Top Ten Tuesday (7)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the Broke and the Bookish where a new top ten list is posted each week. This week is: Top Ten Books To Read During Halloween.

1. Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie
There is no way this book wasn't ending up on this list. I brought it last Halloween (partly for the cover) and it is brilliant. If you haven't read her other Poirot books you'll be missing a few things, but I'd only read one and still really enjoyed this. It features Ariadne Oliver as a character who plays off Poirot really well.

2. The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff
This has made several of my TTT lists already, but it's placed here because (a) it's scary, (b) it's written by a screenwriter so is similar to watching a horror movie, and (c) it's scary!

3. I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lori Duncan
This has very little in common with the movie, and I didn't realise just how old it was until I realised the war they were talking about was in Vietnam. It stands the test of time really well and it has a creepy whodunnit vibe throughout.

4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Come on - creepy ghosts, haunted moors and mist? Throw in the Kate Bush song Heathcliff and you've got a Halloween special. I read this a couple of years ago and surprised myself by actually enjoying it. It's got amazing atmosphere that would really suit the Halloween season.

5. Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Also known as The Scottish Play by actors who are too superstitious to use the actual title in a theatre. It fits pretty well with the Halloween theme with witches, murder and mayhem.

6. Dracula by Bram Stoker
Pretty much what I'm likely to be reading for Halloween. I've never read it before but it made the list because it is basically the original vampire novel. Also I've been lucky enough to visit Whitby in Yorkshire where his boat crashes and that is a very creepy place.

7. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Purely based on the title alone, this is the ideal Halloween read. I don't think my copy remain unread until then because it sounds awesome! Also look at the cover - doesn't that just scream Halloween?

8. Possess by Gretchen McNeil
Another one on my Halloween reading list, this time about demons. I saw some great reviews for this and loved the cover, but it was the teaser video that really got me to pick up a copy. The video can be found here and is uber-creepy.

9. The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Beautiful, haunting and atmospheric this is the ideal Halloween read and it comes with the added bonus of snippets of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow at the start of each chapter. I loved it and read it in a day, which is impressive even for me as it's over 500 pages.

10. Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
"Quoth the Raven, nevermore" Poe has written some of the creepiest poems and short stories around, and while I haven't read all of them I've been impressed with those I have read.

Teaser Tuesdays (8)

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 had the car door open before the Bentley was in park and he was walking for the front entrance before Rehv was out from behind the wheel. The overriding sense of dread he got was actually a good sign."

~ Page 194, Lover Mine by J. R. Ward

Wonderfully Wicked Read-a-Thon - Round Up

I didn't post a progress check yesterday as I had a massive headache and went to bed. I did manage to finish Lover Avenged and I've started Lover Mine.

So, over the readathon I have finished 3 books and started a fourth for a total of 1477 pages. I've also had a ton of fun and met some other awesome bloggers :) Links to my reviews are below:

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Unholy Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward

Lover Avenged by J. R. Ward

Title: Lover Avenged
Author: J.R. Ward
Publisher: Piatkus
ISBN: 978-0-7499-4173-4
Pages: 719
Series: Black Dagger Brotherhood #7
Type: Adult Paranormal Romance
Source: Purchased
Goodreads

Caldwell has long been the battle ground for the war between the Brothers and the Lessening Society. On the sidelines Rehvenge has built a successful business providing his nightclub clientele with whatever they want so it is unsurprising when he is asked to kill Wrath, the vampire King. Rehvenge has secrets of his own to keep, like his true symphath nature that would result in his imprisonment, and when the plots become too much he turns to Ehlena, the only source of light in his dark world.

This is the seventh book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series (after Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Revealed, Lover Unbound and Lover Enshrined) and one I approached with trepidation. Not only was the previous book a let down, but this is the longest one yet at 716 pages. This is a total return to form though and I loved it.

The plot is cleverly done and there is a lot of it. Rehvenge's life is more complex than the previously featured Brothers, and this book reflects that showing his separate business, family, symphath and romantic lives. It also has different plotlines relating to Xhex and John Matthew whose relationship gets even more complicated and messy (luckily their book is next), Lash's new life as a lesser and his role within the Lessening Society and Wrath's changing role as fighter and King. There is so much story here I became a little overwhelmed but it is well paced with a ton of tension.

I've liked Rehvenge ever since his introduction as the Reverend at the beginning of the series. We've seen him grow and change throughout the books, showing his protective family side and the responsibilty he has taken on to keep Xhex safe. He lives in a very dark place because of his responsibilities, and Ehlena is brilliant for balancing out Rehvenge's darkness. As someone who cares for a parent I can say that her emotions as a carer are spot on and this really made her character come to life for me.

The ending is incredible, giving all the characters an opportunity to be the best they can be - even Wrath and Tohr who had occasionally annoyed me earlier in the book. It reshapes the BDB world and also leads straight into the next book so I can't wait to see where the author goes from here.

All in all this was an awesome read and I can't wait to get stuck into Lover Mine.

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

Overall: 48/50

In My Mailbox (6)

 In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Each weekend I'll post about any new books I've gotten either in my mailbox or from a store or library that week. If I haven't gotten any new books, I'll wait until I do.

As part of last week's fall from grace, I placed a massive amazon order which has now arrived and I took advantage of a buy-one-get-one-half-price plus 20% off deal at the bookstore so this week is a massive haul! Once again it's just a cover gallery, and this is likely to be the last big mailbox for a while as I'm all shopped out.