Read My Mind

Bewitching Book Tours Promo: Pride's Run by Cat Kalen

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:43:00 +0000

Read My Mind is participating in the Bewitching Book Tours promotion for PRIDE'S RUN by Cat Kalen today. Thanks to the author for stopping by with an excerpt and giveaway! Check out my review HERE.

About the Author

Cat Kalen is a multi published author in the romance genre under two pen names, Cat is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and watermelon. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cat can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

A maritime native and former financial officer, Cat has lived all over Canada but has finally settled down in her childhood hometown with her family.

Find the author at:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

PRIDE'S RUN

California Wine Country
August 23rd, six days until full moon

The click of the lock at the top of the stairwell is my only indication that morning is upon me. My ears perk up and I listen for the coming footfalls. The weight on the stairs combined with the creaking of each wooden step will let me know which handler has come for us this time, which unlucky puppet has drawn the short end of the straw and is stuck with letting the dogs out, or in this case, the werewolves.

Sure, he’ll come sauntering down the stairs sporting a brave face and looking at me with cold, dark eyes meant to intimidate. But the wolf inside me can smell his inner fear. Despite the fact that I’m the one caged, underneath the handler’s cool, superficial shell he’s the one who’s truly afraid.

A long column of light filters down the stairs and I blink my eyes into focus as the bright rays infiltrate the pitch black cellar. I don’t really need to blink. Not with my exceptional vision. But I do it anyway because sometimes I simply like to pretend I’m a normal seventeen year old girl, one who can’t see in the dark. It’s nonsense, I know. I’m not fooling anyone. Least of all myself.

The door yawns wider and before the first heavy boot, soiled with old blood that he’ll pass off as wine stains, hits the top step, my senses go on high alert. I never know what morning will bring—or who will bring it.

A breeze rushes down the stairs ahead of the handler, carrying the aroma of the grand estate with it. I push past the metallic scent of dried blood to catch traces of grape juice in the air, a common smell on the majestic vineyard—that and illegal drugs, the estate’s real source of income. Going beyond those familiar fragrances, I breathe deeper and get hints of fresh bread baking in the upstairs kitchen. It must be Thursday. Mica, the estate’s cook, always bakes on Thursday.

In my human form I roll onto my side and lean toward the smell. Wistfully, my tongue darts out and brushes over my bottom lip. There is something about that scent that always entices me and before I can help it I envision myself eating a warm slice covered in rich creamy butter, crispy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside.

My nostrils widen, but I know the bread isn’t meant for me and not even one delicious crumb will pass over my dry lips. Not unless Mica sneaks it to me. As much as I’d love to taste her offerings I don’t like it when she takes chances for me. Disobedience is far too risky for the aging housekeeper. Despite that, my stomach growls in response to the aroma and I fight off the cravings. I can’t hope for bread when it’s unlikely that I’ll even be given a scrap of food today, especially if I can’t please him.

My master.

A boot hits the second step—the handlers always descend slowly—and as I stretch my legs out on my dusty mattress I hear the waking groans of Jace and Clover stirring in their own cages beside me. I glance their way, and that’s when my attention falls on the one empty cage in the cellar. My mother’s den. I breathe deep and fight off a pang of sadness that I cannot afford to feel.

I turn away from the empty cage and stare at the gray cement walls. I can’t bear to look at her den any longer. It only reminds me of how they killed her and how all the pups were forced to watch—to learn that disobedience comes with a price. Guilt and sorrow eat at me to think that she’d died trying to free me.

When step number five creaks, I diligently try to shake off the memories. The handler is close which means I can’t think about my mother right now. I push all thoughts of her aside, knowing that right now I have to think about my father and what he taught me before the master killed him. Never let them see your fear.

I harden myself.

Prepare.

Before my master’s puppet even reaches the bottom step, I know it’s the one they call Lawrence, the handler I hate the most. The one with a weak mind, strong back, teeth like baked beans and beady eyes that fit his ugly rat face.

He likes to call me kitten. I have a few choice names that I’d like to call him in return, but I always bite the inside of my cheek to resist the urge. Partly because I’d be whipped and partly because Miss Kara educated me and taught me all about manners. I realize that an educated wolf with manners might sound laughable. In my line of work, however, education and manners are as lethal as a bear trap to those I hunt. That’s how I lure my marks, how I bait my prey. A pretty face and good grace go a long way for a trained killer like me.

My glance wanders to my leg, the one peeking out from beneath my ratty blanket, and my eyes are drawn to the long jagged scar tracking the length of my calf. I grimace. Even with my education and manners, I never forget what I really am. I’m never allowed to.

“Hey kitten,” Lawrence says. Most would think the nickname is a play on my birth name, Pride. But I know it’s the handler’s way of cutting me down, to find control where he feels none. My parents called me Pride because I was their pride and joy. Lions live in a pride and since lions are cats...

He tosses a collar and chain into my cage. “Leash up.”

I take note of the gun in his holster before my glance locks on his. As I give him a good hard stare, he flinches. The movement is slight, but I notice it. Dressed in my knee length nightgown, long hair loose around my shoulders, I might look like an average seventeen year old girl—harmless and innocent—but we all know I’m not.

Thanks so much for that great excerpt, Cat! Now's your chance to enter to win an e-book copy of your own.

Rules:
Must be 13+ to enter
One entry via rafflecopter per person
International entries welcome
Giveaway ends February 8th, 11:59pm

Cat is also giving away 2 print copies of Pride's Run for anyone who enters during the tour (Jan 23rd-Feb 20th). Find the form HERE. Please leave a comment as part of either or both entries.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Seventeen year old Pride is a tracker—a werewolf with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine.

Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price.

When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run.
But Pride soon learns that if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt.

With life and death hanging in the balance the two find themselves on the run from the Paranormal Task Force—officers who shoot first and ask questions later—as well as her master’s handlers.

Can Pride flee the man who has held her captive since birth and find sanctuary in the arms of a boy who has captured her heart? Or will her master find her first?

Purchase book at:

Smashwords | All Romance E-Books | Amazon

Bewitching Book Tour Review: Pride's Run by Cat Kalen

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:36:00 +0000

Book: PRIDE'S RUN
Author: CAT KALEN
Genre: PARANORMAL YA
Published: November 2011

Source: Bewitching Book Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

Seventeen year old Pride is a tracker—a werewolf with a hunger for blood. Taught to trick and to lure, she is the perfect killing machine.

Kept leashed in the cellar by a master who is as ruthless as he is powerful, Pride dreams of freedom, of living a normal life, but escape from the compound is near impossible and disobedience comes with a price.

When she learns her master intends to breed her she knows she has to run.
But Pride soon learns that if she is to survive in the wild, she must trust in the boy who promises her freedom, the same boy she was sent to hunt.

With life and death hanging in the balance the two find themselves on the run from the Paranormal Task Force—officers who shoot first and ask questions later—as well as her master’s handlers.

Can Pride flee the man who has held her captive since birth and find sanctuary in the arms of a boy who has captured her heart? Or will her master find her first?

My Review:
PRIDE'S RUN is a great paranormal YA. I have a fondness for shifter books, but don't actually read that many in the YA category. This book caught my eye with the synopsis right away. Usually shifters are at the top of the food chain in paranormal books. They're faster, more dangerous, and they are only part human. PRIDE'S RUN takes a look at the other side of the coin, where shifters are subjugated and controlled by humans.

In fact, PRIDE'S RUN draws some disturbing parallels to human trafficking and the way that people can be used as property to those rich enough and lacking morality. Pride is a young woman who's been born into captivity and has never known anything other than the brutality and indifference of her master. He uses her as an assassin that his targets never see coming, mostly because of her youth and pretty face.

Cat Kalen's characters are ruthless and lack any kind of childhood, and yet both Pride and her nemesis at her master's compound have a certain vulnerability. Despite the fact that they live in an unconscionable world, Pride has a family in some of the other werewolves held with her. The pace of PRIDE'S RUN is frenetic and intense, taking place in present tense, yet the reader can still get a sense of how Pride has survived for as long as she has, the friends that she has, and the events that have shaped her personality.

What I liked about Kalen's plot, characters and setting was that it combined the best parts of a paranormal coming-of-age with an urban fantasy. PRIDE'S RUN was edgy and dangerous, with disturbing events right from the start. But, that wasn't all of the story. With the romantic bond that forms between Pride and Logan, (which doesn't over take the story, well done) and Pride's initial fear of her fellow werewolf enemy, Stone, which later turns into confusion over some of his actions, this is a well-rounded novel.

Though I do think that PRIDE'S RUN could be inappropriate for younger or less advanced YA readers, anyone who enjoys a paranormal read involving werewolf shifters should not be disappointed.

4.5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 (4 stars)

Highly Recommend, if you liked:
Phantom Universe by Laura Kreitzer
Raised By Wolves by Jennifer Barnes
The Shifters of 2040 by Ami Blackwelder

Find the author at:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Purchase book at:
Smashwords | All Romance E-Books | Amazon

Available formats: Print (Trade Paperback), Nook Book, epub, pdf, Kindle

Tour Participation:

Under $5 Nook Books Vol. 2 (Jan 28th)

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:39:00 +0000

YA Edition! (Click the price to go to Barnes and Noble book page)

NOOK .99

An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she's filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

NOOK .99

Sixteen-year-old Riley Williams has been able to see ghosts since the car crash that took her mother's life and shattered her family. Guilt-ridden over the belief that she's somehow responsible for her mom's death, Riley is desperate to see her mother's elusive spirit to gain her forgiveness.

When her father moves the family to Scotland so they can all start over, Riley believes her life couldn't get worse––that is until the ghost of nineteen-year-old Ian MacKinnon catches her purposely cutting herself. An uneasy truce quickly turns into friendship, and soon Riley's falling hard for Ian.

Riley believes her gift could help Ian end the curse that has kept him tied to the land for centuries, but that would mean letting him go forever and she's not sure she is strong enough to do that. As if her life wasn't complicated enough, the spirit of the woman who killed Ian returns and she'll stop at nothing to keep Riley from helping Ian find eternal peace.

NOOK .99

Amongst the wasteland lies the gleaming city of Karm. A Camelot-esque utopia built from the ashes of a dying world.

Seventeen-year-old Fallon is no daughter of Karm.

She's its assassin.

Raised by a secret society of rebels, she's bent on bringing down the king's sham of an existence. But her first mark, one of the king's top knights of the Force, makes her question everything. Even her heart.

NOOK .99

Persephone has been running for her entire life. Running from the humans to keep her immortality a secret. And running from a man who haunts her dreams. Not a man but a god, who will stop at nothing until he gets what he wants. And what he wants most, is her.

Trapped in the realm of the dead, Persephone plans to return to the land of the living. The underworld is a terrifying place where ghosts roam freely, three headed dogs patrol the gates, and it’s a living grave where the rules of earth and the warmth of the sun no longer apply. But then, something unexpected happens. Persephone finds herself falling for the god who abducted her, the god who has chased her for five thousand years, a god who is none other than death himself, Hades.

Ripped out of the underworld by Zeus, Persephone must find a pomegranate to return to the realm of the dead and to her beloved. Consuming only a seed of the fruit of the dead would bind Persephone to spend her life beneath the earth’s core with Hades. But Zeus has reduced every pomegranate tree in the world to ash. Except one. Persephone must locate that one remaining pomegranate tree, a quest that could ignite a war between the two mightiest of the god’s. A war that could cause Persephone to lose the only family she’s ever known or give up a love that comes only once every five thousand years.

NOOK .99

London, 1889. Victoria is Queen. Charles Darwin’s son is Prime Minister. And steam is the power that runs the world.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire’s talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It’s not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices.

When she meets Andrew Malvern, a member of the Royal Society of Engineers, she realizes her talents may encompass more than the invention of explosive devices. They may help her realize her dreams and his . . . if they can both stay alive long enough to see that sometimes the closest friendships can trigger the greatest betrayals...

NOOK .99

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

NOOK .99

Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely— something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?

NOOK 2.99

Logan Daniels has always led a sheltered life in sleepy, predictable Lancaster, New Hampshire. But when beautiful Serena suddenly appears at school one day, his comfortable existence becomes anything but as he finds himself falling in love with her. There’s something special about Serena Starr. He realizes what it is when he sees her unleash her spells. Soon, a mysterious and foreboding presence settles over his placid home.

Logan and Serena find themselves battling darkness and evil with an ominous mission: it wants Serena and will stop at nothing to have her. Tearing apart Logan’s town, threatening his friends, even causing harm to his family, the demon will spread its doom over every facet of Logan’s once placid life. Logan matures in ways he could never have imagined as he struggles to protect those he loves, including Serena. But he can't do it alone.

Serena hails from a long line of able and powerful women who will aide in the battle and perhaps settle a score of their own. The strength of the coven and Serena's love will be behind him, but ultimately this is Logan’s fight to win. But, will he?

NOOK 2.99

Ander McNair used to be the favorite son of a great monster-hunting family – until he was bitten by a werewolf and the hunter became the hunted. Now anything that makes his pulse race, even a kiss from his girlfriend Cicely, is enough to turn him into a monster. When he finally has his chance to earn his cure by killing a vampire prince, Ander finds he has to choose between his own past and the future of the girl he loves. Can a guy who’s not even human learn what it means to be a man?

Luke Marianez used to be an immortal vampire prince – until the witch he loved betrayed him and cursed him with the ability to die. Now he lives in the world of vampire blood bars where the waitresses are the drinks, and dreams about killing the last of the witch’s line so he can live forever. But revenge doesn’t just mean breaking the curse. He wants to break the girl's heart, too. Can Luke seduce Cicely without falling in love himself?

Cicely Watson doesn’t believe in werewolves or vampires. She’s not even sure she believes in true love. But she’s about to discover what every werewolf knows:

People change.

NOOK 2.99

Seventeen-year-old Camille Kennecott has finally found true happiness. Her twin sister, Emily, has returned home after years of self-inflicted seclusion within the austere confines of Bethlem Hospital. Nathaniel Strider, the boy who has captured Camille’s heart, has tamed the beast within him and joins her whenever he is not living his dream as a sailor on the open sea. And her guardian, Dr. Bennett, has graciously carved out a space in his scientific laboratory for Camille to spend her day experimenting with herbal remedies.

When Dr. Bennett receives a plea from a colleague to visit Transylvania and help deal with the werewolf problem, Camille is thrilled at the prospect of traveling to this exotic place. But the darkest form of treachery has boarded the ship with them, and it is not long before Camille faces the chilling possibility of losing everyone she’s ever loved.

NOOK 2.99

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

NOOK 3.99

Sixteen-year old Desolation Black wants nothing more than to stay in Hell where it’s cold and lonely and totally predictable. Instead, she’s sent back to Earth where she must face the evil she despises and the good she always feared.

When Desi is forced to embrace her inner demon, she assumes her choice has been made—that she has no hope of being anything other than what her father, Lucifer, has created her to be. What she doesn’t count on, is finding a reason to change—something she’s never had before—a friend.

NOOK 4.99

All Airel ever wanted was to be normal, to disappear into the crowd. But bloodlines can produce surprises, like an incredible ability to heal. Then there’s Michael Alexander, the new guy in school, who is impossibly gorgeous…and captivated by her. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she can hear the sound of pages turning, and another, older story being written. It is the story of an ancient family, of great warriors, of the Sword of Light, and the struggle against an evil so terrible, so far-reaching, that it threatens everything. Airel knew change would be an inevitable part of life. But can she hold on when murder and darkness begin to close in and take away everything she loves? Will she have what it takes when the truth is finally revealed?

Book Review: The Fallen Queen by Jane Kindred

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Book: THE FALLEN QUEEN
Author: JANE KINDRED
Genre: FANTASY
Published: December 2011, ENTANGLED PUBLISHING

Series: The House of Arkhangel'sk #1 (upcoming series)
Source: Publicist, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Heaven can go to hell.

Until her cousin slaughtered the supernal family, Anazakia’s father ruled the Heavens, governing noble Host and Fallen peasants alike. Now Anazakia is the last grand duchess of the House of Arkhangel’sk, and all she wants is to stay alive.

Hunted by Seraph assassins, Anazakia flees Heaven with two Fallen thieves—fire demon Vasily and air demon Belphagor, each with their own nefarious agenda—who hide her in the world of Man. The line between vice and virtue soon blurs, and when Belphagor is imprisoned, the unexpected passion of Vasily warms her through the Russian winter.

Heaven seems a distant dream, but when Anazakia learns the truth behind the celestial coup, she will have to return to fight for the throne—even if it means saving the man who murdered everyone she loved.

My Review:
All hail fantasy. My roots in genre fiction started with high fantasy. I love reading it, but I don't do it often enough for some reason. I love the world-building, I love the character development, I love the seemingly impossible quest the protags must go on... And when I finish reading a truly good fantasy book, I realize how much I missed the genre. That's exactly what happened to me during and after my reading of THE FALLEN QUEEN.

Kindred has put a twist on angel lore in a new and captivating way. Angels and Demons are still at odds, but they both reside in Heaven. Fallen refers to those that have step foot upon the human earthly plane. Heaven echoes earth. Or is it the other way around? Kindred's plot and characters were utterly engrossing. They took me on a ride of danger, violence, sex, redemption, mystery, and cultural immersion that I have yet to come down from.

The central plotline revolved around Anazakia and her flight from heaven after her family is murdered. However, this puts her in the hands of Belphagor and Vasily, two demons and complex characters in their own right, whose relationship with each other and their pasts are explored throughout the novel. The earthly setting is in Russia, and Kindred infuses Vasily, Belphagor and Anazakia's interactions with the Russian language and culture of the time. Though there is plenty of strange-looking vocabulary from both the Russian and Arkhangel'sk languages, it lends authenticity and I enjoyed the inclusion.

THE FALLEN QUEEN is not fantasy lite, where a fantasy setting falls to the background of a romance or love triangle. This is fantasy at its best, where the intricacies of the world are spun out amidst angel court intrigue, three people on the run from a mad queen and her bespelled pawn, sacrifice and discovery.

5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 14/15 (4.5 stars)

Must Read, if you liked:
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima
The Keepers of Sulbreth by Susan Gourley
October Daye (series) by Seanan McGuire

Find the author at:
Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads

Purchase book at:
Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Amazon

Available formats: Print (Trade Paperback), Nook Book, Kindle,

ARC Review: Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 14:20:00 +0000

Book: INCARNATE
Author: JODI MEADOWS
Genre: YA FANTASY
Published: January 2012, KATHERINE TEGAN

Series: Newsoul #1 (upcoming series)
Source: Around The World ARC Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

My Review:
INCARNATE caught my eye with its amazingly beautiful cover. I hoped that the story contained in the pages would impress me as much as the cover art. In some ways I really loved the story and the characters. Ana is an anomoly in her society. She's the first new soul; the first soul to have not been reincarnated from the 1000 souls that have existed for generations. Meadows starts off with Ana leaving the home where she was raised. I use this word with a huge dose of sarcasm, because Ana basically raised herself. While her mother treats her with disdain, the rest of her society treats her with indifference.

It was interesting to see the way that Meadows shaped Ana as a character and her personality with this type of upbringing. In fact, I liked how Meadows shaped all of her characters. Sam was thoughtful and modest (considering his talent) and other ancillary characters that became friends (or at least friendly) with Ana seemed to enrich the plot, not only in terms of how each soul seemed to have their own talent or personality that made them interesting, but also that each soul somehow contributed to the overall enrichment of the community.

The plot itself of INCARNATE had some issues for me. The world initially seemed very similar to a human world, even with the idea that each person living in it had been reincarnated, retaining the memories and connections from past lives. However, the meeting of Sam and Ana was precipitated by Ana being attacked by a sylph, a creature that is mentioned as the attack happens. Very convenient. So too were the dragon attacks that randomly come during certain times, where they served to put someone in danger.

I wasn't necessarily pulled out of the story during these times, but I did feel the introduction of the sylphs and dragons were incongruous with the rest of what was going on at the time. What did it serve for me to read about these events? How did it advance the plot while I was reading? I could see how some readers would find an added danger and heightened mystery about this fantasy world here, but I could also see how some readers might be confused about its relevancy, and even other readers might be put off.

The bottom line: I enjoyed INCARNATE. Perhaps I didn't love it quite as much as I expected, and perhaps I might have found some parts to be odd, but I liked it. I liked the premise of a whole society, save for one, that is solely reincarnated souls. I liked Meadows writing and her characters. For a reader looking for a less complex fantasy story, with a little self-discovery, a little romance and some heart-stopping moments, INCARNATE is the book you want to read.

3/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 11/15 (3 stars) Recommend

Appeal For Help To Fellow Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:26:00 +0000

Late Friday, January 20th, a fire struck the home of Once Upon A Twilight blog founder, Yara Santos. Then earlier Saturday morning, a second fire devastated the house, and though no one was hurt, Yara and her family have lost virtually everything.

Yara is a personal friend and a really great blogger, who will now have to face starting over. TwilightMOMS, an organization that counts Yara as one of their members, has set up a Paypal donation fund that you can access HERE.

100% of the donations will go directly to Yara and her family. Please keep Yara, her husband, and her children in your thoughts and prayers. Please consider donating if you can.

*Photos courtesy of Montgomery County Police Reporter

New Read My Mind Weekly Feature! Under $5 Nook Books

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:20:00 +0000

Paranormal Romance

A Taste of Midnight by Laura Adrian

1.99 (Click on price to be redirected to purchase page at Barnes and Noble)
A shimmering holiday gala lights up an ancient castle in the Scottish Highlands, but beautiful widowed Breedmate Danika MacConn feels alone in the crowd. Even among the friends and festivity of the Darkhaven celebration, she can’t forget her lost love, a fallen warrior of the Order. Her brief return to her mate’s homeland has become treacherous after rejecting the advances of a dangerous Edinburgh crime boss with a taste for blood sport. As Danika seeks to expose the vampire and his dark trade, she discovers an unexpected ally in his forbidding, enigmatic henchman, Brannoc, a man who exudes heat, danger, and dark menace—and seems somehow achingly familiar. Bran has his own reasons for wanting to keep Dani out of his employer’s business . . . and his own secrets he means to keep buried. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a woman who tempts the wildest part of his Breed nature—especially when that woman is Danika MacConn, the one woman capable of bringing him to his knees.

Bodyguard by Jennifer Ashley

.99
Elizabeth Chapman is saved from an armed robber by a giant Kodiak bear who shifts into a large, well-muscled, and fully naked human male. But when it's revealed that the robber is the brother of a dangerous criminal, Elizabeth finds herself the target of a vendetta.

Ronan, the Bear Shifter, takes her to Shiftertown for safety, where Elizabeth learns that the mateless Ronan, alone in the world, takes care of Shifters who have also been left on their own. Having grown up in foster care, Elizabeth can only admire how protective Ronan is.

But Ronan will only let Elizabeth leave the confines of Shiftertown if he becomes her 24/7 bodyguard. Elizabeth chafes at the restriction, but agrees. The trouble is, the sassy human Elizabeth is triggering Ronan's long-buried need to find himself a mate.

Be Witched by H.P. Mallory

.99
While the undead wage a brutal civil war, Rand Balfour has only one thing on his mind: protecting his true love, Jolie Wilkins, the savvy and spirited witch whose powers have made her the toast—and target—of the new Underworld order.

For Rand, keeping Jolie safe means guarding against allies and enemies alike. First there’s Sinjin Sinclair, a dangerously seductive vampire who has his fangs set on Jolie, and who Rand suspects of harboring a sinister agenda. Then there are the factions of supernatural creatures causing chaos at every turn. But most shocking is Rand himself, whose wild desire for Jolie may put her very life at risk. Torn between his duty and his passion, Rand must summon all his strength to withstand temptation, even if it costs him the one woman he cannot bear to lose.

True Colors by Thea Harrison

2.87
Meeting your soulmate? Great. Preventing your possible murder? Even better.

Alice Clark, a Wyr and schoolteacher, has had two friends murdered in as many days, and she’s just found the body of a third. She arrives at the scene only minutes before Gideon Riehl, a wolf Wyr and current detective in the Wyr Division of Violent Crime—and, as Alice oh-so-inconveniently recognizes at first sight, her mate.

But the sudden connection Riehl and Alice feel is complicated when the murders are linked to a serial killer who last struck seven years ago, killing seven people in seven days. They have just one night before the killer strikes again. And every sign points to Alice as the next victim.

Historical Romance

And Then He Kissed Her by Laura Lee Guhrke

.99
Supremely sensible Emmaline Dove wishes to share her etiquette expertise with London's readers, and as secretary to Viscount Marlowe, Emma knows she's in the perfect position to make her dream come true. Marlowe might be a rake with a preference for can-can dancers and an aversion to matrimony, but he is also the city's leading publisher, and Emma is convinced he's her best chance to see her work in print...until she discovers the lying scoundrel has been rejecting her manuscripts without ever reading a single page!

As a publisher, Harry finds reading etiquette books akin to slow, painful torture. Besides, he can't believe his proper secretary has the passion to write anything worth reading. Then she has the nerve to call him a liar, and even resigns without notice, leaving his business in an uproar and his honor in question. Harry decides it's time to teach Miss Dove a few things that aren't proper. But when he kisses her, he discovers that his former secretary has more passion and fire than he'd ever imagined, for one luscious taste of her lips only leaves him hungry for more.

Sins Of A Wicked Duke by Sophie Jordan

1.99
One would think the last place a beauty like Fallon O'Rourke could keep her virtue was in the Mayfair mansion of London's most licentious duke, the notorious Dominic Hale. Yet Fallon—who's endured nothing but lecherous advances since her father's tragic death—is perfectly safe there . . . disguised as a footman! Beneath the notice of the dark-haired devil with his smoldering blue eyes and sinful smile, Fallon never imagines her secret will be discovered. But how long can her deception last when she begins to wish she is one of the many women traipsing in and out of the sinful rogue's bedchamber?

Most men envy the duke, never suspecting his pleasure-loving ways are a desperate attempt to escape, however briefly, the pain of a past that's left him with a heart of stone. Only one woman can break down his defenses. Only one woman can win his love . . . if she reveals her secret and succumbs to the sins of the wicked duke.

Contemporary Romance

Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr

4.89
Sick of running into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts a job at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high road right out of town. Now she's got Paul Haggerty's business running like a well-oiled machine. In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance to hire an extra set of hands.

Just like Leslie, Conner Danson has been burned by love. But if Leslie was disappointed by her relationship going bad, Conner was decimated. He's got no time for women…although he spends an awful lot of time pretending not to notice Leslie. And she's pretty busy "ignoring" the chemistry between them.

According to Conner and Leslie, they have only one thing in common—they're done with love. But everyone in Virgin River can see that things are heating up at Haggerty Construction. And as far as Paul Haggerty can tell, the best thing he can do is hang on to his hard hat and watch the sparks fly!

Wanted By Her Lost Love by Maya Banks

3.19
Despite his fiancée's chilling betrayal, developer Ryan Beardsley provided for Kelly Christian when he sent her packing. So he's livid to find her working in a dingy Houston diner, desperate and pregnant. Regardless of whether the baby is his—or his brother's—Ryan demands that Kelly return to New York with him. Now. For the baby's sake. Or maybe because the woman's as irresistible as ever...

Urban Fantasy

Nightwalker by Jocelynn Drake

.99
For centuries Mira has been a nightwalker—an unstoppable enforcer for a mysterious organization that manipulates earth-shaking events from the darkest shadows. But elemental mastery over fire sets her apart from others of her night-prowling breed . . . and may be all that prevents her doom.

The foe she now faces is human: the vampire hunter called Danaus, who has already destroyed so many undead. For Mira, the time has come to hunt... or be hunted.

Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells

2.99
In a world where being of mixed-blood is a major liability, Sabina Kane has the only profession fit for an outcast: assassin. But, her latest mission threatens the fragile peace between the vampire and mage races and Sabina must scramble to figure out which side she's on. She's never brought her work home with her---until now.

This time, it's personal.

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

.99
THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.

The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully tattooed witch and freewheeling ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for banishing the wicked dead. But Chess is keeping a dark secret: She owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump, who wants immediate payback in the form of a dangerous job that involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb

1.99
For years, the Trader cities valiantly battled their enemies, the Chalcedeans. But they could not have staved off invasion without the powerful dragon Tintaglia. In return, the Traders promised to help her serpents migrate up the Rain Wild River after a long exile at sea—to find a safe haven and, Tintaglia hopes, to restore her species. But too much time has passed, and the newly hatched dragons are damaged and weak, and many die. The few who survive cannot use their wings; earthbound, they are powerless to hunt and vulnerable to human predators willing to kill them for the fabled healing powers of dragon flesh.

But Tintaglia has vanished and the Traders are weary of the labor and expense of tending useless dragons. The Trader leadership fears that if it stops providing for the young dragons, the hungry and neglected creatures will rampage—or die along the river's acidic muddy banks. To avert catastrophe, the dragons decree a move even farther up the treacherous river to Kelsingra, their ancient, mythical homeland whose mysterious location is locked deep within the dragons' uncertain ancestral memories.

To ensure their safe passage, the Traders recruit a disparate group of young people to care for the damaged creatures and escort them to their new home. Among them is Thymara, an unschooled forest girl of sixteen, and Alise, a wealthy Trader's wife trapped in a loveless marriage, who attaches herself to the expedition as a dragon expert. The two women share a deep kinship with the dragons: Thymara can instinctively communicate with them, and Alise, captivated by their beauty and majesty, has devoted her life to studying them.

Embarking on an arduous journey that holds no promise of return, the band of humans and dragons must make their way along the toxic and inhospitable Rain Wild River—an extraordinary odyssey that will teach them lessons about themselves and one another, as they experience hardships, betrayals, and joys beyond their wildest dreams.

Paranormal YA

After Eden by Katherine Pine

.99
Devi knows she shouldn't trust the new employee at her favorite used bookstore. Sure, he's funny, smart and hands down the sexiest guy she's ever met, but something dark lurks behind his unassuming smile and sinful green eyes.

Still, a girl can't always afford to be picky. When an angel abducts your twin brother it should come as no surprise that the one person who can help you get him back is a demon--and only if you're willing to pay his price

Brightest Kind Of Darkness by P.T. Michelle

.99
Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon

.99
Harper Madison isn't like other girls. She has extraordinary powers, but her inability to control them has gotten her kicked from so many foster homes she's lost count. Shadowford Home is her last chance, and she hopes Peachville High will be the fresh start she needs. But when evidence ties her to the gruesome murder of a Demons cheerleader, Harper discovers this small town has a big secret.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy YA

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

.99
When Clara Gardner learns she’s part angel, her entire life changes. She now has a purpose, a specific task she was put on this earth to accomplish, except she doesn’t know what it is. Her visions of a raging forest fire and a mysterious boy lead her to a new high school in a new town but provide no clear instruction. As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she’d have to make—between the boy in her vision and the boy in her life, between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. . . . When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

4.99
Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change. She never expects to become Po’s friend. She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace—or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Mesmerized by Julia Crane and Talia Jager

2.99
Seventeen-year-old succubus Lily Anderson can’t have a normal life: She isn't allowed a boyfriend, she has no friends, and school is just one mess-up after another.

Lily’s parents send her away to the prestigious Emerson Academy. It doesn’t appear to be any different from the others. That is, until she meets her roommate, Hannah, and a blue-eyed boy named Jake.

Lily makes an almost deadly mistake, and Jake has a mysterious past that has come back to haunt him. Together, they must go on the run from things neither of them understand in order to save the people they love—and each other. But, Jake’s foe is more dangerous than they realized, and it will take the help of friends and family to save the man Lily loves.

She must learn to use her powers for good before it’s too late.

Contemporary YA

Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have) by Sarah Mylnowski

.99
2 girls + 3 guys + 1 house - parents = 10 things April and her friends did that they (definitely, maybe, probably) shouldn't have.

If given the opportunity, what sixteen-year-old wouldn't jump at the chance to move in with a friend and live parent-free? Although maybe "opportunity" isn't the right word, since April had to tell her dad a tiny little untruth to make it happen (see #1: "Lied to Our Parents"). But she and her housemate Vi are totally responsible and able to take care of themselves. How they ended up "Skipping School" (#3), "Throwing a Crazy Party" (#8), "Buying a Hot Tub" (#4), and, um, "Harboring a Fugitive" (#7) at all is kind of a mystery
to them.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

.99
When a virus makes everyone over the age of eighteen infertile, would-be parents pay teen girls to conceive and give birth to their children, making teens the most prized members of society. Girls sport fake baby bumps and the school cafeteria stocks folic-acid-infused food.

Sixteen-year-old identical twins Melody and Harmony were separated at birth and have never met until the day Harmony shows up on Melody’s doorstep. Up to now, the twins have followed completely opposite paths. Melody has scored an enviable conception contract with a couple called the Jaydens. While they are searching for the perfect partner for Melody to bump with, she is fighting her attraction to her best friend, Zen, who is way too short for the job.

Harmony has spent her whole life in Goodside, a religious community, preparing to be a wife and mother. She believes her calling is to convince Melody that pregging for profit is a sin. But Harmony has secrets of her own that she is running from.

When Melody is finally matched with the world-famous, genetically flawless Jondoe, both girls’ lives are changed forever. A case of mistaken identity takes them on a journey neither could have ever imagined, one that makes Melody and Harmony realize they have so much more than just DNA in common.

ARC Review: Dead To You by Lisa McMann

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:31:00 +0000

Book: DEAD TO YOU
Author: LISA MCMANN
Genre: CONTEMPORARY YA
Published: February 2012, SIMON PULSE

Series: none
Source: Around The World ARC Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

My Review:
DEAD TO YOU is the second novel that I have read by Lisa McMann, the first being CRYER'S CROSS, and both which the words "haunting and emotional" are my thoughts post read. DEAD TO YOU seems like a simpler book than it turned out to be. A boy, having been kidnapped years ago, is returned to his rightful family, and must now adjust to being where he is supposed to be.

The narrator Ethan is fantastic in expressing the emotions that he is going through. The memories he's lost, the animosity from his brother, his confusion and re-integration into his family and neighborhood. All of this serves to muddy the waters of that "simple" story. McMann is genius at setting up the relationships that will be explored throughout the book, and I thought the juxtaposition of his brother's reaction with his parents shows the utter complexities that exist in a situation like Ethan's.

When I read CRYER'S CROSS, I was struck by how much McMann's writing appealed to me. There's not so much flowery description or world-building, but her prose is arresting and intriguing. Even with a vastly different subject in DEAD TO YOU, that style is still evident, and I'm not afraid to admit that it's one of the reasons why I wanted to read this book, without even really knowing what it was about initially. I wasn't disappointed by the journey.

Not surprisingly, I find myself at a bit of a loss organizing my thoughts about DEAD TO YOU. Of course, it was a great book for me. Other than advocating that any one who liked McMann's previous work go out and buy this, read this, it almost feels like my feelings are too private, too intricately part of me to really express how DEAD TO YOU impacted my senses. It's not often that an author or book can affect me this way. I'll go back to saying that DEAD TO YOU was a haunting and emotional rollercoaster that explored the loss of a family, the loss of childhood, and the endurance and sometimes blindness, of hope.

4.5/5 for plot
5/5 for characters
5/5 for language

My Rating: 14.5/15 (5 stars) Must Read

Find the author at:
Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Say No to SOPA and PIPA

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:39:00 +0000

Read My Mind is participating in the blackout to protest SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) on January 18th, from 8AM-8PM.

Why? Under the laws, the government has the ability to regulate material on the internet in a bid to stop widespread internet piracy.

Doesn't sound so bad? I'm against illegal copyright infringement and piracy BUT these laws give too much power to the government to arbitrarily decide what constitutes infringement.

That Teaser Tuesday or Friday 56 excerpt from a book I post on my blog? Subject to SOPA or PIPA.

That link I made to another blog or site, which may or may not be violating SOPA or PIPA makes ME vulnerable to being shut down.

I can't and won't support an act that would seek to punish those of us who just wish to interact online. I can't and won't support an act that would take away personal freedom to this degree, while not showing whether it really can curtail ILLEGAL AND HURTFUL piracy.

If you feel the same, please take action here by contacting your congressional representative.

You can see the two posts that I promised as part of a blog tour (posted just after midnight):

Book Review: Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr
Q&A With Robyn Carr

But other than that, Read My Mind will be inactive from 8AM-8PM to support the anti-SOPA/anti-PIPA cause.

Thank You.

Book Review: Hidden Summit by Robyn Carr

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:45:00 +0000

Book: HIDDEN SUMMIT
Author: ROBYN CARR
Genre: CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Published: December 2011, MIRA (HARLEQUIN)

Series: VIRGIN RIVER #17
Source: Little Bird Publicity, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Sick of running into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts a job at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high road right out of town. Now she's got Paul Haggerty's business running like a well-oiled machine. In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance to hire an extra set of hands.

Just like Leslie, Conner Danson has been burned by love. But if Leslie was disappointed by her relationship going bad, Conner was decimated. He's got no time for women…although he spends an awful lot of time pretending not to notice Leslie. And she's pretty busy "ignoring" the chemistry between them.

According to Conner and Leslie, they have only one thing in common—they're done with love. But everyone in Virgin River can see that things are heating up at Haggerty Construction. And as far as Paul Haggerty can tell, the best thing he can do is hang on to his hard hat and watch the sparks fly!

My Review:
Despite the plethora of books Robyn Carr has published, HIDDEN SUMMIT was my first read by her. This of course, means that I have never been introduced to her Virgin River world, which has flourished since the first book. There are many relationships and characters that have probably grown throughout the series, and I haven't had a chance to immerse myself in their world before now. If I had any reservations about this, they were swiftly put to rest as I read through the first few chapters.

Conner Danson is a great character. He's not flawless by any means. When I first started reading, I definitely understood the chip on his shoulder about the circumstances that led him to Virgin River. By being the type of man that does the right thing, he is forced to leave his old life behind. I really liked that the first sight of each other (Leslie Petruso and himself) is done through his eyes.

It was refreshing to experience a male point-of-view that was quite normal and ordinary. Conner Danson seems like a real guy. His personality and persona jumped off the page, not because he was overbearingly alpha or so breathtakingly sexy, but because Carr wrote his character as a man that I could meet in the real world. As too was Leslie. The dual perspective was enriching and gave me a chance to enjoy both characters equally.

In fact, one of the best parts of HIDDEN SUMMIT is the pace in which the characters meet, are attracted to each other, become friends, and then more. It's just as real as the characters. Sometimes I watch old BBC miniseries', and when I compare them to their slicker, newer Hollywood 2-hour movie, I realize that I miss the older version. For all of its length, I don't feel as if I am being denied any important details. Not everything has to be instant and double time. That more relaxed feeling permeated throughout my reading of the book.

Even with a dash of suspense and danger, HIDDEN SUMMIT was a comfort read for me. This is a book that I will re-read when I need a break. It's my zen, my yoga, and I thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Virgin River.

4.5/5 for plot
4.5/5 for characters
4/5 for language

My Rating: 13/15 (4 stars) Highly Recommend

Find the author at:
Website | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Purchase book at:
Barnes and Noble | Harlequin | IndieBound | Books-A-Million | Amazon | Audible

Available formats: Print (Mass Market Paperback), NookBook, ePub, Kindle, Audiobook

Q&A with Robyn Carr (Hidden Summit)

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:01:00 +0000

I'd like to welcome Robyn Carr to Read My Mind today. She answered a few questions for myself and my lovely readers as part of a blog tour to promote her newest release, HIDDEN SUMMIT. Be sure to check out my review in the following post!

About The Author

Now that Robyn Carr has earned the #1 slot on the New York Times list, the creator of the wildly popular Virgin River series laughs when someone refers to her as an overnight success.

“The truth is, I was first published in 1978, and it took me thirty years to make it to The New York Times Bestseller List,” she pointed out.

But once Robyn became that popular, she stayed that popular. And, when Bring Me Home for Christmas, the 16th Virgin River novel, was released in November 2011, it debuted in the #1 slot not just on The New York Times roster, but also on the Barnes and Noble, and Publishers Weekly lists as well.

Clearly, Robyn’s series about men of honor who build a town in northern California’s redwood forests for the women they love has launched her into the publishing stratosphere and earned her a broad and loyal following. The first book in the series, Virgin River, was published in 2007. The next year Robyn got the call from her editor that A Virgin River Christmas had landed on the Times list.

Robyn and her husband enjoy traveling, often taking research trips together. Their son and daughter are grown. Robyn says that, in addition to reading her novels and making snide remarks about how she’s used family scenarios to her advantage, they have made her a happy grandmother.

Q: How much of your actual life gets written into your fictional stories? Do you ever use real people as inspiration for your characters?

A: As inspiration—yes. But as actual characters, no. Real people don’t usually come off well in fiction. I take traits and experiences and emotional reactions from people I’ve met or read about and blend them into composite characters. But experiences and bits of dialogue from my life sneak in—happily. In Virgin River Jack’s sisters are remembering when Jack and his best friend hung their dolls by the neck—mean big brother stuff. My son and his best friend did that to my daughter’s cabbage patch dolls. Don’t worry, they’re all fine…. Well, I’m not sure about the dolls, but my son, his best friend and my daughter have persevered.

Q: Have you noticed your writer’s voice has changed over the years due to experience? If so, how?

A: Undoubtedly I’ve both matured and relaxed. I’ve gained experience both in life and writing and I’ve relaxed into telling stories my way, the way that is natural to me. Both things help.

Q: What is the underlying message you want women to take away from this new Virgin River trilogy—Hidden Summit, Redwood Bend, and Sunrise Point?

As in all Virgin River novels, it’s never too late to create your own happy ending. You are the heroine of your own life and you never never never settle for less than the most optimal experience, the most perfect partner. Men and women thrive when they find positive, mutually respectful relationships.

Thanks so much Robyn, for giving some insight into your inspiration and the newest VIRGIN RIVER TRILOGY!

Hidden Summit

Sick of running into her cheery ex-husband and his new wife, Leslie Petruso accepts a job at the Virgin River branch of Haggerty Construction and takes the high road right out of town. Now she's got Paul Haggerty's business running like a well-oiled machine. In fact, things are so busy Paul jumps at the chance to hire an extra set of hands.

Just like Leslie, Conner Danson has been burned by love. But if Leslie was disappointed by her relationship going bad, Conner was decimated. He's got no time for women…although he spends an awful lot of time pretending not to notice Leslie. And she's pretty busy "ignoring" the chemistry between them.

According to Conner and Leslie, they have only one thing in common—they're done with love. But everyone in Virgin River can see that things are heating up at Haggerty Construction. And as far as Paul Haggerty can tell, the best thing he can do is hang on to his hard hat and watch the sparks fly!

Destiny's Fire Blog Tour: Trisha Wolfe Guest Post

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0000

I am very happy to welcome Trisha Wolf here today to talk a little about her newest release, DESTINY'S FIRE.

About The Author:
Trisha Wolfe is an avid reader and writer of Young Adult fiction. Her debut novel DESTINY'S FIRE will be published by Omnific Publishing in early 2012. Her short stories have appeared in Young Adult literary journals and fantasy magazines.

She's a proud member and co-founder of Kappa Delta Writer for up and coming YA authors, and a member of the SCWW and YALITCHAT.ORG

Website | Blog | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Genre Mesh-up

I’ve had some people ask about the exact genre of DESTINY’S FIRE, wanting to know what it’s classified as. I’ll be honest; I’m not quite sure myself. When an idea hits, and characters start forming and coming to life, I don’t sit down and say, “Okay, I’m going to write a Paranormal.” I don’t really think about the genre at all. Well, except Young Adult. Before anything, that always comes first, and I try very hard to make it real for teens and young women. And, older-ish women, as I never stopped reading YA myself. I even take into account that a lot of guys like to read the YA genre, and I want it to appeal to them also.

That being said, I did know that I loved the idea of Steampunk and I wanted to write it. I had only read a few books, but I fell in love with the world, with the concept. But, there were certain aspects that didn’t appeal to me. I wanted to create a steam-powered world that girls could enjoy, and I wanted it to be different than other Steampunk books at the same time. I developed the characters first, wrote some scenes, and then formed the world around them. So really, the paranormal aspect came first. But I was sort of bored with writing about vampires and the sort. Oh yes, I have written not one but TWO vamp books. And one of them had were/shifters in there, too. I love them, but I wanted something original.

I sat down with pen and paper and thought of things that interested me. I love the Egyptian culture. It was one of the first civilizations, and so many ideas can be formed around ancient Egyptian knowledge and beliefs. I created a new breed of shape-shifters that stemmed from Egyptian guardians to the gods. But instead of gods, I focused on Pharaohs. After that, I started listing all the things that could mesh within this world. It wasn’t until I created the Narcolym that the Steampunk world came alive. Steam needs heat. BAM. A world fashioned by fire wielding shape-shifters. It fell into place after that. I started from the top and then Dez took over. She brought all the elements together. She connected the gaps, and her voice told the story. I plan to delve deeper into their Egyptian heritage and the powers connecting it in the next book as Dez discovers more about it herself.

I’ve heard people refer to DF as Dystopia, also. I never really considered it Dystopia, but I guess in a sense, some Dystopian elements are there, too. I read and love so many genres that I don’t think I could ever write for just one. So there is probably a little of everything laced throughout. But I can’t classify DF as any one genre other than YA. YA is where my focus is. The novel I recently finished is a mesh-up between Dystopia and Historical. I didn’t intend for it to be that way, it just happened after the characters were developed and I started creating the world around them. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to genre mesh, if all my books will have this theme. It’s not purposely done. But I won’t purposely try not to do it if that’s where the characters feel right—if that’s the setting and world where they belong.

Thank you so much Trisha for stopping by!

Destiny's Fire

It’s the year 2040, and sixteen-year-old Dez Harkly is one of the last of her kind—part of a nearly extinct race of shape-shifters descended from guardians to the Egyptian pharaohs. Her home and her secret are threatened when the Council lowers the barrier, allowing the enemy race to enter the Shythe haven.

As the Narcolym airships approach, Dez and her friends rebel against their Council and secretly train for battle. Not only is Dez wary of war and her growing affection for her best friend Jace, but she fears the change her birthday will bring. When Dez’s newfound power rockets out of control, it’s a Narcolym who could change her fate… if she can trust him.

Dez’s guarded world crumbles when she discovers why the Narcos have really come to Haven Falls, and she's forced to choose between the race who raised her and the enemy she's feared her whole life.

Barnes and Noble | Omnific Publishing | All Romance E-Books | Amazon

NookBook, ePub, PDF, Kindle

Check back later today for my review of this genre mixing, action packed debut!

Book Review: Everneath by Brodie Ashton

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:29:00 +0000

Book: EVERNEATH
Author: BRODIE ASHTON
Genre: YA FANTASY
Published: January 2012, BALZER + BRAY (HARPER COLLINS)

Series: Everneath #1 (upcoming series)
Source: Around The World Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

My Review:
I was really impressed initially by the cover art for EVERNEATH. As I can be swayed by a pretty cover, and I tend to only superficially read the blurb or synopsis to a book before hand, there are plenty of times that I will be chapters into a book before I even fully "get" what the plot is. This was one of the things that happened here. Other people had raved to me about EVERNEATH and I started reading without any preconceptions.

The first thing that really hit me was that I liked Ashton's writing and her writing style. I don't always subscribe to the idea that there has to action in the very first pages, but I do subscribe to the idea that the first few pages have to hook me. They did. The first few pages hooked me. The first few chapters hooked me. Despite the heftiness of the ARC that I read, it didn't take me that long to reach the last page. I was always wanting more.

EVERNEATH involves one of the most ultimate kinds of triangles. Nikki has to choose between returning to the Everneath and Cole, the boy who took her life for six months or staying in her former life with Jack, for the little bit of time that she can possess this former life. But, Ashton goes beyond the bad boy versus good guy. She goes beyond the reign-in-hell or eternally-exist-in-agony choice that Nikki is faced with. Nikki's psyche and choices are laid bare for the reader. The chapters often alternate to her life before she initially chose Cole and the Everneath, where we can see the other girl that she was.

While the plot and the characters were nice, as I said above, what really captivated me while I was reading was the actual language and writing. Often the inner dialog of Nikki, and the dialog that she engaged in with other characters was spot-on in displaying her discombobulation at being back on the surface. The relatively lyrical quality and thoughtfulness of the exposition is perfectly matched and I am looking forward to picking up future novels by Ashton.

4/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 12.5/15 (3.5 stars) Highly Recommend

Find the author at:
Blog | Twitter | GoodReads

Purchase book at:
Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | Books-A-Million | Amazon

Book Review: Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:03:00 +0000

Book: STOLEN AWAY
Author: ALYXANDRA HARVEY
Genre: YA FANTASY
Published: January 2012, WALKER CHILDRENS (BLOOMSBURY)

Series: none
Source: Around The World Tours, no other compensation given for an honest review

From Good Reads:
For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric - who may or may not betray them.

My Review:
Faery books can be hit or miss with me. Perhaps because I've always been interested in Celtic myth and history, I have less of a tolerance for "getting it wrong". In all honesty, I've also been imprinted by Melissa Marr's faery books that wowed me totally. I have a deep hunger for the books that don't portray faeries as sweet, winged, miniature creatures. With all that said, Alyxandra Harvey's STOLEN AWAY was exactly what I wanted out of a faery book.

STOLEN AWAY was the first novel in a very long time that I have read which had so many alternating POVs. For a reader who has a hard time keeping track of who is telling the story, when each POV is told in first person, this book might be too disorienting or confusing. Especially when considering the relatively short chapters, I could see that there would definitely be some readers who would be taken too far out of the story by this device. It didn't bother me once I got into the book. What also helps is that Harvey gives each of her characters distinctive personalities.

Eloise was a pretty good female character, but I found myself fascinated more by Harvey's male characters, Lucas and Eldric. I felt they possessed more mystery, dual-naturedness and interesting characteristics than Eloise. That's not to say that her chapters weren't interesting, just that my heart would race a little faster when Lucas and Eldric made an appearance.

Basically, I enjoyed reading STOLEN AWAY. The pace is perfect for the story. the plot kept me interested, and anyone who enjoys the darker side of the fey will have a good time reading this novel. Recently, I have found an appreciation for the shorter novel because, as long as the plot never seems rushed or too compacted, it can be great to find a book that can be read in a short amount of time.

3.5/5 for plot
4/5 for characters
3.5/5 for language

My Rating: 11/15 (3 stars)

Highly Recommend, if you enjoyed
Wicked Lovely (series) by Melissa Marr
Need (series) by Carrie Jones

Find the author at:
Website | Twitter | GoodReads

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Book: ANGELFALL
Author: SUSAN EE
Genre: YA FANTASY/POST-APOCALYPTIC
Published: May 2011

Series: Penryn and the End of Days #1 (upcoming series)
Source: Purchased with my own funds

From Good Reads:
It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

My Review:
Writing my first review of 2012, and having it be for such an awesome book as ANGELFALL (which was actually the first book I finished reading in 2012, too) is a great feeling. This book paints angels in a very, very bad light. The main character, Penryn is a human trying to survive the angel apocalypse that has started on the west coast of the U.S. with her mother, and beloved, but wheelchair bound younger sister. The story is galvanized by the abduction of Penryn's sister by an angel. In fact, this happens in the very first pages. The action is non-stop and the ride is creepy, dark, and absolutely exhilarating.

Penryn's character is brilliantly penned by Susan Ee. There's a beauty to how Penryn owns herself. Her body, her actions and her choices. Though ther are times when the reader can clearly see that Penryn's determination is going to land her in a maelstrom of trouble, I had to admire the way that from thought to action, she followed through. ANGELFALL does not have a dithering female as its lead. And because I think the phrase "strong" is overused and misused to describe YA protagonists, I'm not going to put it in here. BUT...

Though the reader gets to experience the narrative through Penryn's eyes, all of the other characters are just as interesting and fully realized as her. Raffe, the angel that Penryn saves at the cost of her sister, is mysterious and taciturn, but I never felt frustrated at how much is revealed about his character. Same too for Penryn's mother. Almost none of her character's motivation is explained, however her place in the book is important.

ANGELFALL is the perfect novel to read, if you are looking for the next great post-apocalyptic novel to fill the void. Not only am I still thinking about it days after finishing it, it's one of those books that has gotten under my skin. One of those books that could potentially ruin the next book I try to read, because nothing will quite be as great just now. Susan Ee is amazing at the macabre and I'm waiting anxiously for the next installment in Penryn's life.

5/5 for plot
5/5 for characters
4.5/5 for language

My Rating: 14.5/15 (5 stars)

Must Read, if you liked:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Other Life by Susanne Winnacker
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton
Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Find the author at:
Blog | Twitter | GoodReads | Facebook

Purchase book at:
Barnes and Noble | Amazon

Available formats: NookBook, Kindle

{My} Best of 2011: November/December 2011 Top 5 (All Genres)

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:46:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

November/December 2011 Top 5 (All Genres)

Number Five

Cast In Fury
When a minority race of telepaths is suspected of causing a near-devastating tidal wave, Private Kaylin Neya is summoned to Court—and into a PR nightmare. To ease racial tensions, the emperor has commissioned a play, and the playwright has his own ideas about who should be the focus...

But Kaylin works her best magic behind the scenes, and though she tries to stay neutral, she is again drawn into a world of politics... and murder. To make matters worse, Marcus, her trusted sergeant, gets stripped of his command, leaving Kaylin vulnerable. Now she's juggling two troubling cases, and even magic's looking good by comparison. But then nobody ever said life in the theater was easy...
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

The Hunter
Colt Jackson has gotten his name on many a wanted poster with success in the family business: hunting supernaturals across the frontier. Lately, though, there's a sulfur stink in the wind and the Darkin population is exploding. A rift in the worlds is appearing. To close it, Colt will have to do the unthinkable and work with a demon to pass arcane boundaries no human alone can cross.

Except when he summons his demon, he doesn't get some horned monstrosity: he gets a curvy redheaded succubus named Lilly, who's willing to make a bargain to become human again. He also gets Lilly's secret expertise on the machinations on the dark side of the rift. And her charm and cleverness help to get them out of what his silver-loaded pistol and mechanical horse can't. Of course, when all hell breaks loose, he might have to sacrifice his soul. But what's adventure without a little risk?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Half-Blood
The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi-pure-bloods-have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals-well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two
Heart Of Steel
Growing up in the dangerous world of the Iron Seas, the mercenary captain of the airship Lady Corsair, Yasmeen, has learned to keep her heart hard as steel. Ruthless and cunning, her only loyalty is to her ship and her crew-until one man comes along and changes everything...Treasurehunter Archimedes Fox isn't interested in the Lady Corsair-just the captain and the valuable da Vinci sketch she stole from him. When it attracts a dangerous amount of attention, Yasmeen and Archimedes journey to Horde-occupied Morocco- and straight into enemy hands.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

Fifty Shades Of Grey
When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

{My} Best of 2011: E-Books

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:44:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

E-Books Top 10

Number Ten

Golden
Golden-eyed Jin has spent her life preparing to be the Emperor's consort. She knows her destiny is to serve the Emperor by indulging the dark desire that he has buried deep inside his heart—the desire to give pain.

Only she can take the pain he yearns to give, and transform it into the most unimaginable pleasure. But to enjoy all the Emperor can give her, she must survive assassination attempts from those who would keep them apart.

Seducing the Emperor is risky...but it's the only way to fulfill her destiny.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Nine
The Keepers of Sulbreth
In this magical, medieval fantasy, forces must combine to save the kingdom of Futhark from the evil abyss that threatens it. Sitting within this land and high above an unexplored sea is Sulbreth, the seat from which the Otten family has always ruled. Standing next to their throne are the Keepers, gifted sorcerers who hide a guarded truth only the king understands.

When Prince Jonared takes the throne, he also inherits a tragic and dark shadow ready to befall his land. He and the Keepers summon Sabelline Shelton, a rare sorceress gifted in metallurgy, for a duty she has always feared. But even her exceptional talents are not enough to forestall the soulless enemy issuing forth from the dark places of Futhark.

When Cage Stone enters Sulbreth in a tournament to secure his sister’s future, he too is called by a prophetic destiny to help fight the otherworldly foes and renew the seals that protect their kingdom.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Eight

Encrypted
Professor Tikaya Komitopis isn't a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy marines show up at her family's plantation, she expects the worst. But they're not there to kill her. They need her to decode mysterious runes, and they ask for help in the manner typical of a conquering empire: they kidnap her, threaten her family, and throw her in the brig of their fastest steamship.

Her only ally is a fellow prisoner who charms her with a passion for academics as great as her own. Together, they must decipher mind-altering alchemical artifacts, deadly poison rockets, and malevolent technological constructs, all while dodging assassination attempts from a rival power determined the expedition should fail. As if Tikaya didn't have troubles enough, her new ally turns out to be exiled fleet admiral, Federias Starcrest, the man who recommended taking over her nation. To trust him could be a mistake; to fall in love with him would be a betrayal to her people, her family, and the fiancé she lost in the war. Those runes cloak more than mysteries, however, and he may be the only one who can help her unravel them before their secrets destroy the world
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Seven
Provoke Me
Attracted. 

Kelly's focus is the bookstore she manages. Sex is relegated to a list of candidates on her PDA. Only one man pushes all her buttons―her boss.

Fascinated.

Spencer is determined to fight his desire for Kelly. For years they’ve bumped heads over the store they both love. But there's more than one reason their getting together is complicated. 

Provoked.

When Kelly and Spencer unexpectedly meet up at a sex club, all the rules go out the window. Suddenly there’s only way this match of wills can end―naked, preferably all night long. In this battle for sexual supremacy, there are two winners—and two losers when their stubbornness leads to the very thing each dreads most.

My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Six

The Claiming Of Suzy
Suzy Bean is a woman who lives in the moment and loves her overabundant curves. The man she secretly loves, JC Mosino, is the only one who can make her untamed sexual fantasies a reality. After having way too much fun during a party, JC drives her home where their passions ignite. Suzy believes this is night she and JC will go from being friends to lovers. Unfortunately things go awry and Suzy ends up throwing JC out.

Now Suzy's whole world has been turned upside down. She's given up smoking and is sexually frustrated when she meets a handsome, flirty stranger, who rubs her the wrong way. This chance meeting is one she'll never forget, for Mr. Hunk is her new boss, Xavier Marks.

JC's craving for Suzy is consuming his thoughts, and he wants nothing more than to work things out and become her lover. He has a plan, but has to move fast as Xavier works to seduce Suzy. JC will do whatever he can to claim his brassy, buxom beauty for his own.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Five

The Last Detail
Ten years after she ran away from Earth, Lou Campbell is one job—just one more collar—away from earning enough credits to go home. All she has to do is lure Sam Dawson within range of her handcuffs with the promise of fast, hard sex. Easy.

Once she gets him there, keeping her own hands off him isn’t so easy.

Sam’s committed his share of sins, but he’s not guilty of selling secrets. Before he can convince the sexiest bounty hunter he’s ever seen that he’s been betrayed, all hell breaks loose. And he’s on the run with a false accusation on his hands—and a bleeding woman in his arms.

Alone in her boss’s safe house, Lou and Dawson’s simmering attraction explodes into full-blown fireworks.

When Jared Flores walks in on his best hunter and ex-lover in bed together, the surprise is mutual. Worse, the need he has long felt for both of them overrides his better judgment. After the fists fly, the sparks catch fire into a budding three-way romance.

Then Sam disappears, leaving Jared and Lou in a race against time to not only retrieve their lover, but save his life.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Hushed
Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Tempt Me
She’s a temptation he can’t resist…

Roxanne ‘Rocki’ Monroe’s life is full of secrets and hidden heartaches. Cole Stanton would love to heal her pain and chase away the ghosts of her past, but she’s just a complication he doesn’t have room for in his life.

Or so he thinks.

It doesn’t take Cole long to realize he’s more than willing to let temptation get the best of him, more than happy to deal with complications if that’s what it takes to get her.

What he has and what he needs are two different things…and what he needs is Rocki.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

Sweet As Sin
John Murphy is tormented by nightmares. A bestselling young-adult author, he writes the ultimate fantasy: stories where good always triumphs. He knows better. His past has shown him the worst in people—and in himself. When he moves next door to the sexy, vibrant Livvy—a woman completely unlike his usual one-night stands—he's driven to explore every curve of her delicious body.

Pastry chef Livvy knows that giving in to the temptation that is John Murphy won't lead to anything permanent, but she deserves a passionate summer fling. John discovers she's as sweet as the confections she bakes while Livvy slowly unravels his secrets. But what will happen when she uncovers them all?
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

Wilder's Mate
Wilder Harding is a bloodhound, created by the Guild to hunt down and kill vampires on America’s frontier. His enhanced abilities come with a high price: on the full moon, he becomes capable of savagery beyond telling, while the new moon brings a sexual hunger that borders on madness.

Rescuing a weapons inventor from undead kidnappers is just another assignment, though one with an added complication—keeping his hands off the man’s pretty young apprentice, who insists on tagging along.

At odds with polite society, Satira’s only constant has been the aging weapons inventor who treats her like a daughter. She isn’t going to trust Wilder with Nathaniel’s life, not when the Guild might decide the old man isn’t worth saving. Besides, if there’s one thing she’s learned, it’s that brains are more important than brawn.

As the search stretches far longer than Wilder planned, he finds himself fighting against time. If Satira is still at his side when the new moon comes, nothing will stop him from claiming her. Worse, she seems all too willing. If their passion unlocks the beast inside, no one will be safe. Not even the man they’re fighting to save.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

{My} Best of 2011: Novella/Anthology

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:30:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

Top 10 Novella/Anthology

Novella Top 5:

Number Five

Turkish Delights
The fifteen year age difference between Elle Kensington, expatriate American executive and Emre Demir, son of Istanbul's most successful businessmen, has not kept them from becoming fast friends as they toured Istanbul together. But the time has come for him to return to the U.S. to finish his master's degree, and she has just been named CEO of the pharmaceutical company that brought her to Turkey in the first place. Elle adores her adopted country, and is alarmed to find herself falling in love with the young man who's been her impromptu guide for the last few months.

She knows they can never be. She will return home to California within a month, leaving behind all she loves about the ancient city. In a rare fit of spontaneity, Elle has contracted with Madame Eve's 1Night Stand dating service, hoping to find a way to forget the dark, handsome young man who has captured her heart. Little does she know what awaits her in the ancient recesses of the Ottoman palace turned luxury hotel under the hands of her one-night stand masseur.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Siren Song
When Chloe Karras sings, she knows that no one can resist her sensual allure—except for the sexy naval officer seemingly immune to her voice. But Captain Alex Shore is just the man she wants to take home after her performance—until he tells her what she thought were imagined powers are real... and dangerous.

Alexandros knows firsthand how seductive sirens are, as well as their potential to destroy. Yet the former sea soldier feels a powerful attraction to the beautiful rock singer that goes beyond her spell. Can he banish Chloe from the town he's vowed to protect—or will he be drawn into the siren's bed?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Hot As Hades
It’s not easy being Hades. Constantly guarding his world against other meddling and ambitious deities is stressful work. So when a naked goddess falls directly into his lap, along with the news that he has to shelter her for the indefinite future, he is less than thrilled. Particularly since he can’t help but lust after the beautiful female.

The Underworld isn’t the first place Persephone would pick for a vacation—who in their right mind would choose a dark palace over sunshine and flowers? Yet from Hades’s first touch, the dark, sexy ruler fascinates her and has her thinking a fling might be just the thing to while away her confinement.

But trust each other? Not a chance. Until the day comes that Persephone must leave... and they realize that trusting each other is the only way they’ll ever meet again.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

Omega Mine
Graced with the ability to shift into any form, Diskant Black is the absolute authority when it comes to New York shifters, and as the Omega of the city, his word is law. Protecting the shifter races is more than a job, it's a predisposition ingrained since birth-nothing is more important.

Until a chance encounter with a tiny female sets fire to his blood, brings him to his knees and turns his world upside down. Ava Brisbane is more than he bargained for in a mate-beautiful, fragile . . . human. If he wants to keep her by his side, he'll have to sacrifice a portion of his soul to establish a bond that can never be broken.

Unfortunately, the timing couldn't be worse. Shepherds-hunters of all the shifter races-have arrived in New York. To protect the woman he can't live without, Diskant will have to stand against those who have come to start a war.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

Demon Bait
Fifty years after a demon apocalypse devastated the world, summoners still bear the bulk of the blame. Marci lives in secret, hiding the gifts that could cost her a secure spot in one of humanity’s underground cities, and access to their virtual world. After all, her chances of avoiding the genetic-testing lotto are better than her chances of surviving topside.

The bastard son of a terrifying incubus, lust heats Gabe’s blood and sex fuels his magic. Innate charm and charisma help him navigate the cultural gap between the outcast town he calls home and the human settlements he infiltrates for trade. His latest mission nets him an unexpected asset–a summoner strong enough to soothe his darkest needs.

Trust a half demon, especially one who uses a lockdown to trap them together? Not in this lifetime. Yet Marci can’t resist Gabe’s offer to see her safely to a selective outcast settlement where she can live without fear. The journey alone is as dangerous as the way Gabe makes her heart race, but it could be her one hope of a real life.

If only she could be sure Gabe’s telling her the whole truth...
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Anthology Top 5:

Number Five

Four Play
In Pillow Talk by Maya Banks, Zoe is a woman in a committed relationship with her boyfriend Chase. Then one night, Chase reveals his number-one fantasy, which involves his two best buddies. Is Zoe game? She sure is, because it opens the door for a secret fantasy all her own.

In Shayla Black's Her Fantasy Men, a girly-girl named Kelsey plays football, craves action movies, and loves knocking back a cold beer with her three best friends-all male. Yet she's never seemed sexually interested in any one of these hot guys. So what does Kelsey want? A fantasy come true for all four of them.
My Good Reads Rating: 3 Stars

Number Four

Exotic Indulgence
There’s something magical about Bandicoot Cove. It’s where Kylie Sullivan’s dream of managing a luxury, five-star resort is about to come true. And it’s where people tend to fall in love. Kylie should know. She’s fallen hard—for three very different men.

There’s Brad, who knows just how to relieve her stress and send her body on a crash course through pleasure. Hemi, her untamed Maori, who awakens her primitive side. And Finn, the sexy bartender whose specialty is Screaming Orgasms.

The three men fulfill all her sexual fantasies, but Kylie knows reality will eventually set in and she’ll have to choose. But how? For now she decides not to decide—at least until she makes sure the resort’s soft opening comes off without a hitch.

As far as Brad, Hemi and Finn are concerned, Kylie’s life is too much work and not enough play. The only choice they plan to give her is to say yes to their wildly passionate proposal...
My Good Reads Rating: 3 Stars

Number Three

Uninhibited in Apple Trail Arkansas
Welcome to Apple Trial, Arkansas. Something must surely be in the water in this small town. Women are tossing their inhibitions out the window and the men are grasping at what to do about it!
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

Wild and Steamy
The Blushing Bounder by Meljean Brook - An Iron Seas novella of 15,000 words: The search for a killer puts Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth's life in danger and her assistant, Constable Newberry, in the line of fire. But Newberry faces a danger of another kind: to his heart, by the woman forced to marry him. What will it take for this prudish bounder to convince his wife to stay?

Vixen by Jill Myles - A shifter novella of 15,000 words: Miko's denied her were-fox nature for far too long and turned her back on her vixen heritage. But when she meets two very sexy cat-shifters, she has to decide if she truly wants to give up on her frisky side, or embrace it. Because the were-fox in her doesn't want to choose between both men...it wants them both.

Kitten-tiger and the Monk by Carolyn Crane - A Disillusionists novella of 20,000 words: Sophia Sidway, Midcity's most dangerous memory revisionist, seeks out the mysterious Monk in the wasteland beneath the Tangle turnpike, hoping for redemption...but it turns out that the Monk is not all that pious, and the turnpike is no turnpike at all.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number One

The Princess In His Bed
The Marquis’ New Clothes: To save her cousin, Aimee de Miran must retrieve a jeweled ring from the most sinfully seductive man at court, the Marquis de Nattes. But to search his considerable wardrobe she’ll have to get very close to the notorious rake…and soon she finds herself very close to him indeed, with his clothes—and hers—utterly forgotten...

The Lovely Duckling: Reputed for his carnal skills, Joseph d’Alumbert prefers amorous encounters without emotional entanglement—until a quick-witted lady stirs tender feelings and hot desire. Emilie de Sarron suffered burns to her body as an infant, and keeps her scars—and her heart—well hidden. But Joseph is determined to peel away her inhibitions, one slow steamy kiss at a time, to reveal the beautiful swan inside...

The Princess and the Diamonds: Princess Gabrielle can’t sleep at night. There is something hard in her bed. No, not just the stolen diamonds tucked under her mattress, but the handsome Marquis on it….whose carnal talents she can’t resist. But he threatens her secret mission, and worse, she stands to lose far more than the diamonds---her heart is at stake...
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

{My} Best of 2011: Sub-Genre Part Three (Contemporary Romance/Historical Romance)

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:15:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

Top 10 Contemporary Romance/Historical Romance

Contemporary Romance Top 5:

Number Five
Northern Exposure
Silas Compton always had his eye on Lucy, the veterinarian’s daughter. He was even content to wait for the girl of his dreams to grow up before getting anywhere near her with his family’s double-edged legacy.

Waiting around led to fooling around with his best friend—and an impulsive eruption of desire that Lucy’s innocent eyes weren’t meant to see. Figuring Compton Pass wasn’t big enough for either the three of them or the pain he’d caused, Silas let loose his tightly reined wanderlust and headed for Alaska.

Ten years later, when an oil rig accident sends him home, he braces himself for the reopening of old wounds. Instead he finds himself in the care—and welcoming arms—of Lucy and Colby, whose marriage has plenty of room for the man they both still love. And forgive with all their hearts.

As things start to unravel at Compass Ranch, Silas must dig deep for the strength to assume his rightful place in the Compton family…and lay the foundation for a future with his lovers. If he can forgive himself.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Turn It On
Inheriting her grandmother’s home is a dream come true for web designer Maxine Turner. She’s looking forward to a little freedom from the constant demands of her beloved, crazy mob of a family. When vandals expose just how vulnerable she is living alone, she seeks help.

Ryan Claymore’s well-thought-out life was wrenched out from under him when responsibility for his special-needs stepbrother landed on his shoulders. Going from military man to business man hasn’t been easy. He counts himself lucky he’s found Maxine to trade his security-system knowledge for her website expertise.

The red-hot chemistry that sizzles between them comes from out of the blue, and they both fight a losing battle to resist. Even the secret Ryan hides isn’t enough to keep Maxine from working her way into his heart—and his bed.

But something else might tear them apart. Whoever seems determined to destroy her home, and her sanity along with it.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Undeniably Yours
Bar owner Kevin Kowalski is used to women throwing their phone numbers at him, but lately he’s more interested in finding a woman to settle down with. A woman like Beth Hansen. If only their first meeting hadn’t gone so badly...

Beth’s tending bar at a wedding when she comes face-to-face with a tuxedo-clad man she never thought she’d see again. She tries to keep her distance from Kevin but, by last call, she can’t say no to his too-blue eyes or the invitation back to his room. Then she slips out before breakfast without leaving a note and, despite their precautions, pregnant.

Kevin quickly warms to the idea of being a dad and to seeing where things go with Beth. After all, he’s not the player she thinks he is. But she’s not ready for a relationship and, given his reputation, it’s going to take a lot to convince her to go on a second date with the father of her child...
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two
Trespass
Many would envy veterinarian Russ Gray’s life in rural Montana’s wide-open spaces. Russ calls it lonely. In a country with more cattle than eligible females, he doesn’t envision his seven years as a widower ending anytime soon. Until a mysterious woman lands at his door in the dead of night, riddled with buckshot.

Sarah Novak hates lying to such a kind, handsome man, but if an upstanding citizen like Russ finds out why she’s been three weeks on the run, he’d surely turn her in. Yet she can’t refuse his offer to let her stay until she heals, no questions asked.

From the start they fall into an easy companionship, then teasing flirtation flares into an unexpected intimate connection. But no matter how right it feels in his arms, guilt tugs at Sarah’s heart. Russ doesn’t deserve what she must do next.

When Russ wakes up with an empty bed—and an empty wallet—his first instinct isn’t to call the cops…it’s to catch her and find out why his urge to protect her overshadows all reason. Because he’s had a taste of real passion, and he’s not letting it slip away without a fight.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number One

Deadly Lies
FBI Special Agent Samantha Kennedy is haunted by memories of the serial killer who abducted her. To keep the darkness at bay, she pretends to be a different, more confident woman. This Samantha doesn't fear every unknown face. So she throws caution to the wind and shares a night of unbridled passion with a handsome stranger.

He needs to uncover the truth
One night isn't enough for successful entrepreneur Max Ridgeway. He wants more of the sexy, smart, mysterious woman who slipped away before dawn. When they meet again, their attraction is undeniable-until his stepbrother goes missing, and Max realizes that Samantha isn't who she seems. But they must trust each other to trap a ring of bloodthirsty kidnappers before the nightmares that terrorize Sam become irrevocably real.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Historical Romance Top 5:

Number Five

Heartless
Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

The Spy Who Loved Her
Lady Anna was once considered the catch of the season. Now, three years after she fell for a man who tried to murder her cousin, she eases her guilt with charity work at an orphanage. Until her mother insists she do her duty.

Attending her cousin’s ball is irritating enough. It’s her one dance with Daniel, the unscrupulous Earl of Bridgerton, that rubs her nerves raw. And oddly leaves her senses on the edge of arousal.

The ton sees Daniel as a scoundrel. In truth, like centuries of Bridgertons before him, he leads a vast network of spies, protecting England from her worst enemies. His resolve never to marry means the one woman he’s always wanted—Lady Anna—is off limits. Especially now that his father’s murderer is coming after him as well.

At first, Anna wonders if Daniel was put on this earth just to annoy her. It’s only when she finds him injured that his mask begins to fall away—and so do the barriers between them. But their flaring passion puts her right where Daniel didn’t want her. Next on a killer’s list.

Warning: This book contains spies, musicales, men who think they know everything, women who know they do not, naughty liaisons, matchmaking mamas, and a seduction that will curl your toes.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

How To Seduce A Scoundrel
Miss Julianne Gatewick is in a pickle. It started when her brother's best friend-for whom she's long nursed a secret tendre-agreed to act as her guardian for the Season, only to seduce her with a risqué waltz. But when the music stopped and the expectant ton waited for Marc Darcett, Earl of Hawkfield, to claim her as his own, he made his disinterest clear. Rather than succumb to humiliation, Julianne does what any self-respecting, recently discarded young miss with a wicked sense of humor would do. She secretly pens a lady's guide to enticing unrepentant rakes... and it becomes the hottest scandal sheet in London.

Every honorable rake knows that friends' sisters are forbidden. But suddenly Julienne has a spark of mischief in her eyes that Hawk can't resist. Try as he might to push her away, he spends his days listening for her laughter and his nights dreaming of kissing her senseless. He's always avoided innocents and their marriage-minded mothers, but has the man least likely to wed finally met his match?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

A Secret Affair
“The Devil was about to be tamed.” Her name is Hannah Reid. Born a commoner, she has been Duchess of Dunbarton ever since she was nineteen years old, the wife of an elderly duke to whom she has been rumored to be consistently and flagrantly unfaithful. Now the old duke is dead and, more womanly and beautiful than ever at thirty, Hannah has her freedom at last.

And she knows just what she wants to do with it. To the shock of a conventional friend, she announces her intention to take a lover—and not just any lover, but the most dangerous and delicious man in all of upper-class England: Constantine Huxtable.

Constantine’s illegitimacy has denied him the title of Earl, so now he denies himself nothing . . . or so the ton would have it. Rumored to be living the free and easy life of a sensualist in his country estate, he always chooses recent widows for his short-lived affairs. Hannah will fit the bill nicely.

But once these two passionate and scandalous figures find each other, they discover that it isn’t so easy to extricate oneself from the fires of desire—without getting singed. For the duchess and the dark lord each have startling secrets to reveal, and when all is said and done, neither will be able to say which one fell in love first, who tamed whom, and who has emerged from this game of hearts with the stronger hand.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number One

Unclaimed
Handsome, wealthy and respected, Sir Mark Turner is the most sought-after bachelor in all of London—and he's known far and wide for his irreproachable character. But behind his virtuous reputation lies a passionate nature he keeps carefully in check...until he meets the beautiful Jessica Farleigh, the woman he's waited for all his life.

But Jessica is a courtesan, not the genteel lady Sir Mark believes. Desperate to be free of a life she despises, she seizes her chance when Mark's enemies make her an offer she can't refuse: seduce Mark and tarnish his good name, and a princely sum will be hers. Yet as she comes to know the man she's sworn to destroy, Jessica will be forced to choose between the future she needs…and the love she knows is impossible.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

{My} Best of 2011: Sub-Genre Part Two (Science-Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Fantasy)

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:05:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

Top 15 Science-Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Fantasy

Science Fiction Top 5:

Number Five

Captured
Mari never expects to find herself in a cage in a cargo hold on a spaceship. She quickly learns from her captors she's headed to the meat market. When they try to return her to hypersleep, she resists. After allowing her to stay awake, Mari realizes her survival depends on connecting with the male in charge, Ekkatt. She must make him see her as a sentient being or she will end up as dinner. Ekkatt has never spoken to any human. They are valued for one thing, the money they bring at auction. The Attun race is vegetarian, but other species prize human flesh and bring in good money. Then the female with red hair speaks to him and forces him to admit she has a name. Mari throws Ekkatt's entire life into question, the biggest question...can he watch her sold to the highest bidder?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

How To Date An Alien
High school senior Alex Bianchi's estranged father gets her an internship at Circe Operations Center to pad her college applications. But Circe isn't your typical military base. It's an alien-run operation center and not all of the aliens are friendly, especially the one that tries to kill Alex on her first day. When Ace, a dark-eyed Caltian, enters and saves the day, she can't help but be drawn to him. Can these star-crossed lovers survive when they're on the brink of intergalactic war?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Aftertime
Someone once said that all apocalypses are experienced locally. In the case of Cass Dollar, the nightmare occurred with the violent abduction of two-year-old Ruthie, which she vividly remembers. Only later is young Cass assaulted also by the vague, twisting memories of a much wider conflagration that she herself only narrowly survived. A government experiment had turned the entire California landscape into the hunting grounds of zombie Beaters, but Cass can only think of the helpless toddler she is missing.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

Alien In The Family
Super-Being Exterminator Kitty Katt and the Alpha Centaurian she loves, Jeff Martini, should be finalizing their wedding plans. But that was before she discovers Jeff is in line to become Emperor back on his home world. Kitty knows she is everything a royal family wouldn't approve of, and is bracing herself for the worst. As it turns out, the royal family is just the beginning. Especially when extraterrestrial Amazonian terrorists are determined to start and end Kitty and Jeff's nuptial festivities with a bang.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

Song of Scarabaeus
Trained since childhood in advanced biocyph seed technology by the all-powerful Crib empire, Edie's mission is to terraform alien worlds while her masters bleed the outlawed Fringe populations dry. When renegade mercenaries kidnap Edie, she's not entirely sure it's a bad thing . . . until they leash her to a bodyguard, Finn—a former freedom fighter-turned-slave, beaten down but never broken. If Edie strays from Finn's side, he dies. If she doesn't cooperate, the pirates will kill them both.

But Edie's abilities far surpass anything her enemies imagine. And now, with Finn as her only ally as the merciless Crib closes in, she'll have to prove it or die on the site of her only failure... a world called Scarabaeus.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Speculative Fiction Top 5:

Number Five

The Shifters Of 2040
Set in Alaska in 2040, Melissa Marn and Bruce Wilder must work under the iron fist of the SCM, while still trying to maintain humanity. Discovering a world of shifters and hybrids, the scientists must struggle with human prejudice and betrayal. With the original ancestors, dubbed shifters, still living on earth, humans are in the midst of a fifteen year old war. As the eldest hybrids, Unseen and Diamond, learn about humans the hard way, with the loss of loved ones and sacrifices, love on planet earth proves challenging.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Steam and Sorcery
Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess.

Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess.

When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Three

Phoenix Rising: The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences
Evil is most assuredly afoot—and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade . . . and a librarian.

These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences—the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling—will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her bulletproof corset and a disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest . . . and she’s prepared to drag her timorous new partner, Wellington Books, along with her into the perilous fray.

For a malevolent brotherhood is operating in the deepening London shadows, intent upon the enslavement of all Britons. And Books and Braun—he with his encyclopedic brain and she with her remarkable devices—must get to the twisted roots of a most nefarious plot . . . or see England fall to the Phoenix!
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Two

Collide
A childhood accident left Emmaline vulnerable to disturbing fugue states that last only minutes, but feel like an eternity. The blackouts are unsettling but manageable…until she meets Johnny Dellasandro.

The reclusive painter gained notoriety in the '70s for his debauched lifestyle and raunchy art films. His naked body has achieved cult status, especially in Emm's mind—she's obsessed with the man, who's grown even sexier with age. Today Johnny shuns the spotlight and Emm in particular…until she falls into a fugue on his doorstep.

In that moment she's transported back thirty years, crashing a party at Johnny's place in his wild-man heyday— the night is a blur of flesh and heat that lingers on her skin long after she's woken to the present.

It happens again and again, each time-slip another mind-blowing orgy, and soon Emm can't stop, though every episode leaves her weaker and weaker. She's frightened by what's happening to her, but she's even more terrified of losing this portal to the Johnny she wants so badly. The one who wants her, too, and takes her—every chance he gets.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

The Zero Dog War
After accidentally blowing up both a client facility and a cushy city contract in the same day, pyromancer and mercenary captain Andrea Walker is scrambling to save her Zero Dogs. A team including (but not limited to) a sexually repressed succubus, a werewolf with a thing for health food, a sarcastic tank driver/aspiring romance novelist, a three-hundred-pound calico cat, and a massive demon who really loves to blow stuff up.

With the bankruptcy vultures circling, Homeland Security throws her a high-paying, short-term contract even the Zero Dogs can’t screw up: destroy a capitalist necromancer bent on dominating the gelatin industry with an all-zombie workforce. The catch? She has to take on Special Forces Captain Jake Sanders, a man who threatens both the existence of the team and Andrea’s deliberate avoidance of romantic entanglements.

As Andrea strains to hold her dysfunctional team together long enough to derail the corporate zombie apocalypse, the prospect of getting her heart run over by a tank tread is the least of her worries. The government never does anything without an ulterior motive. Jake could be the key to success…or just another bad day at the office for the Zeroes.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Fantasy Top 5:

Number Five

Trance
Fifteen years ago, Teresa “Trance” West was a skilled telepath and a proud member of the Ranger Corps. But ever since the Rangers were inexplicably rendered powerless at the climax of the devastating Meta War, she’s bounced from one dead-end job to another. Now her powers have reappeared just as mysteriously as they vanished— only they’re completely transformed and more potent than ever. And they’re threatening to destroy her.

Trance heads to Los Angeles to track down the surviving Rangers and discover who restored her powers—and why—but a phantom enemy is determined to kill them before they can reassemble. As they dodge his deadly attacks and come to terms with their new role as heroes, Trance and the rest of the team set out to annihilate the sinister madman . . . only to discover their own powers are his greatest weapons.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Phantom Universe
Sold into slavery to pirates at the young age of four, Summer learns to survive the rough seas of subterfuge and thieves through silence. When the boat she's lived on most of her life is destroyed, Summer finds herself washed up on the shore of a new world, a phantom universe full of the bizarre and extraordinary. She meets Gage, the one boy who understands the girl with no speech. But when their lives are put on the line, will Summer finally call out? Or will all be lost in the fathomless depth of silence?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Nightfall
Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

The Emperor's Edge
Imperial law enforcer Amaranthe Lokdon is good at her job: she can deter thieves and pacify thugs, if not with a blade, then by toppling an eight-foot pile of coffee canisters onto their heads. But when ravaged bodies show up on the waterfront, an arson covers up human sacrifices, and a powerful business coalition plots to kill the emperor, she feels a tad overwhelmed.

Worse, Sicarius, the empire's most notorious assassin is in town. He's tied in with the chaos somehow, but Amaranthe would be a fool to cross his path. Unfortunately, her superiors order her to hunt him down. Either they have an unprecedented belief in her skills... or someone wants her dead.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number One

A Slice Of Cherry
Kit and Fancy Cordelle are sisters of the best kind: best friends, best confidantes, and best accomplices. The daughters of the infamous Bonesaw Killer, Kit and Fancy are used to feeling like outsiders, and that’s just the way they like it. But in Portero, where the weird and wild run rampant, the Cordelle sisters are hardly the oddest or most dangerous creatures around.

It’s no surprise when Kit and Fancy start to give in to their deepest desire—the desire to kill. What starts as a fascination with slicing open and stitching up quickly spirals into a gratifying murder spree. Of course, the sisters aren’t killing just anyone, only the people who truly deserve it. But the girls have learned from the mistakes of their father, and know that a shred of evidence could get them caught. So when Fancy stumbles upon a mysterious and invisible doorway to another world, she opens a door to endless possibilities...
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

{My} Best of 2011: Sub-Genre Part One (Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy)

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 17:15:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

Top 10 Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Paranormal Romance Top 5:

Number Five

The Truth About Vampires
All her life, Seattle reporter Kristin Reed sought her breakout story. She never thought she'd find it in the crimson lair of a real-life creature of the night. Kristin never believed vampires existed—until with dark brooding eyes and a decadent chocolate scent, Dmitri Dionotte called out to her….

Dmitri and his clan's true nature was cloaked in secrecy until a warring vampire order threatened their existence. Kristin was just the woman he needed. She couldn't resist their story…or Dmitri. Her blood pulsed hot and furious when he touched her, and with his kiss, all logic fled. But each night she spent with her vampire lover brought her closer to death and destruction. A death not even an immortal could triumph over.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Primal Bonds
As Guardian of his clan, Feline Shifter Sean Morrissey is a powerful member of his pride. But wielding the sacred sword is often a lonely role. When a female Shifter comes to town seeking refuge, Sean claims the new arrival, expecting a submissive, little she-wolf. Instead, he finds a beautiful woman who looks him straight in the eye without fear, stirring the mating frenzy within him.

As a half-Fae, half-Shifter, Andrea Gray is used to looking out for herself. But in order to relocate to a new Shiftertown and escape an unwanted mate-claim, Andrea must accept a new protector. A Guardian seems as good a candidate as any, but Andrea's intense attraction to Sean is something she never expected—a perilous complication for a woman with a troubled past.

Now, as Andrea struggles to keep her seductive savior at arm's length, Sean is determined to turn their mating of convenience into the real thing before the frenzy they're struggling to contain burns them both—from the inside out.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Eternal Kiss of Darkness
Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she's only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he'd seen it all. Then Kira appears - this fearless, beautiful....human who braved death to rescue him. Though her burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

Sin Undone
As the only female Seminus demon ever born, master assassin Sinead Donnelly is used to being treated like an outcast. She spent decades enslaved, and now vows she'll die before she'll relinquish her freedom again. Then Sin's innate ability to kill her enemies goes awry: She creates a lethal new werewolf virus that sparks a firestorm of panic and violence.

Half-werewolf, half-vampire Conall Dearghul is charged with bringing in Sin to face punishment for the plague. And she's no stranger: He's bound to her by blood, and the one sexual encounter they shared has left him hungering for her raw sensuality. Worse, Sin is the underworld's most wanted and Con soon learns he's the only one who can help her . . . and that saving her life might mean sacrificing his own.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

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

As the most feared and respected of the Wyrkind, Dragos Cuelebre cannot believe someone had the audacity to steal from him, much less succeed. And when he catches the thief, Dragos spares her life, claiming her as his own to further explore the desire they've ignited in each other.

Pia knows she must repay Dragos for her trespass, but refuses to become his slave—although she cannot deny wanting him, body and soul.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Urban Fantasy Top 5:

Number Five

Deceived By The Others
They're here, and they're real. . .werewolves, vampires, mages, and other creatures of the night. For New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest, taking care of Others business started out as a way to stay solvent. But now business is getting very, very complicated...

Shiarra's relationship with sexy werewolf Chaz may be somewhat unconventional. Still, after a few bumps, Shia is finally ready to get serious. That means meeting family—or in this case, bringing Chaz's entire werewolf pack along for a rollicking full-moon weekend in the Catskills.

Soon after they arrive, threatening notes appear, warning Chaz to go home. Then their cabin is ransacked. Shia starts digging to find out whether it's the work of upstart teenaged werewolves or something more sinister. Yet as rumors about her vampire connections arouse the pack's hostility, Shia has to contend with other dangers. Not just from an adversary about to make his fatal intentions known, but from a threat that's even closer than she knows...
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Goddess With A Blade
Rowan Summerwaite is no ordinary woman. Physical vessel to the Celtic Goddess Brigid and raised by the leader of the Vampire Nation, she's a supercharged hunter with the power to slay any vampire who violates the age-old treaty.

A recent string of murders has her at odds with Las Vegas's new Scion, the arrogant and powerful Clive Stewart. The killings have the mark of Vampire all over them, and Rowan warns Clive to keep his people in line—or she'll mete out her own brand of justice.

Though her dealings with Clive are adversarial to say the least, Rowan is intensely aware of her attraction to him. But she can't let it distract her from her duty—to find and battle the killer before more women die.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

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

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

So when Atlanta’s premier Master of the Dead calls to ask for help with a vampire on the loose, Kate leaps at the chance of some paying work. Turns out this is not an isolated incident, and Kate needs to get to the bottom of it—fast, or the city and everyone dear to her might pay the ultimate price...
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Two

Concrete Savior
A fallen angel in human form, Brynna is trying to earn another chance at heaven. So far, her road to redemption is littered with casualties, especially since Lucifer’s minions are intent on dragging her back to hell. And being mortal only got more complicated since Brynna became involved with Detective Eran Redmond.

Still, Brynna’s relationship issues—like the fact that one glimpse of her can drive men crazy with desire—may have to wait. A mysterious “hero” is saving Chicago’s citizens from certain death, with strange and sinister consequences. Brynna knows too much about demonkind to believe in coincidences. Some dark force is at work here, and Brynna may be the only one who can stop it. . . .
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number One

Blood Bound
Most can't touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend's daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can't rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it's over…
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

{My} Best Of 2011: Debut

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:06:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

Top 10 Debuts

Number Ten

Hounded
Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Nine

Griffin Rising
Griffin Rising is an urban fantasy about an apprentice angel and his coming of age under the tutelage of a father-like mentor. As one of the mysterious Terrae Angeli, Griffin secretly navigates life among humans while preparing for the trial-by-combat every apprentice must pass or become mortal.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Eight

Kindling The Moon
Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Seven

Destined
When Psyche receives a prophecy gone horribly wrong, she learns that even the most beautiful girl in Greece can have a hideous future. Her fate? Fall in love with the one creature even the gods fear.

As she feels herself slipping closer into the arms of the prophecy, Psyche must choose between the terrifyingly tender touch she feels almost powerless to resist and the one constant she's come to expect out of life: you cannot escape what is destined.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Six

Frost
Leena Thomas’s senior year at boarding school begins with a shock: Frost House, her cozy dorm of close friends, has been assigned an unexpected roommate: confrontational, eccentric Celeste Lazar. But while Leena’s anxiety about a threat to her sanctuary proves valid, it becomes less and less clear whether the threat lies with her new roommate, within Leena’s own mind, or within the very nature of Frost House itself. Mysterious happenings in the dorm, an intense triangle between Leena, Celeste, and Celeste’s brother, and the reawakening of childhood fears, all push Leena to take increasingly desperate measures to feel safe. Frost is the story of a haunting. As to whether the demons are supernatural or psychological . . . well, which answer would let you sleep at night?
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Five

Touch
When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there’s something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she’ll turn to dust if he touches her. It’s not until Dez’s father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there’s more to this boy—and her father’s “law firm”—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting “special” kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they’re caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe.

A secret Kale will kill to protect.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Four

The Shadow Reader
Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Legend
What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths - until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Two

A Brush Of Darkness
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

Girl Of Fire And Thorns
Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

{My} Best of 2011: Series

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:50:00 +0000

All of the {My} Best of 2011 posts will of course, involve books that I read in 2011, but not necessarily have been published in 2011.

Top 10 Series

Begin From The Beginning (Top 5 Reads that are 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a new(ish) series):

Number Five

The Goblin King
A man was cursed to the Shadowlands, his heart replaced with a cold lump of gold. In legends he became known as The Goblin King.

For a favored few he will grant a wish. Yet, desperately clinging to his waning human soul, his one own desire remains unfulfilled: A Willing Queen.

But who would consent to move from the modern-day world into the realm of nightmares? No matter how intoxicating his touch, no matter how deep his valor, loving him is dangerous. And the one woman who might dare to try could also destroy him forever.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Dead on The Delta
Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death. Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.

But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a six year- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her...
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Three

Chosen By Fate
Although he keeps company with a vampire and a were, human Shaman Caleb O'Flare can definitely hold his own. But neither his psychic ability nor his healing powers can help his sexy-as-hell teammate, Wraith-a ghost with no memory of her human existence, who cannot experience touch without pain. No wraith has managed to exist past its tenth year, so her time is about to run out. She wants only two things before accepting her fate: to learn her human identity, and experience one night with Caleb...
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Two

Taken By the Others
Once, New York P.I. Shiarra Waynest's most pressing problem was keeping her agency afloat. Now she's dealing with two dangerous, seductive vampires who have been enemies for centuries. The only thing Max Carlyle and Alec Royce agree on is that they both want Shia - for very different reasons. Max is determined to destroy Shia for killing his progeny, while Royce's interest is a lot more personal. That's not sitting well with Shia's werewolf boyfriend, Chaz. As the feud between Max and Royce gets ever more deadly, a powerful vampire-hunting faction is urging Shia to join their side. Shia has always believed vamps were the bad guys, but she's discovering unexpected shades of grey that are about to redefine her friends, her loyalties - and even her desires.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number One

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

Kaldar Mar -a gambler, lawyer, thief, and spy-expects his latest assignment tracking down a stolen item to be a piece of cake, until Audrey shows up. But when the item falls into the hands of a lethal criminal, Kaldar realizes that in order to finish the job, he's going to need Audrey's help...
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Established Series (Top 5 reads that are 4th or later in a series):

Number Five

Late Eclipses
October "Toby" Daye is half-human, half-fae-the only changeling who's earned knighthood. But when someone begins targeting her nearest and dearest, it becomes clear that Toby is being set up to take the fall for everything that's happening.
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Four

Dark Sins and Desert Sands
Escaping a hellish Syrian prison, U.S. serviceman Ray Stavrakis emerged with uncanny mind-control powers and an eerie ability to morph into a mythical Minotaur. As a half man, half bull, Ray had legendary power, but only one woman could prove his innocence. The woman who'd driven him to the brink of insanity with her cool-eyed interrogation and her hot-blooded sensuality.

But Vegas psychologist Layla Bahset had no memory of Ray or her past. Only a feeling of being stalked by a nonhuman predator. Was it Ray…whose eyes condemned her soul even as his hands ignited her body? Or was another evil force at work? But nothing could stop Layla from remembering what she was…and what her evil creator had planned for her and her soldier lover….
My Good Reads Rating: 4 Stars

Number Three

Infatuation*
Francis McKade is a man in lust. He’s had a crush on his best friend’s little sister for years but he has never acted on it. Besides that fact that she’s Malachi’s sister, he’s a Seal and he learned his lesson with his ex-fiancé. Women do not like being left alone for long months at a time. Still, at a wedding in Hawaii anything can happen—and does. Unfortunately, after the best night of his life, he and Mal are called away to one of their most dangerous missions.

Shannon is blown over by Kade. She’s always had a crush on him and after their night together, it starts to feel a little like love. But, after the mission, Kade never calls or writes and she starts to wonder if it was all a dream. Until one night, her brother Mal drags him into her bar and grill and Shannon gets the shock of her life.

Kade isn’t the man Shannon knew in Hawaii, or even the last few years. Losing a friend and being injured changes a man, especially one who had never felt so vulnerable. He still can’t shake the terror that keeps him up at night. Worse, he is realizing that the career he loves just might be over.

Shannon is still mad, but she can’t help but hurt for the man she loves. He is darker, a bit more dangerous, but beneath that, he is the Kade she's known for so many years. When he pushes her to her limits in the bedroom, Shannon refuses to back down. One way or another, this military man is going to learn there is no walking away from love—not while she still has breath in her body.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number Two

Spider's Revenge
Killing used to be my regular gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, assassin-for-hire. And I was very, very good at it. Now, I’m ready to make the one hit that truly matters: Mab Monroe, the dangerous Fire elemental who murdered my family when I was thirteen. Oh, I don’t think the mission will be easy, but turns out it’s a bit more problematic than expected. The bitch knows I’m coming for her. So now I’m up against the army of lethal bounty hunters Mab hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister’s head. Keeping Bria safe is my first priority. Taking Mab out is a close second. Good thing I’ve got my powerful Ice and Stone magic—and my irresistible lover, Owen Grayson—to watch my back. This battle has been years in the making, and there’s a good chance I won’t survive. But if I’m going down, then Mab’s coming with me . . . no matter what I have to do to make that happen.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

Number One

Eternal Rider*
His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.
My Good Reads Rating: 5 Stars

(*Though this title is the first in an off-shoot series, there is either world-building and/or relationships that are established in the original series that contribute to the over all plotline of the current series or book.)

{My} Best Of 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:15:00 +0000

As most bloggers do, I've combed through all of my reads from this year, and compiled the best of the best (for me, of course) to showcase as 2011 comes to an end. Last year, I really narrowed things down to about the best 40 or 50 reads from the whole year. However, this year, I read almost 3 times as much. And since I read across so many genres, I decided to list my favorites according to the genres, and other categories like series books, novellas, e-book only releases, etc...

Here is the schedule that I will follow for the posting. I apologize in advance for the amount of posts I will have going up each day until the end of the year (it shouldn't be more than 3 a day, but I know some readers might feel like this blog is being bombarded with posts).

Once the post is live, I'll hyperlink each title.

December 28th

Best Series:

Begin From The Beginning (Top 5 that are first, second or third in a series)

Established Series (Top 5 that are fourth or later in a series)

Best Debut:

Top 10 of new author or new to genre author debut

December 29th

Best Sub-Genre:

Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Top 5

Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction/Fantasy Top 5

December 30th

Best Sub-Genre:

Contemporary Romance/Historical Romance Top 5

Best Novella/Best Anthology Top 5

Best E-Book Top 10

December 31st

November/December 2011 Top 5

Best YA:

Contemporary YA/Sci-Fi/Fantasy YA/Paranormal YA Top 5

January 1st

2011 Wishlist/TBR for 2012 (Top 10)

2012 Anticipated Releases (Top 10)

Hope you enjoy seeing what I loved this year. I also hope that everyone enjoyed 2011, and is looking forward to 2012 with wishlists and TBRs galore!

Mistletoe Madness Blog Hop Giveaway Winner!

noreply@blogger.com (Lillie (AliseOnLife)) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 22:03:00 +0000

Prize: U.S. Winner-- 2 books of winner's choice from hop-sponsored authors
International Winner-- $10 electronic gift card from bookstore of winner choice

Winner: see rafflecopter winner below.

Congrats to the winner! I'll be contacting you after Christmas to arrange your prize.

Didn't win this time? Please come back to Read My Mind for future contests and giveaways, as well as great bookish content in 2012!

a Rafflecopter giveaway