Harry Potter Moment of the Week [55]

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 Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher

This one is a great question since there was a different teacher every year. 

1) Quirrel appeared to teach them the theory, but that stuttering every five seconds would've made it very hard to listen to what he was actually trying to say. 

2) I think everyone can agree with me that Lockhart was a complete joke who just shamelessly pilfered his own products during his stay as DADA teacher.

3) Lupin was definitely a fantastic teacher, but did have to take time off for his little furry problem.

4) "Moody" - well the quotations there say a lot, but he absolutely showed the kids a thing or two.

5) Umbridge took the kids so backwards with the whole not being able to use magic thing that certainly undermines what they were able to learn. Not to mention that she was just beyond horrible and hated by everyone. I would make it a point NOT to learn anything in her class just out of spite. 

6) Snape wasn't shown a whole lot as teacher in this subject, but he knows the material well. The fact that everyone hated him also wouldn't have been a productive teaching method.

So based on my opinions here, I would say Lupin is the best by a large margin, followed by "Moody" and then Snape as designated teachers on the subject.

However, it was Harry himself who was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher as the head of Dumbledore's Army.

He started with easy defensive spells that were scoffed at, but it was quickly apparent that the kids needed to polish up on even the simplest spells before moving forward. He also taught them that it was not only important to know spells, but to be brave, and to have friends.

Anyone that can teach Neville how to do things that none of the teachers had managed to gets my vote on this. Not only Neville, but so many other kids that hadn't picked up near the amount of defensive skills that Harry had mastered. The members of Dumbledore's Army went on to help at all the important Battles including the final Battle at Hogwarts.

Review: Vicious (Pretty Little Liars #16) by Sara Shepard

Published:  December 2, 2014 by HarperTeen
Genre: YA Mystery
Format: Hardcover
Source: purchased

Goodreads Summary

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, reporters are lined up outside the historic courthouse, typing furiously at their iPhones with freshly manicured nails. Because the trial of the century is happening right here in Rosewood: the four pretty little liars have been accused of killing Alison DiLaurentis. Only Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily know that they've been framed. Ali is still out there, laughing as she watches the girls go down for her murder. But when your nickname includes the word "liar," no one believes you're telling the truth. . . .

Aria tries to run away from it all but finds that life on the lam is even harder than life as a liar. Spencer gets in touch with someone who can help her disappear--but when a guy from her past reemerges, Spencer no longer knows what she wants. Hanna decides that she'll hear wedding bells chime before she serves time. And in the face of prison, Emily does something truly drastic--something that will change her friends' lives forever.

As the trial goes on and the outcome looks grim, the girls are in their darkest hour yet. But maybe they can finally figure out how to beat Ali at her own game. Because once upon a time, she was just a pretty little liar too. 

Buy Vicious by Sara Shepard Today at Amazon

All good lies must come to an end

In this final installment of the PLL series, Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer have themselves in a tangle of a mess. On trial for a murder they did not commit, the girls handle the situation in their own unique way.

Emily goes off the deep end, Aria makes a run for it, Spencer researches prison life, Hanna decides to make a life long decision before she is sentenced to prison.

The trial is not going well for the girls.  The evidence is very damaging and there is little hope they will be found not guilty.  Will A win in the end, or will the girls be able to outsmart her this time and save their lives?

"What I don't want to do anymore is play Scooby-Doo.  It only leads to more problems."

Prettiest lies ugliest secrets can make for wicked smiles

In Vicious, Sara Shepard gives the girls one last terrifying look at what evil can bring.    I almost felt like I was reading a spin-off to Orange is The New Black.  Which is not a bad thing because I love that show.  Ali set the girls up for her murder and has done it almost flawlessly.   After hearing from numerous attorneys, there is not much hope of a not guilty verdict.  They have decided to try to figure things out on their own.  In typical PLL style, the girls do one stupid thing after another and make the situation worse on themselves.   I am glad that we finally have a real conclusion to this series.   This series really came full circle.  While at times I had to put logical thoughts on the back burner, I did love every minute of this book.   The girls are quite comical at times and quite stupid at others.  Which is part of the reason I love them so much.  The books are VERY different from the show.  In a good way of course.  I am very sad I will no longer get to read about my favorite girls from Rosewood.  This has been one of the better books in this last story arc.    I couldn't put this down because I really needed to know how it ended.   The characters had me on an emotional roller coaster.   Between Emily's little stunt, Aria's stupid stupid stupid decision, Spencer's indecisions, and Hanna's rushed life changing last minute jump over the broom, I didn't know how everything would play out.   These girls have been making me feel better about my life for years (I may make dumb choices but if dumb choices was an Olympic medal these girls would have the gold).   This final book was truly a grand finale.


“She was probably the best-looking almost-criminal in the history of girls who were about to go to prison.”

Pretty girl evil intentions can make for a bad aftertaste

There are only a couple of things that I really didn't like in this last book.  #1 the girls are on trial for MURDER and they do EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING to make themselves look worse and get in more trouble.  I mean who says, 'hey lets leave town and go spend the night at a beach to have one last night of fun' when you are under strict orders NOT TO because you are on trial for MURDER.  It's dumb decisions like that that really have me dumbfounded.   I mean seriously, Spencer is supposed to be ivy league smart.   #2 everything was just tied up in a nice neat little bow.  EXTREMELY happy ending.  I know by a lot of my reviews, it seems I am opposed to happy endings.  Quite the opposite actually.  However, I do like realistic happy endings.   For all they have been through with A, they deserve a happy ending, but let's face it, they brought the majority of it on themselves.


“What are my thoughts on this whole ordeal?" she repeated, pausing to contemplate. And then she thought of the perfect answer. "Ali didn't manage to kill us," she said. "She only made us stronger.”

All pretty things come to a conclusion

Overall great book! Great ending to the series.   While I am sad to let this series go, I am glad it is over.  I mean there is not much else that can happen to these poor girls.   I must say, if you haven't had a chance to check this series out, you really should.    This book and series are not perfect but it is very entertaining.  Even though while reading it as events unfolded, I said I will not hold my breath on this.  PLL has a tendency to live up to its name and lie to me a lot.  Nothing is ever what it seems in this world.  As long as illogical thoughts and actions don't bother you, you can really get into and enjoy this book.  Vicious does live up to it's title.


 "I'll Always Be Watching-A"

Review: Gearteeth (Gearteeth Trilogy #1) by Timothy Black

Published:  October 1st 2014 by Blysster Press
Genre: Supernatural, Steampunk
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

“In 1890, a disease that turned sane men into ravenous werewolves swept through the United States like wildfire. On the brink of humanity’s extinction, Nikola Tesla and a mysterious order of scientists known as the Tellurians revealed a bold plan: the uninfected would abandon the Earth’s surface by rising up in floating salvation cities, iron and steel metropolises that carried tens of thousands of refugees above the savage apocalypse. The remnants of mankind huddled fearfully in the clouds, waiting for the werewolves to devour each other.

Yet, twenty years later, only one salvation city remains aloft, while the beasts still rule the world below. Time has taken its toll on the miraculous machinery of the city, and soon the last of the survivors will plummet to their doom. But when Elijah Kelly, a brakeman aboard the largest of the city’s Thunder Trains, is infected by the werewolf virus, he discovers a secret world of lies and horrific experiments that hide the disturbing truth about the Tellurians.

When the beast in his blood surges forth, Elijah must choose between the lives of those he loves, and the city that is humanity’s last hope of survival.”

Buy Gearteeth by Timothy Black Today at Amazon

I flipped the dog-eared paperback's cover over. Street and Smith, c. 1890, New York.

"Poor bastards," I sighed. "Twenty years gone... did you end up in the bellies of the werewolves when the world went to hell, or wearing the fur yourselves?"

The Good

For starters, I love that there are two main factions those who followed Nikola Tesla and those who followed Thomas Edison. The werewolves having almost complete control of the land makes for an interesting dilemma. The flying city’s and needing to power them through the electrical storms seems just crazy enough to work. Our protagonist, Eli, has had it pretty rough but still has a heart of gold for the most part. His gran may be one of my favorite elder characters ever.

The Bad

Gearteeth did get a little slow at times as Eli tried to learn what he could about the werewolves. Which turns into you reading about him reading. While the info he got was good for the storyline, it made it drag a bit. But you do need to set the world up where people can see what’s going on.

The Romance

The romance is minimal for the most part. Eli does meet someone later in the book and even his Gran gets her juices going.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed Gearteeth for a first book in a series. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next to Eli and his friends. Some of the werewolves and mutant wolves were interesting in the first book as well as some of the advanced technology they had developed. It seems as if the next book has even crazier experiments in store for poor Eli. If you like werewolves, and enjoy steampunk in general, you'll want to give this one a read.

Excerpts

"We can always run."
"It'll chase us."
"And what'll it do if we stay still? Give us posies and ask us to the dance?"
"Um... good point."

"Sons of bitches," I breathed, amazed and angered. I'd known the prophets were arrogant, with a big old heaping of secretive and callousness toward their fellow man, but just a few of the random entries I flicked through in the book convinced me of the magnitude of their crime. They'd kept vital information to themselves and left the rest of us wandering in the dark, easy meat for the beasts.

"Shut up," I said, keeping the werewolf's crimson gaze locked on mine. I could see her muscles tensing, and she paused in her pacing, teeth bared. The furback had just about had enough of my taunts.
"Tell Maude I'm sorry for making her worry so much; tell the old biddy I love her. Tell her... the hell with it, she knows. Take care of her for me, will you?"
"Goodbye, Henry."

Buy Gearteeth by Timothy Black Today at Amazon

Sunday Cover Scramble [108]

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 am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Cover Reveal: The Botanist by L.K. Hill

In the heat of the desert, Detective Cody Oliver inadvertently stumbles upon a strange garden adorned with exotic flowers. Upon closer inspection, he finds the garden is but a cover for the scores of bodies buried below. Soon, the small town of Mt. Dessicate plunges into chaos as journalists, reporters, and cameramen from across the nation descend upon the tiny, desert town to get a piece of the action.

Along with the media, a mysterious woman appears—she may be the only person who has come face to face with the killer, dubbed the Botanist, and lived to tell the tale. If Cody can't piece together a timeline of the land the crime scene is located on, decipher how the woman's mysterious past is connected to the killer, and bring the Botanist to justice, he may lose the people he values most.

Author Liesel Hill

L.K. Hill is a novelist who writes across three genres. Her crime and historical fiction are written under her initials, L.K., while her scifi/fantasy and dystopian are written under her full name, Liesel K. Hill. She lives in northern Utah and comes from a large, tight-knit family. She plans to keep writing until they nail her coffin shut. Or the Second Coming happens. You know, whichever happens first. ;D

Facebook * Twitter * Musings on Fantasia * L.K. Hill * Pinterest * Goodreads * Google +

20 Things You Didn't Know About Me

I was tagged by Brandee @Bookworm Brandee to tell y'all 20 things you don't know about me. Well, some of you may know a few of these things, but...

---

 1. HOW TALL ARE YOU?

very close to 5'2"

2. DO YOU HAVE A HIDDEN TALENT? IF SO, WHAT?

I am really good at remembering people's names even after only hearing it once. I'm also really good at remembering birthdays.

3. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST BLOG-RELATED PET PEEVE?

I haven't run across anything lately that's been a pet peeve for me. I do always make it a point to comment back when people leave comments, so it's hard for me to do that if there's no link given to the blog. A lot of people that I have in my favorites of course and that I communicate with often, I wouldn't need that for, but some new commenters join in on the discussion, and I click on their name and there's no blog linked up. I realize that not everyone that comments has a blog, so that very well could be why.

I also have to agree with Brandee here and go with SPOILERS. I really don't like them unless for some reason I'm grasping for any bit of information.

4. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST NON-BLOG RELATED PET-PEEVE?

Like most introverts, I don't appreciate people in my bubble. Brandee, Zane and I giggled at your answer because it describes me so well! I call it 'My Bubble' too and the people that know me are allowed in and also know when people that I don't know too well are getting too close. When I was pregnant, I wanted to choke folks on a daily basis. Hey stranger I've never met before, why don't you come rub on my belly?!? What is that??

I also can't handle repetitive noises and have a tendency to bicker at cars with drivers that don't know how to drive. Zane is always telling me that they can't hear me.

5. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SONG?

OK so this is a ridiculous question. My favorite song changes probably by the hour. Right now I'm really into Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do:

6. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ETSY SHOP?

I've bought a few cute things from Etsy, but I don't have a favorite shop.

7. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO SPEND YOUR FREE TIME WHEN YOU’RE ALONE?

I'm hardly ever alone so that one's difficult. I mainly enjoy spending time with Zane, and if he's with his Dad then I spend time with my friends and boyfriend. For down time, I obviously very much enjoy reading and I like to play some video games as well. Unfortunately, I more often find myself taking care of neglected chores when I have down time though.

8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE JUNK FOOD?

I'm a big fan of chips and salsa. I also LOVE ice cream no matter what the weather.

9. DO YOU HAVE PETS?

I love animals, but I don't have any pets right now. I feel bad because we aren't home very often so it makes me think they'd be lonely.

10. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE FICTION AND NON-FICTION BOOKS?

I'm not a big non-fiction book reader. I mainly read self-help/self-improvement books that are non-fiction. My favorite fiction books right now are The Lunar Chronicles, Kate Daniels, Bloodlines, and The White Rabbit Chronicles. I'm not listing ones that are ended here because that would be way too big of a list. I know there are a lot more, but that's what I'm going with right now ;)

11. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCT?

I like lip gloss/conditioner a lot. I don't like having dry lips at all. I'm also a tiny bit obsessed with sparkly things and have a tendency to wear glittery eye shadow.

12. WHEN WERE YOU LAST EMBARRASSED?

I'm awkward and a clutz, so it's really hard to embarrass me anymore. I embrace my awkwardness :D I remember one of my biggest embarrassments was misspelling 'elephant' in a 2nd grade Spelling Bee. I knew how it was spelled and was really excited I got such an easy word, only to accidentally forget the second 'e'. I was sooooo pink when I realized what I'd done.

13. IF YOU COULD DRINK ONE BEVERAGE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Water. BUT BUT I have to have my one Diet Dr. Pepper in the morning for a caffeine fix or no one wants to talk to me and I get a horrible migraine. I am definitely NOT a morning person.

14. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?

Right now, Captain America - The Winter Soldier. A few of my all-time favorites are The Ocean's 11 - 13, Harry Potter, Gone in 60 Seconds, 300, and basically any Marvel movie.

15. WHAT WERE YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL? PROM QUEEN,
NERD, CHEERLEADER, JOCK, VALEDICTORIAN, BAND GEEK, LONER, ARTIST, ETC?

I was a weirdo. That's not listed, but that's what my 'group' was called. I was definitely an art kid. They actually had to open up a new art class for me because it only went to Art 4 and I took art more than once a day so they created Art 5 for me :D

16. IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD YOU LIVE?

I like living here in Texas a lot, but there's a ton of places that I would like to visit. Canada being first among them since that's my name, and I've never been.

17. PC OR MAC?

PC

18. LAST ROMANTIC GESTURE FROM A CRUSH, DATE, BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND?

Well we recently had Valentine's Day, so I'll go with that one. I got a homemade clock for Valentine's Day with a picture of my boyfriend and I in it. Very sweet :D

19. FAVORITE CELEB?

That's almost as hard as the favorite song one. I really like Zooey Deschanel - that's one that most other people don't love like I do. I'm a big Johnny Depp fan and Jennifer Lawrence fan as well.

 20. WHICH BLOGGER DO YOU SECRETLY WANT TO BE BEST FRIENDS WITH?

I feel like I'd get along in person with so many of you because we've gotten to know each other so well online.



 Now it's someone else's turn...and I'm tagging anyone else that would like to participate. I'm not sure who all has done this yet so I don't want to double tag. I'd love learning more about all of you though!!

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [54]

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.

    Favorite Trelawney Prophecy

Ok so this one may not be considered a real prophecy, but my favorite one is when Trelawney refuses to sit down at the dinner table for Christmas because of the unlucky number of diners. So it's more of a superstition really than a prophecy.

"I dare not, Headmaster! If I join the table, we shall be thirteen! Nothing could be more unlucky! Never forget that when thirteen dine together, the first to rise will be the first to die!"

When Harry and Ron both jump up from the table at the same time, she hysterically asks which one of them got up first. I love McGonagall's disdain with the silliness.

Do you count it as coming true that Dumbledore rose to greet her when she came in and he was the first to die?

Guest Post: How I got to be a history junkie by Jerry Amernic

Some people get high on alcohol and drugs, but I prefer history. That’s right. I get high on history. My son once said that whenever something was on TV about the Romans, I got excited, and it’s true. The Romans always fascinate me because of how advanced they were on so many fronts. On the other hand, in some areas they weren’t advanced at all. Sounds like today, doesn’t it?

The thing about history is that it’s really about people, and if you don’t find people intriguing then reading books, never mind writing them, isn’t for you.

My first novel Gift of the Bambino was about baseball in the days of Babe Ruth. It was the New York Yankees and the Roaring Twenties. Sure, the story involved a little boy and his grandfather, but the book was full of history. My new novel, complete with flashbacks, is The Last Witness which is about the last living survivor of the Holocaust in the year 2039. The next one, called QUMRAN, soon to be released, is well wouldn’t you know it about an archaeologist who just happens to be an expert on the Romans.

When I was in school, history was my favorite subject and I naturally gravitated to books about a certain people in a certain place and time. In another life I would choose to be an archaeologist or paleontologist or something of that ilk. It’s in my blood, which explains why I’m a member of the local museum and watch the History Channel. Indeed, the idea of holding a fossil that’s 100 million years old, or walking around a site where a community thrived thousands of years ago always gets my juices flowing.

I felt like that exploring the old Viking settlement in Bergen, Norway. I felt like that at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. I felt like that standing in the middle of the Colosseum in Rome.

Who’s to blame? We can probably start with legendary author James A. Michener. Patron saint of the epic historical novel that runs 500, 600 or even 1,000 pages, Michener was a master at taking a place and time, then creating people and putting them in situations that keep you glued to the page, even for many hundreds of pages, and that’s no mean trick.

He penned historical novels like The Source, Centennial, Chesapeake, Mexico, Texas, Poland, and many more. I’ve read just about all of them, and some more than once. Now no one would call Michener a writer of thrillers, and he wasn’t, but if you take history and add spice in the way of suspense – think Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett – presto! You have the historical thriller.

It’s all about doing a little learning while being entertained, which is just the sort of book that keeps people like me reading in the wee hours.

About the book:

The year is 2039, and Jack Fisher is the last living survivor of the Holocaust. Set in a world that is abysmally ignorant and complacent about events of the last century, Jack is a 100-year-old man whose worst memories took place before he was 5. His story hearkens back to the Jewish ghetto of his birth and to Auschwitz where, as a little boy, he had to fend for himself to survive after losing all his family. Jack becomes the central figure in a missing-person investigation when his granddaughter suddenly disappears. While assisting police, he finds himself in danger and must reach into the darkest corners of his memory to come out alive.

Note from the Author:

My research included spending time with real-life, former child survivors. To illustrate the point of this novel, we produced a video and went around asking university students in Toronto where I live what they know about the Holocaust and World War II. The level of ignorance out there is incredible. Have a look.

http://youtu.be/CRC_T07dwZo

The Last Witness on Amazon: http://amzn.to/14jlgXQ

Author Bio:

Jerry Amernic is a Toronto writer who has been a newspaper reporter and correspondent, newspaper columnist, feature contributor for magazines, and media consultant. He has taught writing and journalism at college, and is the author of several books.

His first book was Victims: The Orphans of Justice, a true story about a former police officer whose daughter was murdered. The man became a leading advocate for victims of crime. Jerry later wrote a column on the criminal justice system for The Toronto Sun, and has since been a contributor to many other newspapers. In 2007 he co-authored Duty – The Life of a Cop with Julian Fantino, the highest-profile police officer Canada has ever produced and currently a member of the country’s federal Cabinet.

Jerry’s first novel Gift of the Bambino (St. Martin’s Press, 2004) was widely praised by the likes of The Wall Street Journal in the U.S., and The Globe and Mail in Canada. His latest novel is the historical thriller The Last Witness, which is set in the year 2039 and is about the last living survivor of the Holocaust. The biblical-historical thriller Qumran will be released next. It’s about an archeologist who makes a dramatic discovery in the Holy Land.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Sunday Cover Scramble [107]

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 am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

ARC Review: Dealing With Devils (The Road to Salvation #2) by Pembroke Sinclair

Published: January 16th 2015 by Booktrope
Genre: urban fantasy,romance
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Dating a demon has its advantages, like helping deliver souls to Hell. Wait...what? 

Katie’s world has been turned upside down. She's fallen for Josh—despite the fact that he’s a demon from Hell. Wes is finally out of her system and her life. Convinced she can change Josh, she sets out to make him a better person, only to find out things aren’t as simple as she’d originally thought. For one thing, Josh has Katie help him deliver souls to Hell, and she kind of likes it. And to top it off, other more powerful demons are battling for her soul, and revelations from the past could change the course of her life forever. 

Buy Dealing With Devils by Pembroke Sinclair Today at Amazon

Braden cleared his throat. "I want recompense. I want Katie."

Braden squared his shoulders and struggled to keep the smirk from his face. "A human in hell is fair game to any demon. I tried to claim what was rightfully mine in the pit, and Josh hindered that privilege. It's only fair I get her now."

The Good

I enjoyed the 2nd book in this series more than the first now that a few details have been revealed about Katie. Dealing With Devils reveals why the demons want her and why her potential for evil is so great. It's also interesting to have the two main guys in the book be the evil guy and the really evil guy. Both are trying to lure the Protagonist, Katie, to their side.

The Bad

Not really bad, but this installment did give me another 'huh' moment as one of Katie's friends decides she can date a demon also because she's jealous of the attention Katie is getting. Besides, she's dated plenty of guys so of course she can handle a demon right?

The Romance

Wes is MIA and Katie is spending more and more time with Josh. Enter Braden who wants Katie for himself.

Conclusion

I'm looking forward to the next book now that I've read the first two. I can see why Katie is tempted to dance with a demon and I'm curious as to what path she'll take. If you enjoy a good supernatural romance, this one is worth checking out for sure.

Excerpts

Josh's smile left his lips and he huffed. "I assume you are talking about the white demon since you've seen the others before. It's an inducer."
Katie stared at him. "What's that?"
"They are the catalysts that allow us to do what we do. They keep evil alive and thriving in the world."

You're going to be miserable and unhappy and a servant to demons because you're too scared to stand up for yourself?" Anger crept into her tone. "Do you enjoy being evil's bitch?"

"Because I wasn't sure at first if it was true. I wasn't sure until after our first trip to the Pit. After the way Braden reacted, and then Lucifer, I knew you were important." He stood and cupped her cheek in his hand. "Even more so than I already knew you were." 

Buy Dealing With Devils by Pembroke Sinclair Today at Amazon

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [53]

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.

   Free Week!

A friend of mine posted this on my Facebook page, and I just had to share:

Review: Dark Remnants (Street Games #1) by L.K. Hill

Publisher: September 3, 2013, Create Space
Genre: Mystery
Format: ebook
Source: Gifted by author for honest review

Goodreads Summary:

In the most dangerous city in the country, one controlled by a sadistic gang called the Sons of Ares, Kyra Roberts is searching the deep places for someone…

Kyra has come to Abstreuse city to find someone she’s lost, but walking the underbelly—a dark alley system residents call the Slip Mire—even in disguise, is rife with dangers. Kyra must stay on her toes if she intends to live. After crossing paths several times with the same detective, she wonders if his work and hers might be connected.

Gabe Nichols has worked homicide in Abstreuse for three years. Dead prostitutes and gang violence are part of the night shift. When a woman who looks like a street junkie but acts like an intellectual saves his life, he’s intrigued. Another woman shows up at his crime scene, and Gabe’s instincts kick into high gear when she clams up. Two cases involving strange women who won’t tell what they know are too coincidental.

If Gabe and Kyra can’t find a way to collaborate, they may not live to see the sunrise. Doomed, like so many others, to become gray, unmarked graves in a forgotten fracture of the Slip Mire.

Dark Remnants follows both Kyra and Detective Gabe Nichols.   Kyra is on a mission to find someone very important to her.   In order to be successful, she must blend in on the streets of Abstreuse and she must infiltrate one of the toughest gangs in America, the Sons of Ares.  She is torn between doing the right thing and helping cops with information she has acquired that could cost many people their lives.  After many events out of her control, it brings her right in line with Detective Nichols more than she would like.  She is torn whether to help him and risk her life with the gang or save the lives of innocent people by letting the detective in.

Gabe Nichols is a tough homicide detective who is one of the few who like working in the most violent area in the city.  He crosses paths with a woman who appears to be a druggie with lots of smarts.  She gives him very valuable information but is elusive about everything including who she is.   While investigating an unrelated case, he runs across another mysterious woman.   With lack of sleep, he knows he is missing a piece of the puzzle.  Will he be able to put the puzzle together before anyone else loses their life?

Sometimes when it glitters it really is gold

Dark Remnants starts off with both feet on the ground and running.  I loved that!  Kyra is a very multi dimensional character.  There is a lot of interesting unknowns about her.  You crave to find out more and know her story.   The secondary character, Gabe, also has a deep story that we only get to see the surface of.    He is one of those cops that want to do the right thing and find the bad guy.  I was extremely intrigued and wanted to know more about both characters.   The plot was very well done.  There was a little twist in there I didn’t see coming at all.   It’s been a while since I have read a murder mystery that I couldn’t put down.  There weren’t any slow chapters.    It is rare that any book has that quality.  Something else refreshing in this book was the focus.  Yes there was lots of graphic violence and very very bad people, but the story didn’t have violence just for the sake of violence.  There was focus in the plot and it served to move the story forward.   All the characters are extremely fleshed out and with a very well put together plot, Dark Remnants was one that was hard to put down.

Fool’s Gold Still Exists 

My only real complaint is none of the plots really had any closure.   Being the first in the series, I am ok with leaving some things open-ended.  However, I would prefer at least one of the plot lines has some sort of solution.   It was like the book kind of just stopped in the middle with no resolution of anything.  The characters went to sleep and were like 'we are done, see you when we wake up'.   Because that is literally what happens...the main characters went to bed.  Well goodnight to y'all but sheesh at least talk to me some more when you wake up!!! So I just feel like the book was a little incomplete in that regard.

OVERALL GOLD

I loved Dark Remnants and am excited for the next book.   I do hope in future books there will be at least some kind of closure or conclusion to at least one of the plot lines.   However, all in all I loved everything else about the book.   It is one of those can’t put down books.   Kyra and Gabe are both very strong leads and I for one am ready to see how their story unfolds.

Sunday Cover Scramble [106]

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.

Today is Melody's Birthday!

Happy Birthday to such a beautiful soul and sweet person
who's been like a sister to me for years!!

I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

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Sidekick Showcase [93] - A bit Peevy

Sidekick Showcase is a monthly bookish meme, hosted here by Jaclyn at JC's Book Haven. There are many secondary characters that are as great as the primaries. In some cases, the sidekicks actually steal the show and you like them better than the heroine or hero. Maybe they didn't have enough page time for how great they were. Anyone can play along! I will post my Sidekicks on the first Saturday of the month, then whichever day during the month that you would like to post yours, you can put your link in on my page. Just do the following:

• Choose a sidekick *or someone other than the hero or heroine* that you would like to put in the spotlight that fits in the month's topic
• Share a picture (if you can) and information about the character
• Give the title and author of a book the character can be found in
• Please don't include too many spoilers when describing why the character is such a great sidekick
• The day of your post, click the 'Sidekicks' link in my header and enter the link for your post. Here, you can also see anyone else that posted during the month to visit their Sidekick Showcase's as well.

Topic ideas for February are: Favorite minority character, Favorite Couple or Favorite Smaller than average character.

I'm going with smaller than average character -

My choice is Peeves
from The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

What makes Peeves so great in my eyes? Well for me he's the Weasley twins of the ghost world. I love the pranks he pulls throughout the series. The way he drives Filch bonkers were some of my favorite moments in the books. Yet despite all the problems he causes he is loyal to the school. Unlike filch he doesn't take to Dolores Umbridge. He even takes a command from a student for the first time ever when the Twins tell him to "Give her hell from us, Peeves!". That may have been my favorite part of the series. I remember laughing out loud and sitting up with a cheer from me.

Quotes:

“Give her hell from us, Peeves."
And Peeves, whom Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset.”

---

“Which way did they go, Peeves?" Filch was saying. "Quick, tell me."
"Say 'please.'"
"Don't mess with me, Peeves, now where did they go?"
"Shan't say nothing if you don't say please," said Peeves in his annoying singsong voice.
"All right- PLEASE."
"NOTHING! Ha haaa! Told you I wouldn't say nothing if you didn't say please! Ha ha! Haaaaaa!" And they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away and Filch cursing in rage.”

---

“Harry witnessed Professor McGonagall walking right past Peeves who was determinedly loosening a crystal chandelier and could have sworn he heard her tell the poltergeist out of the corner of her mouth, 'It unscrews the other way.”

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Harry Potter Moment of the Week [52]

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.

  Worst Death

For me, Sirius was a horrible loss. We loved him so much. Then Dumbledore punched me in the stomach. The thing with these two is, that I was expecting them. I felt like Harry wasn't going to catch a break having a 'father figure' and that he was going to have to be left alone without an influencing person at the end. My thing was always that if Dumbledore was around, why would Harry ever really have to fight Voldemort? I was also mad about losing Fred.

But the worst one for me was Dobby.

When Sirius died, Harry was beyond ANGRY. So, so mad. When Dumbldore died, Harry was confused and then ANGRY. The circumstances around Dobby and his death, had Harry in tears and almost broken for a moment. The passages surrounding him dying and Harry burying him, had me ugly snot crying.

What was the worst death for you?

Review: The Appeal of Evil (The Road to Salvation #1) by Pembroke Sinclair

Published: January 13th 2014 by Booktrope Editions
Genre: urban fantasy,romance
Format: ebook
Source: provided for honest review

Goodreads Summary

Katie wants to invest her heart and soul in love, but she may lose both to Hell. 

Katie, a senior in high school, is torn between loving the "good" guy, her childhood friend Wes who makes promises he doesn't keep and abandons her when she needs him the most, and the "bad" guy, the new kid at school Josh who is also a real demon from Hell. Katie wants someone who pays attention to her and puts her first, but what is she willing to give up to find him? 

Buy The Appeal of Evil by Pembroke Sinclair Today at Amazon

"Not exactly. When you're born, your soul is pretty much a blank slate. There's a fifty - fifty chance you could go either way. Most people are drawn to the good side because when they do a good deed, chemicals are released in the brain that make them feel even better. But the same thing happens to people who do evil. And your station in life doesn't dictate what side you're more prone to. It all boils down to choices."

The Good

I enjoyed the demon vs.  praesul aspect of the book. A praesul, being a human that has been blessed and spend their life hunting demons. The fact that praesuls have to keep everyone at a distance or put them at risk really fits. I also like the demons using hell hounds to scout out the area by having them appear as regular stray dogs.

The Bad

I never really understood why Katie would be tempted to hang out with a demon. Sure  he took her to some interesting places but he threatened her life, her mom's life and was willing to take the soul of anyone she knew.

The Romance

Katie has a huge crush on Wes but Josh pays attention to her so a one sided love triangle is born. The good guy can finish last it seems.

Conclusion

I enjoyed the book despite that fact I didn't empathize with being tempted by a hot demon. I love the whole good vs. evil aspect of the book. The praesuls are a little more interesting then say a fallen angel or even regular angels being there to protect us from the demons. I like that it's up to us as humans to fight them off.

Excerpts

"Let her go. I'm here now. She's no longer of any use to you."
"Well, now, that's not exactly true. See, I know how much she means to you. I can see into your soul, remember? She consumes three-fourths of it."


What exactly did he do? Josh said he protected the world from demons, but what did that entail? And were there that many demons coming into the world to constitute an entire secret society? There must have been. After all, Katie couldn't deny what she had seen with her own eyes. Or could she?


"That has yet to be decided. You are always free to choose what you will, what side you want to be on."
"And you're here to make sure I choose your side."
"Of course. You would be a valuable asset for hell."

Buy The Appeal of Evil by Pembroke Sinclair Today at Amazon

When life's kicking your butt...how about a theme song? [14]

My friend Robyn from robgirlbooks tasked us with coming up with a theme song each month, and I love it! Music is a VERY big part of my life. This month is Go Big or Go Home...chart toppers.

Pick #2:




What is your choice this month??

Sunday Cover Scramble [105]

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 am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

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