I've Been MIA

Hey guys. The bad news, I've totally been stuck in my everyday life and unable to get much reading and blogging done. :(  The good news, that will change shortly. I am going to have some reviews and some giveaways posted in the near future so please stay tuned!

In the meantime I pose the following question to you all:

How do you feel about series that have seemingly endless numbers of books in them?

 Feel free to get as detailed as you want!

Review: Blade Song by J.C. Daniels

* I was given a free copy of this book for review purposes. The review is based solely on my opinion and was not influenced by author or publisher.

Kit is Aneira, a dying breed of assassin. Well she is half Aneira, half human and that is something that her deceased mother's family just could not forgive. Her grandmother tried to beat the human half out of her until Kit was old enough to escape. Now Kit is on her own and working as a private investigator when in walks Damon with a job that she wants nothing to do with. Kit doesn't like working with shifters, especially the cats. Unfortunately Damon's boss knows that Kit's weak spot is kids and she plays on that to get Kit to work her case. Can Kit beat the clock, her inner demons and a sociopathic client to save a kid and her own skin?

I really enjoyed this book and in the beginning I wasn't sure that I would. At first it felt like being thrown into the middle of the story. The author alludes to earlier events but gives no details almost as if the reader should already be familiar them. The author does eventually go into more detail about the past in the form of dreams and flashbacks, but it was a little off-putting initially. (I also did find a short story prequel on the authors blog, A Stroke of Dumb Luck, which is free) There is a good cast of characters in this story with Kit and Damon as main characters. Kit and Damon seem to have a love/hate relationship which spirals from hate to love at supersonic speed. Damon comes off as your typical brooding, sexy shifter although he is a little too rough with Kit in my opinion, at least early on. Kit is tough and nails and can definitely hold her own. If I had to guess I would say that her astrological sign is a Taurus because she is super stubborn and most of the time just does not know when to give up. I thought the secondary characters were great and at times liked them more than the main duo! I'm hoping to see a lot more of them in the series. Even though I had a couple of concerns the story was well paced and I had a hard time putting it down. I definitely intend to find out what kind of trouble Kit can get herself into next.

As a side note, I'm not a fan of the cover art. This is not at all how I pictured Kit, she looks too soft and nothing at all like the tenacious assassin I imagined.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

Cover Reveal: 'Reaping Me Softly' by Kate Evangelista

I am super excited to be involved in the cover reveal for Kate Evangelista's highly anticipated next novel, 'Reaping Me Softly'. The cover reveal and subsequent blog tour are hosted by AToMR Book Blog Tours.  If you are interested in being part of the blog tour sign ups open today at AToMR Tours.

Now, on to the good stuff!

Synopsis:

Ever since a near-death-experience on the operating table, seventeen-year-old Arianne Wilson can see dead people. Just as she’s learned to accept her new-found talents, she discovers that the boy she’s had a crush on since freshman year, Niko Clark, is a Reaper.

At last they have something in common, but that doesn’t mean life is getting any easier. All while facing merciless bullying from the most powerful girl in school, Arianne’s world is turned upside down after Niko accidentally reaps the soul of someone she loves. This sends them both into a spiral that threatens to end Arianne’s life. But will Niko break his own Reaper’s code to save her? And what would the consequences be if he did?

Expected release date is October 30, 2012.  I can't wait!!!!!

Are you ready to see it???  

Beautifully intriguing isn't it?  You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here.  While you are at it do yourselves a favor and visit Kate at her blog. 

Guest Review of 'John Dies at the End' by David Wong

Big thanks to Jason from Invasive Species Radio and Dead Man'z Kassette (and he also happens to be my hubby!) for writing the first guest review!

I only recently learned about the book John Dies At The End by David Wong, ironically enough from a movie blog, as the adaptation was discussed finally finding distribution after a number of problems. Not even an hour later a Facebook friend mentioned the book in a status update. Said friend is a professional musician/visual artist and has an uncanny knack for digging up the weird sh!t, so I popped open the Kindle Fire, hit the buy button, and had all my free time sucked away for the next few days.

Our main protagonist is David Wong. Yes. Same as the author, and fittingly enough is told in first person flashback. Dave and his best buddy John, live in a southern Midwest town near the Kentucky border that they never refer to by name, working crappy jobs, playing video games, and indenting the seat cushions at the local Denny's. Until one night when John's half-assed band plays a party that gets slightly outta hand, when Dave is questioned by a dread locked guy who knows way more about Dave than he should. And it's not just Dave, he seems to have all the secrets on everyone at the party. Well, John and some more of the party people head over to the mystic Rastafarian dude's place and Dave, rightly getting a bad vibe, doesn't.

That's when he gets called by a freaked out John the next morning (several times actually, and receiving them not exactly in the order dialed), about some beast in his apartment, and that they need to get to Las Vegas as soon as possible. And this, dear reader is just the tip of the weirdberg. At the party, Rasta boy came clean about how he came by his knowledge. Seems he came by an illicit substance that they nicknamed Soy Sauce, that alters your perceptions, and shared it with his guests. However, it's not a hallucinogen. The user gets a window into things mankind was not meant to see, and the problem with windows is that while they let you get a good look out, they also provide ways for nasty things to get in.

This is a book of twisted ideas that throws a lot of horror conventions on it's head. For one thing it's pretty damn hilarious at times, which makes the horror more horrifying when facing our loveable losers. Try imagining Jay and Silent Bob wandering into a Clive Barker story, or H.P. Lovecraft's take on Bill and Ted's excellent adventure and you can kinda get close to the feeling this novel evokes.

There's a lot of things left unexplained (the bratwurst, and Molly the car driving, immortal canine for starters), which makes sense if you consider the characters. Not elite paranormal investigators, or centuries old children of the night, just a couple of foul mouthed f*ckwits living in nowhere America, trying to make sense of what strangeness has set up camp in their lives. I loved this book, was gobsmacked at the twists in the story, and the black humor spread throughout kept me laughing out loud and wanting more. On October 2nd, I'll get my wish, when Wong's next book comes out: This Book Is Full of Spiders (Seriously Dude, Don't Touch It).

Jason's Rating: 4 trans-dimensional jellyfish outta 5.

Pledged Trailer, Review and Giveaway

Pledged was finally released on September 1st!  To help promote the release I am posting the book trailer along with my review.  And to celebrate the release I have two e-copies of Pledged to give away.

The Trailer:

* Just a comment on the trailer- not how I pictured Erin and Seth at all! LOL

My Review:

* I was given a free copy of this book for review purposes. The review is based solely on my opinion and was not influenced by author or publisher.

Wow, there is a lot going on in this story, there really isn't a dull moment. There are a few elements of the story that are common to young adult novels but in Pledged they are anything but typical. There is no shortage of romance, but it is in no way sappy which I was thankful for. And the love triangle makes an appearance but it masquerades as more of a love square. The characters are definitely colorful, I was worried that Seth was going to fit the mold of tortured soul, miserable, teenage boy but he doesn't. Sure, he has his moments but his 'up' moments break those up nicely. Erin is a strong, fairly independent female character and she compliments Seth's character nicely. The supporting cast is well rounded, filled with people you love and people you love to hate. There is a classic Good vs. Evil conflict, but there are so many twists and turns to the plot that sometimes you have to wonder if the Good guys are really good. There is no question that the bad guys are evil.

The stage has been set for book 2, Sacrificed, which is due to be released January 2013. I am definitely looking forward to finding out what is in store for Seth and Erin.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

The Giveaway:

• Giveaway is open to everyone 13 years of age and older.
• Prizes will be provided by author, winners' information will be provided to author or her representative.
• Winners will be chosen on September 12, 2012.
• Winners will be contacted via e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond, if there is no response after 48 hours a new winner will be chosen.
• Entering is easy, leave a comment on this post explaining how you feel about soul mates.  Also leave your e-mail address for contact purposes. It's that easy!

Good Luck!!

Dark Passage by M.L. Woolley (Chosen #1)

The house on the Dark Passage of Puget Sound in Olalla, Washington has a very dark past. The forces of Good have decided that it's time to reclaim the house so they start recruiting, but the forces of Evil aren't giving it up without a fight. Bill heads to Olalla while working on a new book and is inexplicably drawn to the house, so much so that he decides to buy it. While in the house tragedy befalls Bill with a little help from his demon controlled cousin, Lisa and her current lover Dr. Winter. Bill winds up in a coma and his friend Peter, a lawyer, arranges for his client, Jen to live in and take care of the house. It's a perfect opportunity for Jen, who is trying to divorce John, a very violent, abusive husband. Jen's friend Ivy convinces her to take the house sitting job, helps her move and occasionally stays with her. Ivy herself has a troubled past and is fighting inner demons of her own. The stage has been set, sides have been chosen. Will Good triumph over Evil, or has Evil grown too strong?

I really wanted to like this book but there were a few issues that made Dark Passage difficult for me to get through. There were quite a few editing issues (I have the kindle edition) along the lines of misspellings and grammar mistakes but the major one for me was the character mix-up. There was a particular part in the book where the author is clearly talking about Peter but then all of a sudden he's being referred to as Bill. The other difficulty I had was with the several points of view that the story was told in. There were seven POVs in all and they seemed to change suddenly. This made following the story quite confusing especially with the kindle edition as page and paragraph breaks were off kilter. That being said, I really did like the story concept. I thought it was very interesting and unique. There were some religious undertones and normally that is a bit of a put off for me, but they were minor and appropriate for the story.

This is the first book of the Chosen trilogy and book two is currently in the works. As a first in the series, Dark Passage was a bit shaky. I think the trilogy could have great potential if the editing gets cleaned up. For that reason I will be checking out book two when it is available!

My Rating: 2.5/5 stars

White Witch by Trish Milburn

* I was given a free copy of this book for review purposes. The review is based solely on my opinion and was not influenced by author or publisher.

Jax Pherson's family is going to be the death of her. Literally. Jax belongs to a family of powerfully evil witches. The family is extremely strict and does not tolerate insubordination or withdrawing from the family. The punishment is a slow, excruciating death. 16 year old Jax does the only thing she can think of to keep her sanity, she runs away. After years of careful preparation it seems that Jax may have finally found someplace to start over, away from her family. She's even kept pretty close to her promise of not using any magic, after all she wouldn't want her family to trace the magical footprint that she would leave behind. But things aren't going so smoothly for Jax. Sure she has made a couple of friends but most of the girls in her new school seem to hate her because of the attention the boys are giving her. The one boy she feels a strong attraction to just happens to be the Hunter that was after her on one of her first nights in Baker Gap, North Carolina. Oh and there is that pesky part about hiding her abilities from everyone even though she is supposed to be getting stronger, and living with the fear that her family will find her. Can she keep her true self hidden from her friends and the family that hunts her? What will happen if she can't?

I loved this book! I wish it hadn't sat in my review pile for a few weeks. Award winning author, Trish Milburn knocks one out of the park with 'White Witch'. This is the first book of the Coven Trilogy and it provides a solid foundation for what looks to be a fantastic series. The story is fresh and piqued my interest throughout. The author shows great attention to detail but doesn't over explain things. Characters are really well written and I especially like how their histories aren't crammed together in one section but introduced to us over time. I feel like I'm get to know the character better that way. The story clipped along at a great pace and while there weren't many plot twists the story was not at all predictable. I am excited to delve into book two and find out what's next for Jax, her friends and her enemies.

Book two of the trilogy, 'Bane', was released May 2012. 

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars