Monday 30 April 2012

Scandal's Bride by Stephanie Laurens

Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Piatkus; New Ed edition (5 April 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0749937181
  • ISBN-13: 978-0749937188
  • How can an honorable lady like Lady Catrioria Hennessy unite with a rake like Richard Cyster? Though charmed by his commanding presence, she cannot give up her independence. Marriage had not previously been on Richard's agenda, but perhaps taming the lady was just the challenge he needs--if he can have the rights of the marriage bed without making any revealing promises of love?

Cover:  I much prefer the newer editions of Stephanie's books, much less cheesy, nice and subtle.  Yes it's a romance book but it does scream it from the cover like on some romance novels (come on you know it's true!)


I have been undecided with what to read recently and so on a whim I went for something completely different to what I had been reading, and I am a sucker for some regency romance!
This is book 3 in the Cynster series of novels by Stephanie Laurens, each book about a different member of the wealthy Cynster family finding themselves trapped by fate and falling in love.
And I have to say out of the 3 I've read so far, this is my favourite.  I enjoyed Scandal's (real name Richard) character much more than Devil or Vane, but Catriona frustrated me sometimes (I mean she drugs him to have sex with him without his knowledge which I did find a little strange).  There are sooo many crossed wires and misunderstandings that got me so frustrated that I wanted to scream! 
However I did feel there was more than attraction between them, that they did truly love each other- more so than with the couples in the first two books, despite them never saying 'I Love You', which may be pedantic but I like to have that in my romance novels.
I really enjoyed this, and it was a really quick & light read.  I do recommend this for fans of historical romance, and you don't have to read the first 2 books to enjoy it.  For me this was 4/5 stars.  I took away a star for the drugging and no 'love you' thing.

Sunday 29 April 2012

On My Kindle #2

Instead of cluttering up my Book Haul/IMM's with books for my Kindle, I've decided to do a separate post,  hosted by Totally Bookalicious.



This week On My Kindle:

Thursday 26 April 2012

Booking Through Thursday

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week. 


Has a book ever inspired you to change anything in your life, fiction or non-fiction alike?


This was a hard question because I thought surely a book has made me change something.  A book must have affected me that way.  But as much as I read, and as much as I appreciate reading and all the changes a book can have an impact on a reader, I haven't read anything and wanted to change a part of me or my life.  Because...I'm kinda happy the way it is, and I read for simply for pleasure.  *Cliche over*

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Cover Reveal: The Evolution of Mara Dyer

This is a cover that I have been waiting for since I saw and fell in with the cover The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer...


So What do you think? As good as the first?  I really like it.  I like that it's stuck to the same colour scheme, and they're wearing the same clothes.  The continuity is refreshing and I'm loving it!!!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is all about sharing the books that I'm eagerly waiting to be released.






This week the book that I'm waiting on is Until I Die by Amy Plum released on May 3rd.
I read book one, Die For Me last year and really enjoyed it!

BLOGTOUR- Review Goddess Interrupted by Aimee Carter+ Interview

Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Mira Ink (6 April 2012)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1848450788
  • ISBN-13: 978-1848450783
  • Kate Winters has won immortality.

    But if she wants a life in the Underworld with Henry, she’ll have to fight for it.

    Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part. Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever. And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive. Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans.

    As the other gods prepare for a war that could end them all, it is up to Kate to save Henry from the depths of Tartarus. But in order to navigate the endless caverns of the Underworld, Kate must enlist the help of the one person who is the greatest threat to her future.

    Henry’s first wife, Persephone.
  • Cover: On the screen the cover looks very pretty, and don't get me wrong it is, much in person the purple is much darker, and I would have preferred for the title to be in gold, to match the first book in the series, The Goddess Test.
I finally got round to reading The Goddess Test last month and I really enjoyed it,so I was looking forward to picking up book 2. I don't know whether it was because I was back at college or the  book itself but I found it hard to get into, I couldn't seem to read more than 20 pages at a time, and didn't mind putting it down.  However the last 100 pages really picked up for me and at that point really got back into it, and it was more like book 1 again.
I did still enjoy the book but much more towards the end (no, not in a mean way).
My favourite parts were some very sweet scenes between Henry and Kate, and this is what I think picked the book up for me, because there wasn't much interaction between them for the first 2/3 of the novel, which while I understood, I missed it.
The end is evil, much more so than book 1, and I definitely want to carry on with the series and can't wait to check out book 3.
Overall if you read The Goddess Test you definitely want to check out Goddess Interrupted, or if you haven't it's one you should.  I will say stick with Goddess Interrupted, it does pick up and I love the set up for the 3rd book!
4/5 stars.

  • Interview with Aimee Carter
  • Erin: Why do you think readers still love Greek Mythology today?

  • Aimee:It’s universal, full of action, conflict, and betrayal, and we like to be able to identify strongly with groups and certain personality traits – for instance, we all know which House we’d be in at Hogwarts. The same goes for the Greek Gods. We all have an idea of which one we relate to best, making us feel connected to that god or goddess in a way we might not otherwise.

    Erin: What is your favourite mythical creature and why?

  • Aimee: The phoenix, hands down. Long lifespan, born from the ashes of flame – it’s pretty awesome all around.

    Erin: If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be?

  • Aimee:JK Rowling. I respect her not just as an author, but as a person as well, and she’s a terrific role model.

    Erin: What kind of research did you do for The Goddess Test series?

  • Aimee: I’ve loved Greek mythology from a very young age, but I still read up on all the various versions of the myths, picking and choosing which would work best for the world I wanted to create. And, of course, twisting a few in the process when necessary.

  • Erin:  What’s the best thing about being an author?
  • Aimee:Besides getting to do what I love, the best part about being a writer is the sleep schedule. I love not having to get up at 7am.

Thursday 19 April 2012

Booking Through Thursday





Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week. 




What are your literary “pet peeves”?


I had actually planned to do a discussion video on this very topic.  I'm quite a laid back reader, and not a lot really riles me up.
However,
I don't live love triangles.  I think they're used to excess and they simply bug me.  
I don't like book covers that have no relevance whatsoever.  For example, the protagonist is a red head, and they put a blond on the cover.  It just makes me think 'have the cover artists even read this book?!?'
And lastly I don't like repetitive descriptions, for example I recently read Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian and I must have read the phrase 'throat felt dryer than ash' countless times.

Wednesday 18 April 2012

On My Kindle #1

Instead of cluttering up my Book Haul/IMM's with books for my Kindle, I've decided to do a separate post.



Tuesday 17 April 2012

Drink Slay Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Hardcover: 386 pages
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (13 Sep 2011)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1442423730
  • ISBN-13: 978-1442423732
  • Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

    Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

    The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?
  • Cover: I love this fun cover.  Extra points for using a picture perfect for the protagonist Pearl.
  • 3/5 stars.  This was a light, fun read.  Pearl is unashamedly evil.  She's not like the Edward Cullens of the YA paranormal world that regret what they are, but actually revels in it. That is until the unicorn stabs her, resulting in feelings!  This in itself is a fun and unique premise.  This book doesn't take itself too seriously, and there are a few Twilight jokes thrown in there too!  Durst doesn't try to create her own vampires either but sticks to the traditional ideas of how vampires are.
  • I was never really enthralled by the book, the writing never gripped me but I did really enjoy Pearl's character- she was hilarious!  I thought that the dialogue wasn't believable (ok the vampire dialogue yes, but the human...not so much), I found myself thinking 'would they really say that?!?!'
  • I wanted more romance in this book.  There was hardly any.
  • And the end...I found myself with a lot of answered questions.
  • If you're looking for a light, fun and quick read that doesn't take itself or vampires too seriously and it easy on the romance then I'd recommend it, otherwise it might not be for you.  I know I was slightly disappointed.

Saturday 14 April 2012

Darker After Midnight by Lara Adrian

Paperback: 420 pages
  • Publisher: Robinson (26 Jan 2012)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1849013764
  • ISBN-13: 978-1849013765
Adult Paranormal Romance
Mightnight Breed Book 10
  • After existing in secret for many centuries, maintaining a fragile peace with the humans who walk beside them, unaware, one single act of retaliation has put the entire vampire nation at risk of discovery. And it falls to the Order - a select society of Breed warriors pledged to protect their own and humankind alike - to stop Dragos, the power-hungry vampire at the centre of the conflict, before his lust for domination can explode into catastrophe. At the centre of the Order's quest is Stirling Chase, a troubled Breed warrior whose biggest conflict is the one he wages against his own savage nature. With addiction beckoning him towards eternal darkness, Chase's path to redemption lies in the hands of a mysterious and beautiful young woman who may be something much more than she seems...
Cover:  I do like the cover, particularly the shade of green but I don't feel the model is a good  match for the protagonist Tavia.  Plus I enjoyed the cover more when the couple was on the cover, not just the woman.  For example:


But books 9 and 10 have changed to just the woman and I'm not as keen on it.  Of course I still like them, but I feel like they just don't match the earlier books in the series which is a shame.

The Midnight Breed series is one of my all time favourite series, and definitely my favourite adult paranormal series, narrowly beating The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward (to anyone that has read both: so  many similarities right?!?!).  I haven't reviewed any of the other books in this series on my blog or youtube channel because I started the series before I started the blog or channel and then it seemed odd to start reviewing them, but I thought about it while reading this book that I should really share one of my favourite series with you.
This book gets 5/5 stars.  As this is book 10 in the series I don't want to spoil this or the previous books for anyone that many want to read them, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed it, as I have with all the other books.
The romance was great, Chase and Tavia were kindred spirits and worked really well, but I loved that we got to see more of the other couples as well.  Some of my favourite scenes in the book were with Brock and Jenna from book 8.
The end of this book took me totally by surprise.  The result will mean a whole new direction for the Breed and this series and I can't wait to see where this takes us.
I thought perhaps the bringing down of the bad guy was a little quick.  I mean he was kind of an evil genius and then the way he went out was a tad anti-climatic but I still loved it.
Also a tiny thing bugged me.  Through the book it seems the only way to describe a dry throat was to liken it to ash.  I found this repetition slightly irritating.
But really I loved this book.  I love this series.  And I definitely recommend the series as a whole to anyone that has not yet picked it up.  If you love adult paranormal romance or are a fan of J.R. Ward, you will definitely want to check this out.

Thursday 12 April 2012

Booking Through Thursday





Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.


What book took you the longest to read, and do you feel it was the content or just the length that made it so?


Most books I read are on average 300-350 pages long and I can get that read quite quickly but with college and coursework etc. my workload means it can vary.  Plus writing styles can affect how long it takes to finish a book.  For example Divergent by Veronica Roth and Angel by L.A. Weatherly are both 400 pages + but I read them in a day, but Article 5 by Kristen Simmons was just over 300 and took me almost a week.
I can't honestly remember the book that has taken me the longest to read but I have a feeling that it will be A Game of Thrones, which I started last month but had to put on hold because of blogtour reads I had to get done and it was so dense, but I was enjoying it.

Wednesday 11 April 2012

BLOGTOUR: Crave by Melissa Darnell Review + Interview

The Clann #1

  • Paperback: 432 pages

  • Publisher: Mira Ink (6 April 2012)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1848450966
  • ISBN-13: 978-1848450967
Bloodlust. Magic. Forbidden secrets.

When Savannah Colbert returns to school after a mystery illness, the fact that she has changed is clear to everyone. None more so than every school girls golden boy Tristan Coleman. Ever since their first kiss in fourth grade, Savannah and Tristan have been cruelly and inexplicably banned from associating with each other. Now, as the pair navigate the tricky social life of high school, the truth is about to be revealed.

As Savannah learns of their paranormal ancestry and Tristan deals with the repercussions of her new powers, the relationship they have been denied for so long becomes utterly irresistible and all consuming. Like Romeo and Juliet centuries before them, Savannah and Tristan’s love is destined to fail; and Tristan’s powerful magical family, the Clann, are watching.



Cover:  I LOVE this cover.  I liked the US cover when it was a beautiful brownish colour but now the black and red just looks amazing, and the red leaves are metallic against matt black which is stunning in person.


I was ecstatic when MiraInk asked if I wanted to take part in this blogtour because Crave had been on my wishlist since I first heard about it back in November last year.  And I wasn't disappointed.  
I had been heading towards a reading slump but this pulled me right out of it. I just loved this book.  The pacing was perfect, I was never bored and just wanting to keep turning pages and was disappointed when it ended- I could have just just turning pages.
My favourite thing about this book is that both Savannah and Tristan's perspectives are written, which gives an idea of what both characters are thinking, feelings towards the other, which made the romance that much sweeter.  The romance wasn't insta-love but was built up nicely, and stood out for me amogst other paranormal YA romance.
The paranormal elements were great.  A mix of witches and vampires.  I haven't read a lot on witches so it was refreshing for me.
I did cringe a few times when some phrases came across as very Twilight-esque.  For example Savannah's father who she doesn't see a lot of bought her an old, rusting chevy truck and Tristan describes Savannah as like a drug he's addicted to.  Sound familiar?
But despite that I couldn't help but love it.  This book wasn't perfect.  And I know not everyone will love it.  But, my enjoyment of it means that I can't give it anything less than 5/5 stars!  It pulled me out of a reading slump, it had both protagonists perspectives- which I always feel more books should have, particularly in paranormal YA and I flat out fell in love with Tristan.
This one is not one to be missed for fans of the YA paranormal genre, it has everything.



Erin: Crave is described as 'Romeo and Juliet with a modern twist', so what is your favourite love story and why?
Melissa: I really hate how Romeo and Juliet ends, so it's definitely not my favourite love story, lol.  I do have one adult romance that I've had for forever and read probably a hundred times by now, which would have to be one of my favourites.  It's called Born in Fire by Nora Roberts.  It's about this woman who is a glass artist, and an art gallery owner who wants to help represent her work and manage her career.  For some reason, it constantly resonates with me, maybe because I'm often a little too focused on my creative endeavors and in need of some real world grounding and guidance like the heroine!  My hubby is also a lot like the hero in that story, in that he takes care of me without smothering me or babying me, supports and encourages my creative side no matter how crazy my latest idea is, and helps me remember to come back to earth every now and then to enjoy reality!

Erin: If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be and why?
Melissa: Hmm, this is a tough one.  If we're talking dream level collaboration here, I adore Christine Feehan's Drake Sisters adult romance series and would love to work with her on a YA romance if I ever became famous enough to move in her sphere, lol.  In the same vein of crazy daydreaming, I also greatly admire Dan Brown's plotting skills and would love to do a YA thriller with him as well.  And while it might seem a little strange, there are several reality TV show celebrities I'd dearly love to work with to create fictional stories based on their areas of expertise, including Theresa Caputo of Long Island Medium and the Sea Sheppard crew from Whale Wars. 

Erin: I love books that have more than one character's perspective, was it difficult writing both Savannah and Tristan's points of view?
Melissa: Actually it's a lot of fun!  In real life, verbal communication is filled with misunderstanding and confusion, so I try to show that in my stories and play with it by switching perspectives.  Then both I and the readers get to see exactly how the characters accidentally or purposefully misunderstand each other and wind up with some crazy results!

Erin: Who or what inspires your writing?
Melissa: Real life, especially reality TV and the news, constantly gives me ideas for new stories.  I have a beautiful notebook (a treasured Christmas present from my sister in law) that is literally filled with story notes for all the stories I'm currently working on, as well as future works.  Every day some new idea comes to me, and the only way to keep myself sane and keep it all straight is to jot the note into that notebook!  Then when I'm ready to revise a story or start a new one, I can simply go through those notes. 

Erin: Do you have a writing routine or any quirks when writing?
Melissa: When I write, I like to have a few key things...
-- I prefer to be in a closed room somewhere (part of the inspiration for Savannah's "supersonic" hearing ability is because I've always had extra sensitive ears and even the pressure changes in the air from room to room can distract me!).  I also need to be alone; otherwise I'm tempted to ask anyone who's there to give me feedback on what I've just written!
-- As a former dancer, I've always been nuts about music and really rely on it to help me mentally stay in the right mood for each scene in the story.  So before I begin to write any story's rough draft, I always start by creating a soundtrack specifically for that story.  This is why you'll always find a playlist on my websites for every story of mine that's published.
-- Since I have two young boys and a hubby who all love to be noisy, I listen to that soundtrack (set to loop for hours if necessary) on headphones to further help me focus.
-- While revisions are always done on a laptop, I prefer to write rough drafts longhand using pens and composition notebooks.  I worked for years as an editor, so when I'm on a computer it's hard for me to turn off my internal editor.  Writing longhand subconsciously tells that internal editor to "zip it for awhile already!" so my creative side can come out to play instead.
-- When both writing and revising, I've also been known to call upon the powers of Nacho Cheese Doritos, Crunch N Munch, and my new love of Snapple Peach Tea when flying through a rough draft.  I swear they're superfuel for the brain!
Thank you for inviting me to be here on your blog.  Please let your readers know that I love to hear from readers, and they can feel free to contact me anytime through either of my websites at www.TheClannSeries.com or www.melissadarnell.com, where they can also learn more about the Clann, Savannah's race of vampires, listen to the online playlist for each Clann Series book, and much more!


Thanks so much Melissa for stopping by my lil blog.
                                                                     -Erin 

Thursday 5 April 2012

Booking Through Thursday




Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week




If someone asked you for a book recommendation, what is the FIRST book you’d think to recommend (without extra thought)?


My recommendations can vary person to person.  For example a friend at college has exactly the same book taste as me so anything I like I recommend to her and vice versa but particularly paranormal YA.  Whereas another friend can't stand paranormal books and only really enjoys realistic fiction.
But having said that, when I read this question one book immediately sprung to mind.  When I read it (and even now) I kept banging on about to EVERYONE!  And that is The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.  In my review I even say that I think everyone should read it.  A truly beautiful read.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

The Immortal Rules trailer! Not long now!!!

Not long to wait until Julie Kagawa's dystopian read, The Immortal Rules is released!!!!-24th April. 
Enjoy the trailer here!



Sunday 1 April 2012

Run Rabbit Run by Kate Johnson

Received for review


Paperback: 350 pages
  • Publisher: Choc Lit (7 April 2012)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1906931739
  • ISBN-13: 978-1906931735
Sophie’s in trouble. Must be Tuesday.
Sophie Green’s an ex-spy, or trying to be. You wouldn’t believe the trouble she’s in. An MI5 officer has been shot with her gun, her fingerprints all over his office. And no, she didn’t kill him.

But she has gone on the run.

Now Sophie’s desperately seeking whoever’s trying to frame and kill her. She’s being forced to work with the least trustworthy man in Europe, MI5 is following her every move, and she’s had to leave the tall, blond, god of a man she loves behind.

Luke Sharpe works for MI6. Or did, until his girlfriend became a murder suspect.

Doing nothing wasn’t an option, so he started investigating. Who cares if it is means jeopardising his career? Sophie’s everything he used to say he never wanted. Young, irresponsible, bright and mad. Now she’s just everything – and she has to live.

She will live, won’t she?



A huge thank you to ChocLit for sending this to me for review.


Cover: I love the sleek, sexy cover, and the pink and black looks great.


Move over Stephanie Plum, Sophie Green's about!
I really enjoyed this book apart from one thing (which is definitely a spoiler so I'll write that in a separate part at the end of this review).  
This is book 5 in the Sophie Green Mysteries but works as a stand alone.  I haven't read the first four books but I kind of wish I had.
The plot is a great action mystery, with some comedy thrown into the mix.  The great thing about this book is that we get both Sophie and Luke's perspective.  We know what's happening both at home and on the run, and how both characters are feelings.  Chick lit hardly ever includes the male's perspective but I really enjoyed this and so will be checking out other ChocLit releases.
I definitely recommend this for ChickLit readers.  It's a brilliant light and fun read that you'll devour quickly.  For me I give Run Rabbit Run 4/5 stars.  One thing let it down for me and I'm having trouble forgiving it because it ruined it a little for me.  But fans of the genre will love it, and having Luke's perspective as well definitely made it more enjoyable.


SPOILER!!!
Seriously if you don't want this book spoiled look away.  I don't normally include spoilers in my reviews but this one was pivotal to my feelings about the book that the review makes little sense unless you know the major thing that I actually hated about it.  Ok.... towards the end of the book Sophie cheats on Luke.  Actually sleeps with another guy and to me that was unforgivable.  I mean, while she was being hunted she risked being caught to go visit Luke and sleep with him and then a few days later she sleeps with someone else, while still officially with Luke.  She goes on about how she loves and how perfect he is (he kinda is, I loved him myself) and then she can do that.  I really liked her ditzy, comical character before that, but after I kind of hated her, and when she was being hunted by a psychopath killer I suddenly couldn't muster the sympathy.  I kind of didn't care whether she died because of what she did.  And sure that may make me a bad person (I'm sure I wouldn't react the same to this situation in real life but in my fiction I'm particular about what I like, and cheating isn't it).  This ruined the rest of the book for me.  I was loving it SO much until this point.  Until then in my mind I was like OMG THIS IS GONNA BE A 5/5 STARS!  And I was left a little crushed to be honest.  She doesn't deserve Luke.
Rant. Over.