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:

Blood Awakening by Jamie Manning (4 stars)

First by Alyssa Rose Ivy (5 stars)

The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison (5 stars)

No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige (5 stars)

Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout (3 stars)

Reviews that were Posted:

The Shadow Prince by Bree Despian (ARC) (4 stars)

Night Broken by Patricia Briggs (Early Copy) (3 stars)

About to Start Reading:

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (ARC)

What I Plan to Read this Week:

Who Needs Enemies by Keri Arthur

Other Posts of Interest:

Cover Copy Reveals--Rhodes & Roth 

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays 

Waiting on Wednesday

Cover Copy Reveal--Seventh Grave and No Body

Random Thursday

Cover Copy Reveal--STONE COLD TOUCH

Follow Friday

Cover Art Reveal--Mortal Gods

Top 5 Sundays

Stacking the Shelves

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!


Well after my amazing haul last week I thought I would keep it pretty tame this week! But even still I added more than I thought I would! Darn B&N coupons!


Here's what I bought:

Ten by Gretchen McNeil--I enjoyed 3:59 so much I decided to pick up another of Gretchen's books and since this was the only one B&N had, it kind of made my decision easy!

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin--True I still need to read the first one, but again, I had a coupon! So it was hard to pass up, especially since everyone raves about this series! Have high hopes for it!

Then I received for review from the publisher via Netgalley:

Second Star by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (ARC)--True, it's going to read as a contemporary, but it's also a sort of twisted, updated version of Peter Pan. Hence my interest!

Thanks Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) & Netgalley!

And then, Anna Banks has been having weekly contests giving away a signed set of her books up until her third one releases, sadly, I didn't win that, but I did get the runner up prize of signed bookmarks! Yay!

Thanks Anna!

And that was my haul this week! What did you get?

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: FAVORITE TV/MOVIE COUPLES

*in no particular order

DAPHNE & FRED

Scooby-Doo

An unofficial couple but hey, we all knew they had a thing for one another!

CASTLE & BECKETT

Castle

 I watch this show by DVDs so I am one season behind, but I am finally glad Castle and Beckett got together!!

SELENE & MICHAEL

Underworld Movies

Love these movies and love Selene and Michael as a couple! Vampire and hybrid vampire/werewolf!

LUCIAN & SONJA

Underworld: The Rise of the Lycans

Our second couple from the Underworld movies. Actually, more like the first since it was their love that started the full out war between vampire and lycan!

BELLE & ADAM (The Beast)

Beauty and the Beast

And of course how can we forget the beloved couple of Belle and the Beast? Apparently his name was Adam! Remember seeing that somewhere, hence my use of it. Because even when he turns into the prince, I refuse to think Belle will still call her hubby Beast!

Review--Such Sweet Sorrow by Jenny Trout

Never was there a tale of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo…But true love never dies. Though they’re parted by the veil between the world of mortals and the land of the dead, Romeo believes he can restore Juliet to life, but he’ll have to travel to the underworld with a thoroughly infuriating guide.

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, may not have inherited his father’s crown, but the murdered king left his son a much more important responsibility—a portal to the Afterjord, where the souls of the dead reside. When the determined Romeo asks for help traversing the treacherous Afterjord, Hamlet sees an opportunity for adventure, and the chance to avenge his father’s death.

In an underworld filled with leviathan monsters, ghoulish shades, fire giants and fierce Valkyrie warriors, Hamlet and Romeo must battle their way through jealousy, despair, and their darkest fears to rescue the fair damsel. Yet finding Juliet is only the beginning, and the Afterjord doesn’t surrender souls without a price…

Jenny Trout's Such Sweet Sorrow is a sort of retelling/sequel to the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet. To spice it up, she even weaves in Shakespeare's Hamlet into the story as well. It was an interesting read for sure, but I guess because I'm not big on Shakespeare (why yes I am one of the weirdest English majors you ever did meet!) I couldn't really get into the story all that well.

Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet are pretty much known classics in the world of Shakespeare. I read both in high school, so I knew their storylines fairly well. But now Jenny takes the tragedies to a new level. Romeo was saved from the poison he took and he lives again. All has pretty much been forgiven, the prince lifted his banishment, the feud between Capulet and Montague is over. But Romeo still mourns Juliet. He goes to see a witch to see if there's anything that can be done to bring her back--yeah necromancy at its finest!

Romeo is then led to see a guy named Hamlet who's around his own age who supposedly can see ghosts. Hamlet as we know, was visited by the ghost of his father asking him to avenge his death when his brother killed him and married his wife. But Hamlet also sees other ghosts, and has been charged with protecting a portal that leads to the afterlife. And needless to say that Romeo enlists Hamlet's help in going through the portal and finding Juliet so that they may live happily ever after.

I was quite surprised by how fast Juliet was found. Like before the halfway point, but there's still the matter of getting out of this underworld. And this place is huge. Many levels and more portals that take you to different parts of the underworld. Also, Juliet's mind isn't quite right for awhile. Being in the underworld, as a dead person/spirit changes you. Your mind works differently. It may torment you with your mistakes and make you see things that aren't there. Juliet has a little bit of issue with that clause, so Romeo must save his true love once again.

Another surprising thing was the amounts of mythology Jenny weaved into the story. There were multiple ones as well. Greek and Norse were the ones I recognized immediately. It was a nice change of pace, but I definitely do not know my Norse mythology as well as my Greek! The theme of Romeo going after Juliet in the underworld definitely ringed as Greek mythology!

I didn't really feel the romance between Juliet and Romeo. In fact, I was almost wondering if this space that seemed to have come between them would be filled with Hamlet! That would definitely change up his story, but luckily, Jenny didn't go that route. I might have imagined any tension between Hamlet and Juliet as well! But still, Romeo and Juliet seemed to have something keeping them apart for awhile. I just didn't get that overly romantic sense they are known for. Then again, their story wasn't a fave of mine. In college, it pretty much became a story of lust rather than love. Totally changed my outlook on it when I read it as a high school freshman.

The ending wasn't at all what I was expecting. Which can be both good and bad. It was an ending that leaves you wondering if there is more to come. Especially with that last paragraph. I couldn't get a feel for what was going to happen to these characters. And while it was a good read, I just didn't get into it as much as I had hoped. Although, if you're more of a Shakespeare fan than I am, and you're okay with retellings and tweakings, then I definitely recommend reading this one! Also if you enjoy a good dose of mythology! This story would have a lot to offer you!


Overall Rating 3/5 stars

This read was read for the COYER Challenge

Cover Art Reveal--Mortal Gods

Saw the cover for Kendare Blake's next Goddess Wars book and decided to share it here! Now seeing the paperback cover and wondering at the difference suddenly makes sense! Apparently the pubs are changing the cover look. 

And honestly, I can't decide which I like better. I've always had a fondness for the first cover look of a series, but this one actually seems pretty cool too!

No official cover description, but Jen at I Read Banned Books--where I initially saw the cover--found an unofficial cover description from another source!

And here we can compare the look of Antigoddess, the hardcover (left) and the new paperback cover on the right! Still has the feathers and blood going on and it's pretty freaking awesome! Debating if it will be one of those books that I have to buy even though I have the hardcover and read it! We shall wait and see. But yeah, definitely liking the new look!

Will post the official Mortal Gods cover description once it becomes available!

Mortal Gods releases September 1, 2014

Early Review--Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series has been hailed as “one of the best” (Fiction Vixen). Now, Mercy must deal with an unwanted guest—one that brings a threat unlike anything she’s ever known.

An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.

Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.

Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.

I received this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review, I was in no way compensated for this review.


Night Broken is the latest in Patricia Brigg's bestselling Mercy Thompson series. I have to admit, I kind of fell out of this series two books ago. So it's been three years since I last read a Mercy book. I think it was because reviews of the current read at the time, River Marked hadn't gotten rave reviews from fellow bloggers. They admitted to liking it, but that parts sort of dragged and I thought I would just put it off for awhile and then one thing led to another and I just sort of stopped reading the series.

Luckily, for the most part, it seems that Mercy's adventures can be read as a sort of standalone. Granted there were events and characters mentioned that I didn't know the history behind what I was told, but for the most part I was able to follow along pretty smoothly.

Mercy's definitely got her hands full this time around. Adam's ex-wife Christy is apparently moving into their house "temporarily". Although, it does seems Christy has gotten herself into deep doo-doo. She apparently fell for a man who's a bit stalkery. What she thought would be a romantic fling turned into some seriously scary you know what. The guy become possessive over her in such a short time and even killed someone Christy knew. So she takes refuge at Adam's house while he and the pack try to figure out who this guy is and put a stop to him once and for all.

If that weren't enough, and having Adam's ex basically take over their house has really put Mercy into a bad mood. And I don't blame her. Christy is a high class manipulator and can get nearly everyone in the pack on her side. And when she hints that she wants Adam back...things get scary. Especially since it becomes clear the pack likes her more than Mercy, which is weird. Go figure. Christy is human, so why she would be better liked, I have no idea! Especially with how she treats her own daughter.

But I lost track, Mercy's other issues come with a Gray Lord giving her a week to give back the magical staff that she had given to Coyote for the time being. And if she doesn't give it back in a week, things are going to get rather dicey. Then there's a murderer running about and killing women and animals...it's a massacre. 

I think I was away from this series too long. While I still enjoyed the characters and all, I felt disconnected. It'd be like watching a sequel to a movie without having seen the first one. My time away from the series put everything at a distance for me that I found myself struggling to just enjoy the story. It wasn't a bad story either, but again, my time away prevented me from fully enjoying it.

There's a good heaping of action and danger and suspense! New characters walking onto the scene and a wondering if they can be trusted. And of course, the sizzling moments between Adam and Mercy. When I last read the series, they were just getting serious with one another and I think it was their honeymoon book that I stopped at. Mercy is still a fierce heroine that I enjoyed reading about. I love her character and I felt for her when Christy was successfully turning members of the pack against her, not that it was hard for her, since apparently the pack is still not too fond of her. You would think they would be by now.

I also enjoyed seeing Stefan again! Stefan was my favorite vampire. His love for Scooby-Doo pretty much cinched the deal! Although, nothing Scooby related got mentioned sadly. And I definitely missed details of events that happened between Stefan and Mercy. You get told inklings of what happened, but you still miss the big impact when you fall out of things like I did.

Regardless, I did like Night Broken, but I think my time away from the series prevented me from truly enjoying it. I'd still recommend this series to all Urban Fantasy fans though! It was one of my faves in the beginning!


Overall Rating 3/5 stars--but again, this is mostly just because I couldn't fully enjoy it since I missed out on two books. But it was still a decent read on its own!

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: Recommend some of your favorite back-list books – books that are at least a few years old (I’m thinking 5-10 years old rather than classics)

 

 

MY ANSWER: Oooh this is going to be fun!! Click titles to be taken to Goodreads pages!

 

 Old Magic by Marianne Curley (2/26/02): simply said it involves magic, curses, time traveling and yes, a bit of romance. But it's not insta love so YAY! This was one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE reads way back in the day pre-Paranormal YA. I re-read this baby a few times because it was just so awesome and was what I was looking for in a read!

Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes (2001): This was my first vampire novel. I might have read the first book here, In the Forests of the Night. What I LOVED about this book? Well first the heroine was named Jessica! Totally loved that at 13! She was a writer--and this was a time I already found myself loving to write stories. And of course, the big bad vampire falls in love with her. Our anti-hero shows us some new colors here and I just looooooved that! This was pre-Paranormal YA days people, so remember that if you give this one a try! It's definitely going to have a different "feel" to it.

The Forbidden Game trilogy by L.J. Smith (12/1/97) [read in 2001 or 02 likely]: I read this one in this format as well. I loved, loved, loved this series! Best yet, L.J. says she has a book 4 in the works but might be awhile until it's out. But this one involved a mysterious boy who was in love with a girl. He wanted her. Yeah, it was pretty possessive-like and creepy, but that's what made it sooo good! In the first book alone, he sucks her and her friends inside a game where they must face their worst fears! And not all of them make it out alive! Seriously! ;)

 

 

 

 

The Mediator series by Jenny Carroll aka Meg Cabot (11/1/00): This series was my shining light! First published in 2000, I probably found it about then or in 2001. This is the cover I have and people, I tell you, this series saved my life! I was dying for Paranormal YA and it wasn't quite out yet and then I found this series and I fell so in love! We have Susannah, a teenage mediator. She can see and talk to ghosts. When her mother moves her to a new house in California, it's beautiful. Only there's one thing...her bedroom is occupied by a dead cowboy ghost. But at least he's hot! ;) This was such an awesome series! I loved it from beginning to end! And at first I thought it was just four books. Then in 2003 I found the fifth one and was when I learned that Jenny was really Meg! Then it was in 2005 that the 6th and somewhat final book came out! And just last year, Meg announced that there will be a BOOK 7!! I am so freaking excited about that one! And all I have is that there will be a 7th book, but I sooo cannot wait til it comes!!! Eep!

 

 

Okay, I'll stop there! I can go on and on people! If you want more Paranormal titles, mostly YA ones, I can totally recommend more but don't want my post to get more longer than it already is!

Review--The Undead Pool by Kim Harrison

Witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan knows magic--earth, ley line, even the forbidden demon magic--and that knowledge has saved her life more than once. But now something--or someone--is attacking Cincinnati and the Hollows, causing spells to backfire or go horribly wrong while living vampires attack humans and Inderlanders alike. 

The pressures build when the city is quarantined to contain the unreliable magic, and Rachel must stop the attacks before the undead vampire masters who keep the rest of the undead under control are lost and it becomes all-out supernatural war. 

The only way to do so is through the ancient elven magic, but that carries its own perils--for magic always has a price, and gods do not come lightly when called.

Kim Harrison's The Undead Pool is the second to last book in her famous Hollows series! I still remember the time I started reading Kim's books when they were still a paperback release. It's been a loooong time, about when the second book released. And I have to say I loved how this series has progressed.

Think of it, in those first few books, we never saw Rachel's face on the cover! Okay, technically, last year was the year when we got to see her face at an angle. There was also Black Magic Sanction and even The Hollows Insider, but her face was hidden in the fog for that first one and slightly shadowed on the second. And we didn't get to see Kim's face until she went hardcover with For a Few Demons More! So, like I said, it's amazing to see how far this series has come in all shapes and ways!

In this one, Rachel has her hands full with being Trent's security detail, while Quen is out of town--he's with the girls and Ellasbeth as he goes with Ray, being her father and all--and since Trent is still such a public and famous face, he requires security and that job lands in Rachel's lap. Which definitely makes things strenuous, especially after their kiss in A Perfect Blood. It's been about three months since that moment and she's done her best to forget about it, which means not at all!

But lately, spells have been backfiring around the city. And during the chaos, a group called Free Vampires is running rampant and causing mischief. And something is causing the master vampires to fall into a deep sleep. Which then causes the vampires to run amok, since no one's there to keep them in check. But there's something more to all this going on and Rachel is going to figure it out, since the city is in chaos.

I have to say, I really loved this one! I love seeing how much these characters have grown! Heck, I can still remember being leery of Trent back in Dead Witch Walking! And now, he's an ally! Or maybe something more even! Because as the rumor mill has spread, there's definitely something going on between Rachel and Trent after all these years! And I have to say, every moment these two were together, I was loving it! Even though I still miss Kisten!

The series is winding down, but there still things going on in the Hollows. I can't be sure how the events that have occurred here will effect what goes down in our final book next year, but I definitely cannot wait to find out! It seems all our characters are getting into place so that they can start racing towards their HEA ending! At least, I am hoping Kim gives us an HEA ending for all our players and doesn't throw us through another loop like in For a Few Demons More! 

The Undead Pool is filled with action, excitement, heart-thrilling moments that will have you eating up the pages! There's romance sprinkled into the pages as well and oh wow!, was that an amazing chapter to read! And of course, what would a Hollows book be without some humor from a smart-mouthed pixy? This series has it all and while I am sad to see it ending next year, I cannot wait to read its grand finale! Kim Harrison was one of my first "adult" authors I found and loved when I had to stray from YA when there was a serious lack of paranormal--yes those days did actually exist--and she will forever remain one of my favorite and auto-buy authors!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Not-So-Mini Review--No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige

In this digital original novella, Dorothy travels back to Oz to reunite with old friends, but her story may not have a happy ending. No Place Like Oz is a prequel to the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

After returning to Kansas, Dorothy Gale has realized that the dreary fields of Kansas don’t compare to the vibrant landscapes of Oz. And although she’s happy to be reunited with Aunt Em, she misses her friends from the yellow brick road. But most of all, Dorothy misses the fame and the adventure. In Kansas she’s just another prairie girl, but in Oz she was a hero. So Dorothy is willing to do anything to get back, because there really is no place like Oz. But returning to the land she left comes at a price, and after Dorothy is through with it, Oz will never be the same.

Perfect for fans of Alex Flinn, Marissa Meyer, and Gregory Maguire, No Place Like Oz is a dark reimagining of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Building off of its rich mythology, Danielle Paige creates an edgy, thrilling story for teens that chronicles the rise and fall of one of the literature’s most beloved characters. This digital original novella is a prequel that sets the stage for the forthcoming novel Dorothy Must Die.

Dorothy Must Die is my most anticipated debut of 2014! Ever since I heard what it was about and saw it's awesome and ironic cover, I've been hooked! And then awhile ago, I heard from another blogger about this prequel! And I was wondering, where had I been?! It released last November and I've just not finally read it (after buying it like a month ago!)!

No Place Like Oz is our prequel and instead of being with the narrator of Dorothy Must Die, Amy Gumm, we're in Dorothy's point of view. It's kind of odd reading a prequel knowing your narrator is going to be the enemy. Definitely got my braining running on multiple theories. And further reading only infused those theories! I so can't wait to see how the debut novel pans out!

It's been two years since Dorothy returned from Oz and while she enjoys being back home, she can't help but long for the days of Oz, where she was a hero and loved. Pretty much right away, I took a disliking to good ol Dorothy. She comes off as a very selfish and almost heartless girl. While feeding the animals at her farm, her "pet" chicken follows her around and causes her to fall down and cover herself with the pig slop. And after getting the given peeved, she decides not to feed the rest of the animals, they can't wait until tomorrow and go and get ready for her birthday party. I cannot tolerate animal cruelty in any way, shape, or form. And starving animals? Yeah, that's cruelty. Already Dorothy wasn't scoring any points for me. Plus Dorothy has more than a few moments of selfishness, always wanting more. Always wanting the best for herself. It got kind of annoying.

Then after a disastrous Sweet Sixteen birthday party, she receives a magical gift of red shoes. Ones like her silver slippers that got lost in her trip back home. And when she puts these on, she's taken back to Oz, along with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry who were nearby at the time. And Toto too! She finds Oz has changed quite a bit since she was last there. Time works differently in Oz, she learns and more than two years have passed for its citizens. 

The Scarecrow is no longer in power and a new ruler, Ozma sits in the throne. Worst yet, Glinda is missing and when a message comes from her to Dorothy asking for help. Dorothy is determined to do just that. Only with her aunt and uncle in tow.

While this is a prequel novella, it's still nearly 200 pages, but that includes a sneak peek at Dorothy Must Die. I definitely got the sense that there's going to be more to Dorothy's story and plight after we saw that ending. It was quite astonishing! I definitely wasn't expecting it at all. You can really see our villain rising in Dorothy before the novella ends, but yet, there's more to it than that. I will be interested to see what theories prove correct in this series and I sooo cannot wait to read it next month! And while it's impossible to know how imperative it is to read this novella before the book releases, I'd recommend it anyway. Here you will get Dorothy's story. For when the series starts, we have a new narrator/heroine and it feels like that will be her story.


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

This read was read for the COYER Challenge

Cover Copy Reveal--STONE COLD TOUCH

IT'S TIME!!! The cover reveal for Stone Cold Touch is happening now!! I already devoured White Hot Kiss and sooooooo cannot wait to read this one! Check it out!

Every touch has its price

Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.

But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden.  Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…

Isn't it awesome?! I was hoping for a blue cover. No reason why. Just out prequel was purple, the first book was red, so I thought blue should be next! And this one is bluish, blue-green, but same thing, almost!

STONE COLD TOUCH releases October 28, 2014

And be sure to check out the novella and first book that started it all:

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Random Thursday

Okay it's time for the first blooper of the Disney Desk Calendar 2014! Although few might consider it a blooper, but I do. 

Here we have a scene from the end of Tangled. It says: Flynn Rider (reformed thief) and Princess Rapunzel: A love story.

Okay, my beef here is that they're calling him FLYNN RIDER! At this point he's going by Eugene again! It seems Disney doesn't want to market that. He's forever Flynn. 

Yes, this is what he says his name is and all, but he says it used to be Eugene Fitzherbert, but he changed it because he wanted to lead a daring and exciting life!

He meets Rapunzel, falls in love and then at the end he even says he started going by Eugene again! So why must Disney continue to call him Flynn in all things? Especially here?! It would be one thing if it showed him with Rapunzel pre-haircut since he hasn't said he's going by Eugene again, but that's not the case.

This has been yet another rant from a perfectionist and Disney fan! :D

Cover Copy Reveal--Seventh Grave and No Body

EEP!! It's the cover copy for Darynda's 7th book in the Charley Davidson series!!

Twelve. Twelve of the deadliest beasts ever forged in the fires of hell have escaped onto our plane, and they want nothing more than to rip out the jugular of Charley Davidson and serve her lifeless, mangled body to Satan for dinner. So there’s that. But Charley has more on her plate than a mob of testy hellhounds. For one thing, her father has disappeared, and the more she retraces his last steps, the more she learns he was conducting an investigation of his own, one that has Charley questioning everything she’s ever known about him. Add to that an ex-BFF who is haunting her night and day, a rash of suicides that has authorities baffled, and a drop-dead sexy fiancé who has attracted the attentions of a local celebrity, and Charley is not having the best week of her life.

A tad north of hell, a hop, skip, and a jump past the realm of eternity, is a little place called Earth, and Charley Davidson, grim reaper extraordinaire, is determined to do everything in her power to protect it.

That little circle on the cover is my favorite part! ;)


Seventh Grave and No Body releases October 21, 2014 

Waiting on Wednesday

I hate waiting...

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

Return to the beloved world of Shadow Falls, a camp that teaches supernatural teens to harness their powers—and where a vampire named Della will discover who she’s meant to be.

For Della Tsang, Shadow Falls isn't just a camp: it's home. As a vampire who's never fit in with her human family, it's the one place she can truly be herself. But when a mysterious new guy arrives at camp, Della’s whole world is thrown into turmoil. Chase is a vampire with secrets, who knows more than he’s telling. But the more time she spends with him, the more she begins to trust this attractive stranger—and feel drawn to him. But romance is the last thing she wants—as she keeps telling Steve, the hunky shapeshifter who won’t stop trying to win her heart. And if Della isn't careful, he just might succeed.　 

When a new case puts everyone she cares about in danger, Della’s determined to do everything she can to save them . . . even if it means teaming up with Steve and Chase, who leave her more confused than ever. With their lives on the line, will Della and her friends survive—with their hearts intact?

SOooooo cannot wait for Della's story to begin!

TITLE: Reborn
AUTHOR: C.C. Hunter
PUBLISHER: St. Martin's Griffin
GENRE: Paranormal YA
RELEASE DATE: May 20, 2014

Mini Review--First by Alyssa Rose Ivy

Levi POV Novella

Levi's got it all. He's a paranormal prince with more money and power than he knows what to do with, but something is missing—a mate. He only has until college graduation to find her.

Allie's perfect but she wants nothing to do with him. When attraction becomes something more, will he take a chance and show her who he really is or will he lose everything?

Alyssa Rose Ivy's Crescent Chronicles soon became one of my favorite New Adult series, for it's actually a Paranormal New Adult! So very few of those these days. First is Levi's point of view story, from the beginning. Basically book 1, shortened, in Levi's eyes. And while I love this series, I have to say that Levi didn't really win me over in the beginning.

Granted I liked him, but we learn that he wants Allie just as another conquest for him. He isn't keen on settling down or finding his true mate. He wants to have fun. Like any other college boy, for him girls and sex are fun and he wants that kind of fun with Allie. But Allie, isn't too fond of him to begin with. And so, Levi finds himself working extra hard to win her affections, and soon his feelings become genuine.

Really, really liked this one! It's pretty much Levi's whole point of view for the novel up to the point he tells Allie what he is. Which I think is a perfect place to end it. Like with any male point of view story, I was completely wowed by it all. I was leery of Levi in the beginning of Flight, and the beginning of First proved I was right to be so, but as with Flight, I grew to love Levi by the end.

First is definitely worth a read if you've read Flight! In fact, I highly recommend it! Haven't read Flight? Well, good news! You can still read this one. Granted, you'll know all about Levi and what he is, which was a big reveal to Flight, but what's the harm in knowing?


Overall Rating 5/5 stars

This read was read for the COYER Challenge