A Place for Romance: Paranormal | Fantasy | Futuristic | Contemporary | Historical | Suspense | & Asian Dramas

12.31.2014

81 Books Read in 2014


What. A. Year.

Looking back at all of the A-mazing books I've read this year, from Sherrilyn Kenyon's League series (which I am still obsessed about) to actually falling for a few cyborg stories from Eve Langlais and getting totally wrapped up in SciFi to the point that it nearly eclipsed my love for good old paranormal romance... Seriously, what a year!

Only a mere 81 books.. Doubtful that I'll ever top a hundred again but at this point, with memories like those to look back on, who cares?


32 Paranormal | 32 SciFi | 05 Contemporary | 07 Young Adult | 02 Philosophy |
02 Fantasy | 01 Other




Code Word Storm
Morgan's Fate
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom
A Devil Named Desire
Divergent
Free Four: Tobias Tells the Divergent Story
Brighid's Cross
Divided
Photo Opportunity
Taming the Darkness
Burning Alive
First Dimension
Best Kept Secrets
Hard as a Rock
My Lady Mage
Accidental Abduction
Planet X
Captive Surrender
Take Your Pleasure


12.30.2014

Trial and Temptation (The Mandrake Company #2)

Why was he always holding something when they were close like this?


Trial & Temptation
Ruby Lionsdrake
Mandrake Company, book two
ebook, 250 pages
Published October 17th 2014 by Ruby Lionsdrake
ASIN B00OM12RWM

After ten years of flying freighter ships from planet to planet, Val Calendula never thought she would apply for a job as a combat pilot in a mercenary outfit. But her brother has gotten himself into financial trouble, and he’s heading to a mining prison if Val can’t pay off his debts. Mercenaries don’t always live long... but they make good money while they’re alive. A few combat bonuses, and Val could earn what she needs. The problem? She might have graduated from the military flight academy, but she hasn’t fought anything more dangerous than dust bunnies on the bridge lately. To make matters worse, the man in charge of hiring pilots was her instructor back at the academy. Commander Thatcher was almost as brilliant as he was arrogant and condescending, and he never seemed to think Val was smart enough to be there. She has no idea if she’ll be able to convince him otherwise now... or if she’ll be able to stand working with him.

When Gregor Thatcher left the military, he never expected to run into any of his former acquaintances, much less the one he admired and mooned over during his two years teaching at the academy. Back then, he never told Val Calendula he cared for her, partially because officers weren’t supposed to have relations with cadets, but mostly because he didn’t know how to speak of his feelings. He might not have any trouble grasping navigational mathematics and astrodynamics, but people are more problematic. Gregor is elated that Val has entered his life again, but he’s fairly certain she hates him. Worse, he’s responsible for deciding whether she’s qualified to be a combat pilot. How can he judge fairly when his tongue tangles and idiotic words come out of his mouth whenever she’s around?

When the captain sends Val and Gregor on a mission to pick up a military advisor and deliver him to a planet at war, Val hopes she’ll have an opportunity to prove herself capable of the piloting position. Gregor hopes he’ll have the opportunity to improve Val’s opinion of him. But when the military advisor goes missing, and they’re forced to divert to a dangerous moon base, the mission turns into a fight for survival. Val may learn too late that there’s more to Gregor than that aloof exterior… and that inside is a man she could love.

The lord god of SciFiRomance geeks is alive and well in this book. And I luvs him.

The author of this series reminds me so much of Sherrilyn Kenyon in regards of character descriptions. Kenyon's are based purely on the perceptions of the other surrounding characters, just as Lionsdrake uses the perceptions of her characters to bring you closer to her own leading ladies and gents. Even if that perception varies drastically from the actually truth. Let me attempt to explain...

Gregor is a stoic, detached, cyborgish character who, quite simply, does not relate well to other people. This demeanor brings Val, and so many others, to view him as an arrogant, self righteous prick while in reality, he's just operating on another level. Their reactions, specifically their sarcasm, doesn't translate well to his way of thinking and in those moments where he's processing or going over the conversation as to why she responded in such a way... what could he have said differently... what her true meaning had been.. it all clashes so beautifully with Val's own take. In his silence, as he stares blankly, she is left wondering what she said wrong. What more was he expecting?

The author has an amazing talent for getting inside the minds of her characters and using that to bring them off the paper to the point where, if it was movie, you would lose out on so much of who the character truly is. Some things are just better in books. And it's people like Lionsdrake that make me so thankful for the written word. As silly as that may be.

As far as Gregor and Val go.. I can't say this is a happily ever after. These two have way too many differences separating them. But that's the good thing about this series. There are no promises that things will last forever. There are no I Love Yous. No proposals of marriage. There's simply two people who make a connection and, in maturity and curiosity, allow it to grow.

4 out of 5 stars.

Book one... Ah-mazing. Grab it right here, right now.

*My copy of Trial & Temptation was received from the author.

Previously in the series:

12.16.2014

Hunter (Soul Warriors #1)

Kiss me like you own me.


Hunter
Cynthia Lucas
Soul Warriors, book one
Kindle Edition, 299 pages
Published October 24th 2014 by CreateSpace
ASIN B00OW672CW
Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Nyx Leron is a Hunter. A demon hunter. The thing is....demons aren't what fairy tales or religious texts say they are and reality is only a matter of which reality you happen to perceive.

After being sentenced to serving a term in Reality Level 3 on the prison planet known as Earth for a galactic 'crime' he didn't commit, the Hunter soon learns that the balance of power and the control of Sacred Knowledge that can free all souls from endless cycles on prison planets like Earth are in the hands of corruption.

After his targets escape, losing him his bounty and his debt payoff, he barely escapes with his life and unexpectedly lands in the apartment of librarian and sometime tarot card reader, Lyra Hall. With a coven of soul-sucking demons now on his tail and traces of his energy in her living space and on her person, the Hunter has no choice but to take the human woman with him as he makes his escape to another galaxy, dimension and reality level where he will try to figure out how to protect the billions of souls that are now in danger.

Lyra Hall is a librarian with a vision....literally. Since childhood she's been able to 'see' things in the dark that others couldn't; shadows that come to her when she's on the verge of sleep. Are they real? Or just an overactive imagination from reading too many books on the occult? Lyra's about to find out when she wakes up in the middle of the night to what she thought were two demons standing beside her bed, only to discover instead the most handsome blue eyed man she's ever seen, accompanied by a snow white wolf. When he tells her that in order to save her life he must take her with him on a journey across reality, dimensions and galaxies, she thinks he's a delusional psychotic who may be dangerous...that is until the demons that are hot on his tail begin to materialize in her apartment!

As she and the Hunter make their escape Lyra has no idea how deep the 'rabbit hole' goes , but she soon discovers she's about to embark on not only an adventure beyond any she could have imagined...but an awakening of who she really is and the real meaning of the word 'soul mate'.

Demons...they're not who you think they are, and sometimes possession by one is your only salvation.

I found this book in the Kindle Lending Library and assumed it to be a paranormal romance when in actuality, it so much more.

My husband is a seeker of knowledge. A ponderer of religious ideals. And a student to achieving higher consciousness. Now, I won't pretend to even understand a fraction of what is downloaded into his brain from his readings or the many theories he surrounds himself with via books or internet ramblings, but our two worlds of interest definitely found common ground in this book by Cynthia Lucas.

Hunter Nyx Leron exists in a world made up by a number of levels of reality, numerous lifetimes, and countless perceptions. Charged with hunting the demons of this place, dimension jumpers that they are, he is accompanied by his spirit animal and guide, Vega, whose link to him has elevated his level of consciousness far beyond what he has otherwise earned. Just as he's about to take down two such bounties, Nyx is summoned by the Chancellor himself who is none too pleased at the tip of balance Nyx was so close to bringing about. Words are exchanged. Tempers flare. Threats are issued. In the end, Nyx flees and suddenly he is one of the jumpers. The hunter has become the demon.

As he evades those seeking to take him in, Nyx appears in the bedroom of Lyra Hall, a woman who has experienced a number of paranormal happenings, leaving her a very open minded individual. One who awakens to find what appears to be Biblical demons in her bedroom. Not her first time, mind you.

Instinct implores Nyx to take Lyra with him as he makes another jump, in part to save her from those on his heel and also, because it just feels right. They end up on a primitive planet in a low level reality where cannibals thrive. With Nyx's bracer out of commission, the two are left to their own to survive. And as Nyx shares with her the truths of the multiverse, he becomes aware of her familiarity to his person. They've known each other in lifetimes past.

And although Lyra has no memory of him at first, it is she who makes the ultimate connection. She is the daughter of the Chancellor, a pawn in his game of power and control. And Nyx is her husband.

Married in secret, the two were torn from one another. She, her memory wiped, was returned to Earth and reduced back to the age of a young girl. Nyx, meanwhile, without his memory of her, was returned to his place as a Hunter, in another time and in another place.


God is you... me.. it is everyone, everywhere. It is a life force, and a collective conscience. Not a singular entity with some grand power. You've heard the expression 'love thy neighbor' ...well, that is because your neighbor is more than just someone to have compassion for. Your neighbor is actually a part of you, and when you damage them, you are damaging yourself to that degree in the larger scope of things. They are a part of the collective conscience that you are.


This book leaves you with a lot to think about in the philosophical sense. As far as the paranormal romance aspect... you'll have to wade through a lot of buildup and explanation until things manage to get interesting. Much to my disappointment, it never really took off. The most thrilling moment, as far as romance goes, was the few short paragraphs wherein they remembered their first meeting. Even their one and only sex scene fell a bit flat. The vows were a nice touch though.

Read it for the philosophy factor, not so much the lovey stuff.

3 out of 5 stars.

12.12.2014

Running Scared (Sentinel Wars #3)

I'm not dying until I get to kiss you.


Running Scared
Shannon K Butcher
Sentinel Wars, book three
ebook, 286 pages
Published May 1st 2010 by Onyx Books
ISBN 9781101404416

They are the Sentinels. Three races descended from ancient guardians of mankind, each possessing unique abilities in their battle to protect humanity against their eternal foes: the Synestryn. Now one Sentinel's survival determines the fate of them all.

Lexi Johns has one purpose: to free her best friend from the hands of the Sentinels. And Zach, the Sentinel she has been running from for months, has one goal: to convince her that their destinies are entwined. For the magic that Zach has absorbed could destroy him if he doesn't find the woman who can channel it for him. And he knows Lexi is the one.

From an early age, Lexi has been taught to fear the Sentinels. And now she is an agent of a group out to destroy them. So when Zach finds her, it is Lexi's chance to strike at the heart of the Sentinels. But, as Lexi sees Zach's courage, selflessness, and honor, she begins to doubt her beliefs — and is faced with an unbearable choice.

Zach and Lexi's story began in book one of this series and touched back in book two where we found a very desperate Zach still searching for his runaway lady. Actually, 'desperate' doesn't even cover it.

________________________________________

Excerpt from Burning Alive review: As a Theronai, Drake, along with Thomas and Zach, have lived centuries fighting against Synestryns (demons and monsters) in a never ending effort to protect humankind. Earth is but a gateway to the world Athanasia, and the Synestryns want in. The Theronai bear a "lifemark" which resembles a tattoo of a tree that covers their torso that was but a seed at their birth and grows as they age. Until, ultimately, it withers. And as the leaves fall, they know their soul will wither and fade as well.

Their only hope is to find a Theronai female that can channel the power that they spend their entire life harvesting and storing. They themselves cannot use the power, only their bonded mate. Who can also ease the pain of their long lived existence and the battles and loss that have come with it.
________________________________________

Zach... has never ceased to make me smile. It's his "Baby, where are you?" mantra that just ever so seductively brushed against my good side. His "I need you, honey" hope filled cry that kept me going in their story even as Lexi was pushing me off and out and just... away.

Lexi was raised by a single mother who filled her head with a surplus of lies that have kept Lexi on the run since childhood. And it's only gotten worse since meeting Zach way back in book one where she hightailed it faster than the centuries old warrior could keep up. For her, the Theronai are the enemy and the Synestrians are their pets. They capture women, brainwash them, and drink their blood until leaving them a dried up corpse. All the while, leaving behind tainted lands that refuse to grow crops.

On the run from Zach, Lexi returns to her now deceased mother's old allies, the Defenders of Humanity, and is given the mission to be bait long enough to get her C-4 filled Honda to the Theronai's stronghold and blow them all to hell, and save Helen in the process. And the oh so desperate Zach falls hook, line, and sinker.

While Zach is being his good ol' selfless warrior self, slowing enlightening Lexi to the truth, we follow the developing back stories of Madoc and Nika, Torr and Grace, and reunite with Drake, Helen, Paul, and Andra as well while getting into the truth behind the Theronai's sterility, a glimpse into the forces working against the Theronai, and witness the slow division of Gilda and Angus. Shocking fact: Gilda is a hell of a lot more powerful than I had assumed.

Torr suffered an attack in book one that has left him paralyzed from the neck down. After weeks of the Sanguinar's failed attempts to heal him, Torr is convinced that his existence has become worthless. He can't fight the Synestrians. Can't seek out his lady. He wishes, simply, for death. A death that no one will allow him. A victim of circumstances, saved by the same attack, Grace takes it upon herself to take care of Torr even as he pushes her away with brutal honesty, in all forms of crass and vulgar threats. Truth is, she's fallen for the goodness still inside him. And Torr is equally drawn to her.

Madoc, meanwhile, is determined to put space between he and Nika despite the constant need she expresses for him. Unfortunately, while his mind and body have every noticeable reaction to her presence, his ring is lifeless. No glowing. No swirling. And to a Theronai, that's the only response that matters.

After eight years of fighting true, soul shattering madness, Nika is slowly coming back to life. And she needs Madoc to keep her stable. Her mind suffers out of body experiences, being pulled into the heads of Synestrians over and over, living their bloodlust and their deaths, while her own body withers as a sack of bones. A body Madoc can't bear to hold nor touch lest he break her further.

So he spends his time slaying each Synestrian he can find and fucking prostitutes in the between. Damn you, Madoc. You're awesome but you suck.

This series... is like one big puzzle. Each book has a number of pieces. Some that fit. Some that will fit eventually. It's a mindfuck, pure and simple. And you have to keep going. You have to know where it leads or you won't know how it ends.

And I *have* to know how it ends.

I also need a break. =)

4 out of 5 stars.


Previously in the series:

12.10.2014

Finding the Lost (Sentinel Wars #2)

Can't you feel me shaking?


Finding the Lost
Shannon K Butcher
Sentinel Wars, book two
ebook, 276 pages
Published November 3rd 2009 by Penguin Group
ISBN 9781101155790

They are the Sentinels: three races descended from ancient guardians of mankind, each possessing unique abilities in their battle to protect humanity against their eternal foes–the Synestryn. Now a young woman must put faith in a warrior whose power frightens her even as it draws her in.

Andra Madison knows that monsters are real. She’s been fighting them ever since her family was victimized by the Synestryn eight years ago. Now she’s devoted to finding children who’ve been abducted by the Synestryn. When she gets a call about a lost little boy, she tracks him to a warehouse on the outskirts of town, where she’s aided by a trio of human men…or so she thinks.

Paul has been searching for centuries for a woman like Andra. To find her, he strikes a bargain with a bloodhunter that could cost him his life. Now his desire for Andra threatens to destroy his much-needed control. Against her wishes, Andra agrees to join Paul on a journey fraught with danger–one that leads directly to the Synestryn.

Almost instantly, I was bespelled by this vivid, danger driven world of Butcher's. Moreso here than even the last book. From the moment, Paul, ...the loner and photographic memory gifted, Madoc, ...and the much loved and equally loathed, Logan, stepped into the scene, my heart went pounding. Logan charmed me from the first time he ever spoke and while Paul was a curve ball no one saw coming into the picture, much less expected to stick around, he made an impression strong enough to make me sit back and.. well, drool.
________________________________________

Excerpt from Burning Alive review: As a Theronai, Drake, along with Thomas and Zach, have lived centuries fighting against Synestryns (demons and monsters) in a never ending effort to protect humankind. Earth is but a gateway to the world Athanasia, and the Synestryns want in. The Theronai bear a "lifemark" which resembles a tattoo of a tree that covers their torso that was but a seed at their birth and grows as they age. Until, ultimately, it withers. And as the leaves fall, they know their soul will wither and fade as well.

Their only hope is to find a Theronai female that can channel the power that they spend their entire life harvesting and storing. They themselves cannot use the power, only their bonded mate. Who can also ease the pain of their long lived existence and the battles and loss that have come with it.

________________________________________

Paul, with but a few leaves left, is in desperate search for the Therani female that could save him, having lost the chance with Helen when she chose Drake. Thank your lucky stars, Paul. Andra is sooooo much the better option. And yet, ..hold that thought.

The trio find Andra at the beginning of a battle with Synestrians who've managed to take captive a little boy named Sammy. The fight is quickly over, but in the aftermath they soon lose sight of Andra as she rushes the lad to the hospital and to his parents. When she arrives home, it's to find a semi-rested Paul sitting on her couch. He tries talking. She's not in the mood. So he's forced to plan B. And with one touch, expecting God knows what and finding nothing, Paul is left baffled. She's not his One. Andra, on the other hand, has a completely different response and, in a blink, goes from sleep deprived to a lust driven seductress that can't get close enough to her sword-wielding hero.

And a shell shocked Paul is left wondering what the hell just happened. Was happening. Was about to happen.

Logan is adamant that Andra belongs to Paul. And as much as Paul doubts, he finds hope in Logan's insistence. Soon enough, the rush he was waiting for slams into him at a casual but stressful meeting of Andra's skin. Delayed much?!

Meanhwile, Madoc has his own problems. He lost the last of his leaves some time ago. Living on borrowed time and waiting for a death that he feels quick in coming, Madoc succumbs to hiring out prostitutes in order to find a release of... everything. Even as Logan lies passed out on the couch with Paul guarding over a sleeping Andra in the bedroom. Needless to say, I was so not expecting that scene. Nor was I expecting Madoc to actually carry the backstory with none other than Andra's sister, Nika, who's been in and out of the psychiatric hospital for the past eight years and is currently on death's door for fear of demons and people forcing her to eat blood. Needless to say, Madoc has one wacky trip ahead of him.


What if it's now or never. What if I don't let you go?

Paul has *the worst* luck when it comes to getting a woman's commitment. First Kate, who walked away from him and chose someone else. Now Andra, who takes his luceria (with little else but gut instinct and Logan's cryptic coercion to guide her), which leads to Paul swearing his life to her. To live for her. To kill for her. To die for her. To share the rest of his existence with her. And what does she give him? Three days. She swears THREE DAYS.

I didn't need the author's descriptive detail of the look on Paul's face. I only needed a mirror. The man finds his soulmate after centuries of waiting, searching, hunting, and the bitch promises him three fucking days. Can't even give the guy a whole week! Oh wait,... three days and an hour!!

And the man doesn't learn. He's off proposing to a woman that hasn't even told him she loved him yet.

Are we still holding that thought?

Back when I read book one, I was freaking out over Zach and Lexi's story. That which won't come until book three. Here, I was dying to dive into Madoc and Nika's--which won't come until book four. And now there's Torr and Grace, which begins here but doesn't conclude till book eight? Hey, but Logan gets book five! How did I get so addicted to this hopscotch series??

So much love. So much anxiety. 5 out of 5 stars.


Previously in the series:

12.04.2014

Mercenary Instinct (Mandrake Company #1)

Whoever wanted to kiss me on a sofa.


Mercenary Instinct
Ruby Lionsdrake
Mandrake Company, book one
ebook, 152 pages
Published October 10th 2014 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN 9781310599910
Free Read at Amazon.com

Skulking around in the ruins on a planet swarming with treasure hunters, slavers, and bounty hunters isn’t good for one’s health. But Ankari Markovich needs a few archaeological samples for her latest business venture, a venture that might prove lucrative enough to move her family off the impoverished planet where she grew up. Unfortunately, she has no sooner collected her samples than she’s captured by a band of brawny mercenaries. The captain might be handsome, but he’s intent on turning her over to some finance lord who has, for reasons unknown, put a bounty on her head, a ridiculously large one at that. If she can’t figure out a way to escape before she’s delivered to the lord’s home world, she could be forced into a life of indentured servitude—or worse.

Captain Viktor Mandrake doesn’t usually take on piddling bounty hunting gigs, but when his intelligence officer informs him of a criminal on a nearby planet, he decides it wouldn’t hurt to take a shuttle down to collect the woman. But Ankari Markovich is trouble from the start, nearly eluding his elite forces, then fighting and tricking his people left and right. He finds himself admiring her spirit, but according to her warrant, she’s a criminal. The safest thing is to keep her in the brig and ignore her until she can be handed off to the man who wants her.

But the situation grows more complicated when other bounty hunters show up, wanting to claim Ankari for themselves. Thanks to this woman, Viktor’s ship is in danger, his crew members are going missing, and he’s fighting enemies he never asked for in a jungle in the middle of a hurricane. He’s either going to strangle Ankari… or fall in love. Either scenario could get him killed.

I was recommended book two. Book one was free. So, here we begin:

First off, this book was *way* too good to be free. Go, grab it, love it! ...Because I, for one, couldn't get enough.

Ankari Markovich and her three woman team (including a work obsessed scientist and a self taught pilot) are busy collecting fossilized alien feces for medical research when they are suddenly taken hostage by a team of mercenaries playing bounty hunters. The price on their head is not only incredibly high, but also insane in its placement. Who the hell would put a bounty on an entrepreneur digging up alien shit?

Viktor Mandrake, once called "Willow", is an ex-Crimson Ops soldier, who went out on his own with a strict code he manages to carry into the life of a mercenary. He's not deluded. Only sometimes does he manage to find a job that sides with his own beliefs, but so far he's managed to never betray an innocent. Something he begins to truly suspect his newest prisoner happens to be. As far as the charges against her anyway.

Ankari grew up with her family struggling to survive after her birthworld was destroyed. A pickpocket when necessary, and damn if it was ever necessary, it is now, Ankari's quick hand manages to help her escape her captors more than once. Her never shutting mouth, however, lands her in even more trouble. Thankfully, Viktor is only endeared by her feisty, survival attitude and emotionally forms a connection with her. His own home world was destroyed, too, by the same villains that took hers.

This... is one realistic love affair unfolding in a very true SciFi setting. Moon hunting, prehistoric dinosaur-like creatures, and a man-eating plant collection are just a few of the classic facets pulled together to bring two amazingly well written characters together. And if you're not into lust fueled, tripping-all-over-themselves-in-love protagonists but still crave an all consuming fall into a future of love, then this one's for you!

No pledge of undying affection. No curve ball marriage proposal. And yet, I'm still over the moon for this story.

I can't say it enough. It's free. It's REALLY good. Get it here while you can!

5 out of 5 stars!

11.25.2014

The Darkest Fire (Lords of the Underworld Prequel)


The Darkest Fire
Gena Showalter
Lords of the Underworld, prequel
ebook, 66 pages
Published 2008 by HQN Books
ISBN 9781426817540

He is the guardian of hell, more monster than man. She is the goddess of oppression, more angel than woman. Together they will enter the flames to battle a dangerous horde of demon lords -- and discover a passion unlike any other....

Don't miss this sizzling prequel to Gena Showalter's breathtaking new paranormal series, The Lords of the Underworld! Though they carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive -- and unimaginably powerful..

How better to celebrate today's release of The Darkest Touch, book eleven of the Lords of the Underworld, than to start at the beginning. Because, until now, I've somehow managed to steer clear of the Gena Showalter bandwagon.

While this prequel doesn't necessarily set the stage for the world, the story of Kadence, the goddess of Oppression, and Geryon is one not to be missed if you're a fan of the series.

Geryon was once a typical, mortal man who chose to sell his soul in order to save the life of his sick wife. A wife that came to him in an arranged marriage and ultimately left him once she was cured. After, Geryon was transformed into a half man/half beast and was charged with guarding the gates of hell so that no demon could escape.

He's done so, faithfully, for centuries. Having lost care for himself long ago, Geryon is left confused by Kadence's kindness toward him but nonetheless agrees to aid her as she hunts the few demons that are so close to breaking through.

For Kadence is bonded to the wall in a way that means her death should it be destroyed. She feels every blow it takes. Every tear at its structure. As Geryon learns of her purchase of his soul, and therefore freeing him from his prison, he offers himself to take the place of the wall. To form with her a new bond.

This story takes a path that you will not expect. One that leads to an ending you will never have imagined on your own. I don't know what it was Ms Showalter's muse was smoking the day this story came to light, but it must have been something good.

3 out of 5 stars.

11.24.2014

Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3)

Real or not real?


Mockingjay
Suzanne Collins
Hunger Games, book three
ebook, 390 pages
Published August 24th 2010 by Scholastic Press
ISBN 9780439023511

My name is Katniss Everdeen.
Why am I not dead?
I should be dead.


Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.


So I watched the first two movies. Might as well read the third book, right?

Although, to be honest, I had a lot of problems with the first movie. Lesson learned: Read the book. Movies are trash. Too many questions arise from watching movies, watching actors on a screen. That problem doesn't exist when reading books. You know what the characters are doing, what they're thinking. Because you're in their heads.

Things I learned while reading this book... that escaped me while watching the movies:

1. Peeta was an artist.

I so missed that memo! Although, yes, when I rewatched Catching Fire to prepare myself for this book, I did notice the artwork Peeta did of Rue when he had to perform for the Capitol folk. First time around, that went right over my head. Did not realize he actually drew that.

2. How Peeta and Katniss met.

When I watched the scene in the first move where Peeta was throwing burnt bread into the pig pen... Well, for one, that was not how that was recounted here. Secondly, while I realized Katniss was very much going to take that bread, it wasn't entirely clear that Peeta was doing it on purpose. Again, books clear up so much confusion.

3. Peeta and Katniss had never spoken, until the Hunger Games.

Suspected it, but the book cemented it.

4. Gale isn't really competition for Peeta.

In the movie, Katniss comes across as being very manipulative. In truth, the girl's just lost. Ok, and yes, manipulative.

As far as Mockingjay is concerned... I liked the path that was taken with Peeta. Drugged and "hijacked" by the Capitol, Peeta is forced to see Katniss without the blinders of love and nearly takes her life more than once. Strangely enough, he and Katniss do end up together. By default, that is. Everyone else either abandoned her, died, or was Haymitch.

I was okay with this book for the most part. Until the epilogue. That first paragraph just went and pissed me off and ruined everything.

It took five, ten, fifteen years for me to agree. But Peeta wanted them so badly.


What a bitch.

11.21.2014

Act of Defiance

Victors write the history books.
And in their eyes, even Saints can look like Devils.



Act of Defiance
Adrianne Brooks
ebook, 158 pages
Published June 3rd 2014
Free Read at Amazon.com

Defiance Gray has never had to worry about the Apocalypse. Mainly because it came and went years before she was born. Under the puritan rule of the Church everyone has their place and those unwilling to conform find out all too quickly just how swift punishment can be.

But nothing, not even Priests, frightens Defiance more than the thought of being caught outside after dark. Because when night falls and the bells start to ring, the stone Gargoyles scattered throughout the city come to life and begin their hunt for human souls.

When she starts seeing the Marks, symbols predicting the death of all who wear them, Defiance realizes that the Gargoyles aren’t the only things she has to fear. Which proves to be especially true after she meets Uriel, a winged demon classifying himself as an ‘archangel’.

Defiance Gray has never had to worry about the Apocalypse.
Demons lost the Great War.
The battle was over.

She’d known these things her whole life…but what if she’d been wrong?

I am the devil. But I'm not the only one.


From the very first page, and I'm referencing the Prologue here, I was hooked.

In a post-apocalyptic world where Satan is Lord God and the Four Horsemen are Saints, where women are either nuns or breeders, and the night is haunted by gargoyles seeking those to punish... Defiance Grey lives without a clue as to what the world once was, and what it has become.

A week shy of her eighteenth birthday, Defiance begins to have visions of death depicted through marks upon the heads of its victims just as the Church, the only source of protection, names a new head priest in Father Judas. As his reign begins with the deaths of innocents, including the blacksmith who was her long time friend and mentor, Defiance finds herself volunteering to survive outside the walls after being warned by the ghost of her friend/enemy whom they claim killed herself during the night.

Outside, among the tombstones, Defiance awakens an archangel, long imprisoned as a statue of marble. To her, in this world, he is a demon. One who suffers blindness because of all the iniquity and corruption in the world. His name is Uriel. And he becomes her Savior.

His quest is simple-to kill the Four Horsemen.

Her refusal is firm. To her, they are the long dead Saints of her people. So she seeks out to prove their demise to Uriel so that he may return to... wherever he was while being held captive by stone.

Little does Defiance know that three of the Four Horsemen are living and well, possessing Father Judas and two of the nuns that head her former church. The fourth seeks a new host. And Defiance has become their target.

There's something about demons that allow me to be pulled into this trending world of YA literature. I need a good villain. I need a freaking unbelievable world. Because, frankly, the characters just don't have it in them to hold my interest.

While there's not much accomplished in this first book of the series, the stage is well set. And Defiance is beginning to wonder what exactly it is she's believing in.

3 out of 5 stars.

11.19.2014

Captured (Warriors of Hir #1)


Captured
Willow Danes
Warriors of Hir, book one
ebook, 218 pages
Published August 5th 2014 by Here Be Dragons
ISBN 9780692271810
Read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited

Jenna McNally is tending to the heartrending task of clearing out her grandfather’s cabin when she’s knocked off her feet by the impact of a nearby plane crash. She races into the snowy North Carolina woods to help and discovers that this is no plane that’s crashed.

Ra’kur’s people have been brought to the brink of extinction by war. After years spent searching for a compatible mate to bond with, an enemy attack lands him on a backward, primitive planet and right to the very female he has been seeking. And a Hir warrior’s first task in claiming a mate is to capture her.

Well, I've done it. I've officially read more books this year than I did in 2012 and 2013 combined. 73. How freaking sad is that?

Jenna is busy packing up her late grandfather's possessions when a sudden blast knocks her off her feet. Suspecting a plane crash, she grabs up her phone, dials 911, and proceeds to investigate. What she finds, however, is an alien being with a mighty roar.

Passing out, Jenna is left in Ra'kur's care as he brings her back to her cabin and proceeds to chain her to her bed. When she wakes, it's like being confronted by an animal. No communication. Just a lot of grunting, sniffing, and growling as he stalks her around the room after freeing her from the confinement of her cuffs.

Jenna's reaction was right in the middle of "WTF. Aliens exist?!" and "Take me, baby. Take me now!" And I'm honestly not sure how I felt about it.

Once Jenna is able to receive the language translation implant from Ra'kur's ship, she is able to learn more of him and his past. A past which includes a six year hunt for a mate after a deadly virus nearly decimated his race, killing off all but a few of their females. Although Jenna takes great pains to keep Ra'kur hidden, he is ultimately discovered by the local sheriff, a late friend of her grandfather's. He pulls his gun. Jenna takes the bullet.

All of which forces Ra'kur's hand to take her from Earth and back to Hir where she survives, only to be exposed to the deadly virus herself. Once she survives that battle, and discovers she's pregnant, Jenna becomes a symbol of hope to the rest of Ra'kur's people, those of which that aren't Purists that is, and Earth becomes the target for a mate hunting ground. Some rules do apply. ;)

The story does set a great foundation for the series and opens up an honest curiosity to see how other's stories will play out. All in all, it's a freebie worthy of your time.

3 out of 5 stars.

11.14.2014

Yes, Captain


Yes, Captain
Rebecca Royce
ebook, 34 pages
Published August 7th 2010 by Liquid Silver Books
ISBN 9781595786548

Lizbeth is having a rough time. After her captain and best-friend Acton is kidnapped from their ship, she is forced to serve under the disgusting hand of one of her least favorite people, Troy. But things have improved because she has located Acton. Now, she just needs to convince Troy to turn the ship around so they can go and get him. Living on earth with no idea that he is actually the captain of a major space vessel, Acton will have to rediscover his past quickly because the Instigator and all of it’s crew are under attack from an enemy that will do anything to protect what it values most above other things: the sanctity of earth. But as Acton and Lizbeth become reacquainted, they will need their new love to help them defeat the traitor who hunts them and wants only their deaths to satisfy his desires.

I gotta say, I loved the premise of this book. Stolen captain goes missing for five years while his crew and best friend search every known galaxy to find him. And finally, they do. Living on Earth, his memory of who he truly is long buried, Acton lives as an attorney with no belief at all in life beyond the stars. Until they come for him.

The reunion was a good one. Not too much time spared on 'I'm not who you think I am' and with one good whack on the head, and a little de ja vu, Acton remembers everything that was once important to him. Even his long buried love for his best friend.

And they spare no time at all finally becoming lovers.

Loved it. Loved it all.

But that's where things got, ...for lack of a better word, let's just say stupid.

As it turns out, Acton left his ship willingly in a barter to save their lives. He agreed to spend one hundred years upon Earth with his, and his crew's memories, all wiped of the event. With his return, their enemy demands he complete his side of the agreement. To which Lizbeth volunteers to take his place.

Hold up. Take a breath. Surely if they would spare a minute to think this through, they could come up with a reasonable alternative. But no they don't. Not beyond Acton setting up a second agreement to send them both back to Earth together. Sweet, but yeah, stupid.

So I was stumped when it came to rating this. Foundation good. Follow through bad. Urgh.

2 out of 5 stars.

11.13.2014

Shielder (Shielder #1)

Be afraid, Nessa.


Shielder
Catherine Spangler
Shielder, book one
Kindle Edition, 358 pages
Published February 6th 2014
First published April 1999
ISBN 9780986060274

The Controllers have engineered a virus that is killing Shielders. In the hopes of finding a cure, the Shielders need a human host to get the deadly virus past Controller checkpoints and to a medical lab on the planet Santerra. With her people facing extinction, outcast Nessa dan Ranul volunteers to be the host and is injected with the virus. She has only four weeks to make it to Santerra before it kills her.

When her ship breaks down in deep space, she’s rescued by her most dangerous enemy—a shadower, a bounty hunter who tracks down Shielders. She can’t tell him the truth about her dilemma, or he will turn her in to the Controllers.

Shadower Chase McKnight has an agenda more pressing than claiming bounty rewards—vengeance. He doesn’t have time for a homeless waif who ignites emotions he buried long ago. He refuses to allow anything to deter him from his mission, which results in traveling away from Santerra—while the time bomb inside Nessa is ticking down. But she doesn’t dare trust this man who is an enemy of Shielders.

Their secrets and agendas don’t prevent the growing attraction between them, even as they fight their individual demons—even as time runs out for Nessa. Only love can bring them full circle, offering Chase redemption, and the chance to save Nessa—and ultimately, her people.

Ten years ago, still just a child, Nessa was all but abandoned by her parents due to her medical problems put on by severe seizures. Out of her entire village, only her brother has stayed by her. All others either ignore or curse her. Such is a harsh life for the Shielders, ever hunted by the Controllers.

As a deadly virus begins to annihilate her people, Nessa volunteers to do the one thing that would finally give her life meaning, infecting herself so that she might carry it to someone who could cure it. She has but a few weeks to make to Santerra. And she has great hope in her success, until her ship breaks down in the middle of space... right in the flight path of Chase McKnight, a bounty hunter working for the very souls out to destroy Nessa and her kind.

Chase is one tough pill to swallow. His attitude is rather reminiscent of a Mr. Han Solo, whom I have yet to comprehend why so many women fall all over themselves for such a character. The space cowboy act does not do it for one such as I. At least not outside of a Cowboy Bebop episode.

Back to where I was...


Chase begrudgingly agrees to take Nessa to her destination. Albeit at his own time, own pace, and around his very strict rules of conduct. But while he has Han's attitude, he's got Luke's heart. As he consoles Neesha through her seizures and feeds her foods beyond her imagination, Chase struggles with memories of his past. And, too, with the present as its forcing him back to the one place he doesn't want to return-his lab.

Nessa is, at first, bewildered by Chase. He looks at her. He touches her. He threatens to jettison her pet, her only friend, off his ship. Okay, so that last one more freaked her out than anything else. But even as she breaks his rules and pushes his patience, he remains gentle. And caring. For a while anyway.

While Nessa isn't that leading female who gives it back as good as or better than her male counterpart, she does equally invoke the reader to rise up in support of her. She's respectful. She's determined. But mostly, she's naive.

Chase, meanwhile, ... That man wanted me to hate him. I mean, he really wanted me to hate him. There aren't many characters I feel the need  to vent aloud about but Chase was one of them. It started with their first kiss. Which came out of freaking nowhere and was pushed on Nessa at that. The first *two* times they were intimate, he finished without getting her off. The poor girl had no idea what she was missing. Through it all, she holds strong with her lies and manages to hack the system of Chase's ship when he fails yet again to follow through on his word to get her to her destination.

She sneaks off the ship, buys two child slaves, and pockets his gold. All with good intentions.

And ever driving Chase to infuriating madness. So much so that he declares her his own slave, having indebted herself to him more than she could ever repay. And then sex becomes an obligation.

To which Chase drinks himself into a stupor when he finally realizes how much he's taken advantage of Nessa. First her virginity. Now this.

Amazingly enough, he does manage to make an acceptable marriage proposal once all of the lies come out and Nessa gets her vaccine. Despite the horrible frustration brought on by these two, the story does end rather well. If a bit mushy.

3.5 out of 5 stars.



11.09.2014

Sword Bound (Tiger & Del #7)

The gods know we belong together.


Sword Bound
Jennifer Roberson
Tiger & Del, book seven
Kindle Edition, 353 pages
Published February 5th 2013 by DAW
ISBN 9780756407964

For the first time in years, life seems settled for Tiger and Del. They run a school for sword-dancers in the South. They're raising a two-year-old daughter. They collect income from their interest in a thriving cantina. Occasionally Tiger must dance against sword-dancers bent on killing him for forsaking the oaths and vows of the circle, but for the most part it's an idyllic life. Until Tiger's twenty-five-year-old son accuses him of being "domesticated."

Thus challenged by his own flesh-and-blood to reclaim his legendary status, Tiger, accompanied by Del and his son, embarks on a journey northwards that will test his sword skill and resolve, and lead him and Del into danger from an old enemy. Though Tiger had forsaken his magic years before, he now faces the choice to reclaim it, and to wield it, in order to save those he loves.

It's been over ten years since Tiger and Del's story seemingly concluded and yet, Roberson has added two more books (the second is planned) to the series that pick up two years after we last left the Sandtiger and his bascha.

Incredibly enough, I still remember their story.

While Sword Bound dives right into the next chapter of their saga, there are still some glimpses via memory of the adventures Tiger and Del alike have survived. At present day, Tiger is forty-two years old, living a peaceful, profitable life with a (I believe) twenty-six year old, Del, their two year old daughter, Sula, and Tiger's twenty-five year old son, Neesha. The last of which has just all but dared Tiger to go away with him and have an adventure. Del, too.

It doesn't seem, at first glance, very realistic that two would abandon their young toddler to go throw their lives in harm's way, but you've got to know Tiger and Del. More importantly, you've got to know this world in which they inhabit. Taking it all in, it's a completely viable situation. Especially now that Umir has once again placed a bounty on Tiger's head in order to get him to open the magical book he once traded for the life of his son.

Their destination is a simple one. A visit to the home of Neesha's mother, a woman Tiger has not seen since the one night they spent together over twenty-five years ago. Their travel, however, is not nearly as simple. Dance after dance, Tiger is forced to prove himself over and over against the many men seeking his death, his bounty, or the glory of having bettered him. And while Tiger is ever the warrior he always was, as is Del, he very nearly loses his life just before their arrival in Neesha's home village.

To a home set aflame by raiders.

His parents alive, although his mother was raped and his stepfather very badly beaten, Neesha is faced with the horror of learning his sister was taken. And Del relives the horror of her own past through his pain, having been a victim of raiders herself when she was fifteen. Her parents were left dead, her brother captured, and she was repeatedly raped by a man who would father a daughter that Del would have taken from her more than once.

And again Del loses a child.

After Neesha's sister is rescued and returned to her family, Tiger and Del leave Neesha behind to help rebuild their family home and business. It is on their own way home that Tiger and Del are capture by sword-dancers seeking the bounty for Tiger's deliverance to Umir. Whereupon they also learn of their daughter's abduction, being held prisoner by more of Umir's minions.

With Del at death's door from a sudden miscarriage, Tiger is forced to retrieve the magic he once surrendered to be able to live a full life in order to be able to open the book of magics that he cursed shut. He does so, remarkable easily at that--if one could call a two day race against the desert easy--and manages to save his family and reunite with Neesha back at their own home.

Leaving behind a very pissed off mage who now desires the powers Tiger has reclaimed.

This was an amazing addition to the Tiger and Del series and I find myself ever so eager for the next, and possibly last, book. Again, possibly last.

4 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series:

11.06.2014

Cursed (Brides of the Kindred #13)

Impersonal. Businesslike. Professional.
I'm so fucking sick of being professional with you.


Cursed
Evangeline Anderson
Brides of the Kindred, book thirteen
ebook, 404 pages
Published October 31st 2014 by Smashwords Edition
ISBN 9781310215858


Commander Stavros Rii of the Kindred is a Sin Eater--thick black lines cover his back and neck causing him to feel the pain of others. It is a curse that threatens to shorten his life and makes him unable to bond with a female--not that he's ever found one he wants to bond with. Until he meets Charlie.

Charlie Sayers is an agent with the Earth Protection Bureau-- and anti Kindred agency dedicated to ridding the world of the big aliens. Charlie joined the EPB out of a sense of patriotism but she has her own reasons to hate the Kindred.

But she has bigger problems than the Kindred at the moment--the Enhanced Ones have come to Earth and they're planning to take over the planet, enslave the inhabitants and strip them of all emotion. Charlie can't have that so she agrees to go undercover with Stavros to find the Heart of Love--an artifact which can destroy their mutual enemy forever.

If you've read more than one of this Brides of the Kindred series, then you're likely familiar with a recurring theme. There does seem to be a... formula... to these books. And while the bones are the same, it's the small, imaginative details that manage to keep things interesting. That manage to give each story it's own life. And manage, quite remarkably, to not bore it's reader with it's repetition.

That said, it is book thirteen. Some sense of deja vu is to be expected.

With the Dark Kindred, led by a possessed Two, embarking to enslave Earth, Stavros is left trapped on our planet has war breaks out between our species and theirs. Soon enough, he's arrested by an Earth Protection Bureau agent, Charlie Sayers, as he rescues a young woman from her would-be rapist.

Being a Sin Eater, those Cursed to feel the physical pains of others due to a parasite infesting the body, Stavros and Charlie's first few hours together couldn't have been more entertaining. As Charlie suffers menstrual cramps from hell, Stavros is left convinced that she's dying. Once he escapes her confines, he in turn takes her prisoner, and up to the Kindred's Mothership for treatment and healing.

From there, it becomes their mission to steal the legendary Heart of Love from a couples' retreat known for it's strict rules and discipline in order to save Earth from destruction. As they feign being a married couple, Charlie and Stavros are forced to confront the pains of their pasts. His alienation. Her losses, and the resulting prejudice birthed from them.

The time of bonding seemed rushed to me. Although I did appreciate Charlie's determination and her mind made up in an instant way of going about things. Once the decision is made, this girl's all in.

And it appears we're in for yet another installment to the series. No preview this time, but we were, however, blessed with a prophecy spoken to Two:



No Kindred shall kill you
Though you spill rivers of their blood
The one who is your doom
Comes from desert and from flood.
A free-born male
Too proud to bend his knees
Enslaved of his own will
Against his will set free.


3 out of 5 stars.

Previously in the series: