Sunday, September 30, 2012

Review: Ever

Ever
By: Jessa Russo
Release Date: October 1, 2012
Series: Ever

Description:
BOOK ONE in The EVER Trilogy

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul


Review:
This was definitely an interesting read because I didn't know where the author was going to go with it and its always fun to go on an adventure that can lead you anywhere.

We meet Ever who loves the color black, lives with her patents and its home schooled because two years ago she was in a car accident where she lost the love of her life.  But she never really lost him because he's a ghost and lives in her house, and her family can see him.  Her best friend is.her complete opposite but AOL always there for her when she needs out.  There are new neighbors moving into Frankie's old house, he's the ghost and Ever is still in love with him and can't imagine being with anyone else until she sees the new neighbor.  His name is Toby also loves black and is s total mystery.

They get introduced and one thong leads to another and they start dating. Everything is fine for a whole but she still feels guilty because of Frankie.  Then strange things start to happen and on her eighteenth birthday something amazing happens.  Frankie is somehow bought back to,life by someone she doesn't even like, Toby's ex girlfriend. 

Of course this comes with certain consequences but you won't find out what that is until the end.  But from the point he comes back we find out that Toby and his friends are soul collectors what is that exactly and what does that mean for everyone involved.  Things get complicated for everyone involved.  With the consequences finally exposed how will everyone react to them.  Again this was an interesting read and I would love to see what happens next to all the characters involved.

The cover is absolutely beautiful and perfect for this story.  I can't wait to see what they come up with for the next cover.  Hopefully Frankie will be solid and made Toby will be pictured too.  So exciting.


Disclaimer:
I received this book from NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Guest Post: Michelle Madow

Today I have a very special guest, it's Michelle Madow, the author of the Transcend Time series about a love that can transcend through time.  This is in honor of the final book coming out November 20, 2012, make sure to look out for it when it hits shelves.  It's a beautiful story and you should definitely check out the series if you haven't already.  So I asked her what time period would she visit and why, I have no idea what I would personally pick because I can only imagine the pros and cons of being in different eras, I think I'll stick to unless later is better in that case i might go to the future in hopes of a better today.  Did that make sense, it totally did in my head ... but I digress.

Here's Michelle ....



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Top Five Places in Time to Visit


I have loved the idea of time travel since I was a kid. My love of anything time travel explains why I was inclined to include time travel in the final book of the Transcend Time Saga, Timeless, which will be coming out on November 20, 2012. I’m super excited to be sharing the top five places I would like to visit in time!

1) The Regency Era in England
I suppose this is a rather obvious response, since the Transcend Time Saga revolves around teenagers remembering past lives they lived in the Regency Era! My love of this time period stemmed from one of my all-time favorite love stories, Pride and Prejudice.

2) The Golden Age of Rome
I’ve loved Roman history since I was a kid, and think it’s incredible how people living two thousand years ago built such beautiful buildings. I would love to travel back in time and see what the Roman ruins looked like in their prime!

3) Tudor England
I must admit, my interest in this time period began when I devoured Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction books that took place during this era. I would love to see what court life was like—it seems like they had such wonderful parties!

4) The Titanic
This isn’t technically an “era,” but oh well! I’ve always been interested in the Titanic, and would love to see what it was like to travel on the luxury ship (in first class, of course.) I would be sure to time travel back home before it sinks, though!

5) Ancient Egypt
Pyramids, palaces, and feasts aboard boats floating on the Nile! I would love to see what Egypt looked like when it was the most advanced civilization in the world.

Thank you, Cathy, for having me on Addicted to Books!

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About the Author:
Michelle Madow was inspired to write Remembrance after seeing Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video while a junior at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. The song and video gave her the story idea about a high school girl reincarnated from Regency Era, England. She handed in the first chapter as a homework assignment for class, and when her teacher and classmates wanted her to continue writing, she decided to go for it. By the end of the school year, her first novel was completed! For more information on Michelle and her books, visit www.michellemadow.com.

Michelle lives in Florida, where she is hard at work writing more novels for young adults.

Author Links:
FacebookRemembrance FacebookTwitterBlogGoodreads

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The final part of the Transcend Time Series, Timeless, comes out on November 20, 2012. Be sure to read the first two parts, Remembrance and Vengeance, first!

REMEMBRANCE:
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, iBooks, Kobo

VENGEANCE:



Friday, September 28, 2012

Review: Persuaded

Persuaded
By: Jenni James
Release Date: July 17, 2012
Series: The Jane Austen Diaries

Description:
Will he take her back, or fling her aside like she deserves?

Three years ago Amanda made the biggest mistake of her life when she let her friends persuade her to reject the guy she loved. They were convinced he was a loser and wasn't good enough for her.

Now Gregory's back in Farmington . . . taller, stronger, hotter than ever, and worth millions. Those gorgeous girls who snubbed him before are now falling at his feet and he's enjoying every moment of it.

Can he see past the pain Amanda caused him and give her a second chance? Or will she forever regret losing the only guy who truly loved her?

Review:
Okay I can't even start telling you how much I'm loving this series of books.  How can you not adore Jane Austen's concepts and with Jenni James recreating them and modernizing them my heart just soars some more.  With the ups and the downs and the heartbreaking and oh I'm just feeling very much like a girl in one of Jane Austen's books.  Which one, I haven't decided yet but I'm feeling it.

We meet Amanda at the beginning of the book where she is still in love with the guy she disappointed three years ago.  She basically told him she didn't want to be with him because of what her friends were saying.  He just wasn't cool enough.  Well secretly she still pines for him and when he comes back in the picture and is better looking than ever and rich to boot, her friends are all over him.  But she remembers the real him and she sees it there in him.  She misses him.

When Gregory comes back home and now that his family is much more well off, Amanda's family can not say the same, turns out Greg's family is buying Amanda's house.  So you can imagine her surprise when she sees him again.  He tries so hard not to show interest in her, and his family is all about him finding someone special.  He starts with her stepsister, who is as vain as they come.  Then he moves on to her best friend, and she is just trying to help them out and make sure he's happy but still trying to hold back her feelings for him.  She even sees a little hope that he will feel the same way too, but her friend is in love with him.  Or at least she thinks she is in love with him. 

They go out as a large group several times and during one of their off roading experiences something bad happens to her best friend.  They are all there for her but still things have gotten more complicated all the while both Amanda and Gregory are playing the whole I totally want you but I can't and I won't admit it game.  It's all very exciting and very Jane Austen, I loved it. Things progress between all the friends, some lives are changed but still will the truth ever come out that they love each other.  You will have to read and find out.

You should really check out this series if you haven't already because it's well worth the read.  It's quick, easy, fun, exciting and most o all based on Jane Austen with a modern twist on it.  I can't wait to see the next book, it's going to be just as great.  Thanks Jennie James for a really fun series. I really like the cover, something about that smirk on her face really makes me interested in wanting to pick up the book.  It just suits the book perfectly.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Review: Dante's Girl

Dante's Girl
By: Courtney Cole
Release Date: June 24, 2012

Description:
I have spent every summer since I was ten years old with my father in London. Every summer, since I was ten years old, has been uneventful and boring.
Until this year.

And this year, after a freak volcanic eruption strands me far from home, I have learned these things:

1. I can make do with one outfit for three days before I buy new clothes.
2. If I hear the phrase, “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” even one more time, I might become a homicidal maniac.
3. I am horribly and embarrassingly allergic to jellyfish.
4. I am in love with Dante Giliberti, who just happens to be the beautiful, sophisticated son of the Prime Minister of a Mediterranean paradise.
5. See number four above. Because it brings with it a whole slew of problems and I’ve learned something from every one of them.

Let’s start with the fact that Dante’s world is five light-years away from mine. He goes to black-tie functions and knows the Prime Minister of England on a first name basis. I was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and wear cut-off jeans paired with cowboy boots. See the difference?

But hearts don’t care about differences. Hearts want what they want. And mine just wants to be Dante’s girl.

My heart just might be crazy.


Review:
I really enjoyed how this story began with the volcanic ash ruining flights in Europe. I remember hearing about that on the news forever and it's so interesting that the author went ahead and went even further with this and showing what happened to one person during that time period.  Of course it was all very fantastical and definitely fiction but still lit was a fun ride.

We meet Reece who is in Amsterdam and is on her way to London to spend the summer with her father.  But that's when the volcano explodes and there is ash everywhere making planes impossible to fly.  She runs into this guy in the airport before they land and he's even on her flight.  There's a spark between the two and they start talking.  Then the explosion happens and he's evacuated and takes her along with him to a private jet and his home.

Turns out he's the son of the Prime minister of a small island.  He's pretty much royalty and she's smitten.  But they are from different worlds, she's from some farm town in Kansas and he's from paradise.  She is just a normal average American he is the son of a foreign Prime Minister.  But even with all their differences there is an undeniable attraction.  Dante is constantly reminding Reece that his life is very complicated but she still doesn't want' to think about it, she just wants him.

She stays in his country and starts working as an intern on his family's olive grove.  There she befriends Mia even more and they have a great time together.  Dante and her grow closer and closer.  There's some drama thrown in and some great situations arise.  The scenery sounds amazing and I almost wish I was there minus the sharks and jellyfish scenarios though lol.

Overall this was a cute book.  Familiar plot but still well written and completed.  The cover is cute too, wanted a little more but I liked where the story went and how it ended. 

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: •Grab your current read •Open to a random page •Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) •Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for the week:



Even through the wide windshield, the Iowa stars were sharply defined against the low black sky.  The moon hung in a crescent above the neighbor's garage.  I took a breath. "Jake?"

The Princesses of Iowa
by M. Molly Backes

Monday, September 24, 2012

Musing Monday

MUSING MONDAYS… is a weekly event where MizB at Should be Reading will ask a book/reading-related question, and you answer with your own thoughts on the topic.

This week’s musing asks…
Do you have any hobbies outside of reading? Or do you collect anything?

I too used to do scrapbooking, and have shelves upon shelves of supplies.  One day I'll get through it all.  In the meantime though really I still do crafting but not scrapbooking.  I'm more into Artist Trading Cards and Postcards, things of those natures.  You know the smaller scale items lol.  I also like to decorate cakes and plan parties.  I think I'm pretty good at that.  I know I've posted some cakes before, but here's some pictures of my Handmade postcards I did for a recent swap, this is my release from books.  I try and get something done at least once a week depending on how the reading is going. 

This is actually two postcards made out of one picture.  That's what I do when I'm not reading and I have a moment to myself.  How about you?  Any hobbies or collectibles?

Friday, September 21, 2012

Review: Forever Mine

Forever Mine
By: Elizabeth Reyes
Release Date: September 6, 2010
Series: The Moreno Brothers

Description:
Seventeen-year old Sarah’s life is turned upside down when her single mom is sent to jail. She’s forced to move, leaving behind everything she’s ever known, including her best friend Sydney. Lost and bitter in a new school, her one goal is to save money and move back home. Then she meets Angel Moreno.

Enigmatic but gorgeous, Angel is almost too good to be true. Except for one thing, his archaic belief that guys and girls can never be “just friends”. The problem? Sarah’s best friend Sydney is not a girl.

With their unexpected romance intensifying to places neither ever experienced, how long can Sarah keep Angel in the dark about the guy waiting for her back home?

Review:
This book really intrigued me because the characters were Hispanic, and that to me is rare and I saw it on Amazon and had to check it out.  I was pleasantly surprised that this book did not disappoint at all.  Memories of typical male Hispanic machismo were definitely present, but they have their reasons.  I loved reading about it though, very interesting.  I wouldn’t say this is a young adult book; it’s more labeled for mature young adult, so keep that in mind if you are going to read this.

We meet Sarah as she moves to California to live with her aunt and cousin because her mother was just sent to Jail in Arizona for embezzlement.  She leaves her best friend behind Sydney.  Who is not a girl, that’s a very big part of this story so make sure you remember that.  She starts school and on her very first day is mesmerized by a boy who her cousin points out to be Angel Moreno, one of the infamous Moreno brothers. 

Angel is a very strong minded macho guy who is part of the football team and doesn’t believe that girls and guys can be friends without there being something extra involved.  It just can’t happen in his eyes.  Well he runs into Sarah again and they start getting together.  Things digress and their relationship intensifies but the entire time she neglects to tell him that Sydney is actually a guy and not a girl as Angel assumes.  You know what they say about assuming.  So the longer time goes on the harder it is for her to tell him the truth.

Lo and behold Sydney shows up one day and sure enough Angel catches wind about the meeting and you can only imagine what happens next.  Yup out comes the macho man with his idea of girls and guys not being able to be friends.  You really feel for Sarah though because really she hasn’t done anything wrong they really are just friends.  But Angel can’t take it and he becomes very stubborn about it.

Throughout the whole book there are backstories going on with other characters which I’m sure leads to the following books, which I will start reading shortly.  But I loved all the characters, especially Valerie her cousin, I can totally relate to her and she just really reminds me of myself sometimes at that age.  There’s also Sofie the Moreno brother’s younger sister, she seems so sweet and I can’t wait to read more about her either.  Overall this book and this series seem to be very promising and I can’t wait to sink my teeth into them. 

I love the cover how sweet and innocent Sarah looks, but I don’t know about the guy he’s cute but really not how I pictured Angel.  But I’m still digging it because hey they look good together regardless.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":


Star Crossed
By Jennifer Echols
Release Date: February 26, 2013

Description:
Wendy Mann loves her job rescuing celebrities from public relations scrapes. She grew up with nothing, and now she’s drawn to glitz, glamour, and a lighthearted lifestyle. She speaks her mind, so she’s just the tough cookie to tell stars the truth about how other people see them, even when they don’t want to hear it. But after six years at the top of her game, Wendy crosses the line. A star she was sent to save rebels against her and nearly gets her fired. To salvage her job, she must rehabilitate the career of a singing starlet with a penchant for posting inappropriate photos of herself and arguing online with her famous ex. Problem is, the ex is represented by Wendy’s arch nemesis from college, the hot and haughty Daniel Blackstone. And both stars are scheduled for a collision course on national television, broadcast live from Las Vegas.


Daniel’s uneasy when he hears Wendy Mann from his firm’s most hated competitor has been brought in to revive the career of his client’s ex-girlfriend. Daniel must win at any cost. And if he has to seduce Wendy to smooth the way to their partnership, he’s willing to sacrifice himself for the cause. But Daniel doesn’t count on the scorching heat between them—and when they get to Vegas, all bets are off.   ******************** I may have done this one before, but the cover just came out and I adore Jennifer Echols so I'm picking her upcoming book!

Monday, September 17, 2012

Timeless: Blurb Reveal + Giveaway

Timeless
By Michelle Madow
Release Date: November 20, 2012
Series: Transcend Time Saga

Description:
IT'S A RACE AGAINST TIME.

In Remembrance, Lizzie and Drew changed the course of fate so they could be together.

In Vengeance, Chelsea set fate back on its original, deadly path.

Now, strange things keep happening to Lizzie. Things that are omens of darkness to come. A curse has doomed her to die an early death, just as she did in her past life. To make things worse, even if she can figure out who cast the curse, it's irreversible. There's only one option left for her to save herself. It's crazier than anything she's heard yet, and to do it, she'll need Drew and Chelsea's help.

Because to make things right, they must go back to when it all began …

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I know I can't wait for this book to come out, have to see what is going to happen next.  If you want to know more about the series and the author go to www.michellemadow.com.  This will also let you know where you can buy the first book Remembrance

Now time for the giveaway! Yah!
Please note this is only for US residents Only
You will have a chance to win the following:
- One signed paperback of Timeless (to be sent as soon as possible after the release date)


- A choice of one of these time travel novels:
Waterfall by Lisa Bergren
Tempest by Julie Cross
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone
Timeless Love by Judith O’Brian

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Review: Send Me a Sign

Send Me a Sign
By:
Release Date: October 2, 2012

Description:
Mia is always looking for signs. A sign that she should get serious with her soccer-captain boyfriend. A sign that she’ll get the grades to make it into an Ivy-league school. One sign she didn’t expect to look for was: “Will I survive cancer?” It’s a question her friends would never understand, prompting Mia to keep her illness a secret. The only one who knows is her lifelong best friend, Gyver, who is poised to be so much more. Mia is determined to survive, but when you have so much going your way, there is so much more to lose. From debut author Tiffany Schmidt comes a heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting story of one girl’s search for signs of life in the face of death.

Review:
Let me start by saying that I love emotional books, about sickness or death or bullying because it helps me to appreciate the things and life I have and I love reading books about these subjects as it helps me better to understand other people and their situations.  I can completely sympathise with anyone because of great books like these.

We meet Mia right away with a secret she's keeping from her friends.  She has cancer, leukemia to be exact.  She's also very superstitious and because of this she is constantly on the lookout for signs for the things she should and shouldn't do.  For example if she hears a certain song she won't tell anyone anything.  But if she sees a sign that it's good she will tell her friends she has cancer.  Of course it just so happens that before her chemo treatments she's with her friends and they start discussing how bad hospitals are and how gross everything could be.  She takes this as a sign not to say anything. 

She goes into chemo with her parents and her neighbors along with her long child hood friend Gyver (which is short for McGuvyer which I think is fabulous).  He is at her bedside the entire time and still her friends have no clue what is going on with her, they think she is off helping her grandparents.  Throughout the entire treatment, sure she goes through the typical side effects of having chemo but still I feel as if she's in denial about the whole thing.  And her neighbor's mom sees this in her.  Of course her mother is no better because she is trying to act like everything is normal, when obviously it's not.  Her dad on the other hand is a complete numbers guy and is always making charts and doing research.

It's almost as if they completely ignore her and what she's truly feeling, but she won't show them this as she tries to be the perfect daughter they have always known and loved.  Even though she is truly scared.  The only person who can see right through her is Gyver, not even her boyfriends/sort of Ryan knows about this.  It's all very off putting on her part, but I guess I can see why she did this.

Throughout the book she learns who her real friends are, with battles that were unnecessary if she had just spoken the truth to begin with.  It's in the little things that count and that's what matters most.  It's the little things that if gone in the end you will also miss the most.  Especially when she gets into this big argument with Gyver who has been there with her since the beginning.  Yes it's a little predictable about this subject but the fun is getting there.  They so obviously belong together, even if other people don't see them because she's miss perfect and he's a loner musician.  Isn't it always that way, but again it's getting there that is the fun part.

I read this book very quickly and enjoyed every minute of it.  It was sweet, tough, heartbreaking and eye opening.  The characters, every single one of them have gone through so much from beginning to end it was great to experience every little bump with them.  I was really sad when the book ended because I was hoping to be reading some more.  But overall this book was great, go buy it, go read it and enjoy the relationship that is blossoming or has always been there, depends on how you see it I guess.  Also struggle along with the family as they try and deal with their daughter's sickness. Great read.


Disclaimer:
I received this book from NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children's Books so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Review: In Honor

In Honor
By: Jessi Kirby
Release Date: May 8, 2012

Description:
A devastating loss leads to an unexpected road trip in this novel from the author of Moonglass, whose voice Sarah Dessen says “is fresh and wise, all at once.”Hours after her brother’s military funeral, Honor opens the last letter Finn ever sent. In her grief, she interprets his note as a final request and spontaneously decides to go to California to fulfill it.

Honor gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen Rusty in ages, but it’s obvious he is as arrogant and stubborn as ever—not to mention drop-dead gorgeous. Despite Honor’s better judgment, the two set off together on a voyage from Texas to California. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn’s memory—but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?  

Review:
The author took me on an emotional roller coaster and I was enjoying the ride the entire time.  Within the first chapter it already had me in tears, then moved on to joy and anger, finally leading me towards a feeling of freedom for the main character Honor.

We start off with Honor trying to be strong at her brother's funeral, who recently passed away while over sees fighting in the war.  She never understood why he joined the marines or how he could leave her alone the way he did.  After the funeral and everyone was gone she received a letter from him, he had no idea of knowing she would be finding it after he already passed.  In his letter he sent her tickets to go see their favorite singer.  So she comes up with this big idea to leave for college later than she expected and follow his last wishes by going to California.  As she's packing her brother's ex best friend Rusty is standing by her drunker than usual and passes out in her car.  So she takes him on this ride with her.

They go through different stages throughout the road trip and it's all very great.  She learns why her brother did some things he did and also some things she didn't know about.  The ride was an eye opener for her and how her brother felt about her, the amount of goodness in him is just so much, who knew there could be people like that really.  So Rusty is constantly having to remind himself of just how grown up Honor really is.  It's all very sweet the way they interact with each other.  Sure I wanted some big reveal of how they belong together, but in due time maybe it will happen.  But for now they learn more about each other and help each other grieve through her brother's loss. 

This story overall was really great, it had me crying, laughing, cringing and deep sighing throughout the whole thing.  The author really knows how to bring out the emotion in people and the characters I thought were really great.  Sure there's some things I wished happened but maybe it's for the better we can't always have that picture movie perfect ending in every book.  This was more realistic and I really enjoyed it.  The ending was open ended, so much could happen afterwards.  But that will have to be lead to our imaginations as this was a standalone. 

The cover is perfect because they talked a lot about Honor's dress wearing boot wearing outfits, It felt all very Texas to me and it's just the right kind of cover.  This is definitely a book I would pick up and read again just to see if I missed anything.  Rusty was adorable and it sounded like he had so much swagger that even I wanted to get on that dance floor with him.  I love guys like that and he had so much hard even if it was a little stubborn at times. Honor too was a great character, she really had no clue about some things, but sometimes people are so self involved they don't realize all the things that are going on around them and how those things came to be.  Great lessons learned in this book.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Release Blitz! Kismetology by Jaimie Admans


Kismetology
By:
Release Date: September 8, 2012

Description:
Finding the perfect man isn't easy. Especially when it's for your mother...


Mothers. Can't live with them, can't live without them, can't live three doors down the road without them interfering in every aspect of your life.

Fed up with her mum meddling in her love life, Mackenzie Atkinson decides to turn the tables and find love for her lonely mother.
Her lonely and very fussy mother.

Surely finding an older gentleman looking for love won't be that hard, right?

Wrong.

If you've ever thought that boys grow up, here's the problem: They don't. Ever.

And Mackenzie is about to learn that the hard way...

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Excerpt:

CHAPTER 1

If I could give one piece of advice to every teenager in the world, it would be this: when you move away from home, move far, far away, and never look back. My biggest mistake? I didn’t move far enough. In fact, I only moved three houses down the road. The perfect distance for my mother to interfere in my life, even more than she did when I lived under her own roof.

"Mackenzie, your curtains aren't even straight," Mum complains from her place on our sofa. "I don't know how you can put up with such a mess."

"How can curtains not be straight, Mum?"

"Well, the join in the middle isn't in the middle at all and the line where they meet doesn't go straight down. Plus there is at least six inches more on the left one than on the right one."

Dan rolls his eyes and gets up from his armchair with a groan.

I know how he feels.

"Don't be long, Daniel, you'll miss Eastenders," Mum calls after him.

"Sir, yes sir," Dan mutters, doing an army salute behind her back.

In all fairness to my mum, maybe my announcement that I was moving in with Dan came as a bit of a shock to her. After all, we’d been dating for a year, but my mum had only known him for six of those months. I’d dated him in secret for the first six months. I was a bit reluctant to introduce them, especially after the incident with an ex-boyfriend—the first and, up to that point, only boyfriend to ever meet my mum—where she'd nearly run him over with a wheelie bin (accidentally) and then put a brick through his car window (she was killing a wasp).

"Can't you get him to brush his hair once in a while?" Mum asks when Dan has left the room. "He makes the place look untidy. And don't even get me started on that shirt."

"Leave him alone, Mum," I warn her. "And stop your bloody dog peeing in my houseplant again, it's dying."

"Oh, Mackenzie, you'll never guess what happened to me today," Mum says animatedly. "Go on, guess."

"I have no idea, Mum."

"I almost got a criminal record. Can you believe that? Me! With a criminal record!"

"I'm honestly scared to ask, but how on earth did you manage that?"

"I nearly got arrested in the park!" She says excitedly.

Only my mother could be excited about getting arrested. "What happened?"

"Well, you know Baby's crocodile outfit, right? I did a really good job of making it, didn't I? I made it look really realistic?"

I nod.

"Well, Baby was off his lead in the park, doing his business, you know, as dogs do. And suddenly all these police surround us. Two animal control vans pull up, there's a helicopter overhead, there are even a couple of men with tranquilizer dart guns poised and ready to shoot."

I rub my hand over my eyes. "Why?"

"Well, it turns out that someone had seen Baby in the park and thought he was a real crocodile. She'd called the police in case he ate the children."

"Oh, Mum, really?" I groan.

"It was so exciting! I think I might even be on the news tonight!"

She thinks this is exciting? Embarrassing would be my preferred term. Very, very embarrassing. "So what happened?"

"Well, the police quickly realised their mistake. But one of them did take me aside and ask if I could not bring Baby to the park in that attire again. Then he gave us a lift home in his police car. He was ever so nice about it."

"I'm sure he was."

"How anyone could mistake my Baby for a crocodile is beyond me. He's hardly crocodile size, is he? The woman must have been blind as a bat."

"Well, you do insist on dressing him up as potentially dangerous animals. And walking him. In public. It's really quite disturbing."

"Oh, nonsense. I like trying out the sewing patterns I find on the internet. It keeps me busy."

Well, something has to, I suppose.

"Come here, Baby." Mum pats the sofa and the miniature Yorkshire terrier, which is practically surgically attached to her, comes running over. "Don't listen to that big, mean lady. She loves you really."

Baby is currently dressed as a ladybird. No, really. Mum's hobby of making these outfits for him is getting out of hand. He jumps onto the sofa and sinks his teeth into one of my twenty quid cushions.

"These cushions were expensive." I yank them out of his way.

"He likes the tassels," Mum responds.

This is our nightly routine now.

On our one-year anniversary, Dan had proposed that we move in together. My mum had not been overly thrilled by the turn of events, until she'd found a little house available to rent and paid the deposit without even asking us. The house happened to be three doors away from her place.

We should have known better.

Dan was indifferent to the fact that my mum had decided where we were going to live and paid a deposit without even telling us. It was one less thing that he had to do. And I couldn't really be mad at her; she was only doing it out of the goodness of her heart. Presumptuous, yes, but ultimately only trying to be helpful. We'd signed a one-year lease two days later.

Since then, Dan has been a gem. Not many men would put up with my mother being an almost permanent third wheel. Not many men would run her cat, Pussy (no, really), down to the emergency vet at three o’clock in the morning because it looked a bit peaky. It was fine. A screeching woman yelling that it looked off-colour had just woken it up from its sleep. I look peaky at that time of day too. Dan had offered his car as transport and we’d roared off down the road at breakneck speed, scaring the poor cat half to death. Then Dan and I had sat in the parking lot for half an hour, while the vet determined that there was absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with the cat.

The house being so near had softened the blow of me moving out and leaving Mum with only her yappy little dog and not-sick cat for company.

"You can pop in anytime you want," I'd told her.

I had no idea that translated into "come over every night and bring the dog and cat with you" in mum language.

The night we moved in, just as we’d settled down together on our new sofa with a glass of wine each and switched on our newly installed satellite TV, my mum’s special knock-knockknock-knock on the door reverberated through the living room. We looked at each other with dread and Dan groaned.

My mum came in, took her shoes off, sat down on the sofa, helped herself to a glass of wine and put on Coronation Street. She didn’t actually watch Corrie, but proceeded to criticise our carpets, our uncomfortable sofa (it wasn’t) the colour of the walls, the way the walls clashed with the curtains (they didn’t) the heat in the room (it was too hot) and the shirt Dan was wearing (I’d always quite liked him in it). Within three minutes, Baby had peed on my new plant. I don't have the best of luck with plants anyway, but I'm sure the dog pee didn't help the plant's life expectancy.

This routine has continued almost every night in the three months since we moved in. In comes my mum, on goes Emmerdale, Corrie or Eastenders, and out comes Mum’s opinion of everything from the wattage of our light bulbs to the colour of Dan’s socks.

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Author Bio:

Jaimie is a 27-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps.

Kismetology is her first novel but there are plenty more on the way! She wants you to know that the mum in this book is nothing like her own mum!

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Buy Links :
Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
Available on all other Amazons too. And coming soon to Sony, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Apple iBooks.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Cover Reveal: The Demon Royale


The Demon Royale
By: Jill Cooper
Release Date: October 2012

Description:
The only thing worse than dying, is running away…

Since becoming employed by a supernatural protection agency, Natalie Johnson’s life has been more interesting than ever. While most teens are working on their summer tans, Natalie works on slaughtering the undead lurking just outside her town’s borders.

The workload takes more than just a toll on her love life, it dampens her spirit and her health, as the town is plagued by a mysterious murderer intent on stealing the residents’ souls. Natalie’s investigation is hampered by her declining health and the sicker she gets, the more inadequate she feels.

Guilt over her inability to act, weighs heavily on Natalie’s shoulders during a time when her strength is needed more than ever. As some of those closest to her begin to lose faith, she must make the hardest stand yet to save the soul of the one person she can always count on:

The Slayer.

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Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads | www.demonroyale.com | Book Trailer
First book in the Series:
Dream Slayer
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Random Ramblings: Doh!

Have you ever started reading a book, and all of a sudden things sound so familiar, like You've read them before but you continue going anyway because you are so sure you haven't read it before.  because some things seem different.  So you continue reading la di da like nothing is going on and then you come to a part in the book that you distinctly remember as having read it before and it not being the same in any other book you have ever read.  So you look at the cover again, and then you skip ahead a couple chapters and glance at the paragraphs, skip ahead some more and then DOH! You've read this book before!!!! Ugh don't you just hate when that happens?

Has this happened to you before?  It happened to me last night when I was reading the second book in the Forever Summer book by Alyson Noel, which I swore I never read anything by her before this book.  Yeah I just really lied to myself because I actually did read Cruel Summer before.  So funny and so wrong at the same time.  I can't believe I did that hahaha.

Review: Forever Summer

Forever Summer
By Alyson Noel
Release Date: April 26, 2011

Description:
Summer. A break from the burdens of school. Deep tans, deeper thoughts. Far away from the everyday. Closer to making dreams come true . . . What does summer mean to you? For the two teenage girls in these two unforgettable novels, summer means being torn away from the familiar and finding new friends. A new place in the world. A new sense of self. And maybe even new love along the way . . .

When you’re having the time of your life, you never want it to end.

Review:

This book actually has two books in one so I will review each one seperately below.

Book 1 – Laguna Cove
This was a quick and easy read.  This is the first book by Alyson Noel I’m reading, just because I happened to find it on my shelf and decided to check it out.  It was quick easy, fun read.  Sure there are some points I liked and others I didn’t but overall a good book to wind down from reading something heavier.

We start off by meeting Anne who has recently moved to California from CT to live with her father.  Here she meets a large group of friends who have been friends forever.  But when something new is introduced anywhere it’s not always liked by everyone.  The entire story is told through all their prospective.  You have Ellie the athletic, popular smart girl who is in love with Chris, but he doesn’t seem to notice it because he only has eyes for the new girl, Anne.  Then there is Jade who is the one trying to always help people, even if they aren’t asking for it.  Lola aka Lolita who just wants to rebel from her parents and then there is the mysterious Jake who works for Anne’s dad, I wish I could have learned more about him.  There was something to that mystery that I wanted to explore more.  But he was just a background character.

We experience Anne’s first months there and how hard it is for her to adjust and deal with her parents and people who don’t particularly like her.  All the while the other characters are all going through their own little dramas.  The book was interesting and it was light and easy to read that’s why I picked it up and I wasn’t completely disappointed.  Sure the girls in it seemed to be complaining about stuff that if I had I wouldn’t complain about it but they are characters in California, part of a rich neighborhood going to Hollywood premiers’ etcetera.  So it’s understandable but still not reasonable.  Oh the grass is always greener on the other side!

Book 2 - Cruel Summer This was another fun quick and easy read. It’s about a girl whose parents are getting divorced so to keep her out of the middle of the entire ordeal is sent off to Greece to live with her Aunt Tally.


She’s reluctant for quite a bit of time, only thinking about her friends back home, the guy she recently hooked up with and what is going on with them. Staying at an Internet Café the majority of the time in the beginning she is determined to try and get home early. But then something changes. She meets someone and rekindles her friendship with someone who was way more worth her time. She starts to become happy again and excited about living in Greece. Really who wouldn’t be?

Overall the story was told through journal entries, emails, texts, and hand written letters and of course a blog. All great forms of communications and it was an interesting way to read things through. The book was good and was something fun and easy to read.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":

Opal
By: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date:12/11/2012
Series: Lux Book #3

Description:
No one is like Daemon Black.


When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Review: Velveteen

Velveteen
By: Daniel Marks
Release Date: October 9, 2012
Series: Velveteen

Description:
Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her

Review:
This was an unusually interesting read, rather on the dark cynical strange side, but interesting none the less. The author took you into a world of Purgatory where souls were just like the living but then again not. It was dark, gray and ashy type of environment that just bought more of that dark cynicism to the story.

We meet Velveteen who was a victim in the living world of a serial killer; she periodically sneaks back into the world of the living and watches as her killer tortures more girls. Sometimes intervening to help if she can, but still all done in secrecy as it is against the rules to go back and haunt the living. There are many rules in this Purgatory, and rules are meant to be broken.

When her and her salvage team go back to investigate why there are more and more shadow quakes and to get rid of the source (usually someone who is possessed) they find a cell with a soul in it. Shattering it and releasing that soul brings forth a boy she wasn’t expecting. Someone she is attracted to and starts to mess with her mind and honestly her feelings because she’s never really felt like this, but of course it’s against the rules to be with a member of the same team.

Throughout the book there is word of an uprising and they are all in search of a rogue member of an old salvage team. It goes back and forth between the living and the dead and still the whole concept was really throwing me off a little. Could I imagine this place existed, maybe and maybe not? It was all very surreal. While this uprising was taking place Velvet and Nick were getting closer, all the while she would still sneak off to see her killer. I know this book was described more like a girl with revenge, sure revenge took place but I don’t think it was the main focal point.

I think that Nick was a very much likeable character and Velvet in her own way was also likeable. The book was interesting but took me a while to read. I just couldn’t get into it as much as I wanted to, and believe me I did. Overall the book was good, would I read the second one? I don’t know maybe just to see where Velvet is but I really thought this book could be more of a standalone, there was a beginning a middle and an ending which I thought ended well enough for me.

The cover is nice; I can totally see Velvet and her special guy there, although in the book he's wearing a basketball jersey the majority of the time so that would have been nice to see also her boots she keeps talking about. What will come next for this salvage team?

Disclaimer:
I received this book from NetGalley and Random House, so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: •Grab your current read •Open to a random page •Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page •BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) •Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here's my teaser for the week:



They walked down the beach toward the glowing bonfire, and of course, as luck would have it, the very first person Anne saw was the one who hated her the most, Ellie. She was sitting next to Jade and Chris and some guy named Duncan, and Lola was heading straight for them.

Forever Summer
By Alyson Noel
Page 78 (Laguna Cove first book)

Monday, September 10, 2012

Musing Monday

MUSING MONDAYS… is a weekly event where MizB at Should be Reading will ask a book/reading-related question, and you answer with your own thoughts on the topic.

This week’s musing asks…

Do you take notes while you read?


Now the first thing I thought when I read this is that's just crazy why would you take notes.  I don't have the time or patience or discipline to take notes.  For example if I were to try and take notes while I'm reading it would last maybe a week and that's all.  The only things I keep are my reviews and I just started that recently on a file on a flash drive.  Otherwise I do not take notes.  I can just imagine my notebook lying around someone and one of my girls taking it to play with because they love to color and waste paper.  So nope, no notes for me.  I didn't even do that when I was in school.  I hated taking notes, I always preferred doodling lol. 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Ten Tiny Breaths



Ten Tiny Breaths
By: K.A. Tucker
Expected Release Early 2013


Description:
Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.


But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgivable past of his own, one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

Author Bio:

Born in small-town Ontario, Kathleen published her first book at the age of six with the help of her elementary school librarian and a box of crayons. She is a voracious reader and the farthest thing from a genre-snob, loving everything from High Fantasy to Chick Lit. Kathleen currently resides in a quaint small town outside of Toronto with her husband, two beautiful girls, and an exhausting brood of four-legged creatures.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm "Waiting on":
Things I Can't Forget
by Miranda Kenneally
Release Date: March 1, 2013

Description:
Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker. Set at summer camp, this book is about a girl named Kate falling in love for the first time.

Read an excerpt here.


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I know I haven't read the second book yet but I'm so excited about this author and I can't wait to read this book either when it comes out next year!

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Review: The Vincent Boys

The Vincent Boys
By: Abbi Glines
Release Date: October 12, 2011
Series: The Vincent Boys

Description:
There was something wicked about Beau that drew me to him. What was wrong with me? Why did I want to sin so badly

Ashton is getting tired of being good, of impressing her parents and playing ideal girlfriend to Sawyer Vincent. Sawyer is perfect, a regular Prince Charming, but when he leaves town for the summer, it’s his cousin Beau who catches Ashton’s eye. Beau is the sexiest guy she’s ever seen, and even though he’s dangerous, Ashton is drawn to him.

Beau loves his cousin like a brother, so the last thing he wants to do is make a move on Sawyer’s girl. Ashton is off-limits, absolutely. That’s why he does his best to keep his distance, even though he’s been in love with her forever. When Ashton wants to rekindle their childhood friendship in Sawyer’s absence, Beau knows he should say no.

Ashton and Beau don’t want to hurt Sawyer. But the more they try to stay away from each other, the more intense their urges become. It’s getting way too hard to resist....


Review:

This is a classic story of a love triangle, but I think Abbi Glines brings a great aspect and twist to it. This theme is timeless and the characters in this book are great to read about. We meet the Vincent cousins Sawyer and Beau, they have been best friends with Ashton since they were little kids running around and climbing trees. Nothing could separate the three of them, that is until the boys start to notice girls, and vice versa. Sawyer made the first move and he and Ashton are now together.

Fast forward three years and they are still together. But in the background Beau is still there, watching and secretly wanting Ashton but she has changed. She's turned into someone who is perfect just like Sawyer deserves, but deep down that isn't who she is, even if she is the preacher's daughter. There is a strong need for her to be perfect, but this summer Sawyer goes away with his family and she feels like finally letting loose.

She sure does let loose with Beau in tow. Their relationship together is strong and passionate. I can feel the intensity of their bond and it's as if they belong together, but she is still with Sawyer. But at the same time being with Beau makes her feel free and finally she feels like herself. No need to be perfect. Their relationship grows more as Sawyer is still away, but then he comes back and everything has to stop. There are rumors running around about Beau and Ashton but of course they used to be friends so that's all it is. Until finally Ashton can't take it anymore and she finally lets Sawyer knows that it's over. She is choosing Beau. But this leads the two Vincent boys to an argument and then a truth comes out that was really not expected, but completely makes sense in the story.

Overall this was a good book. Very interesting, I'm not sure if the cover really relates to the characters as much as I would think, but I still like it independently. Interesting quick and easy fun read. The only thing is there are a couple religious references and I'm never really fond of them but it wasn't the main point of the book. It was just there sometimes. Overall okay book.

Review: Out of the Dark

Out of the Dark
By Quinn Loftis
Release Date: June 3, 2012
Series: The Grey Wolves #4

Description:
Darkness has descended on the Transylvanian Alps.
Four packs of the powerful Grey wolves – in a rare show of cooperation – had joined together here in an effort to help their pack members find true mates. Then they were betrayed by one of their own – an Alpha hell-bent on becoming the most powerful of the Canis lupis. And though the wolf's assassination attempt on the currently-reigning Romanian Alpha failed, his plans to get Decebel, the Romanian Beta, out of the picture were coming together even as his treachery was discovered. The wolf fled, leaving destruction, death, and a missing mate behind him.

Unbeknownst to the other packs, the wolf has employed a witch to finish the deadly job and help him gain another tool to increase his power. A curse of devastating proportions will cripple Decebel in a way that may dissolve his fragile bond with Jennifer. Meanwhile, injured and alone, Jen has been fighting for her life. She had come to terms with her fate, accepting that she would not share a life with Decebel, until help came in the most unexpected form...

Vasile will have to use all his resources – including Sally, the new gypsy healer of the Romanian pack – to discover a way in which to destroy the witch, lift the curse from Decebel and reunite him with the one woman who makes him whole, and solve a mystery that's been surrounding the Romanian pack for 300 years.


Review:

Ok first let me say if you haven't read the other books this will definitely contain spoilers as I'm summing everything that happened and is about to happen. You've been warned. And if you haven't read the other books then what are you waiting for because Quinn Loftis' world of the Grey Wolves is too amazing to pass up, especially if you love wolves and just the supernatural world in general. Her story telling is fun and exciting and will leave you laughing, heartbroken, and happy and just all around excited.

Jennifer is missing, Decebel is going crazy, the mansion from the Gathering was set on fire, Alina and Vasile are back from the practical dead thanks to the help of their new healer, Sally. Jacques and Fane are doing great but still there is so much turmoil going on. Seems there is a witch in the Serbian pack working with them to get rid of all the other packs. But the witch has other plans. She's after the blood of a healer, turns out there are two.

Rachel, a healer that is over two centuries old has found Jen and is tending to her wounds. But she's afraid of being found out by the witch who has been looking for her, because of this she does something she never thought she would have to do. She severs the bond between two people who are true mates. Jen and Decebel are in turmoil, add the fact that Decebel was hit by a curse that was meant for Fane and he doesn't remember Jen at all. But luckily his wolf does. Their relationship is falling apart and you want them to be together so bad. This book is full of all heart.

The Fae, in particular Perizada plays a major role in this book. With the witch on their tales (literally), all the packs have to work together to defeat her, but can they. And will Decebel and Jen finally get their chance together. They both need each other to survive. Talk about a hard and a rock place. This book was amazing. I think it was the best out of all of them because there was so much history that was bought forth and so much that is going on. It really goes to show you that it's not just about you and what's around you but it's about the whole picture, and that is what the Fae is all about.

Will the four banded packs be enough to defeat the witch? The battle isn't over yet as it's just begun. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book and what new supernatural is bought into this world. I mentioned vampires but my friend is doubtful, who knows what goes bump in the night anything is possible. Ah I can't wait to read the next one; I just have to know what is going to happen.
I really love the cover on this one too, I'm guessing that's Sally and it's good because she doesn't look as spunky as Jen or as strong as Jacques she just seems very sweet which is how I pitcture Sally.  Really great!

Review: Just One Drop

Just One Drop
By: Quinn Loftis
Release Date: February 5, 2012
Series: The Grey Wolves #3

Description:
Jennifer Adams, best friend to Jacque Pierce and Sally Morgan, spicy, out spoken, a little crazy and human...or so she thought. Jen has just found out that human DNA is not the only thing that resides in her veins, she happens to share that little pesky werewolf gene, although it isn't more than just a drop. Now that she and her friends are living in Romania with Fane's pack, she is also oh so conveniently stuck with the object of her affection, the fur ball Decebel.

Drawn to each other by something they don't understand Jen finds herself frustrated by the lack of mating signs between her and said fur ball. Not only is she dealing with that not so un-frustrating problem, she now has been informed that because of that little drop of werewolf blood in her she is now required to attended a multi-pack gathering for un-mated wolves. This type of gathering hasn't taken place in over a century but with a shortage of females among the werewolf population the males are getting worried they won't ever find their true mates.

Meanwhile Decebel struggles with the emotions he is feeling towards Jen. He tries to keep his distance but there is just something about the mouthy blonde that keeps him coming back for more of her verbal abuse that he just can't seem to get enough of...go figure.


Review:

Yet again we are back with Quinn Loftis, and again I didn't want to leave her wonderful world of the Grey wolves. With three best friends who will be sure to make you laugh and love them all at the same time. So finally are the Blood Rites going to be completed? And with that what happens with the group as they all move to Romania.

Jen and Decebels relationship starts to ignite as they are destined to be together, the only problem is that they are not showing any of the mating signs. This is driving them both crazy especially when they both know that they literally belong together. This is even more heightened when a Gathering is to take place for all the unmated pack members from four different packs all coming together in one place. The magic in the air alone is enough to drive some people mad, but add the fact that Jen is none the less to shy and unmated technically then in comes the beautiful fight from Decebel for her love. It's just so fun to see them two together, he's such the man and she is such a flirt and fun girl.

All the while the gathering is going on little do they know that one of the packs alpha is on the search for blood. He has a plan in motion to take down the head of the Romanian pack and with that his beta. The plan is in motion and no one is the wiser about it. Things start to go crazy, there is a fire, and someone is missing and there is hurt all around about what has happened. We also learn something new about Sally. I just knew she couldn't be left out, it just wasn't possible.

This book had more hilarious moments and serious moments all combined into one. There was action, sad sweet moments, and ones that made you gasp. There are so many more supernatural’s out there and we are beginning to meet them more little by little. Your heart is literally breaking for Jen and Decebel because you know they belong together but something keeps holding them back. The ending was a really great cliffhanger and you just had to pick up the next book.

Overall this book was great, again it did not disappoint and I can't get enough of this world. I hope it never ends because if it did I think I would be really sad. Jen is the most lovable character in the bunch and I believe that's her on the cover, very spunky and someone I want to get to know better. Even though she has this tough facade she's all soft underneath and she too hurts.