Wednesday 29 May 2013

Sempre (Forever, #1) by J.M. Darhower





Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco had vastly different childhoods. Haven, a second-generation slave, grew up isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse.

Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege, never having to answer for anything he did.

Both now seventeen, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide, making them question everything they ever believed.

Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think.
  • Genre: Contemporary, Drama, Suspense, Dark, Romance
  • Age: new adult
  • Source: owned ebook
  • Read from May 26 to 28, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Drip Drop Teardrop (Drip Drop Teardrop, #1) by Samantha Young


Even Death Can Fall in Love...

Avery hasn’t had it easy.

When she was ten years old her parents died in a car crash. Now nine years later her Aunt Caroline is the only family she has left. And Caroline is dying.

So when Death comes knocking (quite literally) in the form of the damaged and dangerous, Brennus, Avery makes a deal with the reaper in order to save Caroline.

Brennus is an Ankou.

One of the many, once mortal men and women, who were given the choice to become an immortal in exchange for ferrying the dead over into their afterlife.

Nine years ago Brennus took Avery’s parents and tried to take Avery, but she fought him and won. Amazed by her strength Brennus followed Avery and has watched over her.

Now he knows Avery is the one to offer him freedom from his obligation to the dead.

And he’ll stop at nothing to have her.

  • Genre: Contemporary, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: Death/Grim reaper
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: owned ebook
  • note: short story/novella
  • Read on May 29, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★/★★★★★

Sunday 26 May 2013

The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten, #1) by Julie Kagawa





Don’t look at Them. Never let Them know you can see Them.

That is Ethan Chase’s unbreakable rule. Until the fey he avoids at all costs—including his reputation—begin to disappear, and Ethan is attacked.
Now he must change the rules to protect his family. To save a girl he never thought he’d dare to fall for.

Ethan thought he had protected himself from his older sister’s world—the land of Faery. His previous time in the Iron Realm left him with nothing but fear and disgust for the world Meghan Chase has made her home, a land of myth and talking cats, of magic and seductive enemies.
But when destiny comes for Ethan, there is no escape from a danger long, long forgotten.
  • Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary,Urban fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: faeries
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 20 to 21, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★☆/★★★★★


Stolen by Lucy Christopher



It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.

This is my story.

A letter from nowhere.


Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back?

The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.

  • Genre: Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Drama, Art, Suspense
  • Age: young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 23 to 25, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

And With Madness Comes the Light (Experiment in Terror #6.5) by Karina Halle



The Man. The Mystery. The Madness.

Dex Foray has never been anyone’s fool – until he missed his chance for happiness with Perry Palomino. Broken and alone, Dex has no choice but to rise from the ashes Perry left behind and find his own path to redemption. But nothing in Dex’s life has ever come easily, especially when there’s a dark madness waiting in the wings.

Told from Dex’s POV, And With Madness Comes the Light is short story/novella that spans the time period from the end of Lying Season (Book #4) until the end of On Demon Wings (Book #5). If you were ever wondering what really happened to Dex while Perry was gone - his journey to Dex 2.0 - now is your chance.
  • Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
  • Age:  adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read in February 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

Into the Hollow (Experiment in Terror #6) by Karina Halle



Perry Palomino has fought her demons – and won – but the battle is far from over. She’s now left broken and on her own, leaving behind her life and family in Portland to focus on giving Dex Foray – and the Experiment in Terror show – a second chance. 

But their past mistakes continue to tease and test their relationship, as does the wild and desolate terrain of the Canadian Rockies.

The snow-covered peaks and ravenous forests hide an urban legend too unbelievably frightening to be true and the only way the duo has a chance of surviving is if Perry can let in the very man who sent her to hell and back.
  • Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
  • Age:  adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from February 20 to 21, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

Saturday 25 May 2013

The Dex-Files (Experiment in Terror, #5.7) by Karina Halle




The truth is out there...

The Dex-Files is a compilation novel that accompanies the Experiment in Terror Series and is not to be-read as a stand-alone. In the Dex-Files we find a variety of scenes and chapters from the enigmatic Dex Foray's POV from books #1-6 in the series.
Some of these scenes have been previously published, albeit from Perry's POV, while other scenes are completely new.

In addition to it not being a stand-alone, the novel also contains some major spoilers and should be read only by those who have read all the published books in the series.
  • Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
  • Age:  adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • note: short story 
  • Read from February 19 to 21, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

Old Blood (Experiment in Terror, #5.5) by Karina Halle

 
 A haunting novella from the Experiment in Terror Series...

From her harrowing introduction in Darkhouse, the spectre known as “Creepy Clown Lady” has been a constant fixture in Perry Palomino’s life. But beyond the horrid makeup and piercing stare lies Pippa, a woman just like everyone else.

Well, not quite.

When Perry discovered Pippa’s message to her and Dex on the EVP recordings, she thought she heard the last of the old woman’s message. She was wrong. In the novella Old Blood, Pippa relays the tale of her troubled and tortured past, revealing how an aspiring actress and loving mother fell into madness and how an unfathomable betrayal led to her untimely death.

For Perry, the repercussions of her message are life-shattering.

Old Blood is #5.5 in the series and occurs between books #5 On Demon Wings and #6 Into the Hollow


  • Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Age: mature young adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read in February, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★

On Demon Wings (Experiment in Terror #5) by Karina Halle



When the life you wanted has crumbled beneath your fingers, there’s nothing left to do but pick up the pieces and soldier on. You’ve done this before.

But what happens when you no longer feel like yourself anymore? When fires spontaneously start-up around you, when you hear growling coming from underneath your bed, and you no longer recognize your face in the mirror. What happens then?

Ghost-hunter Perry Palomino doesn’t have much time to find out. Now, the evil she used to hunt is a lot closer to home. It’s inside of her, taking over her life bit-by-terrifying bit, and there’s only one person who can help her.

If part of her doesn’t kill him first.
  • Genre: Paranormal Romance, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Age: mature young adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from February 17 to 18, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Thursday 23 May 2013

The Iron Legends (The Iron Fey, #1.5, 3.5, 4.5) by Julie Kagawa


 
Enter the world of the internationally bestselling Iron Fey series. Dangerous faeries. Heartbreaking romance. Thrilling action and limitless adventure. The world of the fey has never been so powerful. This collection includes three novellas set in the world of the Iron Fey plus the Guide to the Iron Fey with exclusive information about Julie Kagawa's unforgettable world of Faery. 

Winter's Passage
Never make a promise to a faery. They always come to collect. Now Meghan Chase must fulfill her promise to Prince Ash of the Winter Court and embark upon a dangerous journey into the heart of enemy territory—while being pursued by a relentless new foe and guarding her own foolish heart.
 
Summer's Crossing

What can turn enemies into reluctant allies? A call from the Exile Queen, Leanansidhe, ties legendary prankster Puck to his archenemy, Prince Ash, on a journey that may end in betrayal and will set them both on an irreversible path.

Iron's Prophecy

Before she ever knew what she might become, Iron Queen Meghan Chase was warned by the oracle that her firstborn child would bring nothing but grief. And even as Meghan and Ash celebrate their long-awaited union, the prophecy stirs.…

Three Iron Fey novellas for the first time in print!

  • Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary,Urban fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: faeries
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Note: Anthology or short stories
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 09 to 19, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★☆/★★★★★


Sunday 19 May 2013

The Iron Knight (The Iron Fey #4) by Julie Kagawa



My name—my True Name—is Ashallayn’darkmyr Tallyn. I am the last remaining son of Mab, Queen of the Unseelie Court. And I am dead to her. My fall began, as many stories do, with a girl…

 To cold faery prince Ash, love was a weakness for mortals and fools. His own love had died a horrible death, killing any gentler feelings the Winter prince might have had. Or so he thought.

Then Meghan Chase—a half human, half fey slip of a girl—smashed through his barricades, binding him to her irrevocably with his oath to be her knight. And when all of Faery nearly fell to the Iron fey, she severed their bond to save his life. Meghan is now the Iron Queen, ruler of a realm where no Winter or Summer fey can survive.

With the unwelcome company of his archrival, Summer Court prankster Puck, and the infuriating cait sith Grimalkin, Ash begins a journey he is bound to see through to its end—a quest to find a way to honor his vow to stand by Meghan's side.

To survive in the Iron Realm, Ash must have a soul and a mortal body. But the tests he must face to earn these things are impossible. And along the way Ash learns something that changes everything. A truth that challenges his darkest beliefs and shows him that, sometimes, it takes more than courage to make the ultimate sacrifice.

  • Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary,Urban fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: faeries
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 17 to 18, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★/★★★★★


Thursday 16 May 2013

The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey, #3) by Julie Kagawa



My name is Meghan Chase. In less than twenty-four hours I'll be seventeen. Although technically, I won't actually be turning seventeen. I've been in the Nevernever too long. When you're in Faery, you don't age. So while a year has passed in the real world, age wise I'm probably only a few days older than when I went in.

In real life, I've changed so much I don't even recognise myself.

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.
  • Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary,Urban fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: faeries
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 12 to 15, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★☆/★★★★★


Wednesday 15 May 2013

Shadowfever (Fever, #5) by Karen Marie Moning



In an epic battle between humans and Fae, the hunter becomes the hunted when the Sinsar Dubh turns on Mac and begins mowing a deadly path through those she loves.

Who can she turn to? Who can she trust? Who is the woman haunting her dreams?
More important, who is Mac herself and what is the destiny she glimpses in the black and crimson designs of an ancient tarot card?

From the luxury of the Lord Master's penthouse to the sordid depths of an Unseelie nightclub, from the erotic bed of her lover to the terrifying bed of the Unseelie King, Mac's journey will force her to face the truth of her exile, and to make a choice that will either save the world . . . or destroy it.
  • Genre: Urban fantasy, Paranormal,  Supernatural, Dystopia, Romance, Magic, Dark
  • Creatures: Fae
  • Age: adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from October 10 to 11, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★


Iced (Dani O'Malley #1) (Fever #6) by Karen Marie Moning



The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.
Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.
Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.
When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.
Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.
  • Genre: Urban fantasy, Paranormal,  Supernatural, Dystopia, Romance, Magic, Dark
  • Creatures: Fae
  • Age: adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from November 01 to 07, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★/★★★★★


Monday 13 May 2013

Robin in the Hood (Robbin' Hearts #1) by Diane J. Reed





“Is it any wonder I became a bank robber?” said Robin.
But she never dreamed she’d fall in love…
15-year-old Robin McArthur thinks she has it all figured out when it comes to bilking her wealthy dad for guilt money as a substitute for his genuine affection. Until one day he suffers a stroke, and she learns the brutal truth.
They’re broke.
And everyone from bankers to bookies has come to collect.
His only saving grace is what he reveals to Robin in between drools: He truly does love her, in spite of all his mistakes.
Panicked and desperate, Robin figures she has two choices. Either surrender to the pestering caseworker and live in a skanky foster home, or take a chance and sneak her dad out of the hospital to make a run for it. Little does she know that stealing a car and hitting the road means that before the day is through, she will rob her first bank.
Now an outlaw, Robin finds a backwoods trailer park to hide her dad from authorities. There, she encounters Creek, a local bad boy who also commits crimes to provide for their motley neighbors. Realizing she could use Creek’s help, Robin proposes an ingenious plan—they should team up to rob banks together. But when their partnership leads to a romance that turns Robin’s world upside down, she soon begins to discover that people are more precious than pocketbooks, and real love means opening your heart to the kinds of treasures money can’t buy…

  • Genre: Contemporary romance, Magic, Magical realism
  • Age: young adult
  • Source: owned paperback: Copy courtesy of author Diane J. Reed in exchange for an honest review
  • Read from May 09 to 12, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★☆/★★★★★

Sunday 12 May 2013

Lying Season (Experiment in Terror #4) by Karina Halle



Ama­teur ghost-hunter Perry Palomino has bat­tled ghosts, fought off skin­walk­ers and skirted the fine line between life and death. 

But can she sur­vive bunk­ing down in Seat­tle for a week with her partner (and man she secretly loves) Dex and his perfect girl­friend, Jennifer? 

And can she do so while being tor­mented by a mali­cious spirit from Dex’s increas­ingly shady past? 

With love and life in the bal­ance, Perry must dis­cover the truth among the lies or risk los­ing every­thing she's ever cared about.

  • Genre: Paranormal Romance, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Age: new adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from February 16 to 17, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

Dead Sky Morning (Experiment in Terror #3) by Karina Halle



With the Experiment in Terror show finding some success, amateur ghost hunters Perry Palomino and Dex Foray embark on their most terrifying investigation yet. 

A tiny, fog-shrouded island in the rough strait between British Columbia and Washington State has held a dark secret for decades: It was a former leper colony where over forty souls were left to rot, die and bury each other. 

Now a functioning campground, Perry and Dex spend an isolated weekend there to investigate potential hauntings but as the duo quickly find out, there is more to fear on D’Arcy Island than just ghosts. 

The island quickly pits partner against partner, spiraling the pair into madness that serves to destroy their sanity, their relationship and their very lives.


  • Genre: Paranormal Romance, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Age: mature young adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from February 14 to 16, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

The Benson (Experiment in Terror #2.5) by Karina Halle



A short, sexy and scary read.

The Benson hotel in Portland, Oregon might look like your ordinary, swanky turn-of-the century hotel, but deep in the heart of this historic icon, lie a few restless souls with secrets that won't stay buried.

Amateur ghost hunters (and your favorite "will they or won't they" pair) Perry Palomino and Dex Foray spend an evening exploring the hotel for their Internet show "Experiment in Terror" - but this is no ordinary hotel and this is no ordinary episode. There's someone here in the Benson, someone dead, who will push the boundaries of what the duo know about ghosts and challenge Perry's very notion of the truth.

The Benson is a short novella in the Experiment in Terror Series. It occurs between books #2 (Red Fox) and #3 (Dead Sky Morning) but can also be read as a standalone and is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the best-selling series.


  • Genre: Paranormal, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Creatures: ghosts
  • Age: mature young adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Note: short story
  • Read in February 13, 2013
     

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★

Red Fox (Experiment in Terror #2) by Karina Halle

 

With Book Two of the Experiment in Terror Series, Perry Palomino and Dex Foray trade in the stormy Oregon coast for the unforgiving deserts of New Mexico.

In the for­got­ten town of Red Fox, a Navajo cou­ple is tor­tured by things unseen and by motives unknown. Wild ani­mals slink through their house in the dark, a bar­rage of stones pound their roof nightly, and muti­lated sheep car­casses are turn­ing up on their prop­erty. Armed with a cam­era and just enough to go on, Perry and Dex travel to the des­o­late locale, hop­ing to film the super­nat­ural occur­rences and add cred­i­bil­ity to their flail­ing web­cast. 

Only their show has a lot more work­ing against them than just grow­ing pains. Tested by dubi­ous ranch hands, a ghost from Dex’s past, and shapeshift­ing decep­tion, the ama­teur ghost hunters must learn to trust each other in order to fight the most ancient of myths…or die trying.

  • Genre: Paranormal, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Age: mature young adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from February 11 to 13, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror, #1) by Karina Halle

 

Enter the world of the highly-acclaimed Experiment in Terror Series by visiting...the Darkhouse:

There’s always been something a bit off about Perry Palomino. Though she’s been dealing with a quarter-life crisis and post-college syndrome like any other twenty-something, she’s still not what you would call “ordinary.” For one thing, there’s her past which she likes to pretend never happened, and then there’s the fact that she sees ghosts.

Luckily for her, that all comes in handy when she stumbles across Dex Foray, an eccentric producer for an upcoming webcast on ghost hunters. Even though the show’s budget is non-existent and Dex himself is a maddening enigma, Perry is instantly drawn into a world that both threatens her life and seduces her with a sense of importance. Her uncle’s haunted lighthouse provides the perfect catalyst and backdrop for a mystery that unravels the threads of Perry’s fragile sanity and causes her to fall for a man, who, like the most dangerous of ghosts, may not be all that he seems.
  • Genre: Paranormal, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
  • Age: mature young adult / adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from February 8 to 11, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey, #2) by Julie Kagawa



Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen.

As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. 

Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.





  • Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary,Urban fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: faeries
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 10 to 12, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★


Friday 10 May 2013

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman



Sixteen-year-old Blake and his younger brother, Quinn, are exact opposites. Blake is the responsible member of the family. He constantly has to keep an eye on the fearless Quinn, whose thrill-seeking sometimes goes too far.

 But the stakes get higher when Blake has to chase Quinn into a bizarre phantom carnival that traps its customers forever.In order to escape, Blake must survive seven deadly rides by dawn, each of which represents a deep, personal fear -- from a carousel of stampeding animals to a hall of mirrors that changes people into their deformed reflections.

 Blake ultimately has to face up to a horrible secret from his own past to save himself and his brother -- that is, if the carnival doesn't claim their souls first!



  • Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Dark, Suspense,Mystery
  • Age: Young Adult
  • Source: owned ebook
  • Read on November 29, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★


Thursday 9 May 2013

Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth



In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are--and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series--dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

  • Genre: Science fiction, romance, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: ebook 
  • Read from February 08 to 23, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★/★★★★★


The Iron King (The Iron Fey #1) by Julie Kagawa



Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
  • Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary,Urban fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural
  • Creatures: faeries
  • Age: mature young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from May 05 to 09, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★☆/★★★★★

Wednesday 8 May 2013

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

 

After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.

Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.

The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
  • Genre: Contemporary romance, Drama
  • Age: Adult
  • Source: owned paperback
  • Read from May 05 to 08, 2013

 FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Tuesday 7 May 2013

The Child Thief by Brom



Peter is quick, daring, and full of mischief--and like all boys, he loves to play, though his games often end in blood. His eyes are sparkling gold, and when he graces you with his smile you are his friend for life, but his promised land is not Neverland.

Fourteen-year-old Nick would have been murdered by the drug dealers preying on his family had Peter not saved him. Now the irresistibly charismatic wild boy wants Nick to follow him to a secret place of great adventure, where magic is alive and you never grow old. Even though he is wary of Peter's crazy talk of faeries and monsters, Nick agrees. After all, New York City is no longer safe for him, and what more could he possibly lose?

There is always more to lose.

Accompanying Peter to a gray and ravished island that was once a lush, enchanted paradise, Nick finds himself unwittingly recruited for a war that has raged for centuries--one where he must learn to fight or die among the "Devils," Peter's savage tribe of lost and stolen children.

There, Peter's dark past is revealed: left to wolves as an infant, despised and hunted, Peter moves restlessly between the worlds of faerie and man. The Child Thief is a leader of bloodthirsty children, a brave friend, and a creature driven to do whatever he must to stop the "Flesh-eaters" and save the last, wild magic in this dying land.

  • Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Dark Fantasy, Urban fantasy, Magic, Fairy Tales
  • Creatures: faeries, Zombies (?)
  • Age: mature young adult/adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from January 08 to 09, 2013

 FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

Ten Tiny Breaths (Ten Tiny Breaths, #1) by K.A. Tucker



Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.”
But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.

Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.

But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.

  • Genre: Contemporary romance, Drama, Death
  • Age: New Adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from March 06 to 08, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★


Sunday 5 May 2013

Red Glove (Curse Workers, #2) by Holly Black



The cons get craftier and the stakes rise ever higher in the riveting sequel to White Cat"--now in paperback!After rescuing his brothers from Zacharov's retribution and finding out that Lila, the girl he has loved his whole life, will never, ever be his, Cassel is trying to reestablish some kind of normalcy in his life. That was never going to be easy for someone from a worker family that's tied to one of the big crime families--and whose mother's cons get more reckless by the day. But Cassel is coming to terms with what it means to be a transformation worker, and he's figuring out how to have friends.

Except normal doesn't last very long. Soon Cassel is being courted by both sides of the law and is forced to confront his past--a past he remembers only in scattered fragments, and one that could destroy his family and his future. Cassel will have to decide whose side he wants to be on, because neutrality is not an option. And then he will have to pull off his biggest con ever to survive....
  • Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, Supernatural
  • Creatures: Super Powers humans
  • Age: young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from December 05 - unknown, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★/★★★★★ + DID NOT FINISH

White Cat (Curse Workers, #1) by Holly Black

   

Cassel comes from a family of Curse Workers - people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all criminals. Many become mobsters and con artists. But not Cassel. He hasn't got magic, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail - he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.

Cassel has carefully built up a facade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his facade starts to crumble when he finds himself sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he must unravel his past and his memories. To find out the truth, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
  • Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Mystery, Supernatural
  • Creatures: Super Powers humans
  • Age: young adult
  • Source: owned ebook 
  • Read from November 22 to 28, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★/★★★★★