Review--E-ARC Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. She has to save her sister from her mysterious captors. And in order to do that, she has to broker a deal between the mages and the vampires before all hell breaks loose.

But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won’t be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about, she’s got to save herself from the ghosts of her past. Because the past is haunting her. Literally.

I received this E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley.

Jaye Wells does it again with Green-Eyed Demon! She brings you into her world where vampires and mages coexist with humans and are at the brink of war.

But the war will have to wait, for Sabina has other problems to deal with, such as rescuing her twin sister from her grandmother. Man and I thought my family was a little nuts! Sabina's family, or at least her grandmother, is totally insane!

Despite my loving the book overall, I will admit that it does get a little slow here and there, but it's nothing major. Soon other problems occur for Sabina to make things more interesting. I just felt like at times there wasn't quite enough excitement, but it was still a GREAT read, one that I will still be buying to add to my permanent collection.

I truly love Sabina's character, she started off seeming like a callus *itch, but then when things start to get really tough, you see her true character and realize that her icy shell is just a facade and that she is a caring person, she has just learned to hide her feelings and such because of granny dearest. Her friends, Giguhl, the demon and Adam the mage are truly wonderful. First of all Adam is freakin' hot! What's not to love? His character is also good because he too is caring despite his shield he uses to cover his true feelings at time. And who doesn't love Giguhl? He is as sassy as ever. And sometimes it is still hard for me to picture him being this freaky demon with the...you know...down there. ;)

The storyline really picks up as Sabina is forced to make some ultimately tough decisions, and once again she is reluctant to have help even though Team Awesome has her back. But things get really dicey when word gets out that grandmother dear wants to raise Cain. The Cain. Sabina will do everything possible to prevent that and rescue her sister, including sacrificing herself.

There is a LOT of tension in this one! Wayyy up towards the end too. And there are quite a few surprises, one that I was grateful to see, won't say what...and another that shocked me to my core. The ending was completely shocking!! Let's just say when you hit the last few chapters, like the last 3, don't stop reading. For the action and everything really gets intense!

So can't wait to the next one! Didn't even let myself read the sneak peek, because sometimes that just adds to the torture! Overall I give this one 4.5/5 stars! A truly GREAT read!

This title will release on February 22, 2011

Review--Unseen by Rachel Caine

For millennia, Cassiel was a powerful Djinn--until she was exiled to live among mortals. Reluctant at first, she has grown affectionate towards her new human compatriots. But for one Warden in particular, she feels something much more powerful.

After Warden Luis Rocha and Cassiel rescue an adept child from a maniacal Djinn, they soon realize two things: The girl is already manifesting an incredible amount of power and her kidnapping was not an isolated incident.

All over the world, young Wardens are showing their potential far too early. And this Djinn--aided by her devoted followers--is snatching children seemingly at will and indoctrinating them so she can use their strength for herself.

With no other options, Cassiel infiltrates the Djinn's organization. Deprived of the ethereal gifts allowed her by the Wardens, she soon begins to question her own ideas of right, wrong, and true power. But if Cassiel cannot stop the Djinn's apocalyptic designs, all of humanity may be destroyed--including Luis.

Sadden as I am about the Weather Wardens ending, I am still eager to return to the same world Rachel Caine has created and follow Cassiel around, the Djinn turned human. Cassiel is becoming more human as the books move on and her Djinn ways and attitude are almost a thing of the past. Unseen is a great addition to the series and I am eager to see where Cassiel's journey is going to take us!

But the war that has been brewing is not over, in fact, this book takes place around the time of Cape Storm, for it's mentioned that Joanne and Lewis are out at sea. So it's kind of like going back in time now to see what's happening on Cassiel's front. And she is still dealing with the Djinn, Pearl, who has gone batsh*t crazy and trying to control the young potential Warden children. And it's working.

This series continues on like the Weather Wardens had. The time between books isn't long, but long for our wait and I was grateful for the brief recap in the beginning, much like Joanne gave us. 

Cassiel and Luis continue to grow closer and at surprisingly slow rate compared to Joanne and David, who were in love by the end of book 1, but I like Cassiel and Luis' gradual romance, and I still like Joanne and David's as well. Things progress between the two, which makes everything harder when Cassiel has to leave both Luis and Isabel when she decides to take a shot at Pearl. 

The pacing to the story was good, if a little bit slow here and there, but it didn't last long. There was yet another annoying cliffhanger, I hate and love those things. Hate because the wait til the next book is so long, love because they are done exceptionally well!

Overall I give this one 4/5 stars!

**Trying to make my reviews somewhat more shorter so they are easier to read. Let me know if you like the shortness or if you like my longer ramblings! Don't mind either way, just trying some things out here!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

Moving past the multiple February 22nd releases, my next anticipated release is...Demon Song by Cat Adams! I totally LOVE this cover! My fave from the series so far!

In a world where magic is real and the supernatural is almost normal, bodyguard Celia Graves has survived a vampire attack which made her a half-vampire and awakened her latent Siren abilities. She’s battled a Siren Queen to the death and twice faced down a demon that wants to kill her--slowly. She’s also had her heart broken--twice--by her old flame, magician Bruno DeLuca.

Perhaps the worst thing was the discovery that Celia’s life has been warped by a curse laid on her during childhood--the cause of everything from the death of her little sister to the murder of her best friend the same night that Celia became an Abomination.

An ancient rift between the demonic dimension and our own--sealed during the destruction of Atlantis--begins to open, threatening to loose all the demons of hell on humanity (including the one personally bent on destroying Celia). Celia’s hellish recent experiences have given her the unique combination of abilities needed to close the rift. But to overcome the curse, which nearly guarantees her failure, she’ll need to join forces with people she no longer trusts...and put people she has come to care about directly in harm’s way.  

TITLE: Demon Song
AUTHOR: Cat Adams
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2011

Cover Art--Richelle Mead

Here is the cover for Richelle's Bloodlines! The Vampire Academy spinoff!! So can't wait til August 23rd!

Here's a link to the EW article regarding the series and there's a little Youtube video as well that I couldn't get to download onto my blog.

Teaser Tuesday

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

Tackling Ascension, a new debut, now and it's pretty interesting so far! A little bit of Greek Mythology in the mix again!!

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.

 "'The faster we get this job done, the faster you can run and hide from me again. You should try to be a little more cooperative.'

'And you should try cyanide.'" p 34 (quote comes from E-ARC, therefore it and the page number are not final)

"'Don't go far,' Kyana and Ryker said together.


'Yes, Mommies.' Haven rolled her eyes. 'I'm here to provide puppy power because I don't need a babysitter.'" p 63 (quote comes from E-ARC, therefore it and the page number are not final)

**Had to throw the second one in there since it has a reference to Scooby-Doo by using Scrappy's catch phrase!!

TITLE: Ascension
AUTHOR: Sable Grace
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: April 26, 2011

Cover Art--Caitlin Kittredge

Here is the cover art for Caitlin's next Black London novel, Devil's Business, coming August 30, 2011

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:

Succubus on Top by Richelle Mead

My Review

Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead

My Review

Pale Demon by Kim Harrison (Review Posted)

My Review

Succubus Heat by Richelle Mead

My Review

Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead

My Review

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

My Review

Outside In by Maria V. Snyder (Review Posted)

My Review

Currently Reading:

Ascension by Sable Grace

What I Plan to Read this Week:

Outcast Season: Unseen by Rachel Caine

Losing Faith by Denise Jordan

The Hollow by Jessica Verday

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.

So still kind of bummed. More bad luck this week with trying to get the same titles from last week. Trying some more stores today though. Crossing my fingers! But still it wasn't an empty-handed week.

Awhile back I won a contest at Bitten by Books and won a choice of a book and got Possessions by Nancy Holder! I had all the Wicked books and the new Crusade so I thought I would go for one I didn't have! I even got a signed bookplate to go with it!

Then I did manage to find my release for this week, Rachel Caine's Outcast Season: Unseen!

Now it's just a matter of deciding what to read first! What did you get this week?

Top 5 Sundays

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

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

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

Rules:

1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)

4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week's topic is: FUNNIEST BOOK CHARACTERS!

Once again these are in no specific order!

Merit from Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire series

Alexia from Gail Carriger's The Parasol Protectorate series

Puck from Julie Kagawa's the Iron Fae series

Jenks from Kim Harrison's The Hallows series

And what I will say is number 1, but had a very tight, close tie with Jenks is...

Janco from Maria V. Snyder's Study series (and Glass series)

Review--E-ARC Outside In by Maria V. Snyder

Me? A Leader? Okay, I did prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major rebellion - between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own again - while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and then there is Outside. And something from Outside wants In.

**CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FROM INSIDE OUT (BOOK 1) PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU INTEND TO READ INSIDE OUT FIRST**

NetGalley is my new BFF! Thanks to them I was able to read Maria V. Snyder's Outside In nearly 2 months early!!! And it was AWESOME!

It still amazes me how different her adult series and YA series are. One is set in the past, in a world that has magic and the other has a futuristic quality to it with so many unanswered questions and mysteries! But both are beautifully written so that you are sucked into these characters' world and know that anything is possible!

In Maria's sequel to her YA debut Inside Out, Trella and the others are in the aftermath of dealing with everything from the ending. They realize now that they are in Outer Space and that their ship has many more levels than they originally thought. But after so many years of living their lives a certain way, the uppers and Scrubs are having trouble coming together and working together and there is unease and some hostility between them. Even with the Committee they set up to try to make things even and fair, there are still too many problems.

Trella is in the thick of things. She still works with Doctor Lament even though there might be a possible connection between them and Trella is still unsure if she wants to explore that. But soon problems begin to occur with their ship. Major problems that even lead to their air supply being manipulated with and then there are problems with their computer systems, someone on the Outside is manipulating them.

This book was extremely well written and well paced. OMG the suspense was killing me the entire time I read that I barely wanted to stop. Tensions were running high for Trella between her and her friends, even Riley which really put me on edge! Riley and Trella's relationship started to developed further into something more and then more problems threatened to drag them apart. Seriously, this book could not have had more tension! It was thrilling! If I had been reading a paper copy the edges would likely be slightly bent. (Okay not really since I am OCD about my books, but you get the idea!)

Just when I think I'm piecing the mystery together I get thrown through a loop! It's so strange, the mystery and we get bits and pieces of it here and there. It doesn't aggravate me, it just makes me want to read more and more and have the next book ready and waiting! Some things are still unclear, like what the deal with the spaceship is and where they are going. More of that gets explored a tad, but only a tad. There still isn't much of an answer, much like we had at the end of Inside Out, but that's not a problem at all. It just means there has to be more books for us to read so we can figure out the mystery together!

There was quite a shocker at the end too. I seriously didn't believe it at the time. I find that to be a pattern too when reading, I can never truly believe it happened until it is confirmed about a few more times along the remainder of the book. And wow, was I shocked! There was still nice moments along the way though. Some funny ones too. 

I totally love how Trella and Riley's relationship develops. It seems more realistic for there to be such problems between them that they have to overcome.

Overall I adored this book and can't wait to buy it February 15 so I can have the hardcopy to treasure forever! So my rating for this book cannot be less than a 5/5 stars! It is seriously good and has a different flavor to it. If you want a break from the paranormal, but still have a story with suspense, action, romance, intrigue and mystery than Maria Snyder is the author for you!

I received this E-ARC courtesy of NetGalley

This title will release on February 15, 2011

Review--The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

Since I haven't gone to the store yet, I've been tackling my TBR pile, which is getting down ever so slowly, and today I did another 1-day read! I read Bree Despain's The Dark Divine and it was pretty good.

I guess one thing that made me uneasy while reading was the religion factor. I don't have anything against religion of any kind and was raised Catholic myself, but for some reason I felt uneasy while reading about Grace being the pastor's daughter. Not in a bad way, just...with certain events happening I felt like Grace should have reacted better.

One thing that did annoy me was that the family, ie: Grace's father and mother, preached about forgiveness. And as her father and pastor he believed it was important, yet the whole family held a grudge against Daniel. That just bugged me. True Grace was working through her feelings and slowly befriending Daniel against her brother's wishes, as well as her parent's (mostly her mother though). But still, it seemed hypocritical of the family to be acting this way and it just bugged me every time they brought it up.

Then as the secrets began to be revealed more and more, Grace herself turns into a hypocrite. When she begins to learn more about The Event that happened that caused the rift between Daniel and her brother, she starts to withdraw from him and is kind of snotty about it sometimes. Not real nasty, but in a way that made me want to bop her upside the head.

But Grace does work on her feelings, she has to do a little soul searching of her own and think for herself about what she wants instead of trying to please her brother and family.

I don't want to get into too many details, because there is a Secret that becomes a big deal and The Event does get mentioned, but it's all kind of surprise like. But it is pretty easy to guess Daniel's Secret and a few vague details as to what happened between him and Jude, Grace's brother. There is one scene that happens near the middle maybe that leads you to know what that is.

But there is still another mystery lurking in the town that is definitely shocking! This I really didn't predict. I briefly thought about it and then dismissed it. The ending itself was somewhat shocking as well and leaves plenty of questions to leave you wondering what will happen next with Grace and everyone else.

Overall I give it 3.5/5 stars. A good read, yet there were a few times I was unhappy with Grace's character, but that wouldn't stop me from reading the next one in the series, The Lost Saint when I get the chance!

Cover Art--Chloe Neill

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and recently turned vampire Merit can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times haven't been this precarious for vampires since they came out of the closet. If only they could lay low for a bit, and let the mortals calm down.

That's when the waters of Lake Michigan suddenly turn pitch black-and things really start getting ugly.

Chicago's mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows only the darkest magic could have woven a spell powerful enough to change the very fabric of nature. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for vampires and humans alike.

Drink Deep releases in November 2011

Book Blogger Hop & Follow Friday

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

Here are the rules:

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

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

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

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

"What are you reading now and why are you reading it?"

Ooh this would've been good to answer yesterday when I was finishing up the Georgina Kincaid series! But this morning, after I watch my recorded episode of The Vampire Diaries, I plan to start The Dark Divine by Bree Despain. Awhile back I won a contest that had several books in it and I haven't read all of them yet, and this was one.

The weather has been bad here in St. Louis with snow and ice and people who don't know how to handle it while driving, so I haven't made it to the bookstore yet to buy my new releases. Plan on going there this weekend though.

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: What book are you currently pushing?

Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress series! This is one of the best series out there!

Review--Succubus Shadows by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid has formidable powers. Immortality, seduction, shape-shifting into any human form she desires, walking in heels that would cripple mere mortals-all child's play to a succubus like her.

Helping to plan her ex-boyfriend's wedding is a different story. Georgina isn't sure which is worse-that Seth is marrying another woman, or that Georgina has to run all over Seattle trying on bridesmaid dresses. Still, there are distractions. Georgina's roommate, Roman, is cluttering her apartment with sexual tension. Then there's Simone, the new succubus in town, who's intent on corrupting Seth.

But the real danger lies in the mysterious force that's visiting her thoughts, trying to draw her into a dark, otherworldly realm. Sooner or later, Georgina knows she'll be too weak to resist. And when that happens, she'll discover who she can trust, who she can't-and that Hell is far from the worst place to spend eternity...

Well I am now officially caught up on the Georgina Kincaid series and begin the agonizing wait til Succubus Revealed! Succubus Shadows definitely left me wanting more.

I will say that even though I liked this book, it wasn't a real fave. Georgina is now trying to get adjusted to Seth being engaged to Maddie and helping Maddie with preparations for the wedding. Not fun. Plus there is now another succubus on the block, Tawny is off in another area now, but Georgina definitely doesn't like this one at all. Especially since she has set her sights on Seth.

Besides dealing with that, and having Roman as her roommate, who is a very intolerable roommate considering they used to date and he tried to kill her--Fun times!--Georgina has been having strange dreams...again. Except this time its not so much as dreaming as hearing voices and losing track of time. And then suddenly Georgina is kidnapped and sent into her own Hell from the recesses of her mind.

This is where I thought the book slowed down, as a generous portion is shown through Georgina's memories. Seeing things from the past and seeing things from the present. The trouble is she doesn't know what is truth and what are lies. And there is nothing she can do to escape this hell, she will have to rely on the people she trusts most.

The last quarter of the book was a little interesting as well as there is a bit more development in the plot, mostly adding new problems for Georgina and naturally there isn't enough time to solve it all. The ending was troubling. It wasn't a devastating cliffhanger, but it does leave me with a lot to ponder over while I'm waiting til August 30th.

I honestly have to say that this probably wasn't my fave from the series. It wasn't dreadful, it's just the majority of the book was in Georgina's memories and it was hard to know what was real. So I have to give this one a 3.5/5 stars. Definitely a good read and worth reading if you are thinking of starting this series, because obviously there is a lot that happened in the lats quarter of the book that remains unsolved and I have a few theories on this and that. And Georgina's dream comes back into play again and the man is revealed to her finally, but again it's hard to discern fact from fiction.

Review--Succubus Heat by Richelle Mead

Georgina Kincaid has been a bad, bad succubus...

…which should be a good thing. But lately, thanks to her foul mood over breaking up with bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, she’s been so wicked that Seattle’s über-demon Jerome, decides to “outsource” Georgina to a rival—and have her spy for him in the process.

Being exiled to the frozen north—okay, Vancouver—and leaving Seth in the cozy clutches of his new girlfriend is unpleasant enough. Then Jerome is kidnapped, and all immortals under his control mysteriously lose their powers. One bright spot: with her life-sucking ability gone, there’s nothing to keep Georgina from getting down and dirty with Seth—nothing apart from his girlfriend that is. Now, as the supernatural population starts turning on itself, a newly mortal Georgina must rescue her boss and figure out who’s been playing them—or all hell will break loose…

I was actually surprised when I was able to finish Succubus Heat today! I had taken a nap midday because I was over tired for some reason and lost some ample reading time, but still managed to finish it today!

And boy was this a good one! First Georgina has been a "bad girl" because she is still hurting from her breakup with Seth and him dating her new friend still stings. And when Jerome sends her on a seemingly pointless task, but Georgina feels like Jerome is just sick of her attitude.

But then Jerome gets kidnapped and Georgina, along with her friends are temporarily stripped of their supernatural powers until they get a new boss. Or Jerome comes back, whatever the case may be. So that means Georgina and her friends are temporarily mortal in some ways. Her vampire friends can walk in the sunlight and Hugh can read people like he used to, and Georgina, she can't steal the life essence from the men she sleeps with anymore.

What a time to have her abilities stripped from her! Here she thought the worst part was not being able to shapeshift her hair and clothes, but now she can have sex with a man and not drain away his life and the only human she would want to sleep with is currently unavailable. Oh what a world Georgina lives in!

The title of the book alone lets you know that there is definite heat in the book and plenty of other oozing secrets!! Georgina soon discovers that she has a sort of stalker on her tail and can't figure it out. Her current flame, Dante--yeah the same one from Succubus Dreams--is a decent boyfriend, but still has an attitude problem which seems to match her own lately. There is just too much chaos going on for the poor girl!

I definitely liked the pacing better this time around, I thought the book moved rather nicely, not overly fast, but not too slow. We are thrown into things with Georgina being moody about her current predicament. Things are very intense this time around and the mystery behind who had kidnapped Jerome still lingers near. There are plenty of suspects too, and Georgina is not sure who she can trust.

And the dream she had last time around still plays a part here. Georgina can't get it out of her head. She still isn't sure if Nyx was telling the truth or not, but things keep happening that are linked from her dream. Who knows what will happen next and where her mysterious dream might lead her.

Overall I give this one 4.5/5 stars! I really did enjoy this one and feel like sometimes I over rate things by wanting to give them total 5/5s so I feel I need to restrain myself from continuing to do so. I am really enjoying this series so far and after all that has happened can't wait to see what in Succubus Shadows and prepare myself for yet another long wait for the conclusion of this series!

Review--Succubus Dreams by Richelle Mead

Some days, a girl just can't catch a break...

...especially when the girl in question is Georgina Kincaid, a shape-shifting succubus who gets her energy from seducing men. First there's her relationship with gorgeous bestselling writer Seth Mortensen, which is unsatisfying on a number of levels. It's not just that they can't have sex in case Georgina inadvertently kills him (generally a turn-off for most guys). Lately, even spending time together is a challenge. Seth's obsessed with finishing his latest novel, and Georgina's under demonic orders to mentor the new (and surprisingly inept) succubus on the block.

Then there are the dreams. Someone, or something, is preying on Georgina at night, draining her energy, and supplying eerie visions of her future. Georgina seeks answers from Dante, a dream interpreter with ties to the underworld, but his flirtatious charm only leaves her more confused--especially as the situation with Seth reaches crisis point. Now Georgina faces a double challenge--rein in her out-of-control love life, and go toe-to-toe with an enemy capable of wreaking serious havoc among mankind. Otherwise, Georgina, and the entire mortal world, may never sleep easy again...

Making my way through Richelle Mead's Georgina Kincaid series rather well, I finished Succubus Dreams yesterday and enjoyed it. I have restrained myself from looking ahead at the other books just to read their covers, because obviously spoilers are bound to show up, and I was glad I didn't do that.

Just when Georgina thinks things are starting to take a turn for the better, she is proven wrong yet again. Her relationship with Seth is progressing, she got a new promotion and life is going good in general. Until she is told that she is going to be the mentor for newest succubus on the block, Succubus Barbie, Georgina isn't too thrilled. But the other problem comes from her energy being drained from bizarre dreams.

She can't be sure if the dreams are supposed to be prophetic or if there are nothing more than dreams. That is when she turns to Dante, who is apparently a dream interpreter but comes off as being a big fake. But Dante's main focus is trying to get Georgina to go to bed with him which rather annoys Georgina.

I will say the pacing was a little better this time around. Georgina's dreams start to happen and slowly build up to one of her problems, not even mentioning that the demon who made her into a succubus is in town, and she and he do not get along whatsoever. And all in time for the holidays! Looks like Georgina may not be having a Merry Christmas at all, especially when she gets one too many Christmas trees from her friends!

Overall I give this one 4/5 stars! A great addition to the series! Now I'm off to the next one, Succubus Heat!

Waiting on Wednesday

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

February 22nd is like THE DATE of so many books I want to read this year!! Last week I said it was Darkest Mercy, so now I'm just going to go ahead and list the remaining ones, since time runs out before the date actually comes along!!

I already Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton, Green-Eyed Demon by Jaye Wells (review to come next week) and Kim Harrison's Pale Demon, so next up is Richelle Mead's Iron Crowned!! Seriously the wait has been uber long!!

Shaman-for-hire Eugenie Markham is the best at banishing entities trespassing in the mortal realm. But as the Thorn Land’s queen, she’s fast running out of ways to end the brutal war devastating her kingdom. Her only hope: the Iron Crown, a legendary object even the most powerful gentry fear…

Who Eugenie can trust is the hardest part. Fairy king Dorian has his own agenda for aiding her search. And Kiyo, her shape-shifter ex-boyfriend, has every reason to betray her along the way. To control the Crown’s ever-consuming powers, Eugenie will have to confront an unimaginable temptation--one that will put her soul and the fate of two worlds in mortal peril…

TITLE: Iron Crowned

AUTHOR: Richelle Mead

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2011

Tara Sheridan is the best criminal profiler around - and the most unconventional. Trained as a forensic psychologist, Tara also specializes in Tarot card reading. But she doesn't need her divination skills to realize that the new assignment from her friend and sometime lover, Agent Harry Li, is a dangerous proposition in every way.

Former Cold War operatives, all linked to a top-secret operation tracking the disposal of nuclear weapons in Russia, are disappearing. There are no bodies, and no clues to their whereabouts. Harry suspects a conspiracy to sell arms to the highest bidder. The cards - and Tara's increasingly ominous dreams - suggest something darker. Even as Tara sorts through her feelings for Harry and her fractured relationships with the mysterious order known as Delphi's Daughters, a killer is growing more ruthless by the day. And a nightmare that began decades ago in Chernobyl will reach a terrifying endgame that not even Tara could have foreseen...

TITLE: Rogue Oracle

AUTHOR: Alayna Williams

GENRE: Urban Fantasy

RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2011

And the creme de la creme...

Danger waits on both sides of the grave.

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they've triumphed over the latest battle, Cat's new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous "ally"—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

TITLE: This Side of the Grave
AUTHOR: Jeaniene Frost
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: February 22, 2011

Cover Art--Kalayna Price

Kalayna has now posted the BOC blurb for Grave Dance!! So I thought I would share it here as well!

Whoever said dead men tell no tales obviously never met Alex Craft.

After a month spent recovering from a vicious fight with a sorcerer, grave witch Alex Craft is ready to get back to solving murders by raising the dead. With her love life in turmoil thanks to the disappearance of Fae Investigation Bureau agent Falin Andrews and a shocking “L” word confession from Death himself, Alex is eager for the distractions of work. But her new case turns out to be a deadly challenge.

The police hire Alex to consult on a particularly strange investigation in the nature preserve south of Nekros City. The strange part: There are no corpses, only fragments of them. A serial killer is potentially on the loose, and Alex has no way to raise a shade without a body, so she’ll have to rely on the magic of others to find leads. But as she begins investigating, a creature born of the darkest magic comes after her. Someone very powerful wants to make sure the only thing she finds is a dead end—her own.

This one releases July 5, 2011!

Review--E-ARC Pale Demon by Kim Harrison

Condemned to death for black magic and shunned, Rachel Morgan has three days to somehow get to the annual witches convention in San Francisco and clear her name. If she fails, the only way she can escape death is to live in the demonic ever after...for ever after.

Banned from the flight lists, Rachel teams up with elven tycoon Trent Kalamack, headed for the West Coast for his own mysterious business. But Rachel isn’t the only passanger along for the ride. Can a witch, an elf, a living vampire, and a pixy in one car survive for over 2,300 miles? And that’s not counting the assassin on their tail.

A fearsome demon walks the sunlight, freed after centuries of torment to slay the innocent and devour souls. But his ultimate prey is Rachel Morgan. While the powerful witch with nerves of steel will do whatever it takes to stay alive, even embracing her own demonic nature may not be enough to save her.

Kim Harrison's latest Hallows book, Pale Demon, takes Rachel, Ivy, Jenks and a few others on a road trip across the good ol' US of A! Rachel is being summoned to the Witch's Annual Business Conference to try to prove to them that she is not a black witch, easier said than done.

But what makes this trip all the more interesting is their other passengers, joining them is Trent, Vivian, and Pierce. Their reasons for being there are numerous, Trent is up to something most likely nefarious and he needs Rachel to deliver him to Seattle for reasons unknown, to Rachel, Vivian is obviously there sent by the council to spy on her and Pierce? Who knows? (Well technically there is a reason, but I can't say)

It was quite a ride! There were several laughs for me along the way and this was before the assassins attempted to kill one of them! And there was still room for more after that. One of the best parts was that St. Louis played a part in the book! I was amazed! And I can't say what happened, but OMFG. Rachel and her friends definitely left their mark in the Gateway to the West!

Rachel does find herself facing the council and it immediately doesn't look good for her...and her agreement with Al about the outcome of the trial looms ever closer.

What can I say about Pale Demon without giving too much away? Only that it was freaking awesome! The roadtrip was only half of it and there was plenty of action and laughs. The other parts of the plot including the trial and the aftermath were chock-full of surprises! And a LOT of surprises! I didn't really see a lot coming. It's hard to tell where the series will go next really with the way it ended, which was another surprise.

I am definitely curious to learn what Rachel will be doing in the future, for things didn't seem too clear at the end. There wasn't an immediate problem that would take her to the next book like we've seen before. So that means a new problem will likely develop to give her life a little more excitement.

Rachel is definitely one tough cookie. She goes through a lot, physically and emotionally in this book, like she has in the previous ones as well, but the intensity always seems to notch up a bit after each one. There were a few more loose strings at the end of this one, not major ones, but just ones that make you wonder what will happen with said character next. And I really want to know what happens next with a particular character, because while I kind of thought it might happen, I didn't really put much faith into the idea and was totally shocked to the core when it happened!!

Overall I give the book 5/5 stars. It was a truly tremendous read and well paced. I was worried it would be a slow pace since there is a road trip involved but I was actually sad when they got to their destination because it was rather fun reading about all their antics and whatnot. And finally learning the mystery of what Trent was up to and why he needed to get to the West Coast. Which is another spoiler that I cannot divulge in.

Looking forward to more of Rachel, Ivy and Jenks and everyone else in the Hallows!

I received this E-ARC from NetGalley

Pale Demon will release February 22, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

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

As I mentioned in my Monday post, I'm planning on tackling the rest of the Succubus/Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead this week and now am on book 3! I just started it so I'm not that far along, but it's already promising to be good!

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.

"This walking Barbie doll was a succubus. A really new one. So shiny and new, in fact, it was a wonder she didn't squeak. I recognized her age both from her signature and her appearance. No succubus with any sense would have shapeshifted into that. She was trying too hard, haphazardly piling together an assortment of pseudo male-fantasy body parts. It left her with a Frankensteinian creation that was both jaw-dropping and probably anatomically impossible." p 10

Yeah, it ran a little longer than I thought, but I wanted to include the Barbie part because it got a chuckle out of me!

TITLE: Succubus Dreams
AUTHOR: Richelle Mead
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 1, 2008