On My Wishlist (96)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event created by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. The meme has been taken over by Cosy Books. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

Dark Protector by Alexis Morgan:
Devlin Bane: Born a Paladin, he is a member of an ancient band of warriors locked in a centuries-old war against evil.

His destiny: To die over and over again to protect mankind from the Others, only to be revived each time by his mortal Handler.

But his fierce strength and courage cannot save him from gradually becoming one of the monsters he was born to destroy.

Dr. Laurel Young, who has spent years training to become a Handler, must remain detached from her patients. But each time she revives the darkly compelling Devlin Bane, he claims a little more of her soul and incites in her desires that grow wilder and wilder -- even as he inches closer to losing his humanity. As the war against the Others grows more desperate, Laurel and Devlin can't help but give in to the fierce hunger that's sizzled between them for so long. Now they'll face the ultimate battle together -- to save a dark, passionate love that goes against every rule as they join forces to fight an enemy who is closer than they ever imagined....



Cry Sanctuary by Moira Rogers:
Keith Winston is tired of fighting. The war between werewolves and wizards rages on in Europe, but he's come home to Red Rock, Montana in hopes of finding a bit of peace. Instead he finds more strife as he struggles against the pack’s dictates that he resume his place as the alpha’s right hand man.

When he rescues a new wolf on the run, he knows his instant attraction to her could cause trouble. What he doesn't expect is to find himself embroiled in another battle that goes against all his instincts—and his heart.

Abigail Adler learned about the existence of werewolves only when she became one. With her life is threatened by a corrupt alpha, she flees to the only sanctuary she knows: Red Rock. While she’s grateful for the pack’s protection, she chafes under its unbreakable rules of conduct—except when it comes to submitting to the passion Keith stirs in her.

Then her tormentor kidnaps her sister in an attempt to lure her out of hiding. To save her, Abby and Keith must be willing to do the very thing that could get them all killed—break all of the rules.



Accidentally Catty by Dakota Cassidy:
Katie Woods never thought she'd be forty-one, divorced, and thrust back into the dating world. To start fresh, Katie uproots her veterinary practice to upstate New York-not exactly the hottest dating scene on the planet. But when an unconscious cougar appears at her clinic, Katie's newly single life gets a much needed jolt of the supernatural kind.

After Katie examines the cougar and leaves him caged overnight, she's shocked to find a big strapping specimen of young, hot man in its place. And when the scratch she got during the exam results in some unnatural side effects, Katie has more to deal with then her animal attraction to a much younger guy-she has to figure how to stop herself from becoming a cougar of the four-legged variety.

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink

A Temptation of Angels:
Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink wove an incredible beginning to a fascinating new series. Steampunk and a tease of angels and demons fill the pages, and even though the story moves at a slower pace it was a page-turner and non-stop action. World building contributed to the slow pace, but I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the romance and Michelle's attention to detail. I would have liked to see a little more of the supernatural aspect of the story, but I'm sure that will come with future installments in the series. The mature voice of the narrator lends the story a true Victorian England era vibe. I loved the fact that this book did not follow the typical YA mold: love triangles. We are led to believe that there is the prospect of one on the horizon, only that is not the case: Helen knows exactly where her heart resides. All-in-all, Helen was a strong, independent character that I look forward to reading more of in the future.

Forgotten Fridays (5)

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 thist helps these (sometimes forgotten) books earn a spot on your own TBR pile!

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Fins
First Published: May 2010
My Review

Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life.

When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned.

Theme Thursday (54)

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week's theme is - ENDING (Last sentence from the last page of the book)

Laughing, coughing, they broke apart and swam to the surface, the horrors of the day drowned in the depth of their love.

Dark Desire by Christine Feehan

My Book Boyfriend (61)

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)

Swift Antelope
Book: Comanche Heart by Catherine Anderson
Series: Comanche

A Comanche warrior in the late 1870's. A deep, silken voice and sharply defined lips in a burnished, chiseled face. Tiny lines etch the corners of his dark brown eyes, a thin scar runs from the outside tip of his right, blue-black eyebrow to his chin. His tall body is whipcord lean, lending his shoulders strength and width.

Quotes:

Amy mourned the change. Swift's ineptness at expressing himself in English had often led him to say things that had seemed profound to her. Wherever you put your face, Amy, your eyes see the horizon and your tomorrows, never yesterday. The sadness in your heart is a yesterday you can no longer see, so put it behind you and walk always forward.

"Do you think I don't love you, Amy?" He couldn't resist the urge. Lifting a hand, he brushed his fingertips along her pale cheek. She felt as soft as velvet. "Have you any idea how many times I dreamed of you these last fifteen years? How many times I wept because the great fight for my people kept me from being with you?"

She nodded, saying nothing. Swift brushed his lips along her temple. "You still have Comanche heart, Amy. More so, I think, than anyone I've ever known."

Glass by Ellen Hopkins

Glass:
Crank. Glass. Ice. Crystal. Whatever you call it, it's all the same: a monster. And once it's got hold of you, this monster will never let you go.

Kristina thinks she can control it. Now with a baby to care for, she's determined to be the one deciding when and how much, the one calling the shots. But the monster is too strong, and before she knows it, Kristina is back in its grips. She needs the monster to keep going, to face the pressures of day-to-day life. She needs it to feel alive.

Once again the monster takes over Kristina's life and she will do anything for it, including giving up the one person who gives her the unconditional love she craves -- her baby.

This book is powerful and deep, I'm honestly having trouble expressing just how much I enjoyed this sequel to Crank. Loosely based on the story of Ellen Hopkins' own daughters struggle with addiction; Ellen proves once again that she is not afraid to show that life is not always beautiful. Honest and gritty, Glass is written in Ellen's unique, flowing prose and your emotions travel through the full spectrum of highs and lows from beginning to end. From the start of this book, you are pulled into Kristina's world and you feel as if you, the reader, are another part of her, helplessly watching the downward spiral of her life. No matter how hard Kristina fights against "Bree" (her inner, unpredictable, drug addicted self), she just can't seem to stop making harmful decisions. I still don't know exactly how I feel about Trey, Kristina's new love interest, and although this book does not end on a happy note; I'm definitely craving the next in this series: Fallout.

Future Favorites (75)

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 and that I can't wait to read!

Blood Bath and Beyond by Michelle Rowen
Release Date: August 7, 2012 by Signet

Sarah Dearly is adjusting to life as a fledgling vampire, satisfying her cravings at vampire-friendly blood banks. But when her fiancé Thierry takes a job with the Ring—the secret council in charge of keeping vampires in line—Sarah’s about to get more than a taste of danger…

Being engaged to a centuries-old master vampire can be challenging—especially when he takes a job with the Ring. Thierry’s in for fifty years of nonstop travel and deadly risk. It’s enough to make any woman reconsider the wedding…any woman except Sarah, that is!

Traveling with him to Las Vegas for his first assignment, they encounter a child beauty pageant contestant from hell, as well as a vampire serial killer leaving victims drained of blood, potentially exposing the existence of vampires to the whole world. But when Thierry’s truly ancient history comes back to haunt him, and he’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit, it’s up to Sarah to clear his name before their immortal lives come to an end.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (94)

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

Books I read last week:
The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé



The book I’m reading now:
A Temptation of Angels:
Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance...

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.


Books that spark my interest this week:
Dark Beginnings by Gena Showalter
Stolen Away by Alexandra Harvey
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

In My Mailbox (99)

In My Mailbox was created, and is hosted by The Story Siren.

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Lair of the Lion (Re-Issue) by Christine Feehan

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé

The Smoke Thief:
For centuries they’ve lived in secret among northern England’s green and misted hills. Creatures of extraordinary beauty, power, and sensuality, they possess the ability to shape-shift from human to dragon and back again. Now their secret–and their survival–is threatened by a temptation that will break every boundary....

Dubbed the Smoke Thief, a daring jewel thief is confounding the London police. His wealthy victims claim the master burglar can walk through walls and vanish into thin air. But Christoff, the charismatic Marquess of Langford, knows the truth: the thief is no ordinary human but a “runner” who’s fled Darkfrith without permission. As Alpha leader of the dra´kon, it’s Kit’s duty to capture the fugitive before the secrets of the tribe are revealed to mortals. But not even Kit suspects that the Smoke Thief could be a woman.

Clarissa Rue Hawthorne knew her dangerous exploits would attract the attention of the dra´kon. But she didn’t expect Christoff himself to come to London, dangling the tribe’s most valuable jewel–the Langford Diamond–as bait. For as long as she could remember, Rue had lived the life of a halfling–half dra´kon, half mortal–and an outcast in both worlds. She’d always loved the handsome and willful Kit from the only place it was safe: from afar. But now she was no longer the shy, timid girl she’d once been. She was the first woman capable of making the Turn in four generations. So why did she still feel the same dizzying sense of vulnerability whenever he was near?

From the moment he saw her, Kit knew that the alluring and powerful beauty was every bit his Alpha equal and destined to be his bride. And by the harsh laws of the dra´kon, Rue knew that she was the property of the marquess. But they will risk banishment and worse for a chance at something greater. For now Rue is his prisoner, the diamond has disappeared, and she’s made the kind of dangerous proposition a man like Kit cannot resist....

I love dragon shifters almost as much as I love werewolves, and Shana Abé created the perfect world for me to delve right in and enjoy them. Her dragon lore was explained thoroughly in the beginning of the book, and her characters pulled me into the story. I loved that this was based in historical England rather than a modern day background, it made the story exceptionally more vivid with Shana's wonderful storytelling. The way Shana describes the dragons in flight made me feel almost as if I was among the clouds myself. Mystery and danger surround Rue and Kit, keeping this page-turner a fast paced book. The sexual tension between the main characters definitely keeps you coming back for more, and the lure of their romance hooked me from the beginning.

On My Wishlist (95)

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.

Starters by Lissa Price:
HER WORLD IS CHANGED FOREVER

Callie lost her parents when the Spore Wars wiped out everyone between the ages of twenty and sixty. She and her little brother, Tyler, go on the run, living as squatters with their friend Michael and fighting off renegades who would kill them for a cookie. Callie's only hope is Prime Destinations, a disturbing place in Beverly Hills run by a mysterious figure known as the Old Man.

He hires teens to rent their bodies to Enders—seniors who want to be young again. Callie, desperate for the money that will keep her, Tyler, and Michael alive, agrees to be a donor. But the neurochip they place in Callie's head malfunctions and she wakes up in the life of her renter, living in her mansion, driving her cars, and going out with a senator's grandson. It feels almost like a fairy tale, until Callie discovers that her renter intends to do more than party—and that Prime Destinations' plans are more evil than Callie could ever have imagined. . . .



Stake That! by Mari Mancusi:
Two sisters—as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Cover is to die for, but it seems destiny has something else in mind...

Rayne McDonald had it all figured out. Get turned into a vampire, become the mate of the Blood Coven leader, and live the high-life for all eternity. Too bad the head vamp took a bite out of her twin sister by mistake. Now, not only is Rayne still not a vampire, but she learns she's a slayer instead—destined to destroy vamps gone bad.

After being recruited by a secret organization, Rayne is given her first mission: infiltrate a seedy bar downtown and expose its vampire owner, Maverick, for purposely spreading a nasty blood virus. Luckily the Blood Coven sends some help—in the form of sexy vampire Jareth. Will vampire and slayer be able to settle their differences and work together to bring down the evil Maverick? Or will they find their own hearts on the line?



Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers:
Luc Cain was born and raised in Hell, but he isn’t feeling as demonic as usual lately—thanks to Frannie Cavanaugh and the unique power she never realized she had. But you can’t desert Hell without consequences, and suddenly Frannie and Luc find themselves targeted by the same demons who used to be Luc’s allies.

Left with few options, Frannie and Luc accept the protection of Heaven and one of its most powerful angels, Gabe. Unfortunately, Luc isn’t the only one affected by Frannie, and it isn’t long before Gabe realizes that being around her is too…tempting. Rather than risk losing his wings, he leaves Frannie and Luc under the protection of her recently-acquired guardian angel.

Which would be fine, but Gabe is barely out the door before an assortment of demons appears—and they’re not leaving without dragging Luc back to Hell with them. Hell won’t give up and Heaven won’t give in. Frannie’s guardian exercises all the power he has to keep them away, but the demons are willing to hurt anyone close to Frannie in order to get what they want. It will take everything she has and then some to stay out of Hell’s grasp.

And not everyone will get out of it alive.

Forgotten Fridays (4)

I invite and welcome anyone interested to post their own Forgotten Friday and join in the fun! Some books might not be very recent reads, but I hope that just helps these (sometimes forgotten) books earn a spot on your own TBR pile!

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Series: N/A
First Published: September 2009
My Review

Can love last beyond the grave?

Sylvie Davis is a ballerina who can’t dance. A broken leg ended her career, but Sylvie’s pain runs deeper. What broke her heart was her father’s death, and what’s breaking her spirit is her mother’s remarriage—a union that’s only driven an even deeper wedge into their already tenuous relationship.

Uprooting her from her Manhattan apartment and shipping her to Alabama is her mother’s solution for Sylvie’s unhappiness. Her father’s cousin is restoring a family home in a town rich with her family’s history. And that’s where things start to get shady. As it turns out, her family has a lot more history than Sylvie ever knew. More unnerving, though, are the two guys that she can’t stop thinking about. Shawn Maddox, the resident golden boy, seems to be perfect in every way. But Rhys—a handsome, mysterious foreign guest of her cousin’s—has a hold on her that she doesn’t quite understand.

Then she starts seeing things. Sylvie’s lost nearly everything—is she starting to lose her mind as well?

Theme Thursday (53)

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

• A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
• Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
• Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
• It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
  Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.

This week's theme is - MOVEMENT (First snippet from the book having any relevance to movement)

"Wait." She cut off Wong with a hand in the air as unease shifted to alarm.

Whisper No Lies by Cindy Gerard

My Book Boyfriend (60)

My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)

Artur Loginov
Book: Shadow Touch by Marjorie M Liu
Series: Dirk & Steele

He is a member of the Dirk & Steele detective agency, a company that appears normal, but is anything but normal; it is a safe haven for those with supernatural powers who choose to use their powers to help others. Artur is a psychometrist, by touching anything with his bare hands he can feel and see echoes of emotions and memories. Dark eyes, with an old-soul gaze. He's Russian: a tall man, lean and well built with the pale skin of the sun-shy. Dark hair framed his face, the sparse angles of his cheeks, and the hard line of his mouth, lovely and haunting.

Quotes:

His gaze became so very solemn that at first she felt afraid. But then he reached out and cupped her face in his large warm hands, and said, "I saw a good woman. A good heart. Which is rarer than you know. You have nothing to hide from me, Elena Baxter."

"Elena!" he snapped, so full of shock--fear--that he forgot to be gentle, forgot that Mikhail was first and foremost a gentleman, and that gentlemen never fired guns at ladies. Because all that mattered to Artur was that there was a bullet aimed at Elena's heart--his heart, through her body--and that was utterly intolerable. Artur grabbed Elena by the waist, picking her off the ground and spinning her so that she leaned up hard against the lobby counter. Artur surrounded her with his body--close, tight--until all he could see were her eyes, large and startled.

"Slow," he said, and she realized that he was nervous, too. Elena planted a quick kiss on his cheek. He looked at her, startled, and then smiled. Cupped her face in one hand. Elena could only imagine what he saw when he looked at her, and he said, "Home."

Future Favorites (74)

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 and that I can't wait to read!

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Release Date: May 8, 2012 by Harcourt Children's Books

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers?