Blog Tour ~ Hunter's Fall by Shiloh Walker (Attempt #1)

Title: Hunter's Fall
Author: Shiloh Walker
Release Date: 6/7/2011
Source: ARC received as part of The Book Vixen's tour

Synopsis:

Nessa lost her memory following a near-death experience. Dominic is a Hunter dealing with his own problems with memory and sanity. When the two are put together to battle the forces of darkness-while trying to restore what they've lost-their all-consuming passion becomes an even greater unknown.

Review:

This review is actually pretty difficult for me to write.  So far I'm seeing a fair amount of 3, 4 and 5 star reviews for Hunter's Fall and I wish I felt the same.  I was all excited about being a part of the tour for this book and up until this point I hadn't found a Shiloh Walker book that I couldn't put down.  I'm not sure what happened or didn't happen but I just could NOT get into Hunter's Fall.

I'm hoping that part of the problem is that I hadn't read any of the other books leading up to this one.  I've already decided that I am going to see if the Hunter books are available in my library system.  I don't want to completely give up on Hunter's Fall.  From the other reviews that I've been seeing about this book, it sounds very promising.  Maybe I just had too much paranormal all at once.

So here's the breakdown...I'll start with my list of positives first.

I was really excited about the opportunity to read another one of Shiloh Walker's new books.  She's had me hooked since I read Broken.  I was also very excited about the premise for the book.  I really hadn't ever read a book about witches that also dealt with the "issue" of re-incarnation.  Also, I hope that the cover that is available on Goodreads is the final cover...I REALLY like it a LOT, very much a less is more cover. 

Now for my list of negatives....

I wasn't able to get through the whole book so I don't know at this time if this particular issue cleared itself up or not as the book progressed, but I had a really hard time connecting with the main characters. From the portion of the book that I did get read I felt disconnected from the characters.  I also had moments where the story confused me. There were points where I was confused as to what tense the story was in.

Overall, I really wanted to get into Hunter's Fall but at the time I just was not able to.  I'm also hoping to make a second attempt to read Hunter's Fall cover to cover after it is released.  I do want to thank The Book Vixen for letting me be a part of this tour...I just wish I was able to get into the story.

RATING:

DNF

The Tour Schedule:

Tour Schedule:
5/30 - The Book Vixen
5/31 - Alice White Blogs
6/1 - My Overstuffed Bookshelf
6/3 - Jamie's Bookshelf
6/6 - Lush Book Reviews
6/7 - Seduced by Books
6/9 - Tori @ Smexy Books

Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward (BDB # 4) Mini Review

Title: Lover Revealed
Author: J.R. Ward
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #4


Synopsis:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York there's a war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defender of their race. But now an ally of the Brotherhood is about to encounter his own dark desire...

Butch O'Neal is a fighter by nature. A hard living, ex-homicide cop, he's the only human ever to be allowed in the inner circle of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. And he wants to go even deeper into the vampire world to engage in the turf war with the lessers. He's got nothing to lose. His heart belongs to a female vampire, Marissa, an aristocratic beauty who's way out of his league. If he can't have her, then at least he can fight side by side with the Brothers...

Fate curses him with the very thing he wants. When Butch sacrifices himself to save a civilian vampire from the slayers, he falls prey to the darkest force in the war. Left for dead, he's found by a miracle, and the Brotherhood calls Marissa to bring him back. But even her love may not be enough to save him...

Review:

I don't know what it was about this particular book in the series but I didn't think that it lived up to the three prior novels. I can honestly say that of the 4 books in the series that I've read so far this one is probably my least favorite.  In my opinion it started off slow and never really gained much steam the farther I got into the book.

I've always like Butch since he was first introduced into the series.  He was a "warrior" before he joined the BDB and all he really wants to do is help the BDB fight the lessers so he doesn't feel so much like a mooch.  Though I can honestly say that I'm only lukewarm on Marissa. SIDE NOTE: Her brother is my absolute LEAST favorite character in the whole series, he's such a pompous ass in my opinion.

Overall, I didn't hate this book.  I just prefer that when I read a romance I don't spend most of the book wishing the pace would pick up.  There were plenty of exciting parts and the ending, though a little predictable, was very good.  And as an added bonus we learn a little bit about Vishous' kinky side.

RATING:

3/5

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward

Title: Dark Lover

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: September 5, 2005

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 393 pages

Source: Bought

 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 4/5

Synopsis:
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing their enemies more than Wrath, the leader of the Black Dagger Brotherhood...

The only purebred vampire left on the planet, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But when one of his most trusted fighters is killed - orphaning a half-breed daughter unaware of her heritage or her fate - Wrath must usher the beautiful female into the world of the undead...

Racked by a restlessness in her body that wasn't there, Beth Randall is helpless against the dangerously sexy man who comes at night with shadows in his eyes. His tales of brotherhood and blood frighten her. But his touch ignites a dawning hunger that threatens to consume them both....

Review:

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is one of my favorite adult vampire series of all time.  Each of the brothers have bad ass names like Rhage and Tohrment to name two.  Each brother has his own story and I can hardly wait to re-read them all!  Including John Matthew's story which I still haven't read yet. *hangs head*

But Dark Lover is the kickoff story for this series.  The main characters are Wrath and Beth Randall...Wrath who is the King of the vampires and Beth who is the half human daughter of Darius (a warrior in the brotherhood who is killed at the beginning of the story).  At the beginning of the story Darius approaches Wrath about helping Beth through her transition (from human to vampire), if it were to happen.  At first Wrath shuts him down cold.  But then Darius is killed and Wrath feels that he owes Darius to help Beth through her transition.

I really LOVED this book a LOT.  Not only are we talking about a group of EXTREMELY attractive warrior vampires who's whole purpose in life (is it really life if your a member of the undead?) is to protect civilian vampires from lessors, who are soulless humans who get their jollies getting rid of vampires.  But also a group of individuals who really act like brothers.  And the fact that they are written to basically be SEX GODS.  Definitely NOT your Twilight vamps that's for sure!

I really was impressed with the way that this book was written.  The characters were very engaging, even Hard-ass Butch and Zsadist, I felt that even I could relate to the characters. The side stories I thought were well written to keep the story flowing....There's a lot of from the vampire's points of view and switching to the lessor's points of view through out the book. The dialogue was catchy and there was a touch of humor laced through out this book.  I thought that the transition from Wrath and Beth at the beginning of the book to the end of the book was very smooth.  See at the beginning Wrath was 6'9" of hard ass and didn't particularly care for females or humans (two strikes against Beth) and Beth was sort of a loner lost in the world (her mother died when she was born and she was put in the foster system), then Wrath shows up and things start to change for both of them.  I thought that they were beautifully matched.

Overall, I think that this book was a great start to this series and I can hardly wait to read further on into the Brotherhood.  I'm off to start reading about Rhage and his curse...sounds awfully delicious!

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Eternal

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: March 7, 2006

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 441 pages

Source: Bought

 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 4/5

Synopsis:
In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war raging between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret bound of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Possessed bu a deadly beast Rhage is the most dangerous of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetites. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin. Owned by this dark side, Rhage fears the time when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him.

Mary Luce, a survivor of many hardships is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world and reliant to Rhage's protection. With a life-threatening curse of her own, Mary is not looking for love. She lost her faith in miracles years ago. But when Rhage's intense animal attraction turns into something more emotional, he knows that he must make Mary his alone. And while their enemies close in, Mary fights desperately to gain life eternal with the one she loves...

Review:

Lover Eternal is the second book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood and is Rhage's story.  Rhage a LONG time ago was cursed by the Scribe Virgin and now he's got about 91 years left on a 200 year old curse.  Well that is until he meets Mary that is.  That's when things start to get real interesting around the brotherhood.

Mary on the other hand is a strong independent woman.  She has to be to have gone through the "curse" she's gone through and come out on the other side.  Well that is until that nasty old "curse" comes back again.  Then she meets Rhage, through a friend (who she has no idea is actually a vampire) and all bets are off.

Unlike the first book where there was a LOT of fighting and almost a lot of romance this book in the series goes the other way.  Where there's a LOT of romance and almost a lot of fighting.  What I really liked about this book is that J.R. Ward took a vampire that had been written to be shall we say a fighting/sex addict to keep his beast (which you learn some shocking things about through the course of the book) at bay and turned him into fighting/monogamy addict.  Really teaching an old dog a new trick.

Another thing that I really liked about this book was the way that Rhage spoke to Mary.  Even from the beginning it was really sexy (in my opinion) when he talked to her like he was talking to his wife.  It gave me warm fuzzies inside to read all these words of love coming out of a big, strong, sexy as hell warrior vampire.

I'm usually not one for cliff hanger endings but I think with the build up throughout this story to Zsadist and Bella's story that the cliff hanger was very appropriate.  I made me want to keep reading and pick up the next book and start that one right away...which I did.  I can honestly say that I spent my entire Sunday, from the time I got up at around 1 am until I went to bed at a little after 5 pm, reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood.  I just could not stop myself. 

Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward

Title: Lover Awakened

Author: J.R. Ward

Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: September 5, 2006

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 434 pages

Source: Bought

 

Rating: 5/5

Smuttiness: 4/5

 

Synopsis:

 

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, a deadly turf war rages between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Of these, Zsadist is the most terrifying member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.

A former blood slave, the vampire Zsadist still bears the scars from a past filled with suffering and humiliation. Renowned for his unquenchable fury and sinister deeds, he is a savage feared by humans and vampires alike. Anger is his only companion and terror his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Bella is instantly entranced by the seething power Zsadist possesses. But even as their desire for each other begins to overtake them, Zsadist's thirst for vengeance against Bella's tormentors drives him to the brink of madness. Now Bella must help her lover overcome the wounds of his tortured past and find a future with her.

 

Review:

 

Hi!  My name is Jamie and I spent my Sunday reading Black Dagger Brotherhood novels. I think that's a hell of a way to spend a day.  Sexy as hell warrior vampires and the ladies they eventually learn to love.  Hell of a way.  I actually got through 2 novels yesterday.

 

Lover Awakened is Zsadist's story.  When Zsadist was young he was stolen from his family and turned into a blood slave where absolutely HORRIBLE things happened to him.  To the point that his twin actually tells Bella that Zsadist isn't broken, he's ruined.  Cause if something is broken you can sometimes fix it right.  Everyone is scared of him because he's scarred (he's got a LOT of nasty ass scars from his bloodslave days) and borderline sadistic.

 

But really all it takes is a strong female vampire to turn Zsadist's world upside down.  That's where Bella comes in.  After her ordeal (which starts in Lover Eternal) with the lessers she's beyond shaken and she's always had a crush on Zsadist.  And that's where she starts turning him around.  Making him feel loveable and almost "human" again.

 

Unlike the last two books there is a LOT of sadness in this book.  I don't want to gve too much away but y'all should know that this story is NOT all "sunshine and roses."  And not all the sadness comes from the main characters either.

 

What I've noticed so far in this series is that the books seem to rotate from being a LOT of fighting and almost a lot of romance to a LOT of romance and almost a lot of fighting.  Well this book happens to be of the a LOT of fighting and almost a lot of romance variety.  Don't get me wrong there is a considerable amount of romance but given Zsadist's past he's a fighter learning to be a lover.  Actually, because of his past he feels that he's unattractive AND unloveable.  Double whammy!

 

What I also noticed about this book was there wasn't a much buildup to the next story in the series.  In the last two books there was buildup to each character's story.  I didn't feel that that was happening in this story as much as the other two books.

 

Overall, I thought though it had more than it's fair share of sad moments that Lover Awakened was a great read.  Of the three books in the series that I've read so far I'm having a hard time coming up with a clear cut favorite.  But I think that with Zsadist's past and his hang up's he just might be slightly ahead of the other two books.

Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Fantasy Lover
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Dark Hunter/Were-Hunter prequel

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

This book is part of the Dark-Hunter universe, but does not feature any Dark-Hunters, For that it's considered an introduction to the series hence the #0.

Dear Reader, Being trapped in a bedroom with a woman is a grand thing. Being trapped in hundreds of bedrooms over two thousand years isn't. And being cursed into a book as a love-slave for eternity can ruin even a Spartan warrior's day. As a love-slave, I knew everything about women. How to touch them, how to savor them, and most of all how to pleasure them. But when I was summoned to fulfill Grace Alexander's sexual fantasies, I found the first woman in history who saw me as a man with a tormented past. She, alone, bothered to take me out of the bedroom and into the world. She taught me to love again. But I was not born to know love. I was cursed to walk eternity alone. As a general, I had long ago accepted my sentence. Yet now I have found Grace-the one thing my wounded heart cannot survive without. Sure, love can heal all wounds, but can it break a two thousand year old curse? Julian of Macedon

Review:

I've had this book sitting around collecting dust on my book shelf for little over a year now and I recently picked it up and decided that enough was enough...time to get her read.  I'm kicking myself for waiting as long as I did to read this book!  What the heck was I thinking?!

Alrighty then...Our main heroine is Grace Alexander, who happens to be a sex therapist who thinks that she's heard and "seen" it all and that nothing can shock her anymore.  Yet there has been MANY years since her last relationship, or I think it's safe to say relationshit. Since she was really nothing more than a game to her first love.  I really liked Grace....she seemed to come off as a very genuine character with a pretty wicked sense of humor, especially when she's been partaking in "adult beverages."  But it's Grace's BFF Selena who has other idea's for Grace.  Selena thinks that Grace's love life is in desperate need of something other than nothing at all.

Selena gives Grace an ancient book that she claims hold the sex slave Julian of Macedon.  Once Julian has been summoned he has to serve the woman who called him for 30 days.  The image of the man pictured in the book looks a LOT like a Greek God....meaning wicked HOT and UBER YUMMY!  Naturally Grace thinks it's nothing but a bunch of BS and in a drunken stupor jokingly calls Julian...Over course she doesn't actually expect him to show up at her house...much less NAKED!!
Julian has spent what feels like forever (literally) in the book since his last summons, which was sometime in the late 1800's, but doesn't really expect anything out of the norm to take place when he is summoned by Grace.  Boy does he ever get the shock of a lifetime!
At first I thought that Julian's character was pretty stereotypical...just what you would imagine a sex slave to be.  But the further I got into the story the more Julian's character developed and you learn that before the curse he actually had a life and his character becomes much deeper.  I especially enjoyed the flashbacks to his time in the military...were he eventually became a General.

As time goes along it becomes harder for Grace to resist Julian.  But when Ero's is summoned he explains that there is a way to break the curse.  That's were Julian starts feeling really dejected.
(SLIGHT SPOILER AHEAD) The only way to break the curse is for a woman of Alexander to summon Julian but they can not consummate the relationship until the very last day.  This only makes Julian feel worse until Grace tells him, "Julian, my name is Grace Alexander."

I especially loved that there were a couple of fight scenes in the book.  My personal favorite was the one at the end between Julian and the God who cursed him.  Very interesting.

This isn't my first book in this series and so far of the few that I have read I am really enjoying them.  So naturally I can hardly wait to read more.  I really like how Sherrilyn writes.  It's a style that I really enjoy. 


Favorite Quotes:

"I don't think it's the business of my patients wether or not I'm a born-again virgin.  And as for the Age of Electronics, I really don't want to get personal with something that comes with a warning label and batteries."

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

Title: Angelfire

Author: Courtney Allison Moulton

Series: Angelfire #1

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Paranormal Romance, Angels

Publisher: HarperCollins / Katherine Tegen Books

Release Date: 2011, February 15

Format: Hardcover, 464 pages

Source: Netgalley 

Rating: 3.75/5

Synopsis:

This debut, the first novel in a trilogy, is achingly romantic, terrifying, and filled with blistering action.

When seventeen-year-old Ellie starts seeing reapers - monstrous creatures who devour humans and send their souls to Hell - she finds herself on the front lines of a supernatural war between archangels and the Fallen and faced with the possible destruction of her soul.

A mysterious boy named Will reveals she is the reincarnation of an ancient warrior, the only one capable of wielding swords of angelfire to fight the reapers, and he is an immortal sworn to protect her in battle. Now that Ellie's powers have been awakened, a powerful reaper called Bastian has come forward to challenge her. He has employed a fierce assassin to eliminate her - an assassin who has already killed her once.

While balancing her dwindling social life and reaper-hunting duties, she and Will discover Bastian is searching for a dormant creature believed to be a true soul reaper. Bastian plans to use this weapon to ignite the End of Days and to destroy Ellie's soul, ending her rebirth cycle forever. Now, she must face an army of Bastian's most frightening reapers, prevent the soul reaper from consuming her soul, and uncover the secrets of her past lives - including truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Review:

Ellie Monroe thinks she's just your normal everyday high school senior.  The truth is she's not.  She's not your normal everyday high school senior.

Ellis has been having nightmares for a LONG time.  VIOLENT nightmares.  She has everyone, with the exception of her best friend Kate, convinced that the nightmares have stopped.  But really Ellie's just used to them because they are pretty much a nightly thing.

Then she meets Will.  To Ellie Will is vaguely familiar but she's not really able to place where she's seen him before.

Then Ellie's economics teacher is brutally murdered and that's when things start getting REALLY weird.  One night while on a walk she hears a growl and then Will shows up not long after.  After giving Will crap she's headed for home when the growl happens again.  This time Will grabs her and puts, for a lack of a better word, a "spell" on Ellie.  Now she's able to see into the Grim.  Now the nightmares are starting to make sense.

Ellie is a Preliator.  The ONLY mortal in the world with the power to fight the reapers.  And Will?  Will is Ellie's Guardian, sworn to protect Ellie.

I had NO problem getting into this book.  Once I started it I just had to keep reading...I had to know what was going to happen next.  But that's where things start to go a little bit south for me.

I had a hard time relating to Ellie.  Ellie comes from a rich family (I don't know about you but I did NOT get a $30K car for my 17th B-Day) and up until recently really didn't have very many worries.  I felt she was a little bit on the spoiled side and really almost had to be forced to rise to the occasion when trouble starting happening (with both the reapers and her dad.)  I thought that the process that Ellie was going through to remember her past took to long and was a little bit too drawn out.

I did really enjoy the flashbacks and memories from Ellie's past.  They painted a very vibrant picture of Ellie's past as the Preliator.

I also really enjoyed the action and fight scenes.  Very well crafted, though at times I felt that they were a tab bit repetitive.

Overall, I did enjoy this debut and I will be checking out the next book in the series as well.

Adversary by Kate Kaynak

Title: Adversary

Author: Kate Kaynak

Series: Ganzfield  #2

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: 2010, August 20

Format: Paperback, 238 pages

Source: Sent by author for honest review

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Things are more dangerous than they seem at Ganzfield, and not everyone will survive. Does Maddie have what it takes?
See what happens next in the sequel to Minder.

Review:
I apologize for taking so long to get this review posted.  I had written in a notebook and then put the notebook in a "safe place."  But now the notebook is found again so I can get this review posted! :)

I'll be honest....I usually get a little nervous with second books.  There just have been a few in the past that just did NOT appeal to me at all.  That was NOT the case with this book. This book, just like Minder, sucked me in and I had to keep going. The action is almost non-stop from the very beginning...which I really liked.  The first few chapters ALONE are in my opinion beyond belief!  AMAZING!

I'm still a little lukewarm on Maddie and Trevor's relationship.  But I think that it's starting to develop into a more "realistic" relationship.  Yeah for relationship growth!

What I'm really liking about this series is that even the minor characters play a MAJOR role in the telling of the story.  I also enjoyed the new character Zack.  I LOVED how he shook things up between Maddie and Trevor.

I also love how the author throws TONS of curve balls at you.  I LOVE an exciting story.  It kind of irks me when I read a story where the story builds and builds and then just levels off.  That did NOT happen with this story at all!

What I didn't care for was that it took me entirely way to long to read it.  I'm going to place the blame for that on my brother's wedding preparations....I REALLY got into that.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Title: The Dark Divine

Author: Bree Despain

Series: The Dark Divine #1

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: EgmontUSA

Release Date: 2009, December 22

Format: Hardcover, 372 pages

Source: Purchased with own money many moons ago

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

A Prodigal Son

A Dangerous Love

A Deadly Secret

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood.

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother.

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

Review:

OMG!  I have NO idea why I waited this long to read this book!  Once I got started reading it was the fastest 372 pages EVER!  I could not put this book down.  I had to constantly know what was going on and what was going to happen next.  When I originally purchased this book I was totally drawn to the cover.  It's kinda creepy and mysterious and I just love it!

Grace Divine is the local preacher's daughter and she's always been drawn to the boy next door, Daniel.  Now Daniel at one point was even considered a member of the Divine family, but then there was an incident and he disappeared.

Fast forward 3 years and Daniel is back in town.  Grace always knew that there was something not right about the circumstances in which Daniel just picked up, packed up and disappeared on them.  But no one EVER talks about what actually happened.  Now that Daniel is back in town, almost unrecognizable with his unkempt shaggy, dyed black hair Gracie's crush gets thrown yet again into high gear.

Then a whole bunch of REALLY mysterious things start happening and Grace is determined to get to the bottom of it all.  Whether her family and Daniel like it or not.

What I really liked was that you're a good chunk of the way into the book before you actually figure out what Daniel really is.  I think it would have detracted from the story if you knew right off what he really is.  But that's just my opinion.

Another thing that I really liked was how Bree constantly let you know where (like day, place, and even time wise) the characters were.  I thought that it helped the story flow much easier for me personally.  

 I also liked how the main character Grace Divine grew throughout the book.  In the beginning of the book I thought that Grace was kind of a follower and as more defecation hit the rotary oscillator (AKA Shit hitting the fan) she went more the other way and grew into leader type.  I also really liked how Grace spent a good chunk of the book trying to figure out who and what the monster(s) really were.

Overall, I really liked the story as a whole.  I can hardly wait until December when book 2 comes out!  Is it December yet?!

Minder By Kate Kaynak

Title: Minder

Author: Kate Kaynak

Series: Ganzfield #1

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Release Date: 2010, June 18

Format: Paperback, 264 pages

Source: Sent by author in exchange for an honest review 

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey--especially once she meets the man of her dreams...

Review:

Holy Heck!  That was one of this first things that I was thinking after I finished reading Minder.  You know that feeling you get when you bite into some treat sample that is absolutely scrumptious and leaves you wanting MORE?  That's what I was feeling when I finished Minder.  Where had this book been in the whole time that I've been book blogging and why am I just NOW hearing about it?!

When I was first approached about reading and reviewing Minder I didn't really now what to expect.  I had never heard of this book or this author to be honest.  I'm very glad that I took that leap of faith!  Once I got started reading I was completely SUCKED into the story.  It pained me to put this book down to do everyday things.  I just wanted/had to know more!

From the very beginning of Minder there are TONS of emotions taking place throughout this book.  The beginning of the book was to say the least (and without giving away anything) VERY intense and "welcome to the dark-side" dark.  Honestly, the beginning kind of walked a fine line for me.  I knew it was an important piece of the Minder "puzzle" but it felt a little bit to real for me.

Once I got past my slight misgivings about the beginning of the book I found that I really enjoyed the characters.  They all seemed to be very well rounded and people you might know (if they were real that is).  The one character that I want to know more about is Seth.  He "talks" to Maddie telepathically and I really want to find out if there is more to him than what we've seen so far.

I guess my one quirk with the book was Maddie's relationship with Trevor.  I just thought that at times it felt a little bit "to good to be true."  I felt that the relationship was a little bit to "blah" for me.  There wasn't any conflict that I could see and in life that just doesn't happen.  But surprisingly that was my only real quirk about the book.

Seriously though, if you are going to pick up a copy of Minder don't make plans. You'll be busy visiting Maddie's world.  And it's totally worth it!

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White **tiny spoilers**

Title: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Series: 

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 2010, August

Format: Hardcover, 335 pages

Source: E-Book bought via Barnes and Noble 

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble):

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.


Review:

OMG!  This book was "bleeping"(read the book and you'll understand) AWESOME!  I had heard so much about this book in the weeks leading up to it's release that I decided that I needed to check it out. Evie, the main character, is able to see through other paranormals' "glamour" to what's really underneath...Like for example: Vampires....On the outside sex but underneath the glamour 'oh so NOT sexy'.  Evie thinks she's just a "normal" teenager that is able to do something "interesting" when it comes to paranormals.  But then bad things start to happen, paranormals start dying and Evie learns a couple secrets about herself.

Reth, her ex-boyfriend, who happens to be a faerie is crazy!  Through most of the book you think he's on one side but by the end you realize you were oh so wrong.  That all his craziness was supposed to be "helpful."  Then there's Lend, a shape shifting hottie!  He gets captured by the IPCA and is held prisoner for awhile.  When the center comes under attack Evie helps Lend escape.  Then we learn a little bit about Lend's life prior to being captured.

I loved the way that the story was written.  All of the dialogue for Evie and Lend were written in a way that was very believable.  Things that teens would actually say.  The dialogue for the other characters in the book were written in a very "grown up" manner....things that adults would say. The way things were described were very vivid as well.

Overall, I can hardly wait to read more of this series!  I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh take on paranormal YA fiction.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa **may contain spoilers**

Title: The Iron King

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Iron Fey #1

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 2010, February 1

Format: Paperback, 363 pages

Source: Bought via Barnes and Noble web page

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Review:

OMG! I absolutely LOVED this book! Fan-freaking-tastic! I'm usually NOT a real big fan of faery books..Vampires, werewolves and those sorts of paranormal are more up my alley. But once I started reading it I had a VERY hard time putting it down.

Julie Kagwa is VERY vivid and thorough of her descriptions of not only the characters, but of Nevernever land and the overall landscapes of the various Fey Courts. I felt like I was right there with Meghan and crew while they were on their journey.

There is action and "weird" things happening almost from the very start of the book. So your

on a fast track to Nevernever land real quick. See Meghan's life is turned upside down when her little brother (technically he's her 1/2 brother but who's being technical?) is kidnapped and a super nasty changeling (who attacks both Meghan and her mom) is left in his place.

But this is where Meghan's best friend Robbie comes into play. See in actuality Robby is the prankster Puck from a Midsummer's Night Dream. And off they go through the "trod," which is the portal into Nevernever land (conviently found in the closet of Meghan's brother.) As beautiful as Nevernever is a VERY dangerous place and you never really know who your friend or your foe is.

Pretty much everything keeps going wrong, more so when Grimalkin, who is a cat sith gets involved. Meghan keeps finding herself in one pickle after another, which makes her goal of finding her little brother seem almost unattainable. She's fighting trolls, gremlins, other faeries, each other, and other mythical creatures. It seems that Meghan and crew just couldn't catch a break if their lives depended upon it.

There were a couple parts of this book that were predictable. Like...Meghan is the daughter of the Summer king, so naturally she's gonna go and fall for the son of the Winter Queen. In all honesty I think that that piece of predictability was key to the story. I would have been severly dissapointed if it wasn't written the way it was. But for the most part the story kept me on my toes and guessing what was going to happen next.

Unlike Meghan (who is there looking for her brother and wants to get back to her life ASAP), it seems that pretty much all the rest of the characters in the story have a hidden agenda or have something that is brewing right there under the surface.

I think that Robbie/Puck takes the cake in this one, with his wicked sense of humor. Meghan is a very likeable character and seems to grow as the story goes along. Sometimes you think she's not real bright....Like bargaining with a faery. But just when you think she's going to go and do something dumb yet again, she throws you for a loop.

Which brings us to Ash, who is the prince of the Winter Court. He's written as a total hottie who is seriously cold in so many ways. He's attracted to Meghan but at the same time he wants to kill her. He even thinks about it several times but manages to stop himself. Ash is a superior swordsman with his sword of iciness and if his sword isn't cutting it....he likes to drop his predators by shooting icicles at them. Which I think is pretty cool.

I have to agree with Alyssa from Teens Read and Write. I just don't think that there was enough Ash in the story. We see him a little bit in the beginning but after that we don't really see him again until your well over a 100 pages into the book. Really that is my only complaint with the book....I wanted MORE Ash.

I can hardly wait until the second book comes out in the series. The Iron Daughter is being released in August. August seems so VERY far away!

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa **Small Spoilers**

Title: The Iron Daughter
Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Iron Fey #2

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Romance

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Release Date: 2010, August 1

Format: Paperback, 359 pages

Source: Bought via Barnes and Noble web page

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron Fey, iron-bound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her. Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's alone in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Review:

I LOVED The Iron King and I could hardly wait for the second book in the series to come out. This book came out and because I ordered it with a pre-ordered book I had to wait for it!  It was the LONGEST 26 days EVER!

The story starts out with Meghan saying good bye to her family, yet again as she's about to fulfill her contract with Ash and head for enemy territory. When Meghan gets to the Winter Court she is basically a prisoner to Queen Mab and Prince Ash abandons her.  Needless to say that the Winter Court is NOT happy to have Meghan around at all.  SPOILER AHEAD>>>When the Scepter of the Seasons is stolen and Prince Sage is murdered by the Iron Fey, Mab becomes enraged, because she doesn't not believe that these Iron Fey exist and think that Oberon took the Scepter, and a war between the Courts is in the works.  The Iron Fey are looking forward to the long trail of death and destruction that will come from the war. END SPOILER.  Now Meghan and her crew are on a journey to find the Scepter of the Seasons, return it to the Winter Court and stop the bloody war that is taking place.  All of this while being hopelessly in love with Ash.

Book number 2 in this series is just as captivating as The Iron King was.  The writing is very intense and extremely passionate.  In book 2 Julie Kagawa continues to build the world of Nevernever even bigger and badder than in the first book.  Nevernever only gets even more dangerous (as if that were even possible) in this book.  There are new characters that will have you completely mesmerized.  The plot, I think is better in this book, there are all sorts of twists and turns and it keeps you guessing.

This book is very fast-paced and I totally felt like I was there in Nevernever and as another member of Meghan's team trying to get back the Scepter.  I had a hard time putting this book down.  Ms. Kagawa does an excellent job of describing Faerie politics in this book, just to show how very dangerous the Fey can be.  The book is also a little bit of an emotional roller coaster.....Meghan learns some things along the way...some good and some not so good.

I was really happy with Meghan's personal growth along the way.  She's powerful and yet vulnerable as well....You mash those two things together and you get a pretty bad ass combination if you ask me.  There are times when she's struggling pretty badly with all the things that are going on around her.  She also makes some pretty bad decisions too....But in the end she rises to the occasion.  Meghan really is a force to be reckoned with!

OMG!  The romance triangle! As much as I love Puck I'm Team Ash (I have a "thing" for the "bad boy" types).  Puck has a lot of amazing qualities and when things started to heat up with Meghan I got a little bit worried.  But then along comes Ash, who has long since given in to his feelings for Meghan, and things get a "little bit" explosive.

My new favorite character is most defiantly Ironhorse!  He's a bad guy turned good.  And that's HOT!

Overall, I'm hopelessly hooked on this series and I'm finding it VERY difficult to wait until February for the Iron Queen to come out!