Manga Review: The Story of Saiunkoku, Vol. 1 [Paperback]

I've finished "The Story of Saiunkoku" Vol. 1" by by Sai Yukino.
Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for T audiences.

Shurei Hong, destitute but of noble birth, has always dreamed of working as a civil servant in the imperial court of Saiunkoku, but women are barred from holding office. The emperor Ryuki, however, refuses to take command, leaving everything to his advisors. Shurei is asked to become a consort to the emperor to persuade the ne'er-do-well ruler to govern.

Shurei enters the palace as Ryuki's consort, but he has yet to seek her out. It is rumored that men, not women, share the emperor's bedchamber. Shurei must think of a way to stop the emperor from shirking his responsibilities, but she has to find him first!

About the Author

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for T audiences.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 176 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC (November 2, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421538342
ISBN-13: 978-1421538341

My Review:

Set in Saiunkoku this manga follows the adventures of Shuurei, a intelligent, strong-willed and young girl of noble birth but has very little financially. One day a highly revered advisor to the emperor makes her a tempting offer: become a courtesan and tutor to the nineteen-year-old emperor and convince him to fill his proper role in the government, in exchange for a big sum of gold and the chance to greatly influence the most powerful man in the country.  This is her introduction to the complex workings of government and political intrigue and the even more complicated affairs of love and courtship begins.

I really enjoyed the beautiful artwork and the strong and intelligent protagonist.

3.5/5

Library Haul 2011 (July 31 - Aug 6)

Here's the books I picked up from the library this week:

Hardcover:

1.  Now You See Me - S.J. Bolton

Softcover:

1.  Whisper Falls - Toni Blake
2.  Blood Stains - Sharon Sala
3.  When You Dare - Lori Foster
4.  Burning Lamp - Amanda Quick
5.  The Edge of Night - Jill Sorenson

What books/manga did you pick up from the library this week?

Justice [Hardcover]

I've finished "Justice" the sequel to "Pursuit" by Karen Robards.

Product Description

New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards is back with an exhilarating romantic thriller that will leave readers breathless. 

Feisty criminal attorney Jessica Ford has done her best to comply with the orders of the Secret Service’s unofficial witness protection program ever since she became the lone witness to the First Lady’s murder. She changed her name, dyed her dark hair blonde, and traded her sturdy black-rimmed glasses for contact lenses. Unfortunately, winning her first high-profile case for prestigious Washington, D.C., law firm Ellis Hayes, and subsequently landing her face all over the news, is not exactly “keeping a low profile.” Or so says hunky Secret Service agent Mark Ryan, whose newest assignment — despite Jess’s stubborn protests — is keeping her safe at all costs. It just so happens he’s also her ex-boyfriend.

The trial earns Jess a permanent spot on the firm’s elite legal defense team, replacing an associate who eloped suddenly and never came back. It’s the chance of a lifetime. But Jess’s mind has raced with questions from the moment the prosecution’s star witness shocked the courtroom with an electrifying revelation involving the handsome son of a powerful U.S. senator. Was the pretty, young mother intimidated into changing her story on the stand? Why will she not return Jess’s calls? Did Jess’s ambitious predecessor on the case really just abandon her successful career? Or did both women mysteriously disappear?

After Mark rescues Jess from an attacker outside her apartment, she begins to consider the possibility that she is a target. Maybe it’s not so bad to have her irresistibly charming and hard-bodied former lover around for protection. Maybe. The question is, which of the many inadvertent enemies Jess has made recently is he protecting her from? The investigation leads her to some startling coincidences — and to a teenage runaway who may just hold the missing link . . . if Jess can find her.

As Jess hurtles closer to the truth — and the sexual tension between her and Mark grows hotter than ever — she finds herself in a race against the clock to find the answers before what she doesn’t know gets them both killed.

Product Details
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Gallery (July 19, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439183708
ISBN-13: 978-1439183700

My Review:

I highly recommend reading "Pursuit" first before this one so you know the history between Jess and Mark. Also this book is a very gripping, suspenseful and intriguing read with a happy ending with a twist I didn't see coming from a mile away!

Storyline:  The book opens up with a young women dying and two young runaways as the only witnesses.  Then it moves to a rape trial with unexpected results.  Jessica is puzzled and trying to figure out why the star witness recanted her story while on the stand.

Criminal attorney Jessica Ford is in the Secret Service's witness protection program after being the only survivor and witness to the murder of the First Lady. But she decides not to relocate and now after replacing a former associate that left on a high profile case that gets her attention someone is out to kill her.

With the help of her ex-boyfriend Secret Service agent Mark she begins investigating on who is trying to kill her and a former associate and why.

Romance:  I really liked how Jess and Mark had a romantic history between them and they thought the relationship was completely over.  You can really feel the attraction is still there and they really loved each other.

Killer:  The rapist is a very sick man and has been doing his thing for a long time and I'm really glad he got what was coming to him.  He had no remorse and didn't even blink an eye during his trial.

The killer was a professional and I would have never thought he would be one.  They used their good looks and was sure quite an actor to win her confidence.

4/5

Thanks Maylene from Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

ARC Review: The Vampire Next Door [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "The Vampire Next Door" the 3rd book in her paranormal series by Ashlyn Chase.

Product Description

In this third installment of Chase's lively, sexy, paranormal trilogy, we meet witch Morgaine, who is deathly afraid of the dark, and her vigilante vampire neighbor Sly, who has his reasons for hating sunlight. Sly needs Morgaine's magic to help heal a broken fang, but with further help, and sometimes hindrance, from the wacky apartment dwellers around them, they may become each other's last hope for a normal life ...

About the Author

Multi-published author Ashlyn Chase specializes in characters who reinvent themselves, having reinvented herself numerous times. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse, for the Red Cross, and has a degree in behavioral sciences. Her romance Strange Neighbors gets rave reviews. She lives with her true-life hero husband in beautiful New Hampshire.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca; Original edition (August 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402236638
ISBN-13: 978-1402236631

My Review:

I really recommend this series if you like hilarious light paranormal reads.

I really enjoyed reading about Sly and Morgaine's romantic relationship because it was so sweet and funny.  It was so funny because it's so awkward at first but then when they finally come together they were in tune with one another.

I'm really glad that Morgaine's cousin didn't interfere when she found out that Sly preferred her cousin and she actually approved. 

Interesting concept what we learn of the new tenant and what needs to be done so they don't destroy things.  Also we learn a secret about the handyman and it's a good one.

4/5

Thanks Danielle from Sourcebook for sending me this ARC to review, greatly appreciated!

Book Blogger Hop #6

This Meme is hosted by Jennifer from Crazy for Books on Fridays.
RULES: 


Your blog should have content related to books, including, but not limited to book reviews.

1. Before you add your link, you must post about the Hop on your blog and link directly back to THIS POST (not just my domain, but the direct post for the Hop).

The linky is going to review the link that you enter in your submission, looking for a link to this post on your blog.  If it doesn’t find one, your link will not be approved.  This is called back linking and I had to institute it because people were taking advantage of the Hop and getting some free advertising without promoting the Hop themselves.  You can read more about this here.

2. While you are creating your post, answer the following question (there’s a new prompt each week)!

“Highlight one book you have received this week (for review, from the library, purchased at the store, etc.) that you can’t wait to dig into!”

I can't wait to dig into "Retribution" by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I love the Dark-Hunter series and I have been waiting for Jess's (aka Sundown's ) book to come out since he was introduced in "Dance With the Devil". When I heard that Zarek was going to be in this book and the birth of Ash's baby I knew I really had to read this book.

Retribution (Dark-Hunter Novels) [Hardcover]

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon comes the next thrilling installment in her blockbuster Dark-Hunter series 

Harm no human … 

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief — Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster …

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

Product Details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312546599
ISBN-13: 978-0312546595

3. Now it’s time to enter your blog link into the linky below (after the list of instructions!).

Instructions:

Click on: You are next – Click here to enter

A new page will open

In the “Link Title/Blog Title” box, please enter the NAME OF YOUR BLOG and in parentheses after your blog name, please state the main genre that you review (i.e. Crazy-for-Books (contemp. fiction))
In the “Link” box, please put a direct link to your blog hop post (i.e. http://crazy-for-books.com/2011/07/book-blogger-hop-722-725.html)

There is a note about the Back Link requirement. Please make sure you have linked back to this blog hop post in the post on your blog or your link will not be accepted! Did you read that important note I told you about at the top of the post?

Please enter your e-mail address in the box provided in case I need to contact you about your link submission.

The list is randomized, so your link will not appear in a specified order. If you are looking for your link, I suggest you do a Ctrl-F on your PC keyboard and type a few letters of your blog name so you can find it easily.

Follow My Blog Friday #58

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature and Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, myself of course and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs!

How does this work? First you leave your name here on this post, then you create a post on your own blog that links back to this post (easiest way is to just grab the code under the #FF picture and put it in your post) and then you visit as many blogs as you can and tell them "hi" in their comments (on the post that has the #FF image). You follow them, they follow you. Win. Win. Just make sure to follow back if someone follows you!

Now to make this #FF interesting we do a FEATURE blogger. If you are interested in becoming a Feature click on the drop down link above FEATURES > Feature & Follow Friday and get on the waiting list!  It is also required, that if you participate you must follow the hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read) and the two Feature blogs.

This Meme is hosted by Rachel from Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read on Fridays.

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} {Alisoncanread.com}and any one else you want to follow on the list.

2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - The Book Addicted Girl and A Novella's Tale.

3. Put your Blog name and 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 your new to the Follow Friday Hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

The Friday Follow Feature is ... 

 The Book Addicted Girl

Hi, my name's Megan, and I'm a self confessed Book Addict. I talk about books non-stop. And although my family is bookish, I started to annoy even them with my constant chatter about what I was reading, my favourite characters, etc. I started blogging because I wanted to find fellow YA book readers. And I did!

What makes me different is my insanity. I read anything - and I mean anything. I always have two or three books on my person in my ridiculously big bag. My favourite kind of books are everything paranormal, though recently I've developed a love for contempory, dystopian and historical novels. A few of my favourites are Vampire Academy, The Mortal Instruments, The Hunger Games, The Iron Fey series, If I Stay, Before I Die and Harry Potter. I'm currently reading seven books, though I'm concentrating on Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey and Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs. I can never seem to read just one book at a time...

The Little Book Blog

I'm 18, just graduated from high school and I LOVE reading! Reading is my escape from reality. I also love movies, music, and writing. I love any type of movies as long as their good. I also love any type of music but I prefer Indie Rock. I'm addicted to Pepsi and Coffee. I love sleep, so much that coffee has no effect on me anymore. In fact, coffee makes me sleepy. I'm very funny or at least I think so. My favorite books are The Hunger Games Trilogy, Twilight Saga, The Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy and a couple more.

The first reason I started blogging is because I wanted to keep track of what I've read and my opinions on it. I had a journal but it started to rip and I would lose it all the time. So, I thought a blog would be a better option. The second reason is that I want to share my opinion on books. I haven't found one other person who loves to read as much as I do. None of my friends or family members really understand why I love to read so much. I have no one to talk about books with, so I was hoping that with the blog I could put my opinion out there and get others opinions back as well."

Q. Let's step away from books for a second and get personal. What T-Shirt slogan best describes you?


I haven't seen any T-Shirts that best describe me but I'm going to write down some that I have made up!  I hope you like them too!


Zarek the Psycho Bad Ass
Zarek the sneering Demi-God
Zsadist the Scary Brother
Zsadist the Tormented

Feature: Larry Jukosfky The Final Victim

Join Larry Jukofsky, author of the mystery horror novel, The Final Victim as he virtually tours the blogosphere in June and July, 2011 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book.

About Larry Jukofsky

Larry Jukofsky is a first time author at the young age of 86. His novel The Final Victim, in the genre of mystery, horror is his debut novel. He was born in New Jersey in 1925. He earned his degree at Columbia University, New York Medical School and interned at Hackensack Hospital. His eye training was at Barnes hospital St. Louis, Mo., where he met and married wife Betsy.

His active duty was in the United State Naval Reserves U.S.N.R. and U.S. Marines as an Ophthalmologist for First Marine Division in Korea. He opened first office in New Jersey in 1953 and moved to Hilton Head, South Carolina in 1978.

When Larry is not writing he is enjoying his retirement with his 2 children, 4 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

The Final Victim Book Cover

About The Final Victim

He cursed the Germans at the moment of his death in the death camp in Poland during World War II, that he would seek his revenge.  Fifty years later in a small tourist town the police are completing baffled by a mysterious murder. The only evidence at the scene is what they have labeled as a big dog print. But, the questions remain who or what killed this man? Why and how did it enter a locked house without leaving prints? Why is there no blood at the scene?  What is the motive for the killing of this prominent citizen?  Who or what is the next target for this mysterious creature? From the death camps of Poland to the steamy shores of South Carolina, the author guides you through a macabre vampire tale of murder, intrigue, and revenge in “The Final Victim.”

Read the Excerpt

For some reason, Rudy was uncomfortable tonight, physically and mentally. Transporting a coffin was a new experience. It frightened him. Superstition played a large role in his limited educational life. Here it was dark, stormy, and he was delivering a corpse. The route took him through wooded and desolate country, with hanging Spanish moss casting eerie shadows as he drove by. His bright lights were on, only being dimmed when a car came from the opposite direction. The lightning and thunder added to the unease caused by the downpour. Rudy’s grasp of the steering wheel was quite tight. The rhythmical beat of the windshield wiper was his only entertainment as the radio had not worked in quite some time. Rudy was horrified when a bolt of lightning seemed to strike the ground quiet close to his truck. It took considerable effort to hold the wheel firmly. Through the rear view mirror he could see no flames and concluded no damage had been done to his cargo. The dead guy in back wouldn’t mind a jolt or two anyhow, would he?

Thinking the better of his decision to continue driving in this downpour, he pulled over to the side of the highway. It was when he turned off the motor that he realized he was not alone in the truck. He had a passenger seated alongside him.

Book Information

Author: Larry Jukosfky
Title: The Final Victim
Genre:
pages: 175
Genre: mystery,horror
Publisher: Graveyard Publishing, Vinegrove, Ky.
Publication date:Sept:2010
Available as a Kindle and Book Edition

Purchase at Amazon:
Purchase at Barnes & Noble:

Feature: Dangerous Lee Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down

Join Dangerous Lee author of Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down Six Erotic Tales of Safe Sex, as she virtually tours the blogosphere in July, 2011, on her first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Dangerous Lee

Dangerous Lee is a certified HIV Prevention Specialist and HIV Testing Counselor with Wellness AIDS Services, Inc. of Flint, Michigan. Dangerous Lee is currently studying Psychology at Baker College Online and also has an interest in working with at risk youth. She lives in Burton, Michigan with her daughter.

In 2008, her short erotic story, Til Death Do Us Part, was featured in the New York Times Best Selling anthology, Succulent: Chocolate Flava 2, edited by Zane. In March of 2010, Dangerous Lee self-published her first book titled, Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down, a book of six erotic stories with an emphasis on HIV education.

Dangerous Lee’s claim to fame is the humor advice column, Ask Dangerous Lee, where she dished out advice and opinions on love, relationships, pop culture, and celebrities. Ask Dangerous Lee was published monthly in the now defunct Uncommon Sense newspaper and syndicated in various independent magazines and websites nationwide.

Ask Dangerous Lee, the column, lead to the Ask Dangerous Lee Live radio show on the Blog Talk Radio online network. For more than two years Dangerous Lee, along with her co-host hip hop artist Hassahn Phenomenon, featured celebrities on all sides of the entertainment and media spectrum.

Working as her own marketing team, Dangerous has secured close to 50 media features over the course of a year. Dangerous is also a contributing writer for actress Monique Coleman’s official website, GimmeMo.com and is the co-founder of Book Bizarre, an annual event that highlights self-published authors in Flint, Michigan

You can find Dangerous Lee at her website http://www.pantiesupskirtdown.com

About Keep Your Panties and Your Skirt Down

Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down is something that Dangerous Lee’s grandmother used to say as a warning against having sex too soon. These words were never forgotten and the advice is greatly needed, especially today. African Americans make up 13% of the U.S. population, but more than 50% of the new HIV cases are in the African American community. How can we change this? Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down answers this question, six different ways, erotically.

Read the Excerpt

from “Self Love and Pain”

I am in love with myself. That’s right; I turn my damn self on. As I stand here in my black lace bra and panties I am turned on by my full-figured image. I love my body. I’ve had this love affair before, but now it’s permanent.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend died of AIDS. I am HIV negative.

We always had safe sex. I knew he had AIDS, and I also knew how to protect myself. Winston was honest with me from the very beginning and I made the decision aft er dating and getting to know him for three
months that I wanted to make love to him until the day AIDS took his life.

Doesn’t sound romantic? That’s because you’re the type that believes in fairy tales. Has a knight in shining armor ever tried to get your phone number? Hell no! Real knights are usually in rusted armor
that require several cans of oil.

When I met Winston he appeared healthy as a race horse. Before he got himself cleaned up and drug free he was an intravenous drug user who shared needles with other IV drug users. By the time I met
him he was a very successful business man looking to make each moment count.

Book Information

Title of Book: Keep Your Panties Up and Your Skirt Down
ISBN: 1450577067
Genre: Fiction/Erotica/Short Stories
Publisher: Create Space
Publication Date: May 15, 2010
# of Pages: 70
Purchase the book on Amazon

PNR Review: Pride Mates (Shifters Unbound) [Paperback]

I've finished "Pride Mates" the 1st book in her Shifters Unbound series by Jennifer Ashley.

Product Description

Collared and controlled, Shifters are outcast from humanity, forced to live in Shiftertowns. But waiting within are passions that no collar can contain ...

Like most Shifters, Liam Morrissey has learned that trusting humans leads to no good. But when beautiful attorney Kim Fraser enters Shiftertown alone in order to prove her client's innocence, Liam's alpha nature leaves him no choice but to offer his protection.

Product Details
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (July 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425245047
ISBN-13: 978-0425245040

My Review:

In Shifterstown in the Austin area, human attorney Kim Fraser is defending shifter Brian Smith from the charge of murdering his human girlfriend. Brian is the first shifter she ever met though their existence has been known for two decades. Like most humans, she assumed shifters were beasts who needed collars to keep them from going berserk. In spite of her fears of shifters being violent beasts she believes her client is innocent so she comes to Shifterstown to obtain the help of the Morrisey shifter family father Dylan and brothers Liam and Sean.

Liam informs Kim that Brian never came to him so why should he help him. Kim explains she got the short end of the straw as the junior lawyer, but believes Brian is innocent because the collar prevents violent crime. She also says the prosecution, cops, and judge have not played fair and her client has given up but she has not. Although he has doubts about getting involved because of his attraction to the brave lawyer who came alone, Liam is forced to intervene when a shifter without a collar threatens Kim's life.
I really liked getting to know the shifter dynamics and the way they operate.  The leader was a very scary and cruel.

I really loved Kim's take charge and spunky attitude no matter what was thrown her way.  I'm really glad that she was very determined to prove Brian is innocent and her passion for her work.

I really enjoyed the romance between Liam and Kim because it was very hot and steamy and I enjoyed how she denied she was attracted to him.  Their love scenes were oh so hot!

Loved Liam's laid back attitude and the way he wanted to protect Kim from harm.  Loved the way he decided she was the one he wanted and went after her.  It was very amusing that he laid his Irish brogue on thick and it irked Kim!

4/5

Thanks Laura from Penguin Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

An Irresistible Bachelor [Paperback]

I've finished "An Irresistible Bachelor" the sequel to "An Unforgettable Lady" by Jessica Bird aka J.R. Ward.

Product Description

Art conservator Callie Burke's new assignment is restoring a masterpiece owned by ruthless, wealthy, and sexy politico Jack Walker. When she's persuaded to move into Jack's sprawling estate to finish the job, a mere business proposition turns into something far more complicated - and passionate.

Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Signet; Original edition (July 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451230981
ISBN-13: 978-0451230980

My Review:

Jack Walker buys back a renowned Copley portrait of an ancestor that his father years ago sold to bring in cash to fund an elitist lifestyle. While making his five million dollar symbolic purchase from the Hall Foundation, Jack's friend Grace Hall introduces him to art restorer Callie Burke. After just ten minutes in her presence Callie occupies his dreams though he is engaged to someone else.

Jack offers Callie a chance to restore the masterpiece which after twice refusing the Callie finally agrees to do so because she needs the money. She travels from her New York residence to perform her craft at his Boston mansion. As Jack and Callie become better acquainted they fall in love but he knows she hides a secret from him that makes him believe she does not trust him. What he does not know is that she promised her beloved half-sister Grace that she would never reveal the identity of their father.

Jack is such a great hero because he's very kind, sweet, passionate, truthful, runs his life and fortune effortlessly and he broke his engagement before starting a relationship with Callie.

I really enjoyed getting to know some of the secondary characters:  Jack's interfering mother, a one-armed chief and Artie the dog.  We also meet Jack's best friend Grayson Bennett (aka Gray) and a cameo from Spike at the end of the book.

Really glad to see Grace and John Smith again!

4/5

Thanks Laura from Penguin Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Other Books in Series:

1.  An Unforgettable Lady

Waiting on Wednesday Meme

Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection are:

Retribution (Dark-Hunter Novels) [Hardcover]

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon comes the next thrilling installment in her blockbuster Dark-Hunter series

Harm no human … 

 

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief — Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster … 

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

Product Details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312546599
ISBN-13: 978-0312546595

 

Blood Hunt: The Sentinel Wars [Paperback]

Product Description

Hope appeared out of nowhere, naked and alone, a woman without a past. The only thing she knows is that she is imbued with a strange power. It's in her blood. And two men want to posses it. One is Logan, a Sanguiner demon-fighter who needs Hope's essence to survive. The other is Krag, a Synestryn lord whose desire is to enslave Hope, and drain her of the lifeforce. When Hope and Logan both fall prey to Krag, a powerful desire grows between them. But is it enough to thwart their captor's diabolical plan and his demon warriors, and survive a vampire's destiny written in blood? 

Product Details
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Signet; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451234294
ISBN-13: 978-0451234292

Deadly Sins (Berkley Sensation) [Paperback]

Product Description

An unknown assassin has appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner, brutally taking out high-level human targets citywide. It's just the kind of case that will test the resolve of a tough FBI agent like Jaid Marlowe. Especially when her new partner is Adam Raiker, Jaid's former colleague - and ex-lover.

Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425242706
ISBN-13: 978-0425242704

Secrets of Bella Terra: A Scarlet Deception Novel [Paperback]

Product Description

Brooding and sexy Rafe Di Luca has returned to his family's luxurious vineyard resort for one reason: to find out who attacked his beloved grandmother. His homecoming stirs up a decades - old feud, forcing him to work with Brooke Petersson, the woman he once seduced and betrayed ... but never forgot.

Product Details
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Signet Select; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451413091
ISBN-13: 978-0451413093

Heart Search (Celta) [Paperback]

Product Description

Laev T'Hawthorn -- one of the highest nobles in the land -- must rebuild his life after a devastating mistake.  He married a woman he believed was his HeartMate, only to learn she was a greedy social climber.  She callously used him, stealing his family heirlooms.  He is determined to reclaim all that he has lost -- beginning with his self-respect.

Abandoned at fifteen, Camellia Darjeeling values her independence above all.  She's fought to establish her own businesses -- elegant tearooms -- only to have her father and uncle re-enter her life.  They emotionally scourge her and extort money.  Trusting men, even her HeartMate, is too risky.

When Laev and Camellia meet, they refuse to acknowledge that they are true HeartMates.  After her shady relatives are implicated in the theft of Laev's property, Camellia and Laev's lives become ever more entangled bringing each to the brink of despair and passion...and a destiny they can no longer avoid.

Product Details
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425241386
ISBN-13: 978-0425241387

Real Vampires Don't Wear Size Six [Paperback]

Product Description

For a vampire, losing weight can be hellish-from the national bestselling author of Real Vampires Hate Their Thighs.

After Glory St. Clair kicked out the demon that had set up shop in her body, she had a serious fallout with longtime lover Jeremy Blade. But before Glory can win him back, she has some issues of the hellish variety to deal with.

When Lucifer himself offers Glory the ultimate temptation - work for the devil and he'll make her a size six - the curvy vampire's not sure if she can resist. But what Glory does know is that somehow, she's going to get back the man she loves and show everyone that real vampires always have more to love.

Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425241351
ISBN-13: 978-0425241356


Manga:

Otomen, Vol. 11 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T 

Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things -- sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to Ryo Miyakozuka, the girl that he's falling for?

Asuka engages in a battle with Suzaki Oji to see who will get the most Valentine's Day chocolates! As Oji seduces girls left and right into giving him chocolates, Asuka wonders one thing -- who will Ryo give her chocolates to?

Product Details
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421539780
ISBN-13: 978-1421539782

AI Ore! Love Me!, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T+ 

Mizuki is the female "prince" of her all-girls school and the lead guitarist in an all-girl rock band. Akira is the male "princess" of his all-boys school and wants to join her band. Love may be on his mind, but romance is difficult when everyone keeps mistaking Mizuki for a boy and Akira for a girl!

Mizuki’s neighbor Shinnosuke returns from college for a visit, but the championship boxer is surprised to find the girl he likes involved with someone else. Will Akira be able to compete for Mizuki’s affections against such a manly rival?

Product Details
Paperback: 306 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421538393
ISBN-13: 978-1421538396

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 3 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style). 

Sakura is the granddaughter of a mysterious moon princess who slew demons with her Blood Cherry Blossom sword. All her life Sakura has been forbidden to look at the full moon without knowing why. Then one night, unhappy over her impending marriage, Sakura gazes up at the moon, only to see a demon attacking her ...

Sakura, still grieving Oumi’s death, must fight the powerful youko of Uji. But she finds herself no match for the demon’s poisonous vapor. It’s time for Kohaku and Hayate — with a little help from the full moon — to step in.

Product Details
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421538849
ISBN-13: 978-1421538846

RS Review: The Girl Who Disappeared Twice [Hardcover]

I've finished "The Girl Who Dissappeared Twice" by Andrea Kane.

Product Description

She couldn't stop it. Not then. Not now.

If she'd only turned her head, she would have seen the car containing her daughter, struggling to get out. Struggling to escape her kidnapper.

Despite all her years determining the fates of families, veteran family court judge Hope Willis couldn't save her own. Now she's frantically grasping at any hope for Krissy's rescue. Her husband dead – set against it, she calls Casey Woods and her team of renegade investigators, Forensic Instincts.

A behaviorist. A techno–wizard. An intuitive.A former Navy SEAL. Unconventional operatives.All with unique talents and personal reasons for being part of Casey's group, they'll do whatever it takes.
Able to accurately read people after the briefest of encounters, Casey leads her crew to Krissy's home.

There, she picks up the signs of a nervous spouse, a guilty conscience, a nanny that hides on her cell. She watches as secrets beg to creep into the open.

Forensic Instincts will dig through each tiny clue and eliminate the clutter. But time is running out, and even working around the clock, the authorities are bound by the legal system. Not so Casey's team. For they know that the difference between Krissy coming back alive and disappearing forever could be as small as a suspect's rapid breathing, or as deep as Hope's dark family history.

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Mira; 1 edition (May 31, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778329844
ISBN-13: 978-0778329848
My Review:

Storyline: When family court judge Hope Willis receives a call asking if she picked up her daughter Krissy from school she panics. She and her husband Edward and their nanny Ashley cannot locate her anywhere. It brings back many bad memories for Hope as her twin sister was kidnapped when they were six and Felicity was never found.

The first twenty-four hours are critical in kidnapping cases and Hope is wasting no time calling in the big shots. As usual the local police and the FBI are called in but she also immediately hires Forensic Instincts a private firm of investigators with a high success rate. Casey Woods is the owner and a renowned behaviorist. Rounding out her team is Marc, a former Navy Seal and Ryan the techno-geek and she really wants to hire Claire, a clairvoyant.

The team just closed a high profile case and they are all tired, but immediately get to work on Krissy's abduction. The Forensic team can bend the rules a bit to gather leads and other information that the agencies  can't. Casey's boyfriend Hutch brings her a gift of a bloodhound, Hero, which is a an awesome addition to the team.

The investigation veers into different directions as the Willis family's secrets are delved which leads into mob connections. Patrick the original FBI agent who led the team for Felicity's abduction thirty years ago, appears convinced the two kidnappings are related. He tries frantically to find that link. But as they all keep digging into different directions that may or may not be connected the ticking clock on finding Krissy diminishes.

Characters:  Casey Woods holds a master's in Forensic Psychology and she has extensive credentials working with both behavioral and psycholgical profilers, has an innate talent at reading people and her years of working in both law enforcement and the private sector.

Marc Deveraux is Special Ops to the core.  He's a former FBI, Behavioral Analysis Unit and Navy Seal.  He has a diverse heritage:  Asian grandparents on his mother's side, and an exensive french lineage on his father's side.  He speaks three languages fluently Mandarin, French and Spanish.  He is Casey's heavily credentialed recruit.  He's the sexy and brooding type - single and happy to stay that way.

Ryan McKay is a technical genius and also a gym rat, who works out two hours each morning and who's athletic prowess included being mountain biking pro and running ultramarathons.  He recently earned his skydiving certification.

He has six-pack abs and is tall and broad shouldered and boasts those smoldering Black Irish looks that make women drool. He hates the gushing and the lavish - taking givers which really irks him.  The women he dates are strong, independent and unimpressed with his physical attributes and accomplishments.

Claire Hedgleigh aka Claire-voyant as Ryan calls her is a noted self-described intuitive who consults with several of the police departments using her special skills to solve cases.  She holds a masters's degree in Human Development and another in Transformative Theory and Practices.  She also has teaching accrediations from schools in the US, England and Austrailia in everything from psychic development to metaphysical sciences.  She is tall and willowy with pale blond hair and light gray eyes.  She has a gentle ethereal quality that suited her profession.

SSA Kyle Hutchinson has a natural compelling quality that screams leadership.  From his build, to his confident manner and the scar on his left cheek from his days being a beat cop screamed someone important.  He's also Casey's boyfriend and lover.

Special Agent Patrick Lynch is a square-jawed man of sixty with a solid build and salt-and pepper hair.  He was the special agent in charge of Hope's twin sister Felicity kidnapping case.  This case has been haunting him for thirty years.

Hero is a 3 yr. old red bloodhound who has worked with the FBI as a working scenting dog.  He is smart, fiercely loyal and has a keen sense of smell.

Romance:  I really enjoyed the romance between Casey and Hutch because they are both smart and understand one another.  They work well together on cases and their love scenes are very hot and steamy.

I believe in future books there will be a romance between Ryan and Claire since you can sense something between them in this book.  Can't wait!

Killer:  Actually this isn't really a killer in this book only a kidnapper and some mob people.  The kidnapper treated Krissy just like their own daughter and wanted to make her very happy and comfortable.

4/5

New Anime Release 2011 (July 26)

Vampire Knight Guilty 3
Product Details
Format: Animated, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
Language: English, Japanese
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 1
Rated: Unrated
Studio: Viz Media
DVD Release Date: July 26, 2011

New Releases 2011 (July 26)

Seduce Me in Flames: A Three Worlds Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

ICY RECEPTION
Ambrea Vas Allay is the rightful heir to the throne of Allay. But when she is summoned home from exile, she discovers that her father, who had executed her mother, has died. Her young half-brother, controlled by their uncle, has taken power. Ambrea is torn by an impossible choice: renounce the crown or waste away in prison. The last thing she expects is to be liberated by a huge, tattooed Tarian — or to feel a searing passion for her mysterious rescuer.

SMOLDERING DECEPTION

Rush “Ender” Blakely loves being part of the elite force of the Interplanetary Militia and the mission to save the princess Allay. But the tough Tarian hides a fiery secret — a blazing power that makes him literally too hot to handle. He must be crazy to carry a torch for this strong, beautiful princess — when any intimacy between them is bound to be explosive.

BLAZING INSURRECTION

As Ambrea steels herself to take back the throne, does she dare entrust this scorching stranger with the fate of an empire — and, even more so, with her heart?

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345517687
ISBN-13: 978-0345517685

Spell Bound (Otherworld, Book 12) [Hardcover]

Product Description

At last, in the novel every Kelley Armstrong fan will need to own, all the major heroines and heroes of Otherworld are united.
It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet.

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she's powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

Product Details
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Dutton (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525952209
ISBN-13: 978-0525952206

The Lost (Sin Hunters) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description
Adam Bruno is no ordinary millionaire. The heir to an ancient race possessing a dark, powerful magic, he can shapeshift and create energy. His gifts make him a living weapon and have forced him to live in seclusion. But now an inhuman force hunts down Adam - just when he finds someone who makes him feel more human than he ever imagined possible . . .

Home from combat in Iraq, Bobbie Carerra wants only peace, yet soon joins Adam in a terrifying battle against paranormal enemies who hide in plain sight. She's drawn to his strength of mind and body; he's attracted to her courage and intoxicating energy. Their scorching passion can either transport them to the heights of ecstasy or - if Adam's powers rage out of control - destroy them. But when an invisible brotherhood tightens its nets and someone Adam trusts betrays him, only a heartrending decision can save them.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446584614
ISBN-13: 978-0446584616

Bound By Moonlight [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description

POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON’S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . .
THEY SWORE THEY’D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.

Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He’s determined to be accepted by her peers — so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?

BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .

Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max’s preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.


. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.

With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439199485
ISBN-13: 978-1439199480

Sacred Evil (Krewe of Hunters) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

A terror born of Jack the Ripper

The details of the crime scene are no coincidence. The body — a promising starlet — has been battered, bloodied and then discarded between two of Manhattan's oldest graveyards.

One look and Detective Jude Crosby recognizes the tableau:

A re–creation of Jack the Ripper's gruesome work. But he also sees something beyond the actions of a mere copycat. Something more dangerous … and unexplainable.

As the city seethes with suspicion, Jude calls on Whitney Tremont, a member of the country's preeminent paranormal investigating team, to put the speculation to rest. Yet when Whitney and Jude delve deeper, what they discover is more shocking than either could have predicted, and twice as sinister …

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Mira; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778312429
ISBN-13: 978-0778312420

Born To Die [Paperback]

Product Description

Appearances…

A sad, strange coincidence…that's Dr. Kacey Lambert's initial response to the deaths of two women who bear an uncanny resemblance to herself. It's not like there was any real connection between Kacey and the B-movie actress or the elementary school teacher. But Detective Selena Alvarez suspects otherwise.

Can Be…

One of the bodies contained traces of poison at the time of death. Selena and her partner, Detective Regan Pescoli, can find no motive for murder. But Kacey has started to notice ties between the dead women's lives and her own-all close in age, born within miles of each other. And all have links to Trace O'Halleran, the man Kacey just started dating.

Deadly…

The deeper Kacey digs, the more reason she has to fear. More look-alikes are dying, and the killer is getting bolder and more brutal. And Kacey knows it's only a matter of time before hers is the next name on a list of those who were born to die …

Product Details
Paperback: 483 pages
Publisher: Zebra; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1420102788
ISBN-13: 978-1420102789

Quiver: A Novel (Pegasus Crime) [Hardcover]

I've finished "Quiver: A Novel" by Holly Luhning.

Product Description

A masterful debut thriller about the original female Dracula and an underground gothic cult reenacting her ritualized killings in present day London.

In sixteenth-century Hungary, Countess Elizabeth Bathory tortured and killed over six hundred servant girls in order to bathe in their blood. She believed this practice would keep her skin youthful and her beauty immortal.

Quiver tells the story of Danica, a forensic psychologist who works at a former insane asylum-turned-forensic hospital. one of Danica's mental patients is Malcolm Foster, who is imprisoned for murdering a fourteen-year-old girl. Foster is a menacing but fascinating patient and Danica begins to suspect that Foster may have been the head of a gothic cabal idolizing Bathory. Her peers dismiss her discoveries, while disturbing incidents begin following her home from work.

Soon after her arrival in London, Danica receives a mysterious note from Maria, a seductive archivist with whom Danica has had an intriguing and complicated past. Maria claims she has Bathory’s diaries that chronicle her relentless torture of young women. As Maria increasingly insinuates herself into Danica’s life, soon Danica is in too deep to notice that Maria’s motivations are far from selfless; in fact, they may just cost Danica her life. 

Product Details
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Pegasus (July 15, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1605981923
ISBN-13: 978-1605981925

My Review:

Malcolm Foster was such a menacing but fascinating character because he could be well spoken and act normal at times.  Other times he acted like a maniac and fanatic.  He liked taunting Danica and he really enjoyed killing.

Danica at times I wondered if she was imagining bad things were happening and only in her mind.  I felt sorry for her because bad things always was happening to her and not in the good way. 

Maria was a very scary and terrifying seductress who was using Danica as her scrapegoat.  She had a way about her that made people trust her but she was a very convincing liar.

I highly recommend this book if you like books that are truly horrifying and psychologically plays with your mind!

4/5

Thanks Shannon from HarperCollins Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

New How to Seduce a Scoundrel Winner

I have picked a new winner (one of my previous winners didn't get back to me) of my How to Seduce a Scoundrel Giveaway and they are:

CONGRATULATIONS:

1.  Myra C. (confirmed)

Please fill out this form with your contact information, so I can send the info. to the publisher thanks!
http://www.emailmeform.com/fid.php?formid=640430

Please comment on this post if you have won this book on another blog, so I can pick a new winner, thanks!

You will have 2 days to get back to me or else I will have to pick new winner, thanks!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (July 25)

What Are You Reading is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey: http://bookjourney.wordpress.com

Post the books you read last week, book currently being read and books you plan on finishing this week.

Last week I read:

1. Pride Mates - Jennifer Ashley
2. An Irresistible Bachelor - Jessica Bird (aka J.R. Ward)
3. Quiver: A Novel - Holly Luhning
4. Justice - Karen Robards
5. Split Second - Catherine Coulter
5. Degenki Daisy Vol. 5 - Kyousuke Motomi

I’m currently reading:

1. The Vampire Next Door - Ashlyn Chase

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1. Making Waves - Tawna Fenske
2. Now You See Her - James Patterson
3. Time of Death - J.D. Robb
4. Confessions of an Improper Bride - Jennifer Haymore
5. The Story of Saiunkoku Vol. 1 - Sai Yukino and Kairi Yura

Here's the link: 

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2011/07/24/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-97

Library Haul 2011 (July 24 - 30)

Here's the book list I picked up from the library this week:

Softcover:

1.  Seduce Me in Dreams - Jacquelyn Frank
2.  Shameless - Anne Stuart
3.  Into the Night - Janelle Denison
4.  Ultimate Weapon - Shannon McKenna
5.  Death Echo - Elizabeth Lowell

What books/manga did you pick up from the library this week?

Manga Review: Dengeki Daisy, Vol. 5 [Paperback]

I've finished "Degenki Daisy Vol. 5" by Kyousuke Motomi.

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T+ 

While trying to uncover who the fake DAISY is, Kurosaki gets injured protecting Teru from an attack! The near-fatal incident leaves Teru shaken, and she vows to stay close to Kurosaki. But is proximity just going to hurt them both with the truth still veiled?

About the Author

Born on August 1, Kyousuke Motomi debuted in Deluxe Betsucomi with Hetakuso Kyupiddo (No Good Cupid) in 2002. She is the creator of Otokomae! Biizu Kurabu (Handsome! Beads Club), and her latest work Dengeki Daisy is currently being serialized in Betsucomi. Motomi enjoys sleeping, tea ceremonies, and reading Haruki Murakami.

Product Details
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (July 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421537397
ISBN-13: 978-1421537399

My Review:

In the last volume Kurosaki was hurt by a flying desk which smacked him in the head.  He managed to save Teru but he falls unconscious and has a concussion.  He's not seriously hurt but Teru feels very guilty that it's her fault that everyone associated with her would get hurt.  Kurosaki tells her it's not her fault and not to feel guilty.

Teru knows that Kurosaki is DAISY and everyone in that group knows she knows too.  Teru and Kurosaki both have to deal with Ms. Mori who is trying to find out who DAISY really is.  She interrogates Teru and asks her who DAISY is but Teru won't tell her anything about him.  Then Ms. Mori gets attacked after leaving and Teru feels guilty again.  Then the next day she goes looking for Kurosaki and starts coming onto to him.  Kurosaki grabs her hand and asks her about her nail polish and comments that they were different colour the day before.  He warns her not to hurt Teru or else!  They also have to deal with the Fake DAISY and they figured out who it could be.  That person is being blackmailed and to continue to use someone named Akira.

He finally admits to himself and his friend that he wants Teru but he feels very guilty that he's the one who killed her brother.  He really wants to tell her stuff but is afraid that she would reject him.

I really like how Kurosaki is always protecting Teru and the way he teases her and treats her like a servant.

5/5

Thanks Maylene from Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me this manga to review, greatly appreciated!

PNR Review: Changeling Dream [Paperback]

I've finished "Changeling Dream" the 2nd book in her Changeling series by Dani Harper.

Product Description

In times of stress Jillian Descharme has always found calm in her dream of a great white wolf with haunting blue eyes. But she is startled when the visions return and this time seem so real. Late at night he comes to her, speaks to her, touches her. It's almost as if he's alive ...

Thirty years ago James Macleod lost his wife and unborn child to a killer bent on destroying the Changelings.

Though he longed for death, his animal instinct fought for survival and James has been a wolf ever since. Yet now a woman has reawakened the man in him, taming wild instincts but arousing still wilder needs.  With his ancient enemy hunting the legendary white wolf, James must fight for new life, new hope, new love.

Product Details
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Kensington; Original edition (July 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758265166
ISBN-13: 978-0758265166

My Review:

Thirty years ago, a killer killed Jame's pregnant wife Evelyn and their unborn child.  He wasn't home but by the time he got there it was too late.  The killer was still in the house and shot James who donned his werewolf form.  He blames himself and disappeared for decades in his wolf form.

Jillian is an upcoming young vet who is recruited by Connor Macleod in northern Canada and agrees to a six month trial.  When she was a young girl she was attacked and white wolf with blue eyes saved her.  She has been dreaming about this white wolf with the blue eyes which calms her when she is stressed out.

James is Connor's older brother and has been watching out for him all these decades.  He is aware when Jillian arrives at the clinic and he's compelled to watch out for her too.

I felt very deeply for James because he's such a broken man filled with guilt that he's the reason why he lost his wife and unborn child whom he loved very much.   He's a great looking man and Jillian refers to him as a Viking.

Jillian has some issues herself but she's a strong woman who doesn't take any bull from anyone.  She can stand her ground and I'm really glad she has overcome her past.

I was really rooting for James and Jillian because they are both damaged lost souls and they really need each other.  They are two halves of a whole and only they could heal one another.

4/5

Thanks Leyane from FSB Media for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

In the Mail Saturday 2011 (July 23)

In the Mail Saturday is hosted every Saturday at Paranormal and Romantic Suspense Reviews.

I received these in the mail this week.

Bound By Moonlight [Mass Market Paperback] - Received Monday


Product Description

POLICE DETECTIVE CHARLOTTE CAISSIE AND HER SHAPE-SHIFTING PARAMOUR MAX SAVOIE THOUGHT THE PAST WAS BEHIND THEM. BUT IN NANCY GIDEON’S IRRESISTIBLE NEW ROMANCE, THEY DISCOVER IT MAY NEVER LET THEM GO. . . . 

THEY SWORE THEY’D BE TOGETHER FOREVER.

Detective Charlotte Caissie is suddenly sharing drawer space and making local news with her shape-shifter lover, Max Savoie. He’s determined to be accepted by her peers — so how can she ask him to return to his criminal roots to help her solve a complex case?

BUT THOSE THEY TRUST THE MOST . . .

Working undercover with her partner to find the serial killer who’s kidnapped a colleague’s daughter, Cee Cee is caught between her job and her fiercely possessive lover. And when she calls on Max’s preternatural talents to aid his hated enemy, she crosses a line that strains their relationship to its limit.


. . . WILL DO ANYTHING TO TEAR THEM APART.

With his secret spreading, Max is forced to protect his family and his clan. The only certainty is his love for his human mate . . . unless the loyalties that define them divide them forever.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439199485
ISBN-13: 978-1439199480

Confessions of an Improper Bride (A Donovan Novel) [Mass Market Paperback] - Received Wednesday


Product Description

TWICE TEMPTED

Serena Donovan left London six years ago, her heart broken and her reputation ruined by devilishly handsome Jonathan Dane. Now, with her family's future in peril, she reluctantly agrees to return to England and assume her late twin's identity. The price? Marry a man she doesn't love and spend the rest of her days living a lie.

Jonathan Dane, Earl of Stratford, has become an incorrigible rake, drinking, gambling-and trying to forget Serena Donovan. Yet the moment he's introduced to the prim and proper "Meg", he recognizes the sensual young woman who captured his heart. Haunted by his past mistakes, he refuses to lose Serena again. But convincing her to trust him is no easy task. Claiming his lost love means exposing the truth and destroying the life Serena has sacrificed everything to rebuild. With the future of all the Donovans at stake, and their undying passion capable of triggering yet another scandal, how much will Jonathan and Serena risk for a chance at true love?

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Forever; Original edition (July 26, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446573140
ISBN-13: 978-0446573146

Dark Inside [Hardcover]


Product Description

Since mankind began, civilizations have always fallen: the Romans, the Greeks, the Aztecs…Now it’s our turn. Huge earthquakes rock the world. Cities are destroyed. But something even more awful is happening. 

An ancient evil has been unleashed, turning everday people into hunters, killers, crazies. 

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she’s about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine, the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who gun down the guilty party and then turn on the bystanding crowd.

Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness – but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (November 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 144242351X
ISBN-13: 978-1442423510

Retribution (Dark-Hunter Novels) [Hardcover] - Received Thursday

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon comes the next thrilling installment in her blockbuster Dark-Hunter® series 

Harm no human… 

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief — Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady. 

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster… 

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all. 

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect.

Product Details
Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312546599
ISBN-13: 978-0312546595

No Proper Lady [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description

England, 1888. The trees are green, the birds are singing, and in 200 years demons will destroy it all. Unless Joan, a rough-around-the-edges assassin from the future, can take out the dark magician responsible. But to get close to her target she'll need help learning how to fit into society.

Simon has his own reasons for wanting to destroy Alex Reynell, and Joan may be his perfect revenge. But as each day passes, Simon is less sure he wants her anywhere near Reynell. Because no spell in the world will save his future if she isn't in it.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (September 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402259522
ISBN-13: 978-1402259524

Unleashed [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description

A fresh, exciting take on shape-shifters, which is one of the hottest areas of paranormal romance, this debut was originally self-published in a limited edition and was a word-of-mouth sensation for booksellers in a major national book chain.

The acclaimed and highly original world-building of Sara Taney Humphreys introduces the Amoveo race – beautiful, strong shape-shifters who live secretly among humans and are threatened by outside forces as well as enemies from within. After endless searching, Malcolm has found his mate, Samantha, but she doesn't know who she really is and won't believe it when he tells her...

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402258437
ISBN-13: 978-1402258435

The Goblin King [Mass Market Paperback]


Product Description

Cursed by a Druid millennia ago, Roan lives a bleak existence in the Shadowlands, desperately trying to retain his soul and not succumb to the goblin horde. When a beautiful human summons him to grant a wish, he sees a glimmer of hope. But will she ever agree to be his queen?

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (October 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402259859
ISBN-13: 978-1402259852

Manga:

Otomen, Vol. 11 [Paperback] - Received Monday
 

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T 

Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things -- sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to Ryo Miyakozuka, the girl that he's falling for?

Asuka engages in a battle with Suzaki Oji to see who will get the most Valentine's Day chocolates! As Oji seduces girls left and right into giving him chocolates, Asuka wonders one thing -- who will Ryo give her chocolates to?

Product Details
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421539780
ISBN-13: 978-1421539782

Ai Ore! Love Me!, Vol. 2 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style), for audiences T+

Mizuki is the female "prince" of her all-girls school and the lead guitarist in an all-girl rock band. Akira is the male "princess" of his all-boys school and wants to join her band. Love may be on his mind, but romance is difficult when everyone keeps mistaking Mizuki for a boy and Akira for a girl!

Mizuki’s neighbor Shinnosuke returns from college for a visit, but the championship boxer is surprised to find the girl he likes involved with someone else. Will Akira be able to compete for Mizuki’s affections against such a manly rival?

Product Details
Paperback: 306 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421538393
ISBN-13: 978-1421538396

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 3 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style).

Sakura is the granddaughter of a mysterious moon princess who slew demons with her Blood Cherry Blossom sword. All her life Sakura has been forbidden to look at the full moon without knowing why. Then one night, unhappy over her impending marriage, Sakura gazes up at the moon, only to see a demon attacking her ...

Sakura, still grieving Oumi’s death, must fight the powerful youko of Uji. But she finds herself no match for the demon’s poisonous vapor. It’s time for Kohaku and Hayate — with a little help from the full moon — to step in.

Product Details
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421538849
ISBN-13: 978-1421538846

Thanks Hachette Book Group, Seven Seas Entertainment, Simon and Schuster Canada, Sourcebooks and St. Martin's Press!

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