Friday, May 31, 2013

The Unseen (Volume 2) by Richie Tankersley Cusick

The Unseen (Volume 2):
Too many deaths, too many terrifying visions and sleepless nights have taken their toll on Lucy Dennison. She wonders if she can trust anyone or anything anymore - even her own mind. Lucy knows there must be something, somewhere that can tell her why she was chosen to receive the terrible visions, why she feels the sinister presence all around her. As Lucy searches desperately for answers, she knows time is running out. Too many people have disappeared - or worse - and the constant feeling of being surrounded by something truly evil grows stronger each night. Can Lucy defeat the evil in time?








The Unseen Volume 2 by Richie Tankersley Cusick was a bit of a let down for me. Throughout the book the tension and suspense were constantly building, but then it just kind of fizzled out. The ending was abrupt and left me with more questions then answers; and characters that I felt deserved more page time barely got any. Lucy seemed to change from an independent and strong character into one that seemed to make silly and sometime dangerous decisions, also depending on those around her to solve her problems. I continued to feel lost and in the dark about the origins of the paranormal beings that were stalking Lucy. I really only know that they are some sort of shape-shifters. And we also never found out just what was so special about Lucy that garnered her so much attention. Richie hid most of the truth behind each characters' facade until the very end of the series, which definitely kept me interested, but there were times that I could almost guess what their motives were. The only character that remained truly constant for me was the villain, and the twisted games he played were what kept this story moving. For the most part this was a really interesting series from an author I truly enjoy, I just wish she had given us a little bit more.




Forgotten Fridays (56)

I invite and welcome anyone interested to post their own Forgotten Friday and join in the fun! I feature a book that I have read and have forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Some books might recent reads and some might be older reads, but I hope this helps these (sometimes forgotten) books earn a spot on your own TBR pile!


Goddess of the Sea by P.C. Cast
First Published: October 2003
Series: Goddess Summoning
goodreads
My Review

Home alone on the night of her twenty-fifth birthday, U.S. Air Force sergeant Christine Canady yearned for something to cure her loneliness. After drinking too much champagne, she recited a divine invocation to revive her humdrum life. But how was she to know the spell would actually work?

When her plane crashes into the ocean, CC’s life changes forever. She awakens, bewildered, to find herself in a legendary time and place ruled by magic – and in the body of the mythical mermaid Undine. But danger lurks in the water, ready to swallow CC whole. Taking pity on her, the goddess Gaea turns CC into a damsel so that she might seek shelter on land. When a dashing knight comes to CC’s rescue, instead of falling for this dream come true, she aches for the sea and the darkly sexy merman who’s stolen her heart…

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Thursday Thirteen (1)


Thursday Thirteen is a weekly meme with a simple theme: each Thursday you blog a list of 13 things. What kind of things? Any kind! Just come up with a list theme and run with it.
*All of my lists are in no particular order.*

Adult Paranormal Series I Haven't Started Yet


1. Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre

2. Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland

3. The Signs of the Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson

4. The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne

5. The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward

6. Guild Hunter series by Nalini Singh

7. Love At Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks

8. Argeneau Vampire series by Lynsay Sands

9. Persephone Alcmedi series by Linda Robertson

10. Alex Craft series by Kalayna Price

11. The Hollows series by Kim Harrison

12. Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill

13. The Dark Days series by Jocelyn Drake




Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Why Haven't I Read You? (17)

Every Wednesday I’ll choose a book off one of my (many) shelves that I haven’t read for some reason or another, and include the first few lines from the first page.
Feel free to join in, and leave your comments about the books I feature if you have read them!


I'd die for him.

No, wait a minute...that's not where this is supposed to begin.

I know that. But left to my own devices, I'd prefer to skim over the events of the next few weeks, and whisk you through those days with glossed-over details that cast me in a more flattering light.


Faefever by Karen Marie Moning




Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Future Favorites (125)


Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature created by Alex over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released that I can't wait to read!


The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Release Date: September 17, 2013 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.



Monday, May 27, 2013

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (144)



Books I read last week:
Blood Pact by Tanya Huff


The book I’m reading now:
The Unseen (Volume 2):
Too many deaths, too many terrifying visions and sleepless nights have taken their toll on Lucy Dennison. She wonders if she can trust anyone or anything anymore - even her own mind. Lucy knows there must be something, somewhere that can tell her why she was chosen to receive the terrible visions, why she feels the sinister presence all around her. As Lucy searches desperately for answers, she knows time is running out. Too many people have disappeared - or worse - and the constant feeling of being surrounded by something truly evil grows stronger each night. Can Lucy defeat the evil in time?


Books that spark my interest this week:
Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff
Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz

Saturday, May 25, 2013

My Bookish Wants & Gots (48)

My Bookish Wants & Gots is a feature over at The Book Vixen. I list the books I want - which can be old, new, or upcoming releases - and the books I recently got.




All We See & Seem by Tammy Blackwell
Jase Donovan always knew exactly what to expect from college: frat parties, coeds, and a spot on one of the most prestigious college basketball teams in the world. It was the life he was destined for... until his sister became the Alpha Pack's Most Wanted. Now he's playing a dangerous game of espionage and subterfuge with the most powerful Shifters and Seers in the world, and if he loses, his life won't be the only one on the line.

Talley Matthews has always been able to look on the sunshine-and-rainbows side of life, but it's getting harder and harder every day with the knowledge that one friend is on the run and another is barely clinging to life. To complicate matters even more, after being pegged as an Alpha Pack Potential, she's having to fend off advances from Shifters who want to use her to gain a little power. The attention might be nice if her heart didn't already belong to someone else.

In this companion to the best-selling Timber Wolves trilogy, readers will finally discover the path Jase and Talley took to discovering their love for one another.



Hysteria by Megan Miranda
Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.





'Til Death by Sharon Sala
goodreads
He left in handcuffs. Now it's time to set himself free. Nearly twenty years after he was wrongly convicted of setting the fire that killed his father, Lincoln Fox returns to Rebel Ridge, Kentucky. There, deep in the Appalachians, the truth of that terrible night lies buried-and he's sworn to uncover it.

His plans take an unexpected turn when, in the midst of a blizzard, he rescues Meg Walker from her wrecked car. Suddenly Linc discovers another reason to clear his name. Meg, his high school sweetheart, had always believed in his innocence, and if he wants a future with her, he has to show the world proof that she was right.

As the community chooses sides, those who once let a teenage boy take the fall for their crime are forced to raise the stakes. They kidnap Meg, leaving her to the mercy of the mountain. And a second rescue may be more than even Linc can manage....


Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
goodreads 
I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.

That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.

We are a sensational team.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why Haven't I Read You? (16)

Every Wednesday I’ll choose a book off one of my (many) shelves that I haven’t read for some reason or another, and include the first few lines from the first page.
Feel free to join in, and leave your comments about the books I feature if you have read them!


The women in my family have always been witches, which is why when Ulean, my wind Elemental, tossed my hair early on a balmy, breezy December morning and whispered in my ear to listen to the wind, there was a message for me riding the currents--I did.

Night Myst by Yasmine Galenorn




Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Future Favorites (124)


Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature created by Alex over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released that I can't wait to read!




Countdown by Michelle Rowen
Release Date: September 24, 2013 by Harlequin Teen

3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped.

2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game.

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

GAME 0VER

Monday, May 20, 2013

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (143)



Books I read last week:
Blood Lines by Tanya Huff


The book I’m reading now:
Blood Pact:
It began with the call no daughter ever wants to get, the call that told private investigator Vicki Nelson her mother had died. Mrs. Nelson's coworker at the Queen's University Life Science Department told Vicki that the cause of death was a heart attack, and that they'd be waiting for her to arrive in Kingston to make the funeral arrangements. But what started as an all too normal personal tragedy soon became the most terrifying case of Vicki's career. For when Marjory Nelson's body mysteriously disappeared from the funeral home, Vicki, her sometime lover and fellow investigator, vampire Henry Fitzroy, and her former homicide squad partner, Detective-Sergeant Mike Celluci, realized that there was something unnatural about her mother's demise. Vicki swore she'd find the culprit, and see that her mother was properly laid to rest. But what she hadn't counted on was that someone at Queen's University seemed determined to keep Mrs. Nelson on the job -- alive or dead!


Books that spark my interest this week:
Blood Debt by Tanya Huff
Blood Bank by Tanya Huff


Sunday, May 19, 2013

Sundays with Sarah (32)

To find out more about Sarah and this feature go here.



Hi everyone, welcome to another end of the weekend and another Sundays with Sarah.


Well a few weeks ago I thought about trying to do a video post but it didn't work out. My schedule is every time consuming and its hard to find the time these days.

But that's what this post is about...finding time.

We are all buys at one form or another and like most we all have a hard time finding the time to do things whether it be with people or cleaning or what ever the case may be. But when is being "too busy" a bad thing? We all know that being busy takes its toll on people, families, work and even things we commit too. Finding time for well even ourselves can drive us insane as sometimes we are not even free to deal with the stresses we have for ourselves in life.

It may sound obvious, but many of us forget to take time for ourselves. People have all sorts of expectations for themselves and the drive to meet those can make it hard to take time.

"We are entitled to breaks, People need to respect that for themselves." and we should be able to do it guilt-free. You are taking care of yourself by taking a break. It ensures you'll have the energy to return to whatever other roles you play, whether as a parent or a professional, or whatever your roles in life generally are.

Taking a little "me" time is an important part of managing life's stresses.

Anyone can get stressed? Absolutely anybody, anytime.

And sometimes finding that time for ourselves is an endless and daunting task. We wrap ourselves in projects, events, and even others just to avoid things in our own lives or sometimes we simply forget. Sometimes it seems like your life just isn't your own anymore – work, family, and other obligations swallow it up to such an extent that we often look back and wonder where all the time went! No wonder, then, that many of us feel as if life is just passing us by, and we can do no more than helplessly watch. However, with these tips and a little willpower, you can create time to center yourself and face the world with renewed enthusiasm. Today’s fluid communication culture often means that we are often interrupted from what we are doing by a call and pulled into yet more comings and goings. The company mobile or Blackberry can seem like a godsend when you first get it, and it is often only a few months later that you notice your working hours have been creeping upwards because your boss is always in touch with you to see if that important project has been delivered yet. If you truly want your time to be exactly that, then hit the off button, and make any other arrangements you need so that no-one will disturb you. Often when we do get a much needed respite from life, we whoop for joy and then aimlessly flop on the couch and reach for the remote. However relaxing that may be, it does nothing to address the reason why we need the time in the first place — to reconnect with ourselves amidst this turbulent world. Using the time to engage in creative or athletic pursuits that help us grow as a person gives us a lasting sense of joy and fulfillment, which will further inspire us to clear room in our lives for growth and self-discovery. How we use the time we do get has a big bearing on whether we will actively seek to create that time in future.

And if your a single parent it is even worse.

Single parenting is exhausting because your children depend on you for everything. You're responsible for all aspects of your family's well-being, from managing the finances to keeping track of homework assignments, meals, and extra-curricular activities. The only way you can sustain the energy needed to do this job well is to create some pockets of "me time" where you can get in touch with who you are as an individual and replenish your energy levels. Here are ten tips for carving out that precious "me time" on a regular basis:

1. Get Up Earlier

You've probably heard this suggestion before. This time, I want you to do something different: Try it! Until you've applied this strategy for at least seven days in a row, you're not going to realize how powerful it is. Start by setting your alarm for fifteen minutes before you really need to get up. Then use that time to listen to the quiet, write in a journal, or engage in another activity that restores your soul. Do not, however, use this time to get a head start on chores.

2. Make Your Bedtime Routine Consistent

It's hard to plan for some alone time in the evening when your kids go to bed at a different time every night. Instead, implement a consistent bedtime routine so that your kids can anticipate rest and learn to fall asleep on their own. If you have early risers, you may also want to put an alarm clock in each bedroom and teach your kids to play quietly until at least 7:00 a.m.
More: Establishing a Bedtime Routine That Works
3. Give Yourself at Least One Night Off Per Week

Part of what you need in your life is some time in your head - time to think , to plan, to dream. This is one of the most rejuvenating gifts you can give yourself! So at least once a week, give yourself a night off. After the kids have gone to bed, resist the urge to do the things you would normally do, like chores or watching TV. Instead, spend some time pursuing a hobby you love, reading a book, or reconnecting with a friend. Everything else can wait.

4. Use Your Shower Time

Those few minutes you spend in the shower each day are probably the most regular "alone time" you get. Plan to use it well! Purchase some energizing aroma therapy products that you love, and make the most of the few minutes you have to yourself. While you're there, take some deep breaths and let the water wash away some of that tension you're carrying.

5. Take a Walk on Your Lunch Hour

Let's be honest. You don't need to hear another story about your co-workers's cat; so at least once a week, break away from the employee break room and go for a short walk on your lunch hour. This doesn't mean skipping lunch altogether, of course. You need those calories to sustain you through the afternoon. Eating a light meal and going out for a brisk walk is a great way to clear your head and exercise your body.

6. Introduce Quiet Time

If your children are too old for naps, but still young enough to require constant attention, introduce "Quiet Time." This is when your kids read or play quietly in their rooms for one hour in the afternoon. You can then use that time to relax, read a magazine, or do something special for yourself. If you need to, create a behavior chart where your kids can keep track of their quiet time hours. Celebrate their cooperation with a trip to the library, a local park, or the children's museum after several argument-free siesta periods.

7. Make a Date With Yourself

Why don't you have time for yourself? Go take a look at your calendar. Everything you do gets listed there, from dentist appointments to karate tournaments. Most likely, the privilege of regular, sustainable "Me Time" won't become a reality until you actually schedule it on your calendar. So grab a pen right now and mark at least one "Me Time" date for this month, even if it means hiring a babysitter.

8. Maximize Your Commute

Most of us spend a considerable amount of time in our cars. Instead of turning on the radio or making another phone call, turn everything off and enjoy a brief period of quiet. This simple habit can help you respond effectively to the challenges you face as a single parent, rather than reacting from your emotions or exhaustion.

9. Use "The Box" Technique

"The Box" is a collection of items that your children love to play with, such as Play-doh, special markers, and activity books. You can even save happy meal prizes to include in the "The Box." Then, when you need a few minutes of quiet, invite your children to play with "The Box" for fifteen minutes. As you begin to employ this strategy regularly, rotate the items inside so your kids don't become bored with what they find. It's amazing how much fun they can have with simple toys that you make available for limited amounts of time.

10. Do Not Use Your Kids' TV Time to Do Chores

When you use your kids's TV time to do chores, two things begin to happen: 1) Your kids don't participate in the chores, and 2) They end up watching a lot more TV. Instead, do the chores together as a family. This way, you can use your children's TV time to sit and relax, collect your thoughts, listen to some music, or write in a journal.

Anyways, special thanks to Jennifer Wolf for her tips as well on single parenting time and also special thanks to all those out there.

Hopefully I will find more time for more posts.

Take care everyone.



Saturday, May 18, 2013

Blood Lines by Tanya Huff

Blood Lines:
Sealed away through unending centuries in a sarcophagus never meant to be opened, he had patiently waited for the opportunity to live again, for the chance to feed on the unwary and grow strong. Now, at last, the waiting had come to an end. Brought to the Egyptology Department of Toronto's Royal Ontario Museum, the seals and spells that imprisoned him chipped away by his discoverers, he reached forth to claim the minds and souls of the unsuspecting city dwellers, to begin building an empire for himself and his god. And only three people had even a hint that anything was wrong.

For Henry Fitzroy, 450-year-old vampire, it began with a haunting, inescapable image of the sun, a terrifying symbol of death to one such as he. Fearing for his sanity, he called upon his sometime-lover and comrade in supernatural investigations, ex-cop Vicki Nelson, for help. And even as the two struggled to cope with Henry's obsession, Vicki's closest friend and former partner, Police Detective Mike Celluci was following up on two mysterious deaths at the museum, certain he was looking at murders not accidents - and equally convinced that the killer was a mummy brought back from the dead!


Tanya Huff knows just how to grab her readers and pull them right into her world. The compelling relationships between Henry and Vicki, and between Mike and Vicki are what truly drives this series for me.  While I did enjoy this book as a whole, I wasn't all that impressed by the scenes containing the mummy by himself; to me, they didn't really any mysterious elements, they were just kind of there. Blood Lines added more to the personal story of Vicki, Henry and Mike's intriguing relationships; and like previous books in the series, it kept me on the edge of my seat. An intense and character defining scene for Vicki is when she is wrongfully imprisoned. Despite the loss of her glasses (making her nearly blind) and constant physical abuse from other inmates, she never loses her sense of self nor does she wallow in despair waiting to be rescued. This is just one of the many reasons why Vicki has become one of my favorite heroines to read.

After being held captive for centuries, a mummy has found it's way free in Toronto. And in order to live it must consume the souls of others. Surprisingly, it is Mike that approaches Vicki with this strange case--when usually it is the other way around. The trio must stop the mummy before he has a chance to corrupt the city's officials in preparation of his god's arrival, bringing death and destruction to the innocent bystanders of Toronto. Meanwhile, Henry is dreaming of the sun, believing his permanent death is imminent after living for so long. Vicki refuses to give up on Henry and will fight to keep him alive, even if he thinks that he is ready to say goodbye forever.





My Bookish Wants & Gots (47)

My Bookish Wants & Gots is a feature over at The Book Vixen. I list the books I want - which can be old, new, or upcoming releases - and the books I recently got.




The Unseen (Volume 2) by Richie Tankersley Cusick:
Too many deaths, too many terrifying visions and sleepless nights have taken their toll on Lucy Dennison. She wonders if she can trust anyone or anything anymore - even her own mind. Lucy knows there must be something, somewhere that can tell her why she was chosen to receive the terrible visions, why she feels the sinister presence all around her. As Lucy searches desperately for answers, she knows time is running out. Too many people have disappeared - or worse - and the constant feeling of being surrounded by something truly evil grows stronger each night. Can Lucy defeat the evil in time?






Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Tessa has just a few months to live.

Fighting back against hospital visits, endless tests, drugs with excruciating side-effects, Tessa compiles a list. It's her To Do Before I Die list. And number one is sex.

Released from the constraints of 'normal' life, Tessa tastes new experiences to make her feel alive while her failing body struggles to keep up.

Tessa's feelings, her relationships with her father and brother, her estranged mother, her best friend, her new boyfriend, all are painfully crystallized in the precious weeks before Tessa's time finally runs out.






Blood Red Road by Moira Young
goodreads 
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.


Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz
goodreads 
Be careful what you believe in.

Rudy’s life is flipped upside-down when his family moves to a remote island in a last attempt to save his sick younger brother. With nothing to do but worry, Rudy sinks deeper and deeper into loneliness and lies awake at night listening to the screams of the ocean beneath his family’s rickety house.

Then he meets Diana, who makes him wonder what he even knows about love, and Teeth, who makes him question what he knows about anything. Rudy can’t remember the last time he felt so connected to someone, but being friends with Teeth is more than a little bit complicated. He soon learns that Teeth has terrible secrets. Violent secrets. Secrets that will force Rudy to choose between his own happiness and his brother’s life.




Friday, May 17, 2013

Broken Promises Blog Tour - Top Ten Things...





About the Author:
Dawn Pendleton is a New Adult & Young Adult author living in Maine with her husband and pup.

Right now, she's working on two manuscripts simultaneously. It's a difficult task for her, but one she's certain will pay off in the end.






Find Dawn:
Website | Twitter | Facebook


Book Links: 
goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble



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