Teaser Tuesdays (54)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly event hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Today's book: Hounded by Kevin Hearne

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. Of those, Galileo was my personal favorite. Van Gough comes in second, but he really was batshit insane. (page 1)

Guest Blogger: Tori of Book Faery

Today I welcome Tori from Book Faery! Put down your bags, pull up a chair and tell me a story!

When Amy first reminded me that I agreed to do a guest post, I thought to myself "Oh CRAP! What on earth am I going to talk about?" For you see, dear readers, it's not every day that I get asked to write on someone's blog, and I don't usually go around volunteering to do posts. Why? For this exact reason: I never know what to say.

So, after munching on some watermelon (because boooy was it hot today in New York), and staring at a blank word document for quite some time, it came to me: why not talk about my favorite books and authors? I'm sure that we can all relate with one another in that regard, and maybe we even have similar tastes. So here is my top five list of all time favorite books, and then following that is my list of favorite authors.


Tori's Top 5 Favorite Books


1) Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole
I've re-read this book 10 or 11 times now, and neither the hero or heroine have worn on me. Bowen and Mariketa (who has the coolest name ever!), for whatever reason, have squirmed their witchy-wolfy selves and made a comfortable little home within my heart. For someone like me, who NEVER re-reads books, I have to admit that I'm amazed at how I still look back on their story and love so fondly. You'd think it was me falling in love with Bowen, or something.





2) Enclave by Ann Aguirre
One of my absolute favorite YAs and definitely my favorite dystopian. Ann doesn't focus on the romance as much as she does on the worldbuilding, and I think that this is what makes the book so refreshing and powerful for me. I felt the desolation that these characters felt. I got nervous, and I also felt my heart pumping as they confronted the Freaks (which is just a fancy name for zombies). If there's one dystopian that I'd suggest to readers, it would be ENCLAVE. This series is sure to get any and all readers hooked--even if they don't typically enjoy the genre.




3) The Darkest Whisper by Gena Showalter
Sabin is one sexy hero in this paranormal romance. Surprisingly enough, he's my absolute favorite--which is funny, because I HATED him with a passion for such a long time. I hated him so much that I refused to ever buy or read his book. Then, upon reading the following book, I felt guilty for not giving him a chance. Lo and behold, I was hooked.









4) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Ahhh, now this is a contemporary, and totally deviates from the norm for me. The way that Stephanie captured Paris made me not only fall in love with the city and made me feel like I was actually there, but it also made me want to marry a British boy. This book rekindled my obsession with accents, and it definitely encouraged my desire to study abroad. If you're looking for a book that makes you feel like you've escaped to another country, this one is it, folks.







5) Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
If I had to summarize this book in two words, I would say it is breathtakingly beautiful. Rebecca's got a way with words and captured the senses perfectly. She painted such strong images within my mind that I not only lost track of time, but I got so emotionally invested with the story that I literally screamed when it ended so abruptly. Thankfully, the second book in the series is available, so new readers won't have to wait for very long :)




Tori's Auto-Buy Authors

1) Kresley Cole
It doesn't matter if she's got a paperback (which is what most of her Immortals After Dark series is), or if she's suddenly switching over to hardcover (like her Lothaire title). I will buy every single book she's got. Her Immortals After Dark series is still refreshingly new 10 books in, which is somewhat of a rarity when it comes to longer series. Nothing is redundant, and every single book has at least five moments where I'm cracking up hysterically because of her crazy immortals. I believe Kresley is the queen of paranormal romance.

2) Gena Showalter
I guess I'm a paranormal romance junkie, even after all these years. I discovered Gena through one of Kresley's books, and I've got to say that her Immortal warriors are hotties. Like Kresley, Gena's got great story-lines and funny/witty characters. Plus, this woman can write books fast! I'm incredibly jealous at how fast she churns books out, and I'm also ecstatic, because that means more for me to read, woo hoo.

3) Tricia Rayburn
Not only is she a sweetheart, but she's an excellent writer! To say that I went rabid at BEA11 (in order to get UNDERCURRENT) would be an understatement. I was freaking out Wednesday morning and refused to wait on any lines because I feared I would miss her signing. Luckily, I didn't, and she was so kind and thoughtful I wanted to give her a huge hug. As for her series about a siren, SIREN is an excellent book I'd highly recommend to any reader who enjoys paranormal stories. I actually felt like I was on or near the beach while reading, and could swear at times that I was experiencing summer.

4) Anne Bishop
Anne wrote the Black Jewels Trilogy, which I read while I was still in high school. It completely floored me due to the brutal sex scenes and treatment of the heroes. Interestingly enough, all the protags are men. I don't like reading about men all the time in a book, but in this series, I LOVED it! The heroes always have hilarious moments guaranteed to make me crack a smile or say "aww!!" out loud. And while the series is not as intense as it was in the past (since everyone is essentially living their "happily ever after" with a dosage of drama here and there), I don't care. I would keep buying books from this series, even if all that happened was someone having to go buy a tampon and not having enough money for it...or something. That's how much I love these characters.

5) Sharon Ashwood
Sharon is a new-ish paranormal romance author, but she's an excellent writer. Her debut floored me, and is one of my all-time favorite PNRs. I can't believe, whenever I read her books, how much I love her heroes and heroines. She is definitely an up and coming author, and I highly suggest that anyone who's craving a new voice check her series out.


So, you've all seen who/what my favorites are. What are your top 5 books and who are your top 5 auto-buy authors?

Thank you for visiting today, Tori! I hope you all enjoyed learning about "Tori's Top Five" picks as much as I did!

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (53)

This is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

Books I read last week:
Illusions by Aprilynne Pike
Betrayal by Mayandree Michael



The book I’m reading now:
When Beauty Tamed the Beast:
Miss Linnet Berry Thrynne is a Beauty . . . Naturally, she's betrothed to a Beast.

Piers Yelverton, Earl of Marchant, lives in a castle in Wales where, it is rumored, his bad temper flays everyone he crosses. And rumor also has it that a wound has left the earl immune to the charms of any woman.

Linnet is not just any woman.

She is more than merely lovely: her wit and charm brought a prince to his knees. She estimates the earl will fall madly in love—in just two weeks.

Yet Linnet has no idea of the danger posed to her own heart by a man who may never love her in return.

If she decides to be very wicked indeed . . . what price will she pay for taming his wild heart?


Books that spark my interest this week:
Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear
Graveminder by Melissa Marr
Kiss of the Rose by Kate Pearce

In My Mailbox (58)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Trace of Fever by Lori Foster
Heart of the Highland Wolf by Terry Spear
Blood of the Rose by Kate Pearce


The newest transition in my Dirk & Steele series by Marjorie M Liu:

Old:



New:

On My Wishlist (53)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - a linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

Savor the Danger by Lori Foster:
The one woman he couldn't have was the only woman he desired…

She may be aloof, and more pretty than gorgeous, but Alani Rivers is the kind of woman a hot-blooded mercenary can't forget, no matter how hard he tries. So when Jackson Savor wakes up next to the naked, sleeping beauty—with no memory of what happened—he knows he's been drugged… even if Alani doesn't.

After she was kidnapped, Alani swore she'd never trust another man again. Still, something about this strong, sexy hero with the tender touch makes her want to believe him. As Jackson hunts downs a mysterious intruder, he swears he'll move heaven and earth to keep Alani safe. But what really happened that night? And will the truth bring them closer than they ever thought possible—or put Alani squarely in harm's way again?



Witches of the East End by Melissa De La Cruz:
The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.



Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews:
Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for magic . . .

One moment magic dominates, and cars stall and guns fail. The next, technology takes over and the defensive spells no longer protect your house from monsters. Here skyscrapers topple under onslaught of magic; werebears and werehyenas prowl through the ruined streets; and the Masters of the Dead, necromancers driven by their thirst of knowledge and wealth, pilot blood-crazed vampires with their minds. In this world lives Kate Daniels. Kate likes her sword a little too much and has a hard time controlling her mouth. The magic in her blood makes her a target, and she spent most of her life hiding in plain sight. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, she must choose to do nothing and remain safe or to pursue his preternatural killer. Hiding is easy, but the right choice is rarely easy . . .

Love That Line (8)

Love That Line is hosted by Jessica Rabbit's Corner, it's a little thing where we post a favorite quote or two from the book(s) currently on our night stands.

Tempest Rising by Nicole Peeler

"As for the fangs," he continued, "they only come out when we're...excited."

"Oh, Ryu," I breathed. "I feel just like Julia Roberts. Only without the hooker aspect. Thank you so much."

"I never meant that," [Anyan] said, eventually. "I've never thought you were pathetic and I don't consider you half of anything." His voice was sad, the tone familiar yet unidentifiable that I wanted to scream. "You're Jane," he concluded, "and that's enough." He looked over at me, his face shadowed but his eyes still visible.