Tynga's Reviews

Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:28:00 PDT

Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban fantasy
Mass market paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Release date: February 1, 2012

Series: Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #1

Source: Review copy from author

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights. . .
Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl "hires" him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him—and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he's got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There's also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon's greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him. . .

James R. Tuck blew my mind with THAT THING AT THE ZOO, his introduction to Deacon so my expectations were high for BLOOD AND BULLETS, his first full-length novel. I think novellas are harder to craft than novels because of the length restrictions and I was quite excited to see what the author would give us with more pages at his disposal. Unfortunately, my reaction is mixed.

Don’t get me wrong, there are good qualities a-plenty in BLOOD AND BULLETS and, as a whole, I liked the novel. There were just a few things I didn’t love, and they ended up distracting me from the story, which is never good. My biggest issue was how repetitive certain things were. We get told over and over again that Deacon lost his family to vampires and he misses them terribly. The first couple times, it was poignant and I empathized but I eventually started going, “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” as the novel progressed because I’d been told about his tragedy so many times. It was the same sort of thing about Deacon’s physical appearance. I don’t need to be told every seven chapters that there are women out there who love big, burly, bald men covered in tattoos and leather. It came up organically most of the time but it did detract a little from the story for me in the latter half of the novel. Let me be clear: these are minor notes about a strong novel but they're definitely things that pulled me out of the story every once in a while.

Now that I’ve gotten my mini-rant over with, I can focus on the positive parts of BLOOD AND BULLETS. First and foremost, Deacon is a cool character. He started hunting monsters after they killed his family and, along the way, he was gifted with powers, making him more than human and better able to fight the baddies. I love that he’s atypical in the sense that he’s big and tough and drives a muscle car -- he’s the kind of protagonist we don’t see much of in urban fantasy right now. And James R. Tuck has done a great job of giving him a voice that’s his own, which I enjoyed despite my quibbles about repetition. Plus, Deacon is surrounded by interesting people. I love that he uses his club to fund his war and that his dancers and staff are all folks who have been touched in some way by the darkness. His two main allies are Kat and Father Mulcahy, two people who couldn’t be more different but who give him the support he needs to get his job done. They both have pasts but it’s Father Mulcahy who I’m most intrigued by. A priest who used to do exorcisms and is happy to fire rifles at vampires? Part of me wishes he’d get his own series. I feel like he has lots of stories to tell. There's also a nifty shout-out to a few urban fantasy series with characters with similar careers, like Anita Blake, Cat and Bones, Blade, Sam and Dean from Supernatural, and Buffy. (There was one reference -- to a Blue Woman -- that I couldn't place. Anyone know what series he's talking about?)

All in all, BLOOD AND BULLETS is a promising debut. James R. Tuck has built a strong foundation for future work and I look forward to seeing what happens to Deacon and his friends next in BLOOD AND SILVER.

Read an excerpt

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

noreply@blogger.com (Stéphanie) — Sun, 27 May 2012 06:06:19 PDT

The First Days by Rhiannon Frater

Book stats:

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Horror
Trade paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (Tor)
Release date: August 14, 2008

Series: As The World Dies #1

Source: Personal shelf

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

The morning that the world ends, Katie is getting ready for court and housewife Jenni is taking care of her family. Less than two hours later, they are fleeing for their lives from a zombie horde.
Thrown together by circumstance, Jenni and Katie become a powerful zombie-killing partnership, mowing down zombies as they rescue Jenni’s stepson, Jason, from an infected campground.
They find sanctuary in a tiny, roughly fortified Texas town. There Jenni and Katie find they are both attracted to Travis, leader of the survivors; and the refugees must slaughter people they know, who have returned in zombie form.
Fast-paced and exciting, filled with characters who grab your heart, The First Days: As the World Dies is the beginning of a frightening trilogy.

I was urged to read this book by a couple of book bloggers (Ashley, a.k.a. The Zombie Queen from The Bookish Brunette and Giselle from XpressoReads) when I showed some interest in zombie books. My only regret is not reading THE FIRST DAYS sooner! After only a few pages, I was hooked! The first scene really captured my attention since it’s so realistic, even for a zombie scene. It’s where we meet one of the main characters, Jenni (with an “i”), as she’s facing zombies for the first time. Her zombie husband and two boys are trying to get out of the house to eat her, while she’s on the porch, looking at the monsters her family has become. That scene is truly touching and engaging. I applaud Rhiannon Frater for creating such a visual and credible scene.

As Jenni and the other main character, Katie, flee the city, that’s when we realize how bad their situation is. We join them on their journey to survival as they search for a safe place to stay. This book is genuinely about what happens during the first days of the mass infection and invasion of the zombies. Thankfully, as Katie points out, no one gest holed up in a shopping mall. Instead, Jenni and Katie find a group of ingenious people that have built a fort in the middle of a small Texas town. Once in the fort, the two women are able to slow down a little and ponder their situation. Katie really starts to grieve her dead zombie spouse. Jenni, however, goes a little loca as she tries to get her revenge by going on a zombie killing spree.

One of the geniuses that built the fort is Travis, who plays the role of main “hero” that every zombie story needs (and who is probably the only Texan in the book that’s a little gun shy!). He is loved by everyone, including Jenni and Katie. Personally, I love how they both want his attention, but not really for the same reason. Or so we think at first. You have to love the good old love triangle and the jealousy that ensues. However, this isn’t your average kind of love triangle…

I could go on and on about the great characters of this story but I’ll stop at these three. The banter and the dialogue between the character is what really made this book enjoyable. I probably enjoyed the characters and their relationships more than the story itself, if that makes sense. The only little problem I had with the novel was the pacing. Everything seemed to happen slow at first, especially when they were just driving around, and then so much happened in the the last few pages. The ending was a great way to hook the readers and have them anticipate the sequel, but to me, it felt just a bit too rushed. Mind you, I bought the sequel right after finishing this book, so I guess Rhiannon knows how to do her job!

Even if you don’t like zombie books, I think anyone could enjoy the main storyline, which is trying to survive in a broken world. The way the author depicted the survival of the characters was very convincing. I could feel their anguish about losing everyone they loved and their pain when they had to let go of their old lives. However, if you really can’t stand gore and killing, you might want to skip this one. For those of you who LOVE zombie books, this is for you! You have to go and read it right now!

If you want to know more about the book, I urge you to read the awesome scene that started it all!

Stacking The Shelves [5]

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Sat, 26 May 2012 04:20:00 PDT

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Guidelines resume:

Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.

Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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Sadly I didn’t receive any books this week, but here’s what Stéphanie added to her shelves!

For Review

Breaking the Devil's Heart by H.A. Goodman [Amazon | Book Depository]
The Guardian's Wildchild by Feather Stone [Amazon]

Won

Radiate by Marley Gibson [Amazon | Book Depository]
A Perfect Storm by Lori Foster [Amazon | Book Depository]
Accidentally in Love with...A God? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff [Amazon]
Accidentally in Love with...A Vampire? by Mimi Jean Pamfiloff [Amazon]

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What did YOU add to your shelves?

Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:17:00 PDT

Kissing Sin by Keri Arthur

Book Stats:
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Dell
Release Date: January 30, 2007

Series: Riley Jenson #2

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

From Melbourne’s gleaming skyscrapers to its throbbing nightclubs, Riley Jenson’s world is raging with danger and desire. A drop-dead-gorgeous werewolf–with a touch of vamp coursing in her blood–Riley works for an organization created to police the supernatural races. But when she wakes up naked and bruised in a barren alley, she knows only that she must run for her life.

Within moments Riley collides with the sexiest man she’s ever seen: steely, seductive Kade, who is fighting a life-and-death battle of his own. With old lovers and enemies gathering around her, Riley knows she is being pursued by a new kind of criminal. Because in Riley’s blood is a secret that could create the ultimate warrior–if only she can survive her own dangerous desires….

Riley Jenson, half-Vampire, half-Werewolf, has been deceived by her lover. In hopes of impregnating her and creating perfect half-breed offspring, he sneakily fed her drugs and ended up kidnapping her. Talk about destructive relationship. She managed, with the help of her friends, to escape this mad man, but she’s not out of trouble just yet. Words that she has special genetic has spread among an undercover genetic organization and many would love to get their hands on her. Will she be able to avoid being turned into a lab rat?

Kissing Sin starts pretty hardcore. At the end of the first book, Riley had a car accident and was kidnapped. The second book starts eight days later, when Riley wakes up in a research facility, with no memory of how she got there and what happened to her. She manages to escape though, with a new friend, a Stallion shifter and the action never really stopped until the end. It’s one of the main things I liked about this book: the pretty much none-stop action. Of course at some point you wonder how the bad guys always manages to have the upper hand, but everything is explained at the right time!

On the flip side, the overwhelming dose of free sex bothered me. I totally understand that in the world Keri Arthur created, werewolves are free when it comes to intimacy and often have multiple partners at same time. To them, sex is just sex, without any emotional connections. And even though I do get it, I don’t think it was that necessary to have so many sex scenes within the novel. The Riley Jenson series is more a hybrid of Urban Fantasy (because of the action) and Erotica than Paranormal Romance, because even though there is love potential with a certain vampire, the possibility is choked under the abundance of carnal pleasures Riley insist to have with other partners.

Riley is a good character, even though she is really stubborn and annoying at times, she is determined to get control of her life and is willing to make sacrifices. I don’t agree with many of her decisions, but it does make an interesting read! I love her twin brother to pieces and I would definitely go for Quinn (aforementioned Vampire) if I were Riley, but obviously I’ll have to agree to disagree with her choices. Misha was probably the most interesting character of the book. He is somewhat a bad guy, he is very mysterious but Arthur gifted him with a multi-layered personality and the more we discover, the more interesting his motivations become.

Overall I did enjoy the book and I plan to keep on reading the series even though the Erotic aspect is somewhat disturbing. The things I like in this series overweight the negative sides. I would recommend this series only if your not bothered by abundant carnal pleasures, the action and the characters will engross you, but it’s clear the series isn’t for everyone.

Read an excerpt

Daring You To Read… Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:09:00 PDT

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

You’ve already read the book? Let’s us know what you thought!
You are accepting the dare? We’d love to know!
Have a dare of your own? Leave a comment ^^

My choice for today’s reading challenge is Touched by an Alien by Gini Koch.

Now I usually don’t read science-fiction, but after I read a lot of raving reviews, I eventually caved and didn’t regret it. Katherine “Kitty” Katt is one of the most hilarious, resourceful heroines I have ever met. I mean, every girl can fight with a sword, but kill an alien using a Mont Blanc pen? That takes guts and brains!

Accidentally killing an alien is not the strangest thing that happens to Katherine “Kitty” Katt – that would be finding out that there is life in outer space and her whole family seems to know about it!

Another huge advantage: all of the male aliens in this book look like male models and the always wear Armani. Is there anything else you can wish for? Why? yes of course. An action packed story with explosions, crazy alien technologies, a powerful adversary that needs to be defeated, witty dialogue and a rocking soundtrack for each book? This series has it all and more. The love story between Kitty and Jeff Martini is sweet, scorching hot, honest and heartfelt. The supporting cast is almost deserving of their own spin-off and each story is unique and the world expands a bit more with each following book.

How can a sexy marketing manager join forces with an Alpha Centauri male in Armani to save the planet-using hairspray, a Mont Blanc pen, and rock n' roll?
Easy...
She's Touched by an Alien

Marketing manager Katherine "Kitty" Katt steps into the middle of what appears to be a domestic dispute turned ugly. And it only gets uglier when the man turns into a winged monster, straight out of a grade-Z horror movie, and goes on a killing spree. Though Kitty should probably run away, she springs into action to take the monster down.

In the middle of the chaos a handsome hunk named Jeff Martini appears, sent by the "agency" to perform crowd control. He's Kitty's kind of guy, no matter what planet he's from. And from now on, for Kitty, things are going to be sexy, dangerous, wild, and out of this world.

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

All in there there are five books out in this series, as you can see in the picture below:

A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:29:00 PDT

A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer

Book stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Horror
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon
Release date: May 29th 2012

Series: Vamp City #1

Source: Edelweiss

Reviewed by: Christine

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Vampires live only for lust and pleasure in the eternal twilight of Vamp City. But the city’s magic is dying. The only person who can restore it? A beautiful woman from the mortal world...one who knows nothing of the power she wields.

Quinn Lennox is searching for a missing friend when she stumbles into a dark otherworld that only she can see—and finds herself at the mercy of Arturo Mazza, a dangerously handsome vampire whose wicked kiss will save her, enslave her, bewitch her, and betray her.

What Arturo can’t do is forget about her—any more than Quinn can control her own feelings for him. Neither one can let desire get in the way of their mission—his to save his people, hers to save herself.

But there is no escape from desire in a city built for seduction, where passion flows hot and blood-red. Welcome to Vamp City.

Pamela Palmer's latest book, A Blood Seduction starts rather harmlessly: Quinn, a researcher is different than your average human, weird, as she characterizes herself. Her clothes change colors spontaneously and she has flashes of visions of another place overlapping with the real world, nothing too dangerous. Then, people start going missing, including Lily, Quinn's brother’s best friend. When Quinn and Zack start searching for her, they cross over into a different dimension: a dark, violent version of Washington, called V. C. or Vampire City. For this version of the Capital is ruled by vampires who have only two use for humans: as food and as entertainment.

Humans are on the very bottom of the food chain in V.C. It's an incredibly dark, violent and brutal world Pamela Palmer has created. Vampires are depicted as sadistic creatures that thrive on human pain, fear and blood. Don't expect to encounter a vamp you can swoon over in this book. Some of the scenes happening in this book are so violent and appalling that I was about to stop reading several times. It is tagged as urban fantasy, but it felt more like horror, not a book for the faint of heart. Personally, I could have done with a less vivid description of all the violence, torture and even rapes. The fact that the minds of their victims are mostly erased afterwards didn't make said scenes easier to stomach. Yet somehow, I found myself reading fervently.

Pamela Palmer knows how to make a reader sympathize with a character. Quinn is a woman driven by the love for her brother Zack. Her bravery and resolve are admirable and make her a truly great character. Those traits were also one of the reasons I finished the book, as I desperately wanted for her to escape this horrible place with her brother. I’m also very curious to see how her “powers” will unfold in future books. The story arc about Quinn’s magic missed out a little bit. I would have liked to see her develop her magical talents a bit more, but I guess we will read more about that in the next books.

Arturo, her master, savior and seducer is one of the reasons Quinn can't escape. He is also one of the "good" vampires, though to call him that might be exaggerated. I had difficulties feeling the attraction Quinn felt for him. How she could have be attracted to someone who almost raped her the first time he met her is beyond me. Even worse is the fact that she feels she can’t trust him. Trust is one of the most important things in a relationship, so his betrayal made it that much harder for me to like him. Still, I kind of wished he would get his act together and choose Quinn over his master, that's another reason why I read the entire book.

Beside Arturo, there were several other, interesting characters including Bram and Cassius, two of Arturo's vampire friends, who also have more moral than the rest of the vampires and seem to have an interesting story. And then there's Grant, a sorcerer and slave, who forms a tentative bond of friendship with Quinn. Throughout the story, I couldn't shake the feeling that there is more to his magic than meets the eye.

Right from the start, there is a lot going on. This book is full of tension and action and if you can make it past all the violent scenes, you'll get sucked into a story that hardly allows you to catch your breath. The end packs another punch: it makes you question the relationship between Quinn and Arturo and makes you want to know how things will unfold.

Personally, I would have enjoyed A Blood Seduction much more if some of the scenes were less violent or only hinted at and left more things to the imagination. Tell me, how much violence can you stomach in a book and where do you draw the line? Is too much graphic violence a reason for you to DNF a book? Go ahead, share your thoughts!

Want to get a taste of Vampire City yourself? Here’s an excerpt for you!

"When I'm not writing" with Jennifer Estep + giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:40:00 PDT

I'm so very excited about today's guest! Jennifer Estep is one of my favourite authors and an exceptionally talented writer. She currently has two amazing series: the Elemental Assassin series featuring the butt-kicking Gin Blanco and the young adult Mythos Academy books, the series that brings her to the blog today. The Mythos Academy series focuses on Gwen Frost, a 17-year-old Gypsy girl who has the gift of psychometry (the ability to know an object’s history by touching it). Gwen ends up at Mythos Academy, a school for the descendants of ancient warriors like Spartans, Valkyries, Amazons, and more. Jennifer's currently on (blog) tour promoting her third Mythos Academy novel, DARK FROST, which comes out on June 1.

Find out what Jennifer does when she's not hard at work on her brilliant books and remember to stick around for the giveaway!

Greetings! First of all, I want to say thanks to Tynga for hosting me on the blog again. Thanks so much, Tynga!

So today, Tynga asked me to do a post about what I do when I’m not writing. Not writing? What’s that like? LOL.

Seriously, though, since I write two series, it seems like I’m almost always writing or working on revisions, copy edits, or page proofs for one of my books. Not to mention all the other things that authors do like answering e-mails, social media, and getting the word out about their books.

But I also think it’s important to make time for yourself. So whenever I finish a big project, I try to reward myself with a book I’ve been wanting to read, a TV series on DVD that I’ve been wanting to try, or something like that. Even if it’s something small, like a new lip gloss or ordering dessert, it makes me feel like I’ve accomplished a little something and motivates me to move on to the next project.

I’m pretty boring when it comes to what I like to do in my spare time. I like to read, watch TV, go catch a movie, and just spend some time with my family and significant other. Of course, those last one often ends with us watching TV or catching a movie. LOL.

I also enjoy hanging out with my friends. Every few months, a group of us make time to get together and have a cookout, which we have jokingly dubbed Meatfest since it always seems like there are a lot of meat dishes on the menu. Everybody makes a dish or two (or two or three), then we meet at someone’s house to eat and just hang out for a few hours.

It’s a great way to catch up with what’s going on in everyone’s life. Sometimes, we’ll play card games or Trivial Pursuit or something like that. During football season, we’ll eat while we watch a game or two and root for our favorite teams. Good food, good company, good times. It’s a winning combination for me.

What about you guys? What do you like to do in your spare time?

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Thank you so much for visiting us, Jennifer!

For more information about Jennifer and her books, check out her website or goodreads page, or follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on DARK FROST:

I've seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I'm supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I'm just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.
Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I'm also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me? It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can't use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me—and I'm in for the fight of my life.
My thoughts
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Click on the cover to read my thoughts on the first two books in the series:

You can also check out the e-prequel, FIRST FROST:

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Jennifer is generously offering one (1) copy of DARK FROST to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

US only

Ends Monday, June 4, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Do you guys have suggestions for who you’d like to see featured on the blog? If so, you can make your suggestions on this page. No guarantees that your favorite authors will be able to participate but we’ll try!

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Welcome to the First Annual Chicagoland Vampires Spring Fling!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:34:00 PDT

I am super stoked about today's post because we're participating in the First Annual Chicagoland Vampires Spring Fling! I've been in love with Merit and the world of the Chicagoland Vampires since I picked up SOME GIRLS BITE and the series has gotten bigger and better with each installment. The sixth book in the series, BITING COLD, comes out in fewer than 80 days and Chloe Neill has set up this lovely one-week tour as part of the celebration! (Plus, May is Chloe's favourite month.)

About the Chicagoland Vampires Novels: Turned into a vampire against her will, twenty-eight-year-old Merit, the heroine of Chloe Neill’s New York Times bestselling series, found her way into the dark circle of Chicago’s vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye—and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined. The sixth book in the series, BITING COLD, will be released on August 7, 2012.
Why I Love these Books: Merit's an amazing protagonist who jumps off the page and she's surrounded by a cast of equally compelling characters. (I adore all of the Cagodan vampires we spend time with but I have particularly soft spots for Lindsay and Malik.) Plus, the overall story arc of the series gets bigger with each book and watching Merit and the other Cadogan vampires rise to the occasion makes for an absorbing and fast-paced read. There's also a lot of humour in the books, even with all the heavy moments, and I love a book that brings the funny. And, of course, there's Jonah. Love him. I'm sure most people are on Team Ethan but I think Jonah's the bee's knees. My favourite book so far: HARD BITTEN. Here's why.
Did you Know?: Merit, the heroine of the Chicagoland Vampires novels, is obsessed with chocolate? She kept an entire kitchen drawer stuffed with chocolate delights, including chocolate-covered pecans and giant, gold-wrapped bars of Lindt chocolate that remind her of the chocolate bars in Charlie & The Chocolate Factory?

The Spring Fling is your chance to get familiar with the Chicagoland Vampires novels and get excited for BITING COLD so I hope you'll visit each and every blog on the tour. There are fun facts and amazing giveaways on each blog and I'd strongly encourage to visit each one.

May 21
Mystifying Paranormal Reviews
Tynga's Reviews

May 22
A Book Obsession
Goldilox & the Three Weres

May 23
Literary Escapism
Under The Covers

May 24
Nina Reads
Wholly Books

May 25
Looksie Lovitz
Starry Night Book Reviews

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So what's up for grabs here at Tynga's Reviews?

An amazing prize pack for one lucky reader (I wish I could enter this giveaway!):

* one (1) signed copy of SOME GIRLS BITE (to get you hooked) *

* one (1) signed copy of CHARMFALL (the third Dark Elite novel) *

* DRINK DEEP/CHARMFALL bookmarks *

and

* various CV swag, including "I survived Hard Bitten" buttons, quote postcards, CV stickers, and signed Cadogan House bookplates *

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Here's the scoop on SOME GIRLS BITE:

They killed me. They healed me. They changed me.
Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was mine. I was doing fine until Chicago’s vampires announced their existence to the world-and then a rogue vampire attacked me. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker… and this one decided the best way to save my life was to make me the walking undead.
Turns out my savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now I’ve traded sweating over my thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four hundred year old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects my gratitude-and servitude. Right…
But my burgeoning powers (all of a sudden, I’m surprisingly handy with some serious weaponry), an inconvenient sunlight allergy, and Ethan’s attitude are the least of my concerns. Someone’s still out to get me. Is it the rogue vampire who bit me? A vamp from a rival House? An angry mob bearing torches?
My initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood…
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

And here's the rest of the series. You can click on HARD BITTEN and DRINK DEEP for my thoughts on these books.

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Chloe has generously provided the prize pack described above to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

US/Canada only

Ends Sunday, June 3, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:00:03 PDT

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Book Stats:
Reading level: Young adult
Genre: Urban fantasy
Trade paperback: 326 pages
Publisher: K Teen
Release date: June 1, 2012

Series: Mythos Academy #3

Source: Review copy from Kensington

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

I've seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I'm supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I'm just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me—again.
Everyone at Mythos Academy knows me as Gwen Frost, the Gypsy girl who uses her psychometry magic to find lost objects—and who just may be dating Logan Quinn, the hottest guy in school. But I'm also the girl the Reapers of Chaos want dead in the worst way. The Reapers are the baddest of the bad, the people who murdered my mom. So why do they have it in for me? It turns out my mom hid a powerful artifact called the Helheim Dagger before she died. Now, the Reapers will do anything to get it back. They think I know where the dagger is hidden, but this is one thing I can't use my magic to find. All I do know is that the Reapers are coming for me—and I'm in for the fight of my life.

You've probably realized by now that Jennifer Estep is an author I adore. Absolutely adore. Her writing is consistently engaging and excellent and I always have her books pre-ordered as soon as they show up online. Needless to say, I'm always excited when they show up on my doorstep and I end up reading them right away. It's not great for my school schedule but it makes me so happy. =)

In DARK FROST, Jennifer Estep delivers a fast-paced story centered around Gwen looking for the Helheim Dagger. It's a pivotal artifact in the good guys' battle against the Reapers and it's been missing since Gwen's mother was murdered. Gwen being Gwen, she's determined to find the dagger before everyone else and ends up looking for it by herself. (This is a sort of theme in the Mythos Academy novels. Gwen tends to try to go it alone, even though it usually leads to trouble. Thankfully, she's starting to learn her lesson on this front.) Jennifer Estep leaves some clues in DARK FROST that told me where the dagger was before Gwen found it but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of this plot line.

What I really liked about DARK FROST is that we get more bad guy time. The book opens in this really unexpected way and it really sets the tone for the novel. Plus, we finally get to meet Loki's champion and his/her identity is another mystery for Gwent to solve. (I don't want to give anything away so I'm not going to talk too much about this.) It's a real treat to see what's going on from the Reapers' perspective, though, and I think it adds a lot to the book and the series.

We also get to see some interesting developments for the secondary characters in the book, particularly Daphne. She comes into her powers in DARK FROST and spends a significant amount of time learning about them. Daphne's always been a really fun character, especially with regard to Carson, but now she's got a more serious storyline and I thoroughly enjoyed it. And she's not the only one who has some interesting developments: we get to learn more about Gwen's family and powers, too. It's juicy stuff, people!

On the romantic front, Gwen and Logan finally abandon the will-they-won't-they stage of their relationship. I'm not going to say which way it goes but I will say it's not a smooth ride. It's great fun for the readers but it's torturous for our heroine. Jennifer Estep's done a marvellous job with their relationship. Logan's such an alpha male but he's got secrets and we finally get let in on some of them in DARK FROST.

As you may have guessed from all of the above, DARK FROST is jam packed with goodness. There's something for everyone -- action, romance, Big Events, and more! If you haven't tried the Mythos Academy series, now's the time because it keeps getting better and better.

Read an excerpt

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

noreply@blogger.com (Stéphanie) — Sun, 20 May 2012 04:00:03 PDT

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Book Stats:

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Hardcover: 404 pages
Publisher: Harper Collins
Release date: May 8, 2012

Series: Hemlock #1

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

I loved, loved this cover when I first saw it. The colours are amazing and the title design is so captivating. And when I realized it was a book about werewolves, I knew I had to read it. I’ve been anticipating this book for a while now and as soon as I received it, I started reading it. And let me tell you, I was not disappointed with Kathleen Peacock’s debut novel.

The werewolf mythology is not new to the publishing world, but I admire the way Kathleen recreated the way we perceive werewolves. In her world, the Lupine Syndrome (LS) is what creates werewolves, after either being scratched or bitten by another werewolf. Nothing new there, but the mass panic and hysteria that ensues after everyone learns of the existence of LS is very original. It’s quite realistic the way the public in the book was quick to judge and more or less removed all human rights to those infected. Shipping them off to seclusion camps that apparently have horrible living conditions reminds me of the concentration camps of the second world war. Those with LS are always living with fear of being discovered, just like the Jews must have felt while they tried to live out their lives in hiding. Prejudice and animosity are very strong themes in this book and I applaud Kathleen for making it so realistic.

Mackenzie, or Mac, is the main character of HEMLOCK, and at the beginning of the novel, she was like any other teenager: scared about the werewolf murder spree that happened months ago and heartbroken about losing her best friend Amy to the killer. Even though Amy was murdered by a werewolf, she was not quick to judge and still believed not all werewolves were killers. She began to believed in equal rights, especially when she learnt that so many people surrounding her had been living with LS in secret. A strong female lead, Mac is not afraid to do what she believes is right, and fights for those she loves.

Branson Derby gave me the chills right from the start. His youth meetings and presence reminded me of cult leaders with their need to be followed and acknowledged. He controlled his followers by making them believe werewolves truly had no rights and that all of the infected were dangerous killers. He ruled his advocates through apprehension and brute strength and the fact that he was able to acquire the help of politicians and the local police made him a figure all werewolves feared. His goal to eradicate all werewolves made him a genocidal antagonist, and as a reader, it was very easy to both hate and fear him.

Kathleen Peacock created a wonderful alternate reality where everyone is aware of the werewolves and where Lupine Syndrome is feared as if it was a deadly disease. Not only is this book about prejudice and werewolves, it’s also about friendship, love, integrity and righteousness. Likable characters and delightful writing made this book a pleasant read. I trully believe this debut will be one of the YA novel to covet this spring/summer season. Young adults (especially members of Team Jacob) will love this book and will strongly anticipate the sequel. The ending promises another book full of intrigue and even more werewolves.

Meet the Hemlock Characters

The World of Hemlock

Stacking The Shelves [4]

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Sat, 19 May 2012 04:01:00 PDT

Guidelines resume:

Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.

Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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I didn’t have time to record a vlog this week (sowwwy!) but I did add two books to my shelves so I took a quick picture =)

First I got a surprise from Tor books,
Royal Street by Suzanne Johnson [Amazon | Book Depository]
& I won a copy of
Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong [Amazon | Book Depository]
over at Moonlight Gleam’s Bookshelves!

Also, many of you asked for Lily-Ann updates so I’ll post pictures of her every now and then ^^

Playing Hide-n-Seek	Sleeping in daddy’s arms
With Grand-daddy on Mother’s day

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Now here’s what Christine added to her shelves!

Bought:
Insurgent by Veronica Roth [Amazon | Book Depository]
Slated by Teri Terry [Amazon | Book Depository]
The Selection by Kiera Cass [Amazon | Book Depository]

Bought on Kindle:
ReVamped by Ada Adams [Amazon]
Exiled by RaShelle Workman [Amazon | Book Depository] Currently free on Kindle!

From Netgalley:
Redemption by Veronique Launier [Amazon | Book Depository]
Otherkin by Nina Berry [Amazon | Book Depository]
Gift by Andrea J. Buchanan [Amazon | Book Depository]

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What did YOU add to your shelves?

Covet by JR Ward

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:46:01 PDT

Covet by JR Ward

Book Stats:
Reading level: Ages 18 and up
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Signet
Release date: September 29, 2009

Series: Fallen Angels #1

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

Heaven and Hell have been battling in the shadows for control over humanity for centuries now, and God would like to get it over with. To accelerate this never-ending process, one soul was chosen to face seven souls standing at the crossroads. Should the Chosen influence the majority of souls he faces to take the right path, Heaven will win, if not… we will all be damned.

Let me start by saying the prologue of this book is hands down freaking amazing. The book is great of course, but it would be worth buying even if it were only for the epilogue. Really, it was that good!

Now about the book itself, The Fallen Angels series is set in the same world as the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, also in Caldwell, but the focus is completely different. There are no vampires nor lessers involved as far as we know from Covet, but there are small references. ZeroSum and Revhenge are mentioned, Phury is also seen at some point even though he doesn’t have any active role and the Iron Mask, Revh’s goth club, managed by Trez, his best friend, is in the middle of the action. The focus though, is about a battle between Heaven and Hell, Fallen Angels and Demons, with a human smack in the middle.

JR Ward is an amazing writer and Covet was true to her writing style, which means I was in Heaven. I really like her blunt and raw story telling habits and if you’ve read the BDB series, you’ll definitely feel right at home. The plot also unfolded in a very interesting manner. We are introduced to a bunch of characters and are left to guess which of them is the Chosen, who are the bad guys and the good guys, and in this world of shades of gray, it’s not easy to effectively identify who’s playing for which team. As the story progresses your opinion of certain characters will change and I really liked that it forced the reader to adapt, committing to the story on a higher level.

The characters themselves were great. Jim, Vin & Marie-Therese, the three main characters, turned out to be very interesting. Each of them has their own shady past, unresolved issues and messed-up present. They fight hard to stay afloat in a world determined the drown them and witnessing their struggles, failures and small victories was great. Ward really made sure she created multilayered characters that would capture our attention, and she succeeded. I also have to mention Dog (yes that’s his name), Jim’s dog. I just don’t know what’s up with the pet, but I’m sure he’ll be important at some point.

The end was an explosion of fireworks to close a crescendo of violence. Not all issues were resolved and the Chosen only took the first step in the ultimate war, but we still got a very satisfying conclusion to this first installment. I truly enjoyed this first book in Ward’s newest series and I can’t wait to start reading the second book! Good thing it’s already released =)

Read an excerpt

Daring You To Read...The Scent of Shadows by Vicki Pettersson

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:05:41 PDT

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!
You’ve already read the book? Let’s us know what you thought!
You are accepting the dare? We’d love to know!
Have a dare of your own? Leave a comment ^^

Today I'm daring you to read THE SCENT OF SHADOWS by Vicki Pettersson, an amazing dark urban fantasy author and the brilliant mind behind the Signs of the Zodiac series. THE SCENT OF SHADOWS is the first book in the now complete series; with last year's release of THE NEON GRAVEYARD, this is the perfect time to get started. No waiting between books, which is good because you'll be hooked from the start of THE SCENT OF SHADOWS. I know I was when the book came out in 2007!

The book and series revolve around Joanna Archer. When we meet her in THE SCENT OF SHADOWS, she's mad at the world for a whole bunch of reasons -- she was assaulted when she was a teenager, her mom's gone, she has a terrible relationship with her father. Joanna's whole life gets tossed upside down, though, when she learns that she's so much more than she realized. In short order, her sister Olivia is murdered, Joanna's forced to assume Olivia's life and let everyone believe she's the one who died, and she has to learn how to use her superpowers.

Over the course of THE SCENT OF SHADOWS, Joanna learns all about a side of Las Vegas that she never knew existed, one in which there are two troops -- one Light, one Shadow -- made up of 12 agents each, one for each sign of the zodiac. They fight for control of the city and the valley, and their powers are linked to the zodiac and also to comic books. That's right, comic books. There's a comic for each troop and they gain power based on people reading their stories. This is just one of the great mythology elements in the Signs of the Zodiac series but it's probably my favourite. This series is pretty mythology-heavy so you definitely want to read the books in order; you might get lost otherwise.

As the Kairos, Joanna has unique abilities that make her a prime target for both troops. Throughout the book and the series, she wrestles with her gifts and tries to do the right thing after being thrown into a completely foreign world. She also has to deal with the responsibility of being named the Kairos, which is basically a Very Important Person who can change the course of the world. (The word apocalypse may be used at certain points over the series.) It puts Joanna in a lot of conflict, both internal and external, which makes for some delicious reading.

There are so many great characters in the series, it's hard to pick just a favourite. The leader of the Shadows is a pretty epic villain: he's the Tulpa and he's incredibly powerful. You find out why over the course of the series so I won't spoil it for you here but suffice to say, he's a villain like no other. There are also some wonderful characters in the Light troop, like Vanessa, Felix, and Micah. And I can't write about this series without talking about Hunter. He's a member of the Light as well and he and Joanna have quite the relationship over the course of the series!

If you haven't tried Vicki Pettersson yet, I urge you to run to the nearest book store and get yourself a copy of THE SCENT OF SHADOWS. If you like your urban fantasy dark, your plots tight, and your characters tormented, this is the book (and series) for you!

Want more? I bet you do! Here's the scoop on THE SCENT OF SHADOWS:

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert.
By rights, she should be dead.
Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset – a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow – seeking answers to whom or what she really is … and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.
But the nightmare is just beginning – for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful Shadows want her for their own…
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Here's the rest of the series. I started blogging midway through the series so you can only read what I thought of CITY OF SOULS and CHEAT THE GRAVE (by clicking on the cover). I've been saving THE NEON GRAVEYARD because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye but it's close to the top of my TBR pile now so you'll hear my thoughts in the near future.

You can also find Signs of the Zodiac novellas/short stories in these anthologies. Click on the cover of DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS for my thoughts on this collection:

Here's the suggested reading order if you mix the short stories in with the full length novels:

THE SCENT OF SHADOWS
HOLIDAYS ARE HELL — The Harvest
THE TASTE OF NIGHT
THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT
CITY OF SOULS
UNBOUND — Dark Matters
DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS — Shifting Star
CHEAT THE GRAVE
THE NEON GRAVEYARD

Cover Love!

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:26:00 PDT

There’s been quite a few cover reveals in the last 2 weeks and I’m jumping on this “Lily-Ann is sleeping” time to post about them!

Angel’s Ink by Jocelynn Drake The Asylum Tales #1 Release date: October 16th, 2012.	The Goddess Legacy by Aimée Carter The Goddess Test #2,5 Release date: July 31st, 2012
Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa Iron Fey #1,5-3,5-4,5 Release date: August 28th, 2012	The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1 Release date: October 23rd, 2012
The Kingmakers by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith Vampire Empire #3 Release date: September 2012	Asunder by Jodi Meadows Newsoul #2 Release date: 2013
Shadow’s Claim by Kresley Cole The Dacians #1 Release date: November 27th, 2012	Prodigy by Marie Lu Legend #2 Release date: January 29th, 2013
Rogue Rider by Larissa Ione Lords of Deliverance #4 Release date: November 20th, 2012	Inferno by Sherrilyn Kenyon Chronicles of Nick #4 Release date: March 4th, 2012

Quite a few pretties right? I really like The Kingmakers, Shadow’s Claim & Rogue Rider but I have to say I hate The Lost Prince cover. What’s up with his chest?

Which one if your favorite?

Giveaway: Wrecked by Anna Davies

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:04:00 PDT

Thanks to Simon & Schuster I have 2 copies of Wrecked by Anna Davies to giveaway!

I honestly hadn’t heard about it before they contacted me, but it does sound good and you can expect a review from me eventually ^^

Here’s a bit more about the book:

Secrets of the sea have never been sexier than this.

Ever since the death of her parents, Miranda has lived on Whym Island, taking comfort in the local folklore, which claims a mysterious sea witch controls the fate of all on the island and in its surrounding waters. Sometimes it’s just easier to believe things are out of your control.

But then a terrible boating accident takes the lives of several of her friends, and Miranda is rescued by a mysterious boy who haunts her dreams. Consumed by guilt from the accident, she finds refuge in late-night swims—and meets Christian, a boy who seems eerily familiar, but who is full of mystery: He won’t tell her where he is from, or why they can only meet at the beach. But Miranda falls for him anyway…and discovers that Christian’s secrets, though meant to protect her, may bring her nothing but harm.

Seductive and compelling, Wrecked brings a contemporary, paranormal twist to a classic enchanting tale.

Read an excerpt

Giveaway is open to US only

To enter, fill the Rafflecopter!

Ends May 30th, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:54:00 PDT

Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen

Book stats:
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Young Adult
Paperback: 348 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release date: May 22nd 2012

Series: Nightwatchers #1

Source: Netgalley

Reviewed by: Christine

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

I don't do dangerous. Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me.... NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising.

Dark Kiss is the start to one of Michelle Rowen's new series released this year. As a huge fan of hers, I was beyond excited to discover this title on Netgalley.

"One Kiss can change your life forever" now that's an interesting premise if I ever heard one. Samantha tries to stay out of trouble ever since she was caught shoplifting. But when her crush asks her for a kiss, she can't say no. Then he leaves her like a discarded toy right after the kiss and she begins to feel a hunger that can't be stilled. Finding out that her life might have changed forever is a shock for her, but that's nothing compared to the secrets that are unraveled about her family, the city and heaven & hell.

Michelle Rowen knows how to weave a story that keeps you hooked. A constant high pace keeps you just as entertained as the romantic tension between Sam and Bishop. There's one twist that ensures that this tension will be maintained for a time to come. I was also very relieved that there is no love-triangle in sight - yet. I'm getting a bit tired of reading about those in YA books.

I also especially enjoyed Michelle Rowen's portrayal of Heaven and Hell, the Good and the Bad in the book. First of all, I found the idea of heaven and hell working together against a common threat very intriguing. Even better is how both Sam and the reader can't be exactly sure which side to trust. Even Natalie, the Source and villain in this book seems to have valid points. Especially as Bishop (who is after all an angel) makes it very clear that he is using Sam and is not really forthcoming about the truth either. Both sides have secrets to hide and Sam has a hard time deciding who to trust. Still, I was impressed that Michelle Rowen doesn't paint the world in just black and white, but mostly in grey.

Sam is an easily likeable protagonist who definitely doesn't deserve what happens to her. Her loyalties are torn and she doesn't act rash and inconsiderate. Carly and Jordan, Sam's best friend and arch foe are a great addition to that cast and their roles are more important that it seems from the start.

I have to admit that I found myself more drawn to Kraven than Bishop. His sardonic, devil-may-care attitude hides another side you only get to see a glimpse of. But I have high hopes to see even more of him and get to the bottom of his mysterious past as well as the very complex history with Bishop.

Speaking of Bishop. He is supposed to be the leader of the team of angels and demons and his inability of doing his job right or at all for that matter, as well as his precarious grip on sanity, is well conveyed. The only thing I was a bit unhappy with was Sam and Bishop's relationship. The time seemed a bit short for them to develop feelings as deep as they have for each other, particularly at their age, as they go from total strangers to soul mates in about a week. There was also an inconsistency in Natalie's plans that kept bugging me.

Michelle Rowen steers clear from some of the over used tropes in the YA genre and delivers a captivating tale in a world full of grey characters and interesting twists. After reading Dark Kiss, the next book in the series Wicked Kiss has been moved to my pre-order list!

Get a taste of the book and read the first chapter on Michelle Rowen’s homepage!

"When I'm not writing" with Donna Grant + giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:10:00 PDT

Our guest today is Donna Grant. She's the author of several series including Druids Glen, The Shields, Royal Chronicles, Sisters of Magic, Dark Sword, Dark Warriors, and Dark Kings. With so many novels under her belt, it's hard to believe she actually has time to do things other than writing. =)

Keep reading to find out what Donna does when she's not crafting her next novel and make sure to stick around for the DARKEST HIGHLANDER giveaway! It's the sixth book in Donna's Dark Sword series, which is centered on Druid magic. (Woo!)

I get asked a lot what I do when I’m not writing. I saw a quote the other day by the playwright Eugene Ionesco on Facebook that summed it up pretty nicely: “A writer never has a vacation. For a writer’s life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.”

It’s very, very true. Just ask my family. ;)

Despite that I’m always thinking about my characters/books – or maybe because of it – I read a lot. Not as much as I used to because of deadlines, but I’m always buying books. My husband is a huge reader, and so is my 13 yo daughter and 9 yo son. The bookstore loves when they see me come in because they know I’m going to be spending a lot of money. ;)

There isn’t an ereader between the four of us, because we all love holding our books and turning the pages. Not to mention the smell of books. How I love that smell. But I also love to show them off. My husband is always building bookcases for one of us. My daughter doesn’t like to give away any of her books. My son isn’t so attached, but his favorites don’t ever leave him. My husband also likes to keep every book he’s ever had. Even the ones that are falling apart he’s read them so much.

I periodically go through them and send boxes of books to the military deployed overseas. It makes my shelf bare, but not for long. Though there are some books I simply refuse to let go. Those books I go buy a second copy of and send to our troops. (as you can see by the bare shelves, I just sent off several boxes)

As much as I love my books, I’m addicted to movies and TV series. We’re huge movie buffs and have a rather large collection of our favorite movies/shows. The kids have their own collection. Some of my favorites are Lord of the Rings, the extended versions, of course, Immortals, Thor, and Underworld (all of them!).

My husband got me addicted to Game of Thrones. I’m dying to read the books after watching season one. And my daughter and I are watching Buffy from the first episode to the last, and then it’s on to Angel.

Something else I love to do is collect swords and weapons. This began a couple of years ago. Here’s a picture of my swords, but I have yet to hang up the Scottish shield, axe, and pick that I got while in Scotland. Hmm…something I need hubby to rectify soon.

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Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to visit us, Donna!

For more information about Donna and her books, check out her website or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

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Here's the scoop on DARKEST HIGHLANDER:

In the acclaimed Dark Sword series, the darkest, fiercest warriors of Scottish legend finally meet their match—in the brave, fiery hearts of the women they cherish…
For years, Broc has watched over her, protected her—and hidden his love for her. But when his beautiful Sonya, finds herself in a hopeless situation, the Highlander flies to her side to save her. Unfortunately, before the Druidess can thank him, Broc is captured by his enemy and destined for eternal pain…
Sonya vows to help her noble warrior, though he is imprisoned in a mountain of pure evil—bound in chains of the darkest magic. With Sonya’s own magic fading, she must summon the greatest power of all to save the man she loves. But even if these two hearts are united, will they be strong enough to defeat the heart of darkness? Or will their undying love doom them for all eternity…
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Here's the rest of the series:

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Donna is generously offering one (1) copy of DARKEST HIGHLANDER to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

Open internationally

Ends Monday, May 28, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

---------------------------------

Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!

Deadly Descendant by Jenna Black

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:16:36 PDT

Deadly Descendant by Jenna Black

Book Stats:
Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban fantasy
Mass market paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket
Release date: April 24, 2012

Series: Nikki Glass #2

Source: Review copy from Simon & Schuster

Reviewed by: Jenn

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

An ancient evil is unleashed in the modern world— unless one fearless P.I. can hunt it down... Nikki Glass, Immortal Huntress, returns in this new novel in the acclaimed series by Jenna Black.
As a living descendant of Artemis the Huntress, private investigator Nikki Glass knows how to track someone down. But when an Oracle shows up, warning the descendants about wild dog attacks in Washington D.C., Nikki is afraid it might be a trap. The Olympians believe the “dogs” are jackals, controlled by a blood-crazed descendant of the Egyptian death-god Anubis. Whatever... If Nikki hopes to muzzle Dogboy, she’s got to catch him in the act. But when she stakes out a local cemetery, she ends up face-to-snout with a snarling pack of shadow-jackals whose bite is worse than their bark. These hellhounds are deadly—even for an immortal like Nikki. “Dog” spelled backwards may be “god,” but that won’t stop Nikki from teaching these old gods some new tricks. Like playing dead.

I was pretty quick to pick up DARK DESCENDANT, the first Nikki Glass novel, when it came out last year even though Jenna Black has been hit or miss for me in the past. I thought the world she created sounded like a lot of fun and for the most part, it was. I was quite excited to see DEADLY DESCENDANT when it arrived in the mail a little while ago because I wanted to know what was going to happen to Nikki next.

In this amazing world, there are people descended from gods from all of the pantheons around the world, each blessed (or cursed) with near-immortality and gifts based on their ancestor. And just like regular people, some are good and some are bad. The bad ones are the Olympians. They believe that only descendants of Greek gods matter and they're all about domination. The good ones are the Liberi. They're woefully outnumbered but they're more accepting and sort of left alone by the Olympians thanks to a deal between the two leaders, Constantin (Team Olympian) and Anderson (Team Liberi). Nikki was a very reluctant Liberi in DARK DESCENDANT but she's much more accepting of her place on the team and her new life in DEADLY DESCENDANT. Of course, the Olympians still want her since she's a descendant of Artemis, goddess of the hunt, which makes her a rare commodity, so Nikki's life is still constrained by forces outside of her control.

I thoroughly enjoyed the main mystery of DEADLY DESCENDANT: dealing with the "wild dog" attacks that are actually controlled by a descendant of Anubis. It unfolds in a very interesting way and it brings a lot of the characters' morals into question. Different characters -- Anderson and Nikki, in particular -- have different ideas about how this descendant should be dealt with and it's interesting to see folks butting heads over appropriate punishment for immortals.

There are also some excellent developments in Nikki's relationships with the rest of the Liberi. The sexual tension between Nikki and Jamaal is incredible and I loved watching Nikki try to find her footing with Anderson after learning his secret in DARK DESCENDANT. There are also some nice moments between Blake and Nikki, and Nikki and her sister Steph. The most challenging person in the Liberi mansion, though, has to be Emma. She's so angry and more than a little crazy and she's taking many of her frustrations out on Nikki.

DEADLY DESCENDANT builds on the world established in DARK DESCENDANT and creates something even more satisfying and thrilling. This book is packed with action, adventure, mystery, and character growth, and I can't wait to see where Jenna Black takes us next time. This series is a strong entry into the urban fantasy genre and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves stories rooted in mythology or kick-butt heroines!

Read an excerpt

Kindle Deals!

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Sun, 13 May 2012 08:46:18 PDT

I stumbled upon some awesome Kindle deals so I needed to share them with you!
Personally, I bought Soulless (yes I haven’t read the series yet!) & Trial by Fire ^^
Get them while they’re hot!

0,99$	2,06$	1,99$	1,99$	3,12$
1,03$	1,99$	1,99$	1,04$	1,99$
1,99$	1,99$	2,04$	2,99$	2,99$

Happy Reading!

Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston

noreply@blogger.com (Stéphanie) — Sun, 13 May 2012 04:00:05 PDT

Bear Meets Girl by Shelly Laurenston

Book Stats:

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Trade Paperback: 407 pages
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Release date: March 27, 2012

Series: Pride #7

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Source: ARC provided by the publisher

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

He's big, burly, and way smarter than your average shapeshifting bear. He's also about to get trapped by own his game. . .

Lou Crushek is a reasonable, mellow, easygoing kind of guy. But once someone starts killing the scumbags he works so hard to bust, that really gets under his fur. Especially when that someone is a curvy she-tiger with a skill set that's turning Crush's lone-bear world upside down--and bringing his passion out of hibernation. . .

As a member of an elite feline protection unit, Marcella Malone has no problem body-dropping anyone who hunts her kind. But Crush is proving one major pain in her gorgeous tail. The only reason she's joined forces with him is to track down the wealthy human who's got her entire species in his ruthless sights. It sure isn't because Crush's stubborn and contrary attitude is rubbing Cella in all the right ways...

This is the first book that I’ve read from this series. Now usually, I’m not one to read a series out of order but this book sounded too intriguing to wait until I’ve caught up with the series. After a little investigating, I realized that, from book to book, the main characters are always different, so it bothered me even less to jump in so far into the series. I’m glad I decided to read it right away because it was an enjoyable paranormal romance. It’s exactly what I was in the mood for so it was perfect.

However, I must admit that it took me some time to really get into the book because this shapeshifting world is unlike any that I’ve encountered before, and it was a bit complicated. Especially with its many shapeshifting law enforcement agencies like The Group, the KZS and the BPC. Oh, and sometimes the regular NYPD. I’m sure by reading the previous books, I would have gotten a smoother introduction to all these agencies but, like I said, I was a bit to excited to read this novel.

Especially when I realized that the main female character, Cella, was in a pro shapeshifting hockey league. And a co-ed league on top of that. Awesome! Obviously, in real life, you would never see a female play in the NHL but as a shapeshifting feline, she was able to play with the boys and excel at what she did, which is bash every one that gets in her way. Since I’m a huge fan of hockey, I became a huge fan of Cella, just because of what she did for a living (she did have an other job as a sniper for the KZS, but I won’t go into details). Sure, Cella has an annoying and rowdy character at times but her fierceness and dedication made up for everything. I also really admired her dedication to raising her daughter. Everything was planned so that she could give her daughter the best of everything, and that was really touching.

Cella might not have been my favourite female lead but I did fall in love Crush, the typical stand-up cop, always doing the right thing kind of guy. I just wanted to give him a big hug since he seemed so huggable as a shape-shifting polar bear. Just reading about his size and muscles made me swoon. He was the boy next door with an immovable and strong, serious character, and was obsessed with everything hockey. He might have been broody from time to time but that’s what made him so charming.

I admit the storyline did not move much beyond the romance story but we did encounter a serial killer that hunted shape-shifters just for fun and cruelty. But what the book lacked in the mystery/action department, Shelly Laurenston made up for it with the romantic tension. Cella’s habit of calling Crush her pretend boyfriend was entertaining since, as readers, we all knew he’d end up being her real boyfriend eventually. The relationship between those two was interesting and amusing. Their playful banter and quick dialogue was funny and natural. I could actually imagine the characters in my mind, going at it with words (and with their fists, most of the time, since lets face it, they are shape-shifters). Like the title hints, this really is a “boy meets girl” story. Although, I must admit, not every “boy meets girl” story has an awesome hotel room scene that includes handcuffs. That was pretty hot.

Despite the lack of storyline beyond the romantic plot, I really did enjoy the book. It might have been predictable and unrealistic on occasion, but I will absolutely continue reading this series. I kind of regret not having read the previous books before. It would have given me a lot more background information about the secondary characters and the different shifter groups. However, trust me when I say it can be read as a stand-alone. The author gives us enough information and since the story mainly revolves around Cella and Crush, I never got lost in the romantic plot. I would suggest this book to anyone who enjoys a good romance, especially those of you who are true hockey fans.

Excerpt

Stacking The Shelves [3]

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:28:21 PDT

Guidelines resume:

Create your own Stacking The Shelves post. You can use my official graphic or your own, but please link back to Tynga’s Reviews so more people can join the fun!

You can set your post any way you want, simple book list, covers, pictures, vlog, sky is the limit!

I am posting Stacking The Shelves on Saturdays, but feel free to post yours any day that fits you.

Visit Tynga’s Reviews on Saturday and add your link so others can visit you!

Visit other participants link to find out what they added to their shelves!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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I didn’t add any books to my shelves this week, but Stéphanie did have an awesome past two weeks! Here’s what she added to her shelves =D

Bought

L'héritière de Ferrolia by Guy Bergeron
Avaria - Seki by Patrice Cazeault
Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock [Amazon | Book Depository]
Blameless by Gail Carriger [Amazon | Book Depository]
Living With the Dead by Kelley Armstrong [Amazon | Book Depository]
No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong [Amazon | Book Depository]
Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong [Amazon | Book Depository]
Broken by Kelley Armstrong [Amazon | Book Depository]
Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong [Amazon | Book Depository]

Won

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Thank You Harper Collins Canada!) [Amazon | Book Depository]
The Dustman by SM Blooding* (Thank You Frankie!)
As Night Falls by SM Blooding* (Thank You Frankie!)
Demons Are Jackasses by SM Blooding* (Thank You Frankie!)

*ebook

Library

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood [Amazon | Book Depository]

For Review

Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter (from publisher) [Amazon | Book Depository]

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I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that the 10% off sale at Book Depository expires on May 14th, so if you have any purchase or pre-orders you want to put in, now is a great time!

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What did YOU add to your shelves this week?

Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Fri, 11 May 2012 08:02:41 PDT

Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione

Book Stats:
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Forever
Release date: June 20, 2008

Series: Demonica #1

Source: Personal Shelf

Reviewed by: Tynga

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life...

Tayla Mancuso is a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.

Two lovers will dare to risk all.

Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul...

Eidolon is a Seminus demon, a breed of incubus who strives hard to impregnate females and father the next generation, fighting extinction. That is, once they’ve reached maturity. Eidolon is just shy of one hundred years old and his S’genesis (the last stage of maturation) is just around the corner and is driving him nuts. He has intense sexual desires but he is determined to find his one Mate before maturity turns him into a mindless sex demon. That’s when Tayla enters his life, delivered on a stretcher at the demon hospital he works at. She shouldn’t be there though, she’s a member of the Aegis, a demon hunter. He doesn’t know it yet, but his decision to treat her or not will change the rest of his life.

I’ve read the first two books in the Lords of Deliverance series, a spin-off of the Demonica series and it felt awesome to finally know some of the characters I’ve met in their future life (does that make sense?). Pleasure Unbound happens a couple of years before Eternal Rider, the first book of the spin-off series and getting to know Eidolon better and understand what makes him tick was such a treat. Of course, he wasn’t the only character I had already met, his two brothers are also very important in this installment and I enjoyed seeing them!

Larissa Ione created an amazing world when she wrote her debut novel. It’s very complex because it’s so different but she handled it very well. Humanity doesn’t know about demons, but they have a somewhat flourishing life on the edge of the human world and the Aegis are very happy to try and kill them all. This first novel displayed in full force this ultimate battle of will when Ione pit Eidolon against Tayla. Their beliefs will clash while their attraction brings them together again and again. This love-hate relationship proved to be highly entertaining!

Passion emanates from the pages in waves and what I liked the most is that it never slowed the runaway train pace of the plot line. Sensuality is a whole part of the story, mostly because of Eidolon’s nature, and it never felt like it was weighting down the progression. It naturally flows with the story, enhancing the relationship between our two heroes. Pleasure Unbound might be a Paranormal Romance novel, but it wasn’t lacking in action and I enjoyed every heart-pounding second of it!

Pleasure Unbound was a delightful debut and I truly can’t wait to sink my teeth into the next installment, Desire Unchained. The Demonica world is full of surprises and is blessed with an extremely rich Lore. I would definitely recommend this series to Paranormal Lovers out there, I mean, who doesn’t like a sexy demon striving to be good?

Read an excerpt

Daring You To Read… Magic to the Bone by Devon Monk

noreply@blogger.com (Tynga) — Wed, 09 May 2012 21:02:00 PDT

Daring You To Read is a weekly feature here on Tynga’s Reviews where we dare you to read some of our favorite older releases (at least 6 months old). All the books/series we choose to feature are titles we adored and think you should give them a shot! We think it’s a super awesome way to discover that special book who might have slipped off your radar!

You’ve already read the book? Let’s us know what you thought!
You are accepting the dare? We’d love to know!
Have a dare of your own? Leave a comment ^^

This week I am daring you to read an highly original series… the Allie Beckstrom series by Devon Monk, starting with Magic to the Bone.

I first picked up this series because of its pretty covers, and I have to admit they sat on my to be read shelf for a long time before I finally picked up the first book, and right as I started reading, I found myself wondering why-the-hell had I not picked it up earlier?

Devon Monk created a jaded world where magic isn’t about shiny spells and pretty incantation. Magic is raw, dirty, and treacherous. Use it and it will use you right back and like with anything, when there’s power, there’s wrong doers. There is a whole underground and illegal world surrounding the use of magic in this world and its horror keeps you glued to the pages.

Of course, the world isn’t everything. Miss Monk blessed us with amazing characters. Allie is fierce and determined, putting Good before her own life and she pays the high price for it. She also has an amazing sidekick/lover called Zayvion and I love the guy to pieces. Their relationship evolve slowly throughout the books and has me begging for more.

I’m not up to date in the series yet, only read the first three books so far, but I’m truly enjoying this series and I think you would to!

Here’s a bit about Magic to the Bone:

Using magic meant it used you back. Forget the fairy-tale, hocus-pocus, wave a wand and bling-o, sparkles and pixie dust crap. Magic, like booze, sex, and drugs, gave as good as it got.

Everything has a cost. And every act of magic exacts a price from its user - maybe a two-day migraine, or losing the memory of your first kiss. But some people want to use magic without paying, and they Offload the cost onto innocents. When that happens, it falls to a Hound to identify the spell's caster - and Allison Beckstrom's the best there is.

Daughter of a prominent Portland businessman, Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune - and the strings that come with it. But when she discovers a little boy dying from a magic Offload that has her father's signature all over it, Allie is thrown into the high-stakes world of corporate espionage and black magic.

Now Allie's out for the truth - and must call upon forces that will challenge everything she knows, change her in ways she could never imagine ... and make her capable of things that powerful people will do anything to control.

My Review

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

The following books in the series:

Talisman of El by Alecia Stone

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:25:00 PDT

Talisman of El by Alecia Stone

Book stats:
Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal YA
Hardcover: 364 pages
Publisher: Centrinian Publishing Ltd
Release date: May 20th 2012

Series: Talisman of El #1

Source: Netgalley/Publisher

Reviewed by: Christine

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS A LIE?
One Planet.
Two Worlds.
Population: Human ... 7 billion.
Others ... unknown.
When 14-year-old Charlie Blake wakes up sweating and gasping for air in the middle of the night, he knows it is happening again. This time he witnesses a brutal murder. He's afraid to tell anyone. No one would believe him ... because it was a dream. Just like the one he had four years ago - the day before his dad died.
Charlie doesn't know why this is happening. He would give anything to have an ordinary life. The problem: he doesn't belong in the world he knows as home.
He belongs with the others.

Charlie is a boy who had a rough couple of years: he is an orphan who moves from foster home to foster home because of his habit of attracting trouble. Though maybe now he can finally catch a break: his new guardian Jacob seems nice enough and he’s even made a real friend in his new school: Alex, a tough girl that saved him from bullies on his very first day of school. But then, the nightmares Charlie has had his whole life are coming back, his guardian shows an unexpected and very unpleasant side and Charlie starts showing abilities that aren’t quite human. After that, things only get weirder as mysterious figure only he can see saves him from a tight spot and Charlie & Alex encounter another stray called Richmond and an old man named Derekein whom Charlie finds oddly familiar. They team up and together they embark on a mysterious and magical journey to help the old man Derekein with a supernatural problem. This journey leads them to places they haven’t even dreamt of.

I have to admit, I had mixed feelings about this book. As far as the world building was concerned, I was impressed. The world of the Others was imaginative, deliberate and fantastic in the best sense of the word, full of magic and terrifying creatures. I really enjoyed being able to explore that new world, even though the society of the Others was fairly complex. Readers really have to pay attention to keep all the different abilities, groups and their hierarchy straight. Personally, I found the part taking place in Arcadia, the land of the Others, more enjoyable than the one taking place in the “real” world. However, I kind of missed the paranormal element at the beginning. During the first 20 percent of the book, there were just mere hints at Charlie’s unnatural abilities.

The pace of the story was well done. The prologue was gripping enough to make me eager to read the book. Sadly, the pace did slow down a little bit after that. When the reader learns more about Charlie’s abilities and the characters begin their journey to help Derekein, things are getting interesting again. The gang encounters enough danger and obstacles of all kinds to keep the reader entertained. Even though this book is clearly for younger readers, there is a lot of action in it, just not the kind I’m used to from other urban fantasy or some PNR books. The end of the book holds a few surprises and unexpected turns which are incentive enough to make you want to find out what is next for Charlie and his gang.

Unfortunately, I had a few problems with the characters. While it is easy to feel for Charlie due to his tragic past, I was never able to establish a connection to him that went past that. Maybe it was because most of the characters in Talisman of El are pretty young. Personally, I find it easier to empathize with characters closer to my age or at least above the age of sixteen. Also, it seemed to me as if Charlie, Alex and even Richmond act a little bit too mature for their age. Even the bravest kid at the age of fourteen wouldn’t react like Charlie in the situations he finds himself into. There is a lot of emotional and dangerous stuff going on that every kid his age would have a lot of trouble dealing with. While he does grieve about the deaths of his parents, he reacts surprisingly mature to everything else. Even the adults in this book treat him like a grown up person and look to him when they are in need of a leader, though there are characters far more experienced than him.

Alex is a great female character, very self confident, outspoken and loyal. Her obvious crush on Charlie, and her attempts to hide it, made her more believable as a normal teenager. Of all the characters, I liked her best, since she seemed the most realistic of the bunch.

Richmond and Derekein however were harder for me to like. Again, I believe that a eleven year old runaway would probably show different behavior than Richmond. Derekein who is the oldest of the group was very pale in comparison to the others.

All in all, Talisman of El is a solid debut and start for a planned trilogy. Younger readers will enjoy Charlie's fantastic adventure and journey to a magical world in this tale of friendship and courage.

"When I'm not writing" with Sarah Cross + giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (jenn) — Tue, 08 May 2012 04:39:00 PDT

Today's guest post comes from Sarah Cross, a YA author. Her latest release is KILL ME SOFTLY, a dark take on fairy tales, available now. It sounds like a fun read and I'm pleased Sarah is able to visit us and tell us a bit about her non-writing life.

Keep reading to find out just what Sarah does when she's not writing and make sure to stick around for the giveaway!

I spend a lot of time writing. I'm one of those people who will choose work over hobbies (almost) every time, and who finds it totally reasonable when Anton Walbrook counsels dancer Moira Shearer in The Red Shoes that "Life is so unimportant." What can I say? Writing is one of those things that, if it wasn't more fulfilling than anything else, wouldn't be worth doing.

But while I may share the mindset of a ruthless (fictional) dance impresario, I don't write all the time. Sometimes my brain needs to recharge, and that's why my favorite non-writing activities take almost no effort, and could be accomplished by Hello Kitty or a zombie.

Here's a rundown of how I spend my non-writing time:

1) Watching TV. There's no better brainless pastime. Current favorites include Mad Men, Southland, Downton Abbey, The Big Bang Theory, reality shows like Big Brother and The Amazing Race, and the Korean TV show My Princess.

2) Taking walks, preferably in woodsy locations where there's a chance of spotting deer, hawks, interesting birds, chipmunks, rabbits, etc. I love animals, and seeing them in the wild is one of my favorite things.

3) Curating Fairy Tale Mood, my fairy tale art/fashion/etc. tumblr. To be fair to myself, a zombie would probably have trouble with this one. Finding good fairy tale art takes time, and, I'd like to think, a discerning eye. But it's a fun, almost meditative process, and it feeds my imagination like nothing else.

4) NFL. This is more of a fall/winter hobby, but during football season, I am obsessed, alternately cheering for my team and raging at them, and trying not to talk to my sports-indifferent friends about football. Because they don't care about how angry Tom Coughlin looked last week. And I try to respect that.

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Thank you so much for visiting us, Sarah, and sharing your hobbies!

For more information about Sarah and her books, check out her website or Fairy Tale Mood, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

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Here's the scoop on KILL ME SOFTLY:

True love’s kiss just may prove deadly....
Mirabelle’s past is shrouded in secrecy, from her parents’ tragic deaths to her guardians’ half-truths about why she can’t return to her birthplace, Beau Rivage. Desperate to see the town, Mira runs away a week before her sixteenth birthday—and discovers a world she never could have imagined.
In Beau Rivage, nothing is what it seems—the strangely pale girl with a morbid interest in apples, the obnoxious playboy who’s a beast to everyone he meets, and the chivalrous guy who has a thing for damsels in distress. Here, fairy tales come to life, curses are awakened, and ancient stories are played out again and again.
But fairy tales aren’t pretty things, and they don’t always end in happily ever after. Mira has a role to play, a fairy-tale destiny to embrace or resist. As she struggles to take control of her fate, Mira is drawn into the lives of two brothers with fairy-tale curses of their own ... brothers who share a dark secret. And she’ll find that love, just like fairy tales, can have sharp edges and hidden thorns.
Read an excerpt
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

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Sarah is generously offering one (1) copy of KILL ME SOFTLY to a lucky reader!

To enter the giveaway, obey the Rafflecopter!

US/Canada only

Ends Monday, MAy 21, 2012

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Authors, would you like to visit and share with us? Please email me at jennblogs (at) gmail (dot) com and we’ll set it up!