Hunger Awakened by Dee Carney

Hunger Awakened

by Dee Carney

Vampire Hunger book 2

Reading Age: Adult

Genre: Romance, Paranormal, Urban fantasy, Vampire

Format: Ebook (provided by publisher)

Published March 4th 2013 by Carina Press

There’s something inside of him, some dormant part that’s been awakened. And now it wants to be set free...

Something’s wrong with Sebastian Kent. Already considered an outsider in the vampire community as a half-vampire, half-something else, he’ll do everything in his power to hide his weakness. But when sickness strikes, he has no choice but to turn to a human for help—a woman whose touch provides his only relief.

Alice Bowman is hiding her own illness, one that has left her homeless. When she comes to Bast’s aid, she doesn't expect to be thrust into the world of vampires. But he offers her refuge and a job researching his family history in the hope of finding a clue to his mysterious affliction. She can’t resist his offer of protection - and the chance to spend more time with the man who arouses her every desire.

But as Bast and Alice’s hunger for each other grows, so does the power of Bast’s unexplained half. And soon his unknown past and her uncertain future threaten to keep them apart forever.

Hunger Awakened was a fairly odd read. It made me laugh and I don’t think that was its aim, it was incredibly cheesy and quite silly, yet despite that I quite enjoyed it.

I thought the story was ok, if you could get over the silliness. There were issues like the insta-love and not all of it made sense but it was perfectly readable and quite sweet in parts.

I quite liked the characters and think that was what made this book readable. Sebastian is strong and sensual but there were moments of real vulnerability and I struggled to dislike him. Alice is strong and capable and I liked her. I thought they were good together but the romance does get a little sappy towards the end.

Huger Awakened is interesting enough if you are willing to suspend reality for a little while. I will probably check out other books in the series if I come across them in the future.

3 stars

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Faking It by Diane Alberts

Faking It

by Diane Alberts

Reading Age: Adult

Genre: Romance, Contemporary

Format: Ebook (copy provided by publisher)

Published March 11th 2013 by Entangled Publishing

 Derek Rory never meant to propose to his best friend's little sister. But when her boss tells a family-oriented investor he's Stephanie's fiancé, Derek can either play along or let her get fired. He's hardly one to turn away from a damsel in distress. If only that damsel wasn't adorable and sexy with a laugh that could melt any cold business mogul’s heart.

When a business proposal becomes a marriage proposal, Stephanie Miller tries to keep it strictly boardroom. But when things get hot under the table, it's all they can do to stay apart. As the tangle of lies drags them deeper into the underhanded world of business politics, Stephanie finds herself in over her head—not just with her job, but with her "fiancé." His eyes are cold, but his kisses light her on fire. If she's not careful, she'll end up faking her way into a real romance.

I wasn’t expecting much from Faking It, I have been in a bit of a contemporary romance slump lately. I have read some nice books in the genre but nothing that blew me away. Finally my luck seems to have changed because Faking It was really, really good.

Strictly speaking Faking It does nothing differently from all the other contemporary romances out there. The storyline is familiar, the drama a little over done and the characters a little predictable but what it has that so many other books fail to achieve is chemistry.

Chemistry is an integral part of any romance book and Faking It has it in spades. It burst off the page and got right under my skin and I just loved it. The romance came alive for me and I wanted Derek and Stephanie to be together.

Both characters were far from perfect. Steph was far too stubborn to the point where I got a little frustrated with her. I just wanted to slap her occasionally just to snap her out of it. She was caring and loving but her independent streak went way too far. Derek was a little to restrained, he makes some silly mistakes and can be a little too forceful. But despite their annoying ticks and habits when you put them together it just worked and it made this book a joy to read.

Faking It is far from perfect but it is an extremely enjoyable romance with a couple to die for. If you are a romance fan then this is a must.

4 stars

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Dangerously Close by Dee J Adams

Dangerously Close

by Dee J Adams

Adrenaline Highs book 3

Reading Age: Adult

Genre: Romance, Thriller

Format: ebook

Published July 23rd 2012 by Carina Press

Bad-boy rock star Seger Hughes hit rock bottom after a near-fatal tragedy at his concert. He hates how his life has spun out of control. After changing his appearance and his name, he transforms into a different man: Mel Summers. Now he just needs a place to hide out from rabid fans and paparazzi.

An isolated cliffside mansion is perfect. Ashley Bristol, his only neighbor, is blind—and her assistant is a classical music fan. They have no clue who he really is, but someone else does and she’s waited her whole life to be with him.

Struggling to find her way after an accident that took her sight, Ashley is determined not to feel anything. Yet she gets to know Mel and can’t help falling for him. When her assistant mysteriously disappears, Ashley must rely on Mel more than ever. But then his past comes back to haunt them both, and just when they must pull together to avoid danger, betrayal and lies threaten to tear them apart.

Dangerously close was what I call a grower. For the first 4 or 5 chapters I wondered how the hell I would get through the whole book. After that it dramatically improved. It grew on me.

Generally speaking I liked the plot, it was interesting and there was a nice blend of suspense and romance. The big problem was the beginning; it just seemed to be full of useless information. I didn’t need to know in detail how Ashley became blind, got a dog and a live in helper. I just needed to know she was blind, had a dog and a live in helper. I could have done with a few paragraph explaining these things not 4 chapters. Other than that it was good. I did think that maybe Ashley had been through a lot of unnecessary stuff in her life but all in all it was fine.

Like so many of these types of books the narrative jumps around a lot, it settles to three characters and that worked well. I liked the way Adams wrote Ashley’s blindness, she didn’t slip up once but also didn’t mention Ashley’s blindness constantly.

At first I thought Ashley was terrible because she had all those boring chapters. She dramatically improves when Mel comes along because we are able to really see her personality. She has been through a lot but has a wicked sense of humour. I never once thought of her as weak, even when she was at her lowest and feeling self-conscious she had strength which I really admired. In the beginning there is not much to like about Mel, he is just another spoilt rock star that has gone off the rails. Yet, he manages to slowly but surely redeem himself and he turned into a likable guy. Is he perfect? No, but that’s how I prefer my male leads.

What I loved about this book was the way the romance grew. There was no insta-love, instead the characters first respected each other, then formed a friendship. What I loved was the way they talked about their friendship when they became lovers. They didn’t just fall into bed overcome with lust. They took their time and that made the romance better. The sex was intense and well written, I enjoyed it but I would have liked to have seen Adams utilise Ashley’s blindness a little more. There is something so sensual about not seeing but feeling.

Dangerously Close is a nice romantic thriller that I enjoyed…if you discount the first 4 chapters that is. 

3 stars

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Book Haul (24)

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's reviews

(Click Titles for links to goodreads)

Here is this weeks haul:

ARCS/review copies:

Massive thanks to Hot Key Books for sending me this:

I really loved the first book in the Insignia series and cannot wait to get started on this.

Vortex by S.J Kincaid

I also got some great E-ARCS

YA:

 

Not A Drop to Drink by Molly McGinnis

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

Acid by Emma Pass

Noble Conflict by Malorie Blackman

The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles

Icons by Margaret Stohl

Dance of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin

Adult:

Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox

Sharpshooter by Cynthia Eden

Beautiful Danger by Michele Hauf

To Sin with a Viking by Michelle Willingham

Some like it Hot by Susan Anderson

Wild at heart by Viki Lewis Thompson

Highlanders by various

 Daysider by Susan Krinard

The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes

New Adult:

Connected by Kim Karr

Won:

Possession by S.K Falls

Thankyou to all the publishers/blogs/friends who gave me books this week.

What did you get? 

Transparent by Natalie Whipple

Transparent

by natalie Whipple

Reading Age: Young Adult

Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance

Format: E-ARC (provided by publisher)

Pages: 368

Expected publication: May 21st 2013 by HarperTeen/Hot Key books

Plenty of teenagers feel invisible. Fiona McClean actually is.

An invisible girl is a priceless weapon. Fiona’s own father has been forcing her to do his dirty work for years—everything from spying on people to stealing cars to breaking into bank vaults.

After sixteen years, Fiona’s had enough. She and her mother flee to a small town, and for the first time in her life, Fiona feels like a normal life is within reach. But Fiona’s father isn’t giving up that easily.

Of course, he should know better than anyone: never underestimate an invisible girl.

I wanted to like Transparent but the truth is I just couldn’t. There was not enough here to keep me really interested and there were parts that annoyed me.

The problems started straight away when the book jumped straight in with little introduction or explanation. The world building didn’t work for me and I felt like I was being told stuff instead of being shown. I just don’t think things were explained well enough to engage me and I was often lost or confused.

There were also some things that just didn’t make much sense. If you are running away from your powerful and dangerous father would you really enrol in high school not that far away from him? Would you stay at that high school if everyone there knew you were this man’s daughter? I would have thought that being Invisible you would just slink off and hang out in swanky hotels for free, travel the world and hang out it boys locker rooms. Or maybe that’s just me. I just couldn’t understand the reasoning behind her staying so close to her dad and making no real attempt to hide her identity.

I might have been able to deal with all that if it wasn’t for the MC Fiona. I just really, really disliked her. She is mostly sulky, miserable and rude and occasionally horrible and cruel. Her treatment of her mother is something that I couldn’t stand, it made me grit my teeth with anger. Her mother is trying to help her, trying to save her but Fiona only cares about herself and does nothing but belittle and bully her.

This was (in theory) a really good idea and it could have been an amazing book but the unbelievable plot like and nasty main character put me off. I got to the half-way point and skimmed my way to the end.

2 stars

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Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn

Reading Age: Adult

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

 Format: Paperback

Pages: 496

Published January 3rd 2013 by Phoenix 

Marriage can be a real killer.

On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

“I feel myself trying to be charming, and then I realize I’m obviously trying to be charming, and then I try to be even more charming to make up for the fake charm, and then I’ve basically turned into Liza Minnelli: I’m dancing in tights and sequins, begging you to love me. There’s a bowler and jazz hands and lots of teeth.” 

WOW, just WOW. Oh my goodness this book! 

I have to be careful what I say here because one wrong word will give away the secrets of one of the best thrillers I have ever read.  This is a book than needs to be read with no knowledge of what it to come.

So often lack of originality is an issue where books are concerned. Not this time. Gone Girl is fresh and new. It is also dark and dirty and vulgar and I absolutely loved it. The writting was beautiful and angry.  I loved the way Flynn got into every corner of her characters head and spread it out for the reader to pick and stare at.

My feelings were and still are conflicted. I truly hated the characters. They are manipulative, nasty and selfish yet I loved them. The ending was wrong and anger inducing yet I was so pleased with it and would have probably been more livid had it ended any other way. 

Gillian Flynn has created a book that is dark, smart and impossible to put down. It is full of twists and turns, riddles and surprises. I really loved it. 

5 stars

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COVER REVEAL: After the Kiss by Lauren Layne

Its cover reveal time! 

I am so happy to be able to review the cover of After the kiss by Lauren Layne which I think it just awesome.  This definitely looks like a book I would like to read, I do love me some romance and this looks perfect for that

What do you think? 

Let me know in the comments!

 

After the KissThe Stiletto Series

 

by Lauren Layne

 

The Stiletto Series

 

Expected publication August 26, 2013 by Loveswept

In the first book of a delightful new series from Lauren Layne, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
 
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.
 
Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.

About the Author

Lauren Layne writes contemporary romance for Grand Central Publishing (Forever Yours) and Random House (Loveswept).

After dabbling in an e-commerce career in Seattle and Southern California, Lauren moved to New York City where she now writes full time.

Lauren graduated from Santa Clara University with B.S. in Political Science that she has yet to put to good use. She lives with her husband and plus-sized pomeranian in a tiny Manhattan studio.

Connect with Loveswept and Lauren:

ReadLoveswept.com  |  Lauren's Website  |  Lauren on Twitter

Pre-order After the Kiss:

Amazon  |  B&N  |  iBookstore  |  Random House and other retailers

Lord of Secrets by Alyssa Everett

Lord of Secrets

by Alyssa Everett

Reading Age: Adult

Genre: Romance, Historical, Drama

Format: E-ARC

Published March 25th 2013 by Carina Press

Somewhere on the North Atlantic, 1820

Rosalie Whitwell has spent most of her life sailing the globe with her adventurous father, dreaming of the day she can settle in one place long enough to have a home and family of her own. When her father suffers a fatal heart attack in the middle of the North Atlantic, Rosalie turns in her panic to a fellow passenger--the cool, reclusive Lord Deal.

For years David Linney, Marquess of Deal, has avoided the society of others. Even so, he's drawn to his lovely shipmate, like him the victim of family tragedy.

As the voyage nears its end, Lord Deal is compelled to propose. But on their wedding night, Rosalie gets an unwelcome surprise: her handsome husband is strangely reluctant to consummate the marriage. Does she fall short of her groom's expectations? Or is he hiding a secret past that only she can unlock?

I was not expecting much from this one if I am honest, I liked the sound of it but the cover is a little cheesy and I was unsure. Luckily I gave this one a shot because Lord of Secrets is actually quite impressive.

I find that most romances like this rely too heavily on the romance and the back story is left hanging unfulfilled. That is not the case here, Lord of Secrets is a lovely romance but it is also a well-rounded story with real emotional impact and relateble characters.

The storyline is interesting and touching. It moved along at a fairly slow pace but that suited the story. This is not about passion and action it is about human nature. There are parts of this that are extremely serious and it tackles a tough and horrible subject. I felt that the author handled the subject with extreme care and consideration and it didn’t feel over done at all.

The characters were great and I loved that it focused more on the male character and his issues rather than the woman. David is a complex character and I wasn’t really sure what to make of him until the end. I liked him but knew he has some extreme self-esteem issues it was only when his history unravelled that I understood him completely. I loved that he wanted to protect Rosalie from what he considered the worse of himself.  I thought the author did well not to let the reader in on his secrets straight away, you share Rosalie’s concerns and fears with her until the very end.

Rosalie is also a great character; she is quite plain no simpering beauty but a good woman with a good heart. She handles herself with grace even when she hits rock bottom. I love the way she stands by David even when she doesn’t understand, she is compassionate and sweet.

Lord of Secrets is not perfect and if I wanted to pick holes in it I could but I really appreciate the author for making this not just another romance. There is depth here and I applaud that. 

4 stars

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Follow Friday (28)

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

1. (Required) Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts {Parajunkee & Alison Can Read}
2. (Required) Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts.
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 and that they are now following you.
5. If you are using WordPress or another CMS that doesn't have GFC (Google Friends Connect) state in your posts how you would like to be followed
6. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
7. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

Here is this weeks question:

School is out! What is your favorite Summer Reading book?

 I honestly don't really have summer or winter books, I just tend to read anything I can get my hands on all year round lol. Living in the UK we rarely have a summer so it doesn't make to much difference any way ; )


BLOG BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY

Last week I celebrated my first blog birthday and to celebrate I am giving away some pretty cool stuff.

All prizes are open internationally so enter away.

a Rafflecopter giveaway