Saturday, January 26, 2013

Week 4 Review: Uses for Boys

From Goodreads:
Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. 

My Review:
This was a really strange book. And it made me feel strange, because reading this book, I felt like I was in a daze, that nothing was happening, but it was. Yeah, it was kinda like I was pulled out of time, into my own little strange world of the book's creation. It was very strange!

This really isn't a book for younger kids, because it does have some more adult scenes in it, in Anna's search for family. Sure, she goes about it the right way, but she hasn't had a good example to know what to really be looking for, she just knows that she wants it.

I really did enjoy her with Sam, because because he shows her what a family is like. Which contrasted with Toy, about her only real friend, and a girl to boot, but who had her secrets, and just overall wasn't good for Anna.

I do wish that there'd been something with Anna's mom near the end, because that situation wasn't the best, and for something that showed that things were going to change there. But maybe there was enough change for now!

Really great book, I enjoyed it a ton!

Author: Erica Lorraine Scheibt
Read: January 23rd, 2013
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded like a great book! And it's a DAC Book, and a SAC 2013 Book!
Publisher: St Martin's Press
Published: January 15th 2013
5/5 Hearts
3/5 Books
2/5 Stars

Week 4 Reviews: Touch the Dark, Claimed by Shadow, Embrace the Night, Curse the Dawn, Hunt the Moon





From Goodreads:
Cassandra Palmer can see the future and communicate with spirits—talents that make her attractive to the dead and the undead. The ghosts of the dead aren't usually dangerous; they just like to talk…a lot.

The undead are another matter.

Like any sensible girl, Cassie tries to avoid vampires. But when the bloodsucking mafioso she escaped three years ago finds Cassie again with vengeance on his mind, she's forced to turn to the vampire Senate for protection.

The undead senators won't help her for nothing, and Cassie finds herself working with one of their most powerful members, a dangerously seductive master vampire—and the price he demands may be more than Cassie is willing to pay....

From Goodreads:
Clairvoyant Cassie Palmer has inherited new magical powers-including the ability to travel through time. But it's a whole lot of responsibility she'd rather not have. Now she's the most popular girl in town, as an assortment of vamps, fey, and mages try to convince, force, or seduce her—and her magic—over to their side. But one particular master vampire didn't ask what Cassie wanted before putting a claim on her. He had a spell cast that binds her to him, and now she doesn't know if what she feels for him is real—or imagined…

From Goodreads:
Cassandra Palmer may be the world's chief clairvoyant, but she's still magically bound to a master vampire. Only an ancient book called the Codex Merlini possesses the incantation to free Cassie-but harnessing its limitless power could endanger the world...

From Goodreads:
Cassandra Palmer may be the all-powerful Pythia now, but that doesn't mean people have stopped trying to kill her. Most of the supernatural power players don't want the independent minded Cassie as chief clairvoyant—and they'll stop at nothing to see her six feet under.

The Vampire Senate does support Cassie in her position, but their protection comes with a price: an alliance with the sexy master vampire Mircea, who has claimed Cassie as his own.

But even the vampires will have trouble keeping Cassie alive now that the self-styled god Apollo, the source of the Pythia's power, has it in for her in a big way. To save her life—and the world—Cassie's going to have to face down her creator…

From Goodreads:
Cassandra Palmer recently defeated a god, which you'd think would buy a girl a little time off. But it doesn't work that way when your new job description is Pythia—the world's chief clairvoyant. Cassie is busier than ever, trying to learn about her power, preparing for her upcoming coronation, and figuring out her relationship with the enigmatic sexy master vampire, Mircea.

But someone doesn't want Cassie to become Pythia, and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the coronation ceremony never happens—including attacking her mother before Cassie is even born.

My Review:
I'm enjoying this series a lot! I know that the first few books are set before the Dory series, and then they kinda start to alternate, but since I've already read those, I just wanted to read these ones! And I just read them, and kept reading! They were really addicting! I just had to have more!

Cassie gets herself in some pretty bizarre, crazy situations! It's not all her fault, some of it is her parents, and the people that her parents let in both theirs, and her, life. But some of it's Cassie's, by who she now has in her life. Some of it's just too weird for words besides the books themselves!

I loved watching as things went on-like the plot with the connection between Cassie and Mircea, and how because she went to the past, it started then for him, and so he became crazy, and yeah, there was that complication! Loved reading that!

Or how Louis-Cesare is in this book, and how this is going to lead to Midnight's Daughter, a few of the events in these books are going to lead to the Dory series, like the location of the Senate! And I really am going to have to read these books in chronological order!

I really enjoyed reading this series, it's just so fantastic, and I can't wait to read more, these characters and this world is so amazing!

Author: Karen Chance
Series: Cassandra Palmer #1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Read: January 21st, 21st, 23rd, 23rd, 23rd, 2013
Source: Library
Reason Why: Loved her Dory Basarab series! And Touch the Dark is a WTC Book! And they're Sequel Challenge 2013 Books!
Publisher: Roc, Onxy, Signet Select
Published: June 6th 2006, April 3rd 2007, April 1st 2008, April 2nd 2009, June 7th 2011

Touch the Dark:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Claimed by Shadow:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Embrace the Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Curse the Night:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Hunt the Moon:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 4 Review: Succubus on Top

From Goodreads:
Love hurts, and no one knows it better than Georgina Kincaid. If she so much as kisses Seth Mortensen, the shy, sexy writer she's been dating, she'll drain his life force. Admittedly, the shape shifting and immortality perks of a succubus are terrific, but it's completely unfair that a she-demon whose purpose is seduction can't get down with the one mortal who accepts her for who she is. . .

It's not just her personal life that's in chaos. Doug, Georgina's co-worker at a local bookstore, has been exhibiting bizarre behavior, and Georgina suspects something far more demonic than double espressos. She could use an assist from Bastien, an irresistibly charming incubus and her best immortal friend, but he's giving Georgina some highly distracting come-hither vibes. Georgina is going to have to work solo on this one--and fast, because soon, Doug's life won't be the only one on the line. . .

My Review:
I loved spending more time with Georgina, Seth, and the rest of the crew! It was really fantastic, and I hope that these characters keep getting better and better, because my enjoyment levels go up with that! And man, this book delivered that from the first one to this one, yeah!

So there's Bastien, a incubus, and he has the job of a conservative talk show host, and so she helps him with that, and it was just really hilarious, because these two together, they have a lot of history, and they know each other. It was really fantastic reading that!

So there's Seth, and how complicated that relationship is, and you have to feel bad for them, because there's the feelings there, but they can't truly act on them, or she can't help it but take a bit of his soul, his life, his energy. And she doesn't to take the risk.

There was the whole thing that was going on with Doug, and that was really fascinating to read about, a great mystery, a great deeper look into this world! And I really enjoyed where it resolved, that was pretty great!

I enjoyed this book so, so much, and I can't wait to read more of the series!

Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Georgina Kincade
Read: January 21st, 2013
Source: Library
Reason Why: Loved the first book, and it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: Kensington
Published: January 1st 2008
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 4 Reviews: One Foot in the Grave, At Grave's End, Destined for an Early Grave, This Side of the Grave, One Grave at a Time, Home for the Holidays






From Goodreads:
You can run from the grave, but you can’t hide…

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She’s still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind.
Being around Bones awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline rush of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head – wanted: dead or half-alive – means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard Cat tries to keep things professional between them, she’ll find that desire lasts forever … and Bones won’t let her get away again.

From Goodreads:
It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield’s life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she’s successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat’s worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover’s finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger. 

As if that wasn’t enough, a woman from Bones’s past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat’s about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she’s learned as a special agent won’t help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.

From Goodreads:
Her deadly dreams leave her in grave danger

Since half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her undead lover Bones met six years ago, they've fought against the rogue undead, battled a vengeful Master vampire, and pledged their devotion with a blood bond. Now it's time for a vacation. But their hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when Cat awakes one night in terror. She's having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Bones and has ties to her past that even Cat herself didn't know about.

Gregor believes Cat is his and he won't stop until he has her. As the battle begins between the vamp who haunts her nightmares and the one who holds her heart, only Cat can break Gregor's hold over her. She'll need all the power she can summon in order to bring down the baddest bloodsucker she's ever faced . . . even if getting that power will result in an early grave.

From Goodreads:
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.

From Goodreads:
How do you send a killer to the grave when he's already dead?

Having narrowly averted an (under)World War, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans's voodoo queen just keeps on giving--leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity--forever. But one wrong step and they'll be digging their own graves.

From Goodreads:
'Tis the season to join Cat and Bones for some holiday cheer in this Night Huntress novella by USA Today and New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost.

They were looking forward to a normal holiday—at least as "normal" as it gets for vampires Cat and Bones and their otherworldly friends and family. But their yuletide plans are shattered when a mysterious stranger shows up and reveals long-buried secrets that threaten to take a bite out of their holiday cheer … and lives.

My Review:
Oh, wow! Such an amazing series, and I'm surprised at how long it took for me to get around to it, because it's really freaking spectacular! I love the world, I love the characters, I love the romance, and I love the threats and conflicts, because they are all so freaking great!!!

I loved Cat, Bones, Tate, Don, the rest of the gang, Denise, Randy (what little of him we got before he died) and all the others like Ian, because they were as real as monsters in the dark can be, they have problems, flaws, they didn't always work well together, and yeah, just loved reading about them!

Cat grew in these books, from a half human, half vampire who killed vampires by herself, to leading a team, to leading a team, with Bones being a part of the team, to being a vampire, and all the things that went with being a vampire who had special abilities and quirks because they'd been a half vampire when they were alive!

I so totally loved the romance, and the ups and downs, that Bones and Cat had, to the breakup that they had in Destined, because of Gregor, and the issue of her being turned into a full vampire, and the prejudice she still had over that (years of conditioning by her mom)

Speaking of her mom, her mom was just hilarious! I'd think that a good term for her would be mother-in-law from hell. Because she really does not like vampires, and then she gets forcedly turned into one, loses her love, and yeah, that was pretty traumatic!

I loved these books, really enjoyed them. and I know right now, that I'm going to reread them!

Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6.5
Read: February 19th, 19th, 19th, 19th, 20th, 2013
Source: Library, Tuebl
Reason Why: Loved book 1, and I just had to keep reading this series!!! And they're Sequel Challenge 2013 Books!
Publisher: Avon
Published: April 29th 2008,  December 20th 2008, July 15th 2009, February 22nd 2011, August 30th 2011, October 25th 2011

One Foot in the Grave:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








At Grave's End:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








Destined for an Early Grave:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








This Side of the Grave:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








One Grave at a Time:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Friday, January 25, 2013

The Reward Challenge Update 66 Part 1

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading. It was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, so thanks to her for starting it!

OK, so I already had 21 counts, and I read One Foot in the Grave which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, At Grave's End which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Destined for an Early Grave which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, This Side of the Grave which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, One Grave at a Time which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Succubus on Top which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Touch the Dark which counts twice as a WTC Book, Claimed by Shadow which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Embrace the Night which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Curse the Dawn which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Hunt the Moon which counts twice as a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book, Uses for Boys which counts 4 times as a DAC Book, NetGalley book and a SAC 2013 Book, The Blood Gospel which counts twice as a Reward Challenge book, A Shimmer of Angels which counts 3 times as a DAC Book and a NetGalley book, BZRK which counts twice as a 2013 Dystopia Book, The Disenchantments which counts 3 times as a JFF Book and a WTC Book. So I have 57 counts total for next week.

First Lines Friday #81, January 25th

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

"A girl sat just three chairs down from Noah talking to her hand. To the back of her hand, actually, as she spread her fingers wide. Her fingertips were painted alternately red and gold, but not with fingernail polish, and not strictly on the fingernails. Rather, it looked as if she had used a can of spray paint." -BZRK by Michael Grant

OK. that's a pretty good opening! What about you guys? Happy reading!