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 Enshadowed (Nevermore #2) by Kelly Creagh:

Taking the shift in her attitude as an invitation to come in, Danny strolled across the threshold and into Isobel's room.  Wandering over to her dresser, he said, "Like, Luke Skywalker leaves Dagobah to save Han Solo and Leia gotta do, or Dick Grayson stops being Robin to go to Bludhaven and become Nightwing gotta do?"

This was my favorite quote in all of Enshadowed, and it is a masterful piece of work overall to be sure.  I bet you can figure out why.  I do have a Nightwing body pillow on my bed after all.

Enshadowed (Nevermore #2) by Kelly Creagh

Have you ever wanted to read a book so badly that when it came out you had to force yourself not to jump on it like a starving dog with a bone?  Enshadowed was that book for me this year.  I just got it with an Amazon card that I won.  I'd been putting off reading it because I knew I'd tear through it then have to wait forever like I had to when I read Nevermore and LOVED that book like one of my children.  Here is the beautiful, haunting cover and the Goodreads blurb:

True love takes a twisted turn in the second book of this modern gothic romance trilogy channeling the dark brilliance of Edgar Allan Poe.While Varen remains a prisoner in a perilous dream world where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life, Isobel travels to Baltimore to confront the dark figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster. This man, the same man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams and abandoned her in Varen’s nightmare world, holds the key to saving Varen. But when Isobel discovers a way to return to this dream world, she finds herself swept up in a realm that not only holds remnants of Edgar Allan Poe’s presence, but has also now taken on the characteristics of Varen’s innermost self. It is a dark world of fear, terror, and anger. When Isobel once more encounters Varen, she finds him changed. And now Isobel must face a new adversary—one who also happens to be her greatest love.

I will be honest, I have NEVER liked cheerleaders.  I was a poor, nerdy girl in the smart kid classes so cheerleaders were not nice to me and I in turn wanted them to eat a cheeseburger... and choke on it.  Not a mature or respectful stance, but teen angst rarely makes sense.  Isobel is a cheerleader that I could actually like.  She realizes that the life she had been living had been fine but not particularly deep or fulfilling.  With Varen, she saw things differently.  She could see her "friends" for what they were: bullies.  Varen saw so much more in life and the world around him.  Even if it hurt, it was worth seeing- to him.  In this book we see how Isobel is dealing without Varen and how she decides to go about getting him back.  She decides that saving him is more important than cheering, than school, than anything.  WOW!  What an emotional read.  We get to see a fair amount of Isobel's parents and little brother, Danny.  We also see a lot of Gwen, which was nice.  Gwen is the only person who can be there for Isobel and I love that she's there for her even when she isn't sure how to be.  Gwen and Isobel are a great team.  I can not wait for the third and final book that is due out next year.

You can click here to add Nevermore and Enshadowed to your Goodreads.  You can find out more about the books and the world of Nevermore on Kelly Creagh's website.  You can also find Kelly Creagh on Twitter.  Enshadowed gets 5 Fairies as my number one must have book of 2012 and one of my all time favorites.

Nevermore (Nevermore #1) by Kelly Creagh

Nevermore is another book that I first found last October and my library FINALLY got a copy last month so I was able to read it.  This book is the PERFECT October read.  It is scary, romantic and it even finds time to remind us all that prejudice is not cool.  This book is easily one of my favorites of all time.  Here's the Goodreads blurb:

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

Let's talk about Varen Nethers.  I freaking adore him.  Who wouldn't?  He's mature, brooding, dresses well and has a way with words.  I really liked that Isobel would be so drawn to him and that he would let her into his world.  It's really interesting.  I also loved that Varen wins over Isobel, her mom and her brother but her dad is convinced that the nasty jock she used to date is the better man.  So not true.  This story is so engrossing that I started it one night and just could not sleep until I'd finished it.  It really sucks you in and makes you wish you could be a part of this world.  I don't really care for Poe on his own, probably due to the dry way he is presented in high school English classes but this book make him appear real and interesting.  Creagh really fleshes Poe out and heck, if Varen is Team Poe, I want to be too.  This book is a new favorite for me and I really hope everyone will give it a try before the sequel, Enshadowed comes out in August.  I really suggest this one for readers over 13 because some of the paranormal aspects can be a bit confusing for younger readers.  But there is limited sexual shenanigans and cursing.

Of course, Nevermore earns 5 Fairies for the abundance of VAREN NETHERS in this book. 

You can find out more about Kelly Creagh and her books on her website or by following her on Twitter.  You can find the Nevermore Series on Goodreads here.  And finally, here is the cover for book two.  I think it's pretty epic!