Why Haven't I Read You? (14)

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 three-quarter moon, hanging low in the night sky, turned even tamed and placid farmland into a mysterious landscape of silver and shadows. Each blade of grass, toasted golden brown by two months of summer heat, had a thin black replica stretching out behind it.[...]

Blood Trail by Tanya Huff

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Future Favorites (123)

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!

Of Triton by Anna Banks

Release Date: May 28, 2013 by Feiwel & Friends

In this sequel to OF POSEIDON, Emma has just learned that her mother is a long-lost Poseidon princess, and now struggles with an identity crisis: As a Half-Breed, she’s a freak in the human world and an abomination in the Syrena realm below. Syrena law states that all Half- Breeds should be put to death.

As if that’s not bad enough, her mother’s reappearance among the Syrena turns the two kingdoms—Poseidon and Triton—against one another. Which leaves Emma with a decision to make: Should she comply with Galen’s request to keep herself safe and just hope for the best? Or should she risk it all and reveal herself—and her Gift—to save a people she’s never known?

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (141)

Books I read last week:
And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Dead To You by Lisa McMann
Edge of Oblivion by J.T. Gessinger

The book I’m reading now:
The Unseen:
Out walking alone one rainy night, Lucy becomes convinced that someone - or something - is following her. Spooked, she ducks into a cemetery to try and lose her stalker. Panicking in the darkness, she slips and stumbles into an open grave - only to discover she is not alone in there. She manages to escape, but soon begins having terrifying visions and dreams - and she still can't shake the feeling of an unseen presence, always watching, waiting... Who was the girl in the grave? And what did she do to Lucy?


Books that spark my interest this week:
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
Moon Awakening by Lucy Monroe

And Then I Found You by Patti Callahan Henry

And Then I Found You:
Kate Vaughan is no stranger to tough choices.

She’s made them before. Now it’s time to do it again.

Kate has a secret, something tucked away in her past. And she’s getting on with her life. Her business is thriving. She has a strong relationship with her family, and a devoted boyfriend whom she wants to love with all her heart. If Kate had ever made a list, Rowan would fill the imagined boxes of a perfect mate. But she wants more than the perfect on paper relationship; she wants a real and imperfect love. That's why, when Kate discovers the small velvet box hidden in Rowan's drawer, she panics.

It always happens this way. Just when Kate thinks she can love, just when she believes she can conquer the fear, she’s filled with dread. And she wants more than anything to make this feeling go away. But how?

When the mistakes have been made and the running is over, it’s time to face the truth. Kate knows this. She understands that a woman can never undo what can never be undone. Yet, for the first time in her life she also knows that she won’t fully love until she confronts those from her past. It’s time to act.

Can she do it? Can she travel to the place where it all began, to the one who shares her secret? Can the lost ever become found?

Patti Callahan Henry has a gift for telling heart-wrenching, yet utterly romantic stories. Loosely based on her own family's experiences, And Then I Found You is the perfect example of the romance genre. Boy notices girl, boy and girl fall in love...and then life happens. The decision Kate made when she was a young woman truly drove this story, filling it with tension and plenty of tear-jerking moments. While completely different, but reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks' The Notebook, this was one of those books that will stay with me long after I had turned the final page. The characters were down-to-Earth and easy to relate to, and once I started this book I could not put it down. Without giving too much away, all I can really say is that I loved And Then I Found You, I was completely blown away by the story and the beautiful and vivid writing style.

Kate and Jack fell in love when they were thirteen years old, throughout high school and college their love remained strong. Until Kate took a job out of state to work with troubled girls, and something changed her there. The thought of leaving those girls ate at her heart so she put off returning to Jack. And when she discovers that their lives will be forever changed, it's too late. Jack didn't wait for her. Thirteen years later, Kate is with a wonderful man who wants to marry her, only the past and a decision she made is eating away at Kate's heart and she cannot commit to Rowan until she closes the door to her past. Only when she confronts Jack, old emotions and feelings come to the surface, and this time she's determined to find the solution to mend her broken heart.

Month In Review: April

Books I read this month and their rating:
(For full reviews, please go to "Books Read in 2013")

1. Fracture by Megan Miranda 4

2. A Howl for a Highlander by Terry Spear 4

3. Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith 3

4. Forged by Fate by Amalia Dillin DNF

5. Finale by Becca Fitzpatrick 4

6. Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma 5

7. Red Mortal by Deidre Knight 5

8. Nameless by Lili St. Crow 4

9. Edge of Oblivion by J.T. Gessinger 4

Guests and Blog Tours

Jordana Lizama 

Tania Penn 

Laila Blake

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

Of Poseidon:
Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he's heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen — literally, ouch! — both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma's gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .

Told from both Emma and Galen's points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.

This debut novel by Anna Banks was a great beginning to this series. Of Poseidon explores the myth of Poseidon and creates a whole new under-the-sea world for us to explore. While most of this book was spent on land, the little hints of the underwater world were intriguing and I definitely want more. There were some awkward things in this novel, like Emma's almost instant loss of grief for her friend and the constant male chauvinistic attitudes that brought the story down for me, but for the most part I loved Anna's storytelling and the characters. The cliffhanger ending..."ohmysweetgoodness" as Emma would say! What a revelation, and no, I'm not gonna say what it is; all I will say though is that the release of Of Triton CANNOT come fast enough.

This book opens with a devastating loss for Emma and her world is quickly turned upside down when the boy she literally stumbled into turns up in her home town. As if discovering that she's not quite human isn't enough, when she finds out the real reason for Galen's interest, she believes she has lost him for good. Suddenly the perfect solution manifests, and Galen and Emma can finally be together. Or so they think. But someone from the Syrena's past appears and they will change everything for everyone.

My Bookish Wants & Gots (46)

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 Arrivals by Melissa Marr

goodreads 

Chloe walks into a bar and blows five years of sobriety. When she wakes, she finds herself in an unfamiliar world, The Wasteland. She discovers people from all times and places have also arrived there: Kitty and Jack, a brother and sister from the Wild West; Edgar, a prohibition bootlegger; Francis, a one-time hippie; Melody, a mentally unbalanced 1950s housewife; and Hector, a former carnival artist.

None know why they arrived there--or if there is way out of a world populated by monsters and filled with corruption.

Just as she did in Graveminder, Marr has created a vivid fantasy world that will enthrall. Melissa Marr's The Arrivals is a thoroughly original and wildly imagined tale about making choices in a life where death is unpredictable and often temporary.

Witch & Wizzard by James Patterson

goodreads 

EVERYTHING. CHANGES. NOW.

Imagine you wake up and the world around you-life as you know it-has changed in an instant. That's what has happened to Whit Allgood and his sister, Whisty. They went to sleep as normal teenagers, and woke up as wanted criminals. Accused of holding incredible powers they'd never dreamed possible. And now, just how different they are-special, even-if just beginning to be revealed in a strange new world.

For more information about the series, visit www.WitchandWizard.com.

It begins...now.

 

Warm Bodies by Issac Marion
goodreads 
R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse. Just dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a burst of vibrant color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that R lives in. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead and the blurry line in between.

Rapture by Lauren Kate
goodreads
The sky is dark with wings . . . .

Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.

Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.

Interview & Giveaway with Terry Spear

1. When did you first start writing, and was there something in particular that inspired you?

I have been writing stories since I was a kid. Even in kindergarten, we made up a story using the wide-lined paper and turned it into a book. So forever! My dad would make up stories and tell them to us orally when I was a kid. I loved to read. So the two combined inspired me to write my own stories.

2. What first attracted you to your genre when it comes to writing?

I’ve written everything from straight historical romance, comedy romance, even children’s literature and nonfiction. But when I wrote my first paranormal, I knew that was one of my niches. Historical also, and even so, several have a paranormal side to them. :) I love writing about different worlds within a real world. That werewolves could be your next door neighbor. That the cute guy who changed your tire was an alpha wolf and interested in YOU. How thrilling is that? It’s just fun for me.

3. In regards to your own characters, who is your favorite and why?

Always the ones I’m currently working on. It has to be that way because I’m so focused on their story. I can’t stop to think about Devlyn or Deveron, or Tom, or Jake. I’ve got to think of Cearnach MacNeill and his relationship with the little American she-wolf who just ran him off the road in A Highland Werewolf Wedding. Or with Wade Patterson who gets involved with Maya Anderson in Jaguar Fever. They, whoever they are that I’m working on at the time, are getting all my loving. :)

4. What other genres (besides your own) do you enjoy reading?

I love reading Regencies, though I don’t write them. :) I write some fantasy and read some also. I have enjoyed some futuristic romance, and have written one, but generally I write in either the past or the present.

This is a Scottish castle that Terry used to base the story on--and that's her, all bundled up. It was on the Irish Sea and cold!!!

5. If you could not be a writer, what would you be?

A photographer. Not that I’m really all that good at it, but I love photography. My dad was also big into it and I wish he was still alive so I could share how much I enjoy it with him too.

6. As a reader I know how difficult it can be to name a ‘favorite’ book, would you mind listing your top three? (Past or present authors)

I love My Fierce Highlander, Vonda Sinclair, The Highlander’s Lady, Eliza Knight, and Sara Humphrey’s Untamed.

7. What are some must haves when you sit down to write? 

Green tea—supposed to be good for you, my phone so I can check the caller ID and ignore all the salesmen calls, and of course my computer. And that’s it! Well, I do have my Character Naming Guide handy also, but I only use it when I need a new name and want it to mean something special. :)

8. If you became trapped as a character in a book or series, which would you choose and why? (Any book, any series, new or old) 

A Highland Werewolf Wedding because I’d love to be with Cearnach in the Highlands, joining him in that big castle, playing with the Irish wolfhounds and the standard poodles, enjoying the camaraderie with all those Highland hunks, learning to mock sword fight, ride horses, have fun in the gardens, and then there’s that big curtained bed to share with one hot Highlander…well, I’d be in heaven! :)

Thanks so much, Amy, for having me here today!

A Highland Werewolf Wedding:
Elaine Hawthorn is a gray American werewolf, currently out of work, and on a mission to share in a family treasure. When she arrives in Scotland, she nearly has a head-on collision with one hot, kilt-garbed Highlander, and runs him off the road.

Werewolf laird Cearnach MacNeill isn't happy Elaine ruined his car, but he quickly becomes her protector after a misunderstanding lands her right in the middle of two feuding clans. Now he's out to ensure that this sexy female wolf gets her fair share of her clan's treasure. He knows he should leave well enough alone, but it's too late to leave his heart out of it.







About the Author:

Bestselling and award-winning author Terry Spear has written a couple of dozen paranormal romance novels and two medieval Highland historical romances. Her first werewolf romance, Heart of the Wolf, was named a 2008 Publishers Weekly’s Best Book of the Year, and her subsequent titles have garnered high praise and hit the USA Today bestseller list. A retired officer of the U.S. Army Reserves, Terry lives in Crawford, Texas, where she is working on her next werewolf romance and continuing her new series about shapeshifting jaguars.

Find Terry:
Website | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

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Dead To You by Lisa McMann

Dead To You:
Some memories are better left untouched.

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family.

It's a miracle... at first.

Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together.

But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked.

Something unspeakable...

Devastated. Absolutely devastated. That is how Lisa McMann left me feeling by the end of this book. With her flair for making the everyday seem mysterious and creepy, Lisa has created another for my keeper shelf. And although Dead To You is a quick read (I finished it in a little over two hours), it sure packs a wallop emotionally and mentally. The heart wrenching scenes between Ethan and his family, especially those involving his little sister are what really drove this story for me, they were realistic and pragmatic. The plot was intricately woven and pulled me in from the very first page. And although the ending left me screaming for more, thinking maybe, just maybe, there were just a few more pages...it was definitely the perfect ending for this book.

Ethan has made it home after being kidnapped for nine years. Or at least he believes he is. But he has no memories of this family, and only knows them from what he learned on a website. His little brother is constantly starting fights and now there is a little sister to contend with as well. Suddenly the thought that maybe he doesn't belong becomes reality when his brother claims that Ethan is an imposter and NOT a member of their family. While his mother refuses to believe it, and more and more tension builds within the family; Ethan is left questioning his own memories until two strangers come to the door and the truth is finally revealed.

Why Haven't I Read You? (13)

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!

There are many perks to living for twenty-one centuries, and foremost among them is bearing witness to the rare birth of genius. It invariably goes like this: Someone shrugs off the weight of his cultural traditions, ignores the baleful stares of authority, and does something his countrymen think to be completely batshit insane. [...]

Hounded by Kevin Hearne

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