Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.

Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

• Genre: Mystery, Paranormal, Contemporary, Drama, Dark
• Creatures:  werewolves
• Age: mature young adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from June 29 to 30, 2013

  Buddy read with Nab & Vilda ♥

FINAL RATING: ★★★★☆/★★★★★

Come Alive (Experiment in Terror, #7) by Karina Halle

It’s one thing to bring the woman you love back into your life. It’s another to try and keep her there. For Dex Foray, con­vinc­ing Perry Palomino to open her­self to their bur­geon­ing rela­tion­ship has been more chal­leng­ing than hunt­ing ghosts, bat­tling demons and stalk­ing Sasquatch com­bined. 

Add in the fact that the only way they can keep their Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror show run­ning is to take on a third part­ner in the form of the mys­te­ri­ous Max­imus Jacobs — all while inves­ti­gat­ing a sin­is­ter voodoo sect in New Orleans — and you’ve got the per­fect South­ern storm and a recipe for dis­as­ter.

 Luck­ily, Dex has never been one to back down, even when his life –and heart — are on the line.

Come Alive is told from Dex’s POV.

• Genre: Horror, Paranormal Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Supernatural
• Age: adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read from June 23 to 25, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

Come Alive (Experiment in Terror, #7) by Karina Halle

It’s one thing to bring the woman you love back into your life. It’s another to try and keep her there. For Dex Foray, con­vinc­ing Perry Palomino to open her­self to their bur­geon­ing rela­tion­ship has been more chal­leng­ing than hunt­ing ghosts, bat­tling demons and stalk­ing Sasquatch com­bined. 

Add in the fact that the only way they can keep their Exper­i­ment in Ter­ror show run­ning is to take on a third part­ner in the form of the mys­te­ri­ous Max­imus Jacobs — all while inves­ti­gat­ing a sin­is­ter voodoo sect in New Orleans — and you’ve got the per­fect South­ern storm and a recipe for dis­as­ter.

 Luck­ily, Dex has never been one to back down, even when his life –and heart — are on the line.

Come Alive is told from Dex’s POV.

• Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
• Creatures:  ghosts, voodoo, zombies
• Age:  new adult / adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from June 23 to 25, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #2) by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil held a wishbone between them.

And its snap split the world in two.

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living – one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers’ arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.

Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon’s secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel – a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.

This was not that world.

• Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Dark, Fantasy
• Creatures: Angels & Demons 
• Age:mature young adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from November 07 to 15, 2012

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.

The journey continues with my wonderful Vilda :))) (oh look at that sexy chest ♥_♥)

• Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
• Creatures:  ghosts
• Age:  new adult / adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• note: short story
• Read from June 16 to 17, 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.

Vilda and i continue this awesomeness :D Mwahahaha!!

• Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
• Creatures:  ghosts, sasquatch/bigfoot 
• Age:  adult /new adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read from June 14 to 16, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

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.
Book #1 - Darkhouse - *Lighthouse Meeting/*Pie Scene/*Jenn and Dex
Book #2 - Red Fox - *Bar Scene - extended/*Playing Nurse

Book #3 - Dead Sky Morning -*Strippers/*Truth or Dare/*Tent Scene
Book #4 - Lying Season-*The Big Question/*The Xmas Party
Book #5 - On Demon Wings-*A Phone Call
Book #6 - Into the Hollow-*Bailout

And the Buddy Read continues with the one and only Vilda!!

• Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Mystery, Paranormal Romance
• Creatures:  ghosts  
• Age:  new adult / adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• note: short story
• Read from June 13 to 14, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

• Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Drama
• Age: adult
• Source: paperback & ebook
• Read from June 18 to 21, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Sins & Needles (The Artists Trilogy #1) by Karina Halle

Ellie Watt is used to starting over. The daughter of a grifting team, Ellie spent her childhood being used as a pawn in her parents' latest scam. Now she’s much older, wiser and ready to give her con artist life a rest. But returning to the dry desert town of Palm Valley, California means one more temptation than she bargained for – Camden McQueen. Once known as the high school weirdo, Camden is bigger and badder than the boy he used to be and a talented tattoo artist with his own thriving business. Ellie’s counting on Camden still being in love with her but what she’s not counting on is how easily unrequited love can turn into obsession over time. When Camden discovers Ellie’s plan to con him, he makes her a deal she doesn’t dare refuse, but her freedom comes with a price and it’s one that takes both Ellie and Camden down a dangerous road.

• Genre: Romance, Mystery, Suspense
• Age: adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read from January 29 to February 01, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★★/★★★★★

On Every Street (The Artists Trilogy #0.5) by Karina Halle

When young con artist Ellie Watt decides to call herself Eden White and go after the drug lord who ruined her as a child, she never expects to fall for one of his henchmen. But Javier Bernal is no ordinary man. Subtly dangerous and overwhelmingly seductive, Eden finds herself passionately in love with Javier, the very person she's set-up to betray. With her body and heart in a heated battle against her deep need for revenge, no one will walk away from this con a winner.

This 50K word (100+ pages) novella takes place six years before Sins & Needles. It can be read before or after Sins & Needles and may also be read as a standalone.

• Genre: Romance, Mystery, Suspense
• Age: mature young adult / adult
• Source: ARC for review
• Read from March 06 to 07, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor

"Errand requiring immediate attention. Come.

The note was on vellum, pierced by the talons of the almost-crow that delivered it. Karou read the message. 'He never says please', she sighed, but she gathered up her things.
When Brimstone called, she always came."

In general, Karou has managed to keep her two lives in balance. On the one hand, she's a seventeen-year-old art student in Prague; on the other, errand-girl to a monstrous creature who is the closest thing she has to family. Raised half in our world, half in 'Elsewhere', she has never understood Brimstone's dark work - buying teeth from hunters and murderers - nor how she came into his keeping. She is a secret even to herself, plagued by the sensation that she isn't whole.

Now the doors to Elsewhere are closing, and Karou must choose between the safety of her human life and the dangers of a war-ravaged world that may hold the answers she has always sought.

• Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Dark, Fantasy
• Creatures: Angels & Demons 
• Age:mature young adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from February 06 to 07, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

FANART CORNER #1 - Daniel "DAY" Altan Wing from LEGEND

Hello, hello :) Kristalia speaking! :D

Apart from being an extreme book addict, i am also an artist. So i have come with a decision to post my fanarts from the books that i have read and share them with you all, with some additional info as well :) 

 Today i will show you my version of Daniel "DAY" Altan Wing from LEGEND, by wonderful author Marie Lu. You can check out my review for Legend , and for Prodigy if you are interested. (p.s. Marie Lu is a wonderful and talented artist as well.)

ABOUT MARIE LU

 Marie Lu is an American young adult author. She is best known for the Legend series, novels set in a dystopian and militarized future. The novels form the basis of a movie to be produced by CBS Films^[1] and directed by Jonathan Levine. (-taken from wikipedia)

 [Note: Many apologies, but I'm woefully bad at checking my Goodreads emails! If you'd like to send a note/msg/whatevs, please feel free to email marie.x.lu@gmail.com , or catch me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Marie_Lu . Thanks!]

I write young adult novels, and have a special love for dystopian books. Ironically, I was born in 1984. Before becoming a full-time writer, I was an Art Director at a video game company. Now I shuffle around at home and talk to myself a lot. :)

I graduated from the University of Southern California in '06 and currently live in LA, where I spend my time stuck on the freeways. (-taken from GoodReads)

Visit Marie Lu on:  Legend's Official Facebook Page | Twitter | Legend Site | DeviantArt

Well, are you ready? Here it is:

Beauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark, #2) by Gena Showalter

His name is Koldo. He is scarred, powerful, his control legendary-and he lives only for vengeance, determined to punish the angel who viciously removed his wings.

 But if he yields to the forces of hatred, he will be kicked from the heavens, eternally damned.

She is his last hope. 

Nicola Lane was born with a defective heart, yet this fragile human shows surprising strength as demons stalk her every move, determined to end her. 

She is the key to Koldo's deliverance...and his downfall. Though he fights duty, destiny and his first addictive taste of desire, his toughest battle will be the one for Nicola's life-even if he has to sacrifice his own....

• Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Dark
• Creatures: Angels & Demons 
• Age: adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read on February 28, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark #1) by Gena Showalter

Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed nearly too dangerous, too ruthless—and if he isn't careful, he'll lose his wings. 

 But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred from his missions at any cost…until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he's never known before.

Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. 

Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. 

Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation—or her ultimate damnation?

• Genre: Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Dark
• Creatures: Angels & Demons 
• Age: adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read on February 27, 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: Paranormal Romance, Horror, Supernatural, Mystery
• Creatures:  ghosts and demons 
• Age: new adult/ adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from June 09 to 10, 2013

And the Buddy Read continues with the great Vilda!!

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
• Creatures:  ghosts and demons 
• Age: new adult/ adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read from June 06 to 07, 2013

And the Buddy Read continues with the great Vilda!!

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

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
• Creatures:  ghosts and demons 
• Age: new adult / adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read from June 04 to 06, 2013

Buddy read with my darling Vilda ♥ Check out her review here: ✦ Vilda's review

FINAL RATING: ★★★★★/★★★★★

Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life… or is it Hunter?

• Genre:Paranormal, Science fiction, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
• Creatures: Aliens
• Age: adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from June 01 to 04, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence.

She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. 

Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

• Genre: Fantasy, Magic, Paranormal, Romance
• Age: young adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read from August 18 to 19, 2012

FINAL RATING: ★★★/★★★★★ + dropped series

Spirit (Elemental, #3) by Brigid Kemmerer

With power comes enemies. Lots of them.

Hunter Garrity just wants to be left alone. He’s learned the hard way that his unusual abilities come at a price. And he can’t seem to afford any allies.

He’s up to his neck in hostiles. His grandfather, spoiling for a fight. The Merrick brothers, who think he ratted them out. Calla, the scheming psycho who wants to use him as bait.

Then there’s Kate Sullivan, the new girl at school. She’s not hostile. She’s bold. Funny. Hot. But she’s got an agenda, too.
 
With supposedly secret powers rippling to the surface everywhere around him, Hunter knows something ugly is about to go down. But finding out what means he’ll have to find someone he can trust…

• Genre: Super powers, Paranormal romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Magic
• Age: young adult
• Source: owned ebook 
• Read on May 30, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★☆/★★★★★

Opal (Lux, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

• Genre:Paranormal, Science fiction, Romance, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy
• Creatures: Aliens
• Age: mature young adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from June 01 to 02, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★★/★★★★★

Tangled (Tangled #1) by Emma Chase

Drew Evans is a winner. Handsome and arrogant, he makes multimillion dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. He has loyal friends and an indulgent family. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed?
He’ll tell you he has the flu.
But we all know that’s not really true.
Katherine Brooks is brilliant, beautiful and ambitious. She refuses to let anything - or anyone - derail her path to success. When Kate is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.
Then, just when Drew is on the cusp of having everything he wants, his overblown confidence threatens to ruin it all. Will he be able untangle his feelings of lust and tenderness, frustration and fulfillment? Will he rise to the most important challenge of his life?
Can Drew Evans win at love?
Tangled is not your mother’s romance novel. It is an outrageous, passionate, witty narrative about a man who knows a lot about women…just not as much as he thinks he knows. As he tells his story, Drew learns the one thing he never wanted in life, is the only thing he can’t live without.

• Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Humor, Chick Lit
• Age: adult
• Source: owned ebook
• Read from May 29 to 31, 2013

FINAL RATING: ★★★☆/★★★★★