Review: North of Need by Laura Kaye

Title: North of Need

Author:  Laura Kaye

Series: Hearts of Anemoi

Publisher:  Entangled Publishing

Format: ebook

ISBN: 1937044475

Genre: Paranormal Romance 
Release date: October 2nd 2011

Number of pages: 263

While attempting to escape the agonizing memories she associates with Christmas, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband-and collapses in tears against the snowman at the sight of what she’ll never have.Called to life by the power of Megan’s tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity.Megan is drawn to Owen’s mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things, and her heart opens enough to believe he’s a Christmas miracle. But this miracle comes with an expiration-before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow’s grief and learn to trust love again, or she’ll lose Owen forever.

I liked the way this story managed to won my heart. At first I found it a bit emotional and just couldn’t imagine a woman that’s devastated with her husband death two years after could fall in love again so fast, but after watching Owen I kinda love him too.

These two suffered a lot in life. Owen was cheated on by his ex-fiancé and things got worse because she’s a bitch and her father is a dearly beloved guy that raised him, so awkward is little compared to what Owen has been through.

Megan is trying to move on in live but can’t forget the guilt she feels after her husband died on Christmas night and it’s still hard for her to just ignore it.

Watch these fall in love is amazing, because we both POV and see how different they feel about life and how these love could change everything. I liked Owen not lying to her and how honest he really was about his reasons to showing up and his feelings.

Boreas was a great drop-in kinda character because he knows a lot and tries to help, but needs to leave these alone, his actions show how much he loves Owen and his daughter betrayal affects him deeply.

SERIES IN ORDER

#1 – North of Need #2 – West of Want
#3 – South of Surrender (Expected publication: May 28th 2013)
#4 – East of Ecstasy (Expected publication: April 2013)

 

Waiting on Wednesday #24

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that features future books I’m highly anticipating for this year.

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Title: Kept Author:  Shawtelle Madison Series: Coveted Publisher:  Ballantine Books Genre: Urban Fantasy 
Release date: November 27th 2012
Number of pages: 336

Fresh from defending her pack in battle, Natalya Stravinsky, a whip-smart werewolf with a lovable neurotic streak, wants a little rest and relaxation. Once an outcast, she’s now eager to rejoin the ranks of her New Jersey pack, and has even gotten a handle on her obsessive urge to hoard holiday ornaments. Yet Nat barely has time to revel in her progress before the next crisis comes howling at her door.

Nat’s father has suddenly gone missing, captured by the Russian werewolf mafia. And as Nat steps up to save her dad from a mob boss’s deadly game, two men step in to play another round for her heart: her gorgeous alpha ex-boyfriend, Thorn, and her new flame, the sweetly sensitive wizard Nick. With her life growing more harried by the minute, Nat must stay cool, calm, and collected . . . or else risk losing everything.

Review: Wasted by Jennifer Estep

Title: Wasted

Author:  Jennifer Estep

Series: Elemental Assassin

Publisher:  author

Format: online freebie from the author

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Release date: 2011

Number of pages: 12

This short story takes place in between the events of Web of Lies and Venom. One day, a beau­ti­ful woman walks into the bank where Finn works, and trou­ble soon fol­lows.

One thing that I loved about this short stories is the fact we get some insight in Finn’s head and this one was very interesting and showed how good at observing he is, almost like Gin, plus we got more from Xavier, the giant working for the police and Roslyn.

 

I found it very interesting how charming Finnegan is and the way he reacted to this woman showed he can be smart and charming at the same time, but still be functional.

 

Loved how he already knew her methods and worked the best way possible to “help”.

 

 

SERIES IN ORDER

#0.4 – Spider’s Nemesis
#0.5 – Poison
#0.6 – Web of Deceit
#0.7 – Spider’s Bargain
#1 – Spider’s Bite
#1.5 – Web of Death
#2 – Web of Lies
#2.5 – Wasted
#3 – Venom
#3.5 – Tangled Dreams
#3.6 – Tangled Schemes
#4 – Tangled Threads
#5 – Spider’s Revenge
#5.5 – Thread of Death
#6 – By a Thread
#7 – Widow’s Web
#8 – Deadly Sting (Expected publication: March 26th 2013)

Top Off Tuesday #35

What better way than to top off a good book than with a GREAT Cover!

Amanda from On a Book Bender, Christi from Smitten with Reading, and Felicia from Geeky Blogger’s Book Blog want to see the covers that made you swoon!  Feel free to play along and show us your favorite covers. Button made by Missie.
  

I jumped book three because shamelessly the guy was way to dressed and this one looks a little too touched up. Maybe Photoshop worked on the horizon. Not the best cover on the series.

 
Title: Run Wild  Author:  Lorie O’Clare Series: The Bounty Hunters #4 Publisher:  St. Martin’s Paperbacks
ISBN: 0312534566 Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release date: March 27th 2012
Number of pages: 352

Hot on the trail of a cold-blooded killer, a small-town sheriff risks his life—and his heart—with one sexy partner…
Raised in a family of professional bounty hunters, Natasha King knows the dangers of tracking down fugitives—especially when they’re wanted for murder. But this is no ordinary mission. This time, it’s personal. The suspect is her own long-lost father—and the lawman hunting him down is dangerously close to catching her off-guard…

In all his years as sheriff, Trent Oakley has never seen a woman as strong-willed—or as scorching hot—as Natasha. With her big-city experience and black-belt training, she’s his best chance for tracking down the Trinity Ranch killer. Problem is: Can he trust her? As the trail gets hotter, their attraction burns wilder, and soon Trent’s not sure who’s hunting who. But one thing’s for sure: Natasha is one woman who always gets her man…

Review: Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris

Title: Unraveling

Author:  Elizabeth Norris

Series: Unraveling

Publisher:  Balzer + Bray

Format: ebook

ISBN: 0062103733

Genre: Young Adult 
Release date: April 24th 2012

Number of pages: 445

Two days before the start of her junior year, seventeen-year-old Janelle Tenner is hit by a pickup truck and killed–as in blinding light, scenes of her life flashing before her, and then nothing. Except the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes to find Ben Michaels, a loner from her high school whom Janelle has never talked to, leaning over her. And even though it isn’t possible, she knows–with every fiber of her being–that Ben has somehow brought her back to life.

But her revival, and Ben’s possible role in it, is only the first of the puzzles that Janelle must solve. While snooping in her FBI agent father’s files for clues about her accident, she uncovers a clock that seems to be counting down to something–but to what? And when someone close to Janelle is killed, she can no longer deny what’s right in front of her: Everything that’s happened–the accident, the murder, the countdown clock, Ben’s sudden appearance in her life–points to the end of life as she knows it. And as the clock ticks down, she realizes that if she wants to put a stop to the end of the world, she’s going to need to uncover Ben’s secrets–and keep from falling in love with him in the process.

Okay, this book has two parts for me. At first it was really slow and boring, but luckily I decided to hang there and finish because I usually don’t DNF, but only after the 60% it actually paid back and I enjoyed how Janelle was this great detective.

 

Okay at first the story had way to much chapters and it was like every moment had a different angle, not confusing, but a bit excessive. Janelle was a good girl and I liked her and how devoted she is to discovering the truth, but her friendship with Alex sounded to me like she was using him for awhile.

 

She suffered a lot in life, growing up and helping her father raise her brother. She’s strong and very mature, but made wrong choices that sometimes were not necessary.

 

After Janelle discover half the truth and helps Ben it’s like the story shifted focus and everything is so fast. I liked the Janelle-Ben almost relationship. I’m not saying anything about the deaths, but I agree it was necessary.

 

 

SERIES IN ORDER

#1 – Unraveling
#2 – Unbreakable (Expected publication: June 6th 2013)

 

Review: Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

Title: Web of Lies

Author:  Jennifer Estep

Series: Elemental Assassin

Publisher:  Pocket Books

Format: ebook

ISBN: 143914799X

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Release date: May 25th 2010

Number of pages: 400

Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.
I’m Gin Blanco.
You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.

 

This book has improved during the chapters and although my first thoughts were a bit on the normal side, Gin totally surprised me at the end and managed a curve ball. She’s strong and confident but we can see this retirement is so not good for her and even if she still does her things on the side is not enough for her.

 

I have several issues with this book, but they are all explained on the latter chapters. First is how and why Fletcher never told her he knew about her family and that he was approached about this job? My only reasons were connected with time and safety, because once Gin found out she would try to get revenge, but since she was not powerful enough he tried to protect her.

 

Finnegan is the best, but it looks like he doesn’t have a job, because any time Gin needs him he’s free and he’s a good guy, but clearly feels protective about Gin and the family.

 

Detective Donovan is no longer a problem to me, because I can’t even start thinking about the way he treated Gin, just because he feels guilty about his feelings and torn about her job. He’s a total loser and there’s not a thing to change my mind at the moment.

 

We also saw a potential love affair for Gin, but I just don’t trust and it’s not only because he works with Mab Monroe, but the way he’s curious and at the same time don’t ask questions makes me think he knows more than he should and he probably got the information on a very dubious source.

 

I talked a lot on this review and didn’t even touched the real job. But that’s the thing, it wasn’t that fascinating, nor very good and all those questions and some characters made the book all the better to me.

SERIES IN ORDER

#0.4 – Spider’s Nemesis
#0.5 – Poison
#0.6 – Web of Deceit
#0.7 – Spider’s Bargain
#1 – Spider’s Bite
#1.5 – Web of Death
#2 – Web of Lies
#2.5 – Wasted
#3 – Venom
#3.5 – Tangled Dreams
#3.6 – Tangled Schemes
#4 – Tangled Threads
#5 – Spider’s Revenge
#5.5 – Thread of Death
#6 – By a Thread
#7 – Widow’s Web
#8 – Deadly Sting (Expected publication: March 26th 2013)

Sweet Evil Week 3 and 4!!

Since I already finished the book and the two extras( so fun to read Kaidan’s mind!). I’m going to follow this week theme and play a little true or dare.

I’m usually not so chatty but this week I’m telling five trues about my life.

1. I have 23 and currently I’m in college studying Biological Science and my undergrad is in teaching.
2. I live in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! Beautiful state, but never visit the beach, not my favorite place to go.
3. I love TV shows and realities are one of my hidden passions. Big Brother, American Idol, The X Factor.
4. I’m also learning how to cook and bake. I have an unconditional love for cupcakes and find them really cute and tasty.
5. My family doesn’t know about my blog and the amount of books I read every year. So is like a secret life and a busy schedule.

I know my life is a bit boring, but between school and the time I spent reading there’s not much left, maybe after I graduate things will change…

This week topic is a little difficult for me, because in my country we don’t celebrate Halloween and there’s no children costume for me to talk about, but I can definitely say one thing. I wish for chocolate and candy every day.

I love chocolate cake and cookies, plus M&M’s are to die for. I also can’t pass a day without some candies, strawberry are my favorites types.

So this week was boring, I’m know but what can I say? I wish for Halloween every year for a bit of sweet.

Review: Sweet Evil Extra #2 by Wendy Higgins

Title: Sweet Evil Extra #2

Author: Wendy Higgins

Series: The Sweet Trilogy

Publisher:  HarperTeen

Format: online freebie from the author

Genre: Young Adult
Release date: October 5th 2012

Number of pages: —

Chapter 26 – Halloween (the "freckle scene"), from Kaidan’s Point of View
This scene gets us deeper into Kai’s mind than we’ve ever delved before. It *might* have made Wendy cry a little when she wrote it.

I actually enjoyed a bit more this glimpse than the first chapter, but Kai just sounds annoying now. And he expects Anna to act in love with him one minute than in the other he just thinks she’s naïve.

 

Good God can’t he pick a side? If he wants her just her just do that! Maybe he needs to see her with another guy to helps. Kope was making him jealous it could work for Anna if he actually showed some emotion.

 

SERIES IN ORDER

#1 – Sweet Evil
#1.1 –  Sweet Evil Extra #1
#1.2 –  Sweet Evil Extra #2
#2 – Sweet Peril (Expected publication: 2013)
#3 –  Sweet Reckoning

Review: Cordina’s Crown Jewel by Nora Roberts

Title: Cordina’s Crown Jewel

Author:  Nora Roberts

Series: Cordina

Publisher:  Silhouette

Format: ebook

ISBN: 0373244487

Genre: Romance
Release date: February 1st 2002

Number of pages: 256

"Cordina’s Crown Jewel, " part of the Cordina’s Royal Family miniseries, marks Roberts’s 100th title with Harlequin and Silhouette. This brand-new story features Princess Camilla de Cordina, who runs away, assumes a new identity, and begins working for archaeologist Delaney Caine. But as her irritation towards Delaney grows into desire, she knows she’ll soon have to reveal her true identity.

 

This is the final book in the series and it was a written many years after the original forth as a special edition, but I find it totally unnecessary because the original princes of Cordina are all married and the evil man is gone for good.

 

But I read this book as a regular romance, without pushing for the Cordina family and they barely made appearance. Camilla is young and has worked her entire life as a princess and now she’s twenty five without a clue of her future.

 

I liked the relationship with Delaney, because he’s like a bear and only complains but he’s actually brilliant and helped Camilla realize life can be all about research and discoveries.

 

For the romance alone the book was fine, not all that exciting, but she’s a princess and the her life is really boring without the glamour, and it’s all about work and work. Fun!

 

SERIES IN ORDER

#1 – Affaire Royale
#2 – Command Performance
#3 – The Playboy Prince
#4 – Cordina’s Crown Jewel

Review: To Command and Collar by Cherise Sinclair

Title: To Command and Collar

Author:  Cherise Sinclair

Series: Masters of Shadowlands

Publisher:  Loose Id, LLC

Format: ebook

ISBN: 9781611186673

Genre: Erotica
Release date: November 29th 2011

Number of pages: 341

Determined to find the human traffickers preying on Shadowlands’ submissives, Master Raoul gets himself invited to a small slave auction. Once informed, the FBI orders him to reject the limited choices so the slavers will invite him to the big auction. To Raoul’s shock, one of the slaves is the kidnapped friend of a Shadowlands sub. She has a scarred body…and an unbroken spirit. He can’t leave her behind. Ruining the FBI’s carefully laid plans, he buys her.

Kimberly’s freedom has come at a devastating price: the other women are still slaves. An FBI raid is their only hope for rescue. Desperate to help the Feds locate the big auction, she agrees to pose as Master Raoul’s slave. Wearing a collar again is terrifying, but under the powerful dominant’s care, Kim starts to heal and then to blossom. This is what she’s been drawn to—and fled from—her entire life.

She escaped the slavers who captured her body—can she escape the master who’s captured her heart?

 

This story was like part two of Make Me, Sir because we can see what happens with the FBI operation and how one of the slaves handles the real world after her release.

 

I liked Master Raoul and how he tried to help Kimberly since he first saw her, and not just because she’s friends with Gabrielle. He really cares about her and after he bought her and discovers that he needs to live and act as her Dom for more time is really tormenting to him.

 

I liked the book and the story was really interesting. We can see the FBI breaking a slaves organization and also how one of the girls who fought for her life is learning how to live again.

 

One thing I did not enjoy was the rejection at the end and how Master Raoul thought he knew better and tried to push Kimberly away because he was afraid of his feelings and how she was coping.

 

 

SERIES IN ORDER

#1- Club Shadowlands
#2- Dark Citadel
#3- Breaking Free
#4- Lean on Me
#5- Make me, Sir
#6- To Command and Collar
#7- Untitled (Master Sam’s story)
#8- Untitled (Sally’s story)