Yay, the cover for Amanda Carlson's Red Blooded (the 4th book in the amazing Jessica McClain series) is finally here, and I'm so excited, I love it so much, I just had to share it! ^_^

Gorgeous, isn't it?

 

Release date: September 2nd, 2014

 

BLURB:

 

 
(Minor spoilers ahoy!)
  

Jessica is on her way to Hell. After settling a fragile truce between the vampires, werewolves and witches, the last thing Jessica wants to do is face the demons head on. But when the Prince of Hell kidnapped her brother, he set into motion a chain of events that even Jessica doesn't have the power to stop.

 

Now, Jessica must go into battle again. But Hell is a whole new beast -- new rules, more dangerous demons, and an entirely foreign realm. And when Jessica is dropped into the Underworld too soon, without protection or the help of her friends, she must figure out just how powerful she can be...or she will never make it out alive.

 

 

 

The Jessica McClain series:

Title: Bite Me

Author: Christopher Moore

Series: A Love Story, #3

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from February 19th to February 21st, 2014.) 

Summary:

 

The city of San Francisco is being stalked by a huge shaved vampyre cat named Chet, and only I, Abby Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area night, and my manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, stand between the ravenous monster and a bloody massacre of the general public.

Whoa. And this is a love story? Yup. 'Cept there's no whining. See, while some lovers were born to run, Jody and Tommy were born to bite. Well, reborn, that is, now that they're vampires. Good thing theirs is an undying love, since their Goth Girl Friday, Abby Normal, imprisoned them in a bronze statue.

Abby wants to be a bloodsucking fiend, too, but right now she's really busy with other stuff, like breaking in a pair of red vinyl thigh-high Skankenstein® platform boots and wrangling her Ph.D.-candidate boyfriend, Steve (the love monkey). And then there's that vampire cat Chet, who's getting bigger and smarter—and thirstier—by the minute. Abby thought she and Steve could handle the kitty cat on their own, mais non . . .

Before you can say "OMG! WTF?" Tommy and Jody are sprung from captivity, and join forces with Abby, Steve, the frozen-turkey-bowling Safeway crew, the Emperor of San Francisco and his trusty dogs Lazarus and Bummer, Abby's gay Goth friend Jared, and SF's finest Cavuto and Rivera to hunt big cat and save the city. And that's when the fun really begins.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

 

Bite Me is one amazing, hilarious, roller coaster ride from the beginning to the very end. This book will make you laugh, will make you smile, will break your heart, and it's the perfect finale to the Love Story trilogy!

Something weird is happening in San Francisco, people are vanishing from the streets, the only thing left are their clothes & piles of ash. And who's to blame? Vampyre cats, duh!!! Hahahahaha, priceless! And they were actually quite scary, too ;) Just thinking about this book and what happened in it, brings a smile to my face, even makes me laugh out loud. Bite Me, and the complete Love Story trilogy aren't books I'll ever forget! Memorable, entertaining, with amazing & lovable characters, imaginative, so humorous, and full of awesomeness!

Abby Normal is the best thing that had happened to the series. She's perky (even though she doesn't want to be), funny, a romantic, a little bit crazy, and definitely one unforgettable character, and amazing narrator in this book! I just love her so much! Then there are all the remaining characters: Steve - Abby's Foo Dog love monkey, Jared, the Animals, the Emperor & his dogs, Chet - the vampyre cat, Cavuto & Rivera, etc. All of them contributed quite a lot to this story, and made it what it is. Of course, not to forget Jody & Tommy. I still absolutely loved them as characters - they're awesome, and sweet, and they broke my heart a little, but it's as it was meant to be. It was the only way for this story & series to end, and for it to be perfect.

I won't go into any more details about the story, you'll have to read it for yourself & see why I loved it so much. But, I loved that we got to learn a lot more about how exactly vampires "work", it was quite interesting.

I also absolutely loved the way this book was written - all the characters had distinctive voices, but my most favorite narrator without a doubt was Abby - she's hilarious!

I can't recommend enough this book & this trilogy! It's definitely one of my favs now, and I can't wait to read more books by Christopher Moore, and if you enjoy humorous books, then these are the books for you!

 

 

 

Challenges:

 

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

2014 Series Enders Reading Challenge

2014 Don't Let It End Reading Challenge

2014 Fur & Fangs Reading Challenge

  

Title: The Shadow Reader

 

Author: Sandy Williams

Series: The Shadow Reader, #1

My rating: 2.5 of 5

(Book read from February 3rd to February 6th, 2014.)  

Summary:

There can only be one allegiance.
It’s her time to choose.

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.
 
A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.
 
But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

First of all, I have to admit that this book annoyed me quite a lot, and it makes me want to rant, but I'll try to stop myself from doing that, so this will be a review, not a rant.

I'll start with the thing I liked - the fae world. I really liked it, it was quite interesting, and I enjoyed learning about it & the fae themselves.

But, the story itself, and the heroine - I really did not like. Imagine the typical YA novel that's not-so-good, has too-stupid-to-live heroine & a love triangle - but in an "adult" package, and you've got yourself The Shadow Reader. This might sound harsh, but it's the truth. 

McKenzie Lewis is just such an irritating & immature heroine, that was often quite selfish, and despite her amazing ability as a shadow reader (the only thing she's good at), she's quite helpless. Definitely a too-stupid-to-live heroine. To be honest, I don't know what both Kyol & Aren saw in her, and why they love her.

I quite liked Aren as a character, he was fun, charming & brave, though at times he acted as an immature teenage boy, but thankfully, that didn't happen often. As for Kyol, I felt sorry for him. He's really honorable, and good, and brave - a great hero. As I said, I can't see why they both had fallen in love with McKenzie - she so didn't deserve any of their love.

The love triangle was especially stupid & pointless. Even though I was kinda team Aren from the beginning, before this book ended I felt that both Aren & Kyol were too good for McKenzie, and the love triangle existed so McKenzie can use Kyol in the end.

I have to mention that I quite liked all the secondary characters: Naito, Kelia, Lorn, Sethon, Lena, etc. They are the only other thing I liked about this book, though I wasn't really happy with what happened to some of them.

That being said, The Shadow Reader wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but if it was one of the first urban fantasy books I've read, I probably would've stayed away from the genre, not knowing what I'm missing. So, I can't really recommend this book. Maybe it's because of all the amazing & awesome UF novels I've read, because when you start with the best, the not-so-good are even worse, though I think that I still wouldn't have liked it, because of all the elements it contains that I strongly dislike. 

 

 

 

Challenges:

 

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

     

The Assassin's Blade

(Throne of Glass #0.1 to #0.5)

by

Sarah J. Maas

Publication date: 

March 4th, 2014

Contains all five novellas. 

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. 

In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery.

Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

 

Half Bad

(Half Bad Trilogy, #1)

by

Sally Green

Publication date:

March 4th, 2014

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

In the tradition of Patrick Ness and Markus Zusak, Half Bad is a gripping tale of alienation and the indomitable will to survive, a story that will grab hold of you and not let go until the very last page.

 

 

 

     

 

What are you waiting for this week?

  

Leave me your WoW links!

Title: The Last Battle

Author: C. S. Lewis

Series: The Chronicles of Narnia, #7

My rating: 4.5 of 5

(Book read from February 21st to February 23rd, 2014.)  

 

 

Summary:

The last battle is the greatest battle of all. 

Narnia... where lies breed fear... where loyalty is tested... where all hope seems lost. 

During the last days of Narnia, the land faces its fiercest challenge - not an invader from without but an enemy from within. Lies and treachery have taken root, and only the king and a small band of loyal followers can prevent the destruction of all they hold dear in this, the magnificent ending to the Chronicles of Narnia.

   

My Thoughts on the Book:

The Last Battle is the final book in the Chromicles of Narnia series. As the title implies, it's about the last battle that happened in Narnia, the battle for Narnia itself.

I have to admit that at first, I didn't really like this book. I felt it was a little bit pointless, because the way the book was written & the way the story developed, I was thinking that there shouldn't have been a final book at all, but that the author should've left it to the reader's imagination.

But, here's where the author managed to dupe me. Let's just say that I was fooled, and didn't quite realise what the author has in store for us & for Narnia itself, and I loved it! It was quite lovely & beautiful & magical, and perfect, and I loved this ending, both as an ending of this book, as well as the ending of the Chronicles of Narnia!

The story was fun, humorous, entertaining, magical & beautiful. We also met a lot of our favorite characters from all of the books, and we met some new ones, too.

What I have to point out is that this final book made me want to read all of the books again, something I never thought I'll want to do again. I mean, I planned to read again those that I loved, but not all of them, since I didn't enjoy all of them equally, but now I want to read all of them, though the next time I'll read them in the chronological order, not in the publication order. I actually read them in the publication order on purpose, I wanted to read them in the order the author wrote them, but now I'd like to read them in the chronological order, and closer to each other, maybe even back to back, though that will happen some time in the future, not soon.

If you're like me, and maybe you still haven't read the Chronicles of Narnia, I highly recommend them. There's a reason why the series is a classic, and every fan of fantasy books should read them!

 

 

 

Challenges:

 

2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

2014 Series Enders Reading Challenge

2014 Don't Let It End Reading Challenge

Title: Shadowdance

Author: Kristen Callihan

Series: Darkest London, #4

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Imprint: Forever

Publication date: December 17th, 2013

My rating: 4 of 5

(Book read from February 8th to February 17th, 2014,  from an eARC received from the publisher through NetGalley, in exchange of an honest review.)  

 

 

Summary:

Once a heart is lost in shadow... 

Life has been anything but kind to Mary Chase. But the Society for the Suppression of Supernaturals has given her purpose. Now she's been tasked with catching a vicious murderer dubbed the Bishop of Charing Cross. But someone is already on the case—and the last thing he relishes is a partner.

Only someone who lives in darkness can find it.

Jack Talent has been alone with his demons for many years. He never expected to have the willful Mary Chase assist him on the Bishop case. Their age-old rivalry reaches new heights—even as their desire for one another reaches a fever pitch. Though he aches to bring her close, Jack's dark secrets are a chasm between them. With dangerous enemies closing in, Jack must find the strength to face the past...or risk losing Mary forever.

   

 

  

My Thoughts on the Book:

First of all, I have to point out that I've had mixed feelings when it comes to the Darkest London series. I loved the first book Firelight, as well as its prequel Ember, but when it comes to the following books, some parts of them I liked, some I disliked, even hated, and to be honest, I'm not overall sold to the world. But, since they've been available to be read on NetGalley, I've kept reading them, and finally I really liked another book in the series - Shadowdance.

What I liked the most about it are the main characters & their story. I've already met them before, and after everything they've been through, I wanted to see them getting a HEA, and I wanted to see they get it together, and this time it totally worked for me, which was a change compared to the previous two books.

I won't go into details about the story, but I think that it should at least be read the previous book before reading this one, though everything is explained. It was really heartbreaking what happened to Jack before, and to be honest, even though it wasn't the best coping method, I totally cheered him on ;) I wanted him to heal, and I wanted for him to get his revenge.

And than there's Mary Chase. I actually started to quite like her, she's a great heroine, and she can be bad-ass, and she's loyal, protective, and pretty much awesome about what she did. I guess I'm all about protecting the one you love, even from themselves.

Their chemistry & interactions were quite good, and they're perfect for each other in their own way.

As for the story, there weren't really any surprises in it for me, but once again the author has expanded the world. As I said, I can't say that it actually works for me, and I can't quite point out why, I just don't like it, but she really had created an interesting world.

If you're a fan of the Darkest London series, then you wouldn't want to miss reading Shadowdance, so I recommend it. As for me, I'm actually interested now in reading the next book Evernight, which will be Holly & Will Thorne's story. Will Thorne is a character I'm quite intrigued by, especially now after what happened to him in Shadowdance, so I'm really looking forward to reading this book!

 

 

 

 Challenges:

 

 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

 2014 Review Pile Reading Challenge

I'm happy to be part of the Once in a Lifetime Blog Tour, because Jill Shalvis is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, and I love her Lucky Harbor series, and her latest book in the series Once in a Lifetime was another win.

You can check out my review of Once in a Lifetime HERE!

 

About the Book:

 

SOMETIMES WRONG IS OH-SO-RIGHT

 

After a wrenching loss, Ben McDaniel tried to escape his grief by working in dangerous, war-torn places like Africa and the Middle East. Now he's back in his hometown and face-to-face with Aubrey Wellington, the hot-as-hell woman who is trouble with a capital T. Family and friends insist she's not the one to ease his pain, but Aubrey sparks an intense desire that gives Ben hope for the future.  

Determined to right the wrongs of her past, Aubrey is working hard to make amends. But by far, the toughest challenge to her plan is sexy, brooding Ben - even though he has absolutely no idea what she's done...
 

Can this unlikely couple defy the odds and win over the little town of Lucky Harbor?

  

   
  

Excerpt:

 

It was dark outside when she got back to the Book & Bean, and she stopped short just outside the door. She’d locked up when she left and turned off the lights.

But the door was unlocked now, and the lights on. She went still, then pulled out her phone and dialed 9-1-1. She didn’t hit send but kept her thumb hovered over call. Taking a step inside, she paused. “Hello?”

“Hey.”

The low, slightly rough voice wasn’t what had her heart pumping. That honor went to the fact that there was a man on a ladder in the back of her store.

Ben.

He was in jeans with a tool belt slung low on his hips, his t-shirt clinging to him. He seemed a little irritated, a little sweaty, and just looking at him Aubrey got a whole lot hot and bothered in places that had no business being hot and bothered by this man at all. “What are you doing in here?” she asked.

“I work here.”

“What are you talking about? Get out.”

“Sorry, Sunshine.” He wasn’t even looking at her, but using some sort of long, claw-like tool to pull down a ceiling tile above the wall she’d been working on. And his tool worked way better than hers.

His movements were agile and surprisingly graceful for a guy his size. Not that he was bulky in any way. Nope, that tall, built body was all lean, tough muscle, and it screamed power. And with each subtle movement, his body made it clear that it knew exactly what to do with all that power. “The owner of this building hired me,” he said. “Said you were making a mess of things because your pride was bigger than your wallet.”

This caught her completely off guard, both the insult and the information. “My uncle owns this building,” she said.

He smiled thinly. “Yep. Happy Birthday.”

“It’s not my birthday.”

“Then happy you’ve-got-a-great-uncle day.”

 

 

About the Author:

 

  

New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill's bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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Giveaway:

 
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