Monday, September 29, 2014

Blog Tour Excerpt and Giveaway: The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington

Welcome to my stop on The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington Blog Tour! There is an excerpt as well as a giveaway. Enjoy!
 The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington
The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington
The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington

Excerpt #2:

“What did you take, boy?” I tried to keep the laughter out of my voice and sound firm as I had when disciplining unruly pupils at the Academy.
“A s-s-spoon, Master.” The waif’s hands, and likely his knees, shook.
“Master? You afraid of magicians, then?” The boy only nodded. “Then why in the name of Alchemus would you steal a spoon from a noble household?” My curiosity was piqued. No starving orphan from the streets of Havensgate braved danger, perceived and real, for a spoon.
“It’s a fine manor.” The whelp swallowed. “Manors use real silver. I thought no one would miss a spoon, but it would buy Lottie a new blanket and hot food for us both for two days, and there would be plenty of pence to go round after.” Impressed despite myself, I peered at the boy more closely. His coat was tattered, to be sure, but the two remaining buttons were brass. And the buckle on his belt had the look of unpolished silver.
“What’s your name?”
“Two-pence, if it please the Master,” he said, ducking his head in a kind of bow.
“Your real name would please me better.” I gave him my sternest expression.
“Tommy, sir. Tommy Penceworth.” He lowered his head, as though oddly ashamed to have a proper name, and not a bad one at that. There were several Penceworths at the Academy. I searched for any resemblance in Tommy’s features, but between the dirt and rapidly fading light, I couldn’t tell one way or the other.
“Very well, Tommy. You give me back the spoon, and I will pay you two silver farthings.” Surprise splashed over the vagrant’s face, followed immediately by suspicion. I pulled the coins from the green leather pouch at my side. I could have pulled anything from it, but for the moment farthings would do. Tommy pulled the pilfered cutlery from a pocket that didn’t look as though it could successfully contain anything, and held it up while extending the other hand expectantly. A simple bit of levitation on my part and the spoon was in my hand, the money in his. He spun and started running up the beach, but I turned him about with the same trick of the wind that had saved his skull only a few minutes before. “If I ever catch you stealing from this household again, Tommy Penceworth, I will turn you over to the butler’s justice.” Tommy swallowed. “Understand?” He nodded and turned to go again, then stopped and glanced back.
“Thank you . . .” he paused, looking at his clenched fist, “for everything.” Then he fled up the beach towards the cold Havensgate streets and Lottie and whoever else was counting on him.
The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington
Find Arrington on the web: Website | Facebook | Twitter

The Accidental Apprentice by Anika Arrington
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Sunday, September 28, 2014

Sunday Cover Scramble [86]


Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I'm changing up the format a little bit! I am going to be pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.






Saturday, September 27, 2014

Who Said it? Hunger Games Version


#1 

"May the odds be ever in your favor!"

#2

"You love me, real or not real?"

#3

"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together as it does to fall apart"

#4

"You’ve got about as much charm as a dead slug."

#5

"I always channel my emotions into my work. That way I don't hurt anyone but myself" 

#6

"You know, its to bad you couldn't help your little friend. That little girl. What was her name again? Rue?"

#7

"Quack!" 

#8

Katniss will choose whoever she feels she cannot live without.



Tell me your guesses in the comments below :D

Friday, September 26, 2014

Review: Innocent Assassins by Pema Donyo


Published: June 24, 2014, Astraea Press
Genre: Mystery | Crime | YA | Contemporary Thriller | Action
Format: ebook (e-pub)
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

There are three rules to staying an assassin at the corporation of Covert Operatives: (1) your parents must be deceased, (2) your contracts must remain confidential, and (3) you must be under the age of eighteen.

After a murder mission goes awry a month before her eighteenth birthday, Covert Operatives assassin Jane Lu finds herself caught by the federal government and forced to spy for the CIA while remaining in Covert Operatives. Once her spying mission is over she will be allowed to live a civilian life without facing criminal consequences, a life she's only dreamed of having.

As Jane leaks information to the CIA, she uncovers secrets with enough power to both destroy Covert Operatives and her own boyfriend, Adrian King, who's next in line to be CEO of the company. When her identity as a double agent for the CIA is discovered within Covert Operatives, she must decide where her allegiance, and her heart, truly lies.


The Good

I liked everything about the book, right from the cover to the last page of the book. I'm more than happy that I got to read this one. What stands out in the book is the concept. CO or Covert Operatives is an organization that takes in orphans and trains them right from the age of 5 to become assassins. These assassins are given contracts to be completed, in other words, they are trained to kill people for CO's clientele. These assassins love CO and think of it and their co-assassins as their family. They worship CO and it's CEO and will do anything to protect them from the police and the CIA.

Jane Lu, the main protagonist, finds herself in a dicey situation and cuts a deal with the CIA when she realizes that CO is not a savior for orphans but a blood-hungry and money-making machine, that killed her parents. Now she is on the good side fighting against the CO, destroying it slowly from the inside.

What makes all this interesting is that her love, Adrian King, is the would-be CEO of the CO, so destroying CO means destroying her love, Adrian.

Well, after this, I don't think anything else is required to piqué one's curiosity to read this book. Trust me, it's an excellent book with a strong concept and equally strong characterization. The ending of this book couldn't have been any better.

The Bad

The on-off relationship of Jane and Adrian was a bit of a turn-off, so was the silly confusing talks between Jane and Emma. Most of the time it felt more like a high-school affair rather than an affair of two assassins. Emma constantly tried to convince Jane to leave Adrian for no particular reasons, which after two useless times started to irritate me!

The Romance

The romance is the main theme of the book, as whatever Lu did was either 'for Adrian' or 'to Adrian' or 'against Adrian'! Though they had an unbreakable bond of love, they seemed to break-up at random, I mean Jane broke-up randomly all the f*****g time! They'll start arguing and all of a sudden she'll say, this isn't working and they'll break-up. I mean come on, give the guy a chance Miss Lu. So much for romance!


Conclusion

It's an excellent book with a strong concept and equally strong characterization. Jane Lu is the perfect protagonist (despite her high-school behavior at times.) Other than the high-school romance stuff, this book is pretty good. I'd recommend this book to all the YA readers.




Did you enjoy this review? Check out Heena's other reviews at The Reading Bud

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [34]


This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

       Most Cringe-Inducing Scene in the Series



Well, Ron having a girlfriend that calls him Won-Won made me cringe, for sure. There was also the dreaded detention with Professor Umbridge. Finding out about Ron's pet rat was shiver-worthy revulsion, but I'll have to go with the moment that made me cringe at first and then fill with rage: McGongall is sucker-hit with four stunning spells.




Umbridge wants Hagrid out of her hair so she takes a team of wizards down to kick him out while the students are doing their astronomy O.W.L.s. Professor McGonagall intervenes on behalf of her friend, and the group of Aurors hits her in the chest with no less than four stunning spells while she doesn't even have a wand in her hand. She's carted off to the hospital wing and not heard from in some time. This cowardice caused not only the characters in the book to cringe, but me as well. Then, I was begging for Umbridge to get what she deserved.

What is the most cringe-inducing scene for you in the series?

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Re-read Review: Faefever (Fever #3) by Karen Marie Moning


Published: September 16, 2008 Delacorte Press
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Faefever by Karen Marie MoningGoodreads Summary

The New York Times bestselling author of Darkfever and Bloodfever returns to Dublin’s Fae-infested shores in a bold, sensual new novel. Hurtling us into a realm of seduction and shadows, Karen Marie Moning tells the enthralling tale of a woman who explores the limits of her mysterious powers as she enters a world of ancient sorcery—and confronts an enemy more insidious than she could ever have imagined. 

He calls me his Queen of the Night. I’d die for him. I’d kill for him, too. When MacKayla Lane receives a torn page from her dead sister’s journal, she is stunned by Alina’s desperate words. And now MacKayla knows that her sister’s killer is close. But evil is closer. And suddenly the sidhe-seer is on the hunt: For answers. For revenge. And for an ancient book of dark magic so evil, it corrupts anyone who touches it.

Mac’s quest for the Sinsar Dubh takes her into the mean, shape-shifting streets of Dublin, with a suspicious cop on her tail. Forced into a dangerous triangle of alliance with V’lane, an insatiable Fae prince of lethally erotic tastes, and Jericho Barrons, a man of primal desires and untold secrets, Mac is soon locked in a battle for her body, mind, and soul. 

As All Hallows’ Eve approaches and the city descends into chaos, as a shocking truth about the Dark Book is uncovered, not even Mac can prevent a deadly race of immortals from shattering the walls between worlds—with devastating consequences...


“I was adrift in a sea of questions and if answers were lifeboats, I was in imminent danger of drowning.” 


The Good


Mac is changing. She's shades of gray mixed in with the pink she's trying to hard to cling to in order to maintain something of her usual self. As I read her story, I feel like we're best buds, hanging out in the living room, and she's giving me a bit of backstory about herself that I hadn't heard yet. I'm not sure why the writing pulls me in so much that I feel such a great connection with her, but it does. She is surrounded by characters that would drive me insane. All of them want something from her, all of them lie to her constantly and keep her in the dark, and all of them expect her to put up with it and follow the status quo. She's having none of that, and I would be disappointed in her if she did.

In Faefever, I feel like she finally came to the conclusion that she wasn't going to be able to trust anyone and she would have to make due with what was in her power. She tries to manipulate things between Barrons and V'lane, and oddly enough, sometimes it works. She's attempting to shield herself against "Voice" with Barrons help. That means that hopefully no one could use it on her to bend her to their will. I'd be wanting to learn it ASAP as well. Barrons and Mac have a chemistry there that's undeniable, but also it's just a tension not really manifesting as more right now. V'lane is showing Mac more of himself in hopes to win her over.

She learns more about Christian MacKelter and Rowena (or "Old Lady" as Mac calls her). Christian seems like the one true person willing to offer her some information. It's just too bad he doesn't really know a lot.

The action comes on hard in the latter half of the book. I genuinely love that I'm driven by that 'have to know more' mentality while reading Moning's twisted characters, powerful magical objects, and fae world.

There were a number of fantastically humorous moments to be found in this one. I especially adore Mac's ability at making up names for things that everyone else latches on to and uses as well.


The Bad

The beginning was a little boring again for me in this one. Also, the ending is debilitating with an absolute cliff-hanger and horrible experience that I could have done without, but I'm assuming that Moning didn't feel her character could go without it on her journey.


The Romance

Mac can't trust anyone enough to actually be romantic with them, but there is steam coming out of her ears every time that Barrons and V'lane is around. She gets pretty warm about Christian as well. The chemistry is there more with Barrons though, and it's even more delectable because he's SO. DANG. MYSTERIOUS.

Conclusion

A big move for this series that will definitely alter where everything goes from here. Some new information is presented and I am foaming at the mouth to read the next one. The action is heart-pounding at the end especially, and Mac narrates directly to me as if we're sisters from another mother. Recommended.






Excerpts


“Nobody looks good in their darkest hours. But it's those hours that make us what we are.” 

“I moistened my lips. His gaze fixed on them. I think I stopped breathing.
He jerked so sharply away that his long dark coat sliced air, and turned his back to me. “Was that an invitation, Ms.Lane?”
“If it was?” I asked, astonishing myself. What did I think I was doing?

“The key to resisting Voice," Barrons instructed, "is finding that place inside you no one else can touch.
"You mean the sidhe-seer place?" I said, hopping like a one-legged chicken.
"No, a different place. All people have it. Not just sidhe-seers. We're born alone and we die alone. That place."
"I don't get it."
"I know. That's why you're hopping.” 

“When Barrons looks at me like that, it rattles me. Lust, in those ancient, obsidian eyes, offers no trace of humanity. Doesn’t even bother trying. Savage Mac wants to invite it to come out and play. I think she’s nuts. Nuts, I tell you.”

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Review: Seven Minutes in Heaven (The Lying Game #6) by Sara Shepard


Published: July 30, 2014 HarperTeen
Genre: Mystery, YA
Source: Purchased
Goodreads Summary

My sister wants the truth.

But sometimes the truth hurts.

For months, my long-lost twin, Emma, has been living my life and trying to solve my murder. She's unearthed dark secrets about my friends, my family, and my tangled past. But when it comes to finding my killer, she keeps running into dead ends.

Until my body shows up in Sabino Canyon. Suddenly everyone knows there are two girls who look like Sutton Mercer—and that one of them is dead. At first the police assume the body is Emma's. But as questions and accusations start flying, it's harder than ever for Emma to keep playing me. The truth is bound to come out eventually. And when it does, Emma will be suspect number one in my murder investigation. If she can't find my killer before time runs out, she'll end up behind bars . . . or worse.

Sara Shepard, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars books, finally reveals the shocking truth about Sutton's murder in this riveting novel about secrets, lies, and killer consequences.


“My sister wants the truth, but sometimes the truth hurts”


In this final installment of the lying game series, we finally get answers and closure.  Sutton is murdered and as a ghost gets to see her life through her long lost twin sister that she only discovered after her death.  Emma tries to figure out who murdered her sister while pretending to be Sutton.

Sutton Mercer had the perfect life, great friends, and a gorgeous boyfriend until she was murdered.  The killer forced Sutton’s twin that no one knows about to pretend to be her.  Emma has been living Sutton’s comfortable life for a little while now.  But when Sutton’s body is found, Emma is suspect #1 for her murder.  Now the pressure is on for Emma to find the real killer before she ends up in jail or dead.


“The police found a body in the Sabino Canyon.  They think it’s your sister”


IT’S LIKE PLAYING CLUE- AND THAT’S MY FAVORITE GAME


I am in absolute love with this series.  It has an interesting and unique plot and is a murder mystery at its finest.  Since it’s told from Sutton’s POV through the eyes of Emma, you get a unique perspective from both of the girls.   You get a genuine feel for them and can see how even though they never met, how much they have learned from each other.   It is a lot like the PLL series.  At some point, everyone seems like a suspect.  It’s also frustrating knowing it could be anybody and not trusting anyone, but that’s what keeps me hooked.  I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPENS NEXT!  I also appreciate that Sara did not drag this series into the ground like she is doing with PLL.   No one in Sutton’s family knew she had a twin, so since they find out Emma’s true identity in this book it is a definite page turner.  There are lots of emotions and mystery in Seven Minutes in Heaven.  Such wonderful and diverse characters, great plot, this is A+ reading to this chick.


MS WHITE WITH THE ROPE IN THE KITCHEN- WHEN YOU GET CLUE RIGHT IN THE 1ST TURN THE FUN IS OVER


What did I not like about this great series?   Well the killer was revealed and... it was the person I guessed in the VERY FIRST BOOK.  Granted, there were a lot of distractions along the way, but it was still a little disappointing.   The killer was always the obvious choice, at least to me.   If not for that I would have given this book  5 stars.


“Does it really matter, she’s gone the why doesn’t change that”


ALL GOOD GAMES EVENTUALLY COME TO AN END


Overall love the series.  Great, fun, easy, short reads.  Engaging characters and a plot with lots of twists and turns that will keep you reading.  I HIGHLY recommend!

“A girl’s got to get lucky sometimes even me” 






Sunday, September 21, 2014

Sunday Cover Scramble [85]


Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I'm changing up the format a little bit! I am going to be pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.





Saturday, September 20, 2014

Character Names: My Thoughts

The naming of characters in books, to me, is a precious thing. When done well, we can just say the first name of the character or even a couple's name (Mac and Barrons, Cat and Bones, Kate and Curran, Mercy and Adam), and anyone that has read those books will know exactly who we are talking about.



What's in a name?


Some monikers can give the reader a feel for the character. It shouldn't be too over the top though or I assume that I'm not supposed to feel any other way about them. When you've got a Cruella De Ville in your story, you just know this person is evil. The unfortunate last name of Gump for Forrrest is so close to 'gimp', that it was hard to imagine this would be an intelligent character. When you've got a character named Cain that turns bad, do you really think the reader is surprised? What about the name Vlad for a vampire, or Sin for a demon? Those are becoming so trite. Conversely, I enjoyed the use of The White Witch for the evil queen in Chronicles of Narnia. White is so often associated with good, that I fancy the twist.

Epic characters deserve to have names that will always be applied only to them. Think Dumbledore, Gandalf, and Aslan will ever be anything else to me as a reader? Those will remain solely their titles forever as far as I'm concerned.

 

Pet Peeves


I am probably going to scream if I see another derivative of Kathryn as a leading heroine name. Scratch that, as any character name.

We have Kate from The Kate Daniels Series, Cat from The Night Huntress Series, Katy from The Lux Series, Kat from The White Rabbit Chronicles, and even Katniss from Hunger Games. Two of these ladies have the nickname of "Kitten"! I'm sure you know of more with this name.

What I've found is that I do love these ladies. The name is generally applied to those sarcastic, sassy, independent, hard to tame, and bold women. From here on out though, I feel it will be hard for me to constrain my eye-roll at another character with this name.

I know Hunter, Archer, Lucas, and Cole are very often used for boy's names as well. Lucy, Mary, and Alice I've been seeing a lot for those damsels in distress, or girl-next-doors.

I am also irked when I come across unpronounceable names. It breaks up the flow so much when I'm having to pause every two seconds to work my mind around how I should say the name. By about the fourth time, I give up and they are forever called by the initial of their name instead.

I am against those names that are meant for the opposite gender too. I WILL have the gender that is appropriate for the name in my head the whole time I'm reading. It's terrible to read reviews for these books as well, as I get completely lost while trying to understand what they've enjoyed while reading since I can't work out who the characters are and match them with the 'he' and 'she' pronouns.


How do you feel? Do you care about character names?
Which names in fiction do you feel are most overused? 
Which ones work the best?

Friday, September 19, 2014

Review: Stygian Rift by Jayra Almanzor


Published: August 15th 2014 by Black Bed Sheet Books
Genre: YA, Dystopia
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review
Goodreads Summary

What would you do if you woke up in hell and couldn’t remember a thing?

Set in a dystopian society about 150 years from the 21st century……

Suddenly rousing in a place completely different from his world, seventeen-year-old Robert is greeted with accusations, bullying, and fear from the teenagers around him. Life isn’t easy in the new place, especially if it’s the direct opposite of how and where he was raised.
However, there’s something more about the place that gives him the chills. Is it the fact that monsters and demons always get to massacre someone every night, and then leave when dawn comes? Or that he can’t recall what his surname is? Maybe it’s that the locals are always blaming him for what happened to Cleo, a girl whom Robert doesn’t even know. 

Determined to find out what happened, how he got there, and how to get out, Robert and his unreliable fox companion tries to persuade the most stubborn party of defeatists to help them on their crusade, or go off on their own. Filled with thrills, devotion, realism and originality, Stygian Rift is one unforgettable, emotional journey!

"Monsters?" I ask, both captivated and astonished by what he said. "for real?"

"You'll know when you see one," he says, his hands balling into fists. "They mutate from your average pooch and kill one of us every single night. I hate 'em. When it gets dark up there, we run, find a hiding place, and hope to live at least one more day."


The Good

I enjoyed the different creatures in Stygian Rift and I enjoyed the concept of waking up and trying to survive in a death trap...not only lacking the memory of how you got there but not knowing who you can trust or why you're even there. I also liked that some of the kids who had been there a while and seen too many deaths had grown to be a bit harsh toward the new kids. Kind of a "I’ll learn your name if you live more than a few days and only if you can live a few days" type attitude.


The Bad

When the main character Rob first gets there, he is a bit confused for the first half of the book it seems which is fine but it felt like Almanzor wanted the reader to take that confused ride with Rob. So yeah I spent a good deal of the book skipping back and forth trying to shake that confused feeling before just kind of rolling with it.


The Romance

There is romance in the book but it all seems to be dead-end romance. You know I like you but you like her, why won't you notice me type romance. With all the other suffering they deal with, you kind of feel bad for them that they can't at least get on the same page in their love lives.


Conclusion

Overall I did enjoy the book. It was a fun concept with an ending that I didn't see coming. I had pictured a couple different endings and none of them came to pass, so I was very surprised with how it wrapped up. The characters were fun and the monsters and demons interesting. If you're looking for something different this is it.




Excerpts

"It's the first freakin' time," Miguel mumbles. "The first freakin' time someone-no-two people-died because of a Hordae. They ain't even fresh newbies, for god's sake! Freakin' idiots."


"Look, I just lost a friend tonight. I just can't deal with everyone else's problems. Besides, they don't want my help. Why don't you ask Hayden the Great for some of his advice? After all, you guys believed him more than me."


"Why would I believe you?" Ophelia sniffs, wiping her nose with the side of her index finger. "After you said those words to me?" No thank you. I'll never, ever, Believe in you again!"


"Have you ever been in love?" That question sounds dumb, even to me. It sounds like a question a five-year-old would ask her mom. I mentally slap myself, wishing I could take it back.
She gives me a series of stutters before gulping hard. " No-I mean not really. I mean I think."

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [33]


This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts.The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! She is picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free! All she asks is to link back to her blog :). There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

      Best Dumbledore Moment



Disappearing from Fudge


As Zane would say, "EVERY Dumbledore moment is my favorite moment". If I had to choose one though, I would have to go with his taking the blame for Dumbledore's Army and then refusing to be taken to Azkaban by Fudge. Besides just being flashy and a fun moment for pulling the wool over ole Fudge's eyes, I love Dumbledore's tendency to put Harry's well-being over his own. 


What's your favorite Dumbledore moment?

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Re-Read Review: Bloodfever (Fever #2) by Karen Marie Moning


Published: October 16, 2007 Delacorte Press
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Bloodfever by Karen Marie MoningGoodreads Summary

I used to think my sister and I were just two nice southern girls who’d get married in a few years and settle down to a quiet life. Then I discovered that Alina and I descend, not from good wholesome southern stock, but from an ancient Celtic bloodline of powerful sidhe-seers, people who can see the Fae. Not only can I see the terrifying otherworldly race, but I can sense the sacred Fae relics that hold the deadliest of their magic.

When my sister was found dead in a trash-filled alley in Dublin, I came over to get answers. Now all I want is revenge. And after everything I’ve learned about myself, I know I have the power to get it….

MacKayla Lane’s ordinary life underwent a complete makeover when she landed on Ireland’s shores and was plunged into a world of deadly sorcery and ancient secrets. 

In her fight to stay alive, Mac must find the Sinsar Dubh–a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over both the worlds of the Fae and of Man. Pursued by Fae assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she cannot trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and irresistible men: V’lane, the insatiable Fae who can turn sensual arousal into an obsession for any woman, and the ever-inscrutable Jericho Barrons, a man as alluring as he is mysterious. 

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them...


“I’m asking the questions tonight.” One day I was going to write a book: How to Dictate to a Dictator and Evade an Evader, subtitled How to Handle Jericho Barrons.


The Good


Poor Mac. Who can this girl trust? She's got Barrons on one side asking her to look at his actions vs. his words because he won't answer any of her questions unless they deal specifically with the book they are tracking. She's got V'Lane on the other side who is Fae and by that alone can't be trusted. Then she has Rowena, the women in charge of other sidhe-seers just like her. That lady! Gah, I didn't like her from the first moment I met her.

The absolute best thing about this series is that since I'm in Mac's head, I don't have a clue who to trust right along with her. Who is Barrons? WHAT is he? Should she trust V'Lane? NO! He's fae, but sometimes he does seem more trustworthy than Barrons. They really do go back and forth. All these people are just using her. They all need her to do things the way they want done.

The action is there in spades. There are a ton of mysteries that I'm not-so-patiently waiting for the answers to. The ending is a cliffhanger that made me want to bang my head against a wall. Thankfully I already know where it's all going this time around, hehehe.

I adore that the story is not all rainbows (even though Mac wishes it would be). It's dark, it's suspenseful, and it's full of well-developed characters. One of my favorite things is the POV. It's first person narrative and I really like how she slips in there that she knows differently later on. She will tell me how she feels about something and then add in there the, "but I'd later find out how wrong I was."

The Bad

Barrons is an absolute jerk, but I think he's hot...so there's that. I'm addicted to this series, to finding out the answers to all of the many questions involved. That's a bad thing, right?

The Romance

There is no romance, per se. There is some steamy chemistry between Mac and Barrons and quite honestly most of the guys in this series could be drooled over. Other than the ones trying to kill her, that is. It's most certainly not a YA book though, as I would keep this read to adults given that one of the characters is a death-by-sex fae.

Conclusion

The first one was an introduction to the world and to Mac. This one is a more in depth look to who Mac is turning into and those characters around her. I loved getting to see some of the things that Mac is capable of and any little clue to the other characters is a welcome addition. Full of action, full of chemistry, full of uncertainty. I'm addicted, and I want more. Recommended.




Excerpts


“What are you Barrons?”
“The one who will never let you die, and that’s more, Ms Lane, than anyone in your life has been able to say to you. More than anyone else can do.”

“Home, Ms. Lane?” His deep voice was gently amused.
“I have to call it something,” I said morosely. “They say home is where the heart is. I think mine’s satin-lined and six feet under.”  

“Burns from dropped matches, Ms. Lane? Matches one might have dropped while flirting with a pernicious Fae, Ms. Lane? Have you any idea the value of this rug?”
I didn’t think his nostrils could flare any wider. His eyes were black flame. “Pernicious? Good grief, is English your second language? Third?” Only someone who’d learned English from a dictionary would use such a word.
“Fifth,” he snarled. “Answer me.” 

“One day you may kiss a man you can’t breathe without, and find breath is of little consequence.”
“Right, and one day my prince might come.”

“I doubt he’ll be a prince, Ms. Lane. Men rarely are.”

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Review: Relative Evil by Debra Erfert


Published: July 26, 2014, Xchyler Publishing
Genre: Mystery | Crime | NA | Contemporary Thriller
Format: ebook (e-pub)
Source: provided for honest review
Goodreads Summary

Inspired by her father and his pretty young wife, novelist Claire Abney allows her imagination to run wild and pens a best-selling thriller. However, as Glen Abney suffers multiple freak accidents, she wonders exactly where the prose stops and reality begins.

Claire screens her family from the prying eyes of success with a masculine pen name and her handsome editor, her shill for photo ops and book signings. But her father’s unexpected death, and bungled attempts on her own life, force her to admit the strategy may have backfired. Now, with the help of her brother and Max, her dreamy frontman, she must separate truth from fiction. Before life imitating art becomes deadly.

The Good

Relative Evil is a brilliant read! The plot is very intriguing and the characters are subtle but well-developed. This book very well delivers what it promises, a powerful mystery. Connecting with the lead, Claire Abney, was so easy that at times I felt 'one' with her. The plot is absolutely outstanding. I loved how the situations in Claire's life start to look like the ones in her book, but not in a way that makes everything predictable. Just the right amount of things happen to draw your attention close to the answer but not to make the book too predictable.

I also liked the fact that the main protagonist is a novelist, which I guess for any reviewer is a very close-to-heart subject. For me, less emotional content worked best for Relative Evil.


The Bad

There was nothing in particular to not like in this book!

The Romance

The love between Claire and Max starts building slowly and the author has kept it very light on the 'romantic' front, it's more of a cute love. Clair's brother always made sure that Max stays away from her that way! In a way, by keeping the romance mild, Debra has done justice to the book, keeping the entire focus of the reader on the mystery only.

Conclusion

An excellent read with a very intriguing story. I'll recommend it to all the thriller-readers and also to them who like NA. As the main protagonist is a novelist, so anyone related to the field might find it interesting. This book is worth the time and the oh-so-precious money!








Did you enjoy this review? Check out Heena's other reviews at The Reading Bud

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Sunday Cover Scramble [84]


Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I'm changing up the format a little bit! I am going to be pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.




Saturday, September 13, 2014

JC's Bulletin of the Week [3]


Welcome to my weekly Bulletin. This is a place where you will find what's going on at JC's Book Haven lately, what I've found around the blogger world, Book News, and any books that are releasing in the next week.


Whoo! I've had a great reading week. I have 7 reviews that I haven't posted yet of some amazing books. That's the furthest ahead I've ever gotten! Also I JUST GOT A WITCH WITH NO NAME so I'm thrilled :D hehehe

YAY Happy Birthday to me! My birthday is Sunday. I know I may be one of few here, but I absolutely adore birthdays. It is so special to me that I have made it through another year and I'm left feeling incredibly blessed. I don't know everyone's birthdays, but if you like celebrating, let me know when your's is and I'll give you a b-day shout-out. Did you know that more babies are born in September than any other month?

The last two weeks on the blog:
I re-read Karen Marie Moning's Dark Fever and reviewed
I posted Zane and my 'classic' choices for When Life's Kicking Your Butt, How About a Theme Song
Blog Tour Excerpt and Trailer for Shadow of the Last Men by J.M. Salyards
Melody reviewed Toxic (Pretty Little Liars #15) by Sara Shepard
Matt reviewed Desperate Reflections (Adventures of Alexis Davneport #3) by Shay West
My Sidekick Showcase for this month is Best Friend
Did you post your guess on this week's Sunday Cover Scramble?
R.A. Desilets stopped by for an interview and a giveaway for her release of Girl Nevermore
Heena reviewed This is Sarah by Ally Malinenko
Blog Tour Trailer and Giveaway for The Watchers Book 1: Knight of Light by Deirdra Eden
Harry Potter Moment of the Week - Least Favorite Book
Matt reviewed Out of Time by Donna Marie Oldfield



Robyn's Birthday was yesterday. Stop by and give her some birthday love. 

Erika over at Your Urban Fantasy is having a giveaway for a signed copy of A Witch With No Name by Kim Harrison!

Lexxie gives an Up Close and Unconventional discussion about organization of her kindle and those many, many books on her to-read shelf. How do you organize your reads? She tells you what she does and asks for suggestions you may have as well.


Marissa Meyer is breaking down her writing process on her blog. These are some VERY detailed posts. She already has the first one up on Brainstorming and Research. Check out the introduction post here.

This is a pretty amazing post about Deep POV by Jeni Chappelle who is an editor and writing coach.

And this hilarious video: