Waiting on Wednesday (14)

Waiting on Wednesday is meme hosted every week at Breaking the Spine. It lets everyone know what book you are looking forward to possessing. This week I chose A YA Paranormal Romance novel!!

Title: Goddess
Author: Josephine Angelini
Series: Starcrossed
Book Number: Three
Page Number: 432
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Harper Teen
Release Date: May 28, 2013

Goodreads Summary:
After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas’s life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini’s compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that’s been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.


I realize that this book comes out next week, but I have been waiting for it since I finished Dreamless last year. I cannot wait to see what lies in-store for Helen, Lucas, Orion, and all their friends and families!!

Top Ten Tuesday (25)

This is a weekly meme hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new top ten list question and all you have to do is make the list and then post the link on The Broke and the Bookish. Also know that you don't have to fill up all ten spaces. This weeks topic is...

Top Ten Favorite Covers of Books I've Read (Not necessarily in this order.)




I have a deep love for art and a keen eye for beauty (in it's many forms). Each of these covers spoke to me or moved me in some way. To be perfectly honest, the cover for Silence is my desktop background. :)

Review: Shadow Bound by Rachel Vincent

Title: Shadow Bound
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Unbound
Book Number: Two
Page Number: 439
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: May 22, 2012

Goodreads Summary:
If you live in the dark long enough, you begin to forget the light...

Kori Daniels is a shadow-walker, able to travel instantly from one shadow to another. After weeks of confinement for betraying her boss, she's ready to break free of the Tower syndicate for good. But Jake Tower has one final job for Kori, one chance to secure freedom for herself and her sister, Kenley, even if it means taking it from someone else....

The job? Recruit Ian Holt-or kill him.

Ian's ability to manipulate the dark has drawn interest from every syndicate in the world, most notably an invitation from Jake Tower. Though he has no interest in organized crime, Ian accepts the invite, because he's on a mission of his own. Ian has come to kill Tower's top Binder: Kori's little sister.

Amid the tangle of lies, an unexpected thread of truth connecting Ian and Kori comes to light. But with opposing goals, they'll have to choose between love and liberty....

Brilliant Musings:
Rachel Vincent sure does know how to write a page turner. I am always a little sad when I learn that the series I'm currently invested isn't led by the same characters in each book. Because a lot of the time I don't have to same warm and fuzzy feelings for each couple. So when I learned that the second book in the Unbound series did not have the same lead characters as the first book I was a bit concerned. I should have known, however, not to be. Vincent knows exactly what she's doing. Kori's and Ian's book is exceptional. I liked it more than I did the first one, which isn't usually the case.

I'm not even sure how to describe Kori. She is fierce, independent, and after the unfortunate incidents from the last book, very much broken. She is very protective of her little sister and as the story unfolds we find out how much of her life she has spent protecting Kenley.

I think it is amazing how well Ian and Kori fit together. Of course Kori is quite damaged and does not really have any interest in any sort of relationship but you can see from the beginning that Ian is completely smitten with her. I love how interconnected their lives are and that even though they are both lying about things. It is only to protect the other and that when the truth comes out they don't hold a grudge against one another. In these kinds of stories that is not usually the case.
I am hoping that, as this is a trilogy, the third book will tie everything together. I'm quite excited to see what Vincent has in store for us in the next book and I can't wait to hear how the characters from this book and book one are incorporated into the finale.

Previous Book: Blood Bound (Book One)
Ratings: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Next Book: Oath Bound (Book Three)

Review: Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent

Title: Blood Bound
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Unbound
Book Number: One
Page Number: 448
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: September 1, 2011

Goodreads Summary:
As a bloodtracker, Liv is extremely powerful. And in a world where power is a commodity that can get you killed, Liv's learnt to survive by her own rules.

Rule number one? Trust no one.

But when a friend's daughter goes missing, Liv is bound by a potent magical oath. She can't rest until the child is safe.
And that means trusting her dangerous ex, Cam.

A sinister prophecy tells that she and Cam will be the death of each other, yet Liv's tired of being a slave to destiny. She's ready to play the forces controlling her world at their own game.

No matter what the cost.

Brilliant Musings:
I don't believe Rachel Vincent knows how to write a bad book. This knew series is very different from anything else I've read by her. It is best described as gritty and dark. The characters are full of pain but they aren't pitiful and they keep fighting even when the case looks hopeless.
Liv Warren is a tracker with the ability to track people using their blood. She is a freelancer based in the only part of the city that is free. She has been spending the last six years trying to stay away from, and get over, Cam Caballero. He has a unique gift of his own and is determined to get Liv back. Through, supposed, random circumstances the two are brought together by a mutual friend in search for the woman's daughter.
I really loved all of the characters I met in this book. As is always the case, Vincent has created an intricate world with fascinating rules and complex plots. Every twist and turn is quite unexpected and leads to revelations for each of the characters involved. I liked having characters that I clearly like as well as characters that are a little more ambiguous.
I think this story is going to flesh out even more in the two succeeding installments. I have no idea where it is heading and that makes me exceedingly happy.

Ratings: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Next Book: Shadow Bound (Book Two)

Review: Third Grave Dead Ahead by Darynda Jones {spoilers}

Title: Third Grave Dead Ahead
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson
Book Number: Three
Page Number: 310
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: February 2, 2012

Goodreads Summary:
Paranormal private eye. Grim reaper extraordinaire. Whatever. Charley Davidson is back! And she's drinking copious amounts of caffeine to stay awake because every time she closes her eyes she sees him: Reyes Farrow, the part-human, part-supermodel son of Satan.
Granted she did imprison Reyes for all eternity, but how is she supposed to solve a missing-persons case, deal with an ego-driven doctor, calm her curmudgeonly dad, and take on a motorcycle gang hell-bent on murder when the devil's son just won't give up on his plan of seduction..... and revenge?

Brilliant Musings:
Absolutely great addition to this series. This book picks up about a two weeks after the second book ended. Reyes is now tied to his body and Charley is unable to sleep without dreaming of him. So the humor begins right at the beginning with a sleep deprived Charley attempting to find a doctor's missing wife. There a fascinating new characters introduced as well as an ominous prophecy made about Charley's immediate future. The action between Reyes and Charley is as hot and humorous as ever. Probably more so as this is the first time they have physically near one another.
I don't know about every one else but Reyes, and Charley's interactions with him, were very different in this book. I like that Jones changed the dynamics. Sometimes authors don't change how the love interest acts even when something in the couples relationship has been drastically altered. That is not the case in this series. Charley has done something to Reyes that was betrayal of the highest order and you can see it in the way he acts toward her. He still loves her but he can't forgive her.
I'm excited to see where this whole story is heading. The hints about a war and the abilities that Charley does not yet know she possesses are really intriguing. I am not sure how Charley is going to get out of the current predicament she found herself in at the end of the book but I am sure it will be a great story.

Ratings: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Previous Book: Second Grave on the Left (Book Two)
Next Book: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Book Four)

Follow Friday (21)

RULES:

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts { Parajunkee & Alison Can Read }
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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 and that they are now following you.
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6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don’t just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don’t say “HI”
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love…and the followers
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Q:School is out! What is your favorite Summer Reading book??
Anything and everything. During the school year I am constantly being bombarded with books I HAVE to read, but during the summer I can just pick books at random. I like to catch up on all the new installments of my favorite series and start new ones. I may occasionally throw some historical fiction in there, but for the most part it is Adult and YA PNR & Fantasy. I like to read mass market paperbacks, in the summer, because they are easier to maneuver in various situations.

Review: Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones

Title: Second Grave on the Left
Author: Darynda Jones
Series: Charley Davidson
Book Number: Two
Page Number: 307
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: August 16, 2011

Goodreads Summary:
Charley Davidson, Grim Reaper Extraordinaire, is back in this sexy, suspenseful novel of supernatural shenanigans
When Charley is rudely awakened in the middle of the night by her best friend who tells her to get dressed quickly and tosses clothes out of the closet at her, she can’t help but wonder what Cookie’s up to. Leather scrunch boots with a floral miniskirt? Together? Seriously? Cookie explains that a friend of hers named Mimi disappeared five days earlier and that she just got a text from her setting up a meet at a coffee shop downtown. They show up at the coffee shop, but no Mimi. But Charley finds a message on the bathroom wall. Mimi left a clue, a woman’s name. Mimi’s husband explains that his wife had been acting strange since she found out an old friend of hers from high school had been found murdered a couple weeks prior. The same woman Mimi had named in her message.
Meanwhile, Reyes Alexander Farrow (otherwise known as the Son of Satan. Yes. Literally) has left his corporeal body and is haunting Charley. He’s left his body because he’s being tortured by demons who want to lure Charley closer. But Reyes can’t let that happen. Because if the demons get to Charley, they’ll have a portal to heaven. And if they have a portal to heaven…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be pretty. Can Charley handle hot nights with Reyes and even hotter days tracking down a missing woman? Will Cookie ever get a true fashion sense? And is there enough coffee and chocolate in the world to fuel them as they do?
Here is your signpost for the most hilarious read of the summer: Second Grave On The Left.

Brilliant Musings:
I absolutely loved this book. I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick the second book up. This installment picks up pretty much where the first book left off. Charley now knows who Reyes is and she is on the hunt for his corporeal body as well as a missing friend of Cookie's. Charley spends the book in constant confrontations with Reyes as he does not want Charley to find him. She is also being tailed not only by the police but by less savory characters who are out for blood. When we finally reach the end of the book things between Charley and Reyes have drastically changed as has Charley's relationship with her father.

I had such a great time reading thing. I have been having problems getting through any books lately. If they aren't related to school or my thesis I just don't have the time. This book was a perfect pick-me-up. There was boundless amounts of humor as well as a ton of action, in and out of the bedroom. I loved finding out Reyes true name. It is beautiful and I'm looking forward to seeing all the things Charley can accomplish with this simple knowledge. I'm interested to see why Reyes was so upset about her knowing, besides the reasons we learn about at the end of the book.

I could not believe what Charley's father did. I mean, I know why he did it, but they should have told Charley what was going on long before it came to that. The only upside to the whole debacle was Charley learning that she could defend herself without Reyes and that her sister did not really hate her.

After I finished the last page, I went directly to the Kindle App on my phone and began reading book three. I am super-duper excited to see where the story goes from here and how Charley deals with Reyes now.

Ratings: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆
Previous Book: First Grave on the Right (Book One)
Next Book: Third Grave Dead Ahead (Book Three)