Sunday, October 31, 2010

Happy Halloween!!!!

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Happy Halloween my dear readers!  :)

Saturday, October 30, 2010

On Behalf of my Sister

Guys, I need your help!

I´ve told you that I´m currently trying to get my sister hooked on Urban Fantasy and Paranormal books. Seems like I did it. She read Cassandra Clare´s Mortal Instruments series in one week straight. Which is very fast for her. (Below are the German Covers. Aren´t they pretty??)

06132_clare_k city-of-ashes 06134_clare_k

Now, she wants more. More books that are similar to this series. Do you have any recomendations for her? She seems to prefer YA books…

I´m really looking forward to your recommendations!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

When I´m not Reading

Not Reading WideWhen I´m not Reading is a weekly meme hostes by Missy over at The Unread Reader. It´s a pretty fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers better. We all have a life beside books, right?

Soooo, today I went to my favorite Swedish furniture store. My poor books were stashed in an old dresser drawer, because I simply had not enough space. Now I decided to throw out some old stuff and finally buy a decent bookcase.

Several hours, one plate of Köttbullar and far too many scented candles and tealight later, I finally had my very own BILLY. I stuffed the package into my tiny VW Polo, which was not easy and drove home.

The next problem: how do you transport a 22 pound heavy package to the fifth floor? The elevator was unfortunatly slightly too small. Thank god for female charm. Two unsuspecting victims, also know as fellow male students, had the pleasure to carry my BILLY all the way up the stairway to my apartment. But hey, I promised them drinks on me the next time we go out.

Have you ever tried to put a bookcase together on your own? With ine of those wunderful manuals IKEA provides. Not Funny.

But, one hour later it was done! *squee*

This is how my BILLY looks like:

IMG_3559 IMG_3560 IMG_3557 IMG_3565 IMG_3561 IMG_3556 IMG_3558 IMG_3564 IMG_3563

Can you see the problem??? It is still too small!!! I never realized how many books I actually own when they were hidden in the drawers! I actually believed the bookcase was big enough! My roommates haven´t stopped making fun of me ever since they saw it and decided to refer to my room as “The Library” from now on. Ignorants.

I can aready picture myself: “Hi, my name is Christine and I am a book-a-holic…”

*sigh*

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Review: “To Kill a Warlock” by HP Mallory

To Kill a Warlock

Title: To Kill A Warlock

Author: H.P. Mallory

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: July 2010, smashwords

The murder of a dark arts warlock. A shape-shifting, ravenous creature on the loose. A devilishly handsome stranger sent to investigate. Sometimes working law enforcement for the Netherworld is a real bitch.

 

I have already read To Kill a Warlock, but somehow I totally forgot reviewing it. When I saw that the release of Toil and Trouble is drawing near, I Remenbered this book and decided to re-read it.

It´s just as much fun the second time around! :)

Dulcie O´Neil is a fairy and regulator for Association of Netherworld Creatures (ANC), who keep an eye on all paranormal creatures living amongst humans. Luckily. Dulcie is not one of the slightly overused, kick ass chicks who are incredibly powerful. She´s a fairy and her magic is based on fairy dust, but that´s it. I really enjoxed Dulcie´s down-to-earth character. She´s a girl like you and me who watches Bridget Jones movies and writes romance novels (about her boss as fierce pirate captain), who is full of self doubts due to a relationship gone really bad and who thinks about ear enhancement for her pointy fairy ears.

When a Warlock who was know for selling illegal potions is killed and partially eaten, she and her team start to investigate As more bodies turn up dead, a stanger called Knight is sent from the Netherworld to help with the investigation. Investigation that lead Dulcie to a vampire called Bram, who insists that Bram Storker was named after him, a demon informant that runs a sex club and some really nasty potions.

On her side are hobgoblin Trey who seems to annoy everone, her boss Quillian (said inspiration for the romance novel) and sexy but cocky Knight. When the creature starts to gun for Dulcie and her love life starts to spin out of control, it might just be too much for Dulcie to handle.

If you read a book by H.P. Mallory, you´re in for a funny and thoroughly entertaining story that will make you forget the word around you. There´s one great scene after another and leaves you wishing you could read faster!

I can only recommend this book to every Urban Fantasy fan who like books with a great plot, whit and sexy guys.

5 out of 5 for “To Kill A Warlock”

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Cover Matters

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Look what´s new! H.P. Mallory has released the cover for her next book, Toil and Trouble! I LOVE her covers! 

They are so incredibly cute! Can´t wait to read more about Jolie and sexy Rand whenit´s finally released on January 1st!

Head over to her site to read the first chapter of Toil and Trouble!

Teaser Tuesday

tsrtues1

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

  • 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 Teaser:

and-falling-fly-cover

I am a vampire. The carriage moves imperceptibly. I am the Undead. I cannot sense the direction it carries me, but I know I´m moving. I am desire without hope. The elevator carries me, but more that that, it encases me, senses me, transports me. I am impluse without promise. And although nothing changes, I know that I have reached my destination. I am instinct without life. All four metal doors slide apart soundlessly to become four shimmering lamp posts in a lush, Victorian salon. I am home.”

 

p.82

Monday, October 25, 2010

Review: “The Iron Duke” by Meljean Brook

Iron Duke

Title: The Iron Duke

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Steampunk

Published: October 5th 2010 by Berkley Trade

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power — and fear — of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.
Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him…and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.
But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans — and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

So, this is my first Meljean Brook and my very first Steampunk book. But not my last.

Okay, this book is definitely something else. Let me start with the worldbuilding. This book has pirates and their ships, airships, zomies, kraken, megalodons and great gadgets. Oh, and the Iron Duke. :) No, but seriously, you seldomly find a book that is more detailed, imaginative and mindblowing in its worldbuilding. I just love it when everything is very carefully planned and thought through. Even the fictional/alternative history in the book!

And if even the character live up to the overall awesomeness, I´m totally happy. Mina, our heroine in this book is a strikingly modern woman in worls that reminds of the late 19th and early 20th century. I loved how she stood up to her mother when they discussed divorces. She grows up in an England that is dark and the people are twisted and misshapen. More than any one else, she has to suffer from a horrible stigma: her face bears the features of the race that oppressed England for so long: The Horde. Her everday life is definitely not a walk in the park, yet she does everything to help her family and to be strong for them.

Strong is also one of the adjectives to describe the Iron Duke. Along with ruthless, relentless and determined. A true pirate, he gets what he wants and he is not afraid to take it. Even when it is a woman. I had to take a breath or two over his bluntness sometimes. He is very much alpha, sometimes a tad too much for my liking, but in the end, it didn´t really matter in this book.

My most favorite secondary character was Yasmeen, the Lady Corsair. A fierce female pirate is sometimes even better than a male one! :)

For me, my first steampunk adventures was truly engrossing, surprising and seductive! I want more of it! NOW!

4.5 out of 5 stars

The day after…

I had such a wonderful day yesterday! :) Don´t get me wrong, I love reading to death, but sometimes, I just have to take a break. I spend the whole day searching for new books on various blogs goodreads and amazon, watched crappy reality TV and petted my cat (guilty as charged, he´s totally spoiled). I ended up buying quite a few books as well! :)

I guess I owe you an In My Mailbox and a Look What I´ll Get post!

In My Mailbox:nightshade_cover-cremer

Guess what finally came to Germay!

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she'll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything--including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?

 

 

 

 

deaths-sweet-embrace

 

 

After thousands of years of secret conflict, humans and parahumans have reached an uneasy truce. But unspeakable evil now threatens to shatter the tenuous peace.
Teenaged shapeshifters are being slaughtered by a twisted, sadistic serial killer who rips their still-beating hearts from their paralyzed bodies. A task force must be formed to halt the madness—a union of avengers including the vampiric Aeternus, Christian Laroque and Antoinette Petrescu, as well as Kitt Jordan and Raven Matokwe, members of enemy Animalian tribes…and forbidden lovers.
A centuries-old blood feud has divided their peoples—pitting wolf against snow leopard in a battle to the death—and if their passion is discovered it will doom them both. But past hostilities must be put aside in light of the scourge that is now upon them. For the killer they seek is but the first sign of a blossoming terror rising up from their long-buried pasts: the all-consuming nightmare of The Dark Brethren.

ARC received through NetGalley

 

There´s also about a ton of books I´ve ordered or pre-ordered for Novermber:

 

Afterlight - Elle Jasper - May Cover Reveal

 

The Dupres have been Savannah's guardians, appointed by a band of root doctors and hoodooists, for nearly two hundred years. They've all grown...complacent. Now, the Arcos brothers, who've long been entombed at Bonaventure, have been inadvertently freed by a group of teenagers horsing around in the cemetery. Determined to take revenge on the city who entombed them, the Arcos' gather strength in the city's youth. Within the moon's full cycle, the gang's quickening will be complete--they'll become vampires. Newlings, out of control and craving human blood will ravage the city. The one thing the Arcos' didn't count on was the powerful love of a sister. Riley Poe will stop at nothing to get her brother back. The one thing Riley didn't count on was the powerful love of a vampire. Eli Dupre will do anything to get her. Follow Riley, Eli, and the vampires of the Dupre House into the shadowy, underside of Savannah.

 

 

 

magicatgate

 

 

Allie Beckstrom's lover, Zayvion Jones, is a Guardian of the Gate, imbued with both light and dark magic and responsible for ensuring that those energies don't mix. But Zayvion lies in a coma, his soul trapped in death's realm. And when Allie discovers that the only way to save Zayvion is to sacrifice her very own magical essence, she makes a decision that may have grave consequences for the entire world.

 

 

 

 

EnemyWithin

 

After a stint in an alien prison torpedoes her military career, Captain Ari Idylle has to wonder why she even bothered to survive. Stripped of her command and banished to her father's scientific expedition to finish a PhD she doesn't want, Ari never planned to languish quietly behind a desk. But when pirates commandeer her father's ship, Ari once again becomes a prisoner.
Pirate leader Cullin Seaghdh may not be who he pretends to be but as far as Cullin is concerned, the same goes for Ari. Her past imprisonment puts her dead center in Cullin's sights and if she hasn't been brainwashed and returned as a spy, then he's convinced she must be part of a traitorous alliance endangering billions of lives. Cullin can't afford the desire she fires within him and he'll stop at nothing, including destroying her, to uncover the truth.

 

 

 

Daughter of Darkness

 

When I was a little girl, Daddy told me never to fear the dark. “We exist because of the darkness,” he told me. “All of you are daughters of darkness.” Beloved bestselling author V.C. Andrews’s passion for vampires comes to spellbinding life in a long-awaited novel of dark desires as all-consuming—and forbidden—as in Flowers in the Attic. One night, with the sound of a young man’s scream, high school senior Lorelei discovers that her stern but loving father, who adopted Lorelei and her sisters as infants, is no ordinary man. He has raised his beautiful girls for one purpose: to lure young men into their world of shadows. Like her sisters, Lorelei has been trained in the art of seduction and warned never to fall in love. But when she meets a handsome and charming classmate, she boldly defies her family and follows her heart—even if love is a poison. . . .Dangerously enticing and deliriously intoxicating, V.C. Andrews’s Daughter of Darkness will leave readers thirsting for more.

 

 

 

Finding Sky

 

When Sky catches a glimpse of Zed for the first time, lounging against his motorbike at school, she is drawn to him just like every other girl in Wickenridge. But Zed sees something special in her that the other girls don't have. Zed tells her they are both Savants - people with special powers like telepathy and the ability to see into the future. Not only that, she is a Savant too, and his soulfinder - meant to be together.
When a soulfinder speaks telepathically to her partner, it's like all the lights coming on in a building. You lit me up like Vegas. But for Sky it's just not that easy - she's a mystery to herself, haunted by nightmares from her past before she was adopted, and riddled with doubt and insecurity. Just when Sky is slowly coming round to the idea of being with Zed she is kidnapped by a family of criminal Savants. In a chilling twist, Sky and Zed's relationship is put to the ultimate test and the fate of those she loves lie in Sky's hands. Will Sky have the strength to embrace her power and be brave enough to control her own destiny, or will the dark demons of her past prevent her from realising her true potential?

 

Nevermore - Kelly Creagh

 

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.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Lazy Sunday

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I joined my cat and had a very lazy Sunday.

Just to let you know: I didn´t read one single page, not one word. :)

I did however order new books! :)

But I´m too lazy to show them. Maybe tomorrow!

Friday, October 22, 2010

Joint Review: “Angels´Blood” by Nalini Singh

Remember my first Joint Review with Anna about “Eternal Kiss of Darkness”? No? Then go and check it out, right after you´ve visited Anna´s blog “Books to Brighten Your Mood”. Well, Anna and I certainly did! Since it was so much fun for the both of us, we deceided to try it once again. After one having to give up one one book before, we finally settled on one:

singh_angelsblood

Author: Nalini Singh

Title: Angels´ Blood

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Published: March 3rd 2009 by Berkley

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she's the best—but she doesn't know if she's good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful Archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, only one thing is clear—failure is not an option...even if the task is impossible.
Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other…and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt doesn't destroy her, succumbing to Raphael's seductive touch just may. For when archangels play, mortals break…

So, here´s what we thought about it:

Characters:

Anna:
My feelings towards the characters in Angels' Blood are quite mixed.On the one hand,i pretty much loved Elena.She was smart,independent and unwilling to bend in front of anybody no matter how powerful that one might be.She was a strong minded woman who no matter what happened in her life was strong enough to overcome it and continue with her life.Although i couldn't quite understand her relationship with her father (i thought that her father's reactions were a bit far streched,but ok,i've read worse things so far) and some things of her past were left unanswered (there might be a second book in the series,but i don't see why we couldn't get a more detailed glimpse in Elena's past since it was constantly reffered) but all in all,Elena was a loveable character,one you could somehow relate to.
Raphael on the other hand... not so thrilled about him.Granted he is a sexy character and a powerful one,but i just couldn't totally like him.What with his constant bluntness and arrogance i just couldn't imagine him as sexy as the writer wanted him to be.He may be a powerful being,living for centuries but i don't know,i just think i like my man somehow less confident over his sexual prowess,no,not less confident,just not mentioning all the time how good he is and how certain he feels that i'll sprawl my legs open for him sooner or later.
One more thing i have to say on the characters is that i was tired of how good looking and unbelievably sexy were almost every supernatural male character in this book...Whether it was a vampire,an angel or an archangel,every single male character here was mindblowing sexy!I just find ii too good to be true!

Me;

Right at the moment, I like angels. I´ve already read four books with angels as main characters in a row. After finishing Angels´ Blood, I´m not really sure if Raphael really is an angel. Besides the fact that he has winges and is immortal, there is absolutly nothing angelic about his behaviour. He is rude to say the least, arrogant, cruel and has no idea how to treat a woman. While I still thought this bad boy behaviour had its appeal at the beginning of the book, I was more and more annoyed by it as the story unfolded. Another thing that I really didn´t like: forcing Elena into having sex with him by manipulating and controlling her mind. So not sexy.
Elena is a heroine woth all the attributes you´re expecting in an Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance book. She´s indpendent, holds her own and kicks (vampire) ass. She is also very very pretty. At least that´s what it seems like since pactically every male in the book that crosses her way wants her instantly. She seems to be quite rich (I want her appartment!)and she´s never bitchy or whiny. I have to agree with Anna though, I´d like to lear a bit more about her and her background.
One thing I´d like to mention about the cast of supporting charcters: I love Illium! Blue and silver wings are much more pretty than white and gold. Why not write a book about him??

Plot:

Anna:

This book starts immediatelly promising the reader the hunt of a very dangerous archangel gone bad.As one might think,i expected for this hunt to start soon after the first chapters but unfortunatelly that didn't happen.I had to wait for almost the half book for the real fun to start.The first half has some excitement and the reader isn't bored in any way but the second half is definitely better.
The romance on the other hand was good.I failed to catch the chemistry between those two for the better part of the book.The sexual tention just wasn't believable and i spent most of my time wandering why they didn't have sex already and get done with it.Elena may not want to be the sex toy of a powerful man but she succumbs to him after a very stressfull series of events...???
Apart from those,i liked the world Singh created,where angels are most definitely not creatures of the God,all good and pure,but capable of such monstrosity one could not imagine and vampires are angels' creations,bound to them for servitude.I have to say,it was an original concept,one i haven't read somewhere else.

Me:

If I´m totally honest, than I have to admt that the plot is not really something original. There´s an archangel gone bad. Elena has the soecial means and talents to find him and while the psychotic murderer kills women, the two main characters fall in love. That´s about it. The worldbuilding was good though. It´s a new concept taht vampires are made by angels and the explanation why only certain people can become a vampire given at the end is reasonable enough. The other angels make for interesting additions to the world and the author weaves in another short subplot that wakes your interest for the next book.
The romance is well, difficult for me. Like I said, Raphael just didn´t work for me. Also, I´m ot that big a fan of the "I saw him instantly fell in love with him and want to spend the rest of my live with him". And for a woman so proud of being independent it felt like a bit of a stretch that Elena wants to have sex to forget about something horrible.

Favorite scene :

Anna:
The one where Elena meets Michaela.That scene has such amazing lines i couldn't help but laugh all the time while reading it."Royal bitchiness" is officially one of my favorite lines!

Me:

It´s not so much of a scene, more like a detail, but I really admired the rose made of diamonds. As a sucker for all things sparkly (not neccessarily expensive), that´s something I would want. And, like I already mentioned: an angel with blue and silver wings! :)
There is one thing that sometimes annoys me about myself: Angels´ Blood is not a horrible book I couldn´t finish, but just not so good that I can´t wait to read the next in the series. Still, I want to know where the storys and characters go. Plus I like the cover of book three. So I think, well, why not give book two a try? Maybe it´s better and then you can by the pretty book three without a bad concience. Is it just me or am I slightly weird?

All in all: 3 of 5 stars.

I

Follow Friday

Good morning on this cold October Friday (there was a thin coat of ice on the windshield of my car today which I really really didn´t want to remove! Thank god for public transportation!) Anyways, it´s Friday! It´s time to strat once again the Follow Friday Fun!

This weeks´ featured blooger:

Emily @ What Book is That?

I'm a special education teacher by trade and when I'm not doing that, I'm reading or talking about books!  While I keep coming back to paranormal romance and urban fantasy titles, I'm pretty open to anything that sounds interesting.  I'm also a Kindle convert and am in the process of converting my print library to entirely an ebook one (gasp!)  I'll say it here, loud and proud, I thought I would miss the book smell but I don't.  So there.
Anyway, What Book is That? was an idea born on a Sunday afternoon, an idea that came from my desire to have a place to keep track of the books I read and the ones I liked and didn't like.  Shortly thereafter, I had a second idea that said that other people might like and not like the same books and may be interested in talking about them! A little over a year later, here I am! 

What are you currently reading? Basically, what book is that?

I´m currently reading “The Iron Duke” and “and Falling, fly”.

Now for the Follow Fun!

 

 

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
  2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - whatbookisthat.com
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!  
  8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Review: Shadow of the Sun by Laura Kreitzer

shadow-of-the-sun-rgbfull-192x300Title: Shadow of the Sun (Timeless #1)

Author: Laura Kreitzer

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: February 22nd 2010 by iUniverse

Gabriella's past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a supernatural specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she has always been ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a supernatural specialist hasn't given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.

As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won't see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.

*I received my copy from the Publisher for review*

Before I got the offer to review this book, I hadn´t heard anything about this author. Now, I want to start the second in the series like as soon as possible. I seem to have a huge thing for angel of all sorts right now.

Okay, where to start? To say I really liked this book is not much of a review, so I try to come up with something better.

I have mixed feeling towards the characters of the book. On one hand, I really liked Gabriella who is a strong and independent woman with loner tendencies, a woman who still struggles with events from her childhood that made her lose the first five years of her life. It´s also not a big stretch to imagine that I adored Andrew, Gabriella´s very own Guardian and Angel. His fiercely protectiveness, calm and soothing manner and okay, his looks somehow really spoke to me. Strangely so, as I´m usually all for the bad boys in a story. But their growing relationship was really sweet. On the other hand, I felt like some of the other characters fell somehow short, which is really a shame. Lucia and Ehno are just as intriguing and I would have loved to read more about them. It´s the same with Joseph, the hunky FBI guy that sticks around for the story. I´m really hoping I´ll get to see mor of them in the next book.

As far as the worldbuilding is concerned, I have to admit that is original, well tought-out and very rich in details. The whole world of Angels, Guardians, Shadows and the Soul Stalker is nothing like you´ve ever read before. Well, at least I haven´t. You know when you sometimes read a book and think: Oh, that one reminds me or (insert title here)? I couldn´t possibly compare it to another book. There´s a lot of action, magic, prophecies and romance (romance mind you, no random sex scenes in this book. We´re dealing with angels after all! :) I guess their love has to be more…pure)

The story had just the right pace and I especially enjoyed the episodes where Gabriella had The Sight. There are some events in the book I really wouldn´t have anticipated. Plus, the end changes everything I´m like I said, I´m really looking forward to reading “Soul Stalker”, the next book in the series.

Two minor things were bothering me, however. I would have expected another, you know, more ancient name for an immortal being that has been around for 4000 years. Andrew? Not so much. It would also be noce for a change if the hero and Heroine would take more than say two days to determine that they are kindred souls. Just saying.

For all who are (like me) just discovering their love for angels or who want to read outside of their vampire/werewolves comfort zone, “Shadow of the Sun” might just be the right book for you.

As far as the books I´ve received for reviews are concerned, “Shadow of the Sun”, along with “Jenny Pox” is one of the most pleasant surprises.

I´m going to give “Shadow of the Sun” 4 out of 5 points!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Review: “Her Dark Angel” by Felicity Heaton

cover_herdarkangel

Title: Her Dark Angel

Author: Felicity Heaton

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Erotica

Pubilshed: August 28th 2010

“An angel without a mission, Apollyon lives trapped in Hell guarding the bottomless pit. Surrounded by endless darkness, he longs to fly free on Earth once more but his master hasn’t called him in centuries. When the call finally comes, it’s to serve a new master, a beautiful woman he has often watched over, a woman who has always captivated him.”

*my copy was provided by the author for review*

 

Her Dark Angel is a sexy and steamy novella about a woman out for revenge and her personal angel of revenge.

Apollyon is an angel damned to wait from his master to command him. Unlike his fellow angels and warriors he hasn´t set foot on earth for centuries – until one day he hears a call. A call that summuns him to the side of his new master. His new master however is a beauiful yet devasted woman set on revenge. Cheated on by her ex-boyfriend and left for someone younger, she only wants retribution.

The attraction between Apollyon and Serenity is instantly in both sides, yet both struggle with to admit them. Serenity fears to fall in love with an angel who is bound to leave her as soon as theor agreement is fulfilled while Apollyon is unsure if the beautiful woman that has captivated him long before from the distance can accept the fact that he is an angel.

The story is a little too short to draw a very complex worldbuilding or to write a complex story, so if your looking for something intricate and multi-layered like in Ilona Andrews, Patricia Briggs or Stacia Kane´s world, you might be slightly disappointed. The story about the cheating ex-boyfriend was resolved rather quickly.

If you´re looking of delicious, hot story with two likeable characters and well, a lot of steamy sex scenes, than “Her Dark Angel” is right up your alley. I was entertained with this story and I´m really planning to read the next installment in the series, “Her Fallen Angel”.

3.5 out of 5 points for “Her Dark Angel”!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Interview: Felicity Heaton

Today, I´m having the pleasure of welcoming yet another author on my blog, Felicity Heaton, author of “Her Dark Angel” and many more steamy and sexy paranormal romance novel! Please give it up for Felicity!

 

me-miyazaki

Welcome Felicity and thank you so much for stopping by for this interview!

picDetailherdarkangel For all my readers who haven´t heard about “Her Dark Angel” yet, could you sum up the story in your own words?

Her Dark Angel is a story about a wronged woman, Serenity, who is also a witch, and a rather gorgeous but dark angel, Apollyon, who hears her pain and answers her call. He wants to exact revenge upon her ex for the hurt he’s caused her by obliterating the guy, but Serenity convinces him to back down to something a little less end-of-the-world! Working with Apollyon to gain her revenge, Serenity finds herself falling for the wicked angel, and finds an escape from the pain in her heart, but she has her doubts about loving an angel. She isn’t the only one falling in love though, and Apollyon does his best to convince her that he really is the man for her.

There‘s a message in the story, and it’s that no matter how bad things get, or how much someone hurts you and how much you want revenge, things will get better. There’s always someone else out there who will love you, and will treat you right, even if he is a dark angel!

(You want to know more about the book? Wait for my review coming tomorrow!)

Serenity, the female lead character seems to really love Paris. Have you ever been there yourself and share her love? Or did you do a lot of research online?

I have been to Paris once before, and I actually got engaged there, up at the church of Sacre Coeur. I loved Paris. It was summer when I went, hot and balmy, and I was utterly in love. Maybe I put a piece of me in Serenity and that’s what is shining through… although, my husband isn’t exactly a dark angel out to wreak havoc!

Revenge is one of the key topics of your book, and I guess, every woman out there who has been dumped and cheated on by a guy has had one or the other thought of revenge. What would you do to a guy like Edward if you had your very own angel of revenge at your disposal?

What wouldn’t I do! I don’t think I would be as nice as Serenity. I think I would probably take him up on his offer of tossing the worthless guy into the bottomless pit.

Do Fallen Angels have a special appeal for you or why did you choose to make them the leading creatures in your new series?

Apollyon isn’t really fallen. He lives in Hell because that’s where his duty is. It’s his responsibility to make sure that the Devil stays put and that everything is running smoothly down there. There is a fallen angel in the series though. Angels in general are interesting creatures and I really wanted to explore them. I had toyed with evil angels and good angels in Seventh Circle, a novel in my Vampires Realm series, and then I hit upon the idea for the Her Angel series, and saw a great opportunity to explore all sorts of angels and build a whole world for them, and I couldn’t resist.

picDetailherfallenangel The next book in the series is called “Her Fallen Angel”. Now, Apollyon and Serenity´s story seems to have come to an end, as there are new main characters in the next book. May we hope for another appearance of the two or will it be a totally independent story?

All of the stories in the Her Angel series do stand alone, but there is cross-over with the characters. Her Fallen Angel is the story of Lukas and Annelie, but Apollyon and Serenity are involved in it too as Lukas needs Apollyon’s help, not only to clear his name of a crime he didn’t commit, but to help convince Annelie that it’s alright to fall in love with an angel. At the end of Her Fallen Angel, we meet Einar, a hunter angel. His book is the third in the series, Her Warrior Angel.

Can you share a little teaser about “Her Fallen Angel”?

Sure! Her Fallen Angel is the story of Lukas, an angel accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He’s been banished from Heaven for the past three years, and in that time has grown close to a mortal woman called Annelie. Stripped of his wings after his appeal goes horribly wrong, Lukas is in Annelie’s bar and hitting the drink pretty hard. Annelie takes care of Lukas, and one thing leads to another, only she gets more than she’s bargained for the next day when she discovers that Lukas is an angel!

Lukas doesn’t give up on Annelie though. He’s determined to prove both his innocence and his love for her, so he sets about convincing her to come with him to Paris to see Apollyon, who could just help him with both matters.

Is there any detail that hasn´t made it in your book that you can share?

Not really. Each book helps in terms of building the world around these angels. There is a secret I can share though… my muse is insisting that I write a novel in the series, and it’ll be out next year!

You´re also the author of several other paranormal stories. Could you tell us something about them?

I love writing paranormal romances. At the moment, I have several stand alone works, mostly featuring vampires or werewolves. I also have a vampire romance series called Vampires Realm. It’s great fun writing that series as I love to world build, and I love being able to bring in characters from other stories, and hint at future stories too. Paranormal romance is my first love, although I do write science fiction too… even then I manage to bring in vampires!

Would you say that your mood has an influence on your writing and the story in general?

Yes, it does, greatly. I often listen to certain types of music in order to provoke the right emotional response as I write a lot from my heart, so I have to be feeling it. I’ve always said that I’m a method writer. I live the book as I write it, and feel what the characters do, so I can make it all seem more real to the reader.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Music, books, TV shows or real life?

Everything inspires me. It can be music, tv, books, snippets of conversations I’ve overheard, absolutely anything. All it takes is one tiny thing to get the muse working!

How does your typical writing day look like? Do you have a special routine?

I work full time, so I basically cram writing in to my train journey to and from work, and my lunch time. Any spare minute that I can get. If I could write full time, I would. Maybe one day I’ll be fortunate enough to be able to do that. At the moment though, my writing day starts the moment I set foot on the 6:50am train!

Did you ever have a writer´s block? If so, what did you do to deal with it?

Sometimes I have writer’s funk. I don’t get blocked, but I do get negative about a story, and feel it’s total rubbish. I get over that by reading the story back from start to where I’d reached, and that usually clears it. I can also get writer’s procrastination when I hit a scene that I haven’t quite thought about and it just isn’t working for me. The cure to that one is sitting down and planning it out. As soon as I’ve done that, I feel I can write it without a hitch.

north-and-south-coverTell us something about your favourites:
Favourite authors?
Terry Pratchett, Charlotte Bronte, Elizabeth Gaskell, Jane Austen, among others. Yes, not many paranormal authors in that list! I do like paranormal romances, but can’t say that any are my favourite authors.
favourite paranormal creature? vampires
favourite all time hero/heroine? John Thornton and Margaret Hale in North and South
Which one do you prefer, book or e-reader? Sadly, I have to say book. But I don’t own an e-reader.
favourite distraction? anime

Did you ever have a major computer catastrophy/problem during writing? And how many back-up copies do you usually have?

I switch between my computer, my laptop, and my netbook. I’m normally pretty good at keeping the files in check, and have only lost work once or twice. Normally I have a back up on my netbook, so I don’t lose too much.

Is there a book you love above all? One that had a great influence on you or your life?

I love Jane Eyre and Persuasion, and North & South… yeah, not paranormal romances, but I grew up reading a mixture of horror and classic romance.
shades of midnight

A question that is inspired by another interview I did with an author: If you would be Superman, what would be your kryptonite?

My ultimate weakness? Chocolate is my kryptonite, although the only adverse effects it has are on my waistline!

What are you reading at the moment/planning to read/waiting for to be released?

Does editing count? I’m not reading anything right now. I might be able to squeeze in some reading over Christmas and then it’s going to be Shades of Midnight by Lara Adrian.
And finally: Is there anything you want to say to your/my readers?

Thank you for buying my books, for giving me a chance to write them, and for being there for me. I appreciate everything you do for me, and I write for you.

Thanks Felicity for stopping by and answering all my questions! Please come back anytime you want! I´d love to have you over again!

Now, if you want to learn more abour Felicity and her works, check out the links below! And don´t forget, the next book in the series, Her Fallen Angels has been released!

Website: http://www.felicityheaton.co.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/felicityheaton
Blog: http://felicityheaton.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/feheaton

Sunday, October 17, 2010

In My Mailbox, Contests and other stuff

MailboxIn My Mailbos is a weekly meme hosted by the Story Siren

Thanks so much for hosting this!

Check out what I got this week:

 

 

 

Bought;

Grave Witch

 

As a private investigator and consultant for the police, Alex Craft has seen a lot of dark magic. But even though she’s on good terms with Death himself—who happens to look fantastic in a pair of jeans—nothing has prepared her for her latest case. Alex is investigating a high profile murder when she’s attacked by the ‘shade’ she’s raising, which should be impossible. To top off her day, someone makes a serious attempt on her life, but Death saves her. Guess he likes having her around…
To solve this case Alex will have to team up with tough homicide detective Falin Andrews. Falin seems to be hiding something—though it’s certainly not his dislike of Alex—but Alex knows she needs his help to navigate the tangled webs of mortal and paranormal politics, and to track down a killer wielding a magic so malevolent, it may cost Alex her life…and her soul.

 

Alpha

 

YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE FAYTHE...
The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder, and treason. Yeah, we've been busy. But now it's time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother's death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.
It's not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I'm heading for a final showdown that can--that will--change everything forever. A showdown I'm not sure I'm ready for.
But life never waits until you're ready.

 

 

Angel Weatherly

 

In a world where angels are beyond redemption, Alex thinks he's found one that might deserve mercy. Alex is a ruthless assassin - of angels. Forget everything you've heard about them before. Angels are not benign celestial creatures, but fierce stalkers whose irresistible force allows them to feed off humans, draining them of their vitality until there is barely anything left. As far as Alex is concerned, the only good angel is a dead angel...until he meets Willow. She may look like a normal teenager but Willow is no ordinary girl. Half-angel, half-human, Willow may hold the key to defeating the evil angels. But as the hunter and the hunted embark on an epic and dangerous journey and Willow learns the dark and terrifying secrets of her past, Alex finds himself drawn to Willow...with devastating consequences. Eoin Colfer reinvented the fairy, Stephenie Meyer reinvented the vampire, L.A. Weatherly reinvents the angel! This is a heart-pounding, knuckle-whitening, paranormal romance action-adventure for fans of the "Twilight" series. This is the first in a devastating new trilogy.

 

 

Iron Duke

 

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power — and fear — of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession.
Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him…and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.
But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans — and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

 

ecstasyindarkness

 

New York Times bestselling sensation Gena Showalter enthralls with a dark, tantalizing world of humans, otherworlders, powers beyond imagining, and a seductive vampire undone by his insatiable hunger for one woman. . . .Growing up poor on New Chicago’s meanest streets, Ava Sans had two options: be the predator or be the prey. No contest. Now, working for Alien Investigation and Removal, she’s been ordered to capture the biggest, baddest warrior of all—a vampire too beautiful to be real, with the abilityto manipulate time. Once the leader of the entire vampire army, McKell has been deemed savage and unstable, spurned even by his own kind.To McKell, humans should be nothing more than sustenance. Yet the petite, golden-skinned Ava is a fascinating contradiction—vicious yet witty, strong yet vulnerable, lethal but fiercely loyal. Against his better judgment, McKell craves that loyalty, and much more. When the chase leads to seduction, McKell and Ava will race to discover the truth about his past. But the answers will come at a price, even for a woman who thought she had nothing left to lose. . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For review:

shadow-of-the-sun-rgbfull-192x300

 

Gabriella's past is a mystery, but that never stopped her from achieving her goals. As a supernatural specialist, and far more intelligent than anyone her age, she has always been ignored by her peers. Because of the isolation she has always felt, she put her life and soul into her job. Being a supernatural specialist hasn't given her the divine intervention she always longed for, until one day a shipment arrives from Italy containing three dead bodies with an uncanny ability to regenerate. Gabriella is frightened and intrigued, but not as scared as she becomes when a dark creature attacks her.

As the bodies come back to life, the plot takes an unexpected twist that you won't see coming. The supernatural world only begins to unfold before her as angels appear, her dreams start to haunt her, and the very past she has forgotten comes back with startling clarity. Romance blooms, escape plans are made, an assassin is out to kill her, and death is only around the corner. But what is more terrifying than all of it is the fact she is the chosen one, the Illuminator, the one who will save them all.

 

 

Soul Stalker

 

Being the Illuminator is not all happiness and light, especially when everyone thinks you are dead. When Gabriella decides to finally let her angels know that she is alive, Joseph and an unexpected friend help her. The Darkness Illuminator is not as in control of her power as she believes, which makes for a very comedic and endearing relationship that blooms between the three. A fender-bender debacle, a run-in with the cops, and a hiccup at the airport seem to all be worth it until Gabriella finds out her plan has backfired.
The three angels are missing, more mysteries pile up, and a new evil is brewing – so terrifying, in fact, that even the Soul Stalker herself is cowering in fear. Our heroine begins a jarring, romance-filled, heart-breaking journey that will lead her back to Italy, and ultimately to the answers she is desperately searching for. What will she do when they aren’t the answers she expected? What happens when she unveils a truth, so deeply hidden, that it causes an angelic war?

 

 

Quite a lot this week… Have you seen Ecstasy in Darkness? And do you still remember “Are you ashamed of what you read?” This week, I´m taking it out for a bus ride! :) Let´s see how this turns out for me!

There´s one last thing I want to share with you: Larissa over at Larissa´s Bookish Life is having another contest.  At first I didn´t want to share t woth you to limit the competition, but well. (Just kidding) It´s seriously  awesome. You might have noticed the new button on the sidebar, but here it is again:

scarelicious image new 2_thumb[5]

It´s international, ends November 1st and has really awesome and funny prizes, Go and check it out!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Follow Friday

It´s Friday guy! Time for our most favorite event of the week!

 

To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

  1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
  2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - betweenthecoversblog.net
  3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
  4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
  5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
  6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
  7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!  
  8. If your new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Happy Follow Friday!

 

This week´s question:  What is your reading suggestion this week?

For this week, I´m recommending “Touched by an Alien”. You can read my review below this post. It´s funny, it´s witty, it´s sexy and I loved it!

So happy hopping and have a great weekend!

Review: “Touched by an Alien”

Touched by an Alien, 300 DPIAuthor: Gini Koch

Title: Touched by an Alien

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Published: April 6th 2010 by DAW

How can a sexy marketing manager join forces with an Alpha Centauri male in Armani to save the planet-using hairspray, a Mont Blanc pen, and rock n' roll?
Easy...
She's Touched by an Alien

Marketing manager Katherine "Kitty" Katt steps into the middle of what appears to be a domestic dispute turned ugly. And it only gets uglier when the man turns into a winged monster, straight out of a grade-Z horror movie, and goes on a killing spree. Though Kitty should probably run away, she springs into action to take the monster down.
In the middle of the chaos a handsome hunk named Jeff Martini appears, sent by the "agency" to perform crowd control. He's Kitty's kind of guy, no matter what planet he's from. And from now on, for Kitty, things are going to be sexy, dangerous, wild, and out of this world.

I´ve read a lot of good reviews about this book and when I saw the amazing cover by Dan Dos Santos (once again), I just had to have it.

Let me tell you, it´s been a long time since I had so much fun with a book, right from the beginning, when we meet Kathrine “Kitty” Katt who wields a mean Mont Blanc pen. Gini Koch creates a world that is not only filled with super sexy aliens (one like Martini could kidnap me anytime in a grey limo) but also with so much wit, charm and orginality that there´s not one dull moment. Throughout the book, I had to laugh, smile, giggle and grin practically constantly. You stumble from one absurd yet highly entertaining situation into another. And did I mention that Kitty´s MO tends to be rather unusual? :)

The cast of characters is also a whole new league. While you sometimes really begin to ask yourself if Kitty really is insane (going after Alien with hairspray? not my first choice of weapon!), she is also refreshingly normal. She gets lost in the science center, has issues with her over-protective family and is jealouse when she meets all the equally beautiful femal alien. Kitty is definetly a girl after my heart! At first I was afraid that I would be annoyed by Martini´s behaviour, but I guess his alien charm even works through the book – I couldn´t help but like him. Add to the mix a family that is so familiar in their adorable weirdness, pets who save the day and one big fat fugly (I leave it to you to find out about that one) and your in for an all-night read.

I can recommend this book to all of you if you´re looking for something different, something that stands out from the mass of vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters, something funny, witty and sexy, then Touched by an Alien is just the book for you.

But be careful, these aliens are highly addictive! :) With this amazing debut, Gini Koch goes straight to the top of my list of favorite authors!

5 points straight for Touched by an Alien!



To stalk Gini Koch, and go and visit her blog. And did you notice the awesome countdown widgets on my sidebar (Thaks to Larissa for those!)? They definetly make waiting for the release of Alien Tango in December easier!

Winner and another great contest

Today I have the pleasure of announcing the winner of the Carolyn Crane giveaway! (as always, it was chosen with the help of random.org)

DoubleCross

 

 

The lucky winner of “Double Cross” is…

 

 

Stella (Ex Libris)!

 

The winner has been contacted and has two days to claim the prize. If I haven´t heard from Stella by then, another winner will be drawn!

Thanks so much to all of you for entering!

 

hpmallory-profpicAnd now to the other giveaway! H.P. Mallory, author of “Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble” and “To Kill A Warlock” is having a contest over at her site. One lucky winner will become an actual character in her nest novel, Coil and Trouble! Yes, that´s right, your name, your looks your personality, all in an actual romance novel! How cool is that?!? I´ll definetly enter! Maybe I get a sexy warlock? Or a hot kiss? I´m open for everything! Check it out here!