Teaser Tuesday (35)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

"The ground quaked, knocking me to my knees. Howl after howl tore through the night."

~ Page 334, Dime Store Magic by Kelley Armstrong

Once Upon a Read-a-Thon - Final Update

I'm a little disappointed with myself for this read-a-thon. I managed to finish the three books I planned on, but I didn't actually spend that much time reading because I was either spending time with my niece or not feeling hugely well. That said I did manage to achieve my goals and I read some awesome books :)

These are the books I read:

...which works out at approximately 945 pages (as I'd already started Angel with Attitude and I can't remember exactly where I was).



Once Upon A Read-a-thon - Challenges

I've not been doing so well with the actual reading for the read-a-thon after a busy day yesterday and not feeling well today, but I'm taking a break to take part in some of the awesome challenges.

From Kindle Fever:

Once upon a time there was a bookish fight…

As the story teller, I now want you to tell me which two characters are fighting and WHY! If you want to, you’re also more than welcome to guess the outcome. ;)

Once upon a time, Percy Jackson and Harry Potter were fighting over whether demi-god powers are cooler than wizard powers. Percy obviously thinks demi-gods rule while Harry is on the side of his Hogwarts classmates. I would place money on Harry...unless of course they are anywhere near water, or Percy has that handy Medusa head in which case I'm Greek all the way :)

From The Reader Bee:

What is your most anticipated book for 2012?

That has to be 13 by Kelley Armstrong. It's the last in the Otherworld series which I adore and I can't wait to get my copy :) I'm sad to see that the series is ending, but in some ways I'm glad that it is concluding while the books are still all kinds of awesome as there's nothing worse than a series that has been dragged out and the quality has dropped off.

Once Upon a Readathon - Check in (#OUReadathon)

So far I haven't managed to get much reading done so far. I've finished Angel with Attitude but I spent the day with my 19 month old niece so there wasn't any reading time. I'm hoping to really get stuck in this evening.

Teaser Tuesday (33)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

"Splitting up felt wrong, like we were just being stubborn. Yet as wrong as it felt to separate, it felt even more wrong to stay so close to the crash site."

~ Page 49, The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

Once Upon a Readathon Goals (#OUreadathon)

So it's time for the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon to start and I'm really excited to get reading! My goals are pretty loose as I don't want to overwhelm myself, but I'm hoping to read the following:

I've already started Angel with Attitude which is hilarious so far and I can't wait to get stuck into Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising books :)

Shelf Candy Saturday (22)

Shelf Candy Saturday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by Five Alarm Book Reviews where each Saturday bloggers defy the saying "never judge a book by its cover" and showcase one that really catches their eye. Covers play a huge role in the books I choose so it's great to have the opportunity to showcase the pretties :)

My shelf candy for this week is Moby Dick by Herman Melville.




When Ishmael sets sail on the whale-ship Pequod one cold Christmas Day, he has no idea of the horrors awaiting him out on the vast and merciless ocean. The ship's strange captain, Ahab, is obsessed with hunting down the famous white whale, Moby Dick, and will stop at nothing on his quest to annihilate his nemesis.





The Vintage classic covers hold a special place in my heart. While the covers of classics are usually dull and boring, Vintage always manage to make theirs stand out. Moby Dick is one of my favourites of their covers.

I love the black and white colour scheme, and the cover looks deceptively like a hand-drawn doodle. The sketchy style also gives a sense of movement to the cover which is great as the scene looks like it should be moving.

The whale even looks like a sperm whale which (according to wikipedia at least) is what Moby Dick was. I'm a total oceanography nerd so I love that this cover is accurate with the species of whale.

Another feature I like is the font for Moby Dick. The little line joining the final ck makes it look like a diving whale's tail and manages to add a little something extra that may not necessarily be seen on the first viewing.

So what's your shelf candy this week?

Tall, Dark & Hungry by Lynsay Sands

Title: Tall, Dark & Hungry
Author: Lynsay Sands

Publisher: Love Spell
ISBN: 0-505-52583-6
Pages: 372
Series: Argeneau/Rogue Hunter #4
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


After another of his mother's matchmaking attempts, Bastien Argeneau has relocated to New York in hopes of escaping to a more peaceful life. But with his brother Lucern getting married in the city, Bastien soon finds himself roped into helping by letting bride-to-be Kate's cousin Terri stay in his Manhattan penthouse. Terri and Bastien click straight away but with a wounded groomsman, Broadway actor vampire and all manner of wedding crises to deal with it looks like love will have to wait.

This is the fourth in the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter series (after A Quick Bite, Love Bites and Single White Vampire) and focuses on Bastien who has always been presented as the level-headed business oriented Argeneau. Moving the story to New York was a great choice and allowed for some beautiful descriptions of the city.

This is the third book in the series to feature a previous couple's wedding but this time the preparation is featured when Kate and Lucern unexpectedly have to travel and leave Bastien and Terri in charge. This adds a chaotic element to the storyline which is well paced and cleverly plotted, and some of the wedding issues are incredibly funny in how they are written.

Bastien has always managed to maintain an air of professionalism in the previous books, stepping in to help out his siblings when their romantic circumstances required it. As such it's hilarious to watch him make even bigger mistakes than they did. Terri is sweet and generous but older than her years with a tragic past that leaves the reader rooting for her to move past her fears. Their romance is hampered by each of their pasts, so it is interesting to see how they each deal with it.

Chris Keyes, Kate's friend and fellow editor is back and ends up as the butt of several jokes as he lives through what could possibly be the worst week of his life. Problem after problem besets him in a variety of amusing ways. My favourite character though is Vincent who is introduced to the series in an outstanding fashion and quickly fills the supportive/flirty/funny role that Thomas occupied in the first two installments. Vincent's book is up next so it's great to get to know him as a character, especially as Bastien is the last of Marguerite's children so she'll have to move her motherly matchmaking elsewhere.

All in all this was another great read and I'm looking forward to A Bite to Remember.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 47/50

Single White Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Title: Single White Vampire
Author: Lynsay Sands

Publisher: Love Spell
ISBN: 0-505-52552-6
Pages: 369
Series: Argeneau/Rogue Hunter #3
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Lucern Argeneau has moved from history texts to romance novels and as Luke Amirault has written a successful series about vampires. So successful in fact that his new editor Kate Leever's job depends on getting the reclusive writer to do some publicity work. So when force-of-nature Kate meets immovable-object Lucern, something has to give and with Lucern's vampire nature and all too real inspirations walking about, it has to give quickly.

This is the third book in the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter series (after A Quick Bite and Love Bites) although it was the first to be published as the first four were released in a mixed up order. This is the only book where the confusion shows and it is a little annoying, especially as mistakes (whether Lucern eats normally and Kate's home state) are made in terms of the series that mean this book doesn't sit right when the series is viewed as a whole.

The story is a lot of fun and well-paced with some laugh out loud moments (especially those relating to Etienne's coffin). I loved reading Kate and Lucern's letters at the start of the book, and Lucern's gruff nature definitely stands out from the other Argeneau siblings. That said I wasn't as swept away by this installment, possibly because there are two distinct locations that the characters move between and the gaps in the story between the two are a little jarring.

I really enjoyed the view into the publishing world, fictional though it is. Seeing how Lucern as an author interacted with his editor, and how hard Kate and her fellow editor Chris worked for all their authors made me realise how much effort goes into creating the books I read. I also now would love to attend Romantic Times although it sounds like such a blast here that it may be a little disappointing in real life.

I liked Lucern from the very beginning. He's rude and curmudgeonly and hilarious to read about, and his gruff nature fits with someone of over 600 years old. Kate manages to be determined without being overly pushy, pressing Lucern's buttons and generally throwing his life into chaos. The other Argeneaus make a welcome return with Greg and Rachel's wedding happening in the background and Marguerite happily interfering in Lucern and Kate's lives.

All in all, this was a fun read and I'm looking forwards to Tall, Dark and Hungry.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 46/50

Love Bites by Lynsay Sands

Title: Love Bites
Author: Lynsay Sands

Publisher: Love Spell
ISBN: 978-0-505-52553-6
Pages: 373
Series: Argeneau/Rogue Hunter #2
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Etienne Argeneau has a problem. Pudge, a fan of his game Blood Lust, has become obsessed, realised Etienne is a vampire and keeps trying to kill him. After being run down and shot, Etienne is blown up and ends up in the morgue being examined by reluctant nightshift ME Dr Rachel Garrett. But when Pudge tries to behead Etienne Rachel gets in the way and ends up mortally wounded so Etienne returns the favour and saves her life in return...although with the realities of being a vampire, Rachel may not be willing to thank him.

This is the second book in the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter series (after A Quick Bite) which is one of my favourite paranormal romance series. This continues in the same funny vein as the previous installment with some laugh out loud moments mixed in with the romance and drama. The storyline is well plotted and paced and the threat of Pudge lingers in the background of the novel adding a level of tension. This book is also different in that the mortal is turned at the beginning, rather than after everything has been explained leading to some amusing scenes.

Etienne is a great lead and I love that he's really a closet computer geek. It was great to see him and Rachel bonding over a love of computer games. Rachel does well as a human dragged into a paranormal world, and her reluctance to accept her new reality is hilarious. It was interesting how the idea of vampires not being able to read their true mates mind played into their relationship, especially as Etienne had 300 years of being able to judge his flirting technique through the eyes of his date.

I loved how Lissianna and Greg's relationship continues to develop in the background of this book, focusing on Lissianna's wedding shower and their wedding. It was also funny to see Greg giving Rachel advice over dating an immortal. I really enjoyed the world building here as more vampire based drinks unique to this series were introduced and explained such as Sweet Tooth, Sweet Ecstasy and Ever Enduring.

Another thing I loved about this book was that it allowed the reader to get to know the other Argeneau's better especially Margeurite, Lucern, Bastien and Thomas. The last book introduced a heap of characters and there wasn't really a chance to get to know many of them so this was a nice change, particularly given that each of these characters have their own book further into the series. Part of what was so great about the ending was that it created a little overlap with Lucern's story (up next) and hinted at the beginning of Bastien's (book 4).

All in all this was a great read and I'm really looking forward to Single White Vampire.

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 9/10

Overall: 49/50

Teaser Tuesday (32)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Miz B at 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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

My teaser:

"He wanted to eat my Muffin!"
"I certainly hope her muffin is the furball she's carrying," Lucern said with a dry humour that made Bastien laugh and dispelled some of the tension that had been gripping him.

~ Page 310, Love Bites by Lynsay Sands

A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands

Title: A Quick Bite
Author: Lynsay Sands
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 978-0-06-077375-5
Pages: 360
Series: Argeneau/Rogue Hunter #1
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads


Lissianna Argeneau suffers from hemaphobia and faints at the sight of blood, which wouldn't be such a problem if she wasn't a vampire. Given the new protocol of feeding from blood bags, Lissianna is treading a dangerous path between starvation and feeding off the wrong people. So as a birthday gift her mother kidnaps Dr. Gregory Hewitt, a phobia expert, in hopes of curing Lissianna...but given their growing attraction Greg may not be the most appropriate doctor for her daughter.

This is the first book in the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter series (although it wasn't the first to be published as the first four were published in the wrong order) which is a favourite of mine. These are really fun light paranormal romances that blend funny moments and romantic moments with a clever and unique backstory. In this series vampirism is caused by biological nanotechnology passed down from Atlantis, and this premise definitely makes them stand out from the crowd.

This story focuses on Lissianna, the youngest Argeneau (at only 202) and a human psychologist Greg. The story is well paced, getting started with a bang with Greg's abuduction and staying at a relatively fast pace throughout. The romance is sweet and develops well, with both characters being open from the start. The backstory is also well written with explanations for everything (which would be conspicuous if absent given the psychologist main character). There isn't any info-dumping and, other than introducing a relatively large cast of characters, this doesn't suffer to much for being the first book in the series. While the romance is the main storyline, there is also a mystery in the background that threatens Lissianna's life which adds a new level of tension.

Lissianna is really sweet and caring breaking the mould from the usual vampire vixen while Greg is incredibly accepting, especially given he starts off kidnapped and tied to a bed by Marguerite. Marguerite is every part the scheming matriarch, finding a way to play every situation to her benefit. My favourite character though has to be Thomas, Lissiana's cousin. He is hilarious but also protective of his cousin.

All in all this was a fun read and I'm looking forward to Love Bites.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 47/50

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

Title: Fever

Author: Lauren DeStefano
Publisher: Harper Voyager
ISBN: 978-0-00-745779-3
Pages: 341
Series: Chemical Garden Trilogy #2
Type: Young Adult Dystopian
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Rhine Ellery has escaped her forced polygamous marriage along with Gabriel, a servant. In her desperation to escape her gilded cage, Rhine has forgotten a lot about the real world and runs straight into a trap in the form of a strange run-down carnival. Desperate to reach her brother in Manhattan, Rhine and Gabriel struggle to free themselves but with Rhine's sinister father-in-law Housemaster Vaughn determined to recapture her will they be able to escape again.

This is the second book in the Chemical Garden trilogy (after Wither) and a book I was eagerly anticipating given my enjoyment of the previous installment. Now away from the mansion Rhine and Gabriel are on their own and the book has a great feel of danger as the realities of the world set in. Gabriel's reactions in particular are fascinating as all he has ever known has been an orphanage and the mansion, and Rhine never prepared him for the brutalities of the world.

The book is very much about Rhine and Gabriel's journey to New York and so it twists and turns as they travel and come into contact with other people. That said there were a few plot twists that didn't make any sense, particularly those of Madame and her decisions about what to do with Rhine. It's hard to discuss without spoilers but one day work was done only for a decision to make said work pointless which seemed unusually wasteful for her character.

I was expecting Rhine and Gabriel's romance to develop more in this book away from the influence of Linden, but it seems that reaches beyond his physical presence. Rhine seems to have lost her perspective on her marriage, remembering Linden quite fondly rather than as the man who married her against her will and some of her decisions are pretty dumb. Gabriel really starts to come out of his shell and develop as a character, keeping Rhine safe while struggling to accept the realities of the world.

I loved some of the new characters that were introduced, especially Maddie. Maddie is a disabled child who Rhine and Gabriel encounter on their travels and I was impressed as how sympathetically and realistically her disabilities were presented. She's a really sweet kid to boot and so adds a new dimension to the story whilst replacing Cecily as the dependent character.

All in all this was a great read and I'm looking forward to the final volume Sever.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 9/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 45/50  

Best of the Bunch (2)

Best of the Bunch is an awesome end-of-month meme created at Lyrical Reviews and now hosted by Sally at Always Lost in Stories. All you have to do is pick your favourite book of all the books you've read that month and post it.

My favourite book for June is Blue-Blooded Vamp by Jaye Wells.

This is the last book in the Sabina Kane series which I absolutely loved. It's a great urban fantasy series that totalled out at five books taking place over a year of Sabina's life. It has really unique world-building with a ton of different supernatural races (vampires, mages, demons, fairies and various mixed breeds) and I've loved them since the beginning.

These introduced me to one of my favourite characters of all time - Giguhl the mischief demon. He is absolutely hilarious :)


I'd actually be happy to give the award to the entire series so here are the first four books:

This is definitely one of those series that needs to be read in order so I'd recommend starting with Red-Headed Stepchild. Links to all of my reviews can be found below:

Red-Headed Stepchild
The Mage in Black
Green-Eyed Demon
Silver-Tongued Devil
Blue-Blooded Vamp

So what was the best book you read this month?