It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (69)

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

Books I read last week:
Purpose by Kristie Cook
Shout Out by Kody Keplinger
Ashes of Midnight by Lara Adrian



The book I’m reading now:
Red Riding Hood:
The blacksmith would marry her.
The woodcutter would run away with her.
The werewolf would turn her into one of its own.

Valerie's sister was beautiful, kind, and sweet. Now she is dead. Henry, the handsome son of the blacksmith, tries to console Valerie, but her wild heart beats fast for another: the outcast woodcutter, Peter, who offers Valerie another life far from home.

After her sister's violent death, Valerie's world begins to spiral out of control. For generations, the Wolf has been kept at bay with a monthly sacrifice. But now no one is safe. When an expert Wolf hunter arrives, the villagers learn that the creature lives among them--it could be anyone in town.

It soon becomes clear that Valerie is the only one who can hear the voice of the creature. The Wolf says she must surrender herself before the blood moon wanes...or everyone she loves will die.


Books that spark my interest this week:
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Dark Time by Dakota Banks
Mark of the Demon by Diana Rowland

In My Mailbox (74)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Purpose by Kristie Cook

Purpose:
Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she'll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she's been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she's forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.

Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself, but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?

Although I really enjoyed the first book if the Soul Savers series: Promise, by Kristie Cook, I just couldn't feel the same about this second book. For almost half of the book Alexis tells her story in a self-pitying, pining, almost whiny voice and I became bored with the story rather quickly. I can completely comprehend the loss she has suffered, but her attitude made her a weak character in my eyes. I didn't feel anything for the son she created with the man she loved, and the secondary characters felt slightly hollow. I did enjoy the romance once the characters were reunited, but there was no true transition or explanation with Tristan's return. Then it turned into a lot of hot lovemaking scenes that seemed to fill the rest of the book. The over-all story arc seems rather interesting and has pulled me in, especially now that I've gotten a little more information about the Amadis, so I am very much looking forward to continuing Alexis' story.

On My Wishlist (69)

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.

Animal Magnetism by Jill Shalvis:
Lilah Young has given up on finding Mr. Right in Sunshine, Idaho. Fortunately, when she rear-ends a truck, its owner turns out to be handsome out-of-towner Brady Miller. Lilah, a junk-food–loving animal enthusiast, is focused on her work at an animal kennel. Brady is a pilot-for-hire and photographer who's just in town to help out his foster brothers. Brady and Lilah give in to their chemistry while telling each other their relationship is finite, but soon their passion deepens. There's plenty of sizzle but not much action, and there's never really any doubt that Lilah and Brady will overcome their hang-ups.






Lost Voices by Sarah Porter:
Fourteen-year-old Luce has had a tough life, but she reaches the depths of despair when she is assaulted and left on the cliffs outside of a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village. She expects to die when she tumbles into the icy waves below, but instead undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid. A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: the mermaids feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks. Luce possesses an extraordinary singing talent, which makes her important to the tribe—she may even have a shot at becoming their queen. However her struggle to retain her humanity puts her at odds with her new friends. Will Luce be pressured into committing mass murder?



Desperate Duchess by Eloisa James:
Welcome to a world of reckless sensuality http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifand glittering sophistication . . . of dangerously handsome gentlemen and young ladies longing to gain a title . . . of games played for high stakes, including—on occasion—a lady's virtue.

A marquess's sheltered only daughter, Lady Roberta St. Giles falls in love with a man she glimpses across a crowded ballroom: a duke, a game player of consummate skill, a notorious rakehell who shows no interest in marriage—until he lays eyes on Roberta.
Yet the Earl of Gryffyn knows too well that the price required to gain a coronet is often too high. Damon Reeve, the earl, is determined to protect the exquisite Roberta from chasing after the wrong destiny.

Can Damon entice her into a high-stakes game of his own, even if his heart is likely to be lost in the venture?

Friday 56...A Taste of Crimson (61)

Go to page 56 of the book CLOSEST to you (not the coolest, the closest) and find the fifth sentence.

A Taste of Crimson by Marjorie M. Liu:

Of course, she wasn't here to eavesdrop, either, but she had done a pretty good job of that.

Theme Thursday (30)

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 - FEELING (Happiness, sadness, surprise, etc)

Cat's heart was pounding as they tore through the darkness. She hated not being able to see. It was a moonless night, which would help conceal them from the guards, but it didn't help them find the road they should be traveling on. A twinge of fear crept through her and she hated that. She didn't like being afraid. But the darkness was oppressive.

The Warrior by Kinley MacGregor

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Shut Out:
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part, Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: she and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.

Inspired by Aristophanes' play Lysistrata, critically acclaimed author of The Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) Kody Keplinger adds her own trademark humor in this fresh take on modern teenage romance, rivalry and sexuality.

Behind all of the teenage hormones and petty rivalries is an epic tale of male versus female, but it's also so much more than that. It's about learning to let go of your fears, accepting who you are, peer pressure and sexual relationships among teenagers. Kody Keplinger created an amazing cast of characters and I felt a connection with every one of them, even the not-so-nice ones. The secondary characters were just as powerful as the main ones, and once I started this book, I couldn't put it down. In the book, sex is most often spoken about in harsh whispers and shadows, but Kody's characters bring the subject out in the open as the girls form an alliance to bring an end to the fighting between the sports teams. The girls learn more about themselves as individuals as they share their stories and experiences. They discover that there truly is no "normal" attitude towards sex, some enjoy it, some do not and others choose to wait. Even with all of her vulnerabilities, Lissa is a very strong character and a great leader for the other girls; when she realizes that she has made a terrible mistake, she steps up to take responsibility and right the situation. I loved how Kody questioned the double-standard between guys and girls, and how her characters came together to reconcile their differences.

Guest Post, Interview & Giveaway with Jacquelyn Frank

Hello you crazy reading fiends. And yes, I DO include myself in that. Though not so much reading time for myself these days, I have the heavily laden bookshelves to prove I am a permanent member of the reading-fiend fan club. But now I’m reading off my Kindle (and heavily craving a NOOK color in spite of the fact that I will have my library split in twain.) I have also recently discovered the joys of audiobooks! (The NIGHTWALKERS series is in audio at last! You can get them here and here!) Anyway, I’m happy to talk with you all.

Okay, let’s get the hawking of the wares out of the way.






KANE a.k.a. SUPERNATURAL
KANE has arrived! August 30th! Oh at last we get to glimpse into the past and find out…What happened that first Samhain night between Kane and Corrine? We get to be the proverbial fly on that wall and see just how things unfolded. After all, it was Samhain night, Kane and Corrine were Imprinted, and Kane was going to be driven to take his mate no matter what! No matter that she was comatose and near dead from being drained of energy. And knowing how noble the Demons are, how wholly offensive must this have been to Kane’s sensibilities?
What happened??

Well, you know what you have to do to find out. :P



ADAM
The first man. Or, ironically enough for me he’s the last man. Last Demon standing, as it were. It took three years, but the next book in the NIGHTWALKERS series is here! Releasing Oct. 25th, 2011, ADAM: THE NIGHTWALKERS Book Six will arrive. I know, I know. It’s about time! Well, it’s the right time, really. The book was actually started right after I wrote NOAH, book five, as the dates in the story will reflect. However, at the time I was feeling pretty burned out on the NIGHTWALKER world, and the story never progressed past the first few chapters. I was in the process of being published for the first time, life was changing, and other stories were scratching at my brain begging to be free. I decided to take a little break.

Ahh. What a relief. Then I decided, you know what, I’m not going back there. Let NOAH be the end of it. I’m done. Finito! Kaput!

Enter a half a BILLION fan letters that went something like this:

PLEASE don’t let it be the end!!

What happens to Noah and Kestra? Tell me Gideon heals her and she can have a baby!

Do Damien and Syreena ever have a baby?

What about Leah and Seth? Can’t they grow up and fall in love?

Hey! Jasmine needs an HEA!

And the one most people said:

What about RUTH?? You have to kill the bitch!!

Well, I heard you! And while I don’t answer every last one of those questions, I take care of enough of them in ADAM to keep most of you all happy. I think. I hope. Well, if not, suck it up. :P I have plans for the future. Trust your author. Hehehe.

Haunted by magic, beset by evil, the Nightwalkers face
their darkest hour yet. And when they unthinkable happens, only one legendary male has the power,the will, to save them: Adam....

FOR 400 YEARS HE WAS LOST TO HER,BUT HE IS HERS TONIGHT...

From their first tantalizing touch, Jasmine knows he is different. What other lover could unlock her tight control,flood Vampire senses jaded by a lifetime of decadent self indulgence? Centuries ago, when he disappeared without a trace, she had given up hope of ever fulfilling the promise of incomparable passion. But here he is, against the very laws of nature, ready to bring down their most vicious enemy, ready to bring her blood to the boiling point....

If she will only let him.

I wanted to tell you that, yes, I do have plans for Tristan from the Shadowdwellers to get his HEA eventually. What form and time this takes shape in is a grey area at present, but there is an intention.

I also want to take the opportunity to give you all hugs cyber hugs and thank you SO much for your devotion to this series. That has allowed it to be translated into over five foreign languages and now the entire set is in the midst of being released in audio format by Tantor Media! (The fabulous Xe Sands does our gang of men and their ladies proud!) Anyway, I have wondrous things planned for you and this world in the future. Follow my on my website, Facebook, Twitter and blog and I’ll keep you up to date on me, my books, my life, my peeves, my cats, my kid…basically all the floatsam of my life. Oh, and on Facebook we have a neat roleplaying page you ought to join. You get to watch actors play your favorite NIGHTWALKER characters, get to Google the Hump Day Hunks on Wednesdays and a variety of other things as well. Oh, and the person who plays Ruth (cough) is sick and twisted and does a FABULOUS job, if I do say so myself. Hehehe.

Hugs and Kitties,
Jacki Frank





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

I believe I was born with a pencil in hand. My biological mother had terrible cravings for lead, wood shavings...erasers. Especially erasers. Then around 13 years of age, thoroughly disenchanted with my teen romances, I plopped in front of a typewriter to do it myself. Haven't stopped writing since. Dreams are a huge inspiration. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I don't dream the entire book of course, but maybe a scene and I have to do whatever it takes to reach that scene...to build the story around that scene. The work of others really gets me charged up...movies, books, television. I'll see something, usually something obscure, and start to think. I am very dangerous when I think. They should have community sirens or something. Tornado, earthquake, Jacki had an idea...although usually my cats are the only ones at risk of lack of affection, getting pushed off the keyboard, and the always cruel dismissal from the comfortable bed known as my bosom because I am in such a writing frenzy I have to sit up and curl myself over the keyboard in manic intensity.


2.What first attracted you to the paranormal/urban fantasy realm when it comes to writing?

I have always been attracted to the paranormal for as long as I can remember. It’s just who I am. So, when I discovered that I could combine my two loves of the paranormal and romance genres I was one happy lady.


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

My favorite to date is Magnus. His story is the second book in the Shadowdwellers series titled Rapture. I like the interaction between him and his heroine and the strong sexual vibe between them. When I read a novel I like to experience many different emotions. If you can cry one minute and turn around and laugh the next you know you have something great. I feel like I accomplished that in this novel. That book just sort of wrote itself.


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

I am a HUGE historical romance fan.


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

Broke…LOL. No, seriously if I could not be a writer then I would want to be a secret shopper. One of those bitches that goes in and puts a salesperson through their paces. I am very picky about my sales help…and very critical…yet exuberant with praise when needed. I think I’d be good at it.

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 was a voracious reader before I was published. I am a great fan of SherrilynKenyon, Christine Feehan and Kresley Cole when it comes to the supernatural. In the erotica category I like Joey W. Hill and Lora Leigh. But that’s just a drop in the bucket. I have a huge book collection and adore many authors. I wish I still had time to read!


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

I do have a few certain “must haves” in order to write. I can’t write if there is anyone else in the house and I have to have my MUSIC! If either of those things is unattainable then you might as well forget it.


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)

I’d like the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. The idea that all I have to do is go back and pick a new path and I can change the outcome from total disaster to being the hero of the day. SO not like real life.


Jacquelyn's Newest Release:

Seduce Me in Flames:
ICY RECEPTION Ambrea Vas Allay is the rightful heir to the throne of Allay. But when she is summoned home from exile, she discovers that her father, who had executed her mother, has died. Her young half-brother, controlled by their uncle, has taken power. Ambrea is torn by an impossible choice: renounce the crown or waste away in prison. The last thing she expects is to be liberated by a huge, tattooed Tarian—or to feel a searing passion for her mysterious rescuer.

SMOLDERING DECEPTION Rush “Ender” Blakely loves being part of the elite force of the Interplanetary Militia and the mission to save the princess Allay. But the tough Tarian hides a fiery secret—a blazing power that makes him literally too hot to handle. He must be crazy to carry a torch for this strong, beautiful princess—when any intimacy between them is bound to be explosive.

BLAZING INSURRECTION As Ambrea steels herself to take back the throne, does she dare entrust this scorching stranger with the fate of an empire—and, even more so, with her heart?


About the Author:

Jacquelyn lives in the Western North Carolina mountain area around Asheville with her nine male cats (no, that isn’t a typo) and about ten thousand voices in her head. Rather than take heavy meds to chase them away, (the voices, not the cats) she indulges them and brings their stories to life. She’s lived in many places and worked many jobs, which she says makes her ‘colorful, not inconstant.’ She is always rescuing one stray or another, be they animal or human, and thinks the invention of electronic reading devices could only be improved if they could just manage to make them smell like ink and paper. A self-admitted techno-geek, she loves all kinds of gadgetry.

She believes every romance should have a happily ever after.

Find Jacquelyn:
Website | Twitter | Facebook

Jacquelyn has kindly offered up two books to giveaway to one winner: Seduce Me in Flames and Supernatural! Jacquelyn should be stopping by in a few days, so feel free to leave her a question or comment!

Rules for Entry:
- Giveaway ends September 22, 2011 12AM EST.
- Open to Canadian and U.S. addresses ONLY.
- Fill out the FORM below.

My Book Boyfriend (35)

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.)

Oliver Hazard-Perry
Book: Masquerade by Melissa De La Cruz
Series: Blue Bloods

He comes from well-to-do New York family and can trace his ancestry back to the Mayflower. He's tall and slim, with a fair, elfin face that is framed by a shag of brilliant chestnut hair. Sharp cheekbones and sympathetic hazel eyes and a quick grin. He is a Conduit, a caretaker of the Blue Bloods, he's also Schuyler's best friend and loyal to a fault, he'd do anything to protect her.

Quotes:

When Oliver arrived, holding Schuyler in his arms, Dr. Pat and her team were ready. They wheeled out a hospital bed, and Oliver gently laid his friend down.

"Tell me she'll be alright," Oliver pleaded.

When Oliver woke, Schuyler was sitting at her desk, watching him.

"Well," he said, scratching his neck where the bite marks were still raw, "I guess that's what you call friends with benefits."

They both cracked up.

Schuyler threw a pillow at him. She walked Oliver to the door and thanked him again. He kissed her on the lips as he left. A quick kiss, but still, a kiss on the lips.

Wednesday Random Recommendation (64)

I invite and welcome anyone interested in participating to post their own "Random Recommendation" (original post) on their 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!

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston:
First Published: September 2010

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

His son, that's who.

Ever since his father's arrest for the murder of Little Red Riding Hood, teen wolf Henry Whelp has kept a low profile in a Home for Wayward Wolves . . . until a murder at the Home leads Henry to believe his father may have been framed.

Now, with the help of his kleptomaniac roommate, Jack, and a daring she-wolf named Fiona, Henry will have to venture deep into the heart of Dust City: a rundown, gritty metropolis where fairydust is craved by everyone-and controlled by a dangerous mob of Water Nixies and their crime boss leader, Skinner.

Can Henry solve the mystery of his family's sinister past? Or, like his father before him, is he destined for life as a big bad wolf?