I Write, I Read, I Review

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2017-02-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date. Each week we post what we've finished, what we are currently reading and what we plan to read next. We then visit other blogs to see what our friends are up to.

What I Finished:

I finished this and really enjoyed how everything turned out. I think the way that Sofia's interactions with the other characters, and how they change throughout the book, is very interesting.

I received this as an ARC from the author and devoured it within 24 hours--no small feat considering I'm a slow reader and this book was 100,000 words. If you like retellings, historical romance and complex, interesting characters Beauty of the Beast is not to be missed. I would especially recommend this to fans of Beauty and the Beast or Phantom of the Opera.

What I'm Reading:

I'm excited to be taking part in #TBRTakedown, and I have an awesome line-up of books to dive into in the days ahead. I'm equal parts excited and sad to be saying farewell to the House of Night series; I'm eager and way overdue to read Catching Jordan; I enjoyed The Summer I Became A Nerd, so Romancing The Nerd shot up my TBR pretty quick; I found out about The Fire This Time on a best non-fiction of 2016 list and have wanted to read it since; and I meant to read The Underground Railroad during #DiverseAThon but didn't get to it.

What's Next:

These were suppose to get done this week, but the new Fire Emblem came out on mobile and I got Beauty of the Beast as an ARC, so my plans got changed. I don't think either of these lovelies are going to be hard to get through--I bought Red Queen on Audible during a sale, and Adorkable looks like the kind of book I would have felt was written for me as a teen.

What's Been Going On?

I got my iPad Mini 4 and have been enjoying it for games, GarageBand and voice dictation. I also just ordered a case, longer charge cable, and styluses for it.

I think I'm finally to tackle the rest of chapter four in Entwined. I have the first third done, but there are sections from Lorcan and Rose's pov that need to go down on paper.

Trolls releases this week on DVD and BluRay. I've been looking forward to seeing that for a while, so it's possible I might pick it up on Amazon, or see how much a rental via YouTube will be.

So, how's your week been? What do you have planned? Share in the comments, or link to your post and i'll come visit you.

Review: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay

2017-02-03T10:08:00.000-05:00

Am I a Feminist? This is a question I've often asked myself, or that I have been asked by others, since I took a Women's Studies course in the early 2000's. The problem is, the question ignores key factors. By whose terms of feminism: my own? yours? some scholar's I know nothing about? It changes the concept of what feminism would actually be--or actually is--doesn't it?

As you can probably tell, I was rather apprehensive when I sAt down to start reading Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist. However, the book really surprised me and did a fantastic job of giving me new ways to think about how I view this important movement.

(Summary from GoodReads)

Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman of color while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years and commenting on the state of feminism today. The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.

Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

In modern society, the term 'Feminist' has taken on very negative tones. There are lots of people who use it to represent ideas that they do not like. They use 'Feminist' as an insult. There are also lots of different ideas of what feminism actually is, and none of these are necessarily right or wrong. In Bad Feminist Roxane Gay looks at the fact that the term feminism makes women feel uncomfortable; as though they are required to live on some pedestal of perfection. Through examining her own struggles with this, and her own unique quirks and flaws, Roxane presents the idea of being a Bad Feminist in order to actually use being a feminist as a way of building women up rather than allowing the label of Feminist to tear us down.

I like the fact that Roxane has a sense of humour. I also like the fact that she owned up to things that many might mistakenly feel are not feminist, or that Feminists can do, such as liking: pink, rap music, being in love, or enjoying sex. She covers many of the basic ideas and principles that people associate with feminism, such as: the patriarchy, privilege, and things like safe spaces and trigger warnings. She also covers many global and intersectional concerns--something often overlooked or misunderstood by people or potentially ignored by first world Feminists.

The thing I think I like the most about how the book was presented is the way Roxane wrote it. I felt like I was sitting down and having coffee with a close friend, rather than being lectured by someone who felt that, for whatever reason, she is superior to me because of her background. I admired her honesty and candour, and the fact that she, as well, has experienced self doubt about whether or not she is a Feminist

The only thing that really didn't work for me was the chapter on Scrabble. I admired some of the humour in it, and I find Roxane interesting enough that I didn't completely hate it or feel it was a waste of time, but I found it it was kind of a strange choice to include in an otherwise well put together collection of essays. I'm not sorry to have heard it--I listened to this as an audiobook--but I did think it was an odd choice.

My favourite pieces were those on reality television, privilege, and rape culture. These things can often be misused to present other opinions that don't actually have anything to do with these topics. I was very glad to not see that happen here.

For anyone who, like me, is struggling with what the place of feminism is or should be in the 21st-century, I would highly recommend picking up and reading (or listening to) Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist. I'm certainly glad that I did. I feel that it was 10 hours well spent and I will definitely be reading / listening to more of her books in the months to come.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Jan 30th)

2017-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date. Each week we post what we've finished, what we are currently reading and what we plan to read next. We then visit other blogs to see what our friends are up to.

What I Finished:

My review for this one is up. I thought it was pretty good, though I wish it had done more to show the reasons for Maddie's behaviors and that it had made better use of its cast.

J just finished this yesterday morning. Definitely worthwhile for anyone questioning whether they are, or could be, a femenist. I found Roxane's thoughts on many of these topics insightful and refreshing. Definitely want to read more from her.

What I'm Reading:

This book is hilarious and reminds me, in many ways, of how obsessed I was with Confessions of a Shopaholic. Definitely going to be happy to wrap it up. I really love Sofia's voice and the tight friendships and family bonds found here. A delightful read that has made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion.

What's Up Next:

I got this for $4 on Audible and it's been tough going holding off from reading it earlier than I scheduled it for during the Reading Assignment Challenge.

With Valentines Day just around the corner, I knew I would need something cute to read this month. Adorkable looks like it should be totally up my alley and I can't wait to dive in.

So, what are you reading this week? I'd love to know, so feel free to leave a comment.

TBR Takedown 5.0

2017-01-29T20:10:00.000-05:00

#TBRTakedown is a Twitter-based read-a-thon taking place from February 6-12th 2017. The goal is to read a few of the books on our ever-expanding TBR piles. Want to keep track of what's going on? Follow @TBRTakedown .

The thing that grabbed my attention about this read-a-thon is that there are themed challenges to help participants select their TBRs. Here are my picks for each category:

1. On Your TBR Shelf For Ovr A Year

Redeemed
by P.C. and Kirtsten Cast

In the final electrifying novel in the HoN series, Neferet has finally made herself known to mortals. A Dark Goddess is loose on Tulsa and the world. No single vampyre is strong enough to vanquish her - unless that creature has the power to summon the elements as well as the ability to wield Old Magick. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power…but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help. Find out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

The House of Night has been one of my favorite series since the beginning. I got into this before I started my blog. And yet, I haven't read the final book yet. It's time to fix that. I want to know what happens to these characters.

2. Most Recent Book Haul

The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hellish for all the slaves but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood - where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned and, though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.

In Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor - engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar's first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven - but the city's placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. Even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre-Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman's ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.

This was suppose to be read during DiverseAThon, but I joined that late and read a 450 page book for oe of my picks, so the fact that I didn't get this done doesn't surprise me. However, I do feel that this book is important and really want to read it, so here it is. This could have easily been the 'out of my comfort zone' pick, but since it is the most recent thing I've purchaed, I'll put it here.

3. First Book In A Series

Catching Jordan

by Miranda Kenneally

ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

I started this years ago and ended up having an arthritis flare that prevented me from finishing it. However, I enjoyed the part I did read so I think it will be fun to sit down and finish this fully.

4. Catch Up On A Series

Romancing The Nerd
by Leah Rae Miller

Cool guy. Geeky girl. Let the games begin.

Dan Garrett has become exactly what he hates—popular. Until recently, he was just another live-action role-playing nerd on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Cue a massive growth spurt and an uncanny skill at taking three-point shots in basketball and voila…Mr. Popular. It’s definitely weird.

And the biggest drawback? Going from high school zero to basketball hero cost Dan the secret girl of his dorky dreams.

A tuba-playing nerd with an eclectic fashion sense, Zelda Potts’s “coolness” stat is about minus forty-two. Dan turning his back on her and the rest of nerd-dom was brutal enough, but when he humiliates her at school, Zelda decides it’s time for a little revenge—dork style. Nevermind that she used to have a crush on him. Nevermind that her plan could backfire big time.

It’s time to roll the dice…and hope like freakin’ hell she doesn’t lose her heart in the process.

After reading and enjoying The Summer I Became A Nerd, reading this seems like a natural next step for this category. I'm looking forward to seeing what crazy, nerdy antics will happen in order for these two to get together.

5. Out Of Your Comfort Zone

The Fire This Time
by Jesmyn Ward

National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward takes James Baldwin’s 1963 examination of race in America, The Fire Next Time, as a jumping off point for this groundbreaking collection of essays and poems about race from the most important voices of her generation and our time.

In light of recent tragedies and widespread protests across the nation, The Progressive magazine republished one of its most famous pieces: James Baldwin’s 1962 “Letter to My Nephew,” which was later published in his landmark book, The Fire Next Time. Addressing his fifteen-year-old namesake on the one hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Baldwin wrote: “You know and I know, that the country is celebrating one hundred years of freedom one hundred years too soon.”

Award-winning author Jesmyn Ward knows that Baldwin’s words ring as true as ever today. In response, she has gathered short essays, memoir, and a few essential poems to engage the question of race in the United States. And she has turned to some of her generation’s most original thinkers and writers to give voice to their concerns.

The Fire This Time is divided into three parts that shine a light on the darkest corners of our history, wrestle with our current predicament, and envision a better future. Of the eighteen pieces, ten were written specifically for this volume.

In the fifty-odd years since Baldwin’s essay was published, entire generations have dared everything and made significant progress. But the idea that we are living in the post-Civil Rights era, that we are a “postracial” society, is an inaccurate and harmful reflection of a truth the country must confront. Baldwin’s “fire next time” is now upon us, and it needs to be talked about.

I saw this book on many must-read non-fiction of 2016 lists, and it immediately piqued my curiosity. That said, a book like this should never feel easy or 'comfortable' to me. In a perfect world, a book like this would not be needed. However, two of my goals for 2017 are to read at least one non-fiction book a month and to read more diversely, so here we go.

Are you taking part in TBR Takedown? Leave a link to your post and I'll take a look at what you're reading, too.

My January 2017 Diverse-a-thon TBR

2017-01-26T06:58:00.000-05:00

So, I just found out that this is going on a couple nights ago. That means I'm a little late to the party. It also means that if I want to get involved there isn't a second to spare. Anyway, here are the books I'd like to read between now and the 29th. Let's see if we can make this happen...

Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged
by Ayisha Malik

"Brilliant idea! Excellent! Muslim dating? Well, I had no idea you were allowed to date.' Then he leaned towards me and looked at me sympathetically. 'Are your parents quite disappointed?'

Unlucky in love once again after her possible-marriage-partner-to-be proves a little too close to his parents, Sofia Khan is ready to renounce men for good. Or at least she was, until her boss persuades her to write a tell-all expose about the Muslim dating scene.

As her woes become her work, Sofia must lean on the support of her brilliant friends, baffled colleagues and baffling parents as she goes in search of stories for her book. In amongst the marriage-crazy relatives, racist tube passengers and decidedly odd online daters, could there be a a lingering possibility that she might just be falling in love . . . ?

Sofia Khan is not Obliged is the hilarious and authentic debut novel by Ayisha Malik."

Reading On: Kindle

Length: 456 pages

Current Progress: 48%

Why I Picked This: As far as I can recall, I've never read about a Muslim main character. So as a romance addict and writer, the premise of someone writing a Muslim dating book set in the framework of women's fiction / chick lit caught my interest. Upon trying the sample I knew I had to keep going since Sofia's voice is hilarious and vibrant and the storytelling overall has completely sucked me into her world.

The Underground Railroad

by Colson Whitehead

Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hellish for all the slaves but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood - where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned and, though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted.

In Whitehead's ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor - engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar's first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven - but the city's placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. Even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom.

As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre-Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman's ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share.

Reading On: Audible / kindle (haven't decided yet)

Length: 306 pages

Current Progress: %

Why I Picked This: This is the DiverseAThon group read, so of course I want to make sure I am ready for the discussion about it on Saturday. Going in I am interested but apprehensive. Topics like this tend to make me want to throw things because I cannot wrap my head around the levels of cruelty people are able and willing to carry out against each other.

Bad Feminist
by Roxane Gay

Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.

In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman of color while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years and commenting on the state of feminism today. The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.

Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.

Reading On: Kindle / Audible

Length: 320 pages

Current Progress: %

Why I Picked This: I have very mixed feelings about Feminism and what it stands for. I am generally not one to call myself a Feminist, because there is a lot of baggage, unrealistic expectations and bullshit that tend to come along with the title. However, I went and listened to Roxane on several YouTube videos and I think I will enjoy her book whether or not I end up fully agreeing with everything she says. Plus, this will kickstart one of my goals for 2017, which is to read one non-fiction book each month.

Are you taking part in DiverseAThon? What's on your TBR this week? I'd love to know!

Review: The Summer I Became A Nerd By Leah Rae Miller

2017-01-25T09:01:00.000-05:00

This book has been on my TBR for a long time. So long, in fact, that when I picked up my Kindle and was ready to buy it, I discovered that I already did that years ago. Ah, memory. ;)

I've always been a geek. Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Harry Potter, video games... It's pretty much been my bread and butter my whole life. I was not one of the popular people but, thanks largely to my disabilities, I never had the desire to be one of them. Nor did I live under the illusion that was possible.

Do I sound bitter? Let me assure you it is not for myself--I'm 34 and outside of YA fiction high school is way, way in my rear view mirror--but rather for the protagonist of this story. The fact that there are girls out there who feel as she does truly breaks my heart.

(Summary from GoodReads)

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

There were some things I really liked about this book, and some things that totally drove me up the wall. At the center of this set of mixed opinions was our protagonist, Maddie. I didn't think she was a terrible person, but as I said in my intro, I couldn't relate to her extreme desperation to be popular, and I think that created a divide between her and I.

There wasn't actually a lot of external conflict that related to the core popularity struggle. The vast majority of Maddie's fears, aside from being laughed at in the prologue and one line of dialogue by a single character near the end, are self inflicted. In fact, I found that with a lot of Maddie's problems, which made it difficult for me to empathize with her.

She won't tell people she doesn't like a popular country singer. She hides her geeky interests to a spy-comedy level of ridiculousness. She has crafted a persona and image for herself, picking people and controlling everything down to two CDs strategically placed in her backseat to match what her friends are listening to.

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't fully believe it. It actually made me feel sorry for the people she has been lying to / using / deceiving rather than making me feel sympathy for her plight.

And yet, despite how hard I'm coming down on this, I did enjoy the book. I think it holds a very important message about the value of being true to yourself and the cost when someone is too afraid to do that.

I liked Terra (Maddie's best friend) and felt bad that Maddie didn't have enough faith in their friendship to confide in her. Logan was all right. A bit too quick to switch his attitude, though Maddie kinda deserved that considering how fake she could be. Unfortunately, he didn't have a lot of real presence on the page and despite all the fabulous geeky references and settings we get to explore, his character never really did anything that made him stand out. My favorite character was Dan. He was hilarious, honest and a loyal friend.

Basically, this novel was like a picture just slightly out of focus. What was here was an enjoyable read, but I wanted to dig deeper into this situation. I wanted to understand why Maddie continued to feel her fears were justified. I wanted to get to know the other characters--not just have her tell me how they were. A light, breezy and definitely geeky summer romance, The Summer I Became A Nerd is literary cotton candy. It's sweet, airy and you'll enjoy it while it lasts, but upon looking back you will wonder if you actually ate anything. As with cotton candy, that doesn't mean it should be avoided. Rather, a potential reader just needs to know what they are getting into when they pick this book up.

Top 10 Books I Missed While Not Blogging

2017-01-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where people make lists about their opinions on various bookish topics.

This Week's Topic:

Top 10 Books I Missed While Not Blogging

Reader burnout: it exists, it's nasty and draining, and it hit me for nearly two years. With such a large lapse in doing much actual reading, it comes as little surprise that there is a lot on my TBR, since I tend to like series and they don't stop just because I'm not reading. Here are ten books I haven't read yet that I really need to get to.

10. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo -- This looks like a very interesting read on a very important topic. When I found out about it, there was no way it couldn't end up on my TBR.

09. And I Darken by Kiersten White -- Anyone who knows a little about vampire history knows that Count Dracula was based on Vlad the Impaler. Vlad the Impaler was a vey scary guy. The idea of a female Vlad as a YA lead fascinates me.

08. Run by Kody Keplinger -- I loved The DUFF, Shut Out and A Midsummer's Nightmare, so I am looking forward to reading the books Kody has written while I was taking my break. As someone who grew up fairly sheltered because of disabilities--one of those being that I am legally blind--this had to be here.

07. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard -- A fantastic premise paired with the fact that I got this on sale via Audible for $4 gave it a bump up on my TBR.

06. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell -- I've wanted to read this from the moment I heard about it. I even bought a hardcover copy, but I've started to find that print books take visual effort. So I'll need to grab this for my e-reader instead.

05. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkosski -- Fantastic premise. An idea this out there can make me nervous about how it will be executed, but I still need to check this out either way.

04. Something In The Air by Marie Landry -- I'm saving this for one of those times when i'm stuck. I've loved all of Marie's other books so I can't see this being any different.

03. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas -- I'm planning to do full read throughs of both the Throne of Glass and Court of Thorns and Roses series this year. Figured putting one book was more fair than having repeat entries from one author.

02. Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles -- i adored the Perfect Chemistry trilogy and this has been on my TBR way too long. I cannot wait to sit down and get lost in one of Simone's books again.

1. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi -- Let's just say I've heard some...things...and they lead me to believe that the Shatter Me series is the most important thing on my TBR this year. I won't say any more than that. Just that I am very, very excited.

So, what did you pick as your freebie topic this week? Have you read any of the books I listed? Did you like them? What books are you eager to read this year? Feel fee to leave a comment and let me know.

Discussion: When Real Life Effects Your Reading

2017-01-23T07:02:00.002-05:00

Tell me if something like this has ever happened to you:

I've wanted to read The Wrath & The Dawn for over two years. I decided that I would read it for one of my categories in the Diverse Reads Book Challenge. I downloaded the book from Audible. I've got my headphones on. The narrator seems to be doing a solid job.

...And yet I'm not past Shazi and Khalid meeting alone for the first time. He hasn't even entered the room yet. Why?

Well, lets just say I'm freaking out the way someone should when reading Stephen King. Not this. *siiiigh*

My heart is pounding, my stomach is in knots and I keep pausing the book every few paragraphs to try and alleviate the tension. I've read way darker and scarier things both on and off of this blog. Yet this book is stressing me out to the point where I'm not reading / listening to it (or anything, since I tend to focus on one book at a time.) and I am beyond frustrated.

But I think I've figured out why. My Dad had a stroke during surgery last October and was in a coma for 28 hours. I switched from writing my Sealer Saga to working on my Tales of Ellithica series because the characters in Sealer Saga (Lords of Death, Famine, Plague, etc.) felt too raw. Y'know that part from Aladdin where the camera zooms in on the vendor and he goes "Too close. A little too close." That's what I'm talking about.

All of the pausing is also leaving room for a lot of critical questions:

Why did we not see any of Shazi and Shiva's friendship before Shiva was murdered?
Why did we not get some time to care about Shazi before she was thrust into this disaster?
Why am I suppose to care about Tariq? I have no history for him and Shazi.
Where in the curse does it tell us that Khalid needs to murder wives? Why not find people suffering of uncurable illness, prisoners who need to be executed anyway, host a death lottery, etc.?
What is Khalid's full reason / motive? In 1001 Nights we know the king's last wife betrayed him and that he started killing young brides to ensure that this would never happen to him again.
Shazi, what exactly is your plan? I'm sure we're going to get storytelling to keep her alive past dawn, but how exactly is a noblewoman going to kill a man we've been told has been trained as--and is skilled as--a warrior.

I think I may be too focused on seeing fault here; like my mind is in beta or editing mode rather than purely in reader mode since stress is keeping me from getting lost in the story the way that I would want to in order to listen and gave an honest review.

Do you think I should put this one on hold and come back later? Have you ever had real life effect your enjoyment of a book? I'd love to know.

2017 Diverse Reads Book Challenge

2017-01-22T07:45:00.001-05:00

I love a good book challenge, and the Diverse Reads Book Challenge may be one of the most interesting and well constructed challenges I've ever seen Designed to encourage readers to read more diverse books and discover points of view different from their own, I feel this is a challenge that is needed with everything going on in the world today.. Click here for full details, or here to get to their excellent reading list that presents tons of books for each month's theme.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Are you taking part in this challenge? Have you read any of the books I've chosen? Are you looking forward to any of them that are new releases?

2017 Reading Assignment Challenge

2017-01-19T08:05:00.000-05:00

The 2017 reading assignment challenge is hosted by Berls @ Fantasy is More Fun and Michelle @ Because Reading. The Twitter hashtag for this challenge is #2017HW.

The goal of the 2017 Reading Assignment Challenge is to hold yourself accountable for the books that you want to read this year. I've decided that I will do two books a month since the challenge focuses on clearing out the TBR pile and I do have new releases I want to read as well. Here are my picks for each month. Enjoy!

January

Read My Review!

DNF'd @ 20%

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Have you read any of the books on my list? Are you taking part in this challenge? What books are on your TBR that you'd like to get read in 2017?

Review: Life In A Fishbowl by Len Vlahos

2017-01-18T03:22:00.000-05:00

My father had to be operated on last October to remove a tumor from his pituitary gland. During that operation, he had a deep brain stroke and over three months later he has a long road toward recovery ahead of him. With that in mind, I think it's safe to say that books about fathers, daughters and medical trauma are on my mind right now. Life In A Fishbowl further grabbed me with the idea of combining this with reality tv. I hate reality tv with a burning, fiery passion, so I figured no good could come of this.

But do you want to know what sold me on reading this book hook, line, and sinker? Glio. That's what--or who?--made this have to be the first book I read in 2017. The idea of a brain tumor actually getting its own POV was such a crazy concept that I simply couldn't resist?

Was Life In A Fishbowl as good as the sum of its parts? Read on and find out!

(Summary From Goodreads)

Fifteen-year-old Jackie Stone is a prisoner in her own house. Everything she says and does 24/7 is being taped and broadcast to every television in America. Why? Because her dad is dying of a brain tumor and he has auctioned his life on eBay to the highest bidder: a ruthless TV reality show executive at ATN.

Gone is her mom's attention and cooking and parent-teacher conferences. Gone is her sister's trust ever since she's been dazzled by the cameras and new-found infamy. Gone is her privacy. Gone is the whole family's dignity as ATN twists their words and makes a public mockery of their lives on Life and Death. But most of all, Jackie fears that one day very soon her father will just be . . . gone. Armed only with her ingenuity and the power of the internet, Jackie is determined to end the show and reclaim all of their lives, even in death.

This book was every bit as unique as I thought it would be. Unfortunately, I mean that in both the best and worst ways possible. Let's start with what I liked:

Glio -- The extremely weird, why-the-heck-is-this-a-thing POV 100% did not disappoint. Despite any flaws this book has, it's not one that I'm going to forget thanks to this 'guy'. Why did he work? Well, the connection between his POV and Jared's allowed the author to continue to express Jared's emotion even as his disease consumed him and essentially stripped away who he was. I don't think this 'character' will be for everyone and it might even set some people off, but I feel his inclusion was for far more than mere shock value.

The way characters were introduced. This book had a ton of narrators and one of the things the author did to help the reader know we were getting another brand new one was to theme the first two lines of each new POV's opening. For example:

The high-grade glioblastoma multiforme tumor liked Jared Stone's brain. It liked it a lot. In fact, it found it delicious.

An intro like this happens for every major and minor character POV throughout the novel, tailored to what is important to that individual. I feel that this helped to solidify a massive cast of POV that could have gotten really confusing or fallen apart otherwise.

The overall flow of the plot kept things moving and was written interestingly enough that I was never bored with the story. The style had a breezy feel to it that kept me tapping to turn the page of my Kindle with no hesitation at all.

Okay, then. What went wrong?

First and foremost, I don't feel that this book is really YA. I think that it features a few teen characters and that they do get to do some important things in the narrative, but this is the most adult-focused YA novel that I have ever reviewed on this blog. The villain is a TV producer that our heroine has little hope of really taking down. And far more disturbingly, when we get glimpses into his POV some of the things we find out are that he likes to use his secretary as a prostitute and that secret cameras were installed in the Stone family's bathrooms and that the TV crew liked watching the mother and her 13 and 15 year old daughters shower.

If either of the two examples I just gave had actually really factored into the story in any direct and tangible way, we wouldn't be having this conversation. But no. They are here for shock value, and unlike Glio they do not work.

Another thing that drove me crazy was that this book, which initially felt like it was written in third person past tense, would occasionally decide that it wanted to switch to omniscient POV without warning. I found this very jarring and it was generally to tell the reader things they would probably have been better off not knowing, like the part about the villain's secretary that I listed above.

My next issue comes with the fact that at about half way the book gets a split narrative between the teenaged heroine finding a way to stop the TV people filming her family, and her mother finding a way to perform euthenasia on her husband. We end up seeing the final results of both of these situations in full detail. To be clear: my issue has nothing to do with being for or against assisted suicide. My issue is that such a core part of the book, which will undoubtedly make a lot of readers uncomfortable--should have been addressed somewhere in its marketing. That it was not is irresponsible of both the author and the publisher.

Lastly, there was a violent and unnecessary dog death about half way through the book. Unlike my other complaints, this is a personal pet peeve. If I felt it had served an actual purpose I wouldn't be as annoyed, but as it stands I'll stick to my reaction when I read it: "Really? You're gonna kill the dog?". *eyeroll*

So, should you buy Life In A Fishbowl? My feelings on this are very mixed. There is a good book among all of the flaws that I have listed, but this is definitely not a read to go into blindly. If books were roads, this one would be full of pot holes. Watch your step.

#CampNaNoWriMo : Staying Motivated!

2015-07-07T18:15:00.000-04:00

So, last week I wrote about my supplies for Camp NaNoWriMo. This week, I want to talk about some of the tools I use to get myself to write and to keep myself writing.

1. Scrivener

You know how a TV takes tiny pieces and puts them together for you to view on a screen? Well, Scrivener does that for the stories that are locked inside my head. I've never used a writing program I liked more, and I couldn't imagine writing The Sealer Saga any other way.

Let's break it down:

On the far left we have my Chapter List and my Research which are (I think?) call the "Binder". I can click on any of these at any time and get to specific parts of my story. By writing my story piece by piece, I keep from getting overwhelmed and when I go to edit--or need to make a note for something happening later--I can hop to the part of the story I need in one click.

In the middle of the screen, we have the space where I actually write the chapter. I tend to brainstorm my outlines in Word and then bring them into Scrivener and fill in gaps, move scenes around, etc. since each of my chapters on the left have an index card. But there's another reason I like bringing my outline in from Word. My favorite font for writing is Calibri, and when I bring in my outline it carries its formatting. That saves me having to switch it in each separate chapter. I type "chapter" once, copy / paste that into each file and I'm good to go.

On the right we have two really handy tools. The one at the top is the chapter's index card. This is a snapshot of what's suppose to go on. (Pay no heed to what's there right now; I did my outlining differently this time.) I've been too lazy to correct that here, but normally it would have a two sentence summary of the main gist of that chapter's purpose.

Below that we have what I like to cal the "idea pad". This is where I jot down ideas I get as I am writing. If I figure out that I need something in chapter eight while I am in chapter three, I can click chapter eight's idea pad (each chapter has one) and fill it in. Or if I think up a great piece of dialogue to use later in a scene I'm writing, I can stick it there until I am ready.

These are only the absolute basics of Scrivener, but they serve my purpose well. Oh! And I really like how anything I put into tabs under "research" does not effect my word count. For Camp, that's very helpful.

2. Sealed With A Kiss iTunes Playlist!

Music is a huge part of my creative process. It effects my mood, it helps me to project the current moods I want my characters in, it can change the rhythm and tone of my writing... It's absolutely essential. I listen to a wide variety of music when I write, sometimes letting it free play and sometimes going to certain playlists for certain types of scenes. But I also always have a soundtrack for my books that tries to capture their overall themes. Shall we go through this one quickly?

1. Just One Little Kiss -- This is about the push and pull between Lucian and Carita during the first half of the novel. It's essentially their opening 'couple song'.

2. Enchanted -- This is their 'meet cute'. Neither of them wanted to be where they were that night, but both are better for having met the other. They have no idea how much this one moment in time is going to change their lives.

3. Dark Horse -- This is my villain, Ruby's, theme. She wants to start her life over by hosting this contest (as absurd as it is) and yet she is destined to repeat--completely against her will--the very things that made her miserable to begin with. I like the overtone of compassion and righteousness mixed with the dark undercurrent of potential vengeance here.

4. Beautiful Girl -- This is Lucian's theme. He's potentially the most dangerous being in the universe and he knows it. He's on a mission that is vital but also destructive. And then the woman of his dreams just falls into his life at the absolute worst time ever. Is there any way she'll stay?

5. Put The Gun Down -- This is our climax to part one. Lucian is the only man left, Carita has fallen for him completely, the prophecy must be fulfilled and Ruby is the only woman who can make that happen. Things are about to get very painful and very complicated.

6. Bring Him Home -- I've never seen the musical this is from, but Stages (the Album Josh Groban released that had this on it) came out as I was outlining Sealed With A Kiss and the moment I heard this I knew it was going to be one of the most important pieces of music I would use while drafting. There is a point in the second half where Carita makes a life changing decision and this song really echoes her reasoning and emotions while doing that.

7. America's Sweetheart -- This is Carita's theme. She does not follow the conventions or rules of her society, she's brutally honest, and she is very "okay" with who she is. She also won't accept people who refuse to take her "as is".

8. Building A Mystery -- This is about Lucian, the Underworld, and Carita's discovery that everything she has been told her entire life is a lie and completely false. It is only by allowing the lies to fall away and embracing the truth she is discovering that she will be able to survive the situation she has been thrust into.

9. Masterpiece -- This is the climax of the book, where Carita must finally, fully face up to what has happened to her and either succeed or fail. I love the idea that even though she will succeed here, she (and Lucian) are aware that this will continue to be a challenge for the foreseeable future. I also love the extremely tense pace of this song. It suits what has to happen really well.

10. Queen of Hearts -- So far I've mostly talked about the changes and sacrifices that Carita has made, but this song is important because it represents Lucian's ability to finally understand all that has happened and that he has to meet her half way. I also love the idea that after thousands of years he finally has someone with him whom he truly loves.

3. the Came NaNoWriMo Website

I've decided to post this for two reasons. First, because I love getting daily inspiration throughout the month. Second, because I believe this is one of the most powerful forms of motivation that can be used. There's one that trumps it for me, but maybe we'll talk about that next week? We'll see.

Writing is a solitary activity, but I'm an extremely social person. I want to share the things I care about with others. One thing I've said for years is that if I'm hanging out at Absolute Write I'm probably writing, and if I've been absent I'm probably not. But for Camp, I've been spending a lot of time writing back and forth with my cabin mates and on the "Campfire Circle" subform of the NaNoWriMo boards. It's very much like how I will stalk tech forms if I'm trying to save for / build a new PC, or how I joined health communities when I had to figure out how to deal with needle phobia. If you treat something like it's real, like you've already got it, you put yourself on step to making what you desire become reality.

I do not like competition where I have to face an opponent directly. I find that it reduces my performance in whatever I'm doing. (I always felt I'd sang my worst in competitions--even those I won.) But a graph like this, which is just as much about beating myself as it is keeping up with or exceeding what others are doing, is surprisingly effective at keeping me focused.

4. Facebook (a.k.a. Calling Home)

I don't believe in fear as a motivator. I do believe in telling people you are going to do something, and then bringing them with you along the way. It takes me a few minutes each day to update facebook with what I have accomplished, and in doing so I have a permanent reminder of what I have made happen. I've done this with every novel or novella I've written and it works (for me) every time.

Do you have any tools, tips or techniques that help you with NaNoWriMo? Feel free to share in the comments. :)

Road To #CampNaNoWriMo : My Camp Supplies!

2015-06-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

If there is a line of fiction I do not want associated with my preparation for next month's Camp session, it would definitely be the infamous "You are not prepared!" from the Burning Crusade expansin pack for World of Warcraft. With that in mind, I've spent the last week or so getting everything settled around so I'll have the best chance possible of completing SEALED WITH A KISS (or at least reaching my 50,000 word goal.)

Does anyone remember my review of BZRK? One of the big things talked about in that book was the idea of two different worlds, the "Macro" and the "Micro". I feel the same in a lot of ways about the logic I've been using to get ready for camp. For me, though, the Macro is of course anything that's gonna make me more comfortable here in the real world. The Micro, on the other hand, is anything that's going to directly effect my story where it's sitting on my PC. Today let's take a look at some of the things that will be helping me ensure that I will be able to tell Lucian and Carita's story.

Planning for #CampNaNoWriMo: The Macro

My Writing Books

It all starts here. If writing a novel were a feat worthy of super hero, this would be my "Bat Cave". I am quite addicted to collecting books on writing and I have some real gems (and admittedly a couple duds) here. Among the ones I figure I'll need most this July are Book In A Month by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, Writing New Adult Fiction by Deborah Halverson, and The Art of Romance Writing by Valerie Parv.

While we're on the subject, please let me know if you'd like to hear my thoughts on these or any of the other writing books in my collection. I don't normally review non-fiction here, but I'd be happy to make an exception for this.

Sweet Treats and Sweet Stationary

I do about 98% of my writing on the computer, because the only thing I hate more then revision is coming stuff onto the computer that I originally wrote by hand. To try and make up for any pain that may cause me, we have good quality "bold" black pens and the cutest notebook in the history of ever. It says: "Give a Pug A Hug". <3

All of the sweets here are new or relatively new to me. The Laffy Taffy is what remains of two bags Jay brought when he visited the other week, while the Sweet Crisps are a discovery my mother and I made at WalMart. I still haven't decided whether I love the chocolate or the caramel more, but I know I love how well these compliment a cup of tea.

And here we have a completely new member to the Kat's Snacks family: Bear Paw Dipped cookies. These are pretty good, but I'm pretty sure I'll be switching back to my usual Quaker Dips granola bars in week 2, as these don't seem to pack enough of a punch in the "they make hunger disappear" category. They are quite tasty, though!

The crackers are both old favorites. I don't want to hazard a guess how many boxes of Original Wheat Thins I'll go through while writing SEALED WITH A KISS, but I'm pretty sure it'll be "a lot". The Ritz Bitz with Cheese are another personal favorite, although I must admit that I was bummed I didn't see the S'Mores flavor at No Frills this trip as I had my heart set on them since this writing project has the whole camp theme going on. Hmm... Maybe I'll have to get the ingredients and make real S'Mores later in the month as one of my writing rewards? We shall see. :)

And last we have an old favorite and a new addiction. I've had a love affair with Peanut M&Ms for months, so I'm not surprised that I decided to get them at all. But this kick I'm on buying Lindt's Dark Chocolate With Caramel and Sea Salt is something I wouldn't have seen coming in my wildest dreams until, bored one weekend, I decided to try it.

Lastly, here's one for my fellow Canadians!

We all know that #NaNoWriMo involves massive amounts of caffeine, and if I'm going to get a coffee fix, chances are it's going to be from Tim Hortons. (Though if I want specialty drinks I prefer Mac's Milk--bigger selection, better prices.) I'm also a huge fan of all the non-chocolate Tim Bits. (I know..A Form of chocolate Kat doesn't care about. Blasphemous!) Either way, I'll be counting on family and friends to be feeding my Coffee and Tim Bit needs during the course of the event. Keep me motivated, people! <3

What are your must have items when writing? Did you put together a #NaNoWriMo Survival Kit? Feel free to share! :)

Road To #CampNaNoWriMo : What I'm Writing!

2015-06-27T16:55:00.000-04:00

I'm thrilled to announce that I plan to take part in Camp NaNoWriMo this July. I just finished the final chapters of my latest story, TO GRANT A DARK GIFT last weekend and now I am absolutely dying to get started with my next book, SEALED WITH A KISS. This book is very important to the Sealer Saga, as I have come to realize that it (not SEALER'S PROMISE) is actually the first book in the series. Want to know what it's about?

(This synopsis may yet be changed. This is not the final cover.)

Some Kisses Are Worth Dying For...

Chosen as a Champion, Carita of Bel Auryn thought she would spend her days fighting demons. Instead, she is drawn into the latest scheme of the Moon Goddess, Ruby: a ridiculous contest to choose the man who will have the "honor" of fathering her child. When Ruby encourages Carita to choose a competitor, she picks the man she is most drawn to--and immediately regrets it.

That man is Lucian Veradayne, the Lord of Death. He knows he must win Ruby's game at any cost. It doesn't matter that he has avoided her for over two thousand years. It doesn't matter that she hated him enough to maim their first son. And it definitely doesn't matter that he would much rather woo her endearing but brash Champion, Carita. The Soul Well, the source of all creation, has given Lucian a vision that he and Ruby must have another child. A child who will save the world.

But winning Ruby's affection and resisting Carita will prove to be the least of Lucian's problems. He and Carita are not the only ones who have been drawn into Ruby's game. Someone else wants to get close to her, and they are willing to kill to make that happen. Will Carita and Lucian be able to protect Ruby long enough for a victor to be named? And if so, will they be able to walk away from each other to ensure the Soul Well's prophecy comes true?

There are definitely things that I am really excited for as I prepare to write this. Are few of those are:

I get to explore what Kesyl was like as a little boy.
I get to experience how Carita and Lucian fell in love.
I get to see how Zakariah was before he started opening up to people.
I have a chance to (hopefully) understand Ruby better.

There are definitely some challenges that I will be facing in writing this, though:

I need to research how to authentically capture the voice of a little boy.
I'm writing about a woman who is raising a son; not exactly normal NA stuff there.
I'm working the contents of two novellas into a collective story arc. That's...interesting.
I face the challenge of ensuring my world can be understood in this context from first time readers, since I am hoping this will be book one of my series.

So, yeah. July is going to be insane. My goal is to write 50,000 words but I'd honestly like to finish the whole rough draft for this story. As long as I hit the word goal I'll be happy. If completing the whole thing takes me to the end of August I still wouldn't be overly upset.

So, is anyone else doing Camp NaNoWriMo? What are you writing about? I'd love to know!

Review: Take Them By Storm by Marie Landry

2015-06-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

*This book is New Adult

As with any review I do for Marie's books, I will start with the necessary disclaimer: Marie Landry is a long-time blogger friend whom I have known for several years. I do not say this to discredit the integrity of my review, but rather to ensure that all cards are laid on the table when you read it.

That said, what were my thoughts going into Take Them By Storm? First and foremost that I know I'm late to the party. This released a while ago and I was not actively blogging or reading much at that time. Second, that I was pretty sure going in that this book would be a safe bet for me. I've enjoyed everything Marie has written, so I was fairly certain Take Them By Storm would be the literary equivalent of catching up with old friends.

Was I right? Read on and find out...

(Summary from GoodReads)

This book is a standalone companion novel to Waiting for the Storm and After the Storm.

Sadie Fitzgerald has always been different, and not just because she makes her own clothes and would rather stay home watching Doctor Who than party with kids her age. When it’s time to leave Angel Island for college, Sadie is eager to put her old life behind her. Small-minded people and rumors have plagued her for years, but with the love of her adoptive family, the O’Dells, Sadie has learned to embrace who she is. Now she’s not afraid to admit the rumors about her are true: she’s gay.

For the first time in her life, Sadie feels free to be herself. She dives into college life and begins volunteering at the local LGBT center, where she discovers her small-town upbringing left holes in her education about life outside Angel Island.

The world is a bigger and more accepting place than Sadie ever imagined. She’s finally found where she belongs, but with the reappearance of someone from her past, an unexpected new friendship, and a chance at love, Sadie soon realizes she still has a lot to learn about life, friendship, and love.

The first thing I can say about Take Them By Storm is that it covered all the things I expect (at this point) from a Marie Landry novel. Relatable characters? Check. Beautiful writing with a natural flow? Absolutely. Gorgeous, descriptive prose complete with a setting so vibrantly realized that it seems like its own character? Without question. I had tried samples of three other books on my June reading list and failed to connect with them. I definitely did not have that problem here.

It was beautiful going back to this story world. (I view all stories as their own worlds, even if they are set in ours.) It was great being reunited with Charlotte, Ella, River and Ezra. It was also wonderful getting to know Sadie better. I had hoped she would get her own story and now that I have read it I feel that hope was definitely justified.

The shift from YA to NA was handled well and felt organic for the characters. The characters from previous books were also consistent with who I knew them to be, while still carrying enough growth and depth for me to believe that a year had passed and they were all headed to work / university / college.

Just as vital as the growth I see in the characters is the growth I see in Marie's writing. She used a plot device that drove me slightly batty in one of her earlier books and then turned it completely on its head. She also managed to have me convinced that was not going to happen until the last minute, which made for some very tense, fidgety, nail-biting reading that I usually don't get from contemporary books.

She also did something extremely clever with the romance here, which was definitely a bold move considering that she was already expanding her horizons by writing a romance with two ladies. I don't want to say much more about what goes on in the romance, as I feel that the way it turns out and is developed over the course of the book is one of Take Them By Storm's most intriguing and memorable aspects. Especially from a writing point of view.

Last, I think it's clever how Marie is tying various places she has set up within her re-imagining of Ontario together. Getting to see Melody and Oliva from The Game Changer was a fun surprise.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Do you even need to ask? Take Them By Storm is a great novel in its own right, as well as a continuation of the excellent storytelling and gorgeous writing I have come to expect and enjoy in every Marie Landry novel that I read. If you have not read any of Marie's books and you're a fan of contemporary fiction, do yourself a favor and try one.

Review: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter

2015-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

*This is not YA

The moment I read the blurb for The Vampire's Mail Order Bride I knew it was a book I absolutely had to read. One of my favorite paranormal series back in my twenties were the Argeneau Vampire books by Lynsay Sands. Unfortunately, those books have taken a shift in tone (they're still 'good'; just not necessarily at what I originally bought them for) and I have waited a long, long time for a series to come along which could capture and rekindle the humor I felt had largely gone missing from the paranormal romance genre.

So, was the book laugh out load funny, or was the joke on me? Read on to find out.

(Summary from GoodReads)

Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better. Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs and all.

After seeing her maybe-mobster boss murder a guy, Delaney James assumes a new identity and pretends to be a mail order bride. What she doesn't know is her groom to be is a 400-year-old vampire.

Hugh Ellingham has only agreed to the set up to make his overbearing grandmother happy. His past means love is no longer an option. Except he never counted on Delaney and falling in love for real. Too bad both of them are keeping some mighty big secrets...

The first thing I will tell you, since it's the first thing that drew me to this book, is that the humor does not disappoint. Where else can you find a kitty named Captain Underpants who does "cat yoga"? Where else have you heard of characters in a PNR novel breaking the fourth wall and poking fun at the cheese factors of vampire romance? Where have you, or when have you, ever heard of anyone doing these things well?

A large part of why the humor likely worked so well was the lovely contrast between our heroine, Delaney, and our hero Hugh. The concept of a mortal helping an immortal get a second lease on life (as in re-learning to enjoy it) is an old trope, but it was handled very well here. And Hugh isn't the way he is just to be the way he is, he has very good reasons and I really felt for him. I also like the underlying message that simply going by 'type' doesn't always work. Sometimes the right person is someone you would never have expected. (I also like the fact that it did not take the entirety of the novel for this point to be made, as there were other, far more intriguing, things to be explored.)

The next thing I will tell you is that this book, while hilarious, was no joke. It's filled with interesting and memorable characters who all seem to have their own unique stories and lives going on. The set up of the town, Noctourne Falls, is a perfect balance between our world and a supernatural "world" or society within our world that runs on its own timetable and with its own agenda. I never felt confused or lost, nor did I ever feel that I was being cheated out of learning something I wanted to know. That's the hallmark of good world building, right there. At least to me.

For a book that's only about 250 pages long, The Vampire's Mail Order Bride took me on one heck of a ride. What do I mean? Well, every time I thought I had something about the plot figured out, something would happen to turn everything upside down. Considering that I've read this genre for years, I'd like to think it's not always easy to keep me on my toes.

The story also did a beautiful job of blending a rather exciting heroine in jeopardy external conflict with a very guilt driven internal conflict on the part of the hero. Both of these were handled well. The jeopardy plot was exciting without stripping the book of its fun and whimsy, whereas Hugh's backstory never got pressed on me so heavily that it overburdened the book.

Finally, I will commend the author on making any conflict between the hero and heroine, Hugh and Delaney, -not- the center of what was happening to them. There were a few places where they had problems. This is a story of how can / how will they get together, not why would they want to. I found it very refreshing to see two characters be drawn together and (for the most part) stay that way with relative consistency throughout the course of the novel. It let me enjoy them together longer and thanks to the quality and depth of the conflicts they were facing it never got in the way of the forward momentum of their story.

Last, I want to address the sexual content of this novel since it is technically an adult PNR novel. What I will tell you is that for the vast majority this novel is very clean / tame / mild. Don't misunderstand: the passion and attraction between the characters practically sizzles! But we don't get a play by play of them together in bed; just some really great kisses and an excellent romance set in an interesting take on the supernatural world.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

If you are looking for a fun (and funny) PNR with memorable characters, solid world building and an interesting story, The Vampire's Mail Order Bride is the book you need. This book sucked me in from page one and absolutely did not let go!

What I'm Reading: June 2015

2015-06-02T01:17:00.001-04:00

I've been thinking about getting back to blogging for a few months now. June seems like a great time to do this. My hands are in pretty good shape for typing since it's summer, and there are a ton of awesome sounding books out that I want to download to my Kindle immediately. So, what am I hoping on reading this June? Here are a few books that have grabbed my interest!

1. Take Them By Storm by Marie Landry -- Marie is a friend of mine and I've meant to read this for ages. Now that I'm striving to get back into blogging, this is the first book I thought of for my list--even before going to GoodReads to see what had come out. I liked Sadie in After The Storm, so it will be interesting to see what will happen to her here.

2. The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough -- If Death is portrayed as an interesting character, you can bet I'm gonna be there to read about it. In an interesting and often not seen portrayal, apparently she is a lady for this outing. I think that the premise of historical fiction + a slight supernatural element is intriguing. I'm also interested in the time in which this takes place--my grandparents would have been young. I hope this author adds historical details that will let me get a glimpse of what that might have been like.

3. Hello, I Love You by Katie M. Stout -- I competed in music competitions from the time I was about eight up until I was around thirty, so I often enjoy stories where music either has a key role or is effecting characters' lives. Plus, one of my earliest reviews here on my blog was Anna and the French Kiss. I didn't care for that book due to some infidelity issues that rubbed me the wrong way; I did love learning about another culture, though. One of my favorite authors, Robert Beven, lives in South Korea with his family. I'm very intrigued to read a novel set there!

4. The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter -- I knew this would make my list the moment that I read the blurb. I love a vampire romance that has a sense of humor. I'm actually reading the sample right now (or was before I started this post) and I can already tell this is going to be my kind of book. Who can resist a cat named Captain Underpants?

5. The Gentlemen Mentor by Kendall Ryan -- I've learned to listen to my instincts when it comes to books like this. I usually don't go for sexy adult contemporary reads; especially not ones that involve BDSM. (So not a fan of Fifty Shades of Grey.) But occasionally I spot a title that grabs my interest and refuses to be ignored; that's what we've got here. Hopefully this book will live up to my previous successes in finding things I want to read within this type of fiction. I guess we'll soon find out.

6. Burned By Darkness by Alexandra Ivy -- Once upon a time, Kat wanted to read a romance novel involving falling in love with a dragon. This book looks like it might just be able to deliver. From the summary, I can see the bond between the two main characters going in any variety of ways. But I find that interesting. The idea that he spent 25 years looking for this specific woman when he has a "harem" is making me roll my eyes a tad. But the premise seems interesting enough that I think I'll give this a shot.

7. Lois Lane: Fallout by Gwenda Bond -- I'm a huge fan of DC Comics and the thought of a side character / love interest like Lois being given her own book is genius, in my opinion. I think it's great that stuff like this and the upcoming Supergirl TV show are being written / filmed / produced to try and increase female interest in conics, as i think comics have a ton to offer readers of either genre. I look forward to seeing how this was handled.

8. Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neil -- From what I've been reading, I'm gonna want to get some kind of non-shattering case or shell for my Kindle when I download this one, 'cause it's gonna make me mad. But that's okay! A book that ticks me off means it likely did a good job; I don't get riled up over just anything. I've wanted to read this from the moment I first head about it, so count on seeing a review for it soon.

9. Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs and Tracy Deebs -- I've been working on a premise for a standalone superhero novel, so this is another book that the writer in my is interested in reading. Plus, the premise just looks like it could be a lot of fun. I mean, imagine what it would be like knowing that there are people with extraordinary powers and then also knowing you're not one of them? Imagine having everything you know or think you believe turned upside down? This definitely shows potential.

10. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas -- I'm quite fond of Throne of Glass, so the idea of Sarah J. Maas + a potential take on Beauty and the Beast definitely had my attention from word go. I'm optimistic sense I've liked other work by this author, but she is working with my favorite fairytale, so things could get dicey. I look forward to reading the book and giving my opinion.

11. Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz -- I've enjoyed several of Melissa's other books, so I'm quite hopeful that this will be a fun read. I've been following all leads about the Disney Descendants doll line since I saw it in video footage from Toy Fair 2015 back in February (I collect dolls and My Little Pony), so finding out that there are going to be books was pretty exciting news.

12. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh -- This is a premise I've been waiting for someone to jump on since I took a class on oral storytelling in university. I never really felt a compulsion that this could or should be *my* story--I don't think I could do this justice. But I'm really happy to see that someone has spotted this opening in the fairytale retelling sub-genre and has decided to roll with it. I want to see how it turned out.

Will I get through all these in June? Absolutely not. Jay (my boyfriend) is visiting for a week and I'm just getting the blog back up and running. But I will read as much as I can and try to get back into the swing of things. I figured starting with a post of what I want to read this month will help give me some focus and keep me from staring at my Kindle and going, "What Next?".

Have you read any of the books on my list? Are there any you're especially curious to hear my thoughts on? Feel free to leave a comment. :)

Review: Dark Lover b y J.R. Ward

2014-07-16T21:44:00.000-04:00

*This is not YA

Since I haven't been able to write (stupid wrist!) I've had lots of time to read. My Kindle is really great for that. Now, Dark Lover is a book I actually bought last year. It's a book I started and failed to finish. But since the Black Dagger Brotherhood is an extremely popular paranormal romance series, and I want to understand how well written PNR works, I decided to give the book another go.

I'm glad I did.

Here's the thing: since I read both YA and NA / adult books, I can have trouble switching gears. I can struggle to remember that there are things I will accept from an adult book that I would not tolerate in a YA book for reasons of logic, credibility, etc. When I got back to the point where I DNFd Dark Lover my first go around, I could see exactly why I had, and I still didn't appreciate what was there. However, I decided to continue and on the whole I really did have a good time. Want my full thoughts? Read on.

(Summary from GoodReads)

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

First, I bet you wanna know what made me DNF my first go around. The sex. It's not that it was poorly written! Rather, it's that after being traumatized by another guy a few chapters earlier (and only by a day or so in time) the heroine then has UNPROTECTED sex with the hero. Yes, she thinks its a fantasy! Yes, he can't give her an STD, etc. But it was the principle of the thing. Remember, I jumped into this on the heels of 5-10 YA books. It felt off to me, and no wonder.

Fast forward to the present? I still wasn't a big fan of this plot development, nor of the fact that there was not really enough reaction to it as the book went on. I found the connection between Beth and Wrath really, *really*, shallow. I didn't really care about them the way I *should* have. It was all too on the surface for me to really get invested.

That doesn't mean I hated the book though! On the contrary, I'm about to start book 4! Why? Because despite the fact that this romance here was not my favorite, the world building, lore, and overall cast in this book--which all carry on as the series progresses--are FABULOUS! J.R. Ward has a real talent for developing a group of characters who really do feel like family, and who felt very real to me. I wasn't crazy about how Wrath and Beth got together, but I was *glad* they did. I also knew I'd want to come back to find out more about other characters I liked, such as Rhage, Butch, Phury and Vishous. (Sorry, people--I'm not a Zsadist fan. Nothing against him, he just didn't grab me.)

As a writer, one thing I really like about this series are the variety of POVs. As someone who uses quite a few, and has characters in her own novels whose lives continue to grow, I found how J.R. Ward juggled this very interesting--and I am thrilled with how it is progressing with each book I read. As I hope I made clear above, it makes the whole series feel like a long term investment emotionally, even though the h/h in this book weren't necessarily my favorite couple ever.

Here's how I see it: Dark Lover is a 'good' book in what is shaping up to be a great series. If you are just looking for *a* romance to win your heart, I don't think this is where I wound point you. *But* if you are looking for a world to invest in and become obsessed with, the Black Dagger Brotherhood, and be extension Dark Lover, are highly recommended.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Wicked Wildfire Read-a-thon 2014

2014-07-15T01:31:00.000-04:00

The Wicked Wildfire Read-a-thon is hosted by My Shelf Confessions. I've been taking part in these read-a-thons for years now, but what are the odds that one would be happening right when I decided to get back to blogging? The timing could not be more perfect. :)

This is probably the longest read-a-thon I've participated in, and I think it will be interesting to see how that turns out. At the same time, I need to get back into the habit of blogging, and I have a novella rough draft and novel revisions going on, so I'm not trying to win any awards with the number of books vs. number of days here.

What I'm Reading:

The next few days will likely be all about contemporary YA and NA. Why? First off, books in these genres tend to be quick and are likely to easily grab my attention. Second, I have a ton of paranormal and fantasy reviews to write and these will complement them. And third, contemporary tends to be what I want to read when I am drafting, which is what I'm doing with the Sealer's Promise prequel, To Grant A Dark Gift. With all that in mind, here's what I hope to devour during the read-a-thon:

GoodReads

1. Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry -- I've promised to read this book a zillion times and have made a thousand excuses why I haven't. I finally got it for Kindle, so my days of excuses are over. It's time I see what all the fuss is about. I'm very interested in the premise of Katie McGarry's latest book, but I like reading things in order, so let's do this!

2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell -- I bought a print copy of this and the print was too small. So now I've got it for Kindle and will finally be able to enjoy it. Yay! I've been excited to read this for a while, as part of my own writing history is being involved in several fandoms. I haven't written for one in years, but that + the whole college thing should meld together in interesting ways.

3. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally -- I'm sure you've all heard my thousand and one excuses for not getting this one done. And I'm sure you know none of them were that I disliked the part I read. So again--let's ditch the excuses and get this done. It's long overdue and a book I've wanted to get back to for a while.

GoodReads

4. Finding It by Cora Carmack -- This is pretty much guaranteed to be great. I've read and loved other books by Cora, so I figure, why not read this one as part of the read-a-thon? I'm taking a few chances on new authors, so I may as well have a couple books in here that are by people whose stories I already know I enjoy. :)

5. Ten Tiny Breaths by K.A. Tucker -- I have heard so much good about this book and I want to know why. The premise sounds promising, the cover is gorgeous, and it's under 300 pages. What have I got to lose?

6. Played by Liz Fichera -- I absolutely loved Liz's first book, Hooked. So reading Played is an absolute no brainer for me. I liked Sam and Riley in book #1, so finding out how they get together should be a fun journey to take.

Challenges:

N/A ... for now.

Daily Updates:

Tuesday, July 15th

Wednesday, July 16th

Thursday, July 17th

Friday, July 18th

Saturday, July 19th

Sunday, July 20th

Monday, July 21st

Tuesday, July 22nd

Wednesday, July 23rd

Are you taking part in this year's Wicked Wildfire Read-a-thon? Feel free to tell me what you're reading or to link me to your post. :)

My Top Ten TV Shows / Movies

2014-07-15T00:00:00.000-04:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, a (usually book related) topic is selected and we list our top ten choices relating to it.

This week's topic is:

My Top Ten TV Shows / Movies

I'm going to lump TV and movies together to keep things simple. If it's a dull, rainy day these are all shows or movies I might turn to.

10. Beauty and the Beast

Yes, there is a lot of criticism that can be leveled at this movie. It's definitely a film where someone can 'touch your Disney' and really pick it apart. But while I did enjoy Frozen (bought it last month) and appreciate it's message, I still feel very strongly that classic fairytales like Beauty and the Beast have their place. The Disney film is the adaptation that made Beauty and the Beast my favorite fairytale, so I feel this list would be incomplete without it.

09. The 10th Kingdom

This is a TV mini-series that is about ten hours long, and it bridges the gap between 'TV' and 'Movie" about as much as it does the gap between our world and a realm made up of fairytale kingdoms. This is one of the first works I saw that blended our world with one full of fantasy elements. This means it was probably one of the first things I saw that did this, and that it likely influenced my enjoyment of other stories that take place in multiple worlds.

08. The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Great music, an interesting and quirky plot, and lots of Tim Curry. What's not to love?

07. Sailor Moon

The show that started my love of anime. This is important since when I am writing I envision most of what I am working on as if it is done in an anime style. I don't know *why*, I just *do*.

06. The Princess Bride

C'mon, who doesn't love this movie?

05. Desperate Housewives

I usually don't go for contemporary styled TV, but the characters in Desperate Housewives are so compelling, and the plotlines get so shockingly twisted, that I can't look away. This is also a personal favorite (and I'm sure I'll say this about other shows) because the characters actually grow.

04. 10 Things I Hate About You

Ah, the movie that defined my own teen years. I wanted to be Katerina Strafford so bad. *laughs, shakes head* I had a heck of a time choosing between this, She's All That, Bring It On and Save The Last Dance. Legally Blonde was also a contender, though that wasn't a thing until my first year of University.

03. Avatar: The Last Airbender

I think what makes Avatar stand out for me is the fact that it has such fantastic depth of character while using animation rather than live action. I mean, seriously... Zoko has more depth than most antagonists in any artistic medium--he even receives redemption. If Sailor Moon fostered my love of animated entertainment that can tell an awesome story, Avatar proves that me aging has not taken away from the fact that it is possible for animation to do this time and again.

02. Mortal Kombat

I saw this movie for the first time when I was in 7th grade, and it has fueled my imagination as a writer ever since. I love the balance between various things like action, exploration, romance, and even humor. I was already invested in the characters and their plight since I played the games. And this, to me, is one of the (extremely rare!) video game movies that does not suck. In fact, (again, to me) this is one of my favorite movies of all time.

01. Farscape

If you like science fiction, fantasy and romance you owe it to yourself to check out Farscape. I've praised other things on this list for character development and continuity, but Farscape takes things one step further. Farscape is, of all TV series I've watched, the only one I've seen that truly feel like it has book quality storytelling. Plus (get this!) if Farscape was a book, it would likely be classified as romantic science fiction. (The only other thing I can think of that comes close is Lexx, and that gets all buggered up.) Science fiction and romance generally do not mix in the TV world, so for those who would like to watch some, and watch it done well, Farscape is a true gem.

So, what are your favorite movies and TV shows? Feel free to leave a comment or link me to your top ten Tuesday post. :)

If We Were Having Coffee (2)

2014-07-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well, *you* can have coffee--I want tea. :D But that's beside the point, no? Hello, people! :)

It's been a long while, but I'm back. And since it's been a while, it seems like it would make the most sense to start by filling you guys in on some of what I've been up to in the last couple months. I'm going to talk EVERYTHING here, since it's not like you know what I've been reading, writing, etc. anyway. Here we go!

1. Why Did I Decide To Take A Break?

It did totally start out with the issue with my left hand / wrist. But it was long past due, if I'm being really honest. I needed some time away from my blog to sort out my priorities and figure out where I was going and where I wanted to be. Fortunately, that is definitely "here". But regardless of that, I think it was the right thing taking some time and recharging my batteries.

2. What Am I Going To Do Now That I'm Back?

I'm still going to talk about books and writing, but I'm also going to take about other things I love: music, gaming, movies / tv shows... They won't become the focus, but I'm not going to let myself feel so boxed in anymore. Sometimes I'm reading, sometimes I'm not. It may sound weird to say that since I'm a writer, but writing can actually juggle my mood on reading for some reason.

3. What Have I Been Reading?

Expect to see reviews for more of Larissa Ione's Riders of the Apocalypse quartet--and likely some for her actual Demonica novels once I get to them; also expect to see more reviews for J.R. Ward's Dark Brotherhood series. On the YA front, I should have reviews for Pushing The Limits (I know, I am so far behind here!), Stolen Songbird (one of my most anticipated new releases this year, which I just bought for my Kindle last night), Played (very excited to be reading the sequel to Hooked) and After The Storm (which I can already tell you I loved--I just couldn't review because my hands had started acting up.) Last, but not least, let's talk NA. Most importantly, let's talk Until We Fly by Courtney Cole... Well, let's talk about that *soon*, anyway. ;)

4. When Tragedy Strikes, It Strikes Hard...

Six days shy of his tenth birthday, my beloved Schnoodle, D'Argo, went missing. He slipped off the collar attached to his leash while he was in the backyard, and must have bolted since a storm had started. We have tried everything to find him--posters, ads in the paper, online pet search networks--to no avail. We have not given up hope, but being without my little buddy is hard. (And it effects my Mother even worse than me; she was his favorite and they were extremely close.)

5. TV and Games...

I've been doing a full watch of Buffy The Vampire Slayer since the start of July. I've never seen the full series, and my Aunt purchased the entire set so we are cycling through them. I am nearly at the end of Season 2. I will be doing seasonal reviews for Buffy and other shows I watch from now on since I'm kind of a DVD addict.

As for gaming, I got a Wii U in May and have been playing loads of Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World since my hands stopped flaring near the end of the month. I also got Tomodachi Life for 3DS, and Final Fantasy X / X2 Remastered, Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny, and Dragon Age: Awakening for my PS3. I should be writing about some or all of these this summer, as well as sharing my thoughts on PS4 when I get it in August or September. (Can't decide whether I want the normal black one, or the glacier white one that comes with the Destiny bundle.)

6. Writing and Revisions...

Sealer's Promise is STILL not ready. Part of this is because of the flare-up. Part of it was taking a pause the same as with my blog (I used that to game, spend time with family and just try to untangle basically) and part of that was sorting out a major decision to do with the story--which I finally know the answer to and totally love.

I'm also working on a prequel novella, To Grant A Dark Gift, which should be coming out a month before the book. I wanted people to be able to get a more fleshed out version of Sarena's past and her initial meeting with Kyden, Kesyl, Avish and Cait. It's going quite well and since it's a smaller piece than Sealer's Promise, it's a bit more manageable.

I'm going to be giving weekly updates on how my writing is going to try and get things accomplished. We'll see how that goes!

7. Jay Came To Visit...

We got to spend time together from the 17--25 of June. Highlights included dinner with my mother and brother at the Loaf & Ale (right), defeating Bowser in Super Mario 3D World, three trips to Kingston, and beating Beyond Two Souls (which is totally amazing--gamer or not, you want to play that for the story!)

Now that he is home, I am actually working on designing a Photobook of our visit. I'll be doing a video about that and sharing my thoughts on Shutterfly's service sometime in the next few weeks.

So, what have you been up to? Read anything amazing lately? Let's talk!

A Quick Notice

2014-04-07T16:48:00.000-04:00

Hey guys,

I have injured my wrist and am going to need to bow out of the A to Z challenge. I will be back and posting stuff as soon as I can--thanks to A to Z I have tons of topics I want to discuss and books I want to review.

Thanks for your time. Talk to you soon! :)

My Five Favorite Fast Food Fixes

2014-04-07T00:22:00.001-04:00

So, this was suppose to be a review of Frozen. But I didn't get a chance to get the DVD, so I'll improvise.

Some of you probably already know that I *love* fast food. But I thought today, since I need a quick and easy post since the one I had planned didn't happen, that I'd share with you a few of my favorite things.

#5: KFC's Toasted Wrap

It's a small, straightforward thing. A chicken strip, lettuce, and pepper mayo wrapped in a toasted tortilla. I like to add bacon and cheese to them. I think I pay something like $2.50 each. If I grab a few of these and a drink, they make a nice meal. Plus, we have a KFC locally that will deliver to my house, so they're convenient.

#4 McDonald's French Fries

As long as they are hot, I think that McDonalds have the best fries around. Crispy, satisfying and capable of making me want to eat just one more, they are one of the things that I most look forward to when I go to McDonalds for food. Clearly there's a reason those golden arches are such an iconic part of their business.

#3: Orange Julius Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

I actually discovered this on accident. I normally order strawberry banana smoothies when I get one from any store, but when I heard that Orange Julius (via Dairy Queen here) had a smoothie with pomegranates, I was curious. Pomegranate seeds play an important role in Sealer's Promise, so I wanted to get an idea what the fruit tasted like. Well... I still can't attest to pomegranate (since there are other berries here, too.) But I can tell you I'm totally hooked on this smoothie. My parents went out of their way on our trip to Watertown to find a store that sells these when we went across the border last month.

#2: Dairy Queen Chocolate Covered Strawberries Waffle Bowl Sundae

First up, I won't lie: this thing is expensive. But it's big, it's absolutely decadent, and if I had to pick an item on this list that you all need to try NOW, this would be the one. I've only had this Sundae once. I was out with Shawn, Kate, and Jay. But oh my God I want it again (and I'm sure I'll get to have it when Jay visits.) The flavors here make sense and I suppose it could be argued that this Sundae plays it safe. But when you add the fact that you get to eat the waffle, which is covered in vanilla, chocolate, and strawberries at the end, it just takes this whole thing to another level. Yum!

#1: Wendy's Junior Bacon Cheeseburger

I know what you're probably thinking: "Really?!". The JBC is one of Wendy's value items, not one of their (admittedly delicious) premium high end burgers. Yet 9 times outta 10, if I'm ordering Wendy's this is the burger (well burgers--I usually get two) that I want. Why? I hate messy burgers and the JBC keeps things manageable while still giving me all my favorite things. Plus, I'm more likely to eat the veggies on a JBC, where I'll usually order without or pick 'em off any other burger. Lastly, since I tend to buy two of these, I get to enjoy the actual flavor of what I'm eating longer--again, without worrying that it's getting all over my hands. For me, the JBC is the hamburger equivalent of Baby Bear's porridge. It's just right.

So, what's your favorite fast food, and why? Feel free to share!

Review: Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione

2014-04-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

*This is not YA.

I've looked at the Lords of Deliverance series several times in the past couple years, thought, "Gee, I should read that.", and then went "Nope, not until Sealer's Promise is written." Well the good news, for you and me, is that I caved.

The first book in the series, Eternal Rider, isn't the one I really want to get my hands on. But I'm very much a "start at the beginning" kinda girl when it comes to series. Yes, I realize there are book prior to this from the Demonica series, and now that I'm done this I'm tempted to go back. But still... Starting here was smarter than starting with Lethal Rider or Rogue Rider, right?

Curious what I thought of Eternal Rider? Read on and find out. :)

(Summary from GoodReads)

They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

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.

When I sat down to read Eternal Rider, I did so with two questions in mind. (1) How long will it take me to get to the book that made me want to read this series? and (2) Can this author write? That may sound really cold, but I've read a LOT of PNR, and it is my "home" genre. It's what *I* write. So yeah, I won't lie: I'm tough on books I read here, just as I (hope) I am on my own work.

The good news? Eternal Rider totally rocked. Of the four books I've read by this author, I actually liked Cara the most out of the heroines I met. And while Ares was not my favorite hero, he was up there and I did enjoy him. Plus, the way that the rest of the horsemen, and a wide variety of other characters, were intermixed into the story added a level of richness and 'life' / 'world' / 'lore' that really kept my interest.

Oh, and I loved the Hellhounds! They play a really cool role in this book and I found it refreshing and interesting. It goes very well with the concept that this series seems to spin around, which is pretty much the idea that any creature--angels, demons, humans, etc--can be good or evil. I won't tell you what our furry, slobbery friends actually do here, but I will say that if you love stories where animals--mythological or otherwise--play a great role, this is a book you'll want to read.

On the other hand, if you're not a fan of scorching hot sex scenes, this is probably best avoided. It's a crying shame since the book was both really thrilling and really fun, but the truth is the truth. Further, this is one of those books where the sex was, in many cases, there for sex's sake. It wasn't *too* bad, but it was noticeable.

Original, sexy, and fun, Eternal Rider was a book that I could not put down. If you are a paranormal romance fan and haven't read this yet, I'd highly recommend that you check it out. Please be aware that the Lords of Deliverance series is a spin-off of the Demonica series. I jumped in and did okay, but I'm pretty sure certain things would have been even better if I had read from the very beginning.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Discussion: Do You DNF Books?

2014-04-04T00:57:00.001-04:00

DNF. These three letters, used together, are something I often see cited as a book blogger mark of shame. In the book blogger world they stand for "did not finish", and when we use them we are talking about not completing a book we have started. Scandalous!

I'm going to tell you all something shocking: I DNF books. A lot. And I'm in absolutely no way sorry.

There are a million reasons that I might decide not to continue reading something. A few examples:

-- A love interest is seeking romance while still in a relationship.

-- A book is about something other than what I thought it was, or it isn't delivering on the aspect of what I thought it was about that I started reading it *for*.

-- The writer's style and my tastes as a reader totally clash, making me unable to get sucked in.

-- The lead character(s) unintentionally annoy me or bore me.

-- A book has extreme, repetitive, and pointless cruelty to small animals.

-- A book comes across as 'preachy', 'propaganda', or 'manipulative'.

-- I think I need to pin my eyes open if I want to stay awake and keep reading. (Again, I'm bored!)

As a blogger, I can somewhat empathize with why others have issues with quitting a book. Especially if it's an ARC. But at the same time... How are you going to know you will like that book when you approve it for review? If you reach a point where you already know you hate the thing, what are you really gaining from reading more? If you wish you didn't have to finish, are you even the right person to be reading it?

And the gray area becomes much less apparent when I think as a writer. Having people read my work is a gift, an honor, and a privilege. At the same time, one of the first things anyone who wants to write has to learn that some people--hell, maybe even most people--with either not like your work or flat out won't care. That probably sounds kinda callous and disrespectful toward my work, my characters, and other writers. But the need to develop thick skin about this aspect of writing is absolutely crucial.

So, are you curious to see a few of the books I've DNF'd since starting I Write, I Read, I Review? I've picked out three that stand out. (Ironically they are all varying takes on paranormal, which is what I write. Go figure.)

GoodReads

Alice In Zombieland by Gena Showalter -- This one kinda breaks my heart. Gena Showalter is one of my favorite authors. Has been for years. So to not like her YA title, much less not to finish it, was almost devastating. There is a very pivotal shift in Alice's character that actually made me literally wall-toss this book. I think I've maybe, actually, done that three times in my entire life. I'm tempted to go back and see whether there is eventually an explanation for the shift that made me so angry, but I haven't had the courage to yet. (DNF'd at approximately 25%)

Splintered by A.G. Howard -- I was so sad when I didn't end up finishing this one, but it did something that made me unable to like the heroine. She's going totally batty for her already-taken friend. I don't care if his GF is the biggest bitch on earth. I just couldn't muster any respect for a girl who is hanging onto feelings for someone she cannot have. Move on! Seriously! (And my money says they'll get together. Her weakness + the cliche bitchy gf + my theory = pass!) (DNF'd at between 25 - 30%)

Indelible by Dawn Metcalf -- How did this graduate from being a Kindle sample to a full purchase? I'm sorry if that's harsh, but I really wish I could remember *why*. You see, that's the problem. I actually cannot remember a single thing about this book, except that I DNF'd it because I was bored. So very, very bored. (DNF'd at approximately 20-25%)

So, do you DNF books? Does it bother you when you do? What things will make you stop reading something? I'd love to know!