Excerpt: Curse Girl by Mark Mackey

Curse Girl
(Blue Winter, #2)
By: Mark Mackey
Publisher: Jessina and Montalay/Trixie in the Mirror Publications
Published: March 23, 2013
Genre: Horror

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Amanda Hansen targets a new student Julie Argyles whose ancestor just happens to be a witch. Julie’s act of payback changes Amanda in a way she could not expect or want, and now she and her friend Gillian must take a road trip to find Julie before seven days pass, and Amanda is stuck the way she is forever.

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Review: Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey

 

Officer Off Limits
(Line of Duty, #3)
By: Tessa Bailey
Publisher: Brazen
Published: June 10, 2013
Genre: Erotic Romance
Rating:
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His need to possess her is non-negotiable.

Story Brooks’ fiancé just called off their wedding two weeks before the happy day. As if that isn’t bad enough, her semi-estranged father, an infamous NYPD hostage negotiator, has suffered a heart attack. Not wanting to examine her lack of emotion over the broken engagement, she hops on a plane to reconnect with her father before it’s too late.

Playboy hostage negotiator Daniel Chase has never, not once, been refused by a woman, so when a debate over hospital snack foods with a delectable kindergarten teacher ends in flat-out rejection, he makes it his mission to seduce her. His only obstacle? She’s the daughter of his mentor who implicitly forbade Daniel from pursuing her.

Despite her father’s warnings and Daniel’s troubled past, Daniel and Story can’t resist their intense attraction to one another. But when the reason for her fiancé’s abrupt wedding cancellation comes to light, can Story and Daniel’s already forbidden relationship survive?

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Review: Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead

Last Sacrifice
(Vampire Academy, #6)
By: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Published: Dec. 7, 2010
Genre: YA
Rating:
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 They come first.
My vision was growing dimmer, the blackness and ghosts closing in. I swore it was like I could hear Robert whispering in my ear: The world of the dead won’t give you up a second time. Just before the light completely vanished, I saw Dimitri’s face join Lissa’s. I wanted to smile. I decided then that if the two people I loved most were safe, I could leave this world.

The dead could finally have me.

Rose Hathaway has always played by her own rules. She broke the law when she ran away from St. Vladimir’s Academy with her best friend and last surviving Dragomir princess, Lissa. She broke the law when she fell in love with her gorgeous, off-limits instructor, Dimitri. And she dared to defy Queen Tatiana, leader of the Moroi world, risking her life and reputation to protect generations of dhampir guardians to come.

Now the law has finally caught up with Rose – for a crime she didn’t even commit. She’s in prison for the highest offense imaginable: the assassination of a monarch. She’ll need help from both Dimitri and Adrian to find the one living person who can stall her execution and force the Moroi elite to acknowledge a shocking new candidate for the royal throne: Vasilisa Dragomir.

But the clock on Rose’s life is running out. Rose knows in her heart the world of the dead wants her back…and this time she is truly out of second chances. The big question is, when your whole life is about saving others, who will save you?

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Review: Shadow Hunter by Kait Ballenger

Shadow Hunter
(Execution Underground, #0.5)
By: Kait Ballenger
Publisher: Harlequin HQN
Release Date: June 25, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
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Vampire hunter Damon Brock’s first assignment with the Execution Underground is Rochester, New York, a city crawling with the undead. But he isn’t the only hunter in town gunning for vamp blood. Tiffany Solow is fierce and ruthless when it comes to slaying the monsters that destroyed her family-and she works solo. But being alone is no longer so desirable when she meets the mysterious hunter who wants more than just her turf. As they work to massacre the local covens, the line between good and evil blurs when they are forced to decide between their lifelong beliefs… and their newfound hearts.

Damon is on the hunt for the head vampire who killed his partner, Mark. However, when he tracks down the bloodsucker, he finds Mark’s little sister acting as a potential feeding host. She’s no longer the teenager he used to write letters to. She’s hunting her brother’s killer and will do anything to seek revenge, even if it means putting her life on the line.

I don’t know why but I’m always a fan of the best friend’s little sister stories. This one had a fun twist to it though. Damon and Mark were Hunters together and in an attempt to help Damon release some pent up emotions, Mark gets his little sister to start writing Damon. Pretty soon the two of them are close pen pals but neither of them have met. So fast forward to the present time, Mark was killed in action, Tiffany blames Damon for not saving him and Damon agrees with her assessment. When these two meet, she has no clue that her brother’s partner “B” is the same man standing in front of her and of course Damon isn’t going to be forthcoming with that information. However, they have a common goal and that is to take down the vampire responsible for Mark’s death. So they team up to try to take this vampire down, while becoming closer in the process.

Even though this is a novella that sets up the Execution Underground series, there was a lot going on. We got to understand the characters, the world that they live in as well as get a grasp for the stage that Kait is setting. This series isn’t going to revolve around just vampires, the EU handles all things supernatural and apparently there is a whole butt load of supes in Rochester, NY.

“I hate to tell you this, but Rochester is swamped with supernatural predators. There are reported werewolf sightings, possibly a full-on pack, there are demons lodged so deep the people they’ve possessed are pretty much done for, there are several small witch covens, loads of non-wereworlf shifters-oh, and that’s not even including all the poltergeists and ghosts reported in the old abandoned asylum.”

So with all the action taking place in Rochester, Damon finds himself appointed team leader and will soon be getting a team of Hunters to help him handle all the things that go bump in the night. If the prequel is anything to go off of, this is going to be an amazing series. I’m so glad I found out about this debut author. The whole story was captivating, from the intense fight scenes to the seductive bedroom scenes. If you are a fan of paranormal romance than this is an absolute must. I personally cannot wait to read more of not only the EU series but anything that Kait comes out with.

I was born & raised in Syracuse so of course I loved that this book takes place in Rochester.

“Not even 9:00p.m. and already he’d taken out one bloodsucker. Rochester seemed promising.”

 

 

Review: High School Debut by Kazune Kawahara

High School Debut
(Vol. 2)
By: Kazune Kawahara
Publisher: Viz Media
Published: March 4, 2008
Genre: Shojo Manga
Rating:
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Hopeless Haruna needs help finding a boyfriend! After failing to win the eye of any guy in high school, Haruna enlists the help of cute upperclassman Yoh to coach her on how to make herself more appealing to the male species. Yoh agrees, with one catch: Haruna had better not fall for him!
Haruna begins to develop feelings for Fumiya, Yoh’s friend. Yoh talks her through her first-date jitters, but is Fumiya the right guy for Haruna? Especially when they walk in on Fuyima and Yoh’s sister Asami…kissing?!

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Sunday Wrap-Up #19

Sunday Wrap-Up is all about sharing the books and book related items that I’ve picked up recently. I also recap what went on last week and let you in on what’s coming up. I link up my post to Sunday Post, Bought, Borrowed & Bagged, Showcase Sunday, Stacking the Shelves and IMM. 
I will post Sunday Wrap-up every other week.

Last week on the blog:
Rosethorn by Ava Zavora (Guest Post)
Taking Back Forever by Karen Amanda Hooper (Excerpt & Giveaway)
Time Fall by Timothy Ashby (Excerpt)
Skin Deep by Megan (Cover Reveal & Giveaway)
In Spades by K. Pinson (Excerpt)
SEAL of Honor by Tonya Burrows (Review & Giveaway)
South of Surrender by Laura Kaye (Review)
A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger (Review)

This week on the blog:
Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead (Review)
Shadow Hunter by Kait Bellenger (Review)
Wishing & Waiting On (meme)
Officer Off Limits by Tessa Bailey (Review & Giveaway)
High School Debut Vol 2 by Kazune Kawahara (Review)
Curse Girl by Mark Mackey (Excerpt)

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Review: A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

A Midsummer’s Nightmare
By: Kody Keplinger
Publisher: Poppy
Published: June 5, 2012
Genre: New Adult
Rating:
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Whitley Johnson’s dream summer with her divorcé dad has turned into a nightmare. She’s just met his new fiancée and her kids. The fiancée’s son? Whitley’s one-night stand from graduation night. Just freakin’ great.
Worse, she totally doesn’t fit in with her dad’s perfect new country-club family. So Whitley acts out. She parties. Hard. So hard she doesn’t even notice the good things right under her nose: a sweet little future stepsister who is just about the only person she’s ever liked, a best friend (even though Whitley swears she doesn’t “do” friends), and a smoking-hot guy who isn’t her stepbrother…at least, not yet. It will take all three of them to help Whitley get through her anger and begin to put the pieces of her family together.

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Review: South of Surrender by Laura Kaye

South of Surrender
(Hearts of the Anemoi, #3)
By: Laura Kaye
Publisher: Entangled
Published: May 28, 2013
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:
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She’s the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within…
Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, is on a mission: save Eurus from his death sentence and prove his troubled brother can be redeemed. But Eurus fights back, triggering vicious summer storms that threaten the mortal realm, dangerously drain Chrys, and earn the ire of the Olympic gods who ordered Eurus dead.

Laney Summerlyn refuses to give up her grandfather’s horse farm, despite her deteriorating vision. More than ever, she needs the organized routine of her life at Summerlyn Stables, until a ferocious storm brings an impossible—and beautiful—creature crashing down from the heavens.

Injured while fighting Eurus, Chrys finds himself at the mercy of a mortal woman whose compassion and acceptance he can’t resist. As they surrender to the passion flaring between them, immortal enemies close in, forcing Chrys to choose between his brother and the only woman who’s ever loved the real him.

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Review: SEAL of Honor by Tonya Burrows

Seal of Honor
(Hornet, #1)
By: Tonya Burrows
Publisher: Entangled Select
Published: May 28, 2013
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Rating:
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It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.

That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.

As the death toll rises, Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he can’t bring her brother back alive.

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Excerpt: In Spades by K. Pinson

In Spades
(Mirrored, #1)
By: K. Pinson
Publisher: Self-published
Published: April 15, 2013
Genre: New Adult

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Avalynn has been running from her past for a couple of years now….never very far but always extremely fast. With an alcoholic father, a void of a mother and a town full of gossip, she struggles to find her place in the world.The only thing that saved her on her path of self destruction is her beautiful little sister, her miracle. Desperately trying to save Abby from a life that Avalynn has been trying so hard to escape from, she plots to take Abby away.The plan going dangerously astray, leaving Avalynn beaten and broken in what once was the hallway mirror in her childhood home. Avalynn finally comes to in the hospital after nearly being beaten to death. Father-Dead, Mother-Missing, Abby-In foster care–Everything changing in the blink of an eye.
Avalynn immediately sets to work to get her life in order , receive custody of precious Abby and focusing every ounce of attention, giving Abby the the life she deserves. Avalynn, now a 22 year old Elementary School Teacher and New Mommy, struggling to raise a beautiful and feisty five year old whom was just diagnosed with Mild Autism Disorder. Lots of challenges for her to face in the midst. Avalynn is ready to go at them all head on if it means Abby is raised in a happy and healthy home. Abby is the only thing she cares about…not even caring about herself or her life…that is…until she meets him. The man that can shatter her entire world with one glance. Their relationship a roller coaster ride from start to finish. One that Avalynn never wants to get off of..but she may not have a choice. Her happily ever after coming to a screeching halt yet again. Heartbreak, love, loss and hope–This story has it all, In Spades.

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