In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post hosted by Kirsti over at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

I had a pretty good week this week with books! It became really SUPER on Friday when I got not 1, but 3 E-ARCs of books I can't wait to read!!

First I started the week off by buying myself a copy of Hexbound by Chloe Neill

I love this cover! I really like the cool colors with black background. It's stunning!

Then later in the week I bought Jenna Black's Shadowspell

Another GREAT cover with cool colors!

Then I got my copy of Losing Faith by Denise Jaden that I won in Jessica's 100 Followers contest over at Book Loving Mommy. 

Thanks again, Jessica!

Then I got the real goodies from Simon & Schuster where I got my 3 E-ARCs!! All are fabulous reads and I can't wait to devour each one!

First was Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton

Haven by Kristi Cook

And finally I got Wither by Lauren DeStefano

My TBR pile just continues to grow rather than shrink!! So what did you get in your mailbox this week?

Top 5 Sundays

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

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

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 - Fell 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 =)

Okay, so last week Top 5 Sundays was postponed so my original post was a little early since the topics were still the same for this Sunday. Basically I will just repost my original one with the selected topic, which this week it is:

BEST COVERS I'M COVETING FOR 2011

And like I said last week, these are just my Top 5 from covers I've seen so far, ask me again later in the year and there will likely be 5 different ones, with 2 or 3 notable nominations!

5.

Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill. Click here for BOC.

4.

Burn the Night by Jocelynn Drake

3.

Demon Song by Cat Adams. Click here for BOC.

2.

Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany (is anyone surprised, again?) Click here for BOC.

1.

Jeaniene Frost's This Side of the Grave with the inner cover flap included of course! Click here for BOC.

And of course, my other notable nominations that are still totally awesome!

Wolfsbane by Andrea Cremer

Shadowspell by Jenna Black

And I just want to give Kudos to myself for not cheating and doing another 5 fave covers. I think that is very kind of me! ;)

Review--Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland

MY NAME IS KARA GILLIAN AND I'M A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE...

But that's not all. I sense the "arcane" in our world, and there's quite a bit of it, even in Beaulac, Louisiana. I'm also a summoner of demons, which comes in handy now that I work on a task force that deals with supernatural or paranormal crimes. My partners, Ryan and Zack, are attractive and smart FBI agents, but they're not summoners, which sometimes makes it tough for them to understand what I'm dealing with.

To complicate things even more, I managed to get myself into a "situation" with one of the most powerful of demons--Demon Lord Rhyzkahl--who, in exchange for saving Ryan's life, struck a bargain with me that definitely works better for him. It doesn't help that this beautiful Demon Lord finds me attractive--something Ryan doesn't appreciate. And I know Rhyzkhal has something on Ryan, but so far, I can't find out what.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to solve a string of murders that are somehow tied together by money, sex, rock music, and...mud. But how can I concentrate on the case when I'm not even sure who--or what--my partners are?

Diana Rowland's latest Secrets of the Demon is a MUST read! Her Kara Gillian series is just amazing!!! I totally love it from beginning to end and that goes for all 3 books! And just a quick note for those new to the author this is a series where you need to start with book 1, Mark of the Demon followed by Blood of the Demon.

Secrets of the Demon takes Kara on quite an interesting case involving rock stars, or rising rock stars. Someone is out to destroy the rising band, offing off the members one by one. No one knows why either, so it's up to Kara, Ryan and Zack to solve the case since there are supernatural elements involved. Creatures that Kara has never seen before.

The story was paced wonderfully in my opinion. The case builds itself up very nicely so that it soon escalates into total chaos where you're not sure who the murderer is and the plot gets complicated in that matter for Kara is afraid she will have to leave behind her cop senses and bring forth just her survival skills.

There is still just the thickest layer of romantic tension between Kara and Ryan and it's driving me crazy!! They are still at the "friends" stage, but like I said the tension is so thick a knife wouldn't be able to cut through it! You'd need a chainsaw!

And there were quite a few surprises as well. Those were really surprising and only wants me to know more about it, but alas the book ended without my questions, or Kara's for that matter, being answered. And there is one devious little cliffhanger, so be forewarned. I was just warned earlier this morning so I was expecting it, but still the shock always hits hard! Damn those cliffhangers. I hate and love them!

Rhyzkahl--hate spelling that name! Diana must use the auto-word format thingy when typing!, is still there and ever seductive. He has his own plans and whatnot going on that I still can't figure out. And neither can Kara. I still have trouble believing his intentions and advances toward her are sincere, Kara feels the same as well at times, but she still enjoys his...company. So while the romantic tension between her and Ryan was only mildly satisfying, there's still romantic activities between her and Rhyzkahl to be had that were quite intense!

Overall this was a fantastic read! My favorite in the series so far, what will all the surprises! Definitely have to give this one 5/5 stars!! Truly amazing!

Book Blogger Hop

This blogger hop was created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here are the rules:

1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).

2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)

3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!

4. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!):

"What book influenced or changed your life? How did it influence/change you?"

Ooh, that's a toughie...I don't know if any book really had any effect on me like that. But I do remember the exact book that drew me into paranormal reading and had an influence on my wanting to be a writer. And that book was Demon in my View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. I had learned her first book was published when she was 13 and for some reason that really inspired me. It was then that I started devouring whatever paranormal book (YA) that I could find, which wasn't a lot. And then that led me to want to write my own story to see the kind of character that I wanted to see as the MC. Of course that story will never ever see the light of day now, I looked at it once awhile ago and was laughing so hard because it was just ridiculous!! But I guess in a way that book did influence me to be a writer and sort of changed me because it was my first vampire book ever!

Linda Robertson at Bitten By Books!

Linda Robertson will be over at Bitten By Books today where she will be talking about her latest release Arcane Circle! And it really was a fabulous read! See my review here.

She'll be by to answer questions and of course there's a chance to win fabulous prizes! Such as a $50 Amazon electronic giftcard open to readers worldwide!! And another winner (US and Canada only) will win an 8 book prize pack!

So head on over today, contest runs from 12pm Central today til 11:59pm central tomorrow, January 8, 2011!

Review--Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson

EVEN MAGIC CAN'T SOLVE EVERYTHING...

After facing down the forces of Fairy in mortal combat, Persephone Alcmedi still must deal with the aftermath. Not only does Seph now possess deadly secrets she must hide from the arcane and mundane world alike, but the dozens of magical creatures who’ve taken up residence behind her cornfield need food and shelter, and there’s still her foster daughter Beverly’s tenth birthday party to plan.

And that’s not all. . . . Seph’s boyfriend Johnny has revealed himself as the wærewolf Domn Lup, and the ruler of the wære world is en route from Romania to make sure Johnny really is the “king” he claims to be. But Johnny’s hiding a dangerous secret: his magic is locked in his mysterious tattoos. He and Seph must find a way for him to reclaim it—fast—despite those who have no intention of letting Johnny gain his full powers. Seph knows that, in the arcane world, strength is always a necessity and power must be constantly proven, but how far is she willing to go to succeed . . . and at what cost?

Linda Robertson's Arcane Circle is the latest in her Persephone Alcmedi series and it was a stellar read! I just started this series last year when I won books 2 & 3 in a contest and immediately fell in love with it! And Johnny too of course! Normally I'm not much of a fan of tattoos, but when picturing Johnny...sigh...it looks damn good on him!!

This was a rather interesting storyline as well that picks up immediately where Fatal Circle left off, which my memory was a little rusty on the details, but things began to make sense as the story went along. There is the aftermath of the battle at the beach with the fae and other creatures to consider and some are still injured and others, we're not too sure about, such as Menessos. While Seph did stake him, with his power it's unsure what will happen to him, will he remain dead-dead or become the undead?

But that is only the beginning of the problems. Another one that comes up involves Johnny and his position as the Domn Lup. Basically none of the other weres outside his pack, are going to believe him and he has to prove his identity to them and a powerful leader in order to truly keep the title. It's a complicated politics game with the weres and their status points, but the general idea is that Johnny must shift at will to prove he is the Domn Lup.

But naturally things are going to go awry...

And the mystery connects to Johnny's tattoos and him needing to find the person who gave them to him to unleash the power that is locked inside the tattoos so he will not be hinder by it any longer. Which leads to some VERY surprising developments!

And then of course there is still little Beverly's birthday party to plan. And some of the parents of her school friends aren't pleased with Seph because of her connection to Menessos. So things are very chaotic at the Alcmedi household!

The pacing was well done! There were some calm moments that were soon replaced with chaotic ones. Assassination attempts, kidnapping attempts and all sorts of fun! The romance wasn't real heavy either, there was an early scene with Seph and Johnny that was rather heated, but other than that it was mostly heated tension and of course the continued game of using innuendos in their everyday conversations. Can't remember who was winning last...

I would have to say that Johnny is my favorite character, one because I love his look, ;) and two because he is a great character. He is hilariously funny when he wants to be, he is fiercely protective of Seph and those he cares about, and he can be dangerously scary when he needs to protect those he loves as well. Who wouldn't want to date a werewolf?! ;)

Overall I give the book 5/5 stars! I totally love this series. It shows vamps and weres and witches in a different way than I'm used to seeing and I just adore it! So can't wait to see what's going to happen next as there were a few loose-ends left, but nothing that will leave you dying in anticipational agony!

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.

My next wait I actually haven't decided on in some ways, River Marked by Patricia Briggs. I enjoyed her Mercy Thompson series to date, with the exception of the last one. Granted at the moment I can't recall why, I just know I thought of it as okay, that it wasn't really what I was expecting. So I'm not 100% sure if I'll be buying this one right away.

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help…

TITLE: River Marked

AUTHOR: Patricia Briggs

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

RELEASE DATE: January 25, 2011

So then my next waiting for book is Karen Mahoney's The Iron Witch! There's been a lot of excitement centered around this book, so I too am eager to read it!

Freak. That's what her classmates call seventeen-year-old Donna Underwood. When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed her father and drove her mother mad. Donna's own nearly fatal injuries from the assault were fixed by magic—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. The child of alchemists, Donna feels cursed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. The only thing that keeps her sane and grounded is her relationship with her best friend, Navin Sharma.

When the darkest outcasts of Faerie—the vicious wood elves—abduct Navin, Donna finally has to accept her role in the centuries old war between the humans and the fey. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous half-fey dropout with secrets of his own, Donna races to save her friend—even if it means betraying everything her parents and the alchemist community fought to the death to protect.

TITLE: The Iron Witch
AUTHOR: Karen Mahoney
GENRE: YA Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 1, 2011

Review--Ghouls Ghouls Ghouls by Victoria Laurie

GHOST HUNTERS TURNED TREASURE HUNTERS

When M.J. and the crew of her cable TV show, Ghoul Getters, venture to the haunted ruins of Dunlow Castle in Ireland, they hope that the road will rise up to meet them, that the wind will always be at their backs, that the sun will warm upon their faces...and that the resident phantom won't push them off a cliff.

That is what has befallen others drawn to the castle by the legend of hidden treasure. Dunlow Castle has more spooks that turrets--including the long-dead lord in all his ghostly greediness--but they pale in comparison to the phantom. If M.J. and her fellow ghost busters treasure their lives, they need to get the drop on the menacing phantom--before they plunge headfirst into one cliffhanger of an ending...

I did it again! I devoured Victoria Laurie's latest Ghost Hunter mystery, Ghouls Ghouls Ghouls, in 1 day!! It's amazing how fast a read it can be, even at 336 pages! But for some reason her Ghost Hunter mysteries are just super fast fun reads for me!! And Ghouls Ghouls Ghouls was just as wonderful as the previous books in the series!

This time M.J. and her crew, minus Steven now since the events of Ghouls Gone Wild, find themselves in Ireland to go to a very haunted island where treasure is buried and many have died trying to get it, literally. Something evil haunts the place, so of course, Gopher, as he is know to M.J., insists on taking the team there to investigate for their upcoming show. But things take a turn for the worse.

I mean the team is stranded on an island...for to get to the castle you must cross a channel at low tide which only happens for 2 hours twice a day, otherwise you are trapped on whichever side you remain on. Let's just say that M.J. and her team don't get trapped on the right side, which is obvious! And they are stuck in a truly haunted castle filled with spirits, dead bodies, and one nasty phantom set to kill. But the fun really starts when one of them goes missing...

And so the mystery truly begins as M.J. and her remaining teammates must find their missing comrade, but things get increasingly worse in so many ways! And the mystery to rescuing their teammate will require more work than M.J. thought possible by digging into the past and contacting the one person who can help them, if they are willing to return to the dreaded island.

I love Laurie's mysteries! They are fun quick reads, but still hold ample amount of mystery, suspense and chilling moments. And there is still always a bad guy who isn't dead that must be uncovered. So there's lots of tension to the mystery as well, especially when a timeline for the safe return of her comrade is set. And there was even a bit of romance involved as well!

And I have to say that I just love Gilley! He is so damn funny! And he doesn't even really try, it's just his normal behavior! Even though he scares easily, and is rightly justified at times, he still cracks me up!

So can't wait for the next one, Ghouls Interrupted, not sure when it releases as of yet, but will post once I know!

Overall this one gets 5/5 stars! Of course it's because I truly love the series and know that it might not be for everyone. But as I said Laurie's mystery series, both of them, are fun quick reads with a good mystery and a well blended mix of supernatural to be very thrilling!

Chloe Neill at Bitten By Books

Chloe Neill will be at Bitten By Books today promoting the release of her new YA book, Hexbound, the second in the Dark Elite novels. I can't wait to read this one and I love the cover. Cool colors mixed with black are just plain awesome!

Not only is there an exclusive look at Hexbound but there is 2 chances to win a $50 giftcard to Amazon and 5 people will win copies of Hexbound.

And since Chloe is a part time writer and is at her day job she won't be able to answer questions but we are free to talk amongst ourselves.

Head on over today!

Review--My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara, the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON'T THINK SO.

Rachel Vincent's latest Soul Screamers, My Soul to Steal, is a fabulous read! It was a fast paced book where I couldn't put it down for I needed to know what happened next between Kaylee and Sabine and Nash of course!

The tension was thick is all I can say without getting into spoilers. Kaylee wants to be with Nash, yet it's hard for her to trust him again after what he did in My Soul to Keep, and now that Sabine has rolled into town, things have become extremely difficult for Kaylee to work on her relationship woes with Nash.

But that's not the only problem going on, teachers are dying in their sleep, and since Sabine is a mara, Kaylee suspects her for Sabine has been sending Kaylee nightmares of the things she terrifies most. But the teachers dying isn't the only problem, Kaylee's high school has erupted into total and complete chaos, deadly dangerous chaos and Kaylee is sure this too is Sabine's doing.

Like I said, this was a fast paced read for me since I had to know what was going to happen with Kaylee and Nash and the ever determined Sabine, for she wants Nash back, and strangely she has other motives too that are just as surprising.

And there is another matter that is presented to Kaylee that she must make a decision about that she really doesn't like when she is told. Vague, I know, but it was rather shocking to me when I read it!

And sadly, the ending wasn't completely satisfying. It wasn't horrible, so don't think that, it just left a few things unsettled. They were major cliffhangers or anything, more like what we had in My Soul to Keep, just a wondering of what trouble will affect Kaylee and her friends next. It was a startling revelation at the end too. I mean it wasn't totally shocking, but still pretty darn surprising. To the point that I cannot wait for If I Die when that releases. So strange that this is the first title to lack the words "My Soul to", but it will help me with remembering where this one stands!

Overall I give this one 4.5/5 stars, I just wished that the ending didn't leave so much open still with wondering what will happen, but that's series for you! And I love it! But I still hate the waiting!

Teaser Tuesday

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

Teaser Tuesday 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.

So my rule breaking this week wasn't too bad. One teaser, but over two lines!

"Sweat drips down my spine. I feel it bead on my forehead and in the crooks of my arms. That gray hand leads to a wrist, which leads to an arm, which then leads to a shoulder, and before I know it, she's there. In my doorway. Staring at me through dead, milky eyes." p 153

TITLE: My Soul to Steal
AUTHOR: Rachel Vincent
GENRE: YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2011

White Flame Tour with Jordan Deen

Today I am pleased to welcome Jordan Deen to a GREAT read! Jordan is the author of The Crescent series (according to Goodreads). Jordan has been kind enough to answer a few questions that I thought up. Be sure to leave a comment to participate in The White Flame Tour. Jordan is having a contest, you can find the details here and here.

Now onto the interview!

JESSICA: What made you want to be a writer?

JORDAN: I've always loved writing, but I didn't start on my first full length novel until a few years ago. But, as most writer's will tell you, once you start, it's very difficult to "turn it off". :)

JESSICA: How did you decide to make your love triangle? Both guys have their positives and it's almost hard to choose a "team". Was this intentional? (This was of course directed more so after The Crescent, now after Half-Moon I have chosen a side!)

JORDAN: Yes. I'm sorry to say it was completely intentional. There is a very vital plot twist that is coming in Half Moon and Full Moon that I really needed the reader to be in love with both boys, equally. Each have their own draw backs and their own strong points. Who wouldn't love them both? I mean, I do.

JESSICA: There's quite a bit of mystery regarding Lacey, will that be explored more in Half-Moon?

JORDAN: Yes. Lacey's story will get more and more involved the further we get through her story. In Half Moon the reader will start to feel Lacey's struggle more as their own when they discover the sacrifices she is still being asked to make and the life changing information she discovers about her past and her soon-to-be future.

JESSICA: How many books do you have planned for the series?

JORDAN: Half Moon is the second in the series. The next installment, Full Moon will conclude Lacey's story. However, there is planned cross-over novel that you will learn more of in Full Moon. Fingers crossed the publisher loves it!

JESSICA: What kind of books do you like to read most? Any favorite authors or recommendations?

JORDAN: I'm a huge fan of YA Urban Fantasy and Edgy YA. My favorite book right now is Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles.

JESSICA: What was your road to publication like?

JORDAN: Oye. Long and bumpy. I think this is pretty standard and I can't say my experience has been any different than other authors out there. It's hard and can be heartbreaking at times, but it's worth it to share the stories of characters that I love dearly.

JESSICA: What do you plan to write next?

JORDAN: I've got more than five novels in process right now. I sort of have writing A-D-D. I like to go back and forth between novels based on my moods and the things going on in my personal life at the time. I personally identify with each character, so when they start invading my mind, I know it's time to work on that particular novel. Makes sense? 

JESSICA: Thanks for stopping by Jordan!

JORDAN: No problem!

Be sure to leave a comment to be eligible to win the ARC of Half Moon and other goodies! Be sure to continue on with the White Flame Tour as well. Click here for the list of blogs.

Top 5 Sundays

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

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

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 - Fell 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 the theme was a tie! So the themes are: BOOKISH RESOLUTIONS FOR 2011 and BOOK COVERS I'M COVETING FOR 2011!

I'll start with Bookish Resolutions which might be a little tricky for some reason...

5.

Complete my 2011 Debut (YA) Author Challenge from the Story Siren, which I have no doubt that I can't. Since I already have 3 books done and a list of more that I HAVE to read!

4.

This is a two part one, I first have to get a Kindle to replace the Kobo I got, because that one wasn't cooperating with my laptop so I decided to have my sis get me this one instead. After I get that, I have to then figure it all out!

3.

Make sure I buy some Kindle books instead of buying all hardcopies like I'm used to. I already have a few titles in mind if the price is better than a hardcopy!

2.

Read a LOT of books!

1.

Get myself ready and into gear to start querying and get myself at least signed up with an agent!

I've seen quite a lot of covers for next year already, but I'm sure some more GREAT ones are on the way. So here are my Top 5 from the ones that have been released as of now.

5.

Hard Bitten by Chloe Neil, click here for the BOC

4.

Burn the Night by Jocelynn Drake!

3.

Cat Adams' Demon Song. Click here for a BOC description.

2.

Secrets and Shadows by Shannon Delany, (is anyone surprised?) Click here for a BOC description.

1.

Jeaniene Frost's This Side of the Grave with the inner cover flap included of course!! Click here for the BOC description.

This was slightly harder because there were a lot of covers that I liked! And here a few other notable honorary covers:

Andrea Cremer's Wolfsbane

Jenna Black's Shadowspell

And now I will stop because I could go on and on and then some about the covers that I like (so far) this year!

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post by Kirsti over at The Story Siren.

Well things started a little scarier when I only bought 2 books, but then luck came yesterday when I found 2 more so I got 4 glorious NEW titles this week and plan to hit the store again today!

I bought a hardcopy of Nicole Peeler's Tempest's Legacy, I read an E-ARC early, but I still want a copy to keep forever! Here's my review.

Then I also found Victoria Laurie's Ghouls Ghouls Ghouls! I looove her Ghost Hunter Mysteries, my record to date has been reading each of these books in one day! I hope to do the same with this one as well!

Then I found Secrets of the Demon by Diana Rowland! I started this series just last year and it was amazing!! So can't wait to read this one!

Then I found Arcane Circle by Linda Robertson, which just about finishes up my December releases, I did order my last one as it appeared not to be available in stores. Weird, but whatever, it's in the mail!

And that's what I got this week. Pretty good! And there are still a few releases I need to get next week when they release on Tuesday. Man, my TBR pile is wayyyy too tall! YAY!

So what did you get this week?

Review--E-ARC Half-Moon by Jordan Deen

"I’d been a fool for coming here with them, and now... no one would come to save me. The world that hid in the shadows of humanity was full of enemies."

Faced with death, Lacey Quinn ran away from the only family she’d ever known.

That... was just the beginning.

As the decision she’s made sinks in, Lacey struggles to fit in with the pack and find the key to bonding with her werewolf soul mate, Brandon. But, lies can only be concealed for so long.

Adjusting to a powerful new best friend, a twelve-year-old roommate with a nauseating Barbie fetish, and a lost love that won’t stop haunting her dreams, she knows she has no hope of having a normal future—ever again.

After a long talk with the dead mother she never knew, and an almost deal-breaking night out with Brandon, Lacey starts spiraling into the underworld—a place where all things are possible and everyone is out to kill her.

With mysterious legends of witches and sorcery marring her past and clouding her future, she quickly learns—werewolves aren’t the only ones lurking in the woods...waiting to claim her powers for their own.

The Mares? Well, they are the least of her worries.

I was delighted to be able to receive an e-ARC of Half-Moon by Jordan Deen after reading The Crescent not that long ago and WOW! It totally lives up to The Crescent!

Some time has passed and Lacey is trying to adjust to her new life. Werewolf-ness and all. She's a werewolf, but hasn't transformed yet. She has a soulmate but can't truly connect with him, she's still sort of in love with Alex, the wolf who was forced to betray her and gain her trust, and she's not quite getting along with her new werewolf family either. Life has become extremely miserable for Lacey, but she deals with it.

There are some new characters involved as well, not all nice guys either. My fave new character was Brea, who Lacey soon realizes was once her best friend as a baby, for their mothers were BFFs and Brea was supposed to be the one to protect Lacey.

Which leads to Lacey's other discovery, which I won't tell. All I will say is that Lacey learns some things about her real parents and her life before she was taken away, which again, she was just a baby, but we learn what should have been.

The pacing was well done, it was a little slow at first for Lacey and Brandon were trying to reconnect, and it was slow going, which was where Brea and her mate Catch came in and there was a very interesting double-date between the two, but won't detail it out. 

I found myself still stricken between both Alex and Brandon. By the end of The Crescent I didn't have a "team", I was totally at lost. And I was still lost throughout most of Half-Moon, even when it was mostly just Lacey and Brandon moments, but then of course Alex returns! And totally throws me (and Lacey for that matter) through a loop! Although, by the end of the novel I have firmly decided whose team I'm on, but I won't say because in my twisted ways and thinking it is sort of spoilery.

So yes there was more romance in this novel too, since last time we saw a lot between Lacey and Alex, this time we see it with Lacey and Brandon, for they are supposed to be together as Brandon mentioned in The Crescent. The romance was nicely written for it was a gradual process between two people who know each other and yet don't.

It was a very exciting read! I liked learning more of the backstory to Lacey and the werewolves. For the werewolves have their history and Lacey has her own family history and we get to learn all of that and it was quite interesting and fun to read! The ending was great too, it's not a major cliffhanger, but it does leave some things unsettled and there was quite the shocker at the end too. So I definitely can't wait to read Full Moon when it releases later this year as well!

My overall rating is 4.5/5 stars! Half-Moon takes you to the werewolf side of Lacey's life and what she has to learn in order to be one of them and truly gain their acceptance. Lacey is faced with difficult tasks, including trying to find the love she once had for Brandon while battling the still growing desire for Alex.

This title releases January 13, 2011

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for my interview with Jordan as a part of the White Flame Tour! Click the button on the sidebar for more info!

Review--E-ARC Death's Sweet Embrace by Tracey O'Hara

After thousands of years of secret conflict, humans and parahumans have reached an uneasy truce. But unspeakable evil now threatens to shatter the tenuous peace.

Teenaged shapeshifters are being slaughtered by a twisted, sadistic serial killer who rips their still-beating hearts from their paralyzed bodies. A task force must be formed to halt the madness—a union of avengers including the vampiric Aeternus, Christian Laroque and Antoinette Petrescu, as well as Kitt Jordan and Raven Matokwe, members of enemy Animalian tribes…and forbidden lovers.

A centuries-old blood feud has divided their peoples—pitting wolf against snow leopard in a battle to the death—and if their passion is discovered it will doom them both. But past hostilities must be put aside in light of the scourge that is now upon them. For the killer they seek is but the first sign of a blossoming terror rising up from their long-buried pasts: the all-consuming nightmare of The Dark Brethren.

Death's Sweet Embrace is the highly anticipated book in Tracey O'Hara's Dark Brethern series. I was excited to read this book early through NetGalley and it did not disappoint!

As you can tell from the BOC, this is a slightly different novel, Antoinette is not the main character while she is there throughout the novel. The point of view is multiple third person, so it's hard to say who the main character really is, I would say it's Kitt, the female Animalian from the Animalian couple described in the BOC. Raven is the other and her lover.

Some things that were a little complicated was the history about the Animalians. There were some past events that get explained along the way, yet at times I kept feeling like I was missing something, like the info was supposed to be already know, and yet I didn't know it. This didn't take away from the story though as there was a connection between Antoinette and another mentioned character who might have been in Night's Cold Kiss, yet I can't recall since it's been a few months since I last read it.

Overall Death's Sweet Embrace was a very exciting read! Kitt is drawn into a murder investigation a little unwilling, but complies and soon discovers that her lover, Raven is helping out as well when he should be in hiding since her father has put on bounty on his head for a past murder, one that he may or may not have committed. Kitt is also in exile from her pack for the decisions she has made and she longs to return to her Pride and her daughters. A small reprieve she has is that her daughters attend the school where she is teaching.

While trying to work the case with Oberon, Antoinette and the others, Kitt has to fight her attraction to Raven for getting back together would be too dangerous especially when her father's people start watching her.

Filled with action, suspense, intrigue, and a bit of romance, Death's Sweet Embrace is an incredibly GREAT read that I highly recommend. Vampires are seen a little differently here, much like they were in the first book, and there are other supernatural creatures involved so it makes for a fun flavorful read. I am really looking forward to the next book, as now knowing that there was a narrator shift, I am wondering who we will see next and what other connections will be made.

Overall I give the book 4.5/5 stars!

Happy New Year!

Hope 2011 rings in a good new year for you with happy moments, good times with friends and family, and all the other wonderful things in life. Including a year filled with lots of GREAT reads!