Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Unfed (Undead #2) by Kristy McKay: Review

Unfed (Undead #2)
By Kristy McKay
Published August 27th 2013 by Scholastic
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!
Synopsis borrowed from Gooderads:

Fresh meat! From a hospital of horrors to a runaway zombie train, it's an all-new onslaught of the slavering undead in the sequel to Kirsty McKay's killer debut!

Just when you think you're out...it's the morning after the night of the return of the living dead. Or something like that. After running/bus-driving/snowboarding for her life alongside rebel Smitty, geeky Pete, and popular Alice, Bobby thought she'd found the antidote to the Carrot Man Veggie Juice that had turned the rest of their classmates into zombies. When Smitty (mmm...nom, nom) got chomped, Bobby pumped a syringe full of it into him herself.

But now Bobby's a prisoner in some hospital of horrors, with no clue how she got there. And Smitty is missing. What if he isn't cured after all? Bobby knows she's got to find him, even if it means facing Scotland's hungry hordes -- plus Alice's buckets of snark -- again. And this time, zombies aren't the only evil stressing her out. The brain-dead are bad enough, but how can Bobby stop the big pharma business behind the epidemic? Especially when her own mom works for the company?

Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
Holy zombies Batman!!

Zombie birds, zombie cows, zombinos...and they are all smarter and faster now too?! WTH?!! How is Bobby and the gang gonna get out of this one?

Bobby wakes up in a hospital only to find out that she has been out cold for about 6 weeks. Not only that but her doctor tells her that only four people survived the crash and her mother wasn't one of them. Neither was Smitty. But she refuses to believe that. It isn't long before the zombies take over the hospital and Bobby makes a brake for it. Meeting up with Alice, Pete, and a new guy named Russ she is dead set on finding her mom and Smitty before it's too late. Can she pull it off without becoming zombie food?

This was even better than the first one. It had me laughing so hard I almost cried a few times. Bobby's character is simply hilarious. I loved all the twists and turns and the action packed pace this book has. Once you start you won't be able to put it down! The only thing I wish is that Smitty would have came into the picture a little sooner. I missed him throughout the book.

Over all this is a zombie read that you don't want to miss! Chop, chop, chop
 


Lymi...

 

Monday, August 26, 2013

Take Me (Take A Chance #4)
By Diane Alberts
Published August 26th 2013 by Entangled Publishing: Ever After
Pick up your own copy at B&N or Amazon today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
Married in the morning…

Professional heartbreaker Mike Worth thrived on the chase—and dancer Morgan Collins represented the ultimate prize. But there was no way he was going to throw away his single-man status…not even for an elusive redhead with sparkling eyes and mile-long legs. So how did he let one drunken Vegas night end with I do instead of hell no?

Morgan’s life revolved around her career and she had no intention of letting a man interfere—even if Mike made her question all her rules about love. At his urging, she reluctantly agreed to give their spur-of–moment marriage a chance. But once their trial-honeymoon ended, would she choose to follow the dance and leave her unforgettable husband behind?

Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
This was another great addition to this series!

Mike is NEVER getting married. Never! But picking up a girl for a one night stand after his best friends bachelor party....now that he can handle. But what happens when Morgan and Mike end up drunk on the Vegas strip? Not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas and to his surprise that just might be what he needs.

Now I don't want to give away anything so I can't go into much, but this was a smoking hot, heart warming read that I LOVED! Although book 3 in this series is still my favorite this one is a close second. I love how stubborn Mike and Morgan are together. How neither one of them wanted to be the first to give in. It made the banter between them comical at times.

Overall Diane Alberts hits another homerun with this addition to the Take A Chance series.
 


Lymi...
 
 



Thursday, August 22, 2013

Shadows (The Rephiam #1) By Paula Weston: Review

Shadows (The Rephaim #1)
By Paula Weston
Published July 2nd by Text Publishing
Pick up your copy at B&N or Amazon today!

Synopsis borrowed form Goodreads:

It’s almost a year since Gaby Winters was in the car crash that killed her twin brother, Jude. Her body has healed in the sunshine of Pandanus Beach, but her grief is raw and constant. It doesn’t help that every night in her dreams she kills demons and other hell-spawn.

And then Rafa comes to town. Not only does he look exactly like the guy who’s been appearing in Gaby’s dreams—he claims a history with her brother that makes no sense. Gaby is forced to accept that what she thought she knew about herself and her life is only a shadow of the truth—and that the truth is more likely to be found in the shadows of her nightmares.

Who is Rafa? Who are the Rephaim? And most importantly, who can she trust?

Fast-paced and gripping, Shadows, the first book in the Rephaim series, is a standout paranormal romance for fans of Richelle Mead and Cassandra Clare.

Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
This was simply a book I couldn't put down!

It's been a year since Gaby and her twin brother Jude were in the terrible accident that took his life. Gaby is constantly haunted by the details of the accident. Not to mention the crazy dreams she has about fighting demons alongside a guy she's never met. That is until he shows up at the bar she hangs out at. And everything changes. She doesn't even know who she is much less who she can trust.

It's been a LONG while since an angel book has been able to snag my attention but this was grabbed me from the first page! I loved Gaby and her voice along with Rafa. I and totally Team Rafa! I hope these two get together for good. But aside from the apparent romance there was action, suspense, and everything you could ask for in a paranormal ya book. I just loved it!

Oh yeah and did I tell you that I Loved it yet? lol

Overall this is the best angel book I've read in a long time and I can't wait for the next book to come out!
 
Lymi...
 
 


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Working it Out
By Rachel ANderson
Published July 13th 2013 by HEA Publishing
Pick up your copy at Amazon today!

Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

A chance encounter . . .
Grace Warren's life is safe and predictable—exactly the way she likes it. But when she gets roped into going to an auction to help out a friend, everything changes. She meets Seth Tuttle—a guy who unexpectedly kisses her then disappears, leaving her flustered and upset. If she never sees him again, it will be too soon.

A chance for love . . .
Weeks later, when Seth limps into Grace's rehab clinic post surgery, he's every bit as frustrating and annoying as she remembered. Yet there's something about him that makes her second-guess her carefully placed boundaries even though he's everything she's sure she doesn't want in a man. But maybe Seth is exactly what Grace has needed all along—assuming she's willing to risk safe and predictable for a chance at love.



Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
What a perfect, sweet summer read!

Grace lives a pretty mundane life. Work, friends, home, repeat. That is until she gets roped into going to a charity event and gets kissed by a complete stranger. I completely hot stranger that both flusters her and excites her at the same time. Who would have guessed that stranger would walk into her physical therapy office a few weeks later? And then he doesn't even remember her?! The nerve! Not to mention that everything that comes out of his mouth his a pick-up line.

This was a fast paced great summer read. I loved both Seth, with his teasing ways, and Grace with her down to earth, grounded mentality. It's a constant push and pull between these two and I loved it! The chemistry and drama are perfect and not over the top.

Overall this is one of those cute romances that should just can't put down.


Lymi...

 

Friday, August 9, 2013

Crave (Billionare Bachelors Club #1) by Monica Murphy: Review

Crave (Billinare Bachelors Club #1)
By Monica Murphy
Published August 6th 2013 by Avon Impulse
Pick up your copy at Amazon, B&N, or your local indie today!

Synopsis borrowed from Gooreads:

Billionaire Archer Bancroft always gets what he wants—and he’s wanted Ivy Emerson, his best friend’s sister, for far too long. Being forbidden and untouchable only makes her more tempting. When a million-dollar bet with his friends throws down a challenge—last bachelor standing takes all—Archer knows he can win. That is, until one enchanted evening with Ivy takes his heart for a ride.

Ivy knows Archer is nothing but bad news: Infuriating, arrogant…and completely intoxicating. But despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to keep away. When a stolen kiss leads to a night of heated passion, Ivy realizes she’s in trouble and in head over heels.

But in the light of day, everything seems clearer and Archer’s not so sure a one-night stand is all he wants. Concocting a plan to keep Ivy by his side, Archer might just be willing to lose this bet…and win the jackpot instead.

Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
Sizzling hot and steamy right from the start!

Archer is a wealthy businessman, and he always gets what he wants. That is until he takes a bet with his friends to be the last bachelor standing, and Ivy, his friends little sister, crosses his path. He can't help it. He just can't stay away from her. But when what was supposed to be one night of hot sex turns into something more can Archer hold out and win the bet? Or will he even want to?

I Loved, LOVED this book! This is the first book I've read by Monica Murphy and it surely won't be my last. In fact I think I might die while waiting for this sequel. I loved that this book was told from both Archer and Ivy's POV. It just really let me get inside both characters. And Archer with his crass, no nonsense, pushy ways was so believable.

Ivy was definitely a girls, girl. I felt her character and she made me want to cry a few times. Although I think I may have just been crying because I wanted these two together so badly.

Overall the plot was solid, the characters were well rounded, and I just couldn't get enough!
 


Lymi...



Tuesday, August 6, 2013

The Redemption of Callie & Kayden by Jessica Sorenson: Review



The Redemption of Callie & Kayden
By Jessica Sorenson
Published August 6th 2013 by Sphere
Pick up your copy at Amazon or B&N today! Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:

The dark secret Kayden has kept hidden for years is out. Worse, he's facing charges for battery. The only way he stands a chance against the charges is if Callie speaks up, something he'll never ask her to do.

Callie knows Kayden is going back to his dark place and desperately wants to save him. But saving him means admitting her secrets aloud. Callie and Kayden are stronger than they think, especially when they're together. Together they move forward, face their demons, and finally start to heal from their traumatic pasts.





Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
It completely broke my heart and then put it back together again!

Callie and Kayden haven't had any easy time since they got together. If it hasn't been one thing it's been another keeping them apart. Now Kayden is in the hospital trying to overcome being stabbed by his dad and the wounds he inflicted on himself. Everyone is saying that he tried to kill himself and that all of his wounds are self inflicted. They won't let anyone but family in to see him and it's driving Callie crazy. Can their love overcome all that's happened? Or will it finally crumble under the weight that is their life.

I cried, and I cried, and I cried some more! I just couldn't help it. I love these two so much. I completely fell in love with them in book one and I did it all over again here in book two. Callie is so strong and really stands up for Kayden when he needs her most. Even when he is pushing her away she never backs down and I love her for that.

I hate all that these two have had to go through but I couldn't be happier that they found each other in the end. Overall this is a series that will rip your heart out and make you fall in love with the idea that hope really exists.



Lymi...
 

Monday, August 5, 2013

Q&A With author Emily Croy Barker/ Giveaway!!

Thanks for stopping by for our Q & A with the author of A Thinking Woman's Guide To Real Magic, Emily Croy Barker!!
 
 
So sit back and relax with us and one lucky winner will win a finished copy of her new book!!
 
A Conversation with
Emily Croy Barker, author of
THE THINKING WOMAN’S GUIDE TO REAL MAGIC
Pamela Dorman Books/Viking; on-sale August 5, 2013; 9780670023660; $27.95
 

Q. Which of the characters in THE THINKING WOMAN’S GUIDE TO REAL MAGIC did you most enjoy writing?
 
A. Aruendiel, no question. He says exactly what he thinks, and he doesn’t mind giving offense to anyone. Not something that most of us can get away with in our daily lives.
 
Of course, Ilissa was also a lot of fun, too. Because she’s also honest—Faitoren can’t tell lies—but at the same time, she’s thoroughly deceitful.
 
 
Q. Are any parts of this novel autobiographical?
 
A. You mean, is it about the time I stumbled into an alternate world and started studying magic? Sadly, no.
 
There were things in my life that I deliberately borrowed for the novel. The way Aruendiel talks about other magicians—I was thinking of how my father, who was a painter, used to talk with his artist friends about other artists, about who was doing good work and who wasn’t. My dad was the kindest and most gentle person ever, but he was ruthless when it came to criticizing bad art. It’s the idea that you have a calling that you have to follow and you don’t sell out.
 
I gave Nora some of my interests—a penchant for memorizing bits of poetry, a love of cooking—although she’s much better at both things than I am. She’s also braver than me. You could never get me to go up a cliff like the one at Maarikok, even with a levitation spell! And I let her take a path that I considered but never took—going to grad school in English.
 
 
Q. Your heroine, Nora Fischer, is swept away by magic into a kind of too good to be true existence.  Even though a part of her knew it wasn’t right she stayed.  Why would she allow herself to be easily enchanted?
 
A. As Aruendiel himself would point out, Faitoren enchantments are very hard to fight, because they give you something you want. Nora was feeling bruised and defeated, and suddenly she had everything that she thought she was missing.
 
I also think the kind of idealized femininity that Ilissa offers Nora—being beautiful, being the belle of the ball, having this perfect romantic love—is a very seductive thing, even for someone like Nora who has read all the feminist theorists and has really chosen the life of the mind. Maybe especially for someone like Nora.
 
 

Q. You have so many literary references, John Donne, Miguel de Cervantes, William Carlos Williams, Alice in Wonderland and Grimm’s Fairytales, but it’s Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice that Nora ends up with as her only possession in the alternate world.  What is the significance of this particular book?  Any personal connection to it?
 
A. Well, Pride and Prejudice is so modern in many ways, although written and set in a premodern time. So it seemed like a good match for A Thinking Woman’s Guide, where a contemporary woman is thrown into a world where women are still second-class citizens, at best. And Pride and Prejudice reflects some of the themes that I was interested in—an intelligent woman engaging with a man who has both higher status and worse manners than she does—without being too closely parallel to the plot of my story. Finally, I love Pride and Prejudice! And so do many other readers. So I hoped it might resonate with those who read my novel.
 
 
Q. Words are a powerful tool and language is a very important status symbol in Nora’s new world. Women are uneducated and don’t speak to men the same way Nora does; something she is repeatedly frustrated by.  How did you develop Ors, the language Nora must learn in order to communicate?
 
A. Language reflects society, so as I thought about Aruendiel’s world, I tried to imagine what sort of linguistic rules it would have to help keep women in their place. And as anyone who has studied a foreign language knows, there are all kinds of subtleties that you don’t pick up right away. You can make blooper after blooper, sometimes for years. So Nora keeps bumping up against things like the feminine verb endings, which she never noticed until Aruendiel rather officiously points them out to her.
 
I was also inspired by how Tolkien, who was a philologist, essentially began imagining Middle-Earth by inventing various Elvish names. He wrote poems about these characters and, eventually, fiction. I thought, wow, what a powerful tool to create a believable fantasy universe, to develop some kind of logical linguistic framework that underlies your story.
 
 
Q. You’re a journalist by trade. What was it like, switching to fiction? Where do you write? Do you set hours or just put pen to paper when inspiration strikes?
 
A. It took me a while to feel comfortable writing fiction. It’s a different kind of narration. Suddenly, after years of having to be super-careful about collecting facts and double-checking them, I could make everything up. That felt wonderful! But what exactly do you include, what do you leave out? Beginning writers are always told, “Show, don’t tell.” Well, in fact there’s a lot you have to simply tell, or you’ll write twenty pages and your character will still be finishing breakfast.
 
The journalistic skill that I found most useful in writing fiction was simply the ability to sit in front of the computer and write. Even if you’re just trying to write, even if what you’re writing isn’t great at the moment or if all you have to show after three hours is three sentences. And then to do it again the next day. It doesn’t matter if you have to rewrite it all over again—because you’ll find something that’s worth keeping, or you’ll learn what not to do. The important thing is to keep going.
 
Usually I write at home on my laptop—sometimes on the train when I travel. I write best during the day. If I try to write at night, I’m usually too tired to get very far. Or occasionally I’ve had the opposite problem—I get really into it and then suddenly it’s way past my bedtime and I’m useless the next day. So starting out, I wrote for a couple of hours every weekend. Then it became every spare moment of every weekend. I still owe huge apologies to so many of my friends for turning down all their lovely invitations to go to museums, parties, movies, et cetera, over the past seven years.
 
 
Q. Who would be in your dream book club? Where would you meet and what would you talk about?
 
A. Henry James, Charlotte Brontë, Scott Fitzgerald, Mary McCarthy, Zadie Smith, and couple of my friends. We’d meet at Florian’s in the Piazza San Marco every third Tuesday in the month—this is a dream, right?—and talk about whatever I happen to be reading at the moment. I imagine it would be a lively group.
 
 
Q. Are you a fan of other fantasy novels?
 
A. Yes, although I certainly haven’t read everything that’s out there. I tend to like the denser, more literary kind of fantasy. Unlike Nora, I love Tolkien. Also Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clarke, Alice Hoffman, Margaret Atwood, Ursula LeGuin, and Kelly Link. Kate Atkinson is best known now for her Jackson Brodie mysteries, but I’m really glad that I didn’t read her Human Croquet until after I wrote The Thinking Woman’s Guide, because in some ways that’s the book I wanted to write.
 
 
Q. Your writing is loaded with references from history, literature, and fantasy. What sort of reader did you envision for this series?
 
A. I tried to write the kind of novel I would want to read, so I guess in that sense I wrote it for myself. And as the book took shape and it became clearer that I would actually finish a draft at some point, I decided I would send it first to one of my oldest friends to see if she thought it was any good.  She and I grew up watching Star Trek and Monty Python, reading Sherlock Holmes and The Black Stallion and Jane Eyre, and doing the ultimate in geekdom—taking Latin—so I trusted her judgment. She liked it, so that encouraged me to keep revising.
 
Beyond that, I was thinking that it might appeal to some of the adults who loved Harry Potter but who wanted more of a adult perspective and a strong female character at the center of the novel.
 
 
Q. The Thinking Woman’s Guide To Real Magic ends on a cliffhanger. Can you hint at what’s next for Nora and Aruendiel?
 
A. I’m pretty sure that Nora will find her way back to Aruendiel’s world. The two of them really need to talk and to be straight with each other, don’t you agree? And of course she has a lot more to learn about magic—and how to use it properly.
 
Thank you so much for hanging out with us here at the wastelands today!
And now for the givesaway...
 
One lucky US winner will win a finished copy of The Thinking Woman's Guide To Real Magic!
This giveaway is hosted my Penguin Publishing and is open to US residents only.
 
All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter!

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Thursday, August 1, 2013

Ravenous by Eden Summers: Review

Ravenous
By Eden Summers
Published August 1st 2013 by Escape Publishing Pick up your copy at B&N or Amazon today!
Synopsis borrowed from Goodreads:
She’s a small town caterer, he’s a big city chef, but they don’t need a kitchen to make things sizzle...

Erin McDonald likes her simple life in her small town: no drama, no fuss, no uncertainty...until Jesse Hackett breezes back into town. Erin never quite got over how he left for the bright lights of the big city, and took her heart with him.

Jesse never regretted his decision to leave small town life behind and chase his big city dreams, but he’s always regretted leaving Erin behind. No woman has ever compared, and once he convinces Erin to let him touch her again, he’s never going to let her go.

Sparks fly and fires are rekindled, but the basic divide still remains: what really matters in life — location or love?

Darkfallen's thoughts:
 
What a quick and steamy read!!

Erin likes living in her small town with her little catering business with her sister. Small town life suits her just fine. That is until he highschool sweetheart Jesse comes back in town. The flames that burned bright before he left her 8 years ago, spark back to life. Can she spend time with Jesse without getting her heart broken again?

This was a great novella. I loved every moment of it! It had everything you would want to find in a steamy read without feeling rushed. That's the problem with most novellas. They seem rushed and gloss over stuff, but not here. It was done perfectly! The chemistry between Erin and Jesse is undeniable! them to together could start a fire they are so hot.

Overall this is a great and smoking out read that shouldn't be missed by all romance lovers!
 

Lymi...