Jul 30, 2010

Review--A Glimpse of Evil


SOME COLD CASES ARE BETTER LEFT COLD...

As the FBI's newest civilian profiler, Abby Cooper has a tough job ahead of her. Not only does she have to use her powers of intuition to help solve a backlog of the bureau's cold cases, but she must also wun over a frosty group of seasoned investigators and teach them how to develop their own perceptive abilities.

If that weren't challenging enough, Abby's sure that several of the cold cases are connected, but she's the only one who's convinced. Things go from bad to worse when Abby and another agent are suspended for not following protocol, leaving Abby and her old partner, Candice, to investigate on their own. To discover how these pieces fit together, Abby will have to call on every intuitive bone in her body...before she's the one put on ice.

I have to say that I just love Victoria Laurie's mystery series, both Ghost Hunter and Psychic Eye! And A Glimpse of Evil is another great addition to the latter.

Abby and Dutch move to Texas for the new division of the FBI specializing in cold cases. The perfect job for Abby, yet it's nowhere near as perfect as she would think. First off most of the other detectives treat her with hostility and disdain. She doesn't score many points for being Dutch's girlfriend and friend of Brice, the "boss". But that's only the beginning.

Abby uses her intuition to look over some of the cold cases instead of doing it in the "approved" manner which makes some of the others still a little disgruntled. Yet Abby doesn't let that faze her.

Soon she is put into the field with one of the detectives to look into one of the cases she helped put together to be "solvable". But when matters take a turn for the worse, Abby and the other detective are put on suspension, which is when Abby teams up with Candice to look into some cold case murders involving young girls.

The mystery was well paced, looking at people involved with each of the murders of the young girls, talking to family members and trying to find a hint of a clue or suspect. But there isn't much luck to be had with these cold cases. But Abby's intuition is working over time, because she believes these cases can be solved.

There are other cold cases that connect into her set of murder victims and Abby can't seem to figure out the connection.

It was written rather well, for I didn't really put anything together until the end when more "evidence" came in and was able to solve it and figure out part of the "who-done-it".

There was also more emphasis on Candice and Brice's relationship as that came up quite a bit. And Abby and Dutch's as well. Some surprises come along that you might be able to guess at as you read along. But still it was nice to have my guesses confirmed in the end. And boy was there an ending! It leads you right into where the next Psychic Eye mystery will take off. Abby is one busy girl!

I love Abby too! She is such a fun character! She is also trying to cut back on her swearing, something I have trouble with myself! And her alternative use of language is quite comedic at times because you can still figure out what she wants to say. A lot of Abby's friends are here as well despite her move south of Michigan. But it was still nice to see some familiar faces.

And while there is a sneak peek at the next Psychic Eye mystery, Eye Spy. I had to resist reading it because it doesn't release until July 2011. And sometimes a sneak peek is really just a cruel teaser! Although, I have been known to fall victim to them anyway! Oh well, there are times when I just don't have any willpower! Overall I give it 5/5 stars!

And since my copy of Waking the Witch still hasn't come, errgh!, I have decided to pick up one of the books that's been in my TBR pile for awhile now, next up I have Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready, and I've been told by a few online friends that it is an amazing read! Sure enough when I start this book I will likely find Waking the Witch in tomorrow's mail, how much do you want to bet? ;)

Until next time readers! And don't forget about my current contest I'm holding. Click here for details! Spread the word!

Vampires Suck Trailer



Saw this trailer awhile back and meant to post it here on my blog, it totally cracked me up. And I love vampires, yet this focuses more on making fun of the Twilight movies. It might be a movie I have to see on my own since my friends are Twilight obsessed and wouldn't appreciate my sense of humor in seeing a movie making fun of it. But come on! It looks funny!!

And don't forget about the contest I'm having, for details click here.

Jul 29, 2010

Contest Alert

Contest time! This time I'm hosting the contest! When entering contests I saw a few for Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams and since it sounded interesting I entered multiple ones. I ended winning two copies. Since I don't think any of my friends would want it I decided to have a contest here and give it away!

And did I mention the copy is SIGNED! So for a chance to win a signed copy of Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams, simply leave a comment on my review here.

Contest is open to US and Canada residents only

Contest will close on Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 11:59 PM Central

Good Luck!

Review--Dark Oracle


TARA SHERIDAN HAS A GIFT...AND IT ALMOST KILLED HER.

As a criminal profiler, Tara used science and her intuitive skill at Tarot card divination to track down the dangerous and depraved, including the serial killer who left her scarred from head to toe. Since that savage attack, Tara has been a recluse. But now an ancient secret society known as Delphi's Daughters has asked for her help in locating a missing scientist Lowell Magnusson. And Tara, armed with her Tarot deck, her .38, and a stack of misgivings agrees to try.

Tara immediately senses there is far more at stake then one man's life. At his government lab in the New Mexico desert, Magnusson had developed groundbreaking technology with terrifying potential. Working alongside the brusque but charismatic agent Harry Li, Tara discovers that Magnusson's daughter, Cassie, has knowledge that makes her a target too. The more Tara sees into the future, the more there is to fear. She knows she has to protect Cassie. But there may be no way to protect herself--from the enemies circling around her, or from the long-buried powers stirring to life within...

Finished Dark Oracle by Alayna Williams today, also know as Laura Bickle. I had won this book in a contest awhile back and finally got around to reading it and I wasn't disappointed.

It was rather interesting having the use of Tarot in the novel, there were detailed explanation of the cards and their meaning and how Tara attributed them to the situation at hand.

Tara was a great character, she wasn't the total kick-butt heroine we usually see, but she still kicks some butt in the end of course. There was an event in the past that left her scarred, literally and it damaged her, physically and mentally and she has had to cope with it on her own for a long time. She disengaged herself from her friends and her family was already long gone, she lived a quiet life until an old "friend" from Delphi's Daughters comes to her door in the middle of the night, Tara used to be a member of this group before leaving shortly after her mother's death and the incident.

Tara reluctantly agrees to take a look at a missing person's case that becomes much bigger than she thought it would. Working alongside Harry Li, Tara can't help but feel like she's being judged by him by her appearance and her methods for the case, her use of Tarot to begin with. They have a rocky start in the beginning of the case.

This was told in multiple third person p.o.v. so we get to see a lot of the characters and get to know their motives. Which kind of pointed out the bad guy a little earlier than I would've liked, but it still made for great reading because we don't really know why these characters make their choices, we may know the ultimate goal but not the reasons behind it.

There was also some science-y talk in the book, dealing with physics, matter and some other stuff that I didn't really understand, science along with chemistry, biology, and physics were not my best subjects in school. But it wasn't really important to understand this science talk, you only had to know that it dealt with certain characters, they knew what it was for and they tell the others, it was just a little hard for me to comprehend. So basically I just rolled with it.

There was a bit of romance in the book which you can see coming, but it took a few turns that I wasn't expecting. Overall it was nice, it had a nice buildup instead of just throwing it out at you.

The action was definitely well paced, there is more going on than just trying to find the missing scientist and locate his daughter. Quite a bit more actually. It was amazing how far this case went, just when you think something is close to be solved, it's not!

The ending was good, decent. It wrapped up the events, but left you with just enough dangling to wonder what will happen to Tara down the line in the next book.

Overall, I decided to start giving an actual rating system instead of just saying the book was GREAT, I'd give the book 4/5 stars!

And since my copy of Waking the Witch has not arrived, yet, still hoping for the weekend instead of Monday like my tracking device invoice says, I will have to pick up something else to read. But there are sooo many choices still on my shelf. This may take awhile!

Jul 28, 2010

Review--Unholy Magic


ENEMIES DON'T NEED TO BE ALIVE TO BE DEADLY.

For Chess Putnam, finding herself near-fatally poisoned by a con psychic and then stopping a murderous ghost is just another day on the job. As an agent of the Church of Real Truth, Chess must expose those looking to profit from the world's unpleasant little poltergeist problem--humans filing false claims of hauntings--all while staving off any undead who really are looking for a kill. But Chess has been extra busy these days, coping with a new "celebrity" assignment while trying on her own time to help some desperate prostitutes.

Someone's taking out the hookers of Downside in the most gruesome way, and Chess is sure the rumors that it's the work of a ghost are way off base. But proving herself right means walking in the path of a maniac, not to mention standing between the two men in her life just as they--along with their ruthless employers--are moving closer to a catastrophic showdown. Someone is dealing in murder, sex, and the supernatural and once again Chess finds herself right in the crossfire.

Finally finished Unholy Magic today after a long delay due to many things, but it was so worth it! This was really awesome and a great followup to Unholy Ghosts! Can't wait to read City of Ghosts, but it's a little down in the lineup in my TBR pile due to some other books I am desperate to read!! Going to have to rethink my next read, but moving on...

A few months after the events of Unholy Ghosts, Chess finds herself back in the swing of things as life goes back to normal, normal for her at least. She's still somewhat dating Lex and getting her drugs from him, she's still occasionally hanging out with Terrible, but then things get complicated. After a close run in with a fake psychic, Terrible asks Chess to help him out with the problem regarding the prostitutes being murdered because he knows some of them. And Chess reluctantly agrees, doing it as a favor for him.

Their relationship is a little tense still after the events of Unholy Ghosts. There is definitely tension between the two of them, in a good way almost. Much different than her relationship with Lex.

But things get complicated still when she has to go to a TV star's house for a reported haunting and once again, Chess is sure it's a fake, a fake that will pay her a lot of money. But after the first book, it's obvious things won't be as easy as she thinks.

This book really takes off from where we last left Chess, and a whole lot of good things happen that I can't talk about. I don't even want to give vague hints, but there is good stuff and an incredible ending that is definitely going to have repercussions in future books, possibly even City of Ghosts, but not 100% sure, but it will definitely have to come up. There are quite a few more loose ends in this book but it still wraps up nicely in the end.

Chess is still quite an amazing character. Very different from the average UF protagonist. Her drug addiction still bothers me a little bit, because sometimes the drugs become a problem for her and her actions, but that is also what helps make the series. It gives Chess that problem that she can't overcome.

This is definitely a series I will be sticking too. I was once again blown away by the language, the accents and drawls of the characters Chess interacts with sound so real and fluent, you can really hear it and it gives the book a nice edge. Of course the books are already edgy and the "scenery" is the same, Downside is a rough and rugged place, much like its citizens.

Now I have to do a game of "eeny-meeny-miny-moe" to decide which book I really want to read next. Will make a decision by the end of the evening...hopefully!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we;re eagerly awaiting.

Moving into August now, I have two releases that come out next week that I can't wait to read, the first is the anthology Death's Excellent Vacation. I'm really looking forward to Jeaniene Frost's Cat and Bones story!




The editors of Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns deliver a new collection-including a never-before-published Sookie Stackhouse story.

New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost-plus Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, and more-send postcards from the edge of the paranormal world to fans who devoured Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns.
With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque. Learn why it really can be an endless summer-for immortals.

Death's Excellent Vacation edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner
ISBN-13: 978-0441018680
RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2010

And next up I have Total Eclipse, the LAST Weather Wardens novel! I'm so sad to see the series end but I can't wait to see the ending as well!




Weather Warden Joanne Baldwin, her husband, the djinn David, and the Earth herself have been poisoned by a substance that destroys the magic that keeps the world alive. The poison is destabilizing the entire balance of power, bestowing magic upon those who have never had it, and removing it form those who need it. It's just a matter of time before the delicate balance of nature explodes into chaos-and doom.

Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine
ISBN-13: 978-0451463456
RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2010

And that's it for this week! So what are you waiting...and waiting for? ;)

Jul 27, 2010

Teaser Tuesday


Teaser Tuesday time again! And this is an amazing Tuesday! Check out all the GREAT new releases on my sidebar! I have to go to Borders this week for sure!

Didn't get too far into Unholy Magic because I had to work a lot and in the mornings and I had relatives in town. But I did find a decent teaser for you!

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly blogpost by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

The Rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out two lines that are SPOILER free
4. Name the book, author, etc.

"A spot of red liquid flew from the drain and landed on the mirror. Her insides twisted as one drop became two, became three, and blood burbled up from the drain, vicious bright blood filled with squirming bodies, rising in the sink." p66

TITLE: Unholy Magic
AUTHOR: Stacia Kane
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 6, 2010

Cover Art

Saw this just a few minutes ago at SciFiGuy's blog and had to post it here as well. It's the cover for Kim Harrison's next Hallows book, Pale Demon. It releases February 22, 2011! I can't wait to read it! It definitely sounds like a GREAT read, there's going to be some laughs for sure!



Here's the BOC:
Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after . . . for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for her own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passenger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.
A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Also here is the cover art for Maria Snyder's next YA release Outside In! Can't wait to read this one, especially after the ending of Inside Out!!



And Maria has confirmed that she will have another adult series set in a fantasy world that will release either in later 2011 or early 2012, I'm hoping on the former. The sooner the better!

Jul 25, 2010

In My Mailbox

Little late to be putting up my IMM post, but it's due to the power being out at my house since late last night. It came back around midday but I was out doing family things since I had relatives in town this weekend.

Mailbox isn't too full, but my TBR pile is high and will be even taller for next Sunday when all my Tuesday releases come out!

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post created by Kristi and The Story Siren.

This week as you already know since I've read it and my review is up, I won a copy of Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake! See my review here.




















Then today since I had a great coupon from Borders, I bought Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Raised by Wolves because a few of my friends online told me it was a good read! Can't wait to get to it!


















And that was it. Not much, but as I said my TBR pile is pretty high right now and there's still 4 more books that come out on Tuesday that I have to buy!

So what did you get this week?

Jul 22, 2010

Review--ARC Almost to Die For


SIXTEEN AIN'T SO SWEET.

On her sixteenth birthday, Anastasija Parker's present winds up being the shock of a lifetime. When her mom referred to her absentee dad as a deadbeat, it was actually half true--he's a vampire. And a king, no less. A king who wants his daughter to assume her rightful position at his side. But, thanks to Ana's mother, the blood of a witch also runs through her veins.

Too bad vampires and witches are mortal enemies.

With her parents gearing up for an all-out brawl over her destiny, Ana's about ready to scream. But things are even crazier when a male witch and a brooding bad-boy vampire start vying for her affections. Then the barely leashed tension between the vampires and the witches starts to boil over, and Ana has to figure out once and for all whether she wants to become heir to her dad's throne. And deciding your eternal destiny is a pretty big deal for a girl who just wants to get through high school.

Decided to give Tate Hallaway's YA book a try since I won it in a contest. And it involved vampires, how can I pass that up?

Almost to Die For was rather interesting. I feel like you can really connect with Ana, she already knows she's an oddity what with her different colored eyes. Her mother is a witch and Ana should be too, along with her friend, Bea. But Ana hasn't been able to do spells properly. Her sixteenth birthday on the sixteenth is where the book opens up, a special day, for it's the day she is to be initiated into the Coven. **Man, on my sweet 16 on the 16th I had a cold, fun!**

But Ana's life is only going to get more complicated for before she leaves for the ceremony her father shows up at her door telling her not to do the ceremony. And hence the chaos begins!

Ana is bombarded with too many details, she never gave much thought to her father and now he's at the door and he's a vampire. As she eventually learns, a vampire king, making her a vampire princess.

What makes Ana even more east to relate to was her attitude. I saw a bit of myself in her. She wasn't totally filled with confidence but she wasn't necessary lacking it to make her totally mopey and annoying, she was just unsure of herself in certain situations which I think is more realistic than the totally confident teen.

The romantic tension came from two admirers, one was an older boy from her Coven--who her best friend happens to have a crush on, and the other comes from the vampire side. A crush from each side, how perfect! The BOC describes the vampire as "bad boy" but while I see why it says this, I didn't find him to be a bad boy, he was more secretive, I guess, in his ways. Very intriguing, he's more mysterious than the witch boy, who has his own family secrets that will eventually get in the way of any romance with Ana. Won't dwell further!

The ending was yet another epic ending that we see in any book, the big showdown or whatever you want to call it. For it was quite literally a showdown of sorts. That resulted in some very surprising outcomes.

The characters were all unique, Ana--the slightly unsure teen who doesn't quite fit in at school, her friend--Bea who is more confident in herself and her witchy abilities, Taylor--her other friend who is on the outside--just human but is herself a unique individual. Nikolai--the witch boy Ana likes and who Bea has a crush on, Elias--the vampire who is sworn to protect the Princess Ana and who is also quite attractive and secretive. Ana's parents were the type that they were both controlling in their own ways yet were still colorful in their manners.

I'm having a hard time explaining all this without giving away something, so I think I better stop here. Overall It was a rather interesting read, different and I would likely read the next one when it comes out just to see what other adventures Ana gets into and how the loose ends get tied up, especially the BIG one from the ending!

Almost to Die For releases August 3, 2010. So the wait's not too long. Next up for me is Unholy Magic, for City of Ghosts releases next week and I still have a steady pile of books to read, not even counting the releases of next week!

Until next time! Stay reading!

Jul 21, 2010

Review--Wait for Dusk


THERE IS NO SANCTUARY IN THE NIGHT...

Feared even by her own kind for her mastery of fire, the nightwalker Mira is summoned by the coven to take her rightful place as Elder. But with this honor comes grave responsibility--a commitment to the annihilation of the unleashed naturi. For now the foul creatures walk the earth--and neither vampire nor human will survive their horrific onslaught.

A tide of blood is sweeping relentlessly across the European continent, as Mira is dispatched to Budapest for the most devastating test yet of her astonishing powers--and falls into a well-laid trap. With the dark secrets that haunt her growing darker by the hour, she must confront the terrible truth of her past and protect her fragile sanity in the face of unanticipated treachery--a betrayal by her trusted ally, her beloved enemy, the vampire slayer Danaus.

I had made my WoW post ahead of time and set it to post early and all that happened before I won the contest for Wait for Dusk, so that's why it's still there. I just didn't think to remove it until I saw it now and thought why bother. There are still 2 other books on that post that I'm waiting on!

Speaking of wow, that's what Wait for Dusk was, just wow! I was pleased to see that it immediately--IMMEDIATELY picks up where we left off in Pray for Dawn and are once in the mind of Mira as she is our narrator.

Even though the events happen in the beginning I won't go on to explain, other than that you can be assured that the answer comes in Chapter 1.

Also there is a little further digging into Mira's past that gets revealed, but that's all I will say.

Moving on, after Mira and Danaus wrap up a few things in Savannah, they are off to Budapest with Stefan and Valerio in tow to take care of the naturi matters. But something isn't right about all this. As the BOC describes. Mira can't have a mission that doesn't go haywire!

There was a lot of chaos in the novel, the problem that was supposed to be so minor expands into something more which leads to treachery and lies as well.

The book was really good. GREAT even! It really had me turning the pages, which with the past few days left it hard for me to get my reading in, but I managed. The plot was well paced and filled with enough action to keep you going.

The characters, both new and old, were engaging. A lot of the new ones that were just secondary characters were really colorful "people" and despite their tendencies they were quite pleasurable. Budapest was in disarray. There ruling system by the supernaturals wasn't concrete which led to the problems with the naturi, but then BIGGER problems occurred.

The romance in the book, well you can probably guess with the cover. But I won't get into really. You'll have to wait and see if the cover is anything to go by.

There were quite a few surprises along the way as well. Certain encounters that occurred that were interesting. One before Mira leaves Savannah, one particular one while in Budapest, and of course the ending was epic! Don't want to get too book report like, but the encounters Mira has were definitely of interest and as I said the ending, brilliant!

I can't wait for the next Dark Days novel, and thankfully there wasn't a cliffhanger like the one from Pray for Dawn. Just your usual...what will happen next? What will happen next? Guess we'll have to wait til next year!

Now I'm going to go back and read Almost to Die For, for that one was just getting good at the time I stopped. Til next time!

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Continuing with the rest of my July releases that come out next week that I am dying to read include:



There is no sanctuary in the night…

Feared even by her own kind for her mastery of fire, the Nightwalker Mira is summoned by the Coven to take her rightful place as Elder. But with this honor comes grave responsibility—a commitment to the annihilation of the unleashed naturi. For now the foul creatures walk the earth—and neither vampire nor human will survive their horrific onslaught.
A tide of blood is sweeping relentlessly across the European continent, as Mira is dispatched to Budapest for the most devastating test yet of her astonishing powers—and falls into a well-laid trap. With the dark secrets that haunt her growing darker by the hour, she must confront the terrible truth of her past and protect her fragile sanity in the face of unanticipated treachery—a betrayal by her ally, her enemy, her lover…the vampire slayer, Danaus.

Wait for Dusk by Jocelynn Drake
ISBN-13: 978-0061851810
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010

The orphaned daughter of a sorcerer and a half-demon, Savannah is a terrifyingly powerful young witch who has never been able to resist the chance to throw her magical weight around. But at 21 she knows she needs to grow up and prove to her guardians, Paige and Lucas, that she can be a responsible member of their supernatural detective agency. So she jumps at the chance to fly solo, investigating the mysterious deaths of three young women in a nearby factory town as a favour to one of the agency's associates. At first glance, the murders look garden-variety human, but on closer inspection signs point to otherworldly stakes.

Soon Savannah is in over her head. She's run off the road and nearly killed, haunted by a mystery stalker, and freaked out when the brother of one of the dead women is murdered when he tries to investigate the crime. To complicate things, something weird is happening to her powers. Pitted against shamans, demons, a voodoo-inflected cult and garden-variety goons, Savannah has to fight to ensure her first case isn't her last. And she also has to ask for help, perhaps the hardest lesson she's ever had to learn.

Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong
ISBN-13: 978-0525951789
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010

And finally:



Dru Anderson might finally be safe. She’s at the largest Schola on the continent, and beginning to learn what it means to be svetocha–half vampire, half human, and all deadly. If she survives her training, she will be able to take her place in the Order, holding back the vampires and protecting the oblivious normal people.

But a web of lies and betrayals is still closing around her, just when she thinks she can relax a little. Her mentor Christophe is missing, her almost-boyfriend is acting weird, and the bodyguards she’s been assigned seem to know much more than they should. And then there’s the vampire attacks, the strange nightly visits, and the looks everyone keeps giving her. As if she should know something.

Or as if she’s in danger.

Someone high up in the Order is a traitor. They want Dru dead–but first, they want to know what she remembers of the night her mother died. Dru doesn’t want to remember, but it looks like she might have to–especially since once Christophe returns, he’ll be on trial for his life. The only person who can save him is Dru.

The problem is, once she remembers everything, she may not want to…

Jealousy by Lili St. Crow
ISBN-13: 978-1595142900
RELEASE DATE: July 29, 2010

Jul 20, 2010

Teaser Tuesday


So I started out reading Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway and then I go out and get my mail and I see that I have a package from Jocelynn Drake! I received my copy of Wait for Dusk that I won in her contest from her blog last week! Which that had made me happy that I won! And that it came today when I was ready to start something new. I was only 3 chapters into Almost to Die For.

So I did what I never do, I set aside one book that I already started to start another one. I'm not saying Almost to Die For was bad, it had actually just gotten to a REALLY exciting part, but what with the cliffhanger in Pray for Dawn, I had to start Wait for Dusk!

So I did. Which afterward I will return to Almost to Die For. I feel only a little bit of shame for having to stop a book for another, but again I literally never do this, but with a cliffhanger like there was in Pray for Dawn I think I can talk myself out of the shame! And I mean, just LOOK at this cover!

Moving onto the teaser! Teaser Tuesday is a weekly blog post by MizB over at Should be Reading.

The Rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out two sentences that are SPOILER free
4. Name the book, author, etc.

*Breaking the rules again to add a third sentence, but trust me, it sounds much better with the three! Made myself be less cruel this time with my teaser!

"Even the one ally I had on the coven wanted me dead. Only the hunter at my back seemed to worry about whether I lived or died. At least he wanted me to live another night for reasons other than how I could be used to his benefit." p61-62

TITLE: Wait for Dusk
AUTHOR: Jocelynn Drake
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010

Contest Alert--at Bitten By Books




Bitten By Books is having this awesome contest where you could win 10 copies of Shiver and Linger and a $100 Visa Gift Card so you and your friends can have a party for the release of Linger. This sounds amazing to me, because then my friends would have to read it and get into it because they would already have the books!! Check it out here.

Good Luck!

And if you haven't read these books yet, see my review here--Shiver and here--Linger.

Cover Art--Richelle Mead


Richelle has posted the FINAL cover image for Last Sacrifice, the last Vampire Academy book starring Rose and crew on her blog. The cover didn't change too much from the first version. The hair of the girl is now brown, so it's safe to assume that this has to be Rose, because Rose is a brunette.

I still can't wait to read this one. The title itself speaks volumes! Last Sacrifice releases December 7!

Jul 19, 2010

Review--Linger


THE LONGING.

Once Grace and Sam have found each other, they know they must fight to stay together. For Sam, this means a reckoning of with his werewolf past. For Grace, it means facing a future that is less and less certain.

THE LOSS.

Into their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a wolf while denying the ties of being human.

THE LINGER.

For Grace, Sam, and Cole, life is a constant struggle between two forces--wold and human--with love baring its two sides as well. It is harrowing and euphoric, freeing and entrapping, enticing and alarming. As their world falls apart, love is what lingers. But will it be enough?

Didn't take me too long to devour Maggie Stiefvater's Linger. Once again I am blown away by the quality of her writing, her ability to bring me into this world and care so deeply about her characters and really feel connected to them, in the reading sense of course.

Linger picks up a few months after the events of Shiver and things are going great for Sam and Grace. Until things start to change, until complications start to arise. Olivia's parents are still worried about her. The police are looking for her and that is only the beginning of their problems.

The newly made wolves from Shiver are having their own troubles with dealing with their new lives. We only get to see two of them and really only focus on one.

The story was told from four p.o.v.s this time--Sam, Grace, Cole, and Isabel--and it was something different yet again. I still love that we are in the first person with each narrator because it allows you to connect with the narrator more. You really get to see what they are thinking and feeling and feel the depth of their emotions, for there are a lot of emotions to be had by all the players in this book.

The romance was not as strong as in the first, there is still that intense love and devotion between Grace and Sam, but it's become more comfortable now. They know each other and have connected. So the romance doesn't have a key role anymore, but it's still there, just with a couple who's already together and in love rather than falling in love.

There are sparks flying between Cole and Isabel as well. It seems like they might have feelings for each other, but it's hard to tell the difference. They definitely understand one another.

But problems are bound to arise in Linger, otherwise where would the story be. Cole's appearance and his problem are just one of many. To be vague and to avoid spoilers, yet letting you know what the problems involve, they contain the past and Grace.

Vague, I know, but I don't want to get into spoilers! Trust me, it's a doozie and one that I could see coming. I actually had two theories and obviously one was wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It definitely had more development with the characters, some of which weren't there in Shiver. They came into the spotlight while others stepped back. I am really looking forward to the next and final one Forever that releases in July 2011. I can't wait to see how it all ends!

Definitely looking forward to the Shiver movie now that I am really getting into this trilogy. Only heard that Shiver was being made into a movie. But I thought I saw something about all 3 books being made into movies. Not sure. Anyone else know? Feel free to share your info!

Next up might have to be something other than what I have down as next. My TBR pile has several tempting reads!

Jul 18, 2010

In My Mailbox

I got a two books this week! My TBR pile is continually growing. I'm getting too many books and July 27 will have several new releases so I'm going to be swamped with them for awhile. I LOVE that feeling. By Christmas I will likely be dying for something new to read.

Moving on! In My Mailbox is a weekly blog posted created by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

This week I have:


Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
Really excited about this one since I just read Shiver not that long ago.















Almost to Die For by Tate Hallaway, this was one that I won in the Paranormal Summer Fest contest. It won't be released for another 3 weeks on August 3. The cover looks interesting and the "princess" bit makes me wonder what it will be about. Will get to it eventually, have a few other books that I REALLY want to read first. There are just not enough hours in the day for me!











And that's it. Not a whole lot, but as I said I'm already overwhelmed with books. The Sunday after the 27th will likely have a big IMM post! Until next time!

So what did you get this week?

Jul 17, 2010

Review--Blood Law

TO STOP A VAMPIRE KILLER, SHE'LL HAVE TO SLAY HER OWN DEMONS FIRST.

A provocative and savvy vampire, Alexandra Sabian moves to the sleepy hamlet of Jefferson, Mississippi--population 6,000, nearly half vampires--to escape the demons lurking in her past. As an enforcer for the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigations (FBPI), Alex must maintain the uneasy peace between her kind and humans, including Jefferson's bigoted sheriff, who'd be happy to see all vampires banished from town. Then really dead vamps start turning up--beheaded, crucified, and defanged, the same gruesome manner in which Alex's father was murdered decades ago. For Alex, the professional has become way too personal.

Things get even more complicated when the FBPI sends in some unnervingly sexy backup: Alex's onetime mentor, lover, and fiance, Varik Baudelaire. Still stinging from the betrayal that ended their short-lived engagement, Alex is determined not to give in to the temptation that soon threatens to short-circuit her investigation. But as the vamp body count grows and the public panic rises, Varik may be Alex's only hope to stop a relentless killer who's got his own score to settle and his own bloody past to put right.

Jeannie Holmes' debut Blood Law was an intriguing read. It had a very different perspective on vampires. It was refreshing.

Told in third person with changing p.o.v. from different characters, we got to see a lot of things from different people. It was a little overwhelming at times, because the matters were complicated and twisted and then there was the occasional past that we had not learned about yet.

There's a past between Alex and Varik that we are not privy to at the beginning of the novel, but eventually learn that this led them to fall apart and then even later on we learn what one of the causes was. As I said some of it was a little confusing because of all the mind hopping, but it wasn't too hard to follow once we were inside the person's head.

The thought patterns usually left off at something of a cliffhanger as well before switching to someone else, who would then have their own cliffhanger. So it was little disorienting when we would get into the groove of one person then get ripped away to the next and have one item resolved before the next crisis started. This is where multiple third p.o.v. becomes the downfall of the book.

The book itself was still good and I'm going to read the next one, Blood Secrets, once it releases. There was a good build up of mysteries, for at several points we're in the mind of the killer without ever knowing who he was. We learn of his past and why he's doing what he's doing, which was interesting and we get into the heads of some other unsavory characters. It was refreshing to be in the mind of the bad guys once in awhile.

Other mystery items also come up, such as some from Alex's past, personal ones for her too, both past and current. A lot goes on. Alex even takes risks that may even jeopardize her career, yet when weighing the losses and possible gains, Alex feels it's worth it.

The romance was mild, which was good in my opinion. There's definitely a lot of tension between Alex and Varik throughout. A lot of unresolved feelings and things left unsaid because of their breakup. By being in each of their heads we get an idea of how they feel for one another and why they made the choices they made.

Overall it was a rather interesting book. The changing p.o.v. threw me off a little bit, but it was still a great read. Sometimes it was necessary to be in this person's head rather than the heroine's. I can understand that. The book leaves you with a nice wondering with what will happen to the characters next. A few good cliffhangers, 3 counting where Alex's and Varik's relationship might lead to.

Up next...hmm...will have to think about it since I have a few new reads that came in. Too many books still! It's a wonderful thing!

Jul 14, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Okay since July is starting to wind down, for the moment with releases I thought I would jump ahead and list some of the books coming out on the BIG day, July 27. That's a big release day for me, 5 books come out! With another on the 29th!

So this WoW post and next week will have more than I usually do! To start off I have:




Evangeline Stone, a rogue bounty hunter, never asked for a world divided between darkness and light . . .

. . . or the power to die and live again in someone else’s borrowed body. After a murder plot meant to take her out leaves an entire race of shapeshifters nearly extinct, Evy is gnawed by guilt. So when one of the few survivors of the slaughter enlists her aid, she feels duty-bound to help—even though protecting a frail, pregnant shifter is the last thing Evy needs, especially with the world going to hell around her.

Amid weres, Halfies, gremlins, vamps—and increasingly outgunned humans—a war for supremacy is brewing. With shifters demanding justice, her superiors desperate to control her, and an assassin on her trail, Evy discovers a horrifying conspiracy. And she may be the only person in the world who can stop it—unless, of course, her own side gets her first.

As Lie the Dead by Kelly Meding
ISBN-13: 978-0553592870
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010




IT’S A THIN LINE BETWEEN ALIVE AND UNDEAD.

Chess Putnam has a lot on her plate. Mangled human corpses have started to show up on the streets of Downside, and Chess’s bosses at the Church of Real Truth have ordered her to team up with the ultra-powerful Black Squad agency to crack the grisly case.

Chess is under a binding spell that threatens death if she talks about the investigation, but the city’s most notorious crime boss—and Chess’s drug dealer—gets wind of her new assignment and insists on being kept informed. If that isn’t bad enough, a sinister street vendor appears to have information Chess needs. Only he’s not telling what he knows, or what it all has to do with the vast underground City of Eternity.

Now Chess will have to navigate killer wraiths, First Elders, and a lot of seriously nasty magic—all while coping with some not-so-small issues of her own. And the only man Chess can trust to help her through it all has every reason to want her dead.

City of Ghosts by Stacia Kane
ISBN-13: 978-0345515599
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010

And finally:




An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness…and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

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

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

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose between the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost
ISBN-13: 978-0061783166
RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2010

Jul 13, 2010

Review--ARC Low Red Moon


HER PARENTS ARE DEAD. SHE CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED. AND NOW SHE'S IN LOVE WITH THE MOST DANGEROUS CREATURE IN THE FOREST.

The only thing Avery Hood can remember about the night her parents died is that she saw silver--deadly silver, moving inhumanly fast. As much as she wants to remember who killed them, she can't, and there's nothing left to do but try to piece her life back together.


Then Avery meets the new boy in school--Ben, mysterious and beautiful, with whom she feels a connection like nothing she's ever experienced. Ben is a werewolf, but Avery trusts him--at first. Then she sees that sometimes his eyes flash an inhuman silver. And she learns that she's not the only one who can't remember the night her parents died.

Part murder mystery, part grief narrative, and part heart-stopping, headlong romance, Low Red Moon is a must-read for teen paranormal fans. A powerful YA voice makes her paranormal debut with this breathless, spooky novel--a book to be devoured in one sitting.


Two reviews in one day! Truth be told I was almost finished with the last book, but I just started this one around 9:30 in the morning or so and it was amazing! I devoured it in one sitting just as the BOC suggests!

Low Red Moon was given to me by Jess over at The Cozy Reader and it was just amazing! I've been devouring werewolf books lately, getting a craving for them for some reason. And Ivy Devlin's soon to be debut novel really satisfied my cravings!

Avery Hood, who ironically has red hair, ;) is not really your typical teen. She grew up raised in a house her father built in the woods living with her parents, she only attended public school when she was ready for high school, so Avery is already a sort of outcast there, since everyone there has known each other since grade school. She's an outsider. She's different.

What makes matters even worse is when her parents are brutally murdered, people start talking about her even more than they did before. Avery feels like a bigger outcast and you really have to feel something for her, most people feel like outcasts at some point during their school years. Avery is different then her classmates because she's literally lived in the forest, a place she's loved living, until her parents are murdered there.

Then a new boy comes to town, Ben, and Avery feels a connection with him. There is something that draws her to him that she can't explain. Nor Ben. The BOC describes him perfectly, eyes that flash silver, something that triggers the memory of her parents' murder--something that she can't quite remember and tries to, for it will lead to who the murderer is. And Ben's a werewolf. We know right away, if the silver eyes weren't something to go by.

I loved the connection between Avery and Ben. It was strong, yet fast. But sometimes love can be like that as we may learn. It was another strong bonding that just seemed like destiny between the characters, that kind of relationship always grabs at me and touches my heart in ways that I can't really explain well. It sort of felt like the relationship from Shiver, but with different qualities behind it. But that overall feel of connectedness is the same.

The mystery elements were REALLY good too. As the book made it's progress I began to develop theories as I tend to do when reading something with a mystery and my speculations that something was "up" with two so-and-sos were correct. With one it took further reading to really grasp at it and I can only hope there will be further development on it when the next book comes out, which may be awhile since this was an ARC. My second one! (Reader girl squeal!)

The ending was breathtaking and intense. Avery's memories slowly come back to her as she makes even more startling revelations about things, including the murder of her parents. My pulse beat with every word read, I couldn't read fast enough to get to the final conclusion to know what would happen. And sometimes I read too fast and miss something and then I have to backtrack all due to my excitement of the conclusion unfolding. It was very shocking as I said.

The romance level as I briefly mentioned before between Avery and Ben was intense and endearing. It was sweet, yet deep. Almost like a
Romeo and Juliet, which did make an appearance in the book which made me wonder if we're to see Avery and Ben's romance as such, but I think theirs wasn't as lustful as Romeo and Juliet. There was more endearment to it. Which may also be due to it being set in the now and not when Romeo and Juliet was.

Overall a GREAT read and one I HIGHLY recommend to werewolf YA lovers, as the BOC says. There's a lot to the books as the BOC says as well, to recap there was murder mystery, grief narrative--which we can all relate to on some level--and romance that really takes your breath away, causes your heart to skip a beat and go into overdrive. The book was really mind-blowing and now I am eagerly awaiting a sequel and hoping that there will be one!

Low Red Moon
will release on September 14, 2010.

Thanks again Jess!!

Review--Kitty Goes to War


Kitty Norville, alpha werewolf and host of The Midnight Hour, a radio call-in show, is contacted by a friend at the NIH"s Center for the Study of Paranatural Biology. Three army soldiers recently returned from the war in Afghanistan are being held at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. They're killer werewolves--and post-traumatic stress has left them unable to control their shape-shifting and unable to interact with people. Kitty agrees to see them, hoping to help by bringing them into her pack.

Meanwhile, Kitty gets sued for libel by CEO Harold Franklin after featuring Speedy Mart--his nationwide chain of twenty-four-hour convenience stores with a reputation for attracting supernatural unpleasantness--on her show.

Very bad weather is on the horizon.

Finished Kitty Goes to War today. It wasn't too bad, wasn't spectacular either. Unfortunately not too much happens that really grabs at you.

Overall it was still interesting even with a little too much detail to the military aspects, but still interesting. But some of it just felt like Kitty wasn't neck deep into trouble like she usually is. The libel suit against her is where the trouble comes from that involves any danger, which is surprising compared to the uncontrollable werewolves that she has on her hands.

The werewolves become the main problem and pretty much one of them is written off as hopeless right away leaving only two for her to deal with. But these wolves have been through a lot because their current alpha is unstable, the one who changed them we learn early on is dead. As are the rest of their pack by rule of this new alpha. We get to see another kind of dark side to being a werewolf in this book. We saw that dark side earlier on with Kitty's old alpha who is long since gone.

Kitty's pack returns with some key appearances that help to make the story a little more interesting, as Kitty is trying to help the two other werewolves adjust to being a wolf in a normal healthy way, yet the rest of her pack doesn't quite trust them due to an "event" that happened early on when Kitty was first called to help.

The other issue at hand with the Speedy Marts becomes a little interesting because there were speculations about something supernatural being involved which turns out to be true, we just don't know what yet. Kitty was speculating when she was talking about this on her radio show and when the CEO decides to sue, it causes a spark of interest for what is there to hide?

Cormac returns again, more fully this time as he helps Kitty out in investigating the Speedy Mart issue. I loved Cormac's character before, but prison has changed him. He's not the same Cormac anymore, which really becomes evident throughout this book in little telltale signs. I think it was in Kitty and the Silver Bullet when an issue came up concerning Cormac and that issue is revisited again. I remembered it because at the time in that book, I was wondering what was going on in the prison. And the answer is finally revealed in Kitty Goes to War.

There wasn't much for romance in this book, which I can't necessary complain since I'm not big on romance. There were a few kisses here and there, but that was it. It felt a little wrong to me almost because of how the relationship between Kitty and Ben developed, now things are calm. Which isn't wrong, there just wasn't any intensity like there was in earlier books.

Overall it was an okay read. One of my friends online even warned me about this, but still I had to give it a try. Again, it was more interesting seeing Kitty deal with the Speedy Mart issue rather than the uncontrollable werewolves. I would still read the next Kitty book and I would still say read this if you want to. When you have nothing else to read. I don't want to say it was horrible, because I realize how much goes into writing a novel, I just couldn't get into as much as I've had with the past Kitty books. Vaughn had several releases this year and maybe Kitty got a little slighted this time around. But still it was a decent read. I really did enjoy seeing Cormac back in action and cannot wait to find out more about his current situation.

Getting into Low Red Moon now and it's amazing so far. It's a different kind of werewolf book so far and I'm loving it!