the series. Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of action in each book to keep me more than entertained, but the overall series arc doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. As in I don't feel any closer to getting answers for all the burning questions that I have than when I started the book. It just seems that with every small bit of information revealed, five more unanswered things replace it. That being said, there was a pretty huge shakeup at the end of THE KEEP that I think could really help push the momentum forward in this series, and if I'm right will push this series from good to fantastic in my book. But as far as this book goes, THE KEEP was an entertaining read that I highly recommend to fans of the series.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Kirsten Reviews: The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee

2013-05-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee

The Mist-Torn Witches #1

National bestselling author Barb Hendee presents a dark, fascinating new series set in the world of the Noble Dead Saga... the story of two sisters who will discover they have far more power than they ever envisioned...

In a small village in the nation of Droevinka, orphaned sisters Céline and Amelie Fawe scrape out a living selling herbal medicines in their apothecary shop. Céline earns additional money by posing as a seer and pretending to read people’s futures.

But they exist in a land of great noble houses, all vying for power, and when the sisters refuse the orders of a warlord prince, they must flee and are forced to depend on the warlord prince’s brother, Anton, for a temporary haven.

A series of bizarre deaths of pretty young girls are plaguing the village surrounding Prince Anton’s castle. He offers Céline and Amelie permanent protection if they can use their "skills" to find the killer.

With little choice, the sisters enter a world unknown to them — of fine gowns and banquets and advances from powerful men. Their survival depends on catching a murderer who appears to walk through walls and vanish without a trace — and the danger around them seems to grow with each passing night.

The Mist-Torn Witches by Barb Hendee is a well-constructed fantasy with two likeable, and interesting main characters. The story relies firstly on the world-building that Hendee has done, and more heavily on the sisters, Amelie, and Celine, whose story is followed from a very young age when they lose their mother and have to figure out how to survive on their own.

One of the sisters, Celine is pretending to take after her mother in being a Seer and apothecary. But, while Celine is only acting as if she has the gift at first, it appears that some things come to those who act like they already have them. Suffice to say, Celine is soon coping with the Sight and running her mother’s apothecary shop with the help of Amelie. Having learned to protect themselves while literally trying to survive, they depend heavily on one another, and have to grow up fast. They aren’t all-powerful, and don’t think that’s in their future, but what they lack in power, they make up for in grit, and their love for one another.

Celine is coping with her gift as well as trying to take care of her sister, making mistakes and trying to do better the next time. Amelie is, in contrast to her sister, much more of a tomboy, interested in legends, magic, and the history of their family, which figures heavily into the plot. She’s something of a card shark, and doesn’t care for getting dressed up in nice clothes when she can do something more rough and tumble instead.

The secondary characters include a prince in jeopardy, which is a nice switch from the traditional ‘prince saves damsel’ trope, and the sisters are determined to get to the truth, even when things get increasingly dangerous for them. While there is no outright romance in this book, the author has laid what is likely the groundwork for that in future books, and hopefully it won’t take away from the focus on Celine and Amelie. This is one book where two sisters are not only united, but help others, and combined with a vivid world, and a prince who needs to be rescued, it makes for a fun read.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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