What's Next? #1

What's Next is a weekly meme hosted by Hafsah at IceyBooks. What's Next is way that your followers can help you choose which book to sink your teeth into next. It's a great idea for those that are indecisive like I am!  If you would like to find out how to join in click here.

And our three contestants are:

Jen hides in a rundown mansion when her life falls apart, has vivid experiences with a beautiful male entity who longs to be her soulmate, and must choose reality of living or dead. Her childhood friend Ivy 19, from a rough past, can communicate with the dead, and other supernatural gifts emerge. Ivy will resist the evil that would separate the lovers.

“With one final glance behind her, Jen urged her horse forward, and toward the safety of the mountains. Her heart was heavy and she immediately thought of the other realm. Her hope was that they were aware of what had happened and would help. Chaos was already breaking out; and the world was in danger of slipping back to a time of great darkness, reminiscent of the Middle Ages."

Witchcraft Is Her Family’s Business.No One Quits The Family And Lives To Tell About It. “Jax” Pherson has power, enough power to know her future will end in service to the dark coven her father controls. Unless she can stay hidden in a small community in the mountains of North Carolina. She must find a way to live without magic and deny the darkness she feels welling up inside her—the same dark power that fuels the covens around the world. All she wants is a normal life. A boyfriend. Friends. Some place to belong, but all too soon Jax’s barely begun new life hangs in the balance when she discovers that the boy she’s attracted to is sworn to kill her kind. He’s a hunter with good reason to kill everything that goes bump in the night. Even the most fleeting use of her power is tantamount to signing her death warrant and will bring both hunter and coven down on her. But can she walk away when her friends are threatened by an old evil? Something created by the magic of witches? Jax’s only hope of survival is to convince the boy she loves to forget everything he’s ever been taught and help her find a way to fight the covens. To believe there is some good in her.

Welcome to the Half-Light City.

Imagine a city divided. On one side, the Night World, ruled by the Blood Lords and the Beast Kind. On the other, the elusive Fae and the humans, protected by their steadfast mages. A city held together by nothing more than a treaty-and even then, just barely...

I was born of a Fae mother, but I had no place amongst her kind. They called me "soulless." An abomination. Perhaps they're right...I'm a wraith, a shadow who slips between worlds. I was given into the service of a Blood Lord who raised me to be his most feared assassin. Still, I'm nothing more than a slave to my master, and to the need that only he can fulfill...

Then he orders me to kill Simon DuCaine, a powerful sunmage. In the blaze of his magic, my own disappears. Instead of seeking revenge, Simon shows me mercy. He wants to free me. But that's one thing my master and his kind will never allow.

And even if I thought I could trust Simon, stepping from the shadow into the light isn't as simple as it sounds...

So, which one of these gets your vote?

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

*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. 

Shadow of Night picks up exactly where Discovery of Witches leaves off. Diana and Matthew time-walk to Elizabethan England in search of knowledge, information and the elusive Ashmole 782. It’s a dangerous time to be a witch or to be fraternizing with one. Can they survive long enough to find what they seek? Will they like what they find?

In the second book of The All Souls Trilogy author Deborah Harkness introduces us to an array of colorful characters. Humans, witches, daemons and vampires are all represented. One of the great things about several of these characters is that you may already be familiar with them. The author takes historical figures and unveils their paranormal sides. While I really enjoyed the story, it did take me a little longer to find my rhythm with this book. There really weren’t any ‘big’ scenes in this book as there were in Discovery of Witches. Shadow of Night progressed more like a slow burn, it took a little bit to reach the correct temperature, but once it did it stayed steady. With the author’s attention to detail it was easy to imagine myself in each locale experiencing events along with the characters. I think incredibly cast of characters was my favorite part of the book. The development of the different characters was subtle, I didn’t realize how familiar with a character I had gotten until some small event would make me say to myself “I really love this guy” or “I hope he gets what’s coming to him”. There are two characters that I would say are my favorite in this novel, Philippe and Gallowglass. I can’t actually choose just one! They both seem a certain way when you first meet them but they are actually multi-faceted, even more so than other characters. The author gives us a little peek at each side of these men and I hope to see more of them in the third and final book.

This was a great book and I’m really looking forward to the wrap-up of the series. This is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, romance, paranormal and mystery genres. 

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Sunday Showcase #5

This sizeable haul was amassed over the last three weeks.

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicky at Books, Biscuits and Tea. The purpose of Showcase Sunday is to show off our newest books or book related swag whether you bought, borrowed or received as a gift or for review. If you would like to participate in Showcase Sunday click here to learn how.

Bought:

For Review:

Free e-Books:

Won:

I won Ancient Canada through a giveaway at Simply Infatuated.  Thanks Jessica!

I won this awesome swag bag full of The Mortal Path Series goodies from author Dakota Banks. In addition to the swag bag, she also donated $50 to Feeding America

I won Saving Mary: The Possession through a giveaway on Walking on Bookshelves. Thanks Steph!

What's in your haul?

Pledged Blog Tour

I am honored to be part of the Pledged Blog Tour!  It's my first blog tour so I am super excited.  Pledged is being released on 9/1/12 and the tour is running through September.  There will be lots of things going on, interviews, trailers, reviews and giveaways (I missed the cover reveal!) so make sure that you check back often!  For a list of the other bloggers hosting the tour please click here.

The River Witch by Kimberly Brock

*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.*

Roslyn Byrne hit rock bottom, hard. Three back to back tragedies force Roslyn to seek solitude on Manny's Island, where she's hoping to search within herself for answers. It's not solitude that she finds once she lands on the island. For the summer she has rented a house that is shrouded in mystery and rumors. She reluctantly finds a friend in her landlord's sister Ivy, an admirer in Ivy's son and a ward in Damascus, who happens to be her landlord's troubled 10 year daughter. And then there is Urey, the landlord that is as esoteric as the house itself. Through her relationships with these people, and others on the island she finds that she isn't the only one with problems. Helping the islanders work through their issues may just help Roslyn find the answers that she seeks.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be, which isn't a bad thing. I had a hard time getting through the story at first as it seemed slow moving. I also felt a little confused by certain flashback scenes, I couldn't tell which direction the story was headed. Once I got used to the author's writing style and character dialogue the smoother everything flowed . I really liked the premise of the story and the fact that everything was not always sunshine and roses. Aside from the fact that some of the drama seemed a little overdone, I think the characters were realistically portrayed. I enjoyed the way the characters developed throughout the book, learning more about the kind of people they were by how they managed their situations. There is quite a bit of Southern charm that comes through in Kimberly Brock's writing as well as a Southern way of life. I think this is a debut novel that shows a lot of promise.

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Taste Giveaway!

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a copy of 'Taste' by Kate Evangelista.  I LOVED this book (you can see my review here) and now I want to share the love!  Kate was generous enough to offer an e-book copy of 'Taste' for a giveaway.  Be on the lookout for an interview with Kate in the next few days. :)

Here are the details for the giveaway:

• Giveaway is open to everyone, provided they complete the rafflecopter tasks listed below (I will be verifying that the tasks have been completed.  If you haven't completed the tasks your entries will be deleted.
• Winners will be contacted via e-mail and will have 48 hours to respond.  If after 48 hours there is no response, a new winner will be chosen. Cycle will be repeated until I get a response
• Contact information will be shared with author Kate Evangelista as she will be sending your prize directly to you

That's it.  Good luck everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway