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 it was a slow week, which honestly is a good thing! This coming week has TONS of releases and I will likely be buying all of them to add to my TBR pile! Won't get to read them all right away, but by buying them now, I help with the sales! Since I know I want to read these as soon as physically possible, I want them ready and waiting!

My one buy this week was actually a freebie download I got, yay no money spent! I'll be spending it this week!

Waiting for Midnight by Merrie Destefano

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 - 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: Books You're Most Looking Forward to! {2nd Half 2012}

**This theme was the top pick as of Thursday and this is when I was writing my weekly meme posts

*in no particular order

Click on the cover to be take to the Goodreads page to find out how AWESOME these reads are!

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN

by Kate Locke

This one just sounds super exciting! And it is close to coming out! So yay for less waiting! Releases July 3, 2012

INCARNATION

by Emma Cornwall

This sounds epic! I sooo cannot wait to read this one either! A nice twist with vampires, Bram...what more you could ask for? Releases September 18.

ICED

by Karen Marie Moning

Is anyone not really stoped for this one?! I cannot wait to get back into the Fever world! Releases October 30.

DEATH AND THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

by Darynda Jones

I am so behind on Darynda's adult series, but I am sooo looking forward to how she does YA! I love Charley, so I have high hopes for this one too! Releases October 2.

THE LOST PRINCE

by Julie Kagawa

Soooo excited for this one! I can't wait to see what Ethan does! Releases October 23

OTHER MUST HAVES/MENTIONS

Thirteen by Kelley Armstrong

Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick

The Hidden by Marianne Curley

ARC Review--Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. . . .

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Peaches comes a magical and bewitching story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.

I received this ARC at the Romantic Times Booklover's Convention via the Goody Room for review

Going into this the first thing I have to say, which I did do myself, is to totally put Disney's Peter Pan out of your head! It will do you no good to think of it, because one way or another a story will be ruined, either Disney or this one. And both were INCREDIBLE! So don't think of that story or any other Peter Pan story for that matter. This is something new!

Much like Gregory Maguire's spin on several fairy tales--besides Wizard of Oz--Jodi Lynn Anderson takes a new spin on Peter Pan, bringing the story into a different light. Tiger Lily follows her version of the story, in a way.

Most surprisingly this story is told not by Tiger Lily, but by Tinker Bell. Tinker Bell was actually Tiger Lily's faery before she met Peter Pan. Everything about the traditional Peter Pan story is challenged here. True, in Neverland people don't age once they reach a certain point in their life. So some may stay forever 15, or in the case of one man, Giant, he aged to 50 til he suddenly stopped aging for life. It's different for everyone.

Tiger Lily is a bit of an outcast in her village. Her story is kind of sad. She wasn't a real girly girl, and her companions sort of mocked her. Then when the crows came to protect her, they feared her. She has it rough. Then when she goes to rescue an English man who came to Neverland, everyone is mad and scared of her even more. The English have what they call the "aging disease" and by helping him heal, Tiger Lily gets herself into a pickle. The outcome is that she is forced to marry Giant, the 50 year old man, because of a long ago promise.

I really can't get into every detail, but this story was just beautiful! I don't know what else to say. We truly do get a different kind of story here in Neverland. There's no flying, sadly. Instead the lost boys swing from trees with a system of pulleys. And people do come to Neverland via ship, so it's not necessarily impossible to get to. 

Captain Hook and his pirates are there as well. Smee actually has a more prominent role in the novel instead. And he is seriously a creepy dude! Totally not like any other Smee I've come across before.

Peter himself is just Peter! He's a fun boy wanting to have fun. Tiger Lily's tribe first believes him to be dangerous and he sorta is, but in a different way. Peter is still a heartbreaker and still a child. Although he is not as adamant as to never grow up.

The love between Tiger Lily and Peter was a sweet thing, I should also note that this Peter seems to be stuck at 16, so the romance is sweet with Tiger Lily and not awkward or anything since Peter Pan was like 12 maybe in other versions.

Of course everything starts to change in Neverland when more Englanders come. Wendy among them. Wendy isn't the sweet Disney girl either, although she isn't intentionally cruel either. Tiger Lily's life begins changing dramatically. Nothing is constant anymore.

I really can't say more without giving away the entire storyline. Only that this was truly a fabulous book! It was a pretty emotional read too. I love retellings of fairy tales because I like the new spin to old favorites. It doesn't ruin the old fave story either, this is just something new. And it was pretty heart wrenching too. All kinds of emotions, just like Tiger Lily in a way.

By the ending I can say I was smiling, but there might have been a few tears as well. A fabulous read! This is truly a must read if you've ever saw a Peter Pan movie or read a Peter Pan story. No matter which version of course! Tiger Lily is truly magical!

Overall rating 5/5 stars

Tiger Lily releases July 3, 2012

And on a side note, I have to recommend seeing the SyFy mini series Neverland! It's a different take on Peter Pan as well, sort of the origin story. But with FLYING! And Tiger Lily was there as well! ;)

M.I.A.

I will be M.I.A. the next few days, as I will be on vacation!! It's my yearly trip to Cedarburg, Wisconsin for the annual Strawberry Festival!

I can't wait! I love going, since there's local and out-of-state vendors with miscellaneous wears and goods! I don't usually buy anything, but it is still fun to look around!

The festival is just for the weekend, so for the remainder of the time I'll be going shopping elsewhere, hanging out, going to some of my fave restaurants up there that are only known in Cedarburg!

And most of all I will be enjoying the wonderful weather!! A glance at their forecast showed things being below 80! I'm talking high 70s, maybe some low 80s, but still better than 90s!

I will occasionally try to get on the computer and at least see what's going on elsewhere. I can't stay off the internet, I'm a blogging junkie! So while I may not be commenting, I still will be reading over posts in my reader thingy!

Also, I have my weekly meme posts scheduled to go up! So you can still read my STS, Top 5 Sundays, teases and WoW and Random Thursday! Basically all that good stuff that is regularly scheduled!

I'll be back Wednesday or Thursday, not sure which.

Ciao everyone!

ARC Review--Sin's Dark Caress by Tracey O'Hara

An ancient darkness has risen from the ashes…and terror has been loosed upon an unsuspecting world.

Forensic witch Bianca Sin has never seen anything like it: homeless teenage girls torn to pieces by dark magic in the cold shadows of the city. More terrifying still is the symbol written in blood on an alley wall—the unmistakable seal of the Dark Brethren.

Teaming up with NYPD homicide detective Lancelot McManus and an elite task force headed by the shapeshifter Oberon DuPrie, Bianca knows her worse fears have finally come to pass. A new war of annihilation is looming that will plunge the worlds of vampire, shapeshifter, and human into chaos—and two adversarial tribes locked in uneasy truce will need to take up arms together to save the children. Trust will be essential for Sin and McManus, as the hunt forces them to confront their deepest terrors.

For the ultimate evil is no longer approaching.

It’s here.

I received this ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss

Tracey O'Hara's Sin's Dark Caress was phenomenal! This series is really turning out to be a good one! It doesn't follow the standard series format where we see the same characters again and again, and I kind of like that! It's how I'm formatting my series as well!

So we meet Bianca Sin this time around, she's a forensic witch, working on murder cases where magic was involved and using her abilities to try find clues from the magic left behind. Her partner, McManus--as his first name isn't really used--helps out as well. McManus is human, noting incredibly super about him. He also has a bit of a drug problem.

He and Bianca are working on a case involving a set of murdered young women, who have had their stomachs ripped open, and their unborn children are missing. But something is very odd about this case, for some of the victims were never said to be pregnant by their loved ones. Dark forces are involved and it soon gets very dangerous for both Bianca and McManus.

I will admit that the beginning was a little slow. I can't recall how long that lapse went on for me, but it does pick up! And once it does, there's never a moment where I want to put it down! Bianca is a fabulous character! She's spunky, fun and takes her work very seriously. 

McManus, on the other hand, is a handful! He's the sarcastic, bad boy type. Getting into trouble at every corner, yet he has a good heart. That much is made abundantly clear from the get go. 

There wasn't a whole lot of romance going on between McManus and Bianca. They tried once in the past--something that's mentioned--but it didn't work out. But they're still friends, partners. Yet there's definitely some tension between the two, and possibly some lingering feelings. You can pretty much tell where the romance is going, but as the danger in the book is stacked pretty high, romance will have to wait.

The body count continues to rise and Bianca and McManus are no closer to discovering who the murderer is than they were at the beginning. It was pretty mind-blowing! I admit to falling for things I should've seen as being suspicious! But that's also fun sometimes, because then you are just as shocked at the murderer as the characters are!

Antoinette and Kitt both make brief appearances, which just amps up the fun for me! I like seeing the other characters pop in for a bit! Oberon, from Night's Cold Kiss, is there too!

A darkly delicious read that comes packed with action, excitement, magic, murder and dragons! This series definitely has some strong potential! O'Hara continues to surprise me with every book! This is definitely a series to be read!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Sin's Dark Caress releases July 1, 2012

Friday Hops

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: If you could “unread” a book, which one would it be? Is it because you want to start over and experience it again for the first time? Or because it was THAT bad?

MY ANSWER: Hmm...one book I remember reading way back in the beginning that I just did not enjoy was The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout.

Perhaps I read this when I was too "young". I just didn't like it. There was too much sex and the f-word was used a lot. It's been so long since I read it, I just remember not enjoying it at all.

Another book I think I would have liked to unread is the Twilight Saga. Looking back on it now, I just didn't really care for it. You know how it is when you being to over analyze something. Well, when I over analyze that series, I come up not liking it at all.

The movies may have had a little part in that, but really when I do go back over it, it just comes up as something where I go, "What was I thinking?"

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by GReads! that re-caps the week’s posts and has different question each week.

This week's question is: Authors Are Our Celebrities: Have you ever contacted an author you admired? How did that experience go?  If not, which author would you love to have a chat with? 

MY ANSWER: Oh I love this! I do say that authors are my celebs! It's part of the reason that I bought the shirt that says authors are my rock stars. Close enough!

I have contacted authors! I think the first one I ever contacted was...you might have guessed, or not...Maria V. Snyder!

I was super excited about her books and this was when I wasn't overwhelmed with reads, so I contacted her, saying that I looooved her books and was an aspiring writer myself!
 

Then later on, I had to write a paper--my topic was about writing and me wanting to make it a career. I had to have 2 interviews among my resources, so I contacted Maria with a bunch of questions. I didn't use all of them for the paper, but I wanted the answers all the same!

And Maria was kind enough to answer all of them! Can't remember what I got on the paper, but doesn't matter! I got to talk to an author as "homework" or research really since it was a college paper! :D

 

900 Followers Contest!

I've reached 900 followers!! Yay! Thank you all so much for continuing to follow my blog! I was so happy last week when I saw that 9-0-0! Only 100 more and then I am in the big leagues of 1000! Whoohoo!

So contest time! I thought I would do something extra special, but unfortunately this will only be available for my US followers. Sorry, I can't afford the shipping, but I will have an international followers contest too where you can pick your book!

The contest will be for a signed book of your choice from one of the following authors:

Veronica Roth

Aprilynne Pike

Dan Wells

S.J. Kincaid

In two weeks I'm attending a signing (as long as nothing horrible happens!) where these 4 fabulous authors will be! So I will get the book at the signing and get the author to sign it to you personally--if you so wish! And I will be nice enough to buy any of their books, even the hardcovers, which tend to be pricey! I'm feeling cheery at the moment! Come time my credit card bill comes, maybe not so much! Ha! But books are what I buy, so I want to buy one for you!

So as I said, the prize is any one of the books one of the authors has written! And it will be signed! To you if you wish or to someone else if you want to gift it...whatever!

Just enter the rafflecopter do hickey at the bottom of the page.

Now for my international followers I will buy you one book of your choice from Book Depository in a $10-15 (US) range. Just enter the appropriate rafflecopter form and you're in!

REMEMBER: You can only enter 1 contest, if you're US you are in the US one and International folk go in the International one--unless of course you have some in the US who you can use as your address!


This is the US ONLY contest!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is the International ONLY contest! Sorry, it looks confusing, the (US) is there to indicate value of the book.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Art--J.A. London

Wow! Saw this cover for London's next book in the Darkness Before Dawn series, which I still have to start! But I like it!

Not sure which is which--final? UK? Saw one at a blog, and the right one on Goodreads!

I like both, but the left has a little more color and makes it more stunning!

No cover info yet.

Blood-Kissed Sky releases December 24, 2012--a wonderful Christmas gift!!

Random Thursday

It's June 21, do you know what today is?

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It means that in 313 days RT 2013 is in motion!!

Yup, geek I be! I told you that I would be having a reminder every month about RT 2013!! Sooo excited for it! And really nothing is in motion yet.

Although I did notice on my last visit to the Convention site, that they have add subtitles with 2013 in it! And a small notice that registration will begin in Fall 2012!!

The convention takes place at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center May 1-5, 2013!

And as I said last month, I would love a roommate to make the cost of my trip a little less!

I'm a totally good roommate too! The only thing that may be a problem is that I am a morning person. I wake up early for these things, but if you're a heavy(ish) sleeper than we will get along beautifully!

So as always if you're going, and you know you're going and want to room with me at the convention hotel let me know! When I register for the convention I'll be booking a room too. Rooms fill FAST at the convention hotel and since this is my 3.5 RT--.5 I did the book signing in Pittsburgh so I could meet Maria Snyder for the first time, and having to lug my backpack of books from one hotel to the other was tough.

So I like to stay in the actual convention hotel! It's so much easier and more convenient! 

Don't worry if you're not thinking that far ahead now! I will be doing a reminder of this every month til registration opens!

If you think you're interested in being my roommate, drop me an email! It's in my Review Policy tab. :)

Movie News--Maleficent

Holy Wow!

Earlier this morning I stumbled upon the short article on Yahoo about the movie I cannot wait to see in 2014. I await in agony!

But check out how awesome Angelina Jolie looks as Maleficent!

I hope the pic isn't taking over my blog! I use Firefox and apparently things look differently on my blog when viewed with IE.

But can we say WOW! She looks wicked awesome as the evil fairy! I soooo look forward to this movie! Let the countdown to March 14, 2014 begin!

Here's a link to the short article if you haven't seen it and wanted to. There's not much info in it. Just costume talk about the pic!

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.

Buyer beware...Looking for a tattoo - and maybe a little something extra: a burst of good luck, a dollop of true love, or even a hex on an ex? Head to the quiet and mysterious Gage, the best skin artist in town. Using his unique potions - a blend of extraordinary ingredients and special inks - to etch the right symbol, he can fulfill any heart's desire. But in a place like Low Town, where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires happily walk among humanity, everything has its price. No one knows that better than Gage. Turning his back on his own kind, he left the magical Ivory Tower where cruel witches and warlocks rule, a decision that cost him the right to practice magic. And if he disobeys, his punishment - execution - will be swift. Though he's tried to fly under the radar, Gage can't hide from powerful warlocks who want him dead-or the secrets of his own past. But with the help of his friends, Trixie, a gorgeous elf who hides her true identity, and a hulking troll named Bronx, Gage just might make it through this enchanted world alive.

Can't wait to read this one! I'm actually still waiting to hear back from the publishers about getting an e-ARC through Edelweiss. It's been a few weeks, but I keep hoping with my fingers crossed.

TITLE: Angel's Ink

AUTHOR: Jocelynn Drake

PUBLISHER: Harper Voyager

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

RELEASE DATE: October 16, 2012

History is on repeat, and things didn't go so well the last time. 

Alexandria isn't sure she's going to make it to her eighteenth birthday—to her Awakening. A long-forgotten, fanatical order is out to kill her, and if the Council ever discovers what she did in the Catskills, she’s a goner... and so is Aiden. 

If that's not freaky enough, whenever Alex and Seth spend time "training"—which really is just Seth's code word for some up-close and personal one-on-one time—she ends up with another mark of the Apollyon, which brings her one step closer to Awakening ahead of schedule. Awesome. 

But as her birthday draws near, her entire world shatters with a startling revelation and she’s caught between love and Fate. One will do anything to protect her. One has been lying to her since the beginning. Once the gods have revealed themselves, unleashing their wrath, lives will be irrevocably changed... and destroyed. 

Those left standing will discover if love is truly greater than Fate...

Another read I cannot wait for! I should be on the ARC list for this one as well, but still have to wait for that to come!

TITLE: Deity
AUTHOR: Jennifer Armentrout
PUBLISHER: Spencer Hill Press
GENRE: YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE: November 6, 2012

Cover Art--Jocelynn Drake

Jocelynn has posted the cover art for the next prequel novella of her new series! The Asylum Interviews is the mini series of prequels--just the two so far--where we get to meet characters that are going to be working with Gage! 

We're about to meet Bronx in July, and here's Trixie! Personally I can't wait to meet her! The cover alone makes her looked wicked awesome!!

Her story releases on September 4, 2012. No cover description yet, but will post once Jocelynn does!

ARC Review--Chasing Magic by Stacia Kane

A DEADLY HIGH

Magic-wielding Churchwitch and secret addict Chess Putnam knows better than anyone just how high a price people are willing to pay for a chemical rush. But when someone with money to burn and a penchant for black magic starts tampering with Downside’s drug supply, Chess realizes that the unlucky customers are paying with their souls—and taking the innocent with them, as the magic-infused speed compels them to kill in the most gruesome ways possible.

As if the streets weren’t scary enough, the looming war between the two men in her life explodes, taking even more casualties and putting Chess squarely in the middle. Downside could become a literal ghost town if Chess doesn’t find a way to stop both the war and the dark wave of death-magic, and the only way to do that is to use both her addiction and her power to enter the spell and chase the magic all the way back to its malevolent source. Too bad that doing so will probably kill Chess—if the war doesn’t first destroy the man who’s become her reason for living.

I received this e-ARC from the publishers via Netgalley for review

Stacia Kane's latest in her Downside novels, Chasing Magic was a wicked read!! I don't know what it is about this series that draws me in so much. I think because it challenges me. The main character, Chess, is so unlike any of the other characters I've read about. She's a Churchwitch, performing magics to banish ghosts or arrest people for claiming false hauntings. But also, she's a drug addict and doesn't really have any kind of self-love or appreciation for herself. I mean, you gotta have that just a little bit in your life.

Chess's drug problem really takes a center stage this time, because people in Downside are winding up dead because of magic-infused speed that is basically killing them. And like the book cover says, the killings are gruesome. Seeing the bodies makes Chess ill, yet she still does her drugs. I thought it would've be a wake up call for her, but it wasn't really.

Also, Chess's love life is always one of contradictions. She loves Terrible, loves being with him, he makes her happy. Yet she feels she is no good for him and one day Terrible will realize that too and leave her. Perhaps that is why she finds herself looking at her on-again, off-again flame Lex. Plus he gives her free drugs, the good kind. She knows she doesn't necessarily love Lex, yet she can't help but admit there is some sort of attraction. And this behavior, in any character, in any book, annoys me. I don't really feel like someone can completely and utterly love two people. And I think Chess knows this too, she really is just scared sometimes. 

Which makes her seem more human. Well, she is human, but again, her drug problem bothers me and it even gets seriously scary this time around.

Chess not only has her love life hanging in the balance, but she has to figure out who is supply the drug that is effectively killing people. It also means there's a new drug lord in town and wanting to take over, and since Bump and Lex--and their people--are constantly at war, it's easy for the new guy to slip in.

It's a pretty intense read for me sometimes. Like I said before, it challenges me because I feel a dislike for the main character, yet I can still sympathize for her and can like her too. I think that's why I haven't given up on this series. The mystery element is pretty good too, since we're always wondering who's screwing who over, because in Downside, everyone always looks out for themselves first.

There's a lot of danger and intrigue going on too. First Lex has a proposition for Terrible. And then there's the assassin hunting for one of the main characters, won't say who though!

The language is always very colorful too, dig! I like reading it, because you can really hear their accent or twang, whatever to call it! 

A very compelling and intense read in my opinion! Chasing Magic was thrilling and will leave your heart pounding, too!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

Chasing Magic releases June 26, 2012

Teaser Tuesday

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a page

3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE

4. Name the title, author, etc.

 

 

I'm a big rule breaker today!

 

 

 

TEASER 1:

"Tom came quickly, but just before I could give Coalhouse my hand, his right eye slipped out. His left eye widened in panic and he ducked down to collect it as Tom screamed, 'You've got to be kidding me!'" location 601-605/8659*

TEASER 2:

"'Mom, you know the rules,' Issy said, his nose wrinkling. 'No meat.'

"'Well, I honestly think those are more like guidelines, dear.'" location 1293-1296/8659*

EDIT: This one (Teaser 2) reminded me of the first Pirates movie!

 

 

 

TEASER THREE:

"I'd found it in the bottom of my valise, one of the first things he threw in. Underwear and books--the fellow had his priorities straight." 6420-6423/8659*

*These teasers come from my e-ARC and therefore they and their locations are not final

TITLE: Dearly, Beloved

AUTHOR: Lia Habel

PUBLISHER: Del Rey

GENRE: Paranormal Steampunk YA

RELEASE DATE: September 25, 2012

 

Cover Art--Kelley Armstrong

Kelley released the cover art for the final book in the Darkness Rising trilogy! I like it! It fits with the first two books at least! Cannot wait to see how this ends!

Okay, that came out smaller than I thought it would! Well that's a portion of the cover art! If you go to this link off of Kelley's twitter page then you can see it in all its glory!

The Rising comes out in April 2013, I will of course post more details once they stream their way into the blogosphere!

ARC Review--A Want so Wicked by Suzanne Young

Elise is a normal seventeen-year-old girl until the day she wakes up in a desert park, with no idea who she is.

After that episode, her life takes a bizarre turn. She’s experiencing unexpected flashes of insight into people’s lives—people she’s never met before. Strangers frighten her with warnings about the approaching Shadows. And although Elise has never had a boyfriend, she suddenly finds herself torn between two handsome but very different young men: Abe, the charming bad boy whose affect on her both seduces and frightens her, and the mysterious Harlin, who’s new to town but with whom Elise feels an urgent, elemental connection—almost as if they are soul mates.

Now Elise begins to question everything about her life. Why do these guys both want her so desperately? What are the Shadows? Why does the name Charlotte inspire a terrifying familiarity? And who is Elise, really?

I received this ARC at the Romantic Times Booklovers' Convention via the Goody Room for review

I wasn't really aware ahead of time that this was apart of a series and I still didn't get to reading A Need so Beautiful before Suzanne Young's A Want so Wicked. Not usually the best move to make when reading. But I will plan on reading in the first book, at some point! 

I really wasn't too lost in this book either. Elise is having her own memory issues, although there wasn't much emphasis on her waking up in the desert park with no memory. It was just the prologue and that was all. It didn't really seem like Elise went missing, and later we learn why. Sort of!

Elise is having bizarre dreams, daydreams?, visions? Needless to say, she's going through something. She's not sure what it is. A vitamin deficiency as the doctor says? Or is she going crazy? She's not sure. And the icing on the cake is that she had to move to nowhere's ville in the desert town in Arizona with her father and sister. And there she meets two guys, two incredible good looking guys!

Of course I felt that one was familiar. And perhaps if I read the first book I would've known Harlin right away, but I didn't, so I didn't! But in a way this is good, since Elise is learning who is who and what's what and all that, I can learn right with her. People who pop up and should be familiar to her and who aren't, aren't familiar to me either. So we learn together!

Abe is a whole other story though! You can tell he's the bad boy at heart, maybe a little deeper too. Elise isn't sure what to make of him. She likes him, but then sometimes he scares her. Like how he seems to always show up when she goes somewhere. He creeped me out a bit at those points. But he works with her and was the first person to be nice to her, so I did kinda like him!

Harlin, oh what to say about Harlin! He started out as the mysterious biker guy. He was handsome too. And needless to say, Elise does have feelings for him as well. So hence the love triangle begins. But it soon loose it's third end and Elise suddenly has eyes for only one guy. And that doesn't make the other one too happy.

And soon we get more details of these dreams Elise is having. There is a sinister person making their way towards Elise, with company. And if Elise isn't careful she may lose the people she has come to know and love.

A Want so Wicked was a wicked read! (Sorry! Couldn't resist saying that!) The pacing was pretty good all things considering. Elise is trying to piece together what her dreams mean and how they connect to herself, her past. And while she tries to follow that path, she also has to deal with the two guys vying for her attention. She has a lot on her plate and it's going to take everything she has within her to make it through the day!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

A Want so Wicked releases June 26, 2012