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Sunday 31 March 2013

RIVER MARKED by Patricia Briggs

River Marked (Mercy Thompson, #6)
Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson knows that life with her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will never be boring, but even their wedding doesn't go as planned. Nevertheless, a ten-day honeymoon camping on the banks of the Columbia River, alone, just the two of them, should make up for it. But the trip - and the pimped-out trailer they're using - is courtesy of the fae. And nothing from the fae comes without strings attached...

Being a different breed of shapeshifter - a walker - Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River - and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence know to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil...
 
 
 
OMG. This is one of my favourite UF series, and this book was awesome!

Mercy and Adam get married, and what's supposed to be some time alone and away from the pack to enjoy their honeymoon, turns into a very dangerous adventure. One that puts Mercy against a river monster she might not be able to defeat... And along the way reveals some pretty cool secrets about her origins.

I absolutely loved every minute of this book and couldn't stay away from it. I just had to know what was going to happen next. Oh, plus Mercy and Adam are so perfect together!

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Hey! Stuff happened!


See this cute pic? That's exactly how I feel today.
 
*yawn*
 
So tired. I'm feeling a little crappy today. I keep yawning, have a huge headache that I can't shake, feel wonky and can't stop thinking about taking a nap. Maybe I should do that.
 
Maybe.
 
Anyway. I think I'm mentally exhausted. Looks like the last few weeks of being totally engrossed in the third draft of Sierra Fox #4 have finally caught up with me. It kinda feels like my brain's telling me I need a few days off.
 
I'll try, but I'm not the kind of person that can do nothing. Or stop thinking about things. Like I mentioned last time, my head's already full of Sierra Fox #5 snippets. But I won't be writing it yet. I need a little down time to catch up on some reading and take plenty of notes about this book I'm itching to write in May. :)
 
So, like I mentioned earlier... the fourth book is done. The synopsis is done. And I've emailed everything to my lovely editor. Now comes the worrying. Funny how you can be so excited a second after finishing the book and sending it in, then the worry starts to cloud your judgement. O_o
 
Oh well. I'm not going to think about that. Best to concentrate on other things.
 
Man, writers sure can be a weird, neurotic lot...
 
Hubby and I watched the second last ep of The Walking Dead last night... it was AWESOME! I love this show so much. I can't wait to see what happens next week, but don't want it to end. Think I'll have to get stuck into the comic books again. I've fallen behind a bit.

Oh, and did you hear the terrible news? MCR broke up! I can't believe it. I was shocked, and sad. I love this band and everything their music meant to me. Personally, I've found a lot of inspiration in their music and was looking forward to more. Guess I'll just have to listen to their past albums over and over again, which is fine with me! :)

My Chemical Romance lives on...

Time to go. See ya!

VANISH by Sophie Jordan

Vanish
To save the life of the boy she loves, Jacinda did the unthinkable: She betrayed the most closely guarded secret of her kind. Now she must return to the protection of her pride knowing she might never see Will again ? and worse, that because his mind has been shaded, Will's memories of that fateful night and why she had to flee are gone.Back home, Jacinda is greeted with hostility and must work to prove her loyalty for both her sake and her family's. Among the few who will even talk to her are Cassian, the pride's heir apparent who has always wanted her, and her sister, Tamra, who has been forever changed by a twist of fate. Jacinda knows that she should forget Will and move on ? that if he managed to remember and keep his promise to find her, it would only endanger them both. Yet she clings to the hope that someday they will be together again. When the chance arrives to follow her heart, will she risk everything for love?In bestselling author Sophie Jordan's dramatic follow-up to Firelight, forbidden love burns brighter than ever.
 
 
 
OMG. What an awesome book! You know, in spite of the very ugly UK/AUS cover, this is another amazing installment to this trilogy.

I actually borrowed this book a few weeks ago from the library, but didn't get a chance to read it because I've been busy working on my own book. As soon as I finished revisions, I knew this was one of the first books I wanted to get lost in.

Jacinda, Tamra, and their mother have returned to the pride after the horrible events that led to Jacinda revealing herself to humans. She's been forced to leave Will behind, and now that her sister has finally become a full draki and used the full extent of her new powers, he might have totally forgotten about her.

Back with her fellow draki, Jacinda isn't exactly welcomed back. Their alpha can't stand her, her best friend is ignoring her, and her twin sister is forced away from her so she can develop her new self. Even her mother starts drowning her sorrows with a bottle. Actually, the only person who's there for her is Cassian. And even though his reason for that is because he wants her so much, Jacinda slowly starts to realise he might actually want her not for what she is, but who she is.

But it doesn't matter because her heart belongs to Will, and to be with him she will risk everything!

This is an action-packed book that moves quickly and leaves you exhausted. Just when you think the middle book in the trilogy is going to be all about Jacinda wallowing in self-pity, everything within the pride and even outside of it collide.

I can't wait to read the final book. Wish the library would hurry up and get it already. LOL.

Sunday 24 March 2013

LEASHING THE TEMPEST by Jenn Bennett

Leashing the Tempest (Arcadia Bell, #2.5)
Dating a demon, defeating evil, running a tiki bar: Arcadia Bell is a great occult mage in many respects. But then there’s the challenge of her boyfriend’s precocious teenage son…
Arcadia "Cady" Bell may have saved the Hellfire Club’s children from a local bogeyman, but she and her Earthbound demon boyfriend, Lon Butler, now face a more disturbing problem: his teenage son’s new demonic abilities. Jupe Butler can persuade you to do anything—or so he thinks. To test the limits of his newfound power, Cady invites the co-owner of Tambuku Tiki Lounge to be the teen’s guinea pig during an afternoon boat cruise. But when an angry storm whips the Pacific into a frenzy and Jupe puts them all in serious danger, will Cady's magick trump a teenager’s excess confidence?
 
 
I love this series, so when this novella was released and I couldn't buy it because of stupid region restrictions, I was bummed. Then the lovely Jenn Bennett had a contest for overseas readers and I won a printed copy. Yay! :)

Since I received it on Friday and I wrapped up revision on my own book, I decided to make this my reward. And of course it was! I loved it.

Cady and Lon take Jupe and Kar Yee on a three-hour cruise so they can test the limits of Jupe's new persuasion knack. However, when the creepy Captain is put out of commission, the weather takes a dangerous turn, and something from the sea jumps on board...

This was another awesome Cady story filled with typical Jupe antics, danger, her strong relationship with Lon, and the use of her strong magical ability. Did I mention Lon? Yeah. Awesome!

Can't wait for the next book...

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Long time no see...again!

Love this picture. Can't remember if I posted it before, but it's a tile my daughter made last year before leaving primary school. So cool.
 
Anyway. How is everyone? OMG. It's been so darn long since I last popped in, and if I'm totally honest this has been happening quite a bit this year. I've been working hard on several Sierra Fox books and time just keeps slipping away from me...
 
Last week and this week, I've been working on the final draft of Sierra Fox #4. It's intense work because I have to stay sharp so things don't slip by me. The best way of doing that is by revising on the PC, and then reading what I've revised on my phone. It's double the work, but I'm catching a bunch of typos and repeated words by doing this.
 
I actually finished the third draft yesterday afternoon, but I'm about halfway through what I'm calling revision-checking--hubby totally came up with this name--so I plan to get stuck into that today, tomorrow and Friday. If I do, looks like I'll be able to stick to my self-imposed deadline of subbing it by the end of the month... just in time for the 4-day Easter break. :)
 
If I can do that, it would be awesome!
 
The next/final book in Sierra's five-part series is really speaking to me, and as much as I'd love to write it during the month of April, I don't think I can. My daughter has two weeks off in April, we have a vet appointment, I have a doctor's appointment, there are a few public holidays... yeah, doesn't look likely. So instead of freaking out, I've decided that May is the month for Sierra Fox #5.
 
No point in stressing. Besides, that'll give me a month to chill between books and plan as much as I can for the fifth one. It's gonna be a hard one to write. So many bad things are bound to happen...
 
I can't believe I'm going to say this but asides from reading my own story, I haven't read anything else. Ahhhhh! It feels wrong, somehow. But I plan to reward myself with a bunch of reading after I'm done with this book. Gotta love the positive thinking I'm spilling all over this post. Now, if I can just pretend the season hasn't changed and summer isn't gone, I'll be okay.
 
Well, that's it for today. I've got a to-do list to tackle!
 
See ya.

Saturday 9 March 2013

BETWEEN by Kerry Schafer

Between (The Between, #1)
Vivian Maylor can’t sleep. Maybe it’s because she just broke up with her boyfriend and moved to a new town, or it could be the stress of her new job at the hospital. But perhaps it’s because her dreams have started to bleed through into her waking hours.

All of her life Vivian has rejected her mother’s insane ramblings about Dreamworlds for concrete science and fact, until an emergency room patient ranting about dragons spontaneously combusts before her eyes—forcing Viv to consider the idea that her visions of mythical beasts might be real.

And when a chance encounter leads her to a man she knows only from her dreams, Vivian finds herself falling into a world that seems strange and familiar all at once—a world where the line between dream and reality is hard to determine, and hard to control…
 
 
I reckon the cover for this book is lovely, and a great representation of what happens in the book.

Vivian is an ER doctor in a new town. She recently left her boyfriend and is happy to get on with her own life. She's also trying to avoid dreams. However, when her real life collides with that of her dreams, her life is turned upside down and she learns a few family secrets that introduce her to the alluring Zee, and will change her life forever.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the surreal quality surrounding the events. There's danger, dragons, a penguin called Poe, an evil villainess, an asshole ex, a courageous man willing to risk his own life, mystery, mayhem, dreams, nightmares, and a heroine forced to face a new reality.

It was a great book!

Monday 4 March 2013

Catch Up!

OMG. It's been sooooo long since I last blogged...
 
What have I missed? How is everyone?
 
I've been super busy during the last three weeks. Mostly tying up the final editing stages of ON PINS AND NEEDLES (ARC) and working on the second draft of Sierra Fox #4.
 
The third book is done and ready for release in June, while the fourth is one draft away from being finished. I'm putting it aside for a week, so I'm coming up for air for a bit.
 
Phew.
 
As you can see in the photo I posted today, last Friday I received print copies of Sierra's first book and I'm SO EXCITED! I can't stop looking at them, and find myself randomly picking up a copy so I can flick through it. It's a gorgeous-looking book, and the cover feels so nice. I love it!
 
The paperback copy of A PATCH OF DARKNESS will be available on April 2. It's already available for per-order at The Book Depository and Amazon.
 
So, what else have I been up to? Not much really. Well, okay, I've squeezed in quite a bit of reading and everyday-type stuff. But every moment that I've had alone while Hubby is at work and Daughter is at school has been spent working on the Sierra Fox series. I'm either editing, revising, thinking, planning, researching, or taking notes relating to one of the books in the series. I'm totally obsessed with it right now. Which makes sense, since I'm currently in the process of revising the penultimate book, and am constantly getting snippets about the fifth/last book in the series.
 
I can't believe how much there is to do... but this week is going to be all about dealing with a smaller to-do list, catching up on reading, and sorting out a few last-minute details before the third draft. Oh, and did I mention that my daugther is going away on a school camp this week? Yep. She is.
 
Okay. That's it for now. I think. ;)
 
Have a great day!
 
 
 
 

Sunday 3 March 2013

BLACKBIRDS by Check Wendig

Miriam Black knows when you will die.
She’s foreseen hundreds of car crashes, heart attacks, strokes, and suicides.

But when Miriam hitches a ride with Louis Darling and shakes his hand, she sees that in thirty days Louis will be murdered while he calls her name. Louis will die because he met her, and she will be the next victim.

No matter what she does she can’t save Louis. But if she wants to stay alive, she’ll have to try.


I've heard great things about this book, so when I found it at the library I borrowed it and couldn't wait to read it.

The concept is intriguing and the main character's grim personality started out interesting. But the more I read, the less I could tolerate her. I have to be honest, her voice sounded more like a man than a woman. Which was disappointing.

Her world is so bleak that I was actually turned off by it. And I usually love dark and gritty worlds. Every new page I read made me feel dirtier. What started out as gritty and exciting soon turned into uncomfortable.

I really, really wanted to like this book but instead I'm going to DNF it. Can't bring myself to finish a book with such an unreliable and unlikeable protagonist.

It's a shame.

PS. Forgot to mention that the cover is awesome!

Saturday 2 March 2013

FIRELIGHT by Sophie Jordan

A hidden truth.
Mortal enemies.
Doomed love.
 
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
 
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.
 
 
Wow. What an awesome book this turned out to be. I borrowed it from the library and have already put the next two books on hold.

Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons who can become human. She's also a rarity--a fire-breather--and so her pride pretty much wants to control her every move so she can pass the gift on. But she's rebellious and loves to fly, so when she sneaks out with her best friend and they're spotted by hunters, she hides. One of the hunters finds her but doesn't tell.

She can't believe her luck, but her adventure forces her mother to get her and her twin sister out of there in the middle of the night...or Jacinda's punishment will ruin her draki. Not that moving to the desert helps. Here, her draki suffers and will eventually die.

Trying to fit into the human world is torture. Until she runs into a boy called Will, who happens to be the hunter who protected her in the cave. Something about him draws Jacinda as much as the draki always lurking beneath her skin.

I loved this story! The mythology of the draki and hunters was fascinating. I enjoyed watching Jacinda grow as both a human and draki, while trying to fight her attraction to Will. I also felt sorry for her because her mother and twin sister continually alienate her because of what she is. Poor Jacinda.

I have to admit that Tamra annoyed the hell out of me, Xander creeped me out, and Cassian made me angry. But they're balanced out by Jacinda, Will and Catherine :)

Such a great story, but the way things ended... what's gonna happen next? Can't wait to find out.
 

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