Review: Chameleon (The Rippler Series Book 2) by Cidney Swanson

Chameleon (Book Two in the Rippler Series) By Cidney Swanson

Book Description:Sixteen-year-old Samantha Ruiz has a lot on her mind. The crush who kissed her but changed his mind. The BFF who thinks Sam is in an abusive relationship. The geneticist who wanted Sam dead but now wants her ALIVE. And of course, Sam’s still dealing with a tendency to disappear into thin air.

When Sam learns of her nemesis Helmann’s Nazi-like plan to establish a Thousand-Year Reign, she’s determined to fight him. Along with Will and Mickie, Sam flees to France to meet Sir Walter—their best hope for stopping Helmann’s brave new world.

But Sam isn’t any safer in France. Someone is following her. Someone invisible. Sam will have to figure out how to hide from an enemy she can’t even see.

 

About the Author: Cidney Swanson is the author of The Ripple Series. She began writing at age seven; her first novel began with “Ouch,” and her characters have been suffering ever since. Cidney lives in Eugene, Oregon with her husband, three kids, two cats, one dog, and entirely too much rain.

Here's What I Think: I love a series book that jumps in right where the last one left off. Chameleon finds the Ripplers, Sam and Will - chaperoned by Mickie of course -  off on their much anticipated class trip to Europe where they meet Sir Walter much sooner than they unexpected. And the adventure and danger starts right off. I love the journal entries from Helga and Hellman. It is so interesting to me when an author can change voices and have the reader actually feel like the storytelling has been picked up by someone else. I am impressed by Swanson's well thought out story lines that interweave back and forth, yet still keep it all easy to follow - it's truly a talent. I am very excited to read Unfurl - the third and final book in the series - which was just released on Amazon!

 

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione (Lords of Deliverance, Book 1)

Eternal Rider by Larissa Ione (Lords of Deliverance, Book 1)

Book Description: They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

His name is Ares, and the fate of mankind rests on his powerful shoulders. If he falls to the forces of evil, the world falls too. As one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he is far stronger than any mortal, but even he cannot fight his destiny forever. Not when his own brother plots against him.

Yet there is one last hope. Gifted in a way other humans can't-or won't-understand, Cara Thornhart is the key to both this Horseman's safety and his doom. But involving Cara will prove treacherous, even beyond the maddening, dangerous desire that seizes them the moment they meet. For staving off eternal darkness could have a staggering cost: Cara's life.

About the Author: Larissa Ione is the USA Today and New York Times bestselling author of the Demonica and Lords of Deliverance series. She also writes sexy contemporary romance stories for Samhain and Red Sage, and has a novella coming out with Kensington in September 2011. Her alter ego, Sydney Croft (pen name with romantic suspense author Stephanie Tyler), writes erotic paranormal action-adventure.
 

An Air Force veteran, she has been a meteorologist, EMT, and professional dog trainer. She is now lucky enough to write full time while living a nomadic lifestyle with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, son, and an extremely high-maintenance cat.

When not writing, she can be found reading, playing RPG's on the computer, and watching re-runs of Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Supernatural.


Here's What I Think: This book is a spin-off of the Demonica Series by Ione. In Sin Undone (book 5 of the Demonica Series) Ione introduces us to the Lords of Deliverance - briefly but specifically and my attention was grabbed right away. And Eternal Rider did not dissapoint. Once again Ione has created a word that is so full of life and excitement you are immersed from the first chapter. Ares and Cara are characters that you care about and what to read about. I am very interested to read the next book in the series of four.

Disclaimer: Although I did receive this book for review purposes, I was in no other way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11)

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 11)

Book Description:With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but her attention is divided when she realizes that her lover Eric Northman and his "child" Pam are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, Sookie is drawn into the plot-which is much more complicated than she knows...

About the Author: Charlaine Harris (born November 25, 1951 in Tunica, Mississippi) is a New York Times bestselling author who has been writing for over twenty years. She was raised in the Mississippi River Delta area. Though her early works consisted largely of poems about ghosts and, later, teenage angst, she wrote plays when she attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. She began to write books a few years later.

After publishing two stand-alone mysteries, Harris launched a lighthearted series "starring" Georgia librarian Aurora Teagarden, with Real Murders, a Best Novel nominee for the 1990 Agatha Awards. Harris wrote eight Aurora titles. In 1996, she released the first of the much darker Shakespeare mysteries, featuring the amateur sleuth Lily Bard, a karate student who makes her living cleaning houses. Shakespeare's Counselor, the fifth--and last-- was printed in fall 2001.

After Shakespeare, Harris created The Sookie Stackhouse urban fantasy series about a telepathic waitress who works in a bar in the fictional Northern Louisiana town of Bon Temps. The first of these, Dead Until Dark, won the Anthony Award for Best Paperback Mystery in 2001. Each book follows Sookie as she tries to solve mysteries involving vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures. The series, which now numbers nine titles, has been released worldwide.

Sookie Stackhouse proved to be so popular that Alan Ball, creator of Six Feet Under, announced he would undertake the production of a new show for HBO based upon the books. He wrote and directed the pilot episode for that series, True Blood, which premiered in September of 2008. It was an instant success and was quickly picked up for a second season.

In October 2005, Harris's new mystery series about a young woman named Harper Connelly debuted with the release of Grave Sight. Harper has the ability to determine the cause of death of any body. There are now three Harper titles (GRAVE SIGHT, GRAVE SURPRISE, AN ICE COLD GRAVE) with a 4th (GRAVE SECRET) to be released in 2009.

Harris has also co-edited three very popular anthologies with her friend Toni L.P. Kelner. The anthologies feature stories with an element of the supernatural, and the submissions come from a rare mixture of mystery and urban fantasy writers.

Professionally, Harris is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the American Crime Writers League. She is a member of the board of Sisters in Crime, and alternates with Joan Hess as president of the Arkansas Mystery Writers Alliance. Personally, Harris is married and the mother of three. She lives in a small town in Southern Arkansas and when she is not writing her own books, she reads omnivorously!

Here's What I Think: I have been an avoid reader of this series and loved every minute of it - until now. This latest installment was something of a let down. It's not that it was particularly bad but it just was. Nothing special happened, nothing really exciting occurred. The best that I can describe it is that I think Harris wrote an extra long installment to the series and the publishers broke it up into two books. I say this because a lot of new plot lines are opened up in Dead Reckoning that are not really brought to a close by the end, so there will definetly be another book or two. And I will read at least the next one, but if I once again feel like "nothing happened" I will likely be done with this series, as sad as that makes me.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: Lover Unleashed by JR Ward

Lover Unleashed by JR Ward - The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Book 9

Book Description: Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, seductive cloth as her brother. Imprisoned for eons by their mother, the Scribe Virgin, she finally frees herself-only to face a devastating injury. Manuel Manello, M.D., is drafted by the Brotherhood to save her as only he can-but when the human surgeon and the vampire warrior meet, their two worlds collide in the face of their undeniable passion. With so much working against them, can love prove stronger than the birthright and the biology that separates them?

About the Author: J.R. Ward worked in healthcare in Boston and spent many years as Chief of Staff at one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation. She lives in Kentucky with her husband.

Here's What I Think: This is most definitely my very favorite series of all time. And once again I am totally fascinated as to how Mrs. Ward can keep coming up with new and exciting stories about the same group of people!! I mean every book is completely in and of itself a new adventure. She does keep a running chain of events but those are all background plots that just keep the lives all the characters going. I just love that each book has more than just the main plot going, and has a specific focus on two characters throughout - in this installment Payne and Manny. This was such an interesting story as they are two people thrust into a world that either knows much about. Their attraction is instant - as is usual for these stories but it is so confusing to the both, it really takes a while for them to understand it. I also love that this story took root way back in Vischous' book, in a very mystical foreshadowing of just one word - "Brother". If you have not yet read this series and you love an intense love story with lots of action and bit of paranormal activity (they are vampires) than you need to get started. Ward writes in such a way that you want to believe it is real!

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: River Marked By Patrica Briggs

River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Book Description: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now. About the Author: Patty steadfastly refuses to write a biography. She considers them narcissistic, and besides, she'd rather write something interesting!

An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...



Here's What I Think: Often times when a series has as many installments as the Mercy Thompson series (this is the 6th book), the stories can become redundant, and this was my biggest fear with this book. But my fear was never realized. Briggs created a whole other plot that went down a completely different path. Really only two of the characters from the previous books play main roles in this book - Mercy and Adam. Don't get me wrong other staple characters are still part of the story, but they don't play a main role in the integral plot of this story. This storyline dives into Mercy's Native American Heritage and ventures into the legends and myths of the old tribes. I really enjoyed this book and dare say it is my favorite in the series since the second one. My favorite part of this story was actually a sideline that delves into the truth about who or rather what Mercy's father was. If you haven't read this series, it is very interesting and covers the whole supernatural/paranormal gamut when it comes to types of characters.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (Book 1 of the Mortal Instruments Series)

Book Description: When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Clary knows she should call the police, but it's hard to explain a murder when the body disappears into thin air and the murderers are invisible to everyone but Clary.About the Author: Cassandra Clare was born to American parents in Teheran, Iran and spent much of her childhood travelling the world with her family, including one trek through the Himalayas as a toddler where she spent a month living in her father's backpack. She lived in France, England and Switzerland before she was ten years old. Since her family moved around so much she found familiarity in books and went everywhere with a book under her arm. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles where she used to write stories to amuse her classmates, including an epic novel called "The Beautiful Cassandra" based on the eponymous Jane Austen short story (and from which she later took her current pen name).

Equally startled by her ability to see them, the murderers explain themselves as Shadowhunters: a secret tribe of warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. Within twenty-four hours, Clary's mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a grotesque demon.

But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know....

After college, Cassie lived in Los Angeles and New York where she worked at various entertainment magazines and even some rather suspect tabloids where she reported on Brad and Angelina's world travels and Britney Spears' wardrobe malfunctions. She started working on her YA novel, City of Bones, in 2004, inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan, her favourite city. She turned to writing fantasy fiction full time in 2006 and hopes never to have to write about Paris Hilton again.
Cassie's first professional writing sale was a short story called "The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord" in a Baen anthology of humor fantasy. Cassie hates working at home alone because she always gets distracted by reality TV shows and the antics of her two cats, so she usually sets out to write in local coffee shops and restaurants. She likes to work in the company of her friends, who see that she sticks to her deadlines.


Here's What I Think: This was the book select for my IRL book club and I was hopefully to get engaged by it. It did not disappoint. The book does not dillydally in getting to the juicy part of the story. It is filled with imaginative characters and an intense storyline. Though it is definitely a YA selections (not much language or sexual situation) I would call it a cross between True Blood (because Clary is thrust into a world that she was born into but shielded from by a good intentioned family member) and The Hollows (because she has a means to combat the Demons, but just has a lot of learn). My fave character is Jace. He is so determined to be the big strong arrogant man but can't get past his heart of gold, no matter how hard he tries. The plot of this book lends itself easily to being a series without being redundant. I have already started the second in the series and I am enjoying the energy and pace of the story immensely.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner By James Dashner (Book 1 in Trilogy)
Book Description:When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

About the Author: James Dashner was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his wife and kids. He always had the dream to be a full time author, and it finally came true in 2008. He's currently loving every minute of it (he'll let you know if he gets sick of writing and needs a job).Here's What I Think: So this is supposed to be a Young Adult book (actually listed as being for Grades 6-10), but I am not sure I could have grasped the complexity of this book at that age. The story is very intense and has tons of depth. The path of the plot keeps changing and changing until you have no clue as to the outcome. I love how complete each of the characters are in their construction, they each have a very specific persona. Really the whole concept of the book is incredible - a group of teenage BOYS are able to create an entire civilization complete with food gardens and animal farms.  Everyone has a specific job and does it for the good of the whole. Then there is the idea that a group of "scientists" would capture all of these children, swipe their memories and then put them into a giant maze like lab rats is just appauling. The book does come to seemingly final conclusion - so please be sure to read on through the epilogue. That is what sent me racing to my computer to order The Scorch Trials on my Kindle, the minute I finished The Maze Runner. The third installment is supposedly due out in March but I have not found a solid date.

He did several books with a small publisher before breaking onto the national scene with THE 13TH REALITY series and THE MAZE RUNNER (a lead title for Random House in Fall 2009). Learn more by checking out his website, http://www.jamesdashner.com/.

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Review: The House of Night Series by PC and Kristin Cast - Thus Far

***Spoiler Alert*** I do talk about the series as a whole continuous story, so you may learn things that you wouldn't know from the first book***

The House of Night Series by PC and Kristin Cast
Marked, Betrayed, Chosen, Untamed, Hunted, Tempted, Burned

Book Description: HOUSE OF NIGHT is a thrilling, New York Times bestselling book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird as she is “Marked” by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the “Change” into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Broken Arrow, OK, and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledgling vampyres like her.It’s tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. Although Zoey has awesome new powers, it’s hard to fit in when everyone knows you’re “special.” As Zoey tries to make new friends and maybe find a hot boyfriend (or two), she comes up against all kinds of evil, from the perfect-looking, super-popular girl with not-so-faultless plans, to the mysterious deaths happening at the House of Night and all over Tulsa. Things at the House of Night are not always what they seem. Can Zoey find the courage deep within herself to find the truth and embrace her destiny?

About the Author: P.C. Cast was born in Watseka, Illinois, and grew up being shuttled back-and-forth between Illinois and Oklahoma, which is where she fell in love with Quarter Horses and mythology (at about the same time). After high school she joined the United States Air Force and began public speaking and writing. Since her tour in the USAF, she has been speaking and teaching professionally.

Ms. Cast is an award winning fantasy and paranormal romance author. Her novels have been awarded the prestigious: Prism, Holt Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Booksellers' Best, and the Laurel Wreath.

KRISTIN CAST has won awards for her poetry and journalism. She lives in Oklahoma, where she attends college.

Here's What I Think: I normally wouldn't review a series as a whole, but I think this particular series really doesn't stand alone, book by book. I also want to point out that Young Adult really means ages 18-25, and not "teen" in terms of who the book is targeted for. This is a series about Teenagers who have been marked to become Vampyres. In this particular version of the world, teens are marked (their blood knows when to do it) at about age 16 and they are then relocated to their local  House of Night boarding school, where they will learn all there is to know about being a vampyre in modern times, where the general populace does know they exist, but still is not totally accepting. They will either survive the change - sometime in the following four years - or they will die, all depending on if their body can take it. This series specifically follows a new fledgling (a marked but unturned vampyre), Zoey, who proves to be much more than normal and has serious connection and abilities that no known fledgling and most adult vamps have ever had. She quickly becomes very close to a group of other fledglings, who were obviously all brought to her to help with her mission. She comes just in time to try to save the world from a Vampyre High Priestess, Neferet, who has put into action a plan to take over the world and enslave all humans, by resurrecting a fallen Angel, Kalona, from his earthen grave to utilize his powers. Through all of this another species of vamps are created and must choose between good and evil. The series starts off rather juvenile, but grows in breadth and depth along with Zoey who realizes that she is meant to do great things and must trust in herself and her connection to the Goddess to make it all happen. Love triangles, subterfuge, suspense, comedy, intense soul searching, drama and passion are all laced together to make a rather engaging story, once you get to book 3. You will have to remind yourself that this is Young Adult series from time to time, so although there is a considerable amount of language, mostly from one of my favorite character Aphrodite, it really is rather tame. I think these are a great read, if you enjoy the paranormal genre. From book 3 on, they all end in total cliffhangers, so if you are anything like me, you will want to have the next book on hand once you get to the last 50 pages in one book. And I certainly am waiting on pins and needles waiting for the newest installment Awakened, scheduled to release January 4th, 2011!

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post.

If you are an author or publisher and would like an honest review of your title, please contact me at polsen11atcomcastdotnet

Busy Moms Book Club Review October 2010: Darkfever

DarkFever (Fever Series, Book 1) by Karen Marie Moning 
Book Description: MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.

When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….

As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

About the Author: Karen Marie Moning is a graduate of Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law. Her first novel, Beyond the Highland Mist was nominated for two RITA's, won a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award, and made Ms. Moning Waldenbooks bestselling debut romance author for 1999. Her third novel, The Highlander's Touch was awarded the prestigious RITA, at the historic Saenger Theatre in New Orleans in 2001. Her fourth novel, Kiss of the Highlander was selected by Publishers Weekly as one of the best mass market novels of 2002. Her fifth novel, The Dark Highlander was chosen as one of the Top Ten Favorite Books of the year by Romance Writers of America. Her novels have appeared on USA Today, Publishers Weekly and the New York Times bestseller lists.

Here's What I think: Like most books that take place in an alternate version of our reality, there was a lot of set up. Sadly you don't really get to any action until about half way through the 350 page book, which is well past my usual limit. The book is clever and well thought out but it is just missing that "thing" that makes you want to rush out to the store at three am to buy the next installment. In truth, I probably will not finish this series unless I come across the next book at some point. I know it sounds like I hated it, but I really didn't. But I certainly didn't love it either. It was just sort of middle of the road for me.

 

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If you were participating in this month's Book Club read, please post a review on your own blog of this book. If you reviewed this book in the past, please feel free to link up that review as well! Then head over and check out everyone else's reviews of this title! So let's see your review:

Review: Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

Book Description: Yelena is on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago. Although she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways, and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better. Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magical training. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince, and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians. If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with her new enemies.

About the Author: Maria V. Snyder has been writing fiction and nonfiction since 1995. She has published numerous freelance articles in magazines and newspapers. Poison Study is her first published novel.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Maria earned a bachelor of science degree in meteorology at Penn State University. She discovered, much to her chagrin, that forecasting the weather wasn't one of her skills.
Her research on food-tasting methods with an expert chocolate taster, her husband, turned out to be a delicious bonus while writing Poison Study.
Maria has a brown belt in Isshinryu karate, and enjoys playing volleyball and the cello. She lives with her husband, son, daughter and yellow Lab in Pennsylvania.
Readers are welcome to contact Maria by e-mail at maria@mariavsnyder.

Here's What I Think: ***SPOILER ALERT*** If you have yet to read the first in this series, I may review something that gives away the first story***
Now that Yelana has discovered who she is, she decided to go back to her roots, only to find a very disjointed reunion. Her parents are ecstatic while her brother is very unhappy with her return. It is not until she learns the whys wheres and hows of her abduction as a child that she truly understands the family dynamic. And of course this book is full of the sexiest assassin ever - VALEK! Man alive it is amazing what happens when an author leaves so much to the imagination. But let me tell you, you will find this book in the young adult section only because it is not graphic or vulgar not because it is not sensual and romantic. Synder has a way with words that immerses you in this fictional world, allowing you to totally forget that it's not real. Here is my review of the first book in the Study Series - Poison Study

Disclaimer: I was in no way compensated to publish this post. I purchased this book on my own.

I am now Starving for MORE Hunger Games

I was totally dragging my feet about reading The Hunger Games books by Suzanne Collins. I was just reluctant because Young Adult books can be so hit and miss for me based on enjoyment and ability to finish the books! It is not always that the stories are not interesting, it just they are too, well, juvenile to hold my attention. Well finally, enough of my gal pals had insisted that I read it. Let me just put it this way, I finished the first one - Hunger Games - in 3 days and the second one - Catching Fire - in just over ONE day! Let me point out that they are both close to 400 pages each! But now I am stuck in an awful predicament!!! The last book in the trilogy - Mockingjay - doesn't come out until AUGUST 24th, 2010!!!!!!!!! And of course Collins ended Catching Fire in an incredible and practically perfect cliffhanger. I mean if you wanted to define "cliffhanger" by using a book example - Catching Fire would be it!! The world created by Collins is enthralling. You are drawn into this story right from the start. Each character is carefully developed. And the story has so many layers it is difficult not to sink right in! Oh and how cool is this - Hunger Games will be a major motion picture at some point next year!!

So here is a little bit about the titles: (PLEASE NOTE: The synopsis of each title gives a little bit of a spoiler as to the outcome of the previous title)

Hunger Games: Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.

Catching Fire: Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

MockingJay: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

I give the first two titles:

And I am sure that Mockingjay will achieve that same level of incredibleness!!! (See the books are so good, I am making up words to praise them!)

DISCLAIMER: I was in no way compensated to publish this post!

The Wyndham Werewolves Series by MaryJanice Davidson

The author of the Queen Betsy Series, MaryJanice Davidson, created a Spin-off - The Wyndham Werewolves. It started as several short stories in a couple anthologies - Dead and Loving It, Naughty or Nice, Dead Over Heels, Secrets Volume 6 and Secrets Volume 8. The Werewolves show up in the Queen Betsy series when Anotonia (a werewolf that is mated to one of Betsy's fiends) goes missing. But the first full fledged novel in the series is Derik's Bane.

In Derik's Bane, we meet Derik - who  is a werewolf and best friends with the Pack's Alpha - Michael. But something hasn't been right for a while and it becomes apparent that the problem is that Derik has developed Alpha tendancies. Two alphas under one roof is not going to last very long before someone gets hurt. Fortunately, the pack's future seer announces the Derik is needed to save the world! He travels to Californina (from Massachuettes) to find Dr. Sarah Gunn (the prophesied reincarnation of Morgan Fey - although she doesn't know it) and destroy her before she destroys the world.  He really didn't count on her being so darn cute though! It is a fun and adventurous story that takes the two on a cross county trip to save teh world together. It was a really exciting book, that I hope has a sequeal soon. I did contact MaryJanice Davidson's assistant and was told that the series is just on hold not forgotten. So keep you eyes open for the next in the series.
You can learn more about MaryJanice Davidson and her other series' at http://maryjanicedavidson.net

Can I be saved by the Brotherhood??

What an incredible series! The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward is a cornucopia of emotions. Ward captures so many different personalities in this series. Normally, I do not like series books that rotate main characters. However, Ward does a great job of simple rotating the focus for each book. The same storyline continues but the main perspective changes. The story goes back and forth between the main issues that they are all facing and each brother's personal story.
The Brotherhood is made up of a group of Vampires that were specially bred (think Knights in Medieval Times) to defend the Vampire race against the Lessen Society (think Vampire Slayers on Steroids). Each book in the series focuses on one Brother and their own personal struggle to find their place and their mate. Mating for this species is rather intense and visceral, resulting in some of the most passionate love scenes I have read so far.
Here are the books in reading order:
1. Dark Lover - Wrath
2. Lover Eternal - Rhage
3. Lover Awakened - Zsadist
4. Lover Revealed - Dhestroyer
5. Lover Unbound - Vischous
6. Lover Enshrined - Phury
7. Lover Avenged - Rhevenge
8. Lover Mine - Therror - Due out April 2010
(You can click on any of the Book Titles to Order the book From Amazon)

My two favorites of the series are Lover Awakened and Lover Avenged. Although I have a feeling that Lover Mine is going to take over the top spot once it comes out. You can learn more about J.R. Ward at http://www.jrward.com/
Which is your favorite Brother and Why?

Into the Wilderness comes to an end with The Endless Forest

I just finished reading the 6th and final volume of Sara Donati's Into the Wilderness Series. After the difficult to read 5th book, Queen of Swords, I have to admit I was a little afraid The Endless Forest was going to be a drag. However, I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly this book read. It was a great way to have the lives of the characters I fell in love with five books ago come to completion. We get to experience the children and grand children of the main characters, Elizabeth and Nathaniel, come into their own and create their own happiness. We also get to see how the problems of the past (i.e. Jemima) come to an end. The Epilogue brought tears to my eyes in a very satifying way. So if like me, you had a hard time with Queen of Swords, I ask you to give The Endless Forest a chance. It is worth the leap of faith.

Get your knitting needles out

FNKC starts out slow but really gains some steam once all of the characters are identified. It is a realistic story of a single-mother who starts her own business. The story follows her as she makes friends, learns who she is, and becomes hugely successful in life as well as business. I really liked that it's not all happiness and fluff but some real-life situations. There are also several side stories going on at once with each member of the Knitting Club. Jacobs does a great job of switching point of view without confusing the reader, as well as keeping the focus on the main characters, Walker and Daughter. The ages of the characters range from a 12 year-old girl to a 72 year old woman and there is a little something for everyone. I am really interested to read the second installment of this series. You can purchase this book on Amazon or put it on your wish list on Paperback Swap. And seriously, this book makes me consider learning how to knit - like I need another hobby! Have you read this book? What did you think?