Review: Night of Essences of Phoenix and Serpent by Jennifer Jiménez

Title: Night of Essences of Phoenix and Serpent
Series: Nonutopians
Author: Jennifer Jiménez
Publisher: CreateSpace
Length: 242 pages
Publication Date: April 8, 2013
Available Formats: Kindle Edition, Paperback
Source: The author asked me to review it
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

“What brings you inside: the aroma of the coffee. What lets you out: the most pure and intimate aroma never sensed before—the…”

Twenty-seven is a perfect cube, being 3^3 = 3 × 3 × 3, but for engineering professor Vanora, it’s something else. When Vanora has visions of the creation of humankind, she strives to leave behind a legacy of hope through an unusual book, in which the upcoming evolution of mankind is described.

Twelve-year-old Valeria has the ability to descend into human bodies. She sees the future through Amrit’s eyes, a seventeen-year-old Puro Di Cuore girl. Amrit meets arrogant and evasive Ansel, who is always changing locations to hide his breed. They are destined to live a relationship against the rules.

In a laboratory near rock-crushing waves, Gustav and Juliette were created against an international prohibition. The nineteen-year-old clones are meant to be killed before compromising the security of their country. Someone connects them all.

I acquired this short novel right after the author asked me to review it from amazon while it was free of charge for a day or so. This story follows the lives of many people with different backgrounds, lives and problems. One thing unites them all, destiny. The book revolves mainly around the life of Vanora Candela a young Puerto Rican woman on the journey of finding herself. It takes place mostly in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico, although that is not the only place where the story develops.

Review: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

Title: How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire
Series: Love at Stake, Book 1
Author: Kerrelyn Sparks
Publisher: Avon
Length: 371 Pages Approx.
Publication Date: July 26, 2005
Available Format: Paperback, Mass Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook, Audiobook
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description:

Roman Draganesti is charming, handsome, rich...he's also a vampire. But this vampire just lost one of his fangs sinking his teeth into something he shouldn't have. Now he has one night to find a dentist before his natural healing abilities close the wound, leaving him a lop-sided eater for all eternity.

Things aren't going well for Shanna Whelan, either. After witnessing a gruesome murder, she's next on the mob's hit list. And her career as a dentist appears to be on a downward spiral, because she's afraid of blood. When Roman rescues her from an assassination attempt, she wonders if she's found the one man who can keep her alive. Though the attraction between them is immediate and hot, can Shanna conquer her fear of blood to fix Roman's fang? And if she does, what will prevent Roman from using his fangs on her?

This book was extremely funny and the romance was rather cute. Picture this, extremely old vampire, highly feared among his peers, bites into the neck of a rubber doll (I will leave the way he does this for you to find out when you read the book) and ends up dislodging one of his fangs from the root. He needs to reattach the fang before the sun forces him into slumber and his gums seal clean. But when he makes it to the only clinic available, a 24 hour dentist office, the doctor present not only refuses to attach a "dog tooth" in a "human" but she's attacked by a group of mobsters from whom she was hiding.

Review: A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

Title: A Quick Bite
Series: Argeneau, Book 1
Author: Lynsay Sands
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 315 Pages
Publication Date: October 25, 2005
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook, Audiobook,
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description:

That hot guy tied to Lissianna Argeneau's bed? He's not dessert -- he's the main course!

Lissianna has been spending her centuries pining for Mr. Right, not just a quick snack, and this sexy guy she finds in her bed looks like he might be a candidate. But there's another, more pressing issue: her tendency to faint at the sight of blood ... an especially annoying quirk for a vampire. Of course it doesn't hurt that this man has a delicious-looking neck. What kind of cold-blooded vampire woman could resist a bite of that?

Dr. Gregory Hewitt recovers from the shock of waking up in a stranger's bedroom pretty quickly -- once he sees a gorgeous woman about to treat him to a wild night of passion. But is it possible for the good doctor to find true love with a vampire vixen, or will he be just a good meal? That's a question Dr. Greg might be willing to sink his teeth into ... if he can just get Lissianna to bite.

This is the story of Lissianna, who for centuries has had a little complication: she faints at the sight of blood; a little inconvenience for a vampire don’t you think? In comes Gregory, a doctor who claims he can cure anyone’s phobias. Thanks to Lissianna’s mother’s machinations, Greg wakes up tied to Lissianna’s bed and she cannot resist the urge to bite the nice looking doctor.

Announcement: The Paranormal Bucket List

My friends and I were joking the other day about which movies and TV shows everyone must see before they "kick the bucket." We were reminiscing about our favorite programs as we were growing up, etc. And it got me thinking, with all the great books and authors out there, how a reader can wade their way into the paranormal book realm. So I’m going to create a new section here in Journey with Words called The Paranormal Bucket List.

The Section will be coming soon, stay tune...

Review: UnEnchanted by Chanda Hahn

Title: UnEnchanted
Series: An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, Book 1
Author: Chanda Hahn
Publisher: Self Published
Length: 216 Pages approx.
Publication Date: December 30, 2011
Available Format: Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: Free Download
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Mina Grime is unlucky, unpopular and uncoordinated, that is until she saves her crush's life on a field trip, changing her High School status from loser to hero overnight. But with her newfound fame brings misfortune as an old family curse come to light. For Mina is descended from the Brothers Grimm and has inherited all of their unfinished fairy tale business. Which includes trying to outwit a powerful Story from making her its next fairytale victim.

To break the fairy tale curse on her family and stop these deadly events, Mina must finish the tales until the very Grimm end.

Picture yourself in high school, those awkward years. Now, not only are you a high school student, you are also a very clumsy one. One, so epically clumsy, that you are the school's outcast. You are such an epic klutz that some pretty weird, explainable things happen to you all the time. And that every single time one of these things happens, your Mom packs up and forces you change zip-codes. Now, imagine what it feels like to one day discover that the reason behind all of your misfortune is because you (and your kid brother) are the last descendants of the Brothers Grimm and as such you have inherited the family curse.

I was surprised as to how much I enjoyed this book. First heard about it when my sister asked me to buy her the second book in the series, then explained to me that she had stumbled into the first one (for free) at Amazon. I was intrigued by the premise so I went and downloaded myself a copy. This book turned out to be a great twist on the fairy tale realm. And much like my sister, now I want to get my hands on the next story.

ARC Review: Club Monstrosity by Jesse Petersen

Title: Club Monstrosity
Series: Monstrosity, Book 1
Author: Jesse Petersen
Publisher: Pocket Star
Length: 233 Pages
Publication Date: April 29, 2013
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: ★★★★☆ 
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Natalie’s one of Frankenstein’s creations and works in a New York City morgue. So of course she needs therapy. She and her friends—er, fellow monsters—have formed the world’s most exclusive, most dysfunctional support group. What could go wrong?

Undetected in the modern world and under pressure to stay that way, Natalie Grey, Dracula, Bob the Blob, and others (including the fetching wolfman Alec) meet regularly to talk about the pressures of being infamous in the Big Apple. Topics include how long it’s been since their last sighting, how their “story” creates stereotypes they can’t fulfill, and—gasp—sometimes even their feelings. But when their pervy Invisible Man, Ellis, is killed in a manner reminiscent of the H.G. Wells novel, it’s clear someone’s discovered their existence and is down for some monster busting.

Led by Natalie—and definitely not helped by Hyde’s bloodthirsty tendencies—the members of Monstofelldosis Anonymous band together for security and a little sleuthing. And maybe—maybe—if they don’t end up dead, they’ll end up friends somewhere along the way.

When I requested this book at NetGalley, I did it solely because of its blurb. Who could turn down the chance to see our favorite classical monsters adjust to modern day times? That they feel that they need to have a support group in order to be able to deal with all the changes that come with centuries of human evolution was just the icing on the cake. Based on that premise I was expecting to have a grand time while reading the story; and I’m so glad to say that the novel delivers.

Although the story is mostly mystery and horror, none of the deaths that occur throughout the narration are described as they are happening. No, these occur behind the scenes and we later find out about their gruesomeness alongside the characters. In a story about monsters that is quite a refreshing approach, so my hat tips to Ms. Petersen.

ARC Review: The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

Title: The Eternity Cure
Series: Blood of Eden, Book 2
Author: Julie Kagawa
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Length: 446 Pages
Publication Date: April 30, 2013
Available Format: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: ★★★★★
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description:

She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever-and possibly end human and vampire existence.

There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago-and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.

Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

The Eternal Cure picks up a few months after the events of The Immortal Rules. Allie has been hunting Sarren, following the pull she feels toward her sire, Kanin. She’s getting close, she can feel it; her objective is to free Kanin from the evil hands of “crazy Psycho Vampire” as she calls Sarren. Unfortunately for her, things do not go quite as she envisions them.

Twice Tempted Teaser Quotes!!!

The sequel to Jeaniene Frost's Night Prince series is about to hit shelves at your favorite stores in the coming days. Like every time a new book is coming out, Mrs. Frost enjoys to drive us insane with little glimpses about the story. So in the spirit of torture (^.^) I give you Twice Tempted Teaser Quotes. These can also be found at Jeaniene's Website. Can you figure out who says what?

Dying to get your hands into this book? want to get a bigger glimpse a the story before it's released? Read Twice Tempted's first 20% HERE.

Note: Some days have two quotes per day, these are not necessarily a dialog, just two independent quotes.

Follow the links to read the Teaser Quotes or My Review from Once Burned.

Quote of the Day

March 4 (Day 1)

“If Hell could fart, it would smell like this.”

March 5 (Day 2)

“He’s gone, Leila.”

March 6 (Day 3)

“Trying to whet my appetite by pretending I can’t have it?”

March 7 (Day 4)

“You need to show more discretion or the next person I mesmerize will be you.” 

“It’s fine…I’m not getting any older.”

March 8 (Day 5)

“He’s already showing signs of…mental instability.”

March 9 (Day 6)

Shooting Stars Book Blast & Giveaway

Hello my amazing followers, today’s book blast celebrates the release of H.D Gordon’s Shooting Stars. Keep reading for the Giveaway…

Shooting Stars Synopsis

Once upon a time, a common boy fell in love with a princess. It was a hopeless, forbidden love, grown in a world where sorcery and magic rule over all. Now, dark times are brewing, and destiny will bring them together, while fate works to keep them apart. Extraordinary battles will be fought, and extraordinary choices made. Join the author of The Alexa Montgomery Saga for the beginning of a tale of star-crossed lovers and magic, of hope and love and loss, of desperate wishes made on stars.

Book Info

Review: The Giver by Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver
Series: The Giver Quartet, Book 1
Author: Lois Lowry
Publisher: Ember
Length: 192 Pages
Original Publication Date: 1993
Available Format: Hardback, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook, Audiobook.
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★★★
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description:

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this story. The book was one of my required reading materials for my Literature for Young Adults course. Out of the four novels assigned (The Giver, The Chocolate War, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Old Man and the Sea) The Giver was my top favorite. In truth I enjoyed all of the novels but The Chocolate War...

The Giver plays heavily on the concept that one person's utopia is another person's dystopia.

Review: Steel and Lace by Adriane Leigh

Title: Steel and Lace
Series: Lace, Book 1
Author: Adriane Leigh
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: 40 Pages Approx.
Publication Date: December 16, 2012
Available Format: Kindle Edition
Source: Free Download [ETA: no longer for free; currently at 0.99¢ (checked on Feb 8, 2013)]
My Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

Enigmatic and sexy, Carter Morgan is a wealthy CEO and playboy who keeps a model on his arm and the walls around his heart high. His dangerous good looks and seductive charm gets him whatever he wants— whenever he wants it. That is until he meets Eva. When Carter locks eyes with smart and spirited fashion editor Eva Austin, sparks fly and worlds collide. He's drawn to her quiet beauty and independent spirit, and she can't deny the overwhelming affect he has on her. Her every instinct tells her to run, but he won't take no for an answer. They embark on a passionately physical affair and discover that learning to love won't be easy. This novella is intended for mature audiences. Approx. 12,000 words.

Downloaded this book for free today at Amazon. Is a very short, erotica novelette that features a young, billionaire business man and a 26-year-old online, fashion magazine editor. They have enough chemistry with one another capable of scorching the entire New York City in one single sweep. I like the actual plot of the story, unfortunately is too short and rushed that there is no time for the characters to develop and in the end I really couldn't care much for them. Also, I don’t look at grammar when I’m reading for pleasure, but sometimes some errors just jump off the page. For example, right at the beginning of the story [the emphasis is mine]:

Psy-Changeling #12 Cover Revealed; Finally!!

The awaited cover reveal for the twelfth book in Nalini Singh's amazing Psy-Changeling series was today. We got to see not only the cover, but the book's title as well: Heart of Obsidian. Unfortunately there was no blurb revealed along the cover so we are still in the dark about who will be featured this time around. That, however, hasn't stop the net from buzzing about the endless possibilities. Personally I'm hoping for a book on Nikita; after all, she is the only one that keeps being refered as having a black heart or heart of stone ~.^

What about you? Share your theories on the comments section below, in the meantime, here is the cover for you pleasure/torture. Enjoy...

SPECS: (taken from Nalini Singh's website)

Title: Heart of Obsidian
Release Date: June 2013
Cover Art: Tony Mauro
Hand Lettering: Ron Zinn
Jacket Design: George Long (Art Director)

Review: Bewitching the Werewolf

Title: Bewitching the Werewolf
Author: Caroline Hanson
Publisher: Host of the Hills
Length: 62 Pages Aprox.
Publication Date: September 25, 2011
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook.
Source: Free Download @ Amazon
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Get it @: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Description:

When witch for hire, Megan Stephens, is assigned to help the local werewolf pack leader find a mate, she thinks the job will be easy. Get in, get it up and get gone. But when she meets Zack Connor, she realizes her future might have a lot more dog jokes in it than she ever imagined.

I bought this book on a whim because I wanted to read something new, but had no idea what. So I went into check Amazon and stumble upon this baby. I'll admit it, the cover was the reason I got the book, that and the fact that it's a short.

Turns out that it's a really fun and quick story with lot's of witty lines that had me smiling through the whole thing. Short enough that it can be read in minutes, a little rushed, yet satisfying for such a short story. I'm looking forward to read more about this author.

Best part is that so far it's still FREE at Amazon; click on the corresponding link above to check it out. It includes an excerpt for Love is Darkness, the first book in the Valery Dearborn trilogy.

Quotes (said by Megan):

"Fortunately, I’m the best Wiccan in a two state area. So my personality literally can’t get me fired. (Kindle Locations 43-44)." 

"...endless windows giving the impression of being outside. It was exactly how I liked nature— air conditioned and bug free. (Kindle Locations 58-59)."

Review: Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh

Title: Slave to Sensation
Series: Psy-Changeling, Book 1
Author: Nalini Singh
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Length: 293 Pages
Publication Date: September 5, 2006
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook, Paperback, Mass Paperback, Audiobook.
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Description:

In a world that denies emotions, where the ruling Psy punish any sign of desire, Sascha Duncan must conceal the feelings that brand her as flawed. To reveal them would be to sentence herself to the horror of “rehabilitation”— the complete psychic erasure of everything she ever was….

Both human and animal, Lucas Hunter is a Changeling hungry for the very sensations the Psy disdain. After centuries of uneasy co-existence, these two races are now on the verge of war over the brutal murders of several Changeling women. Lucas is determined to find the Psy killer who butchered his packmate, and Sascha is his ticket into their closely guarded society. But he soon discovers that this ice-cold Psy is very capable of passion—and that the animal in him is fascinated by her. Caught between their conflicting worlds, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities—or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation…

Sometimes I put off books based on the most idiotic of arguments. In this case it was the cover and the length of the series. Although the cover has an incredibly hot guy, something about it (can’t quite say what) wasn’t calling me. But thanks to Kick’n Ladies I gave this series a go and boy I wish I had done so a while ago.

Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Title: Divergent
Series: The Divergent Trilogy, Book 1
Author: Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Length: 487 Pages
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Available Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle Edition, eBook, Audiobook
Source: Bought
My Rating: ★★★★★
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository

Description:

In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

The story takes place in a futuristic version of Chicago. One where instead of flying cars and holographic phone calls we get a glimpse of a more realistic destroyed future. In said future, what I assume is the remains of humanity after WW3 (at least in the area of Chicago), the inhabitants have separated into five different factions: Abnegation (known for their selflessness), Amity (the ones who chose to live in peace), Erudite (those who sought knowledge without bounds), Candor (the ones who preferred the truth above all else) and Dauntless (famous for their daredevil attitudes). All the children from these factions study together and once they reach the age of sixteen they go through a choosing ceremony in which they must pick between staying with their family in the faction they were born or leave their faction for a more suitable one where they might fit in better. Once the teenagers choose the faction that will be their new home they are to live with the others from said faction and be initiated into their new lives. The initiation rituals vary between each faction seeing as they have different views on what is right and what is wrong and on what is necessary to preserve the peace and avoid wars.

Let's Talk: Favorite Childhood Book

Since I’m spending the Christmas break at my parent’s home I've had the chance to go through my pile of read books. Among them is sitting one of the first books I read as a child and one of the main reasons I fell in love with the Fantasy genre to begin with. This made me think about the very first set of fantasy books that I had, at least that I remember. I had the typical children books, the re-written Grimm’s Fairy Tales published by people I don’t even remember. You know which ones I mean, the more or less 10 pages long books that you can find even at the supermarket or the drugstore. But then my aunt went vacationing to Disney World and she came back totting 7 huge books for me; big enough to reach my waist when I was a kid. Those books where my first reading treasures.

Two of those books where mostly board games with storytelling intertwined; the other 4 where the Disney’s princess fairy tales movies turned into books (Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty); and the last one, the last one was my personal favorite. It was a spiral-bound, suitcase shaped, story book with a few games in some of its pages. The book was a series of short stories (one related to the next) about forest creatures and their everyday lives. It had mice, birds, squirrels, bunnies, foxes, turtles, and others, as well as dragons, gnomes, fairies, and elves. It was a beautiful story about friendship and love, about mischiefs vs intentional harm. The type of story that its meant to teach kids a moral lesson.