My Book Boyfriend (21)

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.)



Quinn O'Conor
Book: Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur
Series: Riley Jensen

A wealthy business man and vampire; thick, silky black hair, lean and built in an athletic sort of way, dark eyes that are anything but soulless, and a face angels would kill for. His voice is a low vibration that shivers through your soul and makes your toes want to curl.

Quotes:

He pressed a hand against my back as he escorted me out of the waiting room, his fingers seeming to burn against my spine. Combine that with the tantalizing scent of sandalwood teasing my nostrils, and was it any wonder my pulse began to gallop?

He caught my hand as I passed him, stopping me in my tracks. "You are not a freak."

There was anger in his voice, in his eyes, as if the mere idea I could think such a thing offended him greatly. I found myself smiling. "Easy for you to say. You're just a common old vampire."

"And you're a miracle of existence. Never think otherwise."

Wednesday Random Recommendation (60)

I invite and welcome anyone interested in participating to post their own "Random Recommendation" (original post) on their blog (and include a link back to this blog) 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 bookshelf!

The Scarletti Curse by Christine Feehan:
First Published: March 2001

THE BEAST
Strange, twisted carvings and hideous gargoyles adorned the palazzo of the great Scarletti family. But a still more fearful secret lurked within its storm-tossed turrets. For every bride who entered its forbidding walls was doomed to leave in a casket.

THE BRIDE
Mystical and unfettered, Nicoletta had no terror of ancient curses and no fear of marriage…until she looked into the dark mesmerizing eyes of Don Scarletti. She had sworn no man would command her, had thought her gift of healing set her apart, but his was the right to choose a bride from among his people. And he had chosen her.

THE BARGAIN
Compelled by duty, drawn by desire, she gave her body into his keeping, and prayed the powerful, tormented don would be her heart's destiny, and not her soul's demise.

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Blessed:
Quincie P. Morris, teen restaurateuse and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life -- or undeath. Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents’ restaurant up and running. She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her wait staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature -- and a flaming sword -- and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it’s too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie’s soul?



Cynthia Leitich Smith is an incredible young adult, dark fantasy author, her creative use of Bram Stoker's Dracula had me turning pages long into the night. The human world and the Underworld blend seamlessly in this novel, and her characters are honest and well rounded, I also enjoyed how Cynthia pulled in a few characters from Eternal as well. The three novels Tantalize, Eternal and Blessed are tied together perfectly within Cynthia's unique, imaginative world. However, in this one, the action doesn't truly pick up until the latter half of the book, but when it does...it's intense.

This book picks up right where Tantalize ended, with Quincie fighting to stop herself from gorging on Kieren's blood; a deal she made in order to have Bradley (the vampire who infected her) leave town. Being a hybrid, half Wolf and half human, leaves Kieren little control over his shifting, and he is still under suspicion for murder and must leave town to seek out the Wolf pack for help. Quincie manages to clear his name, but he still cannot return to her because his future lies with the pack. Putting the restaurant back into order, and trying to save the unsuspecting customers that Bradley infected, are the only things keeping Quincie from falling apart after Kieren left. Quincie hires some new employees, Nora, Freddie and Zachary, and they seem to know an awful lot about her bring a vampire. While Nora and Freddie are completely human, there is more to Zachary than meets the eye, and it's not long before Quincie figures out just who he truly is. As Bradley grows stronger, a connection between him and Quincie puts the Wolf pack in danger. Reuniting with Kieren, Quincie and her new friends must band together to destroy the evil that Bradley has unleashed, and a final battle changes the lives of everyone surrounding Quincie, including her own.

Teaser Tuesdays (55)

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

Today's book: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Maylene put one hand atop the stone for support; pulling herself up from the soil got harder every year. Her knees had been problem enough, but of late the arthritis started settling in her hips. She brushed the soil from her hands and from her skirt and pulled a small bottle from her pocket. Carefully avoiding the green shoots of the tulip bulbs she'd planted, Maylene tilted the bottle over the earth. (Page 1)

Small Blogs, BIG GIVEAWAYS!

This amazing giveaway was organized by Reading Romances, and it's very simple! All you have to do to enter is sign up using the inlinkz...That's it! To gain extra entries, please check out the other hosts and see what you can do to earn them! I bet you’ll find some amazing new blogs and feel free to follow them to show your support!

37 Books + 11 Gift cards = 48 PRIZES

<---Here is what I am offering up!

To earn 2 BONUS points from me; follow me on Twitter, and then gather all your extra entries and fill out this FORM.

The Other Hosts:

A Bookish Affair

A Little Sun Shy

Addicted to Books

Alexa Loves Books

Books for the Insomniac

Book Hounds

Book Savvy Babe

Curiosity Killed the Bookworm

Gabrielle Bisset: A Writer's Blog

Kindle Fever

Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews

Let's Book It

Love, Laugh & Read

My Book & Me

My Chaotic Ramblings

Proud Book Nerd

Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me

Reads with Reckless Abandon

Reading Lark

Reading Rendezvous Reviewz

Release Notes

Romancing the Darkside

Sweeping Me

So Many Books, Here's Mine

The Magic Attic

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (54)

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

Books I read last week:
When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James



The book I’m reading now:
Blessed:
Quincie P. Morris, teen restaurateuse and neophyte vampire, is in the fight of her life -- or undeath. Even as she adjusts to her new appetites, she must clear her best friend and true love, the hybrid werewolf Kieren, of murder charges; thwart the apocalyptic ambitions of Bradley Sanguini, the seductive vampire-chef who "blessed" her; and keep her dead parents’ restaurant up and running. She hires a more homespun chef and adds the preternaturally beautiful Zachary to her wait staff. But with hundreds of new vampires on the rise and Bradley off assuming the powers of Dracula Prime, Zachary soon reveals his true nature -- and a flaming sword -- and they hit the road to staunch the bloodshed before it’s too late. Even if they save the world, will there be time left to salvage Quincie’s soul?


Books that spark my interest this week:
Torment by Lauren Kate
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Released by Megan Duncan

In My Mailbox (59)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

The Trouble with Green by Liv James

Released by Megan Duncan
Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison
Passion by Lauren Kate

When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James

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?

This was my first foray into the writing of Eloisa James, and I have to say that I will definitely be picking up more of her books! Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale, and Eloisa re-told this one perfectly. Filled with humor, mischievous teasing and romantic tension. Her characters are fun and loveable, even when being beastly.

Linnet has been scorned by the ton (London society) and is believed to be a fallen woman, no one believes her suitable for marriage, especially after the prince turns his back on her in the middle of a ball. At a loss, her father and aunt concoct a scheme to see her married to Piers, the Earl of Merchant. Her plan is to woo the Earl with her stunning good looks and her secret weapon, the family smile that has men melting at her feet, but when she arrives with Piers' father, the Earl's beastly countenance remains unmoved by Linnet's seduction. Linnet sees right through Piers' tough exterior and into his soft, yet hurting heart. Piers is a famous doctor with an incredible survival rate for his patients. So, when an epidemic of Scarlett Fever shows up at his doorstep he sends everyone away, including Linnet. Although he loves her, he believes himself unworthy of her love, and it's not until it's almost too late that he realizes how big a fool he has been.

On My Wishlist (54)

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.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins:
Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.

Cara’s parents’ unrealistic expectations have already sent her twin brother Conner spiraling toward suicide. For her, perfect means rejecting their ideals to take a chance on a new kind of love. Kendra covets the perfect face and body—no matter what surgeries and drugs she needs to get there. To score his perfect home run—on the field and off—Sean will sacrifice more than he can ever win back. And Andre realizes to follow his heart and achieve his perfect performance, he’ll be living a life his ancestors would never understand.

Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?

A riveting and startling companion to the bestselling Impulse, Ellen Hopkins's Perfect exposes the harsh truths about what it takes to grow up and grow into our own skins, our own selves.



Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris:
With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...








Forever by Maggie Stiefvater:
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater
In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.