Sunday, June 30, 2013

In My Mailbox #108, June 30th-June Week 5

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren to talk about the books we got in the mailbox or inbox as the case may be!

So I got:
Still no content, still what would be in there is the same as always! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Week 26 Review: Kindred in Death

From Goodreads:
When the newly promoted captain of the NYPSD and his wife return a day early from their vacation, they were looking forward to spending time with their bright and vivacious sixteen-year-old daughter who had stayed behind.

Not even their worst nightmares could have prepared them for the crime scene that awaited them instead. Brutally murdered in her bedroom, Deena's body showed signs of trauma that horrified even the toughest of cops; including our own Lieutenant Eve Dallas, who was specifically requested by the captain to investigate.

When the evidence starts to pile up, Dallas and her team think they are about to arrest their perpetrator; little do they know yet that someone has gone to great lengths to tease and taunt them by using a variety of identities. Overconfidence can lead to careless mistakes. But for Dallas, one mistake might be all she needs to bring justice.

My Review:
This was a really fantastic book, though a pretty heart-breaking on. Isn't it every parent's worst nightmare to have their child die before them? And in such a violent, vicious manner? When one of them, the dad, was a cop? Yeah, not fun!

So yeah, this was a really fantastic book, though sometimes hard to read, because the mystery was really great-but the bad guy is just the worst! So yeah, that combo, just gave me chills, it was just something that I needed to read again!

This is the book with Louise and Charles wedding! Finally! It's good to have another wedding in the series, is the first one since Eve and Roarke's, which we didn't actually get to see, either. Since I don't think Mavis and Leonardo have gotten married...

For the bad guy, I almost feel sorry for him. Because with the whole nature/nurture thing, he certainly got the short end of the stick with nurture. But then there's nature, and his own choices, and he made the absolute wrong ones, which is why it's an almost, not an actual sorry.

I enjoyed this book so much, it's just so good, can't wait to continue on with the series!

Author: J.D. Robb
Series: In Death #29
Read: June 28th, 2013
Source: Tuebl
Reason Why: Rereading! And it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book and a 2013 Dystopia Book!
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Published: January 1st 2009
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars




Week 26 Review: The Almost Truth

From Goodreads:
Sadie can't wait to get away from her backwards small town, her delusional mom, her jailbird dad, and the tiny trailer where she was raised…even though leaving those things behind also means leaving Brendan. Sadie wants a better life, and she has been working steadily toward it, one con at a time.

But when Sadie's mother wipes out Sadie's savings, her escape plan is suddenly gone. She needs to come up with a lot of cash—and fast—or she'll be stuck in this town forever.

With Brendan's help, she devises a plan—the ultimate con—to get the money. But the more lies Sadie spins, the more she starts falling for her own hoax…and perhaps for the wrong boy. Sadie wanted to change her life, but she wasn't prepared to have it flipped upside down by her own deception. With her future at stake and her heart on the line, suddenly it seems like she has a lot more than just money to lose...

My Review:
Really fantastic book! Though to be honest, I didn't enjoy it as much as Unraveling Isobel, I don't know why, I guess it just didn't get it's hooks into me as much as the other one did! But it was a really good book!

So you have to feel bad for Sadie, while she doesn't always make the best of choices, well, she's doing it for her future, for getting out of the life that she's in, because it's not really great. And yeah, that's why she's making the choices in the first place!

Really enjoyed the con of her saying that she was this missing girl of the rich family. Because it made some sense, and it would garner her a good bit of money. But I kinda guessed the twist that she truly was that girl!

I do wish that we got more time in this book, that it was longer, because it was really good! And so that we could have more of that ending, of her finding out the girl who she was, and now is again. Because that's the happy ending!

Such a fantastic book, I enjoyed it a lot, and I need to read more Eileen Cook novels!

Author: Eileen Cook
Read: June 28th, 2013
Source: Tuebl
Reason Why: Because it sounded freaking good and it's a SAC 2013 Book and a Reward Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Published: December 4th 2012
5/5 Hearts
4/5 Books
4/5 Stars




Week 26 Review: Stolen

From Goodreads:
On a mission for her own elite pack, she is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the "other races" and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals - witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves - are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

My Review:
I enjoyed this book so much! I'm really glad that I'm rereading this series, though this book was hard for me to read, for reasons that I'll explain later. Loved spending more time with Elena, and having the world developing, and everything!

The reason why it was hard for me to read this book, and why there was a 5 week gap between me reading Bitten and reading this, is because I have a hard time with imprisonment stories. And apparently it's worse for when I know a) when it's happening, and b) how long it lasts, because I just want to get to where they are free! I don't know why I have this thing, my only personal imprisonment is home, because I can't go anywhere, seeing as we're 10 minutes by car into town. And I can't drive. But that's not the same as these stories. So I don't know why it's like this.

So having the witches, well, yeah, the world's already expanding. And I just wanted to read more! And yeah, we get to met Savannah for the very first time, so that was really great! But then there was Leah, who wasn't so great!

And yeah, finding out that it's more support and help and knowledge that gets a werewolf through the first few changes, and that potentially, there could female werewolves, well, yeah, that's something that could be important, but yeah, I don't think it becomes a thing in the series.

This was such a fantastic book, loved it so much, I can't wait to reread more!

Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #2
Read: June 28th, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Because of my reread time! And it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: Plume
Published: December 24th 2002
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 26 Review: Spy Glass

From Goodreads:
An undercover mission leads to danger, adventure and an impossible choice.

After siphoning her own blood magic in the showdown at Hubal, Opal Cowan has lost her powers. She can no longer create glass magic. More, she's immune to the effects of magic. Opal is now an outsider looking in, spying through the glass on those with the powers she once had, powers that make a difference in the world. Until spying through the glass becomes her new power. Suddenly, the beautiful pieces she makes flash in the presence of magic. And then she discovers that someone has stolen some of her blood - and that finding it might let her regain her powers. Or know it could be they are lost forever.

My first review of Spy GlassMy Review:
This book was complicated! And yeah, I just thoroughly enjoyed Opal dealing with all these problems that come around about because of her powers, because they're messing with her life, and she's had enough of it! I loved how she really took charge in this book!

While this book had it's serious moments, like trying to forcibly make her a part of the family so her abilities would be bred it, there were some really hilarious moments, like Opal's mom, saying that her daughter must be dead, because her daughter wouldn't be late to her other daughter's, Opal's sister's, wedding! So cute!

A good part of the book, is the mystery. And part of that, helping and hindering, and overall, a bad guy, is Finn/Galen, and dealing also with Paxia, who's putting the loss of her powers in good direction, and her family, yeah, that wasn't fun, but that ended pretty well!

I know Devan did some pretty bad things to Opal. I mean, he tortured her, after all. But if she could forgive him, then we can. And yeah, looking at them in the end, they do make a really good couple, and I enjoyed where that was left off, with them eloping, and adopting the siblings!

I enjoyed this book (and this series!) so much, and I can't wait for Maria V. Snyder!

Author: Maria V. Snyder
Series: Glass #3, The Chronicles of Ixia #6
First Read: August 11th-12th, 2011
Read: June 27th, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: Mira
Published: August 31st 2010
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars




Week 26 Review: Touch

From Goodreads:
When a strange boy tumbles down a river embankment and lands at her feet, seventeen-year-old adrenaline junkie Deznee Cross snatches the opportunity to piss off her father by bringing the mysterious hottie with ice blue eyes home.

Except there's something off with Kale. He wears her shoes in the shower, is overly fascinated with things like DVDs and vases, and acts like she'll turn to dust if he touches her. It's not until Dez's father shows up, wielding a gun and knowing more about Kale than he should, that Dez realizes there's more to this boy—and her father’s "law firm"—than she realized.

Kale has been a prisoner of Denazen Corporation—an organization devoted to collecting "special" kids known as Sixes and using them as weapons—his entire life. And, oh yeah, his touch? It kills. The two team up with a group of rogue Sixes hellbent on taking down Denazen before they're caught and her father discovers the biggest secret of all. A secret Dez has spent her life keeping safe. 

A secret Kale will kill to protect.

My Review:
I enjoyed this book a lot! There were a few things that were a bit hard for me to get into, like the beginning, but once I got through them, well, yeah, things were just smooth sailings! I enjoyed it a lot, it was really great and original!

So there were a few things that were confusing, with everything that was going on, like with that one guy, and how that all turned out, that was just a bit weird, and hard to wrap my head around, what had actually happened there!

That Dez is the first person who Kale meets that he can touch without killing her, well, yeah, that's pretty awesome! Which really helps in their romance! Which was pretty cute, seeing as he's been isolated from popular culture-and pretty much everything that didn't help the objectives of the Denazen Corporation-well, he's a bit clueless, and Dez teaches him!

So that Dez is a Six (though she didn't know the name, she just knew she had the power) well, yeah, that was really great! And what she could do, I think that's really cool, and helpful! Though the whole body changing thing, pretty creepy/scary!

I enjoyed this book a lot, and I can't wait to read more!

Author: Jus Accardo
Series: Denazen #1
Read: June 25th-26th, 2013
Source: Tuebl
Reason Why: It sounded good!
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: October 9th 2011
5/5 Hearts
4/5 Books
3/5 Stars




Week 26 Reviews: Jessica's Guide to Dating the Dark Side, Jessica Rules the Dark Side


From Goodreads:
The undead can really screw up your senior year ... 

Marrying a vampire definitely doesn’t fit into Jessica Packwood’s senior year “get-a-life” plan. But then a bizarre (and incredibly hot) new exchange student named Lucius Vladescu shows up, claiming that Jessica is a Romanian vampire princess by birth—and he’s her long-lost fiancé. Armed with newfound confidence and a copy of Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire’s Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions, Jessica makes a dramatic transition from average American teenager to glam European vampire princess. But when a devious cheerleader sets her sights on Lucius, Jess finds herself fighting to win back her wayward prince, stop a global vampire war—and save Lucius’s soul from eternal destruction.

From Goodreads:
It’s one thing to find out you're a vampire princess. It's a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband's name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius's time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it's too late?

My first review of Jessica's Guide to Dating the Dark Side, Jessica Rules the Dark Side
My Review:
These books are just so freaking amazing! I loved rereading them, with the short story of their wedding, because yeah, it's part of the series, and yeah, it's a really great series, and I wanted to read everything in it!

I really enjoyed Lucius's letters to his uncles, they were really hilarious, his voice just really came through! Then there's the one in chapter 10, and the paragraph about lentils, it just really cracks me up, I mean, it's lentils!

I didn't really like to see Lucius like he was, when he was imprisoned, but it's really the impetus that Jessica got to really investigate the murder, and actually become a Queen. Having your husband fading almost in front of your eyes is a pretty strong motivator!

I enjoyed the side of Mindy and Lucius's cousin, Raniero's story. She had POV chapters, which was really nice! And they had a pretty great story, I enjoyed where they ended up, on the beach, and having fun! That was just great!

I enjoyed this series so much, it's just so good, and yeah, I'd love a spin off series or something, or any new Beth Fantasky books!

Author: Beth Fantaskey
Series: Jessica #1, 2
First Read: March 1st, 2012, March 27th, 2012
Read: June 25th, 25th, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Loved these books, and Rules the Dark Side is a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: Harcourt
Published: February 1st 2009, January 10th 2012

Jessica's Guide to Dating the Dark Side:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars









Jessica Rules the Dark Side:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars



Week 26 Review: The Darkest Secret

From Goodreads:
In this sexy new installment of Showalter's bestselling Lords of the Underworld series, the haunted Amun meets a woman who tempts him like no other...

Keeper of the demon of Secrets, Amun can manipulate the darkest thoughts of anyone nearby. But when the immortal warrior is chained and isolated to protect those he loves, death is his only hope of release—until he meets Haidee, a fellow prisoner whose beauty and hidden vulnerability draw him into a reckless test of his loyalty.

Haidee is a demon-assassin, raised to despise Amun's kind. Yet how can she hate the man whose touch sets her aflame? But to save him, she must give herself body and soul...and face the wrath of a powerful adversary sworn to destroy her.

My first review of The Darkest Secret
My Review:
This was such a great book! I enjoyed reading it so much, and how connected Haidee is to the series-because in a previous reincarnation, she was the one that killed the only Lord that has been killed by the Hunters, by anyone, period. Yeah.

Oh, to have Amun with Haidee was just awesome! They're supposed to hate each other, but they have a connection which was heading in the opposite direction! So yeah, that was really great! But then there was everything else that was going on!

I love the side scenes in these books that aren't focused on the couple of the book. Because they show what the other characters are doing, and how their lives are going, and in some cases, helps move them along for their upcoming book, which is fantastic!

Loved that ending, what between the piece of Hate, and the piece of Love, well, Haidee is better off, and happy to be Amun, and hopefully won't be reincarnating to that place without her memories any more! Because that'd be great!

I enjoyed this book, it was just so entertaining and good, and I just need to reread more!

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: Lords of the Underworld #7
First Read: April 13th, 2011
Read: June 24th, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: March 29th 2011
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars




Week 26 Review: Acid

From Goodreads:
2113. In Jenna Strong's world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID – and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.

My Review:
This was a really fantastic book! Jenna is a pretty awesome person to read about, she had to face a lot of difficulties, and change her persona multiple times, but she still got through everything, so that was great!

So this is the future, and with that, differences in culture, and upgrades in technology. So Jenna's face and name change multiple times in this book, as she learns more about everything. Because the changes are pretty big and important, running from group to group!

Really enjoyed both her romance with Max, and that near ending when she broke into the prison. ACID was really bad for those that lived under their control. And that infiltration helped bring about the downfall of ACID!

Oh, and that ending! That hope that things are going to change. But then there's Jacob, and the fact that this book proved that people's faces are capable of change, so basically Jenna is the only one that believes that the guy is Jacob!

Enjoyed this book so much, it was really great, and I want a sequel!

Author: Emma Pass
Read: June 24th, 2013
Source: Tuebl
Reason Why: It sounded good, and it's a DAC Book and a 2013 Dystopia Book!
Publisher: Corgi Children's Books/Random House Children's Publishing
Published: April 25th 2013
5/5 Hearts
4/5 Books
4/5 Stars

Week 26 Review: Princess in Training


From Goodreads:
Princess for president Student body president, that is -- nominated by her power-mad best friend, Lilly. This is not how Mia imagined kicking off her sophomore year, but as usual, she has bigger problems to worry about, like Geometry. And now that Mia's one true love, Michael, is uptown at college, what's the point of even getting up for school in the morning? But the last straw is what Lana whispers to her on the lunch line about what college boys expect of their girlfriends. . . . Really, it's almost more than a princess in training can bear.

My Review:
So this book was really great! I just really enjoyed rereading this series, and now I'm just over halfway, and I just can't wait to reread more! I just love reading Mia's diary entries, about her life, and everything that's going on, like worrying about Michael and thinking that he wants one thing from her!

Some things that I thought really funny, was that Mia got a B on a paper, because of pop culture references, when honestly, they're pop culture references for a reason, and that shouldn't be a reason they should be marked down in school!

So the whole Student body President is a pretty big deal. Lilly's the one that nominated her, because while Lilly's the one that wants it, she's high school student savvy, and knows that Mia is more popular, even if she's facing off against Lana.

Mia's speech that wins her the presidency, was really great! She used what Grandmere's been teaching her, and applied it here, so honestly, Lana only stood a quarter of a chance, what with her popularity, and unpopular campaign standing points!

This was such a great book, loved rereading it so much, and I can't wait for more!

Author: Meg Cabot
Series: The Princess Diaries #6
Read: June 24th, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: January 1st 2004
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars





Week 26 Review: The Collector

From Goodreads:
He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin' awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante's an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he'll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper's soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that's a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he's come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

My Review:
This was just such a fantastic book! I just wish that I'd read it sooner, because I did get an e-ARC of it from NetGalley, and pretty much the whole point of ARC's is to read the book before it comes out to review it. And I really wanted to read this book!

Dante is quite the character! I just loved reading his voice, it was very strong and fun to read! Because his thoughts, like of Charlie when he first meets her, they're true, but they are pretty harsh. He's the bad guy, he works for the Big Guy Downstairs. And he likes it.

So Dante and Charlie, even after his unflattering thoughts, well, they made for a cute couple! And Dante started to feel conflicted about what he was doing. I really loved how this contrasted with Dante and this thoughts and actions over his past, why he ended up a collector.

Man, that ending! I wasn't expecting that! There were clues, and things that happened that lead up to it, of course, but I didn't connect them in the way that it happened! Just so great, and in the end, I think Dante made the right choice of the good guys!

Such a great book, and one that guarantees that I'll be reading more of this series!

Author: Victoria Scott
Series: Dante Walker #1
Read: June 23rd, 2013
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: It sounded really good! And it's a DAC Book!
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Published: April 2nd 2013
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 26 Review: Dark Side of the Moon

From Goodreads:
Half animal, half man, wholly dangerous.
Locked in eternal battle, a Were-Hunter knows everything about peril and pain. But the greatest threat is yet to come...

Susan Michaels was once the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until she walked into a setup that ruined her reputation. Now she's working for a small Seattle paper, penning stories about killer moths and alien babies, convinced that her life couldn't get any worse...

That was before an idea for a breaking news piece brings her to a local animal shelter where she ends up listening to her source rant about vampires and gets coerced into adopting a cat despite her allergies. But when her new pet suddenly reveals himself to be a gorgeous - and lethal - shapeshifter, Susan realizes that there's far more at stake than a career-saving by-line.

Born into a world of predators, Were-Hunter Ravyn Kontis was betrayed by those he loved best. Soulless, pitiless, he has spent three hundred years battling the Diamons who seek to subjugate humankind. Against all odds, Susan evokes in Ravyn feelings of tenderness. Desire. Love. And with the ultimate battle about to begin, this one very human woman holds the power to shatter both their worlds...

My Review:
Oh, this was a really fantastic book! It had quite a bit going on, from a Dark-Hunter that fell in love with an Appolite-and her 21st birthday is coming up. And Susan's boss is in on the Dark-Hunter world, and publishes the crazy stuff along with the DH stuff, so it all looks crazy, and yeah!

I just really enjoyed Susan and Ravyn, they were really awesome, and compared to most of the other characters in this world, have a bit higher sarcasm use, which was really cool! Plus, they both have some hard pasts, from the setup for Susan, and then how Ravyn's "mate" had her family kill almost all of the females-which, killed all the males that had boned with their mates. Not fun!

That Ravyn's brother blamed Ravyn, well, that was unfair. It's not his fault that the lady was just like, evil, and stupid, and lead to the deaths of a lot of their family. It wasn't Ravyn's fault that he hadn't mated with his wife, and so didn't die with her.

Oh, when Nick found out about Katrina, yeah, that wasn't fun. It was his home, and he left after his mom's death and his subsequent becoming of a Dark-Hunter. And he's just now finding out about it. And the way that he found out? Not fun!

I just enjoyed reading this book so much, it ended really well, though there are a few question marks that I believe are answered later in the series, at least partially! Can't wait to reread more!

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Dark-Hunter #10, Were-Hunter #4
Read: June 23rd, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading, and it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 Book!
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: January 1st 2006
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars




Week 26 Review: Dark Guardian

From Goodreads:
They were masters of the darkness, searching through eternity for a mistress of the light....

He ran with the wolves...materialized from the mists...hijacked the very heavens to his whims.

He was the dark guardian of his people. So how, after centuries of a bleak, soulless existence had he, Lucian Daratrazanoff, suddenly come to crave petite, curvy, colorful lady cop Jaxon Montgomery, who foolishly made it her life's work to protect others from harm?

Fiercely daring, Jaxx would sacrifice anything to shield others-- particularly since a deadly menace dogged her every footstep, threatening all who got close to her. And strangely seductive, piercingly erotic Lucian was no exception. Lucian was powerfully, perilously mesmerizing--oddly gentle yet clearly a born predator. He had vowed to possess her, to guard her for all time. Yet with his every thirsty kiss, was he drawing Jaxon more deeply into danger . . . and his dark, mysterious desires?

My Review:
Oh, I loved this book so much! It was just so good, and awesome! And that the main threat is a human, Jaxx's step-dad, in the end, well, yeah, that wasn't nice. But that past and history is what shaped Jaxx into the person she is, and I don't think either one of them would want her to be different!

So Jaxx's past is pretty horrible. First she loses her dad-in what it turns out to be by the guy who becomes her step-dad, then her mom and brother, and the the family that adopted her basically. So a lot of loses at a young age, which made her very guarded. But Lucian helps with that!

I loved that scene, when they got to her precinct, and that there's the whole thing where he's told the world that they're engaged, and all that, and the situation that it caused, because yeah, that was Lucian being an all-knowing, very old Carpathian! But it ends pretty well in the end!

It's just a tiny bit hilarious that the all powerful, 1000 or more year old Lucian was taken down temporarily by a human and a long range gun. Even after Jaxx warned him. But she heals him, and while there was the panic that he'd die, he didn't, and they won in the end! So yeah, great ending!

I just really enjoyed this book so much, it was really great! I want more!

Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Dark Saga #9
Read: June 22nd, 2013
Source: Own
Reason Why: Rereading! And it's a Sequel Challenge 2013 book!
Publisher: Leisure Books
Published: May 1st 2002
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars