Books: Polar Heat ~ Simone Beaudelaire

 

 

Title: Polar Heat
Author: Simone Beaudelaire
Number of Pages: 186 p.
Sort Story: Novella
Publishing Date: 8th of November 2015
Publisher: self published
Language: English
Age category: Adult

About Polar Heat

Polar bear shapeshifter Russell Tadzea is content with his rather isolated life in a small central Alaskan town. He has friends, work and a congenial, yet cautious relationship with his family.

That is until the arrival of a kindergarten teacher from the lower 48 blows Russell's comfortable world to pieces. One whiff of Riley Jenkins' compelling scent, and Russ is a goner.

But how can he explain all that he is to this innocent young woman? And will her own dark past interfere with their ability to turn a fated love into a happily-ever-after?

My Thoughts on Polar Heat

So sometimes I like to browse Amazon for freebies, because I am a Dutch person and we like thinks cheap.. Just kidding who doesn't like to read something for free? And hey, if it is any good the author will definitely get a review from me. I am guilty of hoarding freebies when ever I feel the need to buy an insane amount of books, that I don't have the money for. I have a very big kindle libary to choose from, almost all that is on there are books that are written by indie authors, a few I have bought, some I won in giveaways and some were kindly gift review copies. Last year I decided I was not going to read all the ebooks I owned and decided to clean out my kindle, it took me about a week to get from an insane amount to a less insane amount of books.

Every once in a while when I feel like I am going in a reading slump or I just want to read something short that I can finish in a day or sometimes I just want some smut with my books. I go to my kindle and select something at random, that peaks my interest. This time I was in the mood for something smutty and romantic, because well I just finished two YA books, (Scythe and Crown of Midnight) and was just not feeling like continueing with the series, like I should be doing.

So I decided to find something short to read, something sweet, something wait a minute is that a polar bear? Is this about a Polar bear shifter? That sounds cool, let's go in blind, and so I did, and I don't regret a thing. Because this novella was actually very well structured, and was much more than I would have imagined could be in only 185 pages.

The beginning is a bit slow, we get to know our main characters Russell and Riley. The first 7 or 8 chapters are told from Russell's perspective, and I had been wondering all the while if the perspective would shift to Riley, as I want to get her perspective as well. Luckily it did shift but not as often as in some of the romance books I read, it felt very natural when we did shift perspectives.

It was also very clear who we were following because men are men, with a bit of a dirty mind. What was also great is that Russell took it slow with Riley, he felt like there was something in her past that if he pushed too hard she would run in the other direction. There was a lot of consent, going both ways, and I liked that it was there. It made Russell such a patience and wonderful character.

What was interesting about Riley's character that she seems like a normal human, however she has a special ability as well. She can Dreamwalk, this concept was very interestinga and it gave the story another dimension. I really love how the story evovled and that ending, wow, that was really intense! I was expecting an appearance of Riley's past but damn that was a good ending.

Then there are of course the romantic scene, oh who am I kidding, the smutty scenes the sex scenes, whatever you want to call them but they were good, so sexy! Loved it!

Conclusions

I love polar bear shifters now, and dreamwalkers, eventhough the concept scares the shit out of me. This was a great read, it had all that I was looking for, polar bears, Alaska, snow. Just what I needed and much more, because I had not expected dreamwalkers. That was a really nice suprise. All in all a good story, if only it were longer!

Books: Beautiful Creatures ~ Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Series: Caster Chronicles, book 1
Publisher: Razor Bill - Peguin
Publishing date: 4th of February 2010
Number of pages: 563
Language: English, Spanish, German, French, Dutch a.o.
Age Category: Young Adult
Other books in this series:
Beautiful Darkness, book 2
Beautiful Chaos, book 3
Beautiful Redemption, book 4

Books: My Wishful Thinking ~ Shel Delisle

Title: My Wishful Thinking
Author: Shel Delisle
Sort of story: Standalone
Publishing date: 20, Oktober, 2012
Publisher: Something Else Publishing
Language: English only
Number of pages: 242 p.
Age category: Young Adult, New adult

Books: Not Quite Dead ~ Lyla Payne ~ promo

Titel: Not Quite Dead
Author: Lyla Payne
Serie(s): A Lowcountry Ghost Story, book #1
Publication date: April 1st 2014
Publisher: self published
Language:  Only English
Number of pages: p.
Agecategory: New Adult
Other books in this serie: Not quite cold, book 2

Synopsis ~ Samenvatting: 

A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.

When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.

Her brand new “I don’t give a crap” attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.

If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.

Goodreads ~  Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

About the author ~ Over de schrijver

Lyla Payne has been publishing New Adult romance novels for a little over a year, starting with Broken at Love and continuing with the rest of the Whitman University series. She loves telling stories, discovering the little reasons people fall in love, and uncovering hidden truths in the world around us - past and present. In her spare time she cuddles her two dogs, pretends to enjoy exercising so that she can eat as much Chipotle as she wants, and harbors a deep and abiding hope that Zac Efron likes older women. She loves reading, of course, along with movies, traveling, and Irish whiskey. Lyla's hard at work, ALWAYS, and hopes to bring you more Whitman University antics and at least one more Lowcountry ghost tale before the end of the year. Lyla Payne is represented by Kathleen Rushall at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. If you want to know more, please visit her at http://lylapayne.com If you're a fan of Young Adult fiction--science fiction or otherwise--please check out her work that's published under the name Trisha Leigh. http://trishaleigh.com

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Website

EXCERPT #2

Maybe it’s lingering fear of Anne’s ghost, or a sudden urge to burn some fat, but my feet find the sidewalk instead of my butt finding the driver’s seat of my car. I have an hour, and the walk will take fifteen minutes. I’ll regret it later, when the trek home in a hundred muggy degrees drenches me from head to toe, but that’s then.

I’m out to prove that I don’t give a shit about consequences after all. Fuck adulthood.

Avoiding my car turns out to be a moot point when, less than two blocks from Gramps’ house, the scraggly redhead from my backseat joins me on the sidewalk. Her gait matches mine, but her feet don’t make any sound on the concrete despite her clunky, knee-high leather boots. Lord if she doesn’t smell bad enough to gag a maggot, even outside.

Yesterday, I ran. Today, for some reason, it’s as though none of this is happening in real life and I don’t go faster, or slower, just keep going, eyes forward, clinging to the hope of waking up. It’s like swimming through the air with my blood pumping through me ten times too fast, depositing a chilly sweat on my brow and palms.

She doesn’t talk, but based on my sideways glances, the premise that she’s Anne Bonny seems legitimate. The smell and her stiff men’s shirt, trousers, and boots, combined with the sword and dagger belted at her waist, convince me that she’s Anne Bonny or that I’m going nuts. Or both.

The expression on her face wavers between frustration and sorrow, but nothing about it or her posture suggests causing harm is on her agenda. We walk side by side a few more steps, me and my reeking ghost, before my nerve returns out of nowhere.

Dead or not, she’s kind of starting to bug me.

"What do you want?" The question would sound more at home in the mouth of the first victim in a horror flick, but it has to be asked.

Even so, Anne—if it is Anne—doesn’t reply. Maybe she thinks it’s a dumb thing to ask, too.

"Okay, obviously you left your tongue in your grave. Let me guess, you want to grab a coffee and a bagel? I’m thinking about stopping at Westies, but I’m not sure…Oh," I gasp as my body turns to ice.

Books: After The Curtain Falls ~ Ainsley Shay ~ promo

Title: After the Curtain Falls
Author: Ainsley Shay
Publication date: January 31st 2014

About After The Curtain Falls

Erik never had to be anything other than a freak…until now.

Two hundred fifty-three days is a long time to fake being normal when night after night you perform miraculous feats on stage in a freak show. Thousands have paid to witness the miracle, suspecting nothing more than a hoax. But it is very real and it is slowly destroying him.

Erik is weakened to the point where he’ll stop performing and start going to school for the first time ever—in his senior year.

His only goal is to rebuild his strength so he can return to the stage and perform doing what he loves most in this world. What he didn’t plan for was the appearances of beautiful Addison and mysterious Naya. Now, unfamiliar feelings and bizarre new friendships threaten to unbalance Erik’s future as a miracle-performing freak.

Add on Goodreads ~ Buy at Barnes & Noble ~  Buy at Amazon

About Ainsley Shay

Ainsley Shay avoids insanity by living mostly in the fiction world. She believes surrounding herself with positive people, and strives for balance in everything.

She owns more jeans with rips and holes than without; and has recently found the magic of patches. For her, reading or writing the perfect sentence is better than the smoothest piece of dark chocolate melting in her mouth.

She is a deltiologist for pure enjoyment, not for the study of. She longs to move north one day, even though she hates the cold. (Go figure!) So, for now, she continues to live in warm south Florida with her incredible husband, three beautiful daughters, and two lazy cats. (We won’t mention the dog.)

Goodreads ~ Blog ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Sneak Peaks 

The moment is perfect to lean in and kiss her. And I badly want to put my hand on her cheek and bring my lips to hers. Addison looks at her wrist, my fingers still there. “I should go,” she says shattering my thoughts.    

I slide my hand from her wrist, along her palm, lingering on her fingertips with my own. Looking up into her eyes, I ask, ”Are you sure you want to?”    
She meets my eyes. “No.” Her voice whispers the simple word I was hoping she would say. “But they’re expecting me down there.” My stomach aches when she starts to get up. “Thanks for catching me when I fell.” She brushes the sand off her dress and walks through the wheat grass toward the shore.

 ~~~      

“You’re a freak like me,” Naya says, no doubt present in her tone.  Shaken by her word choice, but intrigued to know why she’s chosen it, I ask, “Am I? And how do you know that?”
I swallow nothing, feeling my throat constrict as I wait for her answer. With concern on her face, her lips purse, and she shrugs one shoulder. “I just know.”
She touches my arm, leans into me and whispers, “As a friend, just be careful. The people here,” she looks to her left and then to her right, “well…they aren’t very nice to our kind."

Books: Runes ~ Runes #1 ~ Ednah Walters

Title: Runes
Author: Ednah Walters
Publishing date: 8th June 2013
Publisher: Firetrail Publishing
Series: Runes, book 1
Number of pages: 245 p.
Language: English only
Age category: Young Adult
Other books in the series:
Immortals, book #2
Grimnirs, book #2.5
Seeress book #3

About Runes

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

My review

] This book in one word (capital letters this one deserves): INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE IS JUST NO WAY I CAN EXPRESS HOW GREAT THIS BOOK IS, YOU SHOULD JUST GO GET IT AND READ IT!!!!
Sorry for all the capital letters but I just had to express in some way how strongly I feel about this book. This book certainly ranks between the bests of the best, like Richelle Mead, L.J. Smith, Stephenie Meyer and of course some other writer who has done his research well: RICK RIORDAN! Anybody having read and fell in love with these authors will understand how much I must have loved this book. Oh how I should have read this back in August when I got it first, such a waste to have waited this long to read it. It's one of those books I will reread and remember.
This book wil take you on a journey through one of my favourite mythologies: German mythology! Meaning german gods like Odin, and Thor who, thanks to Marvel know has claimed some right to exist on this earth. Putting that aside, this book highlighted some aspects of german mythology that I didn't even know about for example the Norns (look it up on wiki it's interesting!). Maybe I should find my german mythology book to find out some more about them (yes I own several).
The interesting part about this book is that even if you know some of the mythology it still keeps you guessing the whole way through, until the bitter end! And I can tell you, I didn't figure it out, I ran through all my knowledge of German mythology and still couldn't quiet put my finger on what Thorin was. Then there were also some other interesting turns, for example an interesting side character (Raine's mom) which turnout to be one of the biggest surprises of the whole book. (Sorry for the vague explanation here but I just don't want to leave a spoiler in this case).
The reason I love this book is that is wasn't standard, it didn't have many cliques. I does have a lot of surprises in the plot, it wasn't predictable like some books in the genre are. This makes you wonder, keeps you reading until you are finished.
Oh then there is THAT ending! OMG Ednah how could you do that to me!!! I was torn apart, devastated, heartbroken, angry and like: what?!?!? Is this really the last page? No there has got to be more! Damn my kindle won't turn the next page..... Wow turns out it is really hard to write a spoiler free review! But I think I managed quiet well.

My rating

This book will keep you spellbound until the very last page. It is a great adventure with a mythological touch. Incredible plot, relatable characters make this a 5 star read!

Characters

Raine:
well Raine is a wonderful main character, one I like, she fights for what is right, don't gets to freaked out about freaky events, stands up to people twice as powerful. All this has earned her some respect from me. 

She was very enjoyable to spend time with, and we could be great friend because we have similar personalities. However there was one major thing I didn't like about her: Eirik. She was a little  desperate when it came to him. She has had a huge crush on him, but never came out of the "friend role" until some major events. But then she was already having feelings for Thorin and I felt that she led Eirik on for far too long. I think it just wasn't fair and it annoyed the crap out of me.
Thorin:
well he is just, gorgeous, sexy, extremely funny, mysterious. Shall I go on? He is the big mystery the one I wanted to solve but couldn't find the answer on. Not until the very end of the book at least.  I think I found myself a new book boyfriend, LOL.

Cora:
for some reason Once Upon A Time Cora popped into my mind. Nope no comparison there. You know most books have a bubbly cheery, push-friend-to-do-something-out-of-the-ordinary best friend? Well that's exactly who Cora is.

Eirik:
I must say, I became to dislike Eirik more and more throughout the book. I can't put my finger on why exactly that is. It was sweet and all to throw Raine a surprise party, but he just wasn't a strong character. He was a bit of a wimp.

Favourite quotes

"What is the underlying reason, St. James.""Greed. G-R-E-E-D. Five letter word., Mr. Finney. Not Four" 

"Okay. I'm listening. Explain your reasoning.""Humans are by nature self-centered. It doesn't matter how civilized or primitive they are. If they want something, they'll find a way to get it or take it. The old empires used land, women, religion, pride in one's nationality, or preservation of their culture as an excuse to start a war." - Thorin

“Blue eyes was studying the damaged mailbox like an insurance adjuster. Why couldn't he go bother someone else? Or at least put on a shirt?”  - Raine about Thorin.

Books: Red Caster Chronicles ~ Krystle Jones ~ promo

The Red Sector Chronicles by Krystle Jones
(The Red Sector Chronicles Omnibus)
Genres: Dystopia, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

About The Red Sector Chronicles

The strength of Sloane’s heart is about to be put to the ultimate test.

After the Eclipse – the night vampires began openly slaughtering human victims – everything changed. Out of fear, the government salvaged what remained of the human population and enclosed them in massive, security-laden cities called White Sectors, while marking the vampire infested territory as Red Sectors.

When seventeen-year-old Sloane McAllister’s twin brother disappears, she seems to be the only one who thinks he isn’t dead, and she vows to stop at nothing to find him. Gathering her courage, she braves the Red Sector to search for clues to his whereabouts. By chance, she encounters Aden, a handsome, charismatic vampire with a hidden agenda. He turns Sloane against her will and whisks her away to his underground city. Enemies quickly become friends as Sloane struggles against her attraction to Aden, and resists her growing loyalties to the creatures that ruined her life.

But the vampires themselves are the least of her problems. A war is brewing between the humans and vampires, along with a growing web of deceit and betrayal. And before it’s all over, loyalties will be tested, hearts will be broken, and no one’s lives will ever be the same.

Buy it here: 

The Red Sector Chronicles Omnibus Edition ~ Smashwords

Guest post by Krystle Jones: 

Vampire Apocalypse: Building a Dystopian Worldes

When I first started writing my Red Sector Chronicles series, I didn’t know at the time I’d be writing dystopia. I was actually leaning more toward urban fantasy, since that’s what I read a lot of. But then as I developed my characters and brainstormed story ideas, I came to realize this storyline would work better in a futuristic America, where vampires ruled supreme. But boy, did I have my work cut out for me.

Here’s the thing: Dystopian worlds are a lot of fun to write about, but they’re also a lot of work. I actually found them to be almost as involved as my epic fantasy worlds! In a dystopian novel, the world itself has a lot of influence over the rest of the story, especially the atmosphere.

Dystopian novels – at least all the ones I’ve read – often imbue a very bleak, dark future. This can make the story somewhat heavy and depressing, which affects the characters’ attitudes and the themes of the story. There are more upbeat/comedic dystopian stories out there Warm Bodies, anyone?), but the large majority I’ve seen are toward the depressing order.

Now, I like a little bit of humor in my books, so I tried putting that in my trilogy to provide some relief from the heavy atmosphere. Death hangs over my heroine through a lot of the story, since I also love thrillers, and I knew too much tension can strangle a reader. It’s like watching one of those movies where there’s so much action you eventually become desensitized to it, and it loses its effect.

So that was something I had to watch out for. I knew I wanted my vampires to be scary more so than sparkly (for the record, I love Twilight), but I’m also a little in love with the idea of the “romantic, dreamy” vampire that looks more like a human. So I decided to have both, the regular vamps and the Rogues, or flesh-eating monsters. Then it was a matter of figuring out how they fit into this dark world, and how they had altered history. That’s another thing, the “what went wrong” factor.

Every dystopian novel has it, from killer plagues to the zombie apocalypse. For me, I decided vampirism was more of a disease rather than a fantasy element (witch cursing a prince, or something equally fantastic), and the Rogues were going to be the vampires who’d fallen prey to their bloodlust and lost their minds to it. The “what went wrong,” “what’s happened since,” and “where we are now” play a big part in dystopian stories. The more I figured out about my dystopian world, the more I realized I was going to need a story bible.

There’s no way to keep all those details straight, because you’re pretty much making stuff up after a certain point, from alternate history, to world building, to the way society and the government function in this alternate universe. Especially if you’re writing a series, a story bible is wonderful for keeping yourself from sticking your foot in your mouth in later books. If you’re going to be the queen of the universe, you have to keep track of what you put into it.

Lastly, I’d say the one of the big decisions about writing dystopian is deciding how much fantasy versus science fiction you’re going to have in the story. For me, my world was pretty grounded in science fiction, as I think most dystopian stories are, but there are definitely sci-fi books and movies that incorporate some fantasy elements (i.e. Star Wars). I’d say figure this out in book one and stick with it.

If you’re writing a series steeped in reality and explainable science, and you suddenly have flying magical unicorns floating around your pages, readers will 1) be thrown out of the story; and 2) not believe it one bit. So stick to one or the other (no fantasy elements vs. some fantasy elements). Just be sure not to let the fantasy overwhelm the sci-fi, or else it becomes more fantasy. Those are some of the things I had to think about while writing my dystopian novel. Hopefully, they’ll help you write yours, if you’re a writer, or give you a glimpse into what a writer thinks about, if you’re a reader.

Thanks for reading!

About Krystle Jones

Krystle Jones was born and raised in the small, southern town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. Reading and writing have been lifelong passions of hers. In addition to being a novelist, she is also an award-winning flutist, and moonlights as a voice actress. Her voice can be heard in the popular online game, Alice is Dead 3.

Author website   ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Books: Before The Moon Rises ~ Catherine Bybee

Title: Before The Moon Rises
Author: Catherine Bybee
Series: Ritter Werewolves #1
Publisher: Self-published
Publishing date: 22 Maart 2012
Number of pages: 86 p.
Agecategory: Adult
Language: English only
Other books in this series: Embracing the werewolves (book 2)

About Before The Moon Rises

After a twelve-hour shift in a busy emergency room, Janet O’Brien is beat. Her last patient arrives unconscious and naked. She’s lead to believe he’s a psyche patient off his meds. However, once he awakens, Janet is charmed by his million-dollar smile and agrees to give him a ride home.

Werewolf, Max Ritter notices the sassy nurse when he wakes after a night under the full moon. Unfortunately, his arrival is drawn to Janet as well. In order to keep her out of harm's way, he opts to keep her close. When the chemistry between them sparks, Max discovers a completely new reason to keep Janet safe.

My review

I filthy rich wolf, a witty nurse and a the big bad wolf.

This sums up this pretty little novella pretty well. It is lighthearted with not many surprises, but still very enjoyable if you need you were fix. It is a quick read, there were some medical terms thought that I didn't quiet understood (maybe because I am more familiar with the dutch terms). I figured that the author might have been a nurse, or did some research on the topic. I was cool though I liked it, gave it a bit of a realistic edge.

My rating

I really enjoyed this, I needed a good shifters story and I got it.   ( I am keeping it short today :) ) Only thing about this book is that I have trouble remembering the title for some reason. The cover is ok, nothing special but will catch your eye if you are looking for were's.

Books: Break Me ~ J.M. Walker

Title: Break Me
Series: The Shattered Series , book #1
Author: J.M. Walker
Published in: 26th, July, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Language: English only
Number of pages: 205 p.
Age category: Adult
Other books in this series:
Always Me (Shattered #2)
Remember Me (Shattered #3)

This novel contains sexual situations and mature language. It is intended for an audience of 18+ years of age.

About Break Me

Tori McLeod moved to the big city to get away from her mother—and her past. Her new routine is destroyed when she meets a mysterious stranger who won’t take no for an answer. Sebastian intrigues her, but his eyes hold secrets she would rather avoid. Sebastian Chelios, a hard-as-nails enforcer, is a new-in-town loner. He has to have her. Control her. Possess her. But he can’t—won’t—lose control, even though Tori’s innocence fascinates him. The last thing he’s going to do is love her, even after he gets her in his bed.

Losing control is dangerous, especially when someone from Sebastian’s past covets Tori, putting more than just her heart in danger.Can Sebastian protect Tori from Jose’s sadistic obsession? If he gets his hands on her, will she make it out in one piece?

My review

Wow, just freaking wow!!! The start of this book is, bang!!  Enters a handsome stranger Sebastian, and damn isn't he freaking sexy?? Of course he is, more trouble then you would have guessed.

This story is intense in many ways, first off all, the erotic scene, scrap that the sex scenes, oh my god so delicious! I don't know where to start, but here is some advise: if you are in a relationship, go get your man!!! You want to keep him near when your reading this, It's a total turn on this book is!!

But not only those scenes were intense, with Sebastian comes a whole lot of trouble, well Jose sums it up quiet well. Jose is Sebastian's business partner, although we don't know what exactly the business entails. Throughout the book Sebastian, remains this big mystery and the question of what kind of illegal business he runs with Jose remains unanswered until the very end.

Talking about an ending, well I wanted to throw my kindle against the wall (no I wouldn't dare, I just got it), and run around the house screaming: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo near the end... I still feel like, this shouldn't have happened!!

This book  has the best beginning AND ending, this is new for me! Can you believe it?? Both!!  It starts with a bang and it ends with a bang!! Oh greatest thing about the ending is that it doesn't have a big cliffhanger, allthough it does have an open ending.

I thought this was a great start of the series and I am looking forward to reading more! Can't wait for the second book to come out!!! This book is not only erotic, but it has some nice twists and turns in the plot, for example, Jose's obsession with Tori, and Tori who is scared to death of him, managed to put up a great front when he is around. Jose, is so freaking twisted, which makes this book exhilarating.

Combine this with Tori's best friend Keisha, who is a great character, bubbly, full of engergy, impulsive, I really adore her! Oh, her brother is cute too!! He is really caring, but still has a bit of bad boy in him.

Rating

So because of the great plot, great sex scenes, very well written (yes that means very minor grammar or spelling errors) and all the mind-blowing factors added up to 5 skaters!!

My favourite Quotes

Sebastian: "I was broken until I met you. You're my glue"

Keisha: “For you, I will give him a chance but if he fucking hurts you in any way, I will castrate him and shove his dick down his throat.”

“You are definitely blushing now.” He whispered, placing a kiss on my neck. “Sebastian.” My heart thumped against my chest and I bit my bottom lip. “I…I…” I stammered, words not forming properly on my tongue. He chuckled. “Is there something you want?” I licked my lips and couldn’t help but stare at his big hard body. Tattoos covered his torso and both his nipples were pierced. He was gorgeous and at the moment, he was all mine.

Books: Legacy Of A Dreamer ~ Allie Jean

Title: Legacy Of A Dreamer
Series: Dreamer, book #1
Author: Allie Jean
Published in: 3rd, May, 2012
Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop
Language: English only
Number of pages: 169 p.
Other books in the Dreamer series:
Dreams Of The Cursed #2

About Legacy Of A Dreamer

Chantal Breelan is a ward of the state, living under the care of a woman who is cold and heartless. Her past is a mystery, and her future is even more uncertain. She can’t recall why she had been taken from her parents and so she’s left with nothing but an empty hole where her childhood should have been. 

When she awakens from her nightmares, she’s left with terrible, violent images, as well as a boy whose face is oddly familiar, yet can’t be placed. Scared and alone, Chantal begins to confide in an imaginary friend – a shadow in the shape of a man who stands in the corner of her room. She is comforted when she believes he listens to her.

On her eighteenth birthday, Chantal is forced to leave her foster home. She moves to New York City, but the start of her new life doesn’t begin as smoothly as she’d hoped. In this environment, she faces a whole new set of challenges.

One night at a subway station, Chantal meets a young boy who runs away from her, and she’s compelled to follow him down into the tunnels. But this Rabbit Hole reveals a world where reality is a nightmare. Her dreams are clues to her future, and her life becomes twisted and dangerous when she learns that things that go bump in the night are not just in fairy tales and childhood stories.

Review

I received a copy of this book as part of the Legacy of a Dreamer blog tour organized by Charisma Media. This review is my honest opinion of this book, and is not influenced by the fact that it was provided as part of a book tour.

This book for me is the biggest surprise of the year (so far, you never know what's to come). Yes I had my fair amount of surprisingly good reads already but this topped it by far. After reading the synopsis I thought, this could go either way. Either I am going to hate it, and almost not finish, or it is going to be brilliant! It turned out to be the last. This book was really worth the read, it was full of action, hurt, conspiracies, mysterie, paranormal activities and more.

I was really surprised about it because, I wasn't all that excited about it after reading the synopsis. I suspected an average read, but this was spine chilling at moments. Especially the scene at the subway and after that at the apartment. Since I was reading this at night I decided I needed more light if I was to continue reading. So I actually turned on all the lights in the living room. That's how really this book felt, I  almost thought the shadows would turn into those monsters!

And then bang, there was our hot warrior stepping in. Matthias/Nick enters. He can step out of the shadows any day to save my life! (Yeah, I am not excited about this book at all. Hear the sarcasm). Turns out, our little orphan Chantal, is much more than she would ever thought she would be.

When Matthias enters, the mystery of who Chantal really is, starts to unravel, in between the fighting and running for their lives, that is! What makes this story any different of other stories of fallen angels and their descendants (officially called Nephillim) is that the male and female have different kind of powers. And even though the males are the warriors that should protect the female (not a chance that I am telling what they are), Chantal decides she is going to fight next to her protectors and fight. And I am so glad she did, because I don't like it when female characters watch from the sidelines and let someone else fight their battles.

There is one thing, I should tell you though, this is a story with angels and demons. As you know their origin is the bible, so there are references to god, the holy spirit, and even priests and nuns in this story. However, in its essentials this story for me was not one of religion, the religious content did not bother me, it made the book a fascinating read. But if you don't like those kind of things, this is not a book for you.

Now, on to my rating: this book was a surprise, it has great world building, a promise for a wonderful series, great characters, refreshing take on religion and Nephillim, so this makes this a 5 star book!!!

About Allie Jean

Allie Jean was born with an overactive imagination. She spent her childhood inventing stories and telling tales. Her mind never shut down, even while she slept. Vivid dreams containing extensive, elaborate plot lines of good overcoming evil villains captured her nightly visions, lingering into her waking hours and filling the pages of her well-loved bounded diaries. She was encouraged by her parents, even at a young age, to write down her tales, and it has remained a somewhat secret hobby. As a busy wife, mother and critical care nurse, Allie’s love of storytelling has been reborn through the adventures of her unforgettable characters.

Quotes:

In that moment in her warrior’s arms, she felt like she could prepare herself for anything. Time might not be on their side, but she was determined to capitalize on every single moment to prepare her for the battle at hand. Mathias had fought for her, and she’d fight for her freedom and for that of her Oracle sisters.

Andreu about Chyme's curse: Nine little girls in all he buried. Nine times he had to suffer the devastating loss; nine times, he had to put his heart back together again. Some say we all have our cross to bear in life, our own brand of penance. No one, no matter their sins, deserves to suffer like this.” 

Matthias & Chantal: He laughed. “I know it’s a dumb analogy, but I know it’s going to be okay,” she said. “Isn’t that my line?” “Nope,” she corrected. “We’re a team, now. It’s my turn to reassure you.” And he couldn’t have loved her more for it.

Books: Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble ~ H.P. Mallory

Title: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
Author: H.P. Mallory
Series: Jolie Wilkins, book #1
Published in: July 2010
Publisher: Self published
Number of pages: 246 p.
Language: English Only
Age category: Adult
Other books in the series:
Toil and Trouble #2
Witchful Thinking #3
The Witch is Back #4
Something Witchy This Way Comes #5

About Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble 

Life isn't bad for psychic Jolie Wilkins. True, she doesn't have a love life to speak of, but she has a cute house in the suburbs of Los Angeles, a cat and a quirky best friend Christa.

Enter Rand Balfour, a sinfully attractive warlock who insists she's a witch and who just might turn her life upside down. Rand hires her to help him solve a mystery regarding the death of his client who also happens to be a ghost. Jolie not only uncovers the cause of the ghost's demise but, in the process, she brings him back to life!

Word of Jolie’s incredible ability to bring back the dead spreads like wildfire, putting her at the top of the underworld’s most wanted list. Consequently, she finds herself at the center of a custody battle between a villainous witch, a dangerous but oh-so-sexy vampire, and her warlock boss, Rand.
(Source: Goodreads)

Important characters

Jolie:  The story is told from Jolie's point of view only. Jolie is such a character, she reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones (in the movie, I haven't read the books, shame on me I know), minus the overweighted part. Jolie also gets into those strange and awkward situations which made me laugh out loud. Also she doesn't believe she is a witch nor that she has an incredible power.

Rand: He is the to-die-for warlock, secretive, strange in some ways and very protective of Jolie. Although he has trouble explaining himself, nor does he seem to know what he wants. I think he fights a lot of battles in his head. This makes him an awesome character.

Christa: The remarkable thing about Christa is that she doesn't seem to be bother by the fact that the underworld exists. She walks inside a room filled with vampires, werewolves, demons, witches and warlocks without hesitation. She is a wonderful side character, also she is from now on my favourite bookish best friends!

Sinjin: Oh Sinjin, a vampire and a very old one at that. I am still not sure what his motives are. He is Always the gentlemen when it comes to Jolie. He's hot, a real ladies men but in a way that is very charming. I liked the conversations between Jolie and Sinjin, mostly because of the language use. He turns out to be a pretty decent vampire.

My opinion

The first thing that made me want to read this book was the funny cover. It promised laughing out loud, which was a promise that was kept! I laughed a lot which was good, the subject matter was light, not many shocking event that want to make you cry nor emotionally draining.  Just a quick light read!

The story some journey! with lots of bumps, magic, hot man, wicked witches, thirsty vampires,  funny ghosts on the way. At least it didn't have a major cliffhanger on the end pfiieew! I will continue this series, I am curious what the author has in store for us in the next books! I hope lots of fun!  All in all  I just enjoyed this story very much. Great characters, worldbuilding and writing! So that means 4 stars!

Music ~ Paolo Nutini ~ Last request

This song describes the relationship between Rand and Jolie. It also made me think of the scene where Jolie will have to defeat an faerie.

Books: Hush, Hush ~ Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 13th, October, 2009
Number of Pages: 391 p.
Series: Hush Hush, book #1
Age category: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal romance
Other books in the series: 
Crecendo, book #2
Silence, book #3,
Finale #4

About Hush Hush

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.
All the things she has never dreamed of being real are crashing down on her, entering her world without permission. It all seems to revolve around her, will she be able to make the right decision in the end?
(Source: Goodreads)

Important characters:

Note: May contains spoilers!

Nora: The story is told from Nora's point of view. Nora is an average teenage human girl. Or that is what she things. Turns out she's only part human in the end.

Patch: Is a fallen angel, who wants to become human more than anything else, until he meets Nora. He is the big mystery, and remains a mystery until the end of the book. I still would like to know more about Patch especially about his past. Patch was the only character I really liked in this book, and kept me entertained.

Vee: Nora's best friend, I found her a bit (more than a bit) naïve, she trust complete strangers and doesn't listen to her best friends advice. She falls head over heels for Jules (seems a bit instant).

Elliot: Is the other new guy in school, the transfer from the private school. He seems to be the villain in the story but turns out to be a victim. But of what...

Jules/Chauncey: We don't see much of Jules, although it is Elliot's best friend, but he leaves Elliot alone with Vee and Nora most of the time. It left me wondering why and we will find out in the end, I will tell you one thing: He also isn't entirely human!

My Opinion

This was not what I expected it to be, I read a lot of promising reviews, seen a lot of positive reactions on good reads about this book. But I didn't get emotionally attached to this book, like I do with lots of other books.

The character that got me through this book was Patch I liked him because he was a mystery. Nora however, made the story difficult for me. She seems emotionally unattached, in various scenes of the book. Even the love between Nora and Patch seems abstract to me, this is why I didn't like it as much as some other books.

Although it is not mind-blowing, it is a real page-turner, it is easy to read, but sometimes the timeframes and scene-endings are a bit confusing. It is an ok start of the series, but I hope the other three books will be better. Hopefully we will get to know Patch a little better. I am curious about his past, so for me: More Patch and less Nora!

Conclusions

One last thing the cover is beautiful! And glittery! The Dutch cover however, is very ugly, I wish they used the same cover for the Dutch translation.  So  3 stars for a great cover, Patch and the surprise factor in the end!

Quotes:

“You possess other people's...bodies."

He accepted that statement with a nod.

"Do you want to possess my body?"

"I want to do a lot of things to your body, but that's not one of them.”

“Tell me what's going on here. Why can I hear your voice inside my head and why did you say you came to school for me?"

"I was tired of admiring your legs from a distance.”

Books: Existence ~Abbi Glines

Title: Existence
Author: Abbi Glines
Publisher: Wild Child Publishing
Published: 13th December 2011
Number of pages: 161 p.
Series: Existence #1
Age category: Young adult
Genre: Paranormal romance
Other books in this series:
Predestined #2
Leif #2.5 (Novella)
Ceaseless #3

About Existence

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

(Source: GoodReads)

My Opinion

First of all, I love love love the cover, it is simple but beautiful!

Death breaking all the rules? I have always seen Death as the superior, without having someone above him to obey. On the other hand thinking about Greek Mythology, Hades still has to listen to Zeus so he has a superior, Tuoni and the Valkyrjas, had to listen to Odin, so maybe Death does work by certain rules, although in many cases Death does what Death wants even in mythology.

I fell in love with this book slowly, there are some great scenes, love building at a low pace. Although I can't understand some of Pagan's choices, like why doesn't she tell Leif, she is not in love with him? She had many chances to do so but she didn't. The books leaves us with a major cliffhanger in the end which had me looking up the synopsis of the next book just to get the info I wanted.

After Dank/Death decides to leave Pagan (I dislike this name very much btw, I don't know why), she ends up in a institution for mental patients. Here she meets one heck of a interesting side character, Gee! She had me shaking with laughter, because of her rudeness! She's brilliant, and her by give her the Award for Best Side Character, lol. Turns out she is not a mental patient after all, no I am not going share who she really is!

I haven't even began to discuss Dank! Dank is great, I like the songs he has written for Pagan, that he sings her to sleep every night! How romantic! That is about as romantic as you can get if you asked me! He can come sing me to sleep any time!

This book had me on the verge of tears. Would love to hear music to the songs in this book, and a sexy voice like Ville Vallo's (HIM) or maybe Nate Ruess (Fun).

I like to share one more quote with you to show you how much love is in this book:

“You tempt me. I can't be tempted. I'm not made to be tempted, but you, Pagan Moore, you tempt me. From the moment I came for you I was drawn in. Everything about you.."One of his hands left my waist and moved up to gently caress my arm. "You make me crazy with need. With want. I didn't understand it at first. But now I know. It's your soul calling to me. Souls mean nothing to me. They aren't supposed to. But yours has become my obsession.”  

Rating

Looking forward to reading the other two books in the series! 5 stars!!!!! *bows to author*

Music

H.I.M. ~ Gone With The Sin
This sounds like Dank

Muse ~ Plug in Baby Dank in concert.

Books: Her Mad Hatter ~ Marie Hall

Title: Her Mad Hatter
Author: Marie Hall
Published: 7th, July, 2012
Publisher:Marie Hall (self-published)
Number Pages: 129 p.
Series: Kingdom #1
Age category: Adult
Genre Paranormal romance, retelling
Other books in the series:
Gerard's Beauty #2
Red And Her Wolf #3
Jinni's Wish #4
Hook's Pan #5
Moon's Flower #6
Huntsman's Prey #7
Rumpel's Price #8
Hood's Obsession #9
Her One Wish #10
A Pirate's Dream #11

Book: Redemption ~ Venise Webb

Title: Redemption
Author: Venise Webb
Publisher: Venise Webb (self published)
Publishing date: 3 February 2013
Number of pages: 621 p.
Serie(s): Fallyn #1
Age category: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal romance
Other books in the series:
Retribution (Fallyn #2)

Books: Jenny Pox ~ J.L. Bryan

Titel: Jenny Pox
Author: J.L. Bryan
Publisher: J.L. Bryan
Publishing date: 22 July 2010
Number of pages: 310 p.
Serie(s): Jenny Pox #1
Age category: New Adult/Adult
Other books in the series:
Genre: Horor, Paranormal Romance
Tommy Nightmare (Jenny Pox #2)
Alexander Death (Jenny Pox #3)
Jenny Plague-Bringer (Jenny Pox #4)