Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Slave to Sensation:
In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of "rehabilitation" - the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was...

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy coexistence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion - and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities - or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation...

I'm so glad that I went back and read the first of the Psy-Changeling series by Nalini Singh. I had originally read the second book: Visions of Heat, first and was a little lost when it came to the world that Nalini created. But Slave to Sensation cleared up my questions and I can honestly say that I am loving this series. Admittedly the beginning was a little slow for me, but the story quickly picked up and the passion and sexual tension that fills every page kept me coming back for more. I loved both of the main characters: Lucas and Sascha, they played off one another beautifully. The world Sascha is used to is harsh and unfeeling, without the simplest form of touch, while Lucas was born to a world where touch is the most basic form of comfort. When the two of them are thrown together under the deception set up by members of Sascha's Psy Council, sparks fly as Lucas is determined to teach Sascha about living and the sensual nature of his inner cat.

Forgotten Fridays (8)

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 http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhow 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!

Confessions of a Vampire's Girlfriend by Katie MacAlister
Series: N/A
First Published: November 2010
My Review

GOT FANGS?
Originally published January 2005

All sixteen-year-old Francesca Ghetti wants to do is have a normal life where she’s one of the crowd, blending in so no one will know just how much of a freak she is. Dragged to Europe by her mother to join GothFaire, a travelling band of psychics, magicians, and assorted other oddities, Fran has to cope with not only the normal angst of always being a fish out of water, but also with her own fate as a psychometrist.


Enter one Moravian Dark One (referred to by most people as vampires) named Benedikt who claims Fran is the key to redeeming his soul, a mysterious horse who seems to have an involved past, an immortal friend who remembers what Mozart was like, and a demonologist who thinks he’s Elvis, and you can understand why Fran despairs of ever fitting in.

CIRCUS OF THE DARNED
Originally published January 2006

I’ve given up all hope of having a normal life. As if things weren’t freaky enough traveling around Europe with a group of witches, mediums, and magicians who make up my home-away-from-home (aka the GothFaire), now I also have to cope with a mysterious man who wants to steal my horse, and a time-travel counselor who insists I’m Cleopatra reincarnated.


I just want to go on a date with Benedikt, but when your boyfriend’s a vampire, nothing is easy. Not only is Ben keeping secrets from me, but somehow, I raised an entire battlefield of warring Viking ghosts–all of whom refuse to be sent back.


And I thought all I had to worry about was what to wear on my date…

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay:
My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.

The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, and I have to say it was an incredible ending to one of the most intense series I have read in a long time. I actually had quite a few people suggest that I read the first two books, but skip the last because they did not like how it was written. Well, I can tell you that I am glad I ignored them and finished this series.

This was never about a love story, it was about a girl who started a revolution, even if it was unintentional, and changed the lives of many. Mockingjay focuses on the war that breaks out between the Capitol and the rebelling Districts, initiated in The Hunger Games and strengthened throughout Catching Fire. I did see a major change in Katniss, but it wasn't necessarily a good one. I still love her, but I felt that Suzanne lost an important part of Katniss in this book. While strong and independent in the first two books, she allows herself to be repeatedly used as propaganda for the war. After accepting her role as the face of the rebellion, Katniss initially set out to fight for her beliefs, but those in higher command had different plans. Emotional turmoil reigns when Peeta is rescued, he is changed as well: he returns to her as a shell of his former self. Betrayal comes from every side, and there are many brutal deaths throughout the book. The one death that breaks Katniss completely, changes her relationship with Gale and those she once trusted forever, and as she struggles to find herself again, it is only at the beginning that she can find peace once and for all.

Future Favorites (78)

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!

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Release Date: September 18, 2012 by Scholastic Press

“There are only two reasons a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark’s Eve,” Neeve said. “Either you’re his true love . . . or you killed him.”

It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive.

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She never thought this would be a problem. But now, as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she’s not so sure anymore.

From Maggie Stiefvater, the bestselling and acclaimed author of the Shiver trilogy and The Scorpio Races, comes a spellbinding new series where the inevitability of death and the nature of love lead us to a place we’ve never been before.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (97)

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

Books I read last week:
Comanche Moon by Catherine Anderson
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins



The book I’m reading now:
Mockingjay:
My name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.


Books that spark my interest this week:
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Beneath A Rising Moon by Keri Arthur
Faefever by Karen Marie Moning

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire:
Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol-- a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

The second installation of The Hunger Games trilogy...WOW! Just WOW. Suzanne Collins is an incredible storyteller, and this book was just as intense and powerful as the first. I don't usually mention things like this, but the title was completely appropriate for this story: as Katniss was often referred to as the girl on fire throughout the first book. With her actions at the end of the Games, Katniss unknowingly created the spark that would lead to a rebellion against the Capitol. And now she is pushed even harder to protect her loved ones. Thrown into the arena again, new enemies and new allies are revealed. Katniss doesn't know who she can trust; all she knows is that in order for the revolution to be a success, Peeta must make it out of the games alive.

Interview & Giveaway with Melissa Marr

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

I was in 6th grade having violent nightmares; Sister Elaine gave me a notebook and sent me to the library. That was the first time I’d ever considered writing. Many years later, in 2002/03, I started writing because my husband was deployed, and I had insomnia. I first began submitting short stories in 2003, and I’d allowed myself 3 years to teach part-time and try writing. I’d decided to return to full-time teaching in August 2006—but then I sold Wicked Lovely in March 2006.


2. What first attracted you to your genre when it comes to writing?

I just write. I don’t write in one set genre. MY books have been classified romance (WL won the RWA Rita in 2008), fantasy, and horror (Graveminder won Goodreads’ Best Horror Novel in 2011). I have YA, adult (Graveminder; 2011), and children’s (The Blackwell Pages, co-authored with Kelley Armstrong; 2013) novels; I have edited two anthologies with Kelley (Enthralled, 2011; Shards & Ashes, 2013); and I have a collection of my own short fiction (Faery Tales & Nightmares, 2012).


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

That depends on the month. Right now, I am particularly fond of Aya and Mallory (Carnival of Souls; 4 Sept 2012) because their fun to write. Donia and Irial were my most frequent faves in the WL series. I guess I just fall in love easily and often where characters are concerned.


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

I read all over the store: romance, fantasy, mystery, classic lit, poetry, critical theory, and nonfiction (folklore, archaeology, history, gender studies, music history, mortuary history, parenting, etc). I read picturebooks, middlegrade, YA, and adult. The only genres I don’t read are self-help, hard SF, erotica, and politics.


5. If you could not be a writer, what would you be?
In the real world, I’d happily return to teaching university. If I had to pick an all new career, I’d pursue a PhD in folklore studies or archaeology. If it were a fantasy world where one didn’t get arrested for such things, I’d like to be an assassin. I don’t currently own any guns, but I have at various points in my life, and I find weapons strangely soothing. If I could make a career out of, umm, enforcing justice for a fee, I think I’d find that satisfying.


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 can’t list only three books, but I can list authors: William Faulkner is my favourite dead author, and Neil Gaiman is my favourite living author. So by default, I can say that their novels & short stories are my top picks.


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

Music, caffeine (black tea, coffee, or Mountain Dew depending on my mood), and water. Beyond that, I only need either a pen/paper (if I’m outside) or my computer (if I’m inside).



Melissa's Latest Release:

Gaveminder:
Rebekkah Barrow never forgot the tender attention her grandmother, Maylene, bestowed upon the dead of Claysville. While growing up, Rebekkah watched as Maylene performed the same unusual ritual at every funeral: three sips from a small silver flask followed by the words, "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is gone and Bek must return to the hometown—and the man—she abandoned a decade ago, only to discover that Maylene's death was not natural . . . and there was good reason for her odd traditions. In Claysville, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected—and beneath the town lies a shadowy, lawless land ruled by the enigmatic Charles, aka Mr. D. From this dark place the deceased will return if their graves are not properly minded. And only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron, can set things to right once the dead begin to walk.

You can read my review of Graveminder HERE.

Find Melissa:

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Melissa has kindly offered a signed paperback copy of Graveminder.

Rules for entry:

- Open to US addresses only.
- Must be 13 years of age or older.
- Giveaway ends April 22, 2012 12AM EST.
- Leave a comment and fill out the FORM below, entries in the comment section will not be counted.

In My Mailbox (102)

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

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

On My Wishlist (98)

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.

Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols:
A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.



The Raft by S.A. Bodeen:
Robie is an experienced traveler. She’s taken the flight from Honolulu to the Midway Atoll, a group of Pacific islands where her parents live, many times. When she has to get to Midway in a hurry after a visit with her aunt in Hawaii, she gets on the next cargo flight at the last minute. She knows the pilot, but on this flight, there’s a new co-pilot named Max. All systems are go until a storm hits during the flight. The only passenger, Robie doesn’t panic until the engine suddenly cuts out and Max shouts at her to put on a life jacket. They are over miles of Pacific Ocean. She sees Max struggle with a raft.

And then . . . she’s in the water. Fighting for her life. Max pulls her onto the raft, and that’s when the real terror begins. They have no water. Their only food is a bag of Skittles. There are sharks. There is an island. But there’s no sign of help on the way.



Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen:
I don't do dangerous. Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that's me. But I just couldn't pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me...something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It's like part of me is missing-and I don't know if I can get it back. Then there's Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he's keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he's what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me....

NIGHTWATCHERS When angels and demons must work together, something beyond evil is rising...

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games:
Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don't live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival.

So, I am a little...ok, A LOT behind in reading this trilogy, but I absolutely loved The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The story is powerful and the pages are non-stop action. Surprisingly, the book was not as violent as I was expecting considering the world that Katniss lives in. I cannot believe it took me this long to pick this book up! The world Suzanne built was dark and gritty: incredibly easy to visualize (and NO I have not seen the movie yet). The emotional ups and downs kept my heart pumping throughout the entire book, and each exciting twist kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were incredible, and the hesitant relationship between Katniss and Peeta woven throughout the book was endearing and kept me turning pages. The questions raised in The Hunger Games lead you into the second book: Catching Fire which I will definitely be starting immediately.