Apr 30, 2013

MIA

Okay gang, I will be out for the rest of the week! Going to RT!! So I won't be active in the blogging world. I will have my regular meme posts going up with the exception of Follow Friday and Top 5 Sundays since I won't be able to know what the topic is!

I will still have my Netbook with me to check email and other things, but I won't be able to comment and such.

See you all when I get back!



Teaser Tuedays & Top 10 Tuesday

Here are the rules:
1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.
"Sosch looks over his shoulder, and I swear to God, he gives me the kimki equivalent of a grin before darting down the hallway. I'm going to kill him, and after I kill him, I'm killing Shane for leaving the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the wrong side of the door." p72













TITLE: The Shattered Dark
AUTHOR: Sandy Williams 

PUBLISHER: Ace
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 30, 2012


Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.


This week's topic is: Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book


*in no particular order
1. Vampires

2. Werewolves

3. Were-creatures

4. Witches

5. Magic

6. Ghosts

7. "Based on the fairy tale..."

8. Greek Mythology (tying into it)

9. Another World (physically going into a different world)

10. By New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost ( ;)  Yeah anything Jeaniene Writes I am sure to buy!)





Apr 29, 2013

Review--The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams

The Shattered Dark (Shadow Reader, #2)
McKenzie Lewis has a gift. It allows her access to a world few have seen and even fewer can comprehend. It's her secret. And it exists in the shadows...

McKenzie was a normal college student, save for one little twist; she's a shadow reader, someone who can both see the fae and track their movements between our world and the Realm. It's a gift for which she has been called insane, one for which she has risked family and friends--and one that has now plunged her into a brutal civil war among the fae.

With the reign of the king and his vicious general at an end, McKenzie hoped to live a more normal life while exploring her new relationship with Aren, the rebel fae who has captured her heart. But when her best friend, Paige, disappears, McKenzie knows her wish is, for now, just a dream. McKenzie is the only one who can rescue her friend, but if she's not careful, her decisions could cost the live of everyone she's tried so hard to save.

It feels like ages since I last read The Shadow Reader, and it really has been. Sandy Williams' The Shattered Dark picks up a short while after those events and we see McKenzie trying to get into the flow of a normal life, but that idea is shattered before it even begins! In Chapter 1, she along with some fae guards are bombarded by the enemy while gathering some of her personal belongings. It soon becomes a raging battle that only she can see. And trying to defend yourself against the enemy when no one else can see them isn't all that easy, she doesn't want to look crazy again.

McKenzie's life has been one trial after another. She's dealt with a lot of things the fae put her through, including her time being kidnapped by one and then working for the king for the last ten years of her life and falling in love with Kyol. Her world is turned upside down when she was kidnapped by Aren and learned that things were way worse the way they were and she eventually joins forces with them, after many arguments and escape attempts!

Now the game plan has changed, or continues to changed. The king is gone and Lena is doing her best to take over the role, although she hasn't officially been titled queen yet. But McKenzie's problems lie in the fact that her best friend, Paige has been kidnapped by the enemy. McKenzie is sick with worry and yet when she finally finds Paige alive and well, she learns that a lot has happened to her best friend.

This was a very exciting read! Sandy builds the world up to incredible levels! The details she has in the Realm are remarkable. Not only do the descriptions of the world suck you in, she also pays attention to details of other things like how the royal court and politics work. And it's not at all dry or dull, it's very interesting, she shows through examples how vital this or that is. I struggle trying to explain what I mean, but all in all she paints a beautiful and functioning world of the Realm.

The danger and excitement seem to be never ending! McKenzie is always on the move trying to accomplish one battle or another. It hardly leaves time for romance with Aren. I was a little upset by that, but some of the intense interactions the two have more than made up for it. McKenzie also learns more about who Aren was and it's not at all pretty. She questions her feelings if she made the right choice in being with him. And I liked that part. The romance definitely took some building in the first book and instead of going full out romantic between the two in this book, Sandy has more issues coming between the couple. It also doesn't help that they are separated for awhile as they each work to accomplish their own tasks of duty.

The ending was shocking! One of those kinds of endings where you are stunned that it happened! I'm not saying it was bad writing on Sandy's part but I was thinking, seriously?! We had to go there? It was one of those game changing kinds of ending where things are only going to get more complicated by the next (and I do believe final) book in the series. It was just utterly shocking, that's all I can say.

There are still many more problems and complications left unresolved in this one. McKenzie is definitely going to have a whole lot more to deal with next time around. And since that ending still leaves me reeling, I am not even sure how I think the ending might be. I can always make my speculations, but with this one? No clue. And I both like and dislike that! The dislike comes mainly from having to wait til the next book comes out. But all in all, this was a fabulous read!! There was never a dull moment in this one and from the outcome of this, I feel pretty confident that the next one will be just as amazing and exciting!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


ARC Review--Dead Man's Deal by Jocelynn Drake

The dark and dangerous follow-up that continues the adventures of a magical tattoo artist begun in Angel's Ink

In a world where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires swim free in a sea of humanity, sometimes you need an edge. Looking for a little love? Need some luck? Desperate for revenge? Gage can give you what you need. The most talented tattoo artist in town, he knows the right symbol and the right mix of ingredients and ink to achieve your heart's desire. One tattoo is all it takes. But remember, everything has its price. . . .

Gage learned that lesson long ago, in ways he'd rather not remember. But the cruel and powerful wizards in the dreaded Ivory Towers he escaped aren't about to let him forget. Though Gage has managed to stay out of sight, he can't outrun the past forever.

The wizards know Gage is using forbidden magic, and they intend to punish him for his transgressions. Too bad if innocent humans and monsters-entire cities-get in the way. They will quell a nascent magical uprising and Gage will be the sacrifice they need. First, though, they have to find him . . .



I received this e-ARC from the publishers via Edelweiss for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.


Dead Man's Deal is the second book in the the new Asylum Tales series by Jocelynn Drake! This one picks up about two months after Angel's Ink and we immediately see Gage and Bronx working a job for Reave, the dark elf mob boss. But Gage is still a good man at heart and cannot stomach helping Reave out in his illicit affairs, so he does his best to muck things up!

The bulk of the story has Gage dealing with some of the aftermath problems of Angel's Ink. He is determined to find a way to help Trixie out with her dilemma of the elf king, who wants to use Trixie as his concubine so that they can have children and keep their race alive. Trixie has been on the run for centuries trying to avoid that very thing and Gage is determined to get her out of this messy situation. His other problem includes trying to get Bronx out his situation with working for Reave, again, but the troll remains stubborn about it, refusing to leave Gage to Reave's whims as well.

The BIG issue goes back to the Towers. More than one issue really, but any problems with the Towers is going to be catastrophic! First off, word on the street is that Reave knows all eight locations of the Towers, that includes a special hidden tower that no one is suppose to know about. Gage learns this when he learns that Reave's newest recruit, and someone Gage is told to tattoo to protect said recruit from danger, harm and all that jazz that comes with knowing an incredibly dangerous secret.

The problem there is that this recruit is someone Gage knows very well. I won't go further into that because it was quite the surprise when revealed!

Like its predecessor, Dead Man's Deal was filled with action and suspense! There's never really a dull moment and Gage is an amazing hero! He is willing to go to any and all lengths, no matter how deadly and dangerous and life threatening they may be. He wants to keep his friends safe and doesn't even pause to consider his own safety. He is a true friend to both Bronx and Trixie, yet sometimes I feel like he is too much of a martyr, always willing to sacrifice himself to protect others. But then not realizing that he will be leaving his friends vulnerable to future attacks, because the bad guys hardly ever work alone.

The pacing to this one was awesome, like I said. Hardly a dull moment to be had, even when there were moments that didn't really add to the direct plot, those moments were still action-y or just plain entertaining! There's still some romance sparking between Trixie and Gage. One very heated moment in particular! Wowzas! Ha ha! Jocelynn really knows how to grab a reader's attention!

The ending was incredible! There was more action just building up and then suddenly Gage finds himself in the pickle of all pickles and the results are near devastating! Mostly because I now have to wait who knows how long to read the next book! There's definitely going to be more excitement in the books to come!! Jocelynn draws readers in with her dark, gritty landscapes and characters that just jump off the page and come to life! I hesitate in saying that this series may top the Dark Days! But I won't, because the Dark Days series was still incredible, the Asylum Tales is a new brand of incredible!


Overall rating 5/5 stars


Dead Man's Deal releases May 7, 2013





It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.


Last Week I Read:

  Vanquished by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (4 stars)
Soulbound by Tessa Adams (4 stars)
Hot Blooded by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (4 stars)
The Eldritch Conspiracy by Cat Adams (4 stars)
Drive Me Wild by Christine Warren (4.5 stars)




Review that was Posted:

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (ARC) (5 stars)




Currently Reading:

The Shattered Dark by Sandy Williams




What I Plan to Read this Week:

Nothing, going out of town!





Other Posts of Interest:





Apr 28, 2013

Cover Copy Reveal--Up from the Grave

There’s always one more grave to dig.

Lately, life has been unnaturally calm for vampires Cat Crawfield and her husband Bones.  They should have known better than to relax their guard, because a shocking revelation sends them back into action to stop an all-out war…

A rogue CIA agent is involved in horrifying secret activities that threaten to raise tensions between humans and the undead to dangerous heights.  Now Cat and Bones are in a race against time to save their friends from a fate worse than death…because the more secrets they unravel, the deadlier the consequences.  And if they fail, their lives—and those of everyone they hold dear— will be hovering on the edge of the grave.




And then there's the setback:

Eep!! I love it! True, like many other readers I do miss the first cover model, but according to Jeaniene that model's done with modeling. Oh well. The new one isn't too bad, it's always hard though to get use to the newbie. But she'll do! ;)

Up from the Grave releases January 28, 2014




Stacking the Shelves

This weekly meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!



I had a much better week of book getting this time around! Got me a few more books for RT and one other non-RT author book that I was dying to read!!

Books I got that are coming with me to RT are:

 
Wolf at the Door by Christine Warren
She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren
Howl at the Moon by Christine Warren
You're So Vein by Christine Warren
Walk on the Wild Side by Christine Warren
The Demon You Know by Christine Warren
Born to be Wild by Christine Warren
In a Fix by Linda Grimes
Oath Bound by Rachel Vincent
Hot Blooded by Amanda Carlson (See my review here)


And my other book that I bought that wasn't RT related was :

 Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson


And that was my amazing haul!! Cannot wait to read the rest of Christine Warren's series but will have to wait til the final one releases in the summer before I can move forward. 

So what did you all get?




Apr 27, 2013

Top 5 Sundays

Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa's Bookish Life.

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Feel free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)


 This week's topic is: Best TV Shows Based on Books!


*in no particular order


Oh man this one's hard!! I haven't watched too many shows based on books that I actually liked. Let's give it a go!


ROSWELL
Book: Roswell High Series

So apparently the books were first! Found that out years ago with that little line on top of book 1! There were a few differences between the two, but not too much from my bit of memory.




TRUE BLOOD
Book: Sookie Stackhouse Series

 Struggling through this one it seems! Then duh! True Blood hits! Love the book series and the show is pretty good! Still need to watch season 4!!




BONES
Book Series: Temperance Brennan

Well, this current season of Bones hasn't been my favorite, but I've enjoyed the other ones just as well. I haven't read the books that they were based on though.




DEXTER
Book Series: Dexter

Another series I haven't read, but I love watching Dexter! It's a little bizarre sometimes, but I still enjoy watching it! Of course, like with True Blood I watch them by the DVD, so looking forward to seeing how the series gets wrapped up!




BITTEN
Book Series: Women of the Otherworld

All right, I am probably cheating with this one! The show has yet to start and plus it's likely not going to be airing in the USA, but I have high hopes of seeing it one day and LOVING it! Elena is definitely one of my favorite Otherworld women!!



 

Apr 26, 2013

Review--Drive Me Wild by Christine Warren

In the lethally enticing world of the Others, New York Times bestselling author Christine Warren conjures up sorcery, seduction--and all the games otherworldly lovers play...

Tess Menzies can work a spell with a few blinks of her baby blue eyes. But this dedicated witch can't summon up the a single good reason she's been made an envoy between her kind and Manhattan's fiercest were-creatures. The two sides haven't spoken in four hundred years, and she'll need every miracle in the book to broker any kind of truce. And that means outwitting Council of the Others leader Rafael De Santos whose tantalizing moves and fierce hungry kisses are magic even a formidable sorceress can't resist...

It doesn't take a cat's supernatural senses for Rafael to suspect that there's something strange about this unexpected peace offering. And finding the truth is just as tempting as uncovering the secrets Tess is trying to conceal. Why, she's tantalizing enough to make this wandering were-jaguar think he's found the perfect mate--one he's only dreamed of. But his stealth and her spells can't guarantee they have a chance at survival, much less a future together...

I am surprising myself by how much I am enjoying Christine Warren's The Others series. True, at times I am overwhelmed by all the romance, but they are growing on me! Drive Me Wild is the perfect example too since the characters go at it pretty quickly, rivaling the first two books in who has sex the earliest!

Tess though is definitely in the running for being a favorite heroine, right up there with Missy and Corrine! Tess, like the other two ladies--and possibly all of them in their own ways--challenges Rafe. Yes, she admits to the sparks that fly between them, but she's not going to be bullied by him. Rafe is very much an alpha male, but Tess refuses to submit to him...unless she wants to that is! Tess was spunky and had the right attitude in my opinion. She would say things that I would--or close to it--and had a good sense of sarcasm to her too! Totally loved her, she'd make a great BFF!

And I really loved seeing this side of Rafe. Through the first few books and from the history telling from this one, we learn that Rafe is not a one woman kind of guy. He doesn't have any intentions of settling down, but when he meets the feisty little witch who was stalking him one night, he can't help but be attracted to her. She's gorgeous, but there's something else about her that drives his animal side wild. And the sex was definitely wild. (Of course I say this as someone who hasn't read a lot of books with sex in them, or where the sex was glazed over. So if you've read more paranormal romances or erotica than me you might disagree with that statement, but that statement comes from an urban fantasy reader who reads some paranormal romances.)

Rafe and the rest of his spotted Feline friends (Feline kind, not necessarily his buddies) are cursed. They will never be able to produce offspring because some hundreds of years ago, a spotted Feline broke the heart of a witch who cursed them. The curse goes that until a spotted Feline loves a witch (truly and faithfully, all that jazz) for a year and a day, the Felines will never produce their own offspring. When Missy tells Tess about this, she's convinced that Tess will be the one to break the spell, but Tess doesn't buy it--more reason why I loved her, her skepticism was just so natural!

Once again, I enjoyed the appearance of the women from the previous Others novels. Particularly, when they bombard Tess at her shop that she owns. It was kind of funny, since the ladies were trying to work their way into questioning Tess about something in particular. And Ava of course, is the one to just come out and bluntly ask it!

Truthfully while this is a huge detail and aspect of the novel, it's not what the plot surrounds, more of a subplot I guess. The main deal comes from the Witch's Council trying to get a meeting with the Council of Others, mainly Rafe since he's the head. But things get complicated. Mainly, Tess's grandfather--who doesn't even serve on the Witch's Council anymore but acts as more of a consultant--gets a little hotheaded after being made to wait when he came to speak to Rafe in person. Add in another factor such as Rafe trying to control a shift that wasn't meant to happen and things get a little heated. (Almost said "hairy" for laughs, but it wouldn't really fit since Rafe didn't fully shift!)

Overall Drive Me Wild was a very enjoyable read! The title fits since that's basically what Rafe and Tess do to one another, coupled with "crazy" I'm sure! But I totally loved seeing Rafe melt for Tess. I can't help but loving when that kind of thing happens, particularly in this series, where one woman can completely turn the womanizer's (I guess that's the right word to use for Rafe) world upside down. And now my reading through the series will come to a halt for the next one isn't being released til the summer, originally it should've been this month but things change. Oh well! My initial guess as to who would be the woman for Rafe was wrong, but I am not at all disappointed, I much prefer Tess!


Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars


Follow Friday

This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.


Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!



This week's question is: Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song & the book?


MY ANSWER: Uh...no, not really. Although Three Days Grace's Animal does make me think that it could be a good book. Not any that I've read, but one that could be a a book. I'm thinking like the song makes me think it could be a "soundtrack" edition!