Cozy Review: Pleating for Mercy (Magical Dressmaker Mystery, Book 1) [Paperback]

I've finished "Pleating for Mercy" the 1st book in her Magical Dressmaker Mystery series by Melissa Bourbon.

Product Description

All the Cassidy women possess special gifts. Harlow Jane Cassidy's is creating beautiful dresses. But she's about to discover secrets in her own family and another gift-one that can reach beyond the grave ....

When her great-grandmother passes away, Harlow leaves her job as a Manhattan fashion designer and moves back to Bliss, Texas. But soon after she opens Buttons & Bows, a custom dressmaking boutique in the old farmhouse she inherited, Harlow begins to feel an inexplicable presence ....

One of her first clients is her old friend Josie, who needs a gown for her upcoming wedding. But when Josie's boss turns up dead, it starts to look as if the bride-to-be may be wearing handcuffs instead of a veil.

Suddenly, Josie needs a lot more from Harlow than the perfect dress. Can Harlow find the real killer - with a little help from beyond?

Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Signet; Original edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451234367
ISBN-13: 978-0451234360

My Review:

I really enjoyed this cozy and can't wait till the next book comes out.

Harlow's grandmother Mee-Maw has just passed away so she moves back to Texas after quitting her fashion designer job in New York City.  She has inherited Mee-Maw's house and opens up her own shop Buttons and Bows in the house.  She's related to Butch Cassidy yes that Butch Cassidy!

Her childhood friend Josie commissions her to design her wedding dress and also her bridesmaids.  She is marrying Nate Kincaid the influential family who made a fortune in oil.  Harlow overhears a conversation between two people that night right before one of Josie's bridesmaids Nell is murdered outside her shop.

Now Harlow must investigate who would kill Nell and why to clear her friend Josie's reputation with a little help from beyond.

I really enjoyed how the legend of Butch Cassidy was incorporated into the storyline.  Each of the Cassidy women have special talents:  Grandma is known as the Goat Lady since she has the ability to deal with goats, her mother can make plants grow just by looking at them but no one knows Cassidy's ablity.

Also enjoyed the scenes with Will Flores and his daughter Gracie a budding designer.  I hope that Will and Harlow get together because you can see the sparks between them and he's good for her.

It was funny how Mee-Maw made her presence be known!

4/5

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

Other Books in Series:


1. A Fitting End (Feb 7/12)

Follow My Blog Friday #67

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 > Features and 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 Bookaholic and Starcrossed.

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 Bookaholic

Hello!

I'm Pixie and it's a pleasure to be here.

My insane love for books began as just a kid. Instead of collecting dolls or rocks or seashells or something "normal" kids would, I was seeking books.
Now over a decade later, I still have the crazy love for them, and I like to share my love with discussions and reviews on my blog. Blogging has become the greatest outlet for me, someone who doesn't have very many people to talk about books with in person.

I am an aspiring author struggling to get published. I reside in Texas and I have a cat who bullies me. She's the boss around here.

"The Bookaholic" is a blog dedicated to my obsession. Books. Of course, isn't that why we're all here? Sometimes I post my own writing there to share with readers, but it's only small excerpts and not often.
I read a little bit of everything, but I enjoy mostly YA, Paranormal, Fantasy, Dystopian and Historical Fiction. I am also a huge fan of Shakespeare, with upcoming plans of getting my favorite Shakespearean quote tattooed on me for my birthday.

Thank you for taking the time to learn a little about me.

 

 Starcrossed

 

I started blogging years ago, but just for personal use. My days as a book blogger started just last month. I've always been a huge reader (and writer). I started getting into book blogs mainly because of all the giveaways. Then I started thinking about all the books I read. I read them, then put them back on the shelf. If the book effected me strongly, all I could do was tell a couple friends or coworkers about it and recommend it to them. But it seemed like such a waste for the books. I felt like...if a book was THAT good, then why not share with as many people as possible and help it get a following?

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character? 

I would love to see either The Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon or The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward made into a movie.  Hmm it's a hard choice to pick who I would want to be cast as the main characters.  I'm very picky like that!

18 and Over Book Blogger Hop #8

18 and Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that begins on Fridays and runs through the weekend hosted by Crystal from Reading Between the Wines and Kelly at Secrets of a Book Lover.


The 18 Over Book Blogger Follow is a Friday blog hop with the objective to find and visit other book blogs that share the same interest as you, namely books geared towards the 18 and over crowd, and make new friends!

How to join in:

You should run a book blog that features and reviews mostly adult reads, some Y.A.’s are okay but 18 &  Over adult reads should be your majority.

Make a separate post for the 18 & Over Book Blogger Follow on your blog.

Copy the html for the button above and place it at the top of your post.

List and answer the ‘Question of the Week.’

Place your name and blog title in the linky below and the url for a direct link to your post

Visit the other blogs on the list. If you like what you see make sure to leave a comment and follow so the blog owner knows you stopped by and can return the favor. Following each blog is not mandatory but I know it is always appreciated, and if someone comments saying they’re a new follower it’s polite to follow back. It’s always nice to spread the 18 & Over Book Blog love!

Question of the Week:

Which paranormal creature would you like to see more of in paranormal romances? 

I would love to see more books on Griffins and Incubus since I haven't read many books based on this creatures. 

ARC Review: Lethal [Hardcover]

I've finished "Lethal" by Sandra Brown.

Product Description

When her four year old daughter informs her a sick man is in their yard, Honor Gillette rushes out to help him. But that "sick" man turns out to be Lee Coburn, the man accused of murdering seven people the night before. Dangerous, desperate, and armed, he promises Honor that she and her daughter won't be hurt as long as she does everything he asks. She has no choice but to accept him at his word.

But Honor soon discovers that even those close to her can't be trusted. Coburn claims that her beloved late husband possessed something extremely valuable that places Honor and her daughter in grave danger. Coburn is there to retrieve it -- at any cost. From FBI offices in Washington, D.C., to a rundown shrimp boat in coastal Louisiana, Coburn and Honor run for their lives from the very people sworn to protect them, and unravel a web of corruption and depravity that threatens not only them, but the fabric of our society

Product Details
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (September 20, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1455501476
ISBN-13: 978-1455501472

My Review:

This was a really thrilling, exciting and fast paced mystery thriller with characters not who they are.

Storyline: Lee Coburn is accused of killing 7 people in a warehouse so he is on the run.  He ends up in the backyard of Honor Gillette.  Her four year old daughter Emily announces their is a sick man in our backyard.  Honor goes to check out the sick man while asking her daughter to get her phone from the bedroom.  As she nears the man he's so quick she doesn't have time to react before he's behind her with a arm around her neck and gun pointing right at her heart.

He says he's there to retrieve a package her husband is in possession of and he attempts to terrorize her.  He then proceeds to tear up the house but promises her he would not harm her or Emily if she does exactly what he says.  He hints that Eddie her husband's death wasn't an accident but murder and was killed for what he knows.  He also says the the item he is looking for is of great value and that Honor and Emily are in danger.

She eventually believes him and they are forced to go on the run when the police are called in.  They must find out what Eddie knew and what he had in his possession, who the killers are and the identity of "The Bookkeeper".

Characters: I loved how honor would do anything to keep her daughter Emily alive so she would endear the treatment that Lee forced her.  I also really loved how she believed her husband Eddie was clean and a good cop and wasn't on the sly.

Romance: There wasn't really a build up of romance but you can feel the tension and attraction between Honor and Lee.  Honor was exactly what Lee needed in his life.

Killer(s):  The killers were very deadly and really enjoyed the killings.  They took their order from "The Book Keeper" who is a mystery and never been identified.  This person who was the Book Keeper wasn't someone I expected it to be until I had some clues to make me suspicious of them.  They really got off on killing people they thought was in the way or to make a statement to employees. 

4/5

Thanks Hachette Book Group Canada for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

No Proper Lady [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "No Proper Lady" by Isabel Cooper.

Product Description

It's Terminator meets My Fair Lady in this fascinating debut of black magic and brilliant ball gowns, martial arts, and mysticism.

England, 1888. The trees are green, the birds are singing, and no one has any idea that in a few hundred years, demons will destroy it all. Joan plans to keep it that way. All she has to do is take out the dark magician responsible-before he summons the demons in the first place. But as a rough-around-the-edges assassin from that bleak future, she'll have to learn how to fit into polite Victorian society to get close to her target.

Simon Grenville has his own reasons for wanting to destroy Alex Reynell. The man used to be his best friend - until his practice of the dark arts almost killed Simon's sister. The beautiful half-naked stranger Simon meets in the woods may be the perfect instrument for his revenge. It will just take a little time to teach her the necessary etiquette and assemble a proper wardrobe. But as each day passes, Simon is less sure he wants Joan anywhere near Reynell. Because no spell in the world will save his future if she isn't in it.

About the Author


Isabel Cooper lives in Boston with her boyfriend and a houseplant she's kept alive for over a year now. She maintains her guise as a mild-mannered project manager working in legal publishing. She only travels through time the normal way and has never fought a demon, but she can waltz. For more visit isabelcooper.wordpress.com.

My Review:

The ending of the first chapter was truly terrifying and scary!

Joan is sent back in time to Victorian England to save the world in the future.  When she first meets Simon he thinks she is weird because she's smeared with blood and is carrying weapons.  When she is being fitted for new clothes she only thinks how it would hinder her fighting because they are heavy.

Joan is a very courageous and deadly heroine who has been through a tragic event.

Simon wants to use Joan to get back at his former friend Alex because he used his sister to harbor a demon. 

3.5/5

Thanks Sourcebooks for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Waiting on Wednesday

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:

Much Ado About Vampires: A Dark Ones Novel [Paperback]

Product Description

Corazon Ferreira is a jaded woman. Turns out she was a vampire's mate in a past life. And no matter how distractingly gorgeous he is, she just can't get the image of him killing someone out of her head. But when her life depends on him, Corazon's going to have to stop overthinking things - and start trusting her heart ...

Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Signet (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451234928
ISBN-13: 978-0451234926

Slow Ride (Fast Track) [Paperback]

Product Description

As a tribute to her late journalist father, Tuesday Jones is planning a career benefit, auctioning off racing memorabilia and meet-and-greets with drivers. Ex-racing star Diesel Lange has had his own brush with death, and is determined not to waste another minute of his life- especially when he meets Tuesday. He wants nothing more than to shift their romance into high gear, but he knows she's still grieving. Can Diesel do the one thing he could never do on the track and take it slow?

Product Details
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425243966
ISBN-13: 978-0425243961

Down These Strange Streets [Hardcover]

Product Description

All new strange cases of death and magic in the city by some of the biggest names in urban fantasy. 

In this all - new collection of urban fantasy stories, editors George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois explore the places where mystery waits at the end of every alley and where the things that go bump in the night have something to fear ...

Includes stories by New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Diana Gabaldon, Simon R. Green, S. M. Stirling, and Carrie Vaughn, as well as tales by Glen Cook, Bradley Denton, M.L.N. Hanover, Conn Iggulden, Laurie R. King, Joe R. Lansdale, John Maddox Roberts, Steven Saylor, Melinda Snodgrass, and Lisa Tuttle.

Product Details
Hardcover: 496 pages
Publisher: Ace Hardcover; 1 edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0441020747
ISBN-13: 978-0441020744

Alan Wake [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Welcome to Bright Falls - a seemingly idyllic small town in the Pacific Northwest.

The perfect place for Alan Wake, a bestselling crime novelist, and his wife, Alice, to relax for a few weeks. Maybe a second honeymoon and the fresh air will cure Wake of his writer's block.

But when Alice goes missing under mysterious circumstances, Wake's desperate search for her leads him into a hell only he could imagine.

In the depths of nearby Cauldron Lake, a dark and malevolent presence has awakened from a long slumber.

It's reaching out now, turning the townsfolk into mindless killers. Sheathed in shadows, vulnerable only to light, they are Taken.

Wake's journey will lead him to the very edge of madness, and deep within the dark woods, he will come face - to -face with a story he has no recollection of ever writing.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0765366479
ISBN-13: 978-0765366474

Shock Wave (A Virgil Flowers Novel) [Hardcover]

Product Description

The thrilling new Virgil Flowers novel from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author.

The superstore chain PyeMart has its sights set on a Minnesota river town, but two very angry groups want to stop it: local merchants, fearing for their businesses, and environmentalists, predicting ecological disaster. The protests don't seem to be slowing the project, though, until someone decides to take matters into his own hands.

The first bomb goes off on the top floor of PyeMart's headquarters. The second one explodes at the construction site itself. The blasts are meant to inflict maximum damage - and they do. Who's behind the bombs, and how far will they go? It's Virgil Flowers's job to find out . . . before more people get killed.

Product Details
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157697
ISBN-13: 978-0399157691

Night Moves: A Shadow Force Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Anything can happen under the cover of darkness.

Kell Roberts has walked the thin line between life and death for so long that it now feels like home. He is a soldier, a survivor, and a loner. Still, Kell cannot turn his back on the beautiful woman caught in his firefight against the drug lords of Mexico. She says her name is Teddie, but Kell senses there’s much more to her story — and it’s about to pull him into a mission he didn’t sign on for: keeping her alive.

Teddie knows this lean, mean rescuer just saved her life, but the steel glint behind those soft gray eyes seem to be hiding something deep. The men after Teddie are deadly, but the man who holds her life in his hands and tempts her with his wicked touch is even more dangerous. He could make her dream about living and loving again. And if they can survive, maybe, just maybe, they can stop fighting the world and each other — and simply surrender.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Dell (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440423058
ISBN-13: 978-0440423058

Night After Night [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

USA Today bestselling author Janelle Denison turns up the heat in her latest novel about the men of The Reliance Group, who mix business and pleasure with reckless abandon . . .

WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS . . .

The son of a con-artist, Sean O'Brien learned the hard way that living by your own rules comes with a price.  After a brief time behind bars, Sean is now ready to live an honest life, and pay for his past mistakes.  But even his gorgeous face and seductive charms can't make up for his prison record . . .until a member of The Reliance Group sees Sean's potential for good and gives him a job at the Onyx Casino.

WILL KEEP THEM COMING BACK FOR MORE . . .

Zoe Russo has met all types of men on the Vegas strip.  But when Sean pays a visit to her casino boutique, she knows she's in luck.  They share an immediate, irresistible attraction, and for the first time in her life she's found a man she thinks she can trust.  But when Zoe stumbles onto the truth about Sean and his reasons for persuing her, she can't help but question his feelings for her.  Is he for real, or has she been a fool for love?  Until now, nothing has prepared her for the thrill, and risk, of gambling on love.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312372280
ISBN-13: 978-0312372286

Stay Hungry [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

One of the best manhunters in the business, Jake King usually chases fugitives on the run. But now he’s been hired to protect a beautiful private eye who’s flirting with danger. Her name is Angela, and the last thing she wants is hired muscle getting in the way of her investigation. But this time she’s so deep undercover, she could use all the muscle she can get her hands on …

Jake agrees to play by Angela’s rules — and lay low while she gets close to one of the deadliest crime lords to have entered the States. But the closer Angela gets to her target, the closer she feels to Jake. As her bodyguard, he has more than just a professional interest in her body — and he’ll do anything to keep her safe.

But Angela is playing a dangerous game with a criminal mastermind who can make any woman his slave. And she could be next …

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; First Edition edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312372183
ISBN-13: 978-0312372187

Sweet Revenge: A Last Chance Rescue Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Jamie Kendrick went on a trip to hell at the hands of Stanford Reddington, a monster protected by money and power. Now, asking for Last Chance Rescue’s help, Jamie makes plans for her revenge. And Dylan Savage, one of LCR’s most skilled operatives, is given an assignment he despises but can’t refuse — to train the lovely Jamie but thwart her revenge plot at all costs. With tender ruthlessness, he pries open her most intimate secrets, and the attraction they’ve both tried to deny explodes into a scorching love affair — an affair that Dylan has to end. Months after Jamie stormed away from Dylan and LCR, the two meet again — at the home of Stanford Reddington. In the grips of hurt, anger, desire, and undercover danger, Jamie and Dylan will risk more than broken hearts: they’re risking everything to stop an evil fiend from destroying more lives, including their own. 

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345524055
ISBN-13: 978-0345524058

Manga:

Vampire Knight, Vol. 13 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style). 

Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!
Yuki is attacked by another pureblood outside a graveyard for meddling in the ways of the vampire society. Injured, she returns home to Kaname, who shares with her his past memories and the truth behind the Kuran family.

Product Details
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421540819
ISBN-13: 978-1421540818

Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura, Vol. 4 [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 is taken away by Enju to live in his hidden palace. Once there, Sakura comes face - to - face with a mononoke who looks and sounds exactly like her. Sakura has met her double, and her double wants her dead!

Product Details
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421538857
ISBN-13: 978-1421538853

New Releases 2011 (Sept 27)

The Darkest Surrender (Hqn) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Possessed by the demon of Defeat, Strider cannot lose a challenge without suffering unimaginable pain. For him, nothing stands in the way of victory. Until Kaia, an enchanting Harpy, tempts him to the razor's edge of surrender.

Known among her people as The Disappointment, Kaia must bring home the gold in the Harpy Games or die. Strider is a distraction she can't afford because he has an agenda of his own — steal first prize, an ancient godly artifact, before the winner can be named. But as the competition heats up, only one prize will matter — the love neither had thought possible .…

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: HQN Books (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0373775814
ISBN-13: 978-0373775811

Alterant (Belador Code) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon and Dianna Love comes the second book in the Belador series--featuring a league of international warriors with extraordinary abilities who rise up to save mankind from supernatural terrorists.

Evalle must hunt her own kind...or die with them. On the heels of saving mankind from destruction at the hands of the Medb coven, Evalle attempts to convince the Tribunal that she is an Alterant who can be trusted around humans. But the gods and goddess ruling over this Tribunal twist words she'd uttered in the heat of combat and hold her responsible for three dangerous Alterants that escaped their prisons. She is given a choice to either recapture those three who will lose their freedom forever or face the same sentence. Unsure that she can condemn another Alterant to a life she'd die before accepting, Evalle takes on an impossible task only to learn that the entire future of the Beladors rides on her success--and the only person who can help her is the one who wants to gut her.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439195242
ISBN-13: 978-1439195246

Sexiest Vampire Alive (Love at Stake) [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

The secret is out . . . Vampires do exist! 

When a video reveals to the world that vampires live among us, it’s up to “young” vamp Gregori Holstein, VP of Marketing, to persuade the U.S. government to declare the video a hoax. But first the president wants a favor, one that requires Gregori to spend forty-eight hours in very close contact with the First Daughter.
Abby Tucker would rather spend her nights in a lab than attend her father’s state dinners. She’s dedicated her life to finding a cure that will save her dying mother and needs only two more ingredients. To find them, she’ll have to venture into the most dangerous region of the world — with a vampire. Her Armani-clad escort may be Undead, but he still makes her heart race. And the greatest danger won’t be the predatory hordes lying in wait for them; it will be her undying desire for the Sexiest Vampire Alive.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061958050
ISBN-13: 978-0061958052

Darkness Unbound: A Dark Angels Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

The fight against darkness rages on for the next generation — in New York Times bestselling author Keri Arthur’s exciting new series set in the world of the Guardians.

Being half werewolf and half Aedh, Risa Jones can enter the twilight realms between life and death and see the reapers, supernatural beings that collect the souls of the dead. But she soon makes a terrifying discovery: Some sinister force is stealing souls, preventing the dead from ever knowing the afterlife.

Reapers escort souls — not snatch them — but Risa is still unnerved when a reaper shadows her in search of someone Risa has never met: her own father, an Aedh priest, who is rumored to be tampering with the gates of hell for a dark purpose. With the help of her “aunt” — half-werewolf, half-vampire Riley Jenson — and an Aedh named Lucian who may have lost his wings but none of his sex appeal, Risa must pursue whatever shadowy practitioner of blood magic is seizing souls, and somehow stop her father . . . before all hell breaks loose. 

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Dell (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0440245729
ISBN-13: 978-0440245728

Conquer the Dark [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

The second in a spellbinding new urban fantasy series about angels and demons from New York Times bestselling author L.A. Banks.

Just three short months ago, Celeste Jackson was pulled into a supernatural world by her guardian angel, Azrael, only to learn that not only was he super hot, but he was also the Angel of Death. What began as his platonic quest to find her, one of the Remnant, and to save her from the forces of evil hunting for her, quickly evolved into forbidden passion. They joined Azrael’s fellow angels in the Light in a battle against the fallen, and once the dust settled, it appeared as though the Light was victorious.

However that idyllic peace is short-lived when Azrael’s angel brother, Bath Kol, receives a disturbing vision. Those members of the fallen that were conquered have found a key to rebirth within the sacred tombs of Egypt. Now able to raise their full armies of darkness against the small twenty-one angel battalion charged with protecting the Remnant, evil has the advantage. That is unless Celeste, one of only three half-angel/half-human hybrids left on the planet, can sway the balance. If Celeste cannot, countless human lives will be lost, evil will eclipse the earth, the Light will forever be extinguished … and Azrael will be forced to make an awful choice between taking a fall to save the woman he loves or to allow her to perish.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1451608845
ISBN-13: 978-1451608847

Hometown Girl: The Chesapeake Diaries [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

Life was always just about perfect for Brooke Madison Bowers. She was the prettiest, most popular girl in small-town St. Dennis, Maryland, a prom queen, local pageant star, and the pride and joy of her loving parents. She even married the man of her dreams. But the promise of happily ever after fell to pieces when her husband was killed while serving in Iraq. Brokenhearted and longing for the solace of better days, she returns to the idyllic world of St. Dennis, and the familiar comfort of the family farm. Surrounded by her loving family and friends, she’s determined to build a new life, complete with her own cupcake bakery. She’s equally determined never to fall in love again.

For Jesse Enright, life has been a challenge. A fourth-generation attorney, he’s spent his life fighting to escape the shadow of his irresponsible father. Now he’s moved to St. Dennis to run the family law practice, and he’s ready to find the right girl, get married, and settle down. But his carefully laid plans go out the window when he meets Brooke and finds himself caught between the unbreakable law of attraction and Brooke’s resolve to go her way alone — despite the undeniable feelings Jesse stirs in her. But just like catching lightning in a bottle, is it possible to fall head-over-heels, heart - and - soul in love all over again?

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345531213
ISBN-13: 978-0345531216

The Affair: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher) [Hardcover]

Product Description

Everything starts somewhere. . . .For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A coverup.

A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington.

Reacher is ordered undercover — to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. Reacher is a good soldier. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, he finds layers no one saw coming, and the investigation spins out of control.

Local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux has a thirst for justice — and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust one another, Reacher and Deveraux reluctantly join forces. Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission, and turn him into a man to be feared.

A novel of unrelenting suspense that could only come from the pen of #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, The Affair is the start of the Reacher saga, a thriller that takes Reacher — and his readers — right to the edge . . . and beyond.

Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385344325
ISBN-13: 978-0385344326

The Unquiet [Paperback]

Product Description Five New York Times bestselling authors-five superlative stories.

From J.D. Robb: Eve and Rourke return to investigate a series of murders connected to a brilliant young surgeon in Chaos in Death.

From Mary Blayney: A shopkeeper's solitude is complicated by a magic coin, a daring rogue, and dreams of her late husband, who whispers but one word...wish.

From Patricia Gaffney: A lonely woman and a hotline psychic turn their astonishing connection to the other side into an unexpected romance.

From Ruth Ryan Langan: The shattered soul of an angry spirit imprisoned in a Scottish manor house could be a young widow's only salvation.

From Mary Kay McComas: A young ghost eases his brother's pain and guilt by inviting him into the dreams of an imaginative author of children's books.

Product Details
Paperback: 416 pages
Publisher: Jove (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0515149985
ISBN-13: 978-0515149982

Blood and Fire [Paperback]

Product Description

Restless and impulsive, Bruno Ranieri has the temperament to fit right in with the McClouds. And just like the McCloud brothers, Bruno has a dangerous past to contend with - one that's about to come crashing back into his life...Bruno Ranieri has always lived at a chaotic pace, and that goes double lately. Since his uncle's untimely demise, Bruno is working himself to the bone, trying to keep his nose clean and save the family business. Not easy when the nightmares that plagued his childhood are hi-jacking what little rest he gets. So when exotically beautiful Lily Parr sashays into his all-night restaurant, claiming to be on the run from
mysterious assassins, Bruno starts to wonder if sleep deprivation is finally getting to him. Especially when Lily implies that Bruno is involved. But the violence that accompanies her arrival is no illusion. Nor is the blisteringly hot, completely inconvenient desire that explodes between them. Lily Parr has been a fugitive ever since her father's death a month ago in a mental hospital. Officials claimed it was suicide, but Lily's gut - and the savage murder attempt she barely escaped afterwards - say different. Snippets of information led Lily to Bruno's door...and his magnetic charisma compelled her right into his bed. But there are cold-blooded killers on her heels, with resources as limitless as their cruelty.

Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758228678
ISBN-13: 978-0758228673

Hell to Pay [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

And so it begins . . . again. 

Survivors of a serial killer who invaded their childhood, Lucy Walsh and Jeremy Cavalon are married now, replacing nightmares of their terrifying past with joyful dreams of the upcoming birth of their first child. Fiercely determined to protect the fragile balance of their lives, Lucy doesn’t know that her new husband guards a deadly secret  . . . or that an Act of God is about to unleash a vengeful fury.

For shell-shocked Lucy and Jeremy, the horrible death of a loved one is a tragic accident. But for a shadowy predator, it’s the first step toward completing a deadly mission that was interrupted so long ago. Now, at last, the members of the Walsh and Cavalon families will pay for their sins, one by one . . .


Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061895083
ISBN-13: 978-0061895081

Reckoning for the Dead: A Sweet Justice Novel [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

The official story is that Garrett Wheeler, the Sentinels' chief, is dead -- killed in a covert op gone horribly wrong.

But Alexa Marlowe -- his ex-lover and most trusted agent -- isn't buying it.

Overnight, a new leader has mysteriously assumed control of the elite vigilante organization, a man Alexa Marlowe can't afford to trust. In search of Garrett and the truth, she goes rogue and off the grid, following a deadly trail that leads into Mexico, behind the fortress walls of a murderous drug cartel boss. Alone, Alexa has no one to watch her back, not even her new partner, Jessie.

Ex-bounty hunter, Jessie Beckett, has troubles of her own. Her world is turned upside down when her DNA turns up as evidence in a gruesome murder committed when Jessie was only a child, before her life was shattered by an infamous killer. Solving a very cold case may hold the key to who she really is or kill the only memory she has of a woman she believes is her mother.

For Alexa and Jessie, the dead must have a reckoning.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Harper (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061969699
ISBN-13: 978-0061969690

Manga:

My Boyfriend is a Vampire, vol. 1-2 [Paperback]

Product Description

Vampires like you’ve never seen before in this 320 page genderbender shoujo comedy.

My Boyfriend is a Vampire is an all new shoujo comedy series in the vein of Vampire Knight, presented in two-volumes-in-one omnibus format. Seven Seas will release the entire angsty series across seven low-priced omnibus editions.

Being beautiful is never easy, especially if you’re an eighteen year old boy like Ryu who is constantly mistaken for a girl because of his delicate good looks. Ryu is, in fact, anything but delicate. He is the ringleader of a group of tough kids in an all boy’s school, and he’s quick to beat the living daylights out of anyone who even hints that he resembles a girl.

If that wasn’t hard enough for a regular teenage guy to cope with, his life is about to take a shocking turn for the worse. When Ryu stumbles upon strange happenings in the forest, he gets sucked into a world of vampire intrigue and sinister romance that he never knew existed. And he learns that there are worse things than being turned into a vampire: being turned into a girl?!

Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Seven Seas; First Edition edition (September 27, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1935934112
ISBN-13: 978-1935934110

KLB Event: J.A. Saare The Renfield Syndrome Blog Tour with Giveaway and Review

Title: The Renfield SyndromeSeries: Rhiannon's Law #2Genre: Urban FantasyAuthor: J. A. SAARE
Pub: August 23, 2011, Mundania Press
Format: Paperback, 212 pages; eBook
Find Author Here: JA Saare on Goodreads : Twitter : Website

Vampires, and werewolves, and demons, oh my.

Rhiannon thought facing off against a deranged child vampire was the most dangerous task she would ever have to undertake, but she’s about to discover making a deal with a demon is far, far worse. Sent forward into another reality, one in which vampires are now dominating nearly extinct humans, she realizes the sooner she returns to her vampire lover, Disco, the better.

Unfortunately, time changes a lot of things; including those most trusted around her. When she’s faced with a loss and betrayal unlike any she has ever known, her focus shifts from severing the debt between the demon that wants to kill her, to exacting a revenge that will bring forth consequences she never could have fathomed. By reaching out to the darkness lingering within her, she’ll find the strength to push forward despite the circumstances that would see her dead and buried.

After all, when it’s all said and done, all that she has left to lose is her soul.

My Review:

I recommend reading the first book Dead Undead and Somewhere In Between before reading this one.

This book continues right were we left off from the first book with Rhiannon being sent in the future on October 28, 2012.  She finds out that the human race is being killed off by a syndrome called The Renfield's Syndrome.  She must now find Disco but things don't go as plan.

Rhiannon is very intriguing character who is quite mouthy and doesn't apologize for it.

This book was a very dark and sexy read with alot of twists and turns to keep you interested until the very end!

Giveaway Rules

Thanks to KLB I'm able to offer a copy of The Renfield Syndrome to one lucky winner.  To enter please leave a comment with your e-mail.

The giveaway ends October 3 at 11:59 PM EST.

Please make sure you come back to see if you won, thanks!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (Sept 26)

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. Alterant - Sherrilyn Kenyon
2. Lethal - Sandra Brown
3. First Drop of Crimson - Jeaniene Frost
4. New York to Dallas - J.D. Robb
5. Scoundrel's Honor - Rosemary Rogers
5. The Art of Vampire Knight - Matsuri Hino

I’m currently reading:

1. No Proper Lady - Isabel Cooper

Books I’m planning on reading this week:

1.  Pleating for Mercy - Melissa Bourbon
2.  The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer - Michelle Hodkin
3.  Kill Me If You Can - James Patterson
4.  Rush of Darkness - Rhiannon Byrd
5.  Alice in the Country of Hearts Vols. 3 and Vol. 5 - QuinRose and Hoshino Soume

Here's the link:

http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/2011/09/25/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-105

Anime Review: Uta no Prince Sama Maji Love 1000% Episode 7

We open the episode with Haruka playing the piano in class and everyone is impressed. Really loved the piano music! The teacher says Haruka got the highest score on the songwriter test and now there's the talent of the girl. Some of her classmates say they don't get it and it's like she's a new person. You see her friends with happy faces.

Then we see Haruka in her room and talking to her grandma letting her know what's happening.  She looks out the window when she sees Ichinose walking.  She rushes downstairs and yells out his name Ichinose-san.  He stops and turns around and she rushes up to him.  He looks like he's scowling again and they look at each other.  Haruka looks down and says I realized that time that you aren't a twin but Hayato-sama.  The she asks him if his leg hurts and if he's okay?  He looks surprised and then looks down and says it has nothing to do with you.  Please don't bring that up again. It's a nuisance and then he walks away!

Then we see Haruka in the cafeteria with her friend eating spaghetti but she's not eating.  She's thinking of Ichinose aka Hayato and why he would be going to this school?  Then we hear her friend calling her name and Haruka snaps out of it.  She says Haruka has been acting weird and it's because Shinomiya-san interrupted Hayato's performance.

We also see the idol guys listening to Ichinose sing and then the teacher says that he's singing is on time but it has no heart.  He then tells Ichinose he's no longer in his class.

Then we see Ichinose in the director's suite and the director starts lecturing him about how he gave him a chance to come to this school and to help him change managers.

Then we see Haruka and Tomo in their suite talking.  Haruka is looking out the window again and Tomo is talking when she sees Ichinose walking.  Haruka starts running out of the room to find Ichinose and finds him where they first met.  He starts singing his Hayato song when he notices Haruka listening.  They start talking and he says he wanted to come here to sing but he can't, his songs don't have heart apparently.  Haruka says that's his best song he was singing and it was beautiful.  He replies, "probably because it's Hayato's song?"  If I try to sing it as Ichinose Tokiya it's no good!"  Then Haruka starts saying she had trouble playing the piano but she shouldn't have her fingers wouldn't move and it probably is the same for him.  Then he gets upset and says he's tired of hearing her talking like she understands him". You and I are different!  Excuse me!  He sure has the glaring look down!  Then he walks away with Haruka looking on with a shocked face!

Then it's the next day and Ichinose is now in Haruka's class and she is narrating.  We see Ichinose reading a music book with Masato in the background playing the piano.  Then we Ichinose walking away with Haruka and her friend looking on.  Also there is rumors going on about Ichinose.

Then we see everyone in the hallway looking at a poster that is advertising summer camp! Then we are in class again with the teacher telling everyone about summer camp it's going to be at a southern island resort but not to get too carried away because when they come back they will have to pick their partner for their graduation class.  It will be between an singing idol and a composing idol again and not to fall in love again speech.

RS Review: Riptide (Cutter Bay) [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Riptide" the 2nd book in her Cutter Bay series by Cherry Adair.

Product Description

Princess Bria Visconti demands the return of the money her brother rashly invested in Cutter Salvage. Treasure hunter Nick Cutter is too reckless, too arrogant — and far too handsome — for his own good. But he can’t charm his way out of this one. Bria plans to make Nick pay up even if she has to board his boat, don a wet suit, and dive for the treasure herself … 

Nick sees Bria as a beautiful but spoiled princess who’s never done a day’s work in her pampered life. But once they set sail for the dive site, and the legendary fortune in gold the wreck carries, Nick begins to see Bria in a new light. This princess may be out of her depth, but she’s ready to take on the hidden danger and excitement a treasure hunt stirs to the surface. Together they must fight unexpected enemies — and reveal their darkest secrets — before they’re pulled into a rip current of danger.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 30, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312371985
ISBN-13: 978-0312371982

My Review:

 

Storyline: We open the book as Nick goes undercover as Asim Nabi El Malahmah to uncover diamond thieves since he's very proficient in speaking languages. The deal is interrupted when Princess Gabriella Visconti demands he take her to the Scorpion but he would only take her if she barters something in return. He's suspicious she is working with the smugglers.

Her foolish brother Draven invested five million dollars into Cutter Salvage which she wants returned.  Both their parents were assassinated in Marrezo when they were young children.  They were separated and Gabriella was taken by her bodyguard Max to in America as his own.  Her taught her how to protect herself and to prepare her to go back and take back was is rightfully her own.  She wants to go back home to Marrezo to restore it to it's former glory and to prosper.  Gabriella has always thought her older brother was dead until a couple of years ago.  She was not welcomed when she attended his coronation either by Draven or his wife Dafne.

Gabriella is attacked on Nick's ship so he takes it on himself to be her protector and to find out why they would want to kill her and who?

Characters:  Gabriella is a fiery tempered princess but she doesn't flaunt her heritage, has a education and works in the public relations field.  She has dangerous and lethal protective skills and lives life to the fullest.  

Nick doesn't let anyone get near him and he's very independent.  He suppresses his deep feeling for Gabriella as their relationship deepens.

Romance:  I really enjoyed the romance between Gabriella and Nick because they are fine examples of opposites attract.  Oil and water!  It was really fun to read when they are arguing and denying they are attracted to each other.  When they finally get together wow was it hot or what?  They are both very passionate people!

Killer: The killer is very deadly and cunning.  Wow never expected the killers to be who they were at first but then later on I believed it!

4/5

Thanks St. Martin's Press for sending me this book to review, greatly appreciated!

Manga Review: The Art of Vampire Knight: Matsuri Hino Illustrations [Hardcover]

I've finished "The Art of Vampire Knight" by Matsuri Hino.

Product Description

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

Cross over into the world of Vampire Knight with the lush, full-color artwork of Matsuri Hino. Includes an extensive gallery with author comments, a how-to tutorial, and an exclusive poster.

About the Author

Matsuri Hino burst onto the manga scene with her title Kono Yume ga Sametara (When This Dream Is Over), which was published in LaLa DX magazine. Hino was a manga artist a mere nine months after she decided to become one. With the success of her popular series Captive Hearts and MeruPuri, Hino has established herself as a major player in the world of shojo manga. Vampire Knight is currently serialized in LaLa and Shojo Beat magazines.

Product Details
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (September 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421540053
ISBN-13: 978-1421540054
My Review:

Wow this book has very beautiful pics some which we have seen before and some we haven't.  The illustrations are fully glossed and even comes with a fold out poster.  There's pics of the whole Vampire Knight gang.

I highly recommend adding this illustration book to your Vampire Knight collection!

5/5

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

RS Review: Revenge at Bella Terra: A Scarlet Deception Novel [Paperback]

I've finished "Revenge at Bella Terra" the 2nd book in her Scarlet Deception series by Christina Dodd.

Product Description

Ruthless Eli Di Luca hides the torment of his past beneath a façade of iron control. No one suspects the anguish he suffers, or the reasons why he has sworn never to marry. Only blackmail could change his mind ...

Beautiful young author Chloë Conte's first book zoomed to the top of the bestseller lists. Now, struggling to write her second mystery, she retreats to an isolated cottage in a private vineyard. But with his magnetic appeal and his fascinating tales of Bella Terra's violent past, Eli Di Luca proves an irresistible distraction, and Chloë finds herself falling in love with a man she hardly knows. Soon she discovers that Eli has been keeping secrets from her, and the truth will bring more than heartbreak ... it will put them both in mortal danger.

When murder and peril threaten, the only way Chloe can survive is to trust the man who has betrayed her ... and that's a price her stubborn heart may not be willing to pay.

Product Details
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Signet Select (September 6, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0451413105
ISBN-13: 978-0451413109

My Review:

Storyline: Eli Du Luca is in debt because his good friend and accountant skipped town with all the profits.  A very wealthy man has proposed a way out by asking Eli to seduce and marry his daughter Chloe Robinson.

Chloe comes to Eli's cottage to help her write her next seller since she has writer's block.  Eli takes her to the water tower where they discover the body of Massimo who was introduced in the first book.  They conclude he was killed over pink diamonds which we don't find out about until Eli discovers it.

Characters:  Eli Du Luca is a tortured and tormented young man.  He was a pawn between his parents who didn't want him. His mom was a very violent woman, his dad just threw him away and his family on his mom's side treated him harshly and beat him up.  He only cares for his grandmother, two younger brothers and his winery.  But as Eli spends more time with Chloe he realizes she heals wounds and is the woman for him.  It was so funny when he thinks she would be meek and mild and would cater to all his needs.

Chloe Conte is a young mystery suspense writer who has written a best selling book.  She comes to Eli's cottage because she thinks she is there for a visit to help her write her next book.  At first she believes her dad has thrown Eli at her as a suitor but then she concludes no.  She's a very smart and feisty woman just what Eli needs!  As Chloe spends more time with Eli she falls in love with him and marries him.  When she finds out about his betrayal she is hurt and angry but she needs his help to save her.

Romance:  I really enjoyed the romance between Eli and Chloe because it was very sweet and hot and they need each other.  From the moment they met you can feel the heat between them.

Killer:  The killer is very deadly, cunning and smart by setting up someone else to take the fall.

4/5

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

In the Mail Saturday 2011 (Sept 24)

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

I received these in the mail this week.

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; 1 edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425241351
ISBN-13: 978-0425241356

Nocturne [Mass Market Paperback]

Product Description

When Nicole Whitcomb’s car runs off a Colorado mountain road during a blinding snowstorm, she is saved from death by a handsome, fascinating, and enigmatic stranger. Snowbound with him for days in his beautiful home high in the Rockies, she finds herself powerfully attracted yet mystified by him, filling her with apprehension.

Who is Michael Tyler? Why does he live alone in such a secluded spot and guard his private life so carefully? 

What secret — or secrets — is he hiding? With her own secrets and a past she is running from, Michael understands Nicole better than anyone she has ever known. Soon, they are falling deeply in love — a profoundly meaningful experience that is destined to change their lives forever. However, as the sexual tension between them builds, the clues mount up. When Nicole learns her host’s terrifying secret, there is nowhere for her to run but into the blizzard raging outside, and Michael may be the only one who can save her life.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Vanguard Press; Mass Market Edition edition (August 2, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 159315674X
ISBN-13: 978-1593156749

Robert B. Parker's Killing the Blues (A Jesse Stone Novel) [Hardcover]

Product Description

Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone returns in a brilliant new addition to the New York Times-bestselling series. 

Paradise, Massachusetts, is preparing for the summer tourist season when a string of car thefts disturbs what is usually a quiet time in town. In a sudden escalation of violence, the thefts become murder, and chief of police Jesse Stone finds himself facing one of the toughest cases of his career. Pressure from the town politicians only increases when another crime wave puts residents on edge. Jesse confronts a personal dilemma as well: a burgeoning relationship with a young PR executive, whose plans to turn Paradise into a summertime concert destination may have her running afoul of the law.

When a mysterious figure from Jesse's past arrives in town, memories of his last troubled days as a cop in L.A. threaten his ability to keep order in Paradise - especially when it appears that the stranger is out for revenge.

Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Putnam Adult (September 13, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0399157840
ISBN-13: 978-0399157844

The Christmas Wedding [Hardcover]

Product Description

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married -- and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day -- she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.

But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise -- she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.


Product Details
Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (October 17, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031609739X

Manga:

Vampire Knight, Vol. 13 [Paperback]

Product Description

Reads R to L (Japanese Style). 

Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Yuki is attacked by another pureblood outside a graveyard for meddling in the ways of the vampire society. Injured, she returns home to Kaname, who shares with her his past memories and the truth behind the Kuran family.

Product Details
Paperback: 200 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Original edition (October 4, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421540819
ISBN-13: 978-1421540818

Bought:

Vampire Knight, Volume 1 (v. 1) [Paperback]

Product Description

Cross Adademy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Yuki Cross has no memory of her past prior to the moment she was saved from a vampire attack ten years ago. She was adopted by the headmaster of Cross Academy, and now works alongside Zero to guard the Academy's secret. Yuki believes that vampires and humans can coexist peacefully, but her partner has different ideas ...

Product Details
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Shojo Beat Manga Ed edition (January 9, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421508222
ISBN-13: 978-1421508221

Vampire Knight, Vol. 2 (v. 2) [Paperback]

Product Description

Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At sunset, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, there to protect the Day Class from the Academy's dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires.

Product Details
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; Shojo Beat Manga Ed edition (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1421511304
ISBN-13: 978-1421511306

Thanks FSB Associates, Gerry Barlett, Hachette Book Group, Penguin Canada, Simon and Schuster Canada!

What did you get in the mail this week?

First Drop of Crimson (Night Huntress World, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Drop of Crimson" the 1st book in her Night Huntress World series by Jeaniene Frost.

Product Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of the Night Huntress series comes a breathtaking new journey to the dark side of desire.

The night is not safe for mortals. Denise MacGregor knows all too well what lurks in the shadows — her best friend is half-vampire Cat Crawfield — and she has already lost more than the average human could bear. But her family's past is wrapped in secrets and shrouded in darkness — and a demon shapeshifter has marked Denise as prey. Now her survival depends on an immortal who lusts for a taste of her.

He is Spade, a powerful, mysterious vampire who has walked the earth for centuries and is now duty-bound to protect this endangered, alluring human — even if it means destroying his own kind. Denise may arouse his deepest hungers, but Spade knows he must fight his urge to have her as they face the nightmare together . . .
Because once the first crimson drop falls, they will both be lost.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Avon; Original edition (February 9, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061583227
ISBN-13: 978-0061583223

 

My Review:

I was very excited when I heard that Spade would be getting his own book and Denise would be his heroine.  Really enjoyed learning about his backstory and how he met Bones and Ian.

I really did like Denise in the Night Huntress books but after reading this one I didn't really like his character.  Her personality was so different a complete turn around and I hated how she treated Spade.  She would always question his logic and motives, she was either harping at him or yelling at him and she wouldn't listen to him.  Didn't really like how she guilt tripped him to help her.

Spade on the other hand was very hot and an alpha male.  He didn't want to hurt Denise because she was Cat's best friend but he has always been attracted to her since the first time he saw her.

Wow the love scenes were pretty hot and intense!

3.5/5

Follow My Blog Friday #66

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 > Features and 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 - obsession with books and The World of Spork Master.

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 ...

obsession with books

I'm a Spanish girl living in Switzerland that loves to read almost any kind of book. I write down the ideas and thoughts I have and I care for people. Need a friend? Need someone to talk to? Try with me :D

I like having people around, reading and having fun. I also like to travel a lot and my biggest dream is to go back to Brasil and live there again. It's such a wonderful country!

The World of the Spork Master

My name is Liz, and I blog over at The World of the Spork Master. I’m a high school Senior, and a huge nerd. I LOVE books, movies, and art. I share a little bit of everything on my blog, but it seems it all ties back to books!

I have two dogs - Blaze and Jasper - and a lot of cats. They consume a lot of my time. Other than reading, I love writing, photography, tea, Italian food, music (both playing and listening), biking, and creating adventures with friends.

I started blogging at the beginning of 2011 as part of my New Years Resolutions. I wanted to create a blog and update it consistently. I had no idea what it would turn into, I just went with it. I've never had success before, but no matter what happens, I'm determined to have a blog. Book wise, I mainly read YA books with themes of Fantasy, Paranormal, Sci-fi, and what have you. Mainly whatever I can get my hands on. I want to someday have my own library in my home, consisting of books beyond YA. I'm just absolutely crazy about books!

Q. Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it?

I have two favorite series and they are The Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon and The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward.  I'm sure everyone knows these two series so I won't go into detail about what they are about!