Why Haven't I Read You? (48)

Every Wednesday I’ll choose a book off one of my (many, 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 comment about the books I feature if you have read them!

Demon was such a nasty word. And so damned old-school. People heard demon and they conjured up all kinds of Hieronymus Bosch helter-skelter—or worse, Dante’s stupid-ass Inferno crap. Honestly. Flames and tortured souls and everyone waiting. Okay, maybe Hell was a little toasty. And if the place had a court painter, Bosch would have been at the head of the pack. But that wasn’t the point. The Demon actually saw itself as more of a Free-Will Coach. Much better, more modern. The anti-Oprah, as it were.

Covet by J.R. Ward

Goodreads

Future Favorites (163)

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!

Made For You by Melissa Marr

Release Date: September 16, 2014 by HarperCollins

Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (173)

Books I read last two weeks:
Deadly Little Voices by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Angel by James Patterson
Nevermore by James Patterson
Deadly Little Lessons by Laurie Faria Stolarz
The 100 by Kass Morgan

The book I’m reading now:
Lover Mine:
John Matthew has come a long way since he was found living among humans, his vampire nature unknown to himself and to those around him. After he was taken in by the Brotherhood, no one could guess what his true history was- or his true identity. Indeed, the fallen Brother Darius has returned, but with a different face and a very different destiny. As a vicious personal vendetta takes John into the heart of the war, he will need to call up on both who he is now and who he once was in order to face off against evil incarnate.

Xhex, a symphath assassin, has long steeled herself against the attraction between her and John Matthew. Having already lost one lover to madness, she will not allow the male of worth to fall prey to the darkness of her twisted life. When fate intervenes, however, the two discover that love, like destiny, is inevitable between soul mates.


Books that spark my interest this week:
Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward
The Lost by Sarah Beth Durst

My Bookish Wants & Gots (83)

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.

House of Ivy & Sorrow by Natalie Whipple

Goodreads

Josephine Hemlock has spent the last 10 years hiding from the Curse that killed her mother. But when a mysterious man arrives at her ivy-covered, magic-fortified home, it’s clear her mother’s killer has finally come to destroy the rest of the Hemlock bloodline. Before Jo can even think about fighting back, she must figure out who she’s fighting in the first place. The more truth Jo uncovers, the deeper she falls into witchcraft darker than she ever imagined. Trapped and running out of time, she begins to wonder if the very Curse that killed her mother is the only way to save everyone she loves.

Dark Wolf by Christine Feehan

Goodreads

In Dark Lycan, Christine Feehan journeyed into the heart of the Carpathians, and into the souls of two lifemates stirred by the flush of passion and the threat of annihilation. In Dark Wolf, the breathtaking story continues as the bonds of family are imperiled, and the fate of two lovers lies hidden in the seductive shadows between life and death.

Skyler Daratrazanoff always recognized the miracle that was Dimitri Tirunul, a man beyond any dream that had ever engaged her nights. But she was human. Vulnerable. He was Carpathian. Nearly immortal. She was nineteen. He was an ancient. Yet she held half his soul, the light to his darkness. Without her, he would not survive. Caught between the two warring species, Dimitri has spent centuries hunting the undead to keep his people free, and humans safe. He had survived honorably when others had chosen to give up their souls. But now, marked for extermination by the Lycans, Dimitri found himself alone, and fearing for his life. But salvation was coming…

No Lycan would ever suspect someone like Skyler to dare mount a secret rescue operation. A teenage girl. A human of untested abilities. But she had something no one else had. She was predestined for Dimitri—as he was for her. And there was nothing stronger for Skyler than her desire to see her life-dream come true. Whatever the risk.

The Lost (ARC) by Sarah Beth Durst
Goodreads
Lost your way?

Your dreams?

Yourself?

Welcome to Lost.

It was supposed to be a small escape. A few hours driving before turning around and heading home. But once you arrive in Lost...well, it's a place you really can't leave. Not until you're Found. Only the Missing Man can send you home. And he took one look at Lauren Chase and disappeared.

So Lauren is now trapped in the town where all lost things go-luggage, keys, dreams, lives-where nothing is permanent, where the locals go feral and where the only people who don't want to kill her are a handsome wild man called the Finder and a knife-wielding six-year-old girl. The only road out of town is engulfed by an impassable dust storm, and escape is impossible....

Until Lauren decides nothing-and no one-is going to keep her here anymore.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads
Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Thursday Thirteen (38)

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.*
 

Books I’ve Read Because They’re Pretty…and Then Fell in Love

1. Last Kiss Goodnight by Gena Showalter

2. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

3. Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

4. Witchling by Yasmine Galenorn

5. Blood and Bullets by James R. Tuck

6. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole

7. His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone

8. Tiger Eye by Marjorie M Liu

9. Stray by Rachel Vincent

10. Fragile by Shiloh Walker

11. Graveminder by Melissa Marr

12. A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James

13. Nightlife by Rob Thurman

Why Haven't I Read You? (47)

Every Wednesday I’ll choose a book off one of my (many, 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 comment about the books I feature if you have read them!

Goddamned freezing cold. Luke Findley’s breath hangs in the air, nearly a solid thing shapedlike a frozen wasp’s nest, wrung of all its oxygen. His hands are heavy on the steering wheel; he is groggy, having woken just in time to make the drive to the hospital for the night shift. The snow covered fields to either side of the road are ghostly sweeps of blue in the moonlight, the blue of lips about to go numb from hypothermia. The snow is so deep it covers all traces of the stumps of stalks and brambles that normally choke the fields, and gives the land a deceptively calm appearance.

The Taker by Alma Katsu

Goodreads

Future Favorites (162)

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 One by Kiera Cass

Release Date: May 6, 2014 by HarperTeen

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

The 100 by Kass Morgan

The 100:
In the future, humans live in city-like spaceships orbiting far above Earth's toxic atmosphere. No one knows when, or even if, the long-abandoned planet will be habitable again. But faced with dwindling resources and a growing populace, government leaders know they must reclaim their homeland... before it's too late.

Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents are being sent on a high-stakes mission to recolonize Earth. After a brutal crash landing, the teens arrive on a savagely beautiful planet they've only seen from space. Confronting the dangers of this rugged new world, they struggle to form a tentative community. But they're haunted by their past and uncertain about the future. To survive, they must learn to trust - and even love - again.

I have to admit that I watched the pilot episode of the T.V. show on CW before I even knew anything about the synopsis, and it sparked my interest enough to read the book.  The concept of The 100 by Kass Morgan was engaging and I found myself pulled right into the pages. The 100 was a complex read and it almost feels like there are eight different stories within this book. Kass focuses on four characters: Clarke, Wells, Bellamy and Glass, jumping (but easily distinguishable) from one point of view to another detailing both their present and their past. That was, in part, what made this book so interesting to me, each chapter contained a little bit about their current situation and a little bit about what brought them to be where they are. The characters were also intriguing and definitely what truly drove this story, there was a hint of romance woven throughout the pages and the beginnings of a love triangle, but for (most of) these juvenile delinquents survival is most important. It was easy to visualize the Earth as Kass envisioned it even though the scenery plays such a small part in the story as a whole.

And AHHHHH! The cliffhanger! The next book: Day 21 cannot come fast enough.

Deadly Little Lessons by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Deadly Little Lessons:
Camelia Hammond's trying junior year of high school is finally over...but her troubles aren't. After she discovers a painful truth about her family, she escapes to a summer arts program in Rhode Island. Determined to put family - and boyfriend - drama behind her, she throws herself into her artwork.

At the arts school, she gets caught up in the case of Sasha Beckerman, a local girl who is missing. Even though all signs suggest that the teen ran away, Camelia senses otherwise. Eager to help the girl, she launches her own investigation. She finds a blog by someone named Neal Moche, a psychometric who might have clues to Sasha's whereabouts. There is something familiar about Neal, and Camelia realizes how much she misses Ben, despite being committed to Adam.

But time is running out for Sasha, and Camelia will have to trust her powers if she's to save her. Will the lessons Camelia has learned in the past give her the strength to do so?

Deadly Little Lessons was a marvelous ending to the Touch series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. While not necessarily the strongest book in the series, it had everything I needed to say goodbye to these characters, although I was sad to see them go. I loved that each book had its own separate mystery and has suspense filled pages. Laurie created dramatic and thrilling storylines in every book and this was no different, she never failed to keep me guessing right up until the very end when the killer is finally revealed. All of the characters in these books were well rounded, and I’m just as sad to say farewell to Wes and Kimmie as I am to Ben and Camelia. The push and pull of romantic tension between Ben and Camelia had me on the edge of my seat through the last three books, and can happily say that I was ecstatic when Ben finally admits he loves Camelia—and they end up with their own version of a happily-ever-after. Camelia’s journey throughout these books was ultimately one of self discovery. Her psychometric powers continued to grow in strength, and she had to decide whether she was going to become a victim like her mentally ill aunt, or make the choice to use them as they are meant to be used.

When Camelia discovers a life altering secret her parents have kept from her, she looks for an escape. And she finds one in a summer program for high school students to study art at certain colleges. But that is just an excuse for her to get closer to the home of a missing girl. Camelia begins hearing a voice crying and is having psychometric episodes that are giving her clues to where the missing girl might be. While she is trying to excel in her pottery classes, figure out clues and sort out her feelings for her parents, Adam is pressuring her to simply “let it be.” He wants her to be happy, and he is truly a great guy, but he just doesn’t understand what she is going through and how her powers are going to affect her future. Ben is adamant about staying away from Camelia, but when he learns that she is having difficulties, he cannot stay away. His return really opens Camelia’s eyes about her relationship with Adam. And Ben returns to her just in time, because Camelia knows where the missing girl is, and she’s bound and determined to save her. Even if it means putting herself in danger.

My Bookish Wants & Gots (82)

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.

Learning Not to Drown by Anna Shinoda

Goodreads

Family secrets cut to the bone in this mesmerizing debut novel about a teen whose drug-addicted brother is the prodigal son one time too many.

There is a pecking order to every family. Seventeen-year old Clare is the overprotected baby; Peter is the typical, rebellious middle child; and Luke is the oldest, the can’t-do-wrong favorite. To their mother, they are a normal, happy family.

To Clare, they are a family on the verge of disaster. Clare: the ambitious striver; Peter: the angry ticking time bomb; and Luke: a drug-addicted convicted felon who has been in and out of jail for as long as Clare can remember—and who has always been bailed out by their parents.

Clare loves Luke, but life as his sister hasn’t been easy. And when he comes home (again), she wants to believe this time will be different (again). Yet when the truths behind his arrests begin to surface, everything Clare knows is shaken to its core. And then Luke is arrested. Again.

Except this time is different, because Clare’s mom does the unthinkable on Luke’s behalf, and Clare has to decide whether turning her back on family is a selfish act…or the only way to keep from drowning along with them.

Debut novelist Anna Shinoda's raw, gritty, powerful novel cuts right to the bone and brings to life the skeletons that lurk in the closet.

Room by Emma Donoghue

Goodreads

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

The King by J.R. Ward
Goodreads
Long live the King…

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
Goodreads
In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned.

Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.

Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.