Random Reads #314, November 30th

Random Reads is a monthly meme (that I'm going to do weekly) hosted by I'm Loving Books to read some books that have been on our TBR piles for a long time. Using Random.org, I got 2442 which turned out to be Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein! It's been on my TBR pile since March 10th, 2012, and I added it because it sounded really good and I got an ARC of it! Happy reading! 

Third Sentence Thursday #329, November 30th

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to watch fireworks especially while eating a cookie!

1) Take the book you are currently reading and open it to a random page. Share the third full sentence on that page. (If there isn't a third one – like at the end of a chapter or a blank page – you can share the third sentence of the book or just choose another random page.) Feel free to share more than one sentence, if you feel the need to do so.

2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)

3) Post a link to your sentence at Words I Write Crazy (This Blog)

4) Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentences!

"And it's still irritating." -Darker by E.L. James, page 32.

What is, Mr. Control Freak? Wondering minds want to know!

What are your guy's 3rd lines? Link up below!

Will the Time Come #339, November 30th

Every Thursday I am going to list a book which I really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! Thanks to Jodie from Books for Company for this meme!

Want to Join?

-Pick a book you have been meaning to read

-Do a post telling us about the book    

-Link the post up in the linky  

-Visit the other blogs

From Goodreads:

Sparks are flying between Jecca Layton and Dr. Tristan Aldredge. At the urging of her dear friend Kim, Jecca put the ruthless New York City art world on hold to spend the summer pursuing her passion for painting while enjoying Edilean's tightly knit artistic community. For years, Kim's cousin Tris -- the town's handsome and dedicated doctor -- felt a deep connection to Kim's college "sister" Jecca, though they had met only once before. 

Now, Jecca is swept off her feet by this strong, sensitive man in a summer of sensual delights. But when long shadows announce Jecca's return to "real life" and the big city, the lovers must decide: Can they survive the distance? And who will sacrifice the life they've created for themselves to be together? 

Why the time hasn't come yet...
It's been so long since I read the first 4 books, and I haven't read book 5 yet! But I really enjoyed what I read of this series, and I can't wait to read more of it! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Waiting on Wednesday #342, November 29th

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

Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre
Expected Publication: February 13th, 2018
From Goodreads:
Meet your new favorite kickass heroine in this daring YA series by New York Times bestselling authors Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre, a thrilling yet romantic futuristic adventure perfect for fans of Claudia Gray’s A Thousand Pieces of You.

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight. 

The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine
Expected Publication: February 13th, 2018
From Goodreads:
Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from his kingdom. But his eagerly awaited return home is cut short when a mysterious imposter takes his place—and no one believes Javan is the true prince.

After barely escaping the imposter’s assassins, Javan is thrown into Maqbara, the kingdom’s most dangerous prison. The only way to gain an audience with the king — and reveal Javan’s identity — is to fight in Maqbara’s yearly tournament. But winning is much harder than acing competitions at school, and soon Javan finds himself beset not just by the terrifying creatures in the arena, but also a band of prisoners allied against him, and even the warden herself.

The only person who can help him is Sajda, who has been enslaved by Maqbara’s warden since she was a child, and whose guarded demeanor and powerful right hook keep the prisoners in check. Working with Sajda might be the only way Javan can escape alive — but she has dangerous secrets.

Together, Javan and Sajda have to outwit the vicious warden, outfight the deadly creatures, and outlast the murderous prisoners intent on killing Javan. If they fail, they’ll be trapped in Maqbara for good—and the secret Sajda’s been hiding will bury them both. 

Break Us by Jennifer Brown
Expected Publication: February 13th, 2018
From Goodreads:
Nikki Kill doesn’t see the world in black and white. Her synesthesia shades everything in view, transforming numbers, words, and emotions into colorful clues. Which means she’s a dangerous commodity to anyone with something to hide.

Nikki has already taken on the Hollises—one of L.A.’s most powerful families—for murdering her half sister, Peyton. However, Nikki’s next steps are clouded by the gray of uncertainty. Before she knows it, Nikki is on the trail of a cold case that couldn’t be any more personal—the death of her mother.

But when the web of lies and secrets she uncovers leads back to the people who have tried to silence her, Nikki must pursue the sunbeam gold of justice, or everything—including her life—will be lost. 

Oh, yeah, these books sound and look so great! I've read Honor of Thieves, and it was so awesome! And the other two books, I've enjoyed the other books in the series, and Ic an't wait for them to come out! What about you guys? Happy reading!

WWW Wednesday #346, November 29th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme!

I'm currently reading Darker, and yeah, it's great to see these events from Christian's POV! 

I read The Brightest Embers, and wow, was it a fantastic ending to the series! I loved it so much! 

I'm going to be reading The Art of Starving, and I can't wait, it sounds really great!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

Teaser Tuesday #346, November 28th

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Today's teaser comes from The Brightest Embers by Jeaniene Frost, page 45.

"No wonder Adrian still smashed the mirrors in our hotel rooms. I'd thought he'd done it solely out of habit."

Well, apparently not! Bad demons for staying in our world! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Flame in the Dark: Guest Post

Today, I'd like to welcome over Faith Hunter, author of Flame in the Dark, over for a guest post! 

On the Water – Recharging the Creative Batteries

Faith Hunter

I've talked about paddling before. I've even talked about this one major paddling experience before. But some things bear repeating, revisiting, reshaping, and resharing, changing through the strainer of time and experience and storytelling.

I am an avid whitewater paddler. I love nothing better than to charge down a full, juicy river, heavy with rain and rain runoff—not flood stage, of course. I'm not hair head (a term meaning a crazy in the head paddler who'd run a river wild enough to frazzle your hair.). I'm not one, however to bomb a river (run it straight through without stopping). I'm more the "stop at every rapid and work back up into every feature" type of paddler. I can stop and play at any rapid and have the best time staying in one spot, testing myself and my boat skills until exhaustion forces me out and on down to the next rapid. Or I get spilled from my boat into the water for a hard swim, and have to regroup and get back in the boat.

Yes. This is fun. Trust me.

My most memorable recharge excursion had the hubs and the dogs and me traveling into the North Carolina Mountains, in the RV, with friends, to the Nantahala Gorge, to run the river – the Nante in paddler-speak. This jaunt started out adventurous, went to mystical, and became almost spiritual.

I had been paddling only a few summers and the Nante was still a huge challenge—a great, intermediate-level river, a Class II with nice big, continuous two and three feet high wavetrains that make running it a lot like an eight mile rollercoaster. But water of the Nante is a cold forty-five degrees, and that day the weather was a chilly sixty degrees.

The cold spell had set in early, September, with the trees in the gorge still green and full-leaved. There was a constant cold rain with lowering clouds that hung on the tops of the gorge and then fell down the walls in long misty runnels. The fog pooled on the fast water and billowed up in mystical trails.

Our little group was alone on the river, five or six of us decked out in cold weather gear.

It was like paddling beneath the icy tears of the world. I turned my eyes to the sky and let its tears bathe my face. The icy water and the wet air met, the heavy mist dancing before it settled on the water. Raindrops beat down and pebbled the surface of the river with rings. It was cold and beautiful and the fog isolated each of us from the other, leaving us a ghostly images, fading and reappearing.

Birds were everywhere, energized by the unexpected chill. Kingfishers were darting and diving. Earth/mother/river carried me through the rain and the mist.

At one section of the run, we had bunched up enough to see one another in a long line of paddlers. I was out front of the group, at point, yet feeling alone on the river, watching the rare sunbeam bounce off the wave-tops, glorying in the solitude.

I looked back to check the other boaters. And spotted this raven flying along the length of the river, between the boaters. Straight downstream at me. When it reached me, it slowed and glided along with my boat, looking me in the eye the whole way. It soared within three feet of my boat, fluttered its feathers, and landed just in front of me on a branch. It turned and looked at me with one golden-brown eye. And stared. Time did a little twitch-and-pause. My boat seemed to slow and sit still in the rushing water. The bird and I stared. Apprehension raced down my spine like a trickle of ice water as I considered what I know of such things, and as the bird stared at me. And something happened.

I still don't know quite what it was. If I have to say, I'd state that some, strange, nameless, fearful part of me slid away on the water, drowned, and left a more peaceful me in its wake. But that is in retrospect. At the time, I just felt a sense of dislocation.

And then… then I passed the raven, carried by the water. The Hubs paddled up next to me, worried. He had seen the odd interplay between the bird and me and he'd felt something happen between us to. He knew how weird it was. Hubs knows as much about portents and omens as I do. He knows what the raven can mean – death for the next moon phase. We talked about it. I wasn't afraid, mind you. Not at all. Merely cautious. All of us survived the next moon, and even the next years. So I have no idea what the raven was telling me.

But I'll never forget that moment, when the raven and I stared at each other. Never, ever. And that encounter has become distilled in  my memory as a mystical experience, one that I draw upon when I write the Jane Yellowrock series and new, most especially the Nell Ingram Soulwood series. Nature, wild and uncaring and introspective and casually cruel, spoke to me that day. Became part of me and infused itself into my stories.

Flame In The Dark will be out soon. I hope you'll take a change on Nell Ingram. She knows a lot more about Mother Nature and Mother Earth than I ever will.

From Goodreads:
Set in the same world as Faith Hunter's New York Times bestselling Jane Yellowrock novels, the third, thrilling Soulwood novel stars Nell Ingram, who draws her powers from deep within the earth.

Nell Ingram has always known she was different. Since she was a child, she's been able to feel and channel ancient powers from deep within the earth. When she met Jane Yellowrock, her entire life changed, and she was recruited into PsyLED—the Homeland Security division that polices paranormals. But now her newly formed unit is about to take on its toughest case yet.

A powerful senator barely survives an assassination attempt that leaves many others dead—and the house he was visiting burns to the ground. Invisible to security cameras, the assassin literally disappears, and Nell's team is called in. As they track a killer they know is more—or less—than human, they unravel a web of dark intrigue and malevolent motives that tests them to their limits and beyond. 

Bio:

New York Times Bestselling author Faith Hunter writes three series: the Jane Yellowrock series, dark urban fantasy novels featuring Jane, a Cherokee Skinwalker; the Rogue Mage novels, a dark, urban fantasy / post apocalyptic series and role playing game featuring Thorn St. Croix; and the Soulwood Series featuring Nell Nicholson Ingram.

Visit Faith online at www.faithhunter.net, or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

Contact and Buy AKA Links:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #338, November 27th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #337
Teaser Tuesday #345
WWW Wednesday #345
WOW #342
Will the Time Come #336
Third Sentence Thursday #327
Random Reads #313
First Lines Friday #341
The Reward Challenge Update #323
Follow Friday #315
How Well I Stuck to It #175
Wrote that Review Update #172

Week 47 Reviews:
The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo
How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying)
Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire
Sting
Crush
Need
Seize
Blade of Darkness
Third Strike
Spartan Heart
Three Sides of a Heart
Ghost Ship
The Demon Crown

OK, so I got 19 posts in 7 days, so a pretty good week, and a lot of great books! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read The Bane Chronicles, Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy, The Brightest Embers, Perfect Victim, and Sex and the Single Vampire.

Fans of The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices can get to know warlock Magnus Bane like never before in this paperback collection of New York Times bestselling tales, each with comic-style art.

This collection of eleven short stories illuminates the life of the enigmatic Magnus Bane, whose alluring personality, flamboyant style, and sharp wit populate the pages of the #1 New York Times bestselling series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

Originally released one-by-one as e-only short stories by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan, this compilation presents all ten together in print and includes a special eleventh tale, as well as eleven comic illustrations.

Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. But the events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn't sure who he is anymore. He knows he was friends with Clary, and that he convinced the total goddess Isabelle Lightwood to go out with him…but he doesn't know how. And when Clary and Isabelle look at him, expecting him to be a man he doesn't remember…Simon can't take it.

So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. His new self. Whomever this new Simon might be.

But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. And that differences—like being a former vampire—are greatly looked down upon. At least Simon is trained in weaponry—even if it's only from hours of playing D&D.

Join Simon on his journey to become a Shadowhunter, and learn about the Academy's illustrious history along the way, through guest lecturers such as Jace Herondale, Tessa Gray, and Magnus Bane. These ten short stories give an epilogue to the Mortal Instruments series and provide glimpses of what's in store in the Dark Artifices.

You can run from your destiny, but you can't hide

Ivy thought that she and Adrian had conquered their fates. Yet with thousands of innocents still trapped in the demon realms, she's determined to locate the final hallowed weapon and harness its unparalleled power to free them. But the last relic nearly put Ivy in the grave—there's probably no coming back from this one.

Adrian's dark lineage has made him the most powerful of his kind, yet even his incredible abilities might not be enough now. Instead, the treacherous fate he has fought so hard to escape might be the only way he can save Ivy. Their scintillating bond has been tested before, but never with so much on the line. Now fate will come head-to-head against true love, and nothing they've endured can prepare Ivy and Adrian for the unthinkable choices they'll face...

Don't miss the earth-shattering conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost's Broken Destiny series!

Fifteen years ago, hit man Tyrone Cypher disappeared into the wilderness. Now he's back with a job for his old "friend" Jack. While Jack doesn't consider Cypher much of a friend, the job is ideal for Nadia.

There's a killer in Honolulu, targeting those involved in the family court system. When no one else would take one victim’s cases, lawyer Angela Kamaka did, putting herself squarely in the killer's cross-sights.

For Nadia, Angela is the perfect victim—an innocent person in danger for doing the right thing. So Nadia and Jack get an all-expenses paid trip to Hawaii courtesy of Tyrone Cypher, who has his own reasons for wanting to keep Angela safe.

An undying classic from Katie MacAlister, Sex and the Single Vampire is a paranormal romance lover's delight, ideal for fans of Lynsay Sands and her Argeneau vampire family novels. This perennial New York Times bestselling author knows what readers are hungry for: sexy and funny tales of otherworldly passion featuring hot, dark, immortal alpha heroes searching for their happily forever afters.

In Sex and the Single Vampire, MacAlister's Dark One is an arrogant, studly romance novelist whom struggling "summoner" Alie mistakes for a specter…and recognizes as the fantasy man who has lately been invading her dreams!

Wrote that Review Update #172, November 26th

If you want to participate, set a certain amount of reviews to write, and once you make that goal, you can get a reward!

My reviews to reward is writing all of the reviews of the week, and I motivated myself to write my review for The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo, How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying), Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire, Sting, Crush, Need, Seize, Blade of Darkness, Third Strike, Spartan Heart, Three Sides of a Heart, Ghost Ship and The Demon Crown, so I have 7 of 7 reviews written!

And as always, I want to review this week's reviews!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

How Well I Stuck to It #175, November 26th

So I decided that I should have accountability on sticking to what should be in a week, so I'm doing How Well I Stuck to It every Sunday, because my schedule should be fixed in by now!

Week 48:
The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan and Maureen Johnson, The Brightest Embers by Jeaniene Frost, Perfect Victim by Kelley Armstrong, Sex and the Single Vampire by Katie MacAlister

Tour Books: NA.

Review Books: NA.

NetGalley: NA.

Edelweiss: NA.

Meme Books: NA.

Rereads: NA.

New Books: 5. Check.

So not much going on in this week, but a number of really great books! I can't wait to read them!

Week 47:
Blade of Darkness by Dianne Duvall, Spartan Heart by Jennifer Estep, Third Strike by Kate Kessler

vs.

The Vampire With the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrelyn Sparks, How to Seduce a Vampire (Without Really Trying) by Kerrelyn Sparks, Crouching Tiger, Forbidden Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks, Sting by Deborah Wilde, Crush by Deborah Wilde, Need by Deborah Wilde, Seize by Deborah Wilde, Blade of Darkness by Dianne Duvall, Third Strike by Kate Kessler, Spartan Heart by Jennifer Estep, Three Sides of a Heart Anthology, Ghost Ship by James Rollins, The Demon Crown by James Rollins

So I read all that I wanted to-which I planned-and more, which I also planned. So yeah, I'm really happy with this week, got a good deal done! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Week 47 Reviews: Ghost Ship, The Demon Crown

From Goodreads:
From New York Times bestselling author James Rollins comes an electrifying short story, in which the battle over a lost treasure leads to murder, betrayal, and the revelation of a shocking mystery hidden aboard the . . . Ghost Ship 

The discovery of a burned body sprawled on a remote Australian beach shatters the vacation plans of Commander Gray Pierce. To thwart an ingenious enemy, he and Seichan are pulled into a centuries-old mystery surrounding a lost convict ship, the Trident. The vessel—with a history of mutiny and stolen treasure—vanished into the mists of time, but nothing stays lost forever.  A freak storm reveals clues scattered across the Great Barrier Reef, but following those clues will lead to bloodshed and savagery, for where this ghost ship is hidden is as shocking as the mystery behind its disappearance. It will take all of Gray's ingenuity and Seichan's deadly skills not only to survive—but to stop an enemy from destroying everything in his path.

From Goodreads:
To save mankind's future, the members of Sigma Force must make a devil's bargain as they join forces with their most hated enemy to stop an ancient threat in this gripping adventure from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins.

THE DEMON CROWN

Off the coast of Brazil, a team of scientists discovers a horror like no other, an island where all life has been eradicated, consumed and possessed by a species beyond imagination. Before they can report their discovery, a mysterious agency attacks the group, killing them all, save one, an entomologist, an expert on venomous creatures, Professor Ken Matsui from Cornell University.

Strangest of all, this inexplicable threat traces back to a terrifying secret buried a century ago beneath the National Mall: a cache of bones preserved in amber. The artifact was hidden away by a cabal of scientists—led by Alexander Graham Bell—to protect humankind. But they dared not destroy it, for the object also holds an astonishing promise for the future: the very secret of life after death.

Yet, nothing stays buried forever. An ancient horror—dormant in the marrow of those preserved bones—is free once more, nursed and developed into a weapon of incalculable strength and malignancy, ready to wreak havoc on an unsuspecting world.

To stop its spread, Commander Grayson Pierce of Sigma Force must survive a direct attack on the island of Maui. To be there first has always been the core mission of Sigma Force, a covert team forged to be America's front line against emerging threats. But this time, even Sigma may not be able to decipher this deadly mystery, one that traces back to the founding of the Smithsonian Institution.

With each new discovery, the menace they hunt is changing, growing, spreading—adapting and surviving every attempt to stop it from reconquering a world it once ruled. And each transformation makes it stronger . . . and smarter.

Running out of time and options, Commander Grayson Pierce will be forced to make an impossible choice. To eradicate this extinction-level threat and expose those involved, he will have to join forces with Sigma's greatest enemy—the newly resurrected Guild—even it if means sacrificing one of his own.

My Review:
Oh, wow, these books! Ghost Ship was really awesome, giving us a brief look at Gray and Seichan's lives have been like, and then how they made the decision to go to Hawaii-where they are when The Demon Crown starts!

A shipwreck of a mutineer vessel carrying gold, that's pretty cool. What's not cool is killing people to get it! I really enjoyed the fact that a familiar face from Subterranean was a part of this book, since they are in Australia and all!

Let me just say, I really hate, hate, hate snakes. So on one hand, pretty happy they weren't a threat. On the other, their venom apparently can be useful to the medical field. Glad that was only a small part of the story, a point from the story to spring from!

Gray and Seichan have been globe-trotting, basically running from his demons from the events of the last book. In this book, their relationship is steady, and that's really good, they're going to need it, given what happens in this book, and the future it holds!

One of the most terrifying aspects of The Demon Crown was the chapters that we got from the ancient horror. They were just chilling! Since the book isn't out yet, I won't spoil and say what that horror is, but the cover is only an aspect, and more on the human side of the threat, and much easier to deal with!

To be honest, I don't remember a lot about The Seventh Plague, more like snapshots. And Valya, well, lets just say that I'm glad that we got a brief reminder of what her role-and her story-in this book was! Can't wait to see this play out in future books!

I enjoyed how everything wrapped up, how some of the bad guys turned on each other, and others were discovered, though at a cost! The solution to the ancient horror was so elegant, and the big issues were resolved nicely! It was a really fantastic ending!

I just loved reading these books, and I can't wait for more James Rollins novels!

Author: James Rollins
Series: Sigma Force #12.5, 13
Read: November 24th, 24th, 2017
Source: Ebook.bike, Edelweiss
Reason Why: Absolutely love his writing and this series, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Books and The Demon Crown is a WoW Book!
Publisher: William Morrow Impulse, William Morrow
Published: October 24th 2017
Expected Publication: December 5th 2017

Ghost Ship:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

The Demon Crown:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: Three Sides of a Heart

From Goodreads:
In this collection, edited by Natalie C. Parker, some of your favorite YA authors tackle the much-debated trope of the love triangle, and the result is sixteen fresh, diverse, and romantic stories you don't want to miss.

A teen girl who offers kissing lessons. Zombies in the Civil War South. The girl next door, the boy who loves her, and the girl who loves them both. Vampires at a boarding school. Three teens fighting monsters in an abandoned video rental store. Literally the last three people on the planet. 

What do all these stories have in common?

The love triangle.

You may think you know the love triangle, but you've never seen love triangles like these. 

My Review:
I really enjoyed this anthology! I enjoy love triangles, and almost all of these weren't the usual girl has the choice between two guys. Especially since there was a lot of diversity in this book-a lot of LGBT characters, and characters of different ethnicities!

I don't know which story I enjoyed the most, I know The Historian, The Garrison, and the Cantakerous Catwoman by Lamar Giles was a favourite because it was just so twisty and turny, as well as Omega Ship by Rae Carson which a girl made the right choice for her, even if others would see it as selfish.

The weirdest one was Work in Progress by E. K. Johnston, with 3 characters each having a section they narrated, then those characters in a different setting, and repeat. It was just weird! Runner up would be Cass, An, and Dra by Natalie C. Parker

Some of these stories, I kinda got annoyed at-a big point of the love triangle, is that a choice is made, though a good deal of these stories subverted that, like Vim and Vigor by Veronica Roth. But a few of them, the story ends before the choice was made, and that really sucked! I wanted to know!

A few odd comments on the various stories would be, in Dread South by Justina Ireland, I kinda felt ashamed to have the same name as such a racist character! In Vega by Brenna Yovanoff, I think the 3rd member of the triangle was the city, Las Vegas, herself. With A Hundred Thousand Threads’ by Alaya Dawn Johnson, I do wish that we could've gotten a bit more detail, like who was talking/writing, instead of us having to figure things out. It would've been a lot easier, at the beginning of each section, to just have a little bit of data! And I wonder which of these stories had the "The girl next door, the boy who loves her, and the girl who loves them both" synopsis.

I did enjoy reading these stories a lot, I just wish that these stories each had a line synopsis, and were longer! They were really great to read!

Authors: Renée Ahdieh, Rae Carson, Brandy Colbert, Katie Cotugno, Lamar Giles, Tessa Gratton, Bethany Hagen, Justina Ireland, Alaya Dawn Johnson, E.K. Johnston, Julie Murphy, Garth Nix, Natalie C. Parker, Veronica Roth, Sabaa Tahir, Brenna Yovanoff
Read: November 24th, 2017
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really good with some really great authors, and it's a SAC 2017 Book!
Publisher: HarperTeen
Expected Publication: December 19th 2017

5/5 Hearts

4.5/5 Books

4.5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: Spartan Heart

From Goodreads:
New school year, same old problems... 

At Mythos Academy, everyone knows exactly who I am: Rory Forseti, Spartan girl and the daughter of Reapers. 

Even though I fought alongside my cousin Gwen Frost to save the mythological world from Loki and his evil Reapers of Chaos, I'm still the most hated girl at the academy because of all the horrible things my parents did. I had hoped that this school year would be different, but the other kids just won't let me forget about my parents. 

But something strange is going on at the Colorado academy. First, I run into a Viking guy who dislikes me more than most. Then I notice some odd artifacts in the Library of Antiquities. And worst of all, I start hearing rumors about a new group of Reapers who can summon mythological monsters. 

I might be the most hated girl at Mythos Academy, but I'm also the only one who can save it...

My Review:
Oh, this book was really fantastic! While it has been awhile since I read the Mythos Academy books, it was so easy to slip right back into this world! And it was different having Rory narrate, but a good different, she's so interesting, and plus, it meant that Gwen got a break!

These people take "sins of the father" waaaaaay too far! Honestly, a child is in no way to blame for their parent's actions, and yet, that's what Rory faces, that her parents were Reapers, assassins at that, which was only revealed about a year ago, so still pretty fresh!

Sigyn, wife of Loki, and who walked around the campuses as Raven, was a pretty central figure in this book. Like Gwen told Rory, Sigyn had an interest in her, and that was played out in this book! Especially since the bad guys have such an interest in her, given her fantastic warrior abilities!

The bad guys in this book, they were a mix of same old, same old, and new. While their goals haven't changed-taking over the world-well, they shifted from Loki ruling to their leader ruling. They were pretty devious, but finding out who the leader was, that was a kick in the gut! Can't wait to see him being taken down!

I enjoyed this book so much, and I can't wait for the sequels!

Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy: Colorado #1
Read: November 23rd, 2017
Source: Author for Review
Reason Why: Love her books, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Book!
Publisher: Jennifer Estep
Expected Publication: December 5th 2017

4/5 Hearts

4/5 Books

4/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: Third Strike

From Goodreads:
Three Strikes is the new novel in a thriller series where a criminal psychologist uses her own dark past to help law enforcement catch dangerous killers.

Thanksgiving is approaching, and Audrey Harte has a lot to be thankful for -- her mother has recovered from surgery, her relationship with Jake is solid, her father is relatively sober, and her career is evolving in an exciting direction. So when an 18-year-old girl turns up on her mother's doorstep, claiming to be the daughter Maggie Jones gave up for adoption, Audrey is amazed. 

As Audrey helps the girl discover where she came from, people in the little town of Edgeport think she should leave the past alone, and they let her know through threatening messages and phone calls. Soon, Audrey realizes that it doesn't matter how well you think you know someone -- you don't know what they're capable of until their secrets are threatened...

My Review:
This book was really fantastic! This whole series has been dark, and the opening of this book, that Death is kinda obsessed with her, was the perfect tone! And then there's the updates/developments! It's really great that with series we get to see developments-like Audrey's dad stopped drinking. And her sister's pregnant. And she's going to open a private treatment place! Things like that are just great to read in a series!

This book doesn't have a central bad guy, there's no big bad, and there's only a few deaths. If this book had a weaker plot, it'd be called a filler book in the series, but it was really strong, and really enjoyable to read!

The big thread of this book was the events of the spring 19 years ago-who Mac's father was, and what happened to Mike. We did have some flashes of the past, and it was like, what happened to him, he's not in the present, because the present had just mentioned that a kid had died, and I hadn't made the connection. It was a bit sad when it did come together!

Another big part of this book, was Scott's murder coming to bite them in the butt. It causes tension between Audrey and Neve because it's all very suspicious, and Neve is a cop, and Audrey wants to protect Jake. It strained their relationship!

There were a lot of unexpected turns, like who the dad was, and who didn't want that found out and why, and I just really enjoyed it! It ended so well, and I can't wait for the next book!

Author: Kate Kessler
Series: Aubrey Harte #3
Read: November 22nd, 2017
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her books and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Redhook
Published: November 7th 2017

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: Blade of Darkness

From Goodreads:
Return to the "utterly addictive" (RT Book Reviews) world of New York Times bestselling author Dianne Duvall's Immortal Guardians.

Dana Pembroke has been able to glimpse the future of those she touches for as long as she can remember. But she never saw Aidan coming. When the tall, dark Celt with the charming grin yet world-weary eyes walks through her door, the future she sees for him is one full of violence, danger, deception... and passion. Because amidst the terrifying battles that unfold in her visions, she also sees herself in Aidan's arms and in his bed. Dana knows she should keep her distance, but the tender moments and laughter they share entice her even as she finds herself thrust into a world of vampires, immortals, and other preternatural beings.

Immortal Guardian Aidan O'Byrne has been hunting and slaying psychotic vampires for nearly three thousand years, so visions of bloody battles don't trouble him. The battles Dana foresees, however, show Aidan's brethren turning against him, so he can't help but feel alarmed. While he spends as much time as he can with Dana, struggling to decipher her dire predictions, Aidan finds himself utterly smitten. Hope rises that he has finally found a woman who can banish the darkness and loneliness that plague him. But when vampires begin targeting Dana and a powerful enemy spawns chaos, will fate grant them time to find happiness together?

My Review:
This book was just absolutely incredible! It's been awhile since I read the previous book in the series, so it took me a bit to get into the groove, but once I did, it was smooth sailing from there! I'm so glad that Aidan got a book, he deserved one, after 3000 years alone!

I really enjoyed Aidan and Dana! We knew of Aidan's plan to make acquaintances of the female gifted ones, to see if he could love. While this causes a lot of problems, it also is how they meet, and they were so great together!

Dana's introduction into this world was pretty intense, having Roland trying to kill Aidan, and having Seth show up! And while she gets the important details at a pace she can handle them, she still has a strong reaction to protect Aidan, like tasing and later tranquilizing Roland. Oh, and trying to
tranquilize Seth. Those moments were so hilarious!

Dana saw that Aidan was going to be attacked by Roland, and by Seth. Both of these were because of the actions of the bad guy, who is more devious and powerful than previously thought! They did beat him, but he's still out there, and that's going to cause a lot of trouble in the future!

This book was absolutely incredible, and I can't wait for the next book!

Author: Dianne Duvall
Series: Immortal Guardians #7
Read: November 22nd, 2017
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Book!
Publisher: Dianne Duvall
Published: September 19th 2017

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Reviews: Sting, Crush, Need, Seize

From Goodreads:
50% boobs. 50% sarcasm. 100% new breed of hunter.

After a bumpy start as the only female demon hunter in the top secret Brotherhood of David, Nava Katz heads to Prague for her first undercover mission: unmasking a demon movie star. She'd be all kinds of thrilled if it weren't for the fact that her fellow hunter-with-benefits, Rohan Mitra, has reclaimed his rock star status and assigned Nava the role of groupie.

Rejecting her "be a good girl and follow orders" directive, Nava unleashes an alter ego guaranteed to hook their celebrity target and drive Rohan crazy. No downside–until she finds herself up against Rohan's past, the Brotherhood's antiquated thinking, and her own identity issues, turning her personal life into the bomb that could blow up the entire operation. 

Sparkly and deadly; it's a plan.

From Goodreads:
While closing in on a child-eating demon, Drio crosses paths with a woman who may just out-play him. 

From Goodreads:
Less Hopelessly Devoted, more Worse Things I Could Do.

Nava is hot on the heels of a demonic serial killer and finally working with her brother. The assignment should be a dream come true, not a nightmarish power struggle made worse by her twin's refusal to believe there's corruption within the Brotherhood. Nava is determined to find proof of their dirty dealings, even as she risks irrefutably breaking her sibling bond.

Speaking of clocking annoying males upside the head... Nava is also totally over smoking hot rock star and fellow hunter Rohan Mitra. There is a veritable buffet of boy options out there, and this girl is now all-you-can-eat. So when her demon hunt brings her first love, Cole, back into her life, her revenge fantasies for closure-on all fronts-are a go. Except neither her old wounds nor her new ones are as healed as she believes.

Still, she's got work to do:
Brotherhood: unmask.
Demons: slaughter.
Guy problems: terminate with extreme prejudice.

From Goodreads:
A summer's night. A cursed diamond. A deadly demon encounter that unlocks deep desires. Told from Rohan's POV.

My Review:
Gah, these books were just so fantastic! I did take me longer then I would've liked to start reading Sting, but that was mostly because I didn't have a copy of Crush, and then I got one of Crush and Seize, and I just had to read them all!

The sexism in these books! That rabbis apparently give thanks that they weren't born a girl, and that guys don't shake hands with females, just in case they were dirty from having their period-and they wouldn't ask about it, so no shaking whatsoever. I really hope that this is not based off of the real world! Nava doesn't let it affect her, though, because she's badass!

The Brotherhood proved to be very awful, from the way that they added her to the Prague mission, to the serial killer at home where her brother constantly tries to take charge, even though she has more field experience. And that the Brotherhood might have a way to control demons, well, lots of things in Need put a strain on their relationship! Oh, and how in the history books, they wrote out the witches role in their beginnings, well, besides a rare mention, scathing that they weren't given everything, instead of being grateful for getting anything at all! Gah! Awful!

There were two big elements in these books. The relationship between Nava and Rohan, which is a roller coaster ride from start to finish, and the hilarity. The one liners that Nava has as well as her smarts! Oh, and the twin war! That was just epic!

These books were really fantastic, and I can't wait for Crave!

Author: Deborah Wilde
Series: Nava Katz #2, 2.5, 3, 3.5
Read: November 21st, 21st, 21st, 21st, 2017
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing, and they're Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2017 Books!
Publisher: Te Da Media
Published: June 26th 2017, June 20th 2017, August 18th 2017, November 17th 2017

Sting:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Crush:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Need:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Seize:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars