Review of "Destined for an Early Grave" by Jeaniene Frost

So, I just finished "Destined for an Early Grave" by Jeaniene Frost, and all I can say is.. Oh my gosh! I wish I had more friends who read this series so I would have someone to talk to about this book. Man.. just.. whoa! When I finished the last page, I squeaked. I kid you not, it's that kind of story. This would have to be the best book I've read all year, but then Jeaniene Frost hasn't disappointed me yet!

So! In this book - Cat, Bones, and the crew are back, and this time the bad guy is stronger than they could have imagined, with a claim that has Cat and Bones worried. The vampire Gregor, called the Dreamsnatcher, is claiming to be married to Cat under vampire law, since she was sixteen. Mencheres arrives to explain to Cat that the memories of her month spent with Gregor have been blocked, and only if she agrees to go to Gregor and have him bring her memories back will she know the truth of their supposed marriage. Cat and Bones aren't taking the situation well, and tempers are rising. Are Cat and Gregor really married? And if she gets her memories back, will she choose Bones or Gregor?

As I said, I loved this book. Cat is such a great heroine, stubborn but strong. And Bones.. whew, I'd take him any day! And of course I love their friends- Mencheres, Spade, Rodney, Vlad, and the new addition - Fabian. In the beginning, part of me wanted Gregor to be somewhat of a good guy, maybe to make the decision just a little harder, give him some redeeming qualities, maybe. But as the book wore on, no more. I wanted Cat and Bones, and all their people, to survive. I wish I could get into the ending, the amazing twists, the heart wrenching moves.. Oh, dear. All I can do is suggest that everyone read this, and of course the books before it. Frost already has a few books planned out, Cat and Bones will have at least three more, and Spade and Mencheres will each have their own book. I can't wait!

I give this book a five out of five. I couldn't put it down, and I know I will keep going back to it over and over. It has everything I wanted and needed, romance, drama, emotional ties to amazing characters, and the thrill of seeing the characters fight for their lives, and their love. Make sure you all check out "Destined for an Early Grave" by Jeaniene Frost!

Never fear!

Hello readers! No, I haven't forgotten that I have a blog, and need to update it every so often, I promise! I have been busy, with my work orders, rainy days (meaning wet basements!), it's Fair week in my county, and the best part is a big book sale in a nearby town tomorrow. Who knows what treasures I may find.

All that, and I've been waiting for my Amazon order to arrive, which it did today. "Destined for an Early Grave" by Jeaniene Frost (which was released this tuesday, everyone go get a copy!) has finally come, and I've already got my nose buried in it. My review of it will be up in another day or so, I assume.

And, I want to give special thanks to Ann Aguirre (her blog can be found HERE ), because thanks to her, I won an ARC (advanced reader copy) of "Indiscreet" by Carolyn Jewel. You can expect that review soon, as well. And also, thanks are due to Marta Acosta (check out her blog HERE ), because thanks to her contest, I won a copy of "Dead Man's Boots" by Mike Carey. And you can expect a review of that following "Destined for an Early Grave" and "Indiscreet."

Take care, everyone, and I will be back on here soon with my reviews!

Review of "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" by Janet Evanovich!

Well.. to be honest, I've been procrastinating this review for a while now. I just don't know how I feel about it. I love the Stephanie Plum series, mostly for the drama and the characters reaction to said drama, but this one.. Hm, well let's get into what it was about first.

In "Finger Lickin' Fifteen," the fifteenth novel in the Stephanie Plum series (minus the "Between the Numbers novels), it's the people in Stephanie's life that have problems, not her. Houses and businesses protected by RangeMan Security are getting broken into, and he needs Stephanie's help fingering the culprit. And Lula, former 'ho, witnesses a man getting his head chopped off, and now the murderers are after her to keep her quiet. With Lula hiding out in Stephanie's apartment, Stephanie goes to stay in Ranger's apartment at RangeMan, and nervous sexual tension ensues.

Now.. as for my opinion. Well, I love the series, as I mentioned, and I love the characters, but this book almost felt like one big joke to me. The drama was nonexistant, it wasn't even Stephanie that was having problems, unless you include losing two cars (a common event in each novel), and having to deal with Lula's snoring. This book felt more like a short story to me, more like one of her between the numbers novels, but less satisfying. I felt a little cheated. I've waited a long time for the next book in the series, and it just didn't satisfy me. That being said, I'll still keep reading the series, but I'm really hoping for a redemption in the next novel, whenever that will come out.

So as much as I love Stephanie Plum, I'll have to give this book two and a half stars out of five. I probably won't be suggesting "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" to anyone that isn't already a fan of the series. This definitely wasn't Janet Evanovich's finest Stephanie Plum novel.

Now off I go to continue watching some Family Guy, Seinfeld, then Stargate SG-1. A schedule, I has one. Happy reading, everyone!
Morning Glow

Another contest for you all to check out!

Two blogs in two days, that seems to be a record for me, at least so far! I just had to post about a new contest I've found. Everyone needs to head over to BOOKJUNKIE to take part in an amazing contest. A chance to win a 50 dollar gift card, as well as two secret new releases, or a stash of books and goodies. I wouldn't know which to choose! Go HERE to enter.

And another thing, July 28th brings the release of Jeaniene Frost's new novel "Destined for an Early Grave." This will be book four in her Night Huntress series, and I already have my copy pre-ordered! From book one (which I read when there were already two released, and the third was on the way), I was in love with this series, and it's now in my top ten list of series.

I really suggest everyone check out Jeaniene Frost's new release "Destined for an Early Grave," and of course, head over to Book Junkie for the contest! Happy reading! Though.. I think I'm going to head back to the couch for a few more episodes of Stargate SG-1. Still working my way through the series!

Contest over at Suzanne McLeod's livejournal!

Suzanne McLeod's new novel, "The Cold Kiss of Death," was released on July 16th (my birthday, actually!), and to celebrate, she's having a contest, giving away several books, including her new one! You can find the contest HERE at her journal, make sure you go over and check it out!

And not just the contest, check out her new release, and the novel before that as well! She's already on my To Be Read list, and from what I've seen, she should be on yours too!

As for me, I'm still reading "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" by Austen and Grahame-Smith, and will be reviewing that as soon as I finish it, and after that will most likely be "Finger Lickin' Fifteen" by Janet Evanovich. Admitedly, the Stephanie Plum novels aren't my usual type of book, but I fell in love with Stephanie.. and even more in love with Ranger and Joe!

And for those interested in Quirk Classics, those that did "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," I've heard the next release will be "Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters." I saw a book trailer for it, and it looks just as good as P&P&Z.

Keep checking back for the next review, and any more contest updates!

Review of "Skin Trade" by Laurell K. Hamilton!

"Skin Trade," by Laurell K. Hamilton, is book 17 in the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. The vampire named Vittorio is back, this time in Las Vegas, and he sends Anita a human head in the mail to get her to come play. It's up to Anita as well as some new and familiar friends - such as Edward, Olaf, Bernardo, Wicked and Truth, and Requiem - to stop Vittorio before he gains all his old power, and kills even more people. Among the interesting characters in this new book are a SWAT team comprised of mostly magic or psychic practitioners, and some new and intriguing weretigers.

I've always enjoyed the Anita Blake novels, but I will admit that the last few books have made it hard to keep going. Anita's life is hard, and interesting, but it seemed to be too much sex and too little plot. Which was why I was so overjoyed with "Skin Trade." This new book took me back to the good old days, when there was a real plot, and you wanted, no - NEEDED, to see these characters make it through alive. The characterization of the new arrivals was excellent, and I'll be sad if some of them don't show up in future novels, especially some of the SWAT members. But I was a little let down to see so few of the older characters in the story. Yes, Edward is there during the whole thing, and she talks to Jason and Jean-Claude, but what about all the other men I've grown to love? And I know this may be nitpicky, but if she loves some of them as much as she says she does, why is it that she doesn't talk to them to say goodbye when she leaves, or during the whole course of her stay in Las Vegas? Or maybe I just talk to my loved ones too much!

I highly recommend this book to those that have "divorced" the Anita Blake series, because LK Hamilton has taken Anita back to where she needs to be. Don't get me wrong, I love the steamy sex scenes Anita finds herself taking part in, but I loved the plot, the thrill of her life, and I missed that. "Skin Trade" had a better balance of sex and plot than the last several books, and I'm hoping this is just what LK Hamilton needed to do to get some of her older readers back, I know she definitely pulled me back in! I would have to give "Skin Trade" by Laurell K. Hamilton four out of five stars, because I really couldn't put it down. In fact, I'm on vacation, and skipped going to the pool just to stay home and finish it - it was worth it!

Review of "Passion Unleashed" by Larissa Ione

I received this book as part of a reviewing program, so I wasn't originally aware it was part of a series. But I promised a review, so I read it anyways. Only a few pages into the book, I felt sorry for not reading the previous novels first. However, I stuck with it, and I'm glad I continued reading.

"Passion Unleashed" follows Wraith, a Seminus demon (which is a type of Incubus), and Serena, a charmed human. Wraith, while on a hunt, is shot by an assassin, and is poisoned by the dart he was shot with. He and his brothers, the subjects of the previous novels I believe, try to find a cure or solution, and end up deciding that Wraith must take the virginity of a charmed human (Serena) and take on her charm to heal himself. The novel follows Wraith and Serena while he seduces her, and tries to survive the poison, oh.. and the oncoming apocalypse that he and Serena must play a part in.

This book has it's good points and bad. I think the story is intriguing and fast past enough that you never have a moment to get bored. Once I got to a certain point, I just couldn't put it down. And I think if I had read the previous novels, I wouldn't have been able to set it down from page one. And the author, Larissa Ione, includes a glossary of terms used within the story in the beginning of the book, as well as an encyclopedia of supernatural creatures and a brief history of the Underworld General hospital Wraith works for, in the back. As for any cons, as I mentioned, it was a little confusing to those of us who didn't read the previous books, but I think the book does a good job to explain such an extensive world in the small space she has. The characters are lovable, and have depth to them, which is something that is missing with some popular novels of today.

I'm a big fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Laurell K. Hamilton, Katie MacAlister, etc, and I really enjoyed this, so I will definitely be suggesting it to anyone with similar tastes. Or maybe just anyone in general. I'd have to give "Passion Unleashed" by Larissa Ione four out of five stars, definitely a keeper.

I'm on vacation now, so hence why it's taken me so long to finish this book, but look for upcoming reviews on "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" as well as "Skin Trade"!