Review of "Once Dead, Twice Shy" by Kim Harrison

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This was a recommendation. Well, not so much a recommendation as my friend, who also works at the library, just put me on hold for it, so it showed up one day. She said it had angels in it, so of course I should read it. So I did!


Disclaimer: This book is what is commonly referred to as "Library Loot." I did not purchase this book, nor did I receive it in exchange for a review, whether positive or negative.

Type: Young Adult, Angels, Oh crap I'm dead!, series

From the book jacket: "   Madison's prom was killer - literally. For some reason she's been targeted by a dark reaper - yeah, THAT kind of reaper - intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away. Now she's stuck on Earth - dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course. With a little ingenuity, some light-bending and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe... ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before IT takes control of HER. Well, if she believed in that stuff.  "

Well first off, while this book is officially the first in the series, Madison's story starts in Kim Harrison's novella in the anthology "Prom Nights From Hell," which, unfortunately, I haven't read. This sort of explains why I felt a little lost and confused at the beginning, like I came in right smack dab in the middle of the story. So despite knowing what happens to Madison after her unfortunate Prom experience, I'm on the hunt for the anthology. As well as the second book in this series, "Early to Death, Early to Rise."

As I'm sure most of you know by now, my obsession with Angels is a little nuts. So much so, that I'll read pretty much anything if there are actual angels in it. I can't help myself. So reading this book, I was a little saddened to find I wasn't liking Barnabas, Madison's angel friend. But don't worry, dear readers! I ending up loving the book, and all of the characters in it. Even the evil/bad ones! I'm always pleased when the bad characters are so interesting, or fascinating, that even when you hate them for what they've done, you want to know more about them. Such is a case with two of the baddies in this book. Or maybe they're not so bad? Maybe they're just incredibly flawed, and it's fate that is leading them down this darker road. I'm still not sure which is the truth.

"Once Dead, Twice Shy" by Kim Harrison is a quick read. In fact, I read most of it just this morning after my friend left. It's a good, quick read that I would definitely suggest to others. Though I would add in the warning that the beginning is a little disorienting, because it seems to jump right into things. And even with picking up on it very quickly, I'm eager to read the story that starts it off. And considering how life-changing the ending of "Once Dead, Twice Shy" was, I can't wait to pick up the second book to continue Madison's, and the gangs', story.

I'm going to give "Once Dead, Twice Shy" a FOUR POINT FIVE out of FIVE (4.5/5). As I said, I really did enjoy it, it was a great quicky read, and it would have gotten a perfect score if the beginning wasn't so confusing. It was enough to pull me out of the story and search to make sure I had the first book in the series. If you've read it, tell me how you feel about it. And if not, go read it! Then come back and tell me how you felt about it.

Happy Reading! And don't forget to enter my contest to win a $40 gift card to CSNstores.com!
~!~ Morning Glow

Review of "Unleashed" by Katie MacAlister

 First off, don't forget to enter my contest for a CSNstores.com gift card! Just click here

 "Unleashed" is Katie MacAlister's novella in the recently released anthology "Cupid Cats." Stories by Vicki Lewis Thompson and Connie Brockway are also included. I may be going crazy, but I swear I saw that the proceeds for this anthology go to help animal shelters local to each author. I thought I saw Katie MacAlister mention that on her blog or facebook, but I can't find it. If I find any new information on that, I'll try to edit this post to include it.

Disclaimer: This book, "Cupid Cats," was given to me as a gift. I was not given this book in exchange for a review.

Type: Anthology, Paranormal Romance, Vampires, Weres, Scottish men (Yum!)

"Unleashed" is the story of Avery Scott, a Moravian Dark One (Vampire!), and Jacintha Ferreira, resident "kitty whisperer." Jacintha, or Jas, has been called out on a report that a rather large wild cat has been found in a local cat rescue, and finds not just a jaguar, but a very confused Moravian. Turns out, Avery managed to get himself turned into a jaguar on a recent case, and it's up to Jas to help him solve it. And a quick case turns into a possibly deadly mission.

Fans of Katie MacAlister's Dark Ones series may recognize Avery as one of Paen Scott's brothers, a character from earlier on in the books. Paen and his Beloved return to aide Jas and Avery, whether they want it or not. I love series for this reason. Paen and Sam, his Beloved, got their Happily Ever After in a previous book, but they do show up in later ones. Usually after a HEA, that's it, we just have to imagine what happens after that, but with a recurring series.. we at least get a little taste of their new life from time to time.

Katie MacAlister didn't disappoint with her novella, "Unleashed." She packs a lot of action in a short about of space, and still maintains her quirky humor, one of the reasons I love her. After having read so many (er.. all) of her books, I see a lot of recurring themes and actions. The rather yummy sounding fantasy involving a paintbrush and a bowl of melted chocolate pop up in this story, for just a second.

And the "Twilight" references had me snickering the whole time.

I'm going to give "Unleashed," Katie MacAlister's story in the Cupid Cats anthology, a FIVE out of FIVE. It was a quick, fun read, and now I can't wait until her next release. Speaking of that...
Katie MacAlister's upcoming releases:
"Death's Excellent Vacation" - Anthology - August 3, 2010
"In the Company of Vampires" - Dark Ones novel - November 2, 2010

ItCoV is my most looked-forward-to release OF THE YEAR. I've been waiting for the continuation of Ben and Fran's story for a long, looong time.

Happy Reading! And don't forget to enter the CSNstores.com contest! (See link at top of post)
~!~ Morning Glow

Now reading: "and falling, fly" by Skyler White

CSN Gift Card Giveaway!!

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So you think book blogs are just about books, huh? Wrong! There's so much more involved in the world of reading than just books - there's bookcases (which of us doesn't need more room for our books?!), the perfect chair (or couch?) to sit on while reading, proper lighting, and more!

And there's a great company that offers all of those things in one easy to shop place - CSN Stores! You can search for furniture for your dining room, bedroom, living room, and more! And now you have the chance to win a $40 gift card to use at any CSN stores website!

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Having problems commenting? Email glowsnoveladdiction@gmail.com, and I'll make sure your entries are valid. I have had two notifications this morning that word verification is being difficult for some people.. so I'll be working on that.

Review of "Plain Promise" by Beth Wiseman

This is actually my first time reading an Amish romance. I've seen these become very popular in the past few months, and I decided to join in.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me, the reviewer, in exchange for a review. No money was given as incentive for a positive review.

Type: Romance, Amish, Christian, Family

About the book: "Plain Promise" follows the story of Sadie Fisher, a widowed Amish women living in Lancaster County, and Kade Saunders, an "Englischer" renting a cabin on her property. Kade's life is changing, his new relationship with his son Tyler, and his growing friendship with Sadie, are showing him a different type of life. One that is looking better and better as he gets closer to them both.

As I mentioned, this is my first time reading an Amish Romance, and I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. While religion is a key factor in these books, the sweet story of Kade and Sadie's growing relationship is heartwarming enough to make up for it.

Sadie's doubts about her life and her future made her seem human and relatable. I enjoyed seeing her interactions with Kade and his son. And it was especially interesting to read about the Amish lifestyle. While I do not know too much about the Amish, other than the basics, I feel like "Plain Promise" does much to explain the hows and whys of the Order.

This book doesn't skip on the use of Pennsylvania Dutch, either. Thankfully, there is a dictionary in the beginning of the novel, to explain what the words used mean. Though much of it is so close to English, the reader could hazzard a guess. I did love the mix of English and Pennsylvania Dutch, it added to the realness of the novel.

While I did enjoy this book, and it was a good quick read, I can't say it inspired much emotion, or much of anything in me. The one thing that stood out the most, was that I was proud of Kade for his decision in the end. He wanted to change his life, and he worked hard to make sure it was the right decision for himself and for Tyler, not just because he wanted to share in Sadie's life.

I'm going to give "Plain Promise" a review of THREE out of FIVE. As I said, it was a good read, and I'm sure many would be inspired by it, but it didn't connect with me. That said, I do hope to maybe try another Amish romance in the future. Best not to judge a whole genre (or sub-genre) on one book!



Happy Reading!
~!~ Morning Glow

Currently reading: "Hunter" by PC Cast and Kristin Cast

Still alive! Sorta

Hello dear readers.

I know, it's been forever since I've posted. But unfortunately, I have that fun, fun, superfun condition known as TMJ - basically, my jaw sucks and gives me headaches. Or something like that. Well recently, it's gotten much worse, and I even had to miss a few days of work because the headaches and such were so bad. So now, I'm paying for those missed days of work by working seven days in a row, off one day, and then back for four days. And since the headaches aren't totally gone, just a little better, this means I'm spending my off time sleeping or wishing I was sleeping.

Sadly, I haven't been doing much reading, but I do have a bunch of library books I'm working through (The House of Night novels, Angelology, and falling, fly, etc), as well as a few books I've been sent to review (yay!). Hopefully I'll have some new reviews/posts up soon... but possibly not until this week is over.

Oh bloglandia, I miss you. :( Sad face.

Happy Reading!

Everyone needs to see this video

It's book-related, I swear! It has Lord of the Rings!

Seriously, I chuckled the whole way through.

Review of "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks

I'm not so much for the cover of this book. I mean, if you look at the vamp in a certain light, he looks so pale he's almost sparkly. And we all know how I feel about sparkly vampires. Badly.

Disclaimer: "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks is a library copy. I was not given this book, or any sort of incentive, for a positive review.

Type: Vampires, Paranormal Romance, Series

From the back of the book: " FBI psychologist Olivia Sotiris was looking for a cool ocean breeze, sand between her toes, and a break from her crazy, chaotic, and sometimes all-too-dangerous life. But when she escaped to the small Greek island of Patmos, all she got were meddling grandmothers trying to marry her off. Can't they see that none of the men around interests her - except Robby MacKay?
Robby needs to cool off, too, since all he can think about is revenge on the Malcontent bloodsuckers who once held him captic - but then he meets Olivia, the beauty with wild curls and a tempting smile. When a deadly criminal from a case back home tracks her down, Robby will have to save her life - along with giving her a first time she'll never forget... "

I have read a book by this author, and actually in this series, before. And while it was good, I didn't go out actively searching for more of her books. Since then, I have picked up one or two at sales and such, but haven't gotten a chance to read them yet. I keep buying books at used sales, garage sales, etc.. and then never get to them. Quite frustrating! Also, not the point. A while ago, I happened accross the synopsis for "The Vampire and the Virgin" and I said to myself - Yep, gotta read that one. I'm really glad I finally got my hands on a copy.

I have a thing for cop dramas (Bones! Castle!.. Etc!) And some of my favorite episodes are when the heroine goes up against a serial killer, either after he's already in jail or not, and even though he teases her, scares her, and more, she's willing to take on the case, and eventually kicks the bad guy's butt. And that situation is what Olivia faces. Olivia is an interesting character, with an even more interesting ability - she can sense people's emotions, as well as tell when they're lying. Because of that, she doesn't date people for long. The instant she knows he's lying, he's outta there! Except for Robby, whom she can't read. So Olivia, so used to knowing where she stood in a relationship, was thrown for a bit of a loop, which I enjoyed seeing. I was a little thrown at how quickly she got paranoid and how easily she believed Robby could betray her (not really any spoilers here, people, it happens early on). But the reader has to remember, Olivia is somehow being stalked by a man who is in an isolated cell in prison. If someone was stalking me, sending me letters and packages and scaring the crap out of me, I would be quite paranoid as well.

And Robby... dang do I love a man who wears a kilt! I'm a big fan of the kilt. I'm also a big fan of finding out if the myth of men wearing nothing under their kilts is true or not. And I couldn't help chuckling to myself when this legend is brought up in the book during a Christmas get-together. Robby undergoes a transformation throughout the book, from a vampire bent on revenge to the man Olivia needs and loves. I loved watching his character grow. I also loved seeing how his and Olivia's long distance relationship developed. From emails, to picture sharing, telling stories of family and friends, and eventually to getting webcams to chat face-to-face. It was.. dare I say it? CUTE!

As I believe I've mentioned before, I'm a big fan of series. Especially series were each book features a different character, or each character gets their own run of books, then it switches. Some examples of this are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, etc. Kerrelyn Sparks' Love At Stake books follow this tradition, and past characters show up as friends, family, etc. And because of "The Vampire and the Virgin," I found some more single side characters that I cannot wait to see get their own stories, and I hope they do. So I will definitely be checking out more of this series in the future.

I'm going to give "The Vampire and the Virgin" a FOUR out of FIVE (4/5). I enjoyed it, enough that I'll be looking for more by this author in the future. Especially if they include more kilted men. It's hard to go wrong with more kilted men.

Check out "The Vampire and the Virgin" by Kerrelyn Sparks!
Happy Reading
~!~ Morning Glow