Covet (Fallen Angels 1) by J. R. Ward

Covet is the first book in J. R. Ward's Fallen Angels series.  I've had this one on my To Read list for months and my library finally got copies of these in!!  Granted, they lost their only BDB book to theft or something but I appreciate them trying to get some good books in.  There is just not the appropriate level of J. R. Ward love in the world.

The Fallen Angel books follow Jim Heron who is an all around decent guy.  He's not a goody two shoes but he has some scruples.  One day, Jim has an accident on his job site and is electrocuted.  He then finds himself in a weird garden with even weirder men who tell him that he has been chosen by the forces of Heaven and Hell as a neutral participant for a trial that will decide who wins in the battle between good and evil.  Then Jim is sent back into his fully healed body so that he can get on with his mission to save seven souls from the seven deadly sins.  He thinks he may know who is first on the list.

This book was a wonderful read.  It read a bit like the Brothers do but it also felt different.  I like that the two story world bleed into each other.  Jim is also an interesting character to read.  He is pretty rough around the edges but still a good person.  I also liked that the form of the book felt similar to the Brotherhood books in that you not only saw things from Jim's perspective but from others around him as well.  That was great.  I love when you can see a little more of the story like that.  Overall, this book was great.  Not as gripping for me as a Brotherhood book but still worth reading.  It is DEFINITELY an ADULT book though.  There is a fair amount of graphic violence and sexual shenanigans.  So this is not for the 17 yrs and unders.   Make sure you check this series out before this September when the third book in the series, Envy, drops in stores.  All the Brother Lovers out there will be interested to know that in Envy we will see an even bigger overlap between the Brothers and the Fallen Angels.  Vec is going to be the vital character in Envy and I heard at the J. R. Ward signing that we'll see Throe in Envy as well!  Hm.  Sounds super interesting and the cover of Envy is beautiful!  Remember, you can always find out more about the WARDen and her books on her website and you can follow her on Facebook!

Covet gets 3 Fairies for epic battles of good versus evil and angels with behavior problems.

500 Followers Giveaway!

Hi everyone!! I've had some things sitting on my desk for a giveaway for a while and I think I need to go ahead and give them away!! Here's how we're gonna do this:

ENTRIES ARE NOW CLOSED!!!

I am right under 500 followers and would love to have at least 500 followers by the time I leave for BEA.  I am going to run this giveaway until Friday May 13th.  How do you enter?  You must be 13 or older, a follower and live on the planet Earth.  Yep, it's INTERNATIONAL!  You fill out the form below and that's it.  If I make it to 600 followers before the 13th, I will add a prize.  Now, you want to know what I have for you to win.  I have a packet of things including:

• A Bookplate SIGNED by Kimberly Derting (stick it in a book and voila- signed book!)
• A Bookplate SIGNED by Lauren Oliver 
• 2 Bookplates Signed by Kiersten White (buy Paranormalcy and pre-order Supernaturally and stick these in for a SIGNED BOOK SET!)
• NEW!!! Just added! SIGNED Shift & Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready 
• NEW!! Just added! SIGNED Bring on the Night by Jeri Smith-Ready Card
• SIGNED Body Finder & Desires of the Dead by Kimberly Derting Bookmarks 
• A SIGNED Paranormalcy by Kiersten White Bookmark
• Some nature art bookmarks
• Some book swag (bookmarks and stickers)
• A sheet of bookplates

If I get more cool stuff in between now and the end of the giveaway, I'll add it in because I am awesome like that.  NOTE:  I have added 3 pieces of SIGNED swag from Jeri Smith Ready and 2 unsigned pieces of her swag!  Now, enter and tell your friends!! 

W...W...W... Wednesdays!

W... W... W... Wednesdays is a weekly feature at Should Be Reading. To play along you just have to answer three simple questions:

1. What Are You Currently Reading?
2. What Did You Recently Finish?
3. What Do You Think You'll Read Next?

1.  What Am I Currently Reading?  Slow Burn by E. B. Walters  

2.  What Did I recently Finish?  Lament by Maggie Stiefvater  

3.  What Do I Think I will Read Next?  Wake by Lisa McMann  

What are YOU reading???? 

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers are from Slow Burn by E. B. Walters: 

She rolled her eyes.  "Don't start with me Mr. I-bumped-into-a-door."

This is actually a DOUBLE TEASER!!! Slow Burn comes out on May 1st and THIS BLOG is one of the stops on its Blog Tour!  Forbidden Reads is hosting the tour and there will be a number of different interviews and giveaways for the tour so check back in a week!

Shift (Shade #2) by Jeri Smith- Ready

Let's talk about Shift, the second book in the Shade series by Jeri Smith-Ready.  This book drops on May 3rd and it is so many kinds of epic that I don't quite know where to start.  Hm.  How about first I talk up Jeri's blog tour because I believe that if a book has a profound affect on you that you need to share the experience with others.  For What It's Worth is hosting the blog tour and it starts Tuesday April 26th.  The tour will run through May 11th with Pre-Shift posts and Post Shift posts.  (Just like in the books, isn't that fun!)  There will be interviews, reviews, prizes and even a Grand Prize.  The tentative schedule is up on For What It's Worth so you can go check it out.  Word on the street is that both book boys from the Shade series will be interviewed during the tour!! Yes!  Zachary, the best (and maybe only) Scottish love interest in a YA book and Logan, one of the few teen musician ghosts out there, will be interviewed during the event and who doesn't want to know more about them?!  Just remember ladies, in the event that dibs are called on book boys, Zach is MINE- no matter what Kendra @ Books Complete Me tells you!!!  Eh hem.  Right then.  Moving on!

Here is the Shift blurb from Jeri's homepage (because I am afraid that I will let spoilers slip if I try to blurb it in my own words) :

Aura's life is anything but easy.  Her boyfriend Logan died, and his slides between ghost and shade have left her reeling.  Aura knows that he needs her now more than ever.  She loves Logan, but she can't deny her connection to the totally supportive, totally gorgeous Zachary. And she's not sure that she wants to.

Logan and Zachary will fight to be the one by her side, but Aura needs them both to uncover the mystery of her past—the mystery of the Shift.

As Aura's search uncovers new truths, she must decide whom to trust with her secrets...and her heart.

Now, let's discuss the many reasons that Shift is epic.  One, the story is still so original.  Yes, there are other YA books with ghosts but none, that I have read, are so real and different as Shift/Shade.  Ghosts are mostly seen as something in our world, paranormal but not really anything special or different.  In Shade/Shift, however, ghosts don't just haunt their old schools or homes.  Everyone under the age of 18 (pretty much) can see them, hear them, and speak to them.  EVERYONE.  Not just a couple thousand psychics, mediums and other people with gifts.  Everyone born after The Shift can.  That means every child, infant, teen and tween has ghosts in their face all day, every day unless they are in some place that uses black box technology (like all bathrooms, you REALLY don't want surprise visits from ghosts in there).  Just thinking about life in that world is overwhelming and incredible.  How many of us wish we knew what ghosts are up to and where they haunt and why?  A lot.  In the world of Shift/Shade, the TAPS team would have a different standard operating procedure, for sure.  

Reason for epicness number two: the two love interests for Aura are, kid you not, an Irish-Punk rocker and a Scottsman.  Really.  Name one other book with that book boy combo?  Yeah.  Didn't think so.  I LOVE the references to Flogging Molly and their style of music in Shade!  I kinda wonder how many under eighteen year olds know who they are.  I remember when they were on the Warped tour back in the day.  Ah, memories!  Logan is a great character because he has different facets that only Aura sees or only his brother, Dylan, sees.  It is almost as if Logan is a different person with everyone in his life.  Logan can be a total douche but he can also be a sweet guy who only wants his best friend to be happy.  What a well rounded and cool guy!  Zach is great too because he sticks with Aura through some pretty crazy things and even when you think he has given up on her, he comes back for more.  I like that in a guy.  Every girl needs a guy who'll be there for her no matter what and I think Zach is that guy for Aura.  He also has a sexy accent, owns a KILT (one of the greatest types of male clothing!) and he has excellent manners.  Zach is lovely, all around great.  Both are real feeling characters who are yummy beyond belief.  Love it! 

Reason 3: I love the twists and turns and mystic connections that unravel in Shift.  There is SO much that Aura is learning and uncovering that could really challenge what people believe to be true about shades, The Shift and ghosts in general.  The whole book will leave your head spinning.  I could barely sleep after finishing my galley of Shift.  It literally blew my mind.  I couldn't think about anything but the ending for weeks afterward.  I even spent about 45 minutes in the car with Kendra @ Books Complete Me on the way home from an author signing discussing the intricacies of Shift and where the plot will go from here and how it will all play out.  I am dying for the next book when Shift isn't even technically out yet.  There was also a plot line that had me looking at Dylan in a completely different light.  I hadn't expected it to happen and when it did I was shocked but kinda rooting for him.  Then all the clues and insight from Eowyn in Shift was cool.  One scene reminded me of reading mysteries like the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew as a kid, when they had clues come in the form of a puzzle.  Very cool.  I can not wait for the continuation of the story when we see more about the place where everything started.  I have a feeling that we're all in for a wild ride.  

Now for the recommendation and disclaimer.  This book is not for younger teens as there are references to drugs, scenes of sexual shenanigans and nudity.  But for older teens and everyone else?  Read it NOW!  This book is now my go to "push" book.  I have had my friends "push" the Black Dagger Brotherhood, the Hunger Games and other books on me and loved them, so now when I have a book that grabs me, it is my push book.  Right now my sister in law has my signed copy of Shade and I will be on her about reading Shift then my husband is reading them after her.  I think the Shade series will really reach out to and grab not only the teens/young adults it is aimed at but those of us in my generation of late twenty and early thirty somethings.

Shift earns 5 Fairies for general awesomeness and for hot book boys!

Now for some information on Jeri.  You can follow her on Twitter and you can check out her website to learn more about her books. If you haven't read Shade, run out and buy it now.  The cover is AMAZING and you'll love every minute of the story.  Be sure you check out the blog tour for Shift and pre-order your copy today so you don't miss out on the 3rd! 

The Sky is Everywhere By Jandy Nelson

I read a review of this book during a blog hop in December and thankfully, I remembered to add it to my Goodreads To Read List right away so that when I was looking for books on my To Read list on the library's online catalog, I managed to find this book.  I had forgotten all about why I had added it but figured it was going to be good.  It wasn't.  It was AMAZING!  This book was so original and colorful, I just loved it and read it straight through in one sitting.  But I digress, I should give you the low down BEFORE I expound on its virtues.

Lennon "Lennie" Walker is the boring beige crayon in a family of colorful characters.  She plays clarinet in the band and everyone always remembers her as "Bailey's Little Sister."  Bailey was always the outgoing one, the one who could go out and do things.  Bailey was an actress, she belonged on the stage.  That's why Lennie misses her so much now.  Bailey was so bright a star that you notice when she is missing.  Lennie almost wishes it was her under the ground and not her amazing sister because without Bailey, Lennie doesn't feel like doing much at all.  When Bailey died, something inside Lennie died with her.  Suddenly, Joe- a transfer student from Paris, comes to town and sparks changes in Lennie.  She begins to think about playing and she even begins to play her clarinet again, but only with Joe.  But life is never simple or easy and when Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, is around he makes Lennie feel almost as if Bailey is there.  One boy lifts her out of her grief and comforts her in it.  What is right and who is Lennon Walker?

I love this story.  The characters make it feel a bit like Coraline.  Uncle Big is constantly falling in love and getting married but he also has an obsession with bringing insects from the dead.  Big felt the loss of his sister and niece keenly but mourns in his own odd way.  He kind of reminds me of the man who trains mice in Coraline.  Gran is the community gardening expert whose garden is a riot of blooms and her roses are said to make people fall in love.  She also paints green ladies, often.  There is even a green painting of Lennie and Bailey's mom that sits half finished on their mantle.  Gran regularly does strange things like clear everything from the house and systematically go through every item to find the cause of the bad luck in their home.  She lost her daughter, Lennie and Bailey's mom, to her wanderlust so she feels Bailey's loss profoundly but she tries to carry on for the others.

Toby is the skater boy with a beautiful soul who was nearly destroyed by losing Bailey.  Joe is an uber popular, charming musician who finds his own place in Lennie's eccentric family- not an easy feat, by any means.  Both Toby and Joe give Lennie something that she needs but one is right and the other is wrong.  Big and Gran grow to love Joe almost as a member of their family.  They can see the positive changes that he brings about in Lennie so they accept and encourage him.  Gran and Big also feel for Toby and want to help him but even though they understand the why of Toby and Lennie's connection, they know that it isn't right.  The grief that drives them to comfort each other is not the like the love that they had for Bailey, it is that love and it's not meant for one another but for the girl no longer with them.

I felt that this book was beautiful and not "emo," as some people have called it.  I loved every minute of this story of loss as my own father is slowly dying of cancer.  It was beautiful to see the grief process play out in the story and to see love pull Lennie from her grief stricken despair.  I would suggest this book to all teens as there are not many instances of shenanigans of any kind.  There is one scene of underage drinking of wine with dinner but it is culturally acceptable in France where the one character has been living for some time- so I am letting it slide.  There are also some hot and heavy make out scenes but nothing too sexual and nothing half as bad as what you see on TV these days.  I think even young teens could get into this book is they had someone to read it with and talk it over with.

You can find Jandy Nelson on her website and you can follow her on Twitter!

The Sky is Everywhere earns 4 Fairies for a heart wrenching story about coping with grief and loss.

Fun Friend Fridays!

Hey everyone!  My Fun Friend Friday from last week could not post due to Photobucket issues but it's back this week... in the midst of Blogger issues!  Can't get a blogging break, I guess!!  This week I am featuring my friends at Between the Covers.

Christin and Louise are friends of mine who write the Between the Covers Blog.  Their reviews are always insightful and well written.  They also participate in weekly memes such as It's Monday What Are You Reading, Teaser Tuesday, Book Blogger Hop and In My Mailbox.  They also run great giveaways from time to time, including participating in Best I've Read 2010 in December.  The design on Between the Covers is beautiful and everything is well organized.  Christin and Louise also participate in the 100 in 2011 challenge and the debut author challenge.  (They are totally kicking my behind in the debut author challenge!  They have twice as many books read as me!)  Christin and I will finally get to meet in person at BEA next month!! SO exciting!! Right now they have reviews up for Wintergirls, Memento Nora and a fun author interview with Angie Smibert, author of Memento Nora!  Make sure you stop by the blog and check it out!  

Happy Earth Day and Have a wonderful Good Friday!  

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Tera Lynn Childs' new series follows a mermaid named Lily who is trying out life on land with her aunt who is human.  Living on land with her human aunts is helping her learn more about her mother, who died when she was young.  Her father, king of the merpeople, hopes that she will find The One.  Mermaids bond for life so meeting The One and kissing them is a Big Deal.  Lily thinks she knows the perfect human boy, the popular swim team captain who is almost as at home in the water as she is.  But when a Lily makes a mistake and kisses the wrong boy, what will happen?  Is the jock, Brody really perfect for her?  And what about her annoying neighborhood bad boy, Quince?

I loved this book!! It was so refreshing and unique!  Usually, main characters who refuse to see the right answer is right in front of them tend to annoy me but I actually liked watching Lily realize that she'd been wrong.  It was great to get to see her learn something about herself and about the boys in her life.  Her father is a great character too.  He loves his daughter so much that her being the heir means far less to him than he finding the right man and being happy.  What a great father-daughter relationship!!  I also LOVE LOVE LOVE Quince!!  On the surface, he seems like an obnoxious jerk but underneath the facade he is a great man who takes care of his mom and is in love with the girl who doesn't even see him.  Who doesn't love the good guy with a dark side?!  I suggest this book for teens and up.  There really isn't any sexual shenanigans in the story but there is kissing and some teenage romance.  I really liked this and I can't wait for the next book in the Fins Series!  You can find out more about Tera's books on her website.  You can also follow her on Twitter.

Forgive my fins earns 5 Fairies for being a great mermaid tale with a sweet book boy! 

W...W...W... Wednesdays!

W... W... W... Wednesdays is a weekly feature at Should Be Reading. To play along you just have to answer three simple questions:

1. What Are You Currently Reading?
2. What Did You Recently Finish?
3. What Do You Think You'll Read Next?

1.  What Am I Currently Reading?   Crave by J. R. Ward

2.  What Did I Recently Finish?   Covet by J. R. Ward 

3.  What Do I Think I'll Read Next? Lament by Maggie Stiefvater

What are you reading???

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop !!

Welcome to my stop on the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Blog Hop!! This hop runs from 12:01 AM April 20th to 11:59 PM April 25 and is hosted by Kathy of I'm a Reader, Not a Writer and my good friends over at Once Upon a Twilight!  This year my husband's birthday landed on Easter Sunday so we're going to have twice the party fun for his 29th (eeek, I can't beleive I'm saying that!) birthday.  To celebrate, I am giving away an "Easter Box" (baskets are a pain to mail!) of his favorite things, including 2 books: Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief amd How Music Works! The box also has bookmarks, really good jelly beans and Peeps, my hubby's fave Easter candy but he seriously saves them until the summer and fall when they are stale and he roasts them over a campfire.  No joke!  It's the best way to eat Peeps and any of the other Peep shapes/animals!

Giveaway Hop is CLOSED!  Winner will be announced later today!

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers are from Crave by J. R. Ward:

"It was Mrs. Roper from Three's Company.  From the fake red curls to the plastic bangles."

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped is Megan McCafferty's first YA novel.  It follows twin sisters, Melody and Harmony in their future world where only teens like them can have children.  In this world, a disease causes that causes sterilization in everyone between the ages of 18 and 24 has ravaged the world, leaving teenagers the most important people in the world.  Adults have to hire teenagers to "bump" or reproduce for them.  There is no in vitro fertilization or test tube babies.  Condoms and other forms of birth control are outlawed.  Teens are fed foods full of folic acid and vitamins and are constantly reminded that they are reproaesthetic.

Harmony and Melody are living in this strange world but their lives could not be more different.  Harmony has been raised in Goodside, a religious community that is separate from the rest of the world.  At Goodside, Harmony has been raised her whole life to be a wife and mother.  She believes that it is her calling to "save" her sister, no matter the cost.  Melody has made a very lucrative bump contract with a couple who has been trying to find the perfect "sperm" for her egg.  As Melody and Harmony spend time together, they will learn that they have more in common than they thought.

This book was one that I'd been looking forward to.  I did enjoy the book overall but it took about one third of the book for me to get really into it.  It felt like I was dumped into the middle of something and there is a lot of terminology and slang to learn as the story begins.  There are some questions about the premise but I think that is easily ignored.  Do you REALLY want to know the HOW/WHY of the sterilization disease?  I know I don't.  I enjoyed the book for a great read that felt real and that really made me think.  I love the 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom shows.  I had my eldest son while I was a senior in college, I was barely 21.  It's no 16 and pregnant but it wasn't every one's definition of normal.  In times past, teen brides and mothers were the norm but to most of us nowadays, it's just plain creepy.  Bumped makes us think and rethink what we view as acceptable or normal.  In their world, is it fair and right that these teens sell themselves and their babies?  What if they want to have children later, when they get married?  Does the glorification of teen pregnancy make you a little sick?  Do you think it should?  How else should babies come into this future world?  This book is funny, emotional and thought provoking and I think it is meant to be.  I would recommend this for older teens merely for the content and language.  The talk of sex is pretty cavalier and younger teens may not really grasp the full message of this book.  I hope you'll give this book a try!  You can find out more about Megan McCafferty on her website and you can follow her on Twitter.

Bumped earns 3 Fairies for being a thought provoking read.

White Cat (The Curse Workers #1) by Holly Black

Cassel Sharpe is the odd ball in a family Workers.  Workers can do things to you through touch.  They can give you good or bad luck, change your emotions, kill you and even transform you.  His mother can work your emotions and his grandfather can cause death with a touch.  His brothers are workers and his father was one too.  Cassel is the one person in their family who isn't a worker.   He wears the gloves, like everyone does, to protect himself and not to keep others safe from him.  Cassel is good at something though, the art of the con.  He attends a private school where he runs a gaming business.  He's good at knowing the odds in any situation and when the odds don't work in his favor... well, let's just say that they are always in his favor.  Cassel's mom is the one who taught him the art of the con but now, she's in jail  and not really much of a mother at all to him.  His brothers work in the "family business" as part of a crime family.

Cassel tries to blend into the normal world since he doesn't feel he belongs in his family's world.  He knows he doesn't since his brothers had to cover up the murder he committed.  He'd thought he loved Lila but now all he sees when he thinks of her is the twisted smile on his face as he knelt over her holding a bloody knife.  He's a con man and a murderer hiding in plain sight.  One night, Cassel wakes to find himself on the roof of his dorm with no way down.  He's got no idea how he got there.  Then he begins to notice a white cat everywhere, including in his dreams and nightmares.  What is the deal with the white cat?  He also notices that his eldest brother, Philip's marriage is on the rocks.  Why does he feel like he is missing something BIG?  Something important?

I really liked this book.  The world of the Curse Workers is so realistic and so unique that it sets itself apart from all the other Paranormal YA out there.  I thought that the story moved along at a good pace and that you didn't start the story knowing what was going to happen and how it was going to end.  The plot really kept you guessing.  I also really felt for Cassel because even though he steals and lies up a storm, he's still a decent guy.  He has honor even though he's a criminal.  Poor Cassel also gets treated like crap and taken for a ride by most of the people that he cares about which totally stinks!  I have the second book already just need to get time to read it but I really hope that Red Glove has some good things in store for Cassel Sharpe!  Red Glove came out a week ago so you can find both books on store shelves now and they are definitely worth reading.  I would suggest them for older teens and up due to the complex mob based plot.  You can also find out more about Holly Black and her other books on her website and you can follow her on Twitter!!

White Cat earns 4 Fairies for being a wonderfully unique new series! 

The Abused Werewolf Rescue Group by Catherine Jinks

Toby is a a celebrity.  Even people in America know who he is.  Well, they don't know his name but they do know about him.  He's the boy who was found sleeping naked in the dingo pen at Featherdale Park.  Toby has no idea how he got there, though he thinks his best friends may have had a hand in it.  His mother assumes that one of them slipped him drugs.  The doctors can't figure it out either.  But a mysterious letter from a priest sends him on a strange and dangerous adventure.  Could he really be a werewolf?!

This book was easy to read and pretty fun.  I liked that Toby is young (about 14) and Australian.  It made his story even more exciting that it was kind of exotic.  The books ties directly into Catherine Jinks' other book, The Reformed Vampire Support Group, with characters from that book appearing in this one.  The book was really not bad but it was obviously written for a younger audience (Middle Grades, perhaps).  I liked the book and didn't find Toby to be terribly whiny or annoying.  He did seem to fight the obvious conclusions, such as that he was indeed a werewolf.  But it wasn't in anyway hard to read.  I found Toby to be pretty funny and felt that the book moved along at a decent pace.  As I said earlier, this book seems to be aimed at middle grades or young high school aged readers and it is a perfect fit for them.  You can find out more about Catherine Jinks and her books by visiting her website.

Abused Werewolf Rescue Group gets 3 Fairies for being a funny story about Australian werewolves and vampires working together for the greater good.

Mission to Read's YA GLBT Paranormal Challenge

Rie over at Mission to Read is hosting a mini-challenge!  You can read as little as one book to be qualified for the challenge and the giveaway in June for the challengers!! I agree with Rie that we're seeing more positive portrayals of gay teens on TV than we did in years past and we're just not really seeing it in YA books and especially in YA paranormal books.  Well, we see it in the supporting characters but not in the main protagonists.  I mean, it rocks that we have those characters like Alec and Magnus from the Mortal Instruments & Infernal Devices and Jack and Damian from House of Night, but there need to be books that GLBT teens can get into from a personal prospective.  I plan on reading Ash and Huntress by Malinda Lo for sure and I know of a handful of others I want to read.  So click your way on over to Mission to Read and check it out!! Sign ups go through August! 

Lover Unleashed (Black Dagger Brotherhood #9

The first thing I MUST say about this book is that the Black Dagger Brotherhood books are ADULT books.  They all contain graphic violence and scenes of a graphic sexual nature.  18 and over ONLY books, people!!  Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, let's get into the latest novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward: Lover Unleashed.

Lover Unleashed follows Payne's story after she is injured and finally released from the Sanctuary on the Other Side by her mother, the Scribe Virgin.   Payne is bed ridden due to the spinal injury from her fight with Wrath and it seems as if she has gone from the prison of Sanctuary to a prison within her own body.  Her twin brother, Vishous, will do anything to keep her with him in this world.  His wife, Doc Jane brings someone from her human past to the Compound to help Payne.  Doctor Manny Manello is the best at what he does and he is still hasn't gotten over the death of his good friend who could have been more to him.  He's shocked to have Jane appear out of nowhere and convince him to come evaluate a patient of hers.  Never one to back down from a challenge, Manny goes with her to see the the patient.  What he finds is the most beautiful woman that he has ever seen, a woman who wipes all remaining feelings for Jane away.  Payne finds her healer to be beautiful and intriguing.  Will Manny be able to fix Payne and get her walking again?  Will Payne and Manny find a way to be together?  And most importantly, what about Vishous?

This was a great read!  I love the BDB books because the world is so rich and vibrant and the characters are so three dimensional.  The brothers aren't just warriors, they are lovers, friends, and siblings.  They all have likes and dislikes, they aren't in any way flat.  There are also all kinds of side stories and other threads of the main story that weave through each book.  In this book we see what is going on with Payne and Manny but also Qhuinn and his feelings about Blaylock, the issues that Vishous and Jane are working through, and the introduction of the Band of Bastards.  I read through this in one evening because I could not put it down.  I'm already anxiously awaiting the next BDB book which will be Tohrment's book.  I'm glad to have a year to prep for this book and stockpile tissues.  It'll be a tearjerker, for sure!

Lover Unleashed earns 4 Fairies for awesome BDB action and adventure.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend J. R. Ward's signing in Cincinnati over the weekend and it was amazing!! I got my copies of Lover Unleashed and Lover Mine signed and J. R. did a Q & A session.  She was SO funny and she answered so many questions during her time at the bookstore.  We learned that the series has become open ended now.  Throe and Murhder will each have their own book.  That Wrath and Rhage will both be fathers and that their journeys to parenthood will be covered in novellas.  There will also be a novella following Qhuinn and Blay's journey to coupledom.  Below I have picture of the WARDen talking during the Q & A.  Be sure to check out the WARDen on Goodreads and on her website!  Thanks go to J. R. Ward for doing the great signing, even after driving through a wicked thunderstorm!!

W...W...W... Wednesdays!

W... W... W... Wednesdays is a weekly feature at Should Be Reading. To play along you just have to answer three simple questions:

1. What Are You Currently Reading?
2. What Did You Recently Finish?
3. What Do You Think You'll Read Next?

1.  What Am I Currently Reading?   Covet by J. R. Ward 

2.  What Did I Recently Finish?  White Cat by Holly Black 

3.  What Do I Think I'll Read Next? Crave by J. R. Ward

What are you reading???

Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teasers are from White Cat by Holly Black:

"That's when I realize that they've already worked me.  Before they woke me up."

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Test is the brilliant debut novel from Aimee Carter that is set to come out on April 19th.  I had read some great things about this book on Facebook from some other bloggers so I scooted it to the top of my To Read list.  I am SO glad that I did!! This book is amazing and definitely will make it onto my Best I've Read 2011 List!

Kate leaves the only life that she has ever know in New York City to take her mother home to the town where she grew up.  It's her mom's dying wish, to be in the town where she grew up when the cancer finally takes her from this world.  Kate's first priority is her mother, so making a life in Eden doesn't even cross her mind.  But when Kate starts school she is pulled into a friendship with James, the sort of nerdy outcast, and Ava, the popular girl dating the popular boy.  When Ava plays a nasty prank on Kate and is seriously injured, Kate must make a deal with Henry, the mysterious owner of Eden Hall, to save Ava.  Kate agrees to give him anything.  Henry tells her that all he wants of her is an exchange of her time and that if she looks up the legend of Persephone, she'll know what he wants and when she'll need to come to him.  Kate goes to live in Eden Hall with Henry and finds that she must complete a series of tests to earn immortality and become Henry's partner, his queen.  Henry is Hades, the god of the Underworld.  He's been trying to find someone to help him rule the Underworld at his side for years but the girls never make it to the end of the testing.  Someone keeps killing them and neither Henry nor his "family" know who is doing it.  As Kate gets to know Henry, she falls hard for him and decides to do whatever she can to help him.  Will Kate make it through the tests or will she meet the same end as the girls who preceded her?  Will Henry feel the same way for her that she feels for him or will the ghost of Persephone, Henry's faithless former wife, be a constant third party in their relationship?

I loved this book!  I can not say that enough.  I have already cast my vote for this book as one of 2011's Best Books.  I loved the new and different treatment of the Greek mythology.  I also appreciated that Henry is more... believable and real than some of the interpretations.  Hades isn't inherently evil, he is merely the god of the Underworld.  He keeps the worst of the worst titans and villains in Tartarus and the neutral dead in the fields of Asphodel.  He keeps order in the world by keeping the dead in the Underworld and the living above where they belong. Hades also sees that heroes and the virtuous dead go to the Elysian Fields.  Hades even fathers at least 2 children, depending on the historian, including Melinoe the goddess of ghosts.  I know some authors don't like to have their work compared to other authors but in this case, I can't help myself.  I think that Rick Riordan's Hades is great because he feels real.  His Hades looks a lot like a mob boss.  He has slick black hair, wears suits and is a wicked negotiator.  BUT he still cares for his demigod children and he loved Maria di Angelo so much that he still grieves for her decades after her death.  Now, in Riordan's world and in most of the mythology, the gods can choose and change the form they take and if you had the choice, you'd want to be young.  That is the great thing about Aimee Carter's Henry.  His "family" are all different ages; some older, some younger, some middle aged.  But Henry is young- I thought maybe early 20's- and I think that makes the most sense for someone who is "dating".  I also liked seeing Hades as lonely because even though he is one of the three brothers who rule the Earth, he is seldom shown as a part of the Olympians.  He is nearly always shown as separate.  It would get lonely to be surrounded by the dead all the time, don't you think?

All told, this book is romantic but realistic.  Kate falls in love over time and is not assured that her feelings are reciprocated.  The tests and the murders are mysterious and you will be kept guessing until the end.  I know I didn't see the ending coming.  The whole story kept me enthralled.  This book is appropriate for teen readers as there is a sexual situation but it is not graphic.  You can follow Aimee Carter on Twitter, Goodreads and check out her website!  There are three books planned for the Goddess Test Series and she's also got a dystopian series in the works.  Keep your eye on Aimee Carter because she is going to be HUGE in the literary world.

The Goddess Test earns 5 Fairies for an amazing revamp of Greek myth and for Henry, the tender and loving lord of the underworld.

In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane

In the Arms of Stone Angels by Jordan Dane is a dark and mysterious book about a girl who lives with a guilty conscience.  Did she make the right decision when she called the police after finding her friend, White Bird, standing over a dead girl with a bloody knife in his hand?  Did he really kill the girl?  How could the sweet boy who had been her friend do that and how could Brenna betray him like she did?  The most scary of all:  if White Bird wasn't the killer- then who was?


This book has so many things going for it!  I loved that Ms. Dane seemed to have really put some time into researching the Native Americans that she was referencing in her book.  She detailed how a sweat lodge was built and her attention to detail really brought White Bird alive.  I loved how Brenna described him so fully as well, since we don't actually get to see or hear from White Bird himself until almost the end of the book.  I also really enjoyed Brenna's love for cemeteries.  I LOVE a good cemetery.  I spend a lot of time in cemeteries when I do genealogical research and I just love the feeling of peace that accompanies a cemetery.  I don't think they are scary but more tranquil.  I totally get where Brenna is coming from.  This is the kind of murder mystery that you don't often see in YA lit but it is SO gripping and well done that you will be drawn in even if suspense and mystery are not your thing.  The ending is pretty surprising and the murder mystery is not cut and dried.  It will keep you guessing right up until the end! This debut YA offering is well worth your time so I urge you to give it a try.  I think you'll be glad you did!

In the Arms of Stone Angels earns 4 Fairies for an interesting and emotional story.

You can find more books by Jordan Dane on Goodreads and you can follow Ms. Dane on Twitter!!

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell

Okay, first let me say that this book took me forever to read, like two months, because every time I'd pick it up the kids would do SOMETHING that required immediate action.  It was like a curse.  Finally, I told the husband that I HAD to finish the book and that I was off duty until such a time that it was finished.  I locked myself in the bedroom and read.  Crazy, I know, but it worked!

Amelia van den Broek goes to visit her cousins in Baltimore in the summer of 1889.  She's there to attend balls and wear new dresses in order to secure herself a good match.  Her brother has sent her from Maine in hopes that she will find someone from good society to marry so that he'll no longer have to worry for her future but one evening, Amelia sees something in the vespers, the light at the end of the day.  It's the time of the great Spiritualist movement so once word gets out about her "visions," everyone wants her to read for them.  As Amelia experiments with her ability, she learns that not all her visions are happy and safe.  She also falls for Nathaniel, a young artist, who is not a member of Society but a poor young man who scrapes together what he can to fund his painting.  She knows that he isn't a good match but she can not keep herself from meeting him and dancing with him.  But she also knows that Nathaniel has secrets of his own.  When Amelia sees a tragedy happen within her close circle of friends and then another, she tries to keep the deaths from occurring but when they do despite her best efforts, what will happen to her?  What chance does she stand with Nathaniel?

The Vespertine is an amazing book that is unlike anything that I have ever read.  It takes a few chapters for you to see how it is a YA, Paranormal/Fantasy, Historical novel but in the end it is just sheer brilliance.  Some people have a hard time reading the book due to the way it is written with the period speak and flash backs.  I really enjoy period books though, so I was really into this book.  I know there is a companion book The Springsweet that is slated to be released next year.  You can learn more about the books on Saundra's website and you can follow her on Twitter!!  Be sure to read this if you get a chance, it is sure to be on everyone's Best I've Read 2011 lists!!

The Vespertine earns 5 Fairies for an intriguing Historical/Paranormal read with a wonderful book boy!