Cover Copy Reveal--Jana Oliver

Saw the cover for Jana Oliver's Soul Thief and had to share it! I absolutely love it! The blue color is just stunning with the rest of the black and white picture and I'm digging the graveyard!! Plus the model is a decent likeness of Riley! Love her style, it's so Riley!

At the start of the second thrilling installment of the Demon Trappers series, 17-year-old Riley Blackthorne has about had it up to here. After the devastating battle at the Tabernacle, trappers are dead and injured, her sweet boyfriend Simon is gravely injured, and now her beloved late father’s been illegally poached from his grave by a very powerful necromancer. Add to the mix: Ori, one sizzling hot freelance demon hunter who’s made himself Riley’s unofficial body guard, and Beck, a super over-protective “friend” who acts more like a grouchy granddad, and Riley’s almost ready to leave Atlanta altogether.

But as the demon count in Atlanta increases, the already crippled Trappers Guild has its hands full, and, when the Vatican finally sends its own Demon Hunters to take care of the city’s “little” problem, pandemonium breaks loose. Only Riley knows that she might be the center of Hell’s attention: an extremely powerful Grade 5 demon is stalking her, and her luck can't last forever. As Riley’s life becomes a dangerous balancing act, will she be strong enough not to tip? And who will be there to catch her if she falls?

This one releases August 30, 2011

Review--The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Sixteen-year-old Maya is just an ordinary teen in an ordinary town. Sure, she doesn't know much about her background - the only thing she really has to cling to is an odd paw-print birthmark on her hip - but she never really put much thought into who her parents were or how she ended up with her adopted parents in this tiny medical-research community on Vancouver Island.

Until now.

Strange things have been happening in this claustrophobic town - from the mountain lions that have been approaching Maya to her best friend's hidden talent for "feeling" out people and situations, to the sexy new bad boy who makes Maya feel . . . . different. Combine that with a few unexplained deaths and a mystery involving Maya's biological parents and it's easy to suspect that this town might have more than its share of skeletons in its closet.

In The Gathering, New York Times best-selling author Kelley Armstrong brings all the supernatural thrills from her wildly successful Darkest Powers series to Darkness Rising, her scorching hot new trilogy. 

I've been looking forward to Kelley Armstrong's The Gathering since forever it seems! I totally love love love this world she created and how it sort of coexists outside the Otherworld series, for the Cabals and Nasts were mentioned by name! And even Chloe and her friends are vaguely mentioned as well, so there will definitely be something that ties this trilogy in with The Darkest Powers one!

I had just read a review this morning about the positives of it and a non-spoiler hint to the ending. First off the beginning of the book does read like a "normal" book, where there isn't much supernatural going-ons. There are a few subtle hints dropped here and there that something is amidst though!

The pacing was still rather good despite the lack of paranormal in the beginning. I didn't want to stop reading! I wanted to know more and more! There's a lot of mysteries and questions building up in this book and unfortunately none are answered, which I totally expected since it's a trilogy and it's how The Darkest Powers worked out. So I am definitely very ready to read the next book, of course I have to wait a year!

Maya was a very likable character for the most part, she did have one flaw that sort of shined a little too much and she does come to realize this and starts re-thinking things which I think is great character development with our protagonist already seeing some of her own flaws and working to improve them. 

The romance sparking between Maya and Rafe--so easy not to think of the Rafe from Blood and Chocolate (the book--which is only $3.60 at Amazon) since he was so different, love his name--was well played. Maya doesn't fall head over heels for the new boy like almost all the other girls in her small town, yet she does admit to herself that there is something appealing about him. And a relationship of some kind does start to grow, but it's uncertain where it's headed.

The characters were just great! The book opens with a memory that is still unresolved. It's a tragic mystery and I sooo can't wait for it to be solved. There were a lot of unanswered questions and yet I'm not upset about it at all. I am just overeager to read the next book and I hate that I have to wait another year! 

Oh well, at least I have plenty to occupy myself with until then! This is a great new trilogy by Kelley Armstrong that I highly recommend if you've read her first one or her Otherworld series. Really any book by Kelley is a must read!

Overall rating 5/5 stars

*Review--E-ARC The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter*

EVERY GIRL who has taken the test has DIED.

Not it's KATE'S TURN.

It’s always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate’s going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won’t live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he’ll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he’s crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she’ll become Henry’s future bride, and a goddess.

If she fails... 

I received this e-ARC courtesy of NetGalley for review.

Aimee Carter's debut The Goddess Test became a fast favorite for me! This is the second debut book this year that I have read that instead of going with the good ol' supernatural (which can never get old in my opinion), the author goes with Greek mythology! Which is one of my fave subjects!

This story goes along with the myth of Persephone, Demeter's--goddess of Earth, grain--daughter. The characters don't go by their Greek names, and at the end there is a little key to let you know who was who, but I was able to guess a few of the Gods/Goddesses. And I just absolutely loved this book!

The pacing was good. It wasn't at all slow or anything like you might think since Kate is going to have to make a deal with Henry. We first get to see her going about her life in the small town of Eden, where her mother wanted to live during her last days. It has a heart-wrenching start, as we get to know of the life Kate lived while caring for her mother.

Then Henry finds her one night to propose his "offer" to her and shows what he can do. He tells her to look at the Persephone myth and then to meet him at the autumn equinox.

What I really liked about the story was Kate's hesitation to believe anything Henry says, even when she saw some of his abilities first hand. It's a lot to accept and deal with. While some might find it annoying, I thought it was refreshing that she wasn't so accepting right away. True she might have believed Henry in some ways, but it takes a while for her to truly believe all that is happening.

To make matters worse perhaps, Kate must take and pass 7 tests in order to truly be Henry's bride. And if that wasn't challenging enough, someone at the house wants her to fail. Even if it means her death, like the deaths of the previous potential brides before. Which makes it all the harder for Kate to trust anybody in this place.

You don't really need to know Greek mythology to enjoy this story. In fact there is a summary woven into the novel about the myth regarding Persephone. Which I thought might have left out a detail, but truly it doesn't matter because more was spun to fit with this story and I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

There are also several surprises along the way, of course it isn't until the ending when we get to know those. But they were quite shocking! And enjoyable. Although there is one thing, overall that I question regarding the story, but will have to wait for future books to find out.

I can give this book no less that 5/5 stars! A fantastic read and I will have to add it to my book list so i can buy a copy to treasure forever!

The Goddess Test releases April 19, 2011

This book is also apart of my 2011 Debut Author Challenge from The Story Siren

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.

*click the cover for my review and click the title for the book info provided by Amazon*

Last Week I Read:

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Unraveled by Gena Showalter

Crescendo by Becca Fiztpatrick

Other Reviews that were Posted:

The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Currently Reading:

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

What I Plan to Read this Week:

Feast: Harvest of Dreams by Merrie Destefano

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

Other Posts of Interest:

Cover Art--Karen Mahoney

Cover Copy Reveal--Kelly Meding

Review--E-ARC The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

NEVER ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEAD.

NEVER STRAY FROM HALLOWED GROUND.

NEVER GET CLOSE TO THE HAUNTED.

NEVER, EVER TEMPT FATE.

My father’s rules.

I’ve never broken them…until now.

My name is Amelia Gray. I’m a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I’ve always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.

It started with the discovery of a young woman’s brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I’ve been hired to restore. The clues to the killer—and to his other victims— lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I’ve vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

I received this e-ARC courtesy of NetGalley for review

Amanda Stevens' The Restorer was sort of different from what I was expecting. I was thinking mystery with ghostly interactions which it was in some ways, just not as much as I thought. There were ghostly appearances and there was still a murder mystery to solve, just the ghosts weren't a major part of it like I had hoped.

Amelia restores graveyards and yet she can see ghosts as well. She has always followed her father's rules for her could see them too, these rules would keep her safe for ghosts would draw on her energy if she were to acknowledge them. So she has ignored them to the best of her abilities. But that isn't her only concern now. While restoring a graveyard she suddenly comes across an out of place body which soon leads to more bodies to be discovered in the graveyard where they do not belong.

That is where the handsome detective Delvin comes in. Only he too is being haunted by ghosts and he isn't aware of it. To make matters worse it's the ghost of his deceased wife and child. And the wife obviously isn't too thrilled with Amelia's interactions with her husband.

The pacing was a bit slow for my liking, yet the mystery was still decent. We watch as Amelia goes from place to place trying to help piece together the mystery and find the killer. She isn't actively determined to solve the case, she starts as a consultant and her researching leads her to other clues and more mishaps that soon mark her as a target for the killer.

There is a bit of romantic tension between Amelia and Devlin, the continues to build throughout the book, but at the end we still aren't sure where they stand, only that they will continue to be connected for something else will draw them together in the next book, as Amelia sort of states at the end as well.

Overall I have to rate this as a 3/5 stars. It was good, I felt compelled to finish it when I might have stopped somewhere past the halfway mark because I felt like there wasn't a whole lot of moving forward. In the end I've come to feel very middle ground on this book, neither loving or hating it. So if you're looking for an interesting mystery to read this one fits the bill, but I;m not sure if I would recommend reading this right away if you're not totally wow-ed by the BOC description.

This title will release on April 19, 2011

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.

Another semi-eventful week! There wasn't too many releases for me this week, but I didn't come out empty handed--although it remains to be seen if that's a good thing or not since I still spent some money that I don't technically have! 

First in the mail came my SIGNED bookplate from Karen Mahoney! It's already in my book!

**Sorry it's dark, it looked better on my camera, but when I used the flash it made it too bright!

Then from NetGalley I got 2 e-ARCs:

Feast by Merrie Destefano

The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess by Leanna Renee Hieber

Then for my Kindle I also bought:

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

Some Kindle freebies that I got were:

Wings by Aprilynne Pike

Beauty and the Beast by Marie Le Prince de Beaumont

Then in I got this one in the mail when I ordered it awhile back:

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

So I guess I didn't do too bad being that some books were free, one was a preorder and the only ones I ended up buying were the first two books in Leanna's series, because I remember hearing good things about it and decided to give them a go when Amazon had them for under $5 for Kindle books!

So what did you get this week?

Review--E-ARC The Vampire Dimitri by Colleen Gleason

Regency London loves a Society wedding –

Even if there are vampires on the guest list.

Dimitri, the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed – and bewitched – the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day.

Miss Woodmore's family has a rather...complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women's intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability, and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except for passion.

In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitir come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation, and fiercest desire.

I received this E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley for review

Colleen Gleason's The Vampire Dimitri is a continuance of the story we saw from The Vampire Voss, same world, same characters, except this time we follow Maia and Dimitri. For a good portion of the book, it has the same events as The Vampire Voss but from Maia's pov. It isn't necessarily word for word the same, but the general things still occur, except of course we're with Maia so we see what she was up to while Angelica was with Voss.

Around the halfway mark we move into new territory and the story gets a little more interesting. The pacing definitely picks up at this point because like I said, it's new plot development. Dimitri is insanely jealous with Voss for obvious reasons (if you've read The Vampire Voss, you know what that reason is, otherwise it's a spoiler) for he wants the same thing.

I was pleased that the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast came into play again. Not as much, it literally was there and it's not til much later that a connection is seen, but that's just a fairy tale notice for you!

Overall it was a somewhat enjoyable read. I can't help but feel it was a little too like The Vampire Voss in some instances with the general aspects, but still enjoyable. The next one, The Vampire Narcise might be a little more entertaining for we'll follow the female vampire with the vampire hunter!

My rating overall is 3.5/5 stars

This title will release on April 19, 2011

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's topic is: PARANORMAL POWERS YOU'D LIKE TO HAVE

*in no particular order

SHAPESHIFTING

I love shapeshifters as well and when I saw Larissa with this pic I had to have it as well because it is just AWESOME!!

PSYCHIC ABILITIES

Not particularly picky about which ones, I've just read a lot of awesome books with psychics!

STRENGTH

It doesn't have to be pro-wrestler strength, but you know our Weres and Vamps are all super strong! I want that!

SUPER SPEED

Had to get this pic with Ryan in it!! Yeah, being fast would be awesome like Weres and the vampires on Vampire Diaries.

WITCHCRAFT/SPELL CASTING

*Anyone else remember this movie?! I loved it! But yeah, spell-casting would be pretty wicked! In any way, zap a finger and poof or doing spells like Rachel in the Hallows!

Review--Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Nora Grey's life is still far from perfect. Surviving an attempt on her life wasn't pleasant, but at least she got a guardian angel out of it: a mysterious, magnetic, gorgeous guardian angel. But, despite his role in her life, Patch has been acting anything but angelic. He's more elusive than ever and even worse, he's started spending time with Nora's arch-enemy, Marcie Millar.

Nora would have hardly noticed Scott Parnell, an old family friend who has moved back to town, if Patch hadn't been acting so distant. Even with Scott's totally infuriating attitude Nora finds herself drawn to him - despite her lingering feeling that he's hiding something.

Haunted by images of her murdered father, and questioning whether her nephilim bloodline has anything to do with his death, Nora puts herself increasingly in dangerous situations as she desperatly searches for answers. But maybe some things are better left buried, because the truth could destroy everything - and everyone - she trusts.

Becca Fitzpatrick's Crescendo was pretty good. And yet I wasn't thoroughly in love with it. Why? Because now I understand all the Nora-bashing I remembered reading about when this first released. Nora wasn't a horrible character, she was just a little too annoying this time around. I read Hush, Hush back in January and already I forgot some of the details of Nora's past, about her dad and this is what Crescendo focuses on.

It was still all rather interesting. As I read, I realized the mystery behind his death. There was definitely something to learn here. Overall, it was rather good! I mean I was totally thinking one thing, but it turned out to be another. Those who read it know what I mean. I had thought there had to be a reason for why it happened, why this character did what they did. I just didn't know what. But I was off base and I actually like that sometimes! Sure, it's fun being right, but it's also fun to be taken by surprise!

Now I will only make this a short paragraph on ranting about Nora. Nora was trying to get used to her new relationship with Patch who was now her guardian angel instead of being a Fallen. But there are rules to his new status, rules that Nora doesn't comprehend. So when she's willing to be open and honest with Patch and he isn't reciprocating, she kind of freaks. There were a lot of reasons behind Patch's behavior, which I kind of inferred as I read, but Nora totally took everything at face value almost and it drove me nuts! She hates Patch, she loves him, she hates him! Urg! I felt like she wasn't taking a timeout to think the situation with her and Patch through, instead she just reacted horribly and kind of childishly. I could understand her frustration but before she decided to make rash judgments she should have did some thinking and talking to Patch!

Okay, rant done. Went a little longer than expected, so I had to cut myself off before I might have went into spoiler territory! Despite Nora's behavior the storyline was still interesting. A lot of new surprises and a few answers came out of the mess. And I am very curious to see how things will all end in Silence this fall. The pacing was pretty good, except of course when Nora started being Nora I got a little miffed which made it hard not to throw the book across the room! But since it was on my Kindle the urge wasn't as strong. A real book? It's likely that it might have ended up across the room at least once...or twice! ;)

Overall rating 3.5/5 stars--not 4 since Nora acted up a little too much, but either than that, I totally loved the book!

Friday Hops

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!):

"Pick a character from a book you are currently reading or have just finished and tell us about him/her."

MY ANSWER:  Since I just finished Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick, I guess I will say--before I write up my review--how annoyed I was with Nora. I remember hearing things like this before I read it, and now I know why! She was just way too annoying in this book. I swear she wasn't thinking clearly at all! Or barely thinking, just making assumptions! And you know what they say when you assume...

Yeah. But despite how annoying she was, I am still looking forward to Silence and seeing how this whole story winds up. I must say that I still adore Patch!

This is a weekly blog meme created by Parajunkee's View.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://annettesbookspot.blogspot.com/

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: Do you have anyone that you can discuss books with IRL? Tell us about him/her?

MY ANSWER: Uh...not really I guess. I might be too much of a hermit at times, but when I get talking about books and stuff you can't shut me up. Although I'm not sure many of my friends and family like to read my kind of books. One of my best friends is now finally getting into the genre so whenever we hang out we discuss whatever books we read that we think the other might like, but we don't usually go into too deep of details, that would be lead to spoilers. We've know each since high school, so 6 years now. 

But my another of my friends, while she may not be a big reader, she does like vampires, werewolves and the like. So we usually go see those movies together and talk about them, I've know her since the 5th grade and we used to live right down the street from one another! 

My other BFF doesn't really care for the vampire or other creatures of the night--as I have to tell her, there's more than vampires out there--genre. So amongst my 3 closest BFFs we all have different kinds of conversations that can somehow lead back to whatever book we may be reading. We get off topic a lot too!

And of course I cannot forget my friends at the Pride! Rachel Vincent's online forum! There a ton of us from all over talk about whatever books we're reading and get into loads on discussions about the books!

Review--Unraveled by Gena Showalter

FOR ONCE SIXTEEN-YEAR OLD ADEN STONE HAS EVERYTHING HE'S EVER WANTED:

A HOME.

FRIENDS.

THE GIRL OF HIS DREAMS.

TOO BAD HE'S GOING TO DIE...

Since coming to Crossroads, Oklahoma, former outcast Aden Stone has been living the good life. Never mind that one of his best friends is a werewolf, his girlfriend is a vampire princess who hungers for his blood, and he's supposed to be crowned Vampire King—while still a human! Well, kind of.

With four—oops, three now—human souls living inside his head, Aden has always been "different" himself. These souls can time-travel, raise the dead, possess another's mind and, his least favorite these days, tell the future.

The forecast for Aden? A knife through the heart.

Because a war is brewing between the creatures of the dark, and Aden is somehow at the center of it all. But he isn't about to lie down and accept his destiny without a fight. Not when his new friends have his back, not when Victoria has risked her own future to be with him, and not when he has a reason to live for the first time in his life...

Gena Showalter's Unraveled was a tremendous followup to Intertwined! Seriously, I am still kicking myself for not reading these books sooner! They are sooooooo damn good! I really like how it sort feels like there's two stories going, you have Aden--the main character and all that's happening with him and his vampire girlfriend, Victoria. Then there's what's happening with Mary Ann and her werewolf boyfriend, Riley--who I soooo love!

Despite these two characters with their different problems happening they are all still connected to one another. Aden is still trying to figure out how he can help the remaining souls in his head move on, while trying to handle being the new vampire king and figuring out how he can get the death curse lifted off his friends that they witches cast on them last time. And these witches really fit their name since they refuse to tell Aden the location and time of said meeting.

And the problems Aden has to deal with being king are pretty huge! Laws, suitors, threats...it's endless and all he wants is to be with Victoria. But there are still other enemies lurking about that he is unaware of. Shocking enemies. And there's still a lot that he doesn't know about his friend Mary Ann.

Mary Ann has her own problems she's dealing with. Problems that threaten those around her, including her loved ones, including Riley. I felt bad for her, not only does she have the death threat over her head, but her new problem is catastrophic! It seems there are a lot of forces at work that are trying to keep the two star-crossed couples apart and now I have to wait til the end of August for the next one!!

The pacing is incredible with these books, this one was 572 pages and yet I read over 400 yesterday! The pages fly by and I find myself nearing the end and not wanting it to end. The plot just moves so quickly and it's never confusing with the p.o.v. changes, it's refreshing, for once we get caught with Mary Ann's story we jump back to Aden who was doing something thrilling! And on and on it goes!

I suppose that's my only consolation I can give myself for waiting so long. Now instead of a 1 year wait I have just 4 months, 2 weeks and 1 day (roughly) til Twisted!!

Overall rating 5/5 stars, a killer read!!

Cover Copy Reveal

Kelly Meding has released the BOC description for her next book, Another Kind of Dead! I so can't wait to read this one. The series is very interesting and quite different than what I usually read, while still fitting into the UF genre!

She can heal her own wounds. She can nail a monster to a wall. But there’s one danger Evangeline Stone never saw coming.

Been there. Done that. Evy Stone is a former Dreg Bounty Hunter who died and came back to life with some extraordinary powers. Now all but five people in the world think she is dead again, this time for good—immolated in a factory fire set specifically for her. Evy and Wyatt, her partner/lover/friend, can no longer trust their former allies, or even the highest echelons of the Triads—the army of fighters holding back from an unsuspecting public a tide of quarreling, otherworldly creatures—they can trust only each other. Because when the Triads raided a macabre, monster-filled lab of science experiments and hauled away the remnants, they failed to capture their creator: a brilliant, vampire-obsessed scientist with a wealth of powerful, anti-Dreg weaponry to trade for what he desires most of all—Evy Stone: alive and well, and the key to his ultimate experiment in mad science. 

This one releases July 26, 2011

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.

I so can't wait to read Keri Arthur's Mercy Burns! The second book in her Myth and Magic series! It has been ages since the first one was released, but I believe there's new set of characters being that they were secondary characters last time and are now going to be main characters! Regardless, I'm looking forward to this book, which may or may not be the final one in this series, I can't remember.

DARKNESS DESCENDS.

LOVE ABIDES. BUT . . .

MERCY BURNS

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call “Muerte,” or death itself, who’s as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?

TITLE: Mercy Burns
AUTHOR: Keri Arthur
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2011

*Review--Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach*

A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt -- not to mention a princess for a roommate! -- all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.

There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.

And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.

Lisa Cach's debut YA novel, Wake Unto Me, was a very nice "ghost story" novel. When I first saw the cover months ago I was immediately hooked. It reminded me of Jenny Carroll/Meg Cabot's The Mediator series with a girl and a ghost, so I was looking forward to reading it and it was a rather fast read too!

Caitlyn is really kind of your average girl at school, although she has two good friends, other people make fun of her for no reason really, and when the opportunity comes to go to a prestigious school in France comes up, she jumps at it, hoping that it would take her away from her too ordinary life.

Although lately she has been having really freaky dreams with images that terrify her and screech at her. But once she enters France she starts dreaming of a cute guy and can't help but think that there's something growing between them. It's all a little weird at first, Caitlyn isn't sure at times what's real and what's not. What's a dream and so forth, she begins to wonder about her sanity at a point. All she knows that Raphael is the guy she's been looking for all her young life.

The romance was a good buildup--I actually just read a review this morning that appreciated this part as well--while the two feel drawn to one another, they're not a "couple" right away. It takes time. But there is still a definite mystery going on at the school. And believe me my theories were constantly challenged, in the end I didn't really see much coming!

I like when books can take you completely by surprise at the final moment. Sure, you get an idea where it's heading but the end? Still a shocker in its entirety! But again, I did guess at one or two tidbits pages before the answer was revealed and was glad that I was right! Finally!

The pacing was okay. At times I thought it a little slow, because not too much "ghost" stuff was happening. And it wasn't necessarily the "ghost story" I was expecting, yet it was still really good. Just different! There was also quite a bit of history woven into the book as well that was all intriguing as well. And people say reading is boring! Heck we get to enter fantastical worlds and still learn a bit of history while we read fiction!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

This book was apart of my 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Review--Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

USA Today bestselling author Nalini Singh introduces a world of beauty and bloodlust, where angels hold sway over vampires…

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she's the best—but she doesn't know if she's good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option...even if the task is impossible.

Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.

The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn't destroy her, succumbing to Raphael's seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break… 

Finished Nalini Singh's Angels' Blood the other day and it was just amazing! I had been a bit skeptical at reading this at first for some reason, really can't recall why. It was far more fascinating that I'd ever imagined!

We have a good mix of angels and vampires this time around, another interesting combo and for the most part angels are fairly good and vampires can be either. But there is one mean and terrifying angel on the loose who is killing young women and archangel Raphael wants Elena to help him track down this killer for Elena has a special gift in which she can track down vampires by following their trail.

The pacing was good, because while angels aren't necessarily evil, they aren't purely good either. One of those odd types where they are more self-serving and can either be on your side or not. Plus they have a lot of powers that are generally used to manipulate humans and Elena wants none of it, but she takes on the case for the sake of helping the innocent.

There is a romance building between the two that cover description mentions slightly, and it was done rather well. I like how Elena was attracted to him and had to fight any urges she had. There was also her wondering if her feelings for him were hers or apart of his manipulation powers.

All in all a really good read! And the ending was quite surprising, although I had some inkling as to what was going to happen, but wasn't sure how the characters were going to get there, so the surprise was still fun enough!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Teaser Tuesday

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

Nalini Singh's Angels' Blood is reading a lot faster than I thought it would. I started it Friday and then was busy over the weekend and couldn't read at all, but I was flying through the pages Monday and then I was done!

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.

"Sara held up a hand. 'How exactly did you "decline" his offer?'

'By slitting his throat.'"

p 105

TITLE: Angels' Blood

AUTHOR: Nalini Singh
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2009

Cover Art--Karen Mahoney

Just saw this posted at another blog and had to add it here as well! The cover for Karen Mahoney's The Wood Queen, her next YA novel in her new series! It's going to be a long wait since it doesn't release til next year, but the cover is pretty interesting I think. Still like the first one better for some reason though.

Two weeks after the events of The Iron Witch, reluctant alchemist-in-training, Donna Underwood, must face the consequences of her actions--actions that some believe make her a traitor.

At the same time, Donna’s iron tattoos are acting strangely and she experiences bleak visions filled with warnings of a coming darkness. When the Wood Queen steps into her life once more, it appears that Donna’s role in the centuries old war against the fey is very far from over--only this time it is her mother’s life that hangs in the balance...

This is set to release in February 2012

Cover description not final and even the cover art may change since we still have awhile to wait.

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.

**Set it up a little differently this week in the "what I read last week" section. To get book info click on the picture, for my review click on the title listed below the pictures.**

Last Week I Read:

My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Betrayal by Mayandree Michel

Currently Reading:

Angels' Blood by Nalini Singh

What I Plan to Read this Week:

Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach

Magic on the Hunt by Devon Monk

Unraveled by Gena Showalter

Other Posts of Interest:

Cover art--Lili St. Crow

Movie News--Underworld 4