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.

Best Reads of 2012

Another year ends and I would like to collect a small list of great reads from 2012. Now, because this is a sort of farewell to 2012 this list will only include works that were published during 2012. Some of them I haven’t reviewed yet, but don’t worry, those are coming. These are organized by genre and then by publication date.

So here I leave you with: The Best (of what I’ve read) of 2012!

Urban Fantasy

The Force of Wind (March 2, 2012)

by Elizabeth Hunter
My rating: ★★★★☆  
Find out more: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

How far would you go to protect the ones you love? 

What would you sacrifice to kill the one you hate? 

Join Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo as they travel to a hidden island on the far edge of China and seek the help of an ancient immortal court. Can they weave their way through the tangled web of centuries-old alliances and ruthless feuds to find what they’ve been looking for? Friends will be revealed, enemies will find them, and a dangerous secret will come to light.

The Force of Wind is the third book in the four-part Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers.

Crimson Midnight (March 15, 2012)

by Amos Cassidy
My rating: ★★★★★  
Find out more: Amazon | Goodreads

Rose wants excitement, bright lights and late nights, but she gets more than she bargained for when she swaps her wholesome country life for the hustle and bustle of London.

The city night is home to hungry shadows, eager to consume her.

Rose discovers there is more to this world than what the mundane eye sees, and that she herself is a part of it. Unexpected friendships are forged and unwanted, sometimes dangerous, attractions flare.

London becomes a playground for magic, danger and supernatural threat. While her life, and those of who she loves, hangs in the balance, she must endeavour to embrace her new nature and assist in identifying the hidden threat before it succeeds in its dark purpose.

An Urban Fantasy filled with moon-praising, flat-dwelling vampires, chic corporate werewolves, bar-tending warlocks, ravenous demons and much, much more.

Step inside…

Review: An Enchanted Season by Maggie Shayne, Erin McCarthy, Nalini Singh, and, Jean Johnson

Title: An Enchanted Season
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Length: 341 Pages
Publication Date: October 2, 2007
Available Format: Kindle Edition, eBook, Paperback, Mass Paperback
Source: Bought
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads

Book Description: (taken from Goodreads)

It's the time of year when dreams come true, miracles happen every day, and love is the greatest gift of all. The holidays always seem to bring out the best in everyone, with heartfelt hugs for long-missed friends, sincere smiles in the spirit of the season, and a feeling of magic in the air...

This scintillating collection of paranormal romances celebrates the holidays as never before. From a shape-shifting leopardess who wants a pack-mate to be her soulmate, to a sudden snowstorm that brings a surprise gift, these four tales will stir readers' spirits in all the right places.

An anthology of Christmas stories, perfect for the holiday season. It includes four shorts: Melting Frosty by Maggie Shayne, Charlotte’s Web by Erin McCarthy, Beat the Temptation by Nalini Singh, and Gift of the Magi by Jean Johnson. Because these are short stories I can’t really tell you what they are about without risking revealing the whole thing up, but I’ll do my best to review them without spoilers.

So I read this book due to the Vet VS Newbies challenge at Goodreads’ Gotta Have Paranormal Romance with a Kick Group. The book showcases spirits, witches, werewolves, and the magi and I totally love it. I usually stray away from Christmas books unless I want to read a story from a particular author. It’s nothing against the books, just not what I normally read. Which is why I’m so glad that I was given this book as one of my alternatives, otherwise I would have missed it completely. All four stories are worth the time and can be read in one sitting.

Here is the breakdown:

Merry Christmas to You and Your Love Ones

May this Christmas day be filled with happiness, joy, family, friends and all that special people in your life. May you be cover in health, love, kindness, and affection. Regardless of your believes, may this be a merry, merry Christmas...

Let's Talk: Book Déjà Vu

With the end of 2012 approaching lot’s of reading challenges have sprung, most of them are aimed at finishing, or rather, diminishing our eternally growing To-Be-Read (TRB) piles. If you are like me, you have read countless books on the same genres. So I wonder

What book(s) have you read that has one or more element that reminds you of a previous novel? For example, I’m currently reading How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire (Love at Stake, Book 1) by Kerrelyn Sparks [currently $0.99 at Amazon] and I’m at a part that although is not developing the same way, in its essence it reminds me of Jeaniene Frost’s Halfway to the Grave. Another one was when I began Lara Adrian’s Midnight Breed Series –I love it, but throughout the first three books I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was reading another version of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood. So I ask you, which book(s) have you read that gives you a déjà vu?

Blog Tour: Wisteria by Bisi Leyton

Hey Everyone! How have you all been?

Did you read yesterday’s review? Where you intrigued to know more? Well then, I have a treat for you today, Bisi Leyton –author of Wisteria (the first novel in her YA PNR Series– has joined forces with Innovative Online Book Tours and us Bloggers to bring you a taste of the story. And today is your chance to read Wisteria’s Prologue and the complete first chapter.

But before we get to the reading I bet you are wondering who Bisy Leyton is? Well…

Bisi Leyton was born in East London in 1978. She grew up in London, Nigeria and the States, listening to the stories life and love from aunts, cousins and big sisters.

She lives in London, but has worked around Europe including France, Germany, Ireland, Belgium and the Czech Republic. She has a fondness for reading graphic novels.

You can find her @:

• Facebook, 
• Twitter (@bisileyton), 
• Goodreads, 
• Current Blog, and/or 
• Old Blog

Now, unto what you want to read ^.^ Enjoy…

Review: Wisteria by Bisi Leyton

Title: Wisteria
Series: Wisteria, Book 1
Author: Bisi Leyton
Publisher: Self-Published
Length: Aprox. 275 Pages, 484 KB
Publication Date: August 15, 2012
Available Formats: Kindle Edition, eBook
Source: IO Book Tours
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Get it @: Amazon | Smashwords | Goodreads

Book Description:

Sixteen year old Wisteria Kuti has two options—track the infected around the Isle of Smythe or leave the only known safe haven and face a world infested with flesh eating biters. But even with well-armed trackers, things go wrong and Wisteria ends up alone facing certain death, until she is rescued by the mysterious Bach. Uninfected, Bach is able to survive among the hordes of living dead.

Eighteen year old Bach, from a race known as The Family, has no interest in human affairs. He was sent here to complete his Great Walk and return home as a man—as a Sen Son. The Family regard humans as Dirt People, but Bach is drawn to this Terran girl, whom he has never seen before, but somehow knows.

Hunted by flesh eaters, cannibals, and the mysterious blood thirsty group called Red Phoenix, Wisteria and Bach make their way back to the Isle of Smythe, a community built on secrets and lies.

This book is classified as Young Adult Paranormal Romance, and although it fits the bill, the story itself pulls from a wider set of norms. In fact, the novel has many elements of the horror and the sci-fi genre. To begin with, the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where a scientifically created virus has turned most of humanity into flesh –and brain– eating zombies. Sprinkle the mix with a healthy dose of mostly older sexy teenage aliens and inter-dimensional traveling and you have the recipe for great entertainment.