Lots and Lots of books read!

I thought it had been longer since I posted.  I am sitting here with 3 books beside me, desperately trying to remember what else it is I have read!

Probably out of all of them "On the Edge" by Ilona Andrews is my drop dead favourite.  It is sit in a parallel, in between world called the Edge.  It's main heroine is a girl called Rose Drayton who has the care of her 2 younger brothers, one of whom is a shapeshifter and Georgie who raises the dead.  Rose has had a hard life and been let down by many people in her life.  She is also and expert at 'flashing'.  Obviously this is not running around naked, but is usually only reserved for people in the "Weird".  It is the ability to send a concentrated flash of power to protect oneself.  It seems only 'bluebloods' can produce the white flash that Rose can.  In being able to do this, it has made her a very valuable commodity and men have been trying to trick her into slavery so that they can get children (who will have her ability) from her.  Along comes Declan Camarine a blueblood noble who wants to marry her.  Rose has to set him 3 challenges.  He needs to complete every challenge and then she will leave the Edge for the Weird to serve as his wife or mistress.  It hard doing a review on a book when there are so many twists and turns.  How do you convince someone that this is a book that they just have to read?  Rose is small and seemingly a touch insignificant but it is all a ruse.  She is a strong, vibrant, caring, supportive loving character.  There are not enough descriptive words for her.  She protects her two brothers with love and confidence even though they both have issues that she and they are struggling to cope with.  One of my favourite parts of the book is when Jack (brother) was trying to comfort William (friend of Declan's and also a shape changer).  "You're in a good place.  Nobody can hurt you here. You don't have to be afraid".  He hesitated.  "There is some mushy love stuff that goes here, but it probably won't work for you.  The important thing is, this is a good place.  It's safe and warm, and there is water and food.  And you don't have to be scared, because there are ward stones and they keep bad people away.  And Rose won't let anybody hurt you."  Jack doesn't understand that when William was young, because he was a shape shifter he was treated as an abberation, as someone not worthy and was shown no love or compassion.  Jack has always had all that William wants.

Anyway please read this book.  I think that you will love it as much as I have and wait in anticipation for the next one Bayou Moon. 

I have also just finished Sins of the Flesh by Eve Silver and Touch of Madness by C T Adams and Cathy Clamp.

Sins of the Flesh is 3rd in the Otherkin series and is the story of Malthus Krayl and Calliope Kane.  Another magnificent story, that I am not going into now, but worth a good read. 

Touch of Madness is sequel to Touch of Evil.  It follows Kate Reilly and her boyfriend Tom.  This book was action packed from beginning to end.  For a girl, she seems to spend a bit of time in hospital, getting over near death experiences and fights.  She is in love with Tom her werewolf, but after only being responsible for herself she is finding it hard to let Tom in and rely and share with him.  She has been ordered to find the lost eggs of the Thrall.  They seem to have an ulterior motive (as they do for everything) but she is on a time limit.  She is been chased by deranged wife of her ex boyfriend, she brings her brother Bryan out of his zombie status, which is unheard of, and she is desperately trying to keep out of the way of a vampire that is 'just keeping' an eye on her and making sure that she finds the eggs.  Whew, action packed from beginning to end.

Anyway, that's it for the time being.  Still got a few books to get through.  What with work, kids and family, it's hard to fit it all in.  But i do live by the adage, "always make time for reading!!!!"

A quick post, just to keep up with all the books

I am reading like an animal at the moment.  I have purpose and drive to get through a whole list of books.  So here they are.

Wander Lust andDouble Blind by Ann Aguirre.  Love this series.  Sirantha Jax is a fantastic and complex character.  I have been lucky enough to watch her grow up over the last two books and she is someone to be proud of.  It may sound like I am waxing lyrical but she has gone from tragedy to crisis to crisis and has the ability to put her friends and lover first even if they don't quite realise it.  In Doubleblind she saved March's mind.  You just have to read it.  She shows respect for her friend Vel who is not of the human kind, she shows compassion for her computer PA and she accepts people for who they are.  READ IT.

Also finished is Riding Temptation by Jaci Burton.  This was a surprising book, I'm not going to give any of it away but it was hot, hot, hot.  Great story line with lots of potential for other character stories.  Two thumbs up here as well.

Embrace the night by Joss Ware.  This is the story of Sage Corrigan and Simon Japp.  It is set in a earth after a tragedy.  There are not many left and there are a group called 'The Strangers' who have mysterious blue gems in their bodies that keep them immortal.  I really liked this book.  I love story lines that depict earth and humanity trying to re establish themselves in a life that is different to eaht we live now.  Sage is from a cult that believes it is there job to re populate the world.  She left the clan and has made her way to Envy where because of her distinctive colouring she is looked down on.  Simon is part of a group of men who have special powers and have not aged in the 40 odd years since the catastrophe.  Anyway, I could go on and tell you more, but you need to find out for yourself.  Read it and enjoy.  Sage seems fragile but is surprisingly strong and a worthy heroine. 

And last but not least.  Blood Born by Linda Howard.  Luca Ambrus is a blood born vampire, the product of 2 vampire parents.  Very rare and very powerful.  Chole  Fallon is human and a conduit.  A descendant of Chloe's "a Warrior" is trying to get Chloe to acknowledge her so that she can come 'through' to battle the rebel vampires who want to take over the world.  That is a really condensed version and obviously the story is much better than my poor attempt at reviewing, but I really don't like giving away a lot.  Except I really did enjoy this book, as I enjoyed the rest.  What can I say.

I will admit, it sounds like I haven't had a book that I haven't liked, but there is one which I haven't quite finished yet, but want to, hoping that it will get better.  When I have finished it, I will give you all (just me) my verdict.  I am reading a few books at the moment soooooooo...back to it I go.

Another 2 books finished, and one almost finished...

Well, I refuse to become behind in reviewing my books.  I can see the benefits, because I have just finished Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan and I am hanging out for the next one.  So one look here and I will be able to keep track of what I've read, and what I need to keep my eyes open for.  And despite some reviews I've read, I really enjoyed Immortal Beloved.  Nastasya has some issues to work through.  I suppose when you get to live for 400 some years, you would.  She seems to have found a haven, but this place is also fraught with problems.  Bring on the next one Cate.

Note to self...  Anything that Sherrilyn Kenyon writes I like if not love.  I finished No Mercy over the weekend and several times I wanted to go back and revisit some stories especially Acheron's and Nick's story.  Maybe separately they can fall down slightly but together with all the other books, pretty cool.  I'm looking forward to seeing how Nick's story pans out.  Did I mention that I really liked No Mercy.  I love Samina and her need to give all up for love and Dev was just a joker from start to finish.

Just in the middle of 'Touch of Evil' by C T Adams and Cathy Clamp.  Powering through this one as well.  I'm on a roll.

Dragons Prefer Blondes by Candace Havens

This was a really good book.  I haven't had the chance to read the first one yet, but I didn't miss it.  For background the Caruthers sisters are Guardian Keys who protect Earth from faries, dragons and all other sorts of things that go bump in the night.  Alex's speciality are Dragons and with the help of the security team and Jake Alex is trying to not be married off to a dragon by pretending that Jake is her boyfriend, she is also trying to track down dragons that are stealing humans and staying one step ahead of the Manteros.  All the while looking after her clubs and battling gryphons and being poisoned by toxic claws and trying to keep her mother (who is on the Council) off her back  Fantastic story, very fast paced, lots of action, lots of heated looks, lots of innuendo.  Borrow of buy, it's worth the effort

Sins of the Soul by Eve Silver

FINISHED!!!!  Nice book.  This is the story of Naphre and Alastor.  Alastor is a soul reaper and Naphre is a assassin for hire.  Alastor and his brothers are looking for their brother Lokan who has been killed and Alastor thinks that Naphre may have some evidence.  Obviously there is an attraction betoween Naphre and Alastor although Alastor is unsure about which side Naphre is on.  Naphre in her short life has been a Daughter of Aset and has also sold her sould to a demon to save her father.  They will face many trials and Alastor will prove his love for Naphre to the only goddess that matters.  I did like this book.  Alastor is a strong character and Naphre can certainly look after herself.  I am looking forward to reading the next in the series "Sins of the Flesh". 

I'm still here... Library Conference was great

Hi all,

That 'all' really means only me though.  But I am vain enough to like reading my own words.

I have been away and very busy for the last few days.  I had a library conference in Echuca which was absolutely fantastic and work as always has been busy and varied.  This time of the year is quietly called 'Tissues, pens and lollies' for very obvious reasons.

So what have I read????  Quite a few books over the last few days so the reviews won't be up to my usual standard (ha ha).  I have been lucky enough to read some really great books and I have much to look forward to when the 'next' in the series comes out.

Raven by Allison Van Diepen

I am a bit of a fan of a nice tattoo and this book.  I like the way that Allison writes.  This is a story about a girl called Nicole and the boy she is in love with Zin.  They both dance in a break dancing group and Nicole gets a job at the same club that Zin works at.  Zin carries a old secret with him and Nicole even though she is drawn to him can't get him to open up to her until she is attacked on her way home from work.  Zin opens up a whole new world to Nicole and she has to decide if she can live with what she has learnt.  It will affect her life in many extraordinary ways.   This is classed as Young Adult.  I loved this book and it had me hooked from page to page.  Read it!!!!

Stormwalker by Allyson James

It might seem that I love every book that I read, but I did LOVE this book.  I love Janet, I love Mick and I love Coyote.  Janet is a Stormwalker which means she can harness the power of the storms and use it for good.  She finds out that her mother is an evil goddess from 'Beneath' that needs Janet's powers to open a vortex so that she can escape and wreak havoc on the world.  Mick is her on again, off again boyfriend.  I wish there was a picture of him somewhere because I reckon he would be gorgeous.  Allyson's description is almost as good though.  Coyote is a 'God' who hasn't quite made up his mind about Janet yet.  There are several other characters who are just great including Sherriff Nash.  I can't recommend this highly enough.  Go out and get it!!!  And next in the series "Firewalker". 

I am just starting Nice Girls Don't Live Forever by Holly Harper

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

It was a rush to finish this book as it was due back at the Library.  No fault of my local library's though, more my unrealistic expectations of myself and how many books I can read whilst working full-time.

I really liked this book.  It has been some time since I read the Mortal Instruments series so the fact that it was a prequel sat fine with me.  The ending answered all my questions that reading this book had created and I liked the different relationships that Clare created in this book.  Will was sort of shitting me for a bit but I grew to understand why he hides behind his wit and sarcasm.  I really liked Tessa.  She came across as a strong individual and I look forward to seeing how she copes with her powers and I wonder what other powers she might have.  It makes me want to go and re read City of Glass, just to see if it all ties in.

Next book I am reading is Demons Hunger by Eve Silver.

Half way through Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

I am liking this book!!!!

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

This is book no. 3 in the Demonica series and follows the store of Lore, a Seminus half breed demon and Idess, a earthbound angel whose job is to protect specific people called Primori.

I love a book that starts with a sex scene.  Call me a voyeur, so what!  Larissa Ione has a fantastically vivid imagination and the ability to draw you in right from the beginning.  I'm not saying that it is the sex scenes that are the primary object but it certainly does help.  Idess's job is to protect Kynan and Lore who is bound to a demon called Deth has been ordered to kill him.  Lore sacrificed himself into service to Deth because of his sister Sin and has to make 100 kills before he can be released.  Lore's special 'poser' is the ability to kill by one touch from his right arm and to save himself and his sister he attempts to trick Kynan into shaking his hand.  Idess feeling that Kynan is in trouble appears to stop Lore and ends up making herself known to Kynan and his friends Eidoldon, Wraith, Shade and Lore.  She has to explain why she is there and that she is protecting Kynan.

Both Lore and Idess are drawn to each other but can not trust each other.  Lore discovers that Idess can calm him and she can also touch his killing arm.  Idess will sacrifice her most wanted dream for Lore. 

Another book in many that I could not put down.  I have read other Demoncia novels and loved this one just as much.  I like the way Ione writes.  She doesn't forget her other characters and integrates them beautifully.  Another must read for anyone a fan of the paranormal romance.  I will be looking forward to Iona's next in the series "Sin Undone".

blog watching

I have spent a great night online, looking at other people,s blogs and websites. I love it! It just gives me more books to find and read but it is a bit daunting all the same. There are so many books out there. Luckily enough I am very confident in what I like and willing to give everything a go. Like many others I have discovered the fascinating world of YA and Have found many more authors to read. I have also read some blogs on censorship in school libraries too which has been very disappointing and does make me wonder what the world is becoming. I have to admit that when I was of that age my parents may have not approved of me reaching some of these books, but then I think with all that our children see in the news and on tv, maybe these books can also been seen as a aid and a way to have open discussion with teenagers. It scares me as a parent some of the things that my children face every day at school or when they are out with their friends.

Currently I am reading Hunter's Moon by Lori Handeland and I might throw in some Gena Showalter and some Keri Arthur for variety. after all it is a weekend at home, what is a person to do, and I do have a schedule to keep to as well!

Tithe by Holly Black

I have a lot of books to choose from and a system that means I can read them in some order and get them back to the library without incurring any fines.  Sometimes I get distracted though.  Tithe is one of those books that has the power to distract me.  My family is lucky that I managed to get dinner made, but I think that is all they can expect today.

'Tithe is a 'modern faeire tale'.  Well that is what is written on the front cover and it's very correct.

Kaye, after a nomadic life with her mother travelling around following various bands, has returned to her childhood home.  She is sensing changes and looks for the faerie friends she had when she was young.  Instead she meets and saves a faerie called Roiben.  She is unaware that she herself is one of the faeries, specifically a pixie that has been hidden behind a intricate glamour.  She is unwittingly sacrificed as a 'tithe' so that the solitary folk can enjoy 7 years of freedom.  Of course things do go wrong and she needs to make the choice to save herself and her friends that have been caught up in the machinations of both the Unseelie and Seelie Courts.

Holly Black is a fantastic writer.  This book sucked me in go to whoa.  There is always something around the corner and you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next or who will betray whom.  Read and enjoy!!!

FINISHED!!!! Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara

I loved this book.  I love most of the books that I read though so I don't know how that is going to make people want to read this book.  Antionette is a highy trained Venator and it is her job to hunt and kill Necrodrinac vampires.  Christian is a Aeternus vampire in the employ of CHAaPR who knows Antionette's father.  Antionette's mother was attacked and killed in front of her when she was a young child.  She was brought up by her aunt and uncle and was trained to be a Venator.  Christian and Antionette meet because Christian needs her to bait a trap to catch a killer.  Antionette does not like vampires for very good reasons but is very attracted to Christian.  The Necodrinac Dante that killed her mother is still alive and is after Antionette.  Antionette and Christian and some other really good characters work together to catch the serial killer.  As I said, I loved this book, very fast paced, lots of action and even though you know that the 2 main characters will end up together, their getting to that place is filled with twists and turns.  Read it if you like vampires, urban fantasy, shapeshifters, and romance.

Reading now!!!! Night's Cold Kiss by Tracey O'Hara

Angel of Mercy by Toni Andrews

Just finished Angel of Mercy.  It gripped from start to finish.  Mercy is a great character.  She has an amazing gift of which she is a little scared of, and for good reason.  She is a hypnotherapist and has a skill she calls 'pressing'.  She is after answers from her past and also looking for her real parents.  She is somewhat scared of what she will find out and in this book, with the help of Sukey, her friend, starts her search.  She meets a lady who works at a shelter and convinces Mercy that she might be of some help to the ladies that reside there and Mercy in turn feels that she may do some good.  She meets a mother and daughter who are on the run from the husband.  Unspeakable acts have been visited on the young girl and Mercy is compelled to help them find the husband/father and bring him to justice.  Suffice to say, justice is served in a very convincing way, but in her search for answers to her past, more questions are raised.  I am looking forward to reading the 3rd in the series Cry Mercy.

What to read, what to read!!!

The weather here is beautiful at the moment and perfect for sitting on the deck and reading.  I have a little table next to a very comfy chair that I take over in summer and put the books I am reading on the table so that I can sit out, take in the fresh air and get some reading done.  Over Christmas my family and I take our caravan down to our local beach and spend 5 weeks there, sitting on the beach or back at the campsite catching up with all my reading.  I work in a library and people say that it must be because I like to read.  They have this image of all library personnel sitting around reading books all day.   I WISH.  I work in a an academic library, and I have to be honest there is not much here that I WANT to read, which in a way is great, because I can actually get some work done.  I am starting 'Angel of Mercy' by Toni Andrews.  It is 2nd in the series, I haven't read the 1st one but the 2nd one is pretty good.

Cape Storm by Rachel Caine

I do love the Weather Warden Series.  Cape Storm is no. 8 in the series.  David (The Djinn) and Joanne are on a very big ship with Lewis and Cherise and other wardens travelling out to fight a storm that has been sent after them by Bad Bill.  Jo still has the demon mark on her back, courtesy of Bad Bill, and has become somewhat of a risk to the Weather Wardens that she works for.  David has put containments in place but Bad Bill still seems to be able to get to her.  After a lot of secrets and double play, obviously the heroine comes through.  But not in the way that you think.  You need to read the book.

This book showed Jo in a whole different light and towards the end I really feared for her sanity and for whose side she would end up on.  It is a tale of love above all else, which is sometimes hard to portray in an action novel.  There is a surprise ending and I look forward to Rachel Caine's next book 'Total Eclipse' to see what becomes of David, Jo, Lewis and the rest of the characters that makes this series a favourite.

Cape Storm by Rachel Caine

This is the book that I am reading at the moment.  I have loved this series from start ot beginning, but I am a little disappointed to find Jo giving into the demon mark on her back and to Bad Bob.  I haven't finished it yet, almost there, but I am sure that David and Lewis and all her friends can see her through to the end.

Kiss of Fury by Deborah Cooke

Right, I have just finished Kiss of Fury.  It is the 2nd in the Dragonfire series.  This story follows the path of Alex Madison and Donovan Shea.  Alex is a scientist who has been instrumental in designing a vehicle that runs on salt water.  The Slayers found out where she and her partner Mark where designing their car and sought to destroy their creation.  Donovan Shea is a dragon shape shifter who is a warrior for the Pyr which look to protect humans and aid the humans in repairing the earth that they have damaged.  The Pyr have been told that three of them will experience 'firestorm' which is their chance to find a specifc mate and come together to create a baby that will follow in his father's footsteps.

Obviously Donovan experiences a firestorm with Alex.  They both have trust issues that they need to deal with.  Donovan's issues go back to his first love Olivia who manipulated him into taking a 'Dragon's Teeth' from a dragon's hoard and giving it to her.  Donovan found out about her deception and confronted her where he turned into a dragon in front of her and sent her raving mad.  He believes that he is a loner and does not want to accept a long term relationship with Alex, except as a procreation result. 

The Slayers are still after Alex because they know that she has a back up model of the "Green Machine" and they want to make sure that she has the chance to gather all her backups so they can destroy everything.  Donovan steps in to protect her and their attraction for each other grows.  There is a lot of denial until Alex decides to accept her 'good dragon'.  Donovan stills fights his feelings for Alex and it isn't until he loses another scale that he realises the extent of his feelings for Alex.

Without wanting to give out too much of the story line, there are lots of battles between good and bad dragons, lots of different characters, a speaking house, a beautiful female dragon who is the prophetress of all Pyr, the awakening of a old dragon, the saving of a brother and the joining of a couple who are destined to be together.

Did I like this book?  Very much so.  I like Deborah Cooke's books.  She does a great job of intermingling different story lines and even though it is hard to imagine a world with shape shifting dragons and vehicles that run on salt water, she makes everything plausible and believable.  Her characters have much depth and separate identities and when she adds a new character she crafts them so that you are able to remember their personality and it makes you want to follow their story.  I look forward to reading the next in the series "Kiss of Fate".    

Reviewing a book

After reading some of the other blogs that I follow, I now realise that I need to perfect the art of review.  I will admit that I am not very good at reviewing books.  Once the book is read, I am straight on to the next one and that book is forgotten.  It is not that it wasn't a good book, it's just that I move straight onto the next one, and if it is not part of a series than it's a whole different storyline and so forth.  Many people would suggest that I stop and smell the roses and enjoy each book for what it is but I have so many books that I need to get through and I borrow from the library (thank god) so I have a time limit to how long I can have that book.  And I spend so much time between Shelfari (which is a marvelous source of reading material), http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ and my local library and I find all these books and place holds on them willy nilly because I am scared I will forget the title or something.  I think that it must be an absolute mess inside my head sometimes. 

Anyway, I am yet to discover a way to refine my reviews.  I am going to attempt to not start another book until I have reviewed the previous.  I have read all about reviewing by using your own personality and I certainly do not want to copy and paste reviews from other sites.  I do think that my reviewing style will be different.  I don't want to give away too much of the story but enough that if anyone reads the review (heaven forbid) that they will want to look a little further and give the book a chance.  So wish me luck fellow bloggers (that would be you ms koa) and I hope that over the time I will be able to produce a review that is worth reading.

Kiss of Fury by Deborah Cooke

This is what I am reading at the moment, just started it in fact.  This is a series called Dragonfire.  This is Donovan and Alexandra.  Donovan is one of the Pyr Dragon warriors and Alexandra is his 'mate'.  I have only just started reading so I will let you know how I go.  I am a fan of Dragons though especially Anne Mccaffrey's Pern Series and this little White Dragon

Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy

This is what I am reading at the moment.  I am really enjoying the relationship between Viper and Shay.  Shay is a Shalott demon and Viper is a Vampire and Shay was bought at a auction by Viper.  The story continues with Viper doing all he can to protect Shay from other demons that want her as well as treating her as something precious.  Shay is not used to people taking care of her or caring for her and is finding herself drawn to Viper but understandably wary of him.  Haven't finished yet but I am a fan of Alexandra Ivy.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

I have this book sitting on my shelf.   I was hanging out for this book to come out but the reviews I have read have not put it in the best light and therefore has disappointed me, which is a shame because I should have gone into this book without any misconceptions.  I am trying to build myself up so that I can open the first page.

one more post...

Back to my love of Shelfari.  I have just added a book shelf to my blog.  As i said before I borrow a lot and if anyone has any suggestions about what to read, please let me know.  I am always on the lookout for different books.  I do love YA fiction as well as reading for the more mature person.  When I was younger, I was brought up on Trixie Belden, Enid Blyton and some old books about some missionary in Africa.  Also on my teenage bookshelf was Call of the Wild, Black Beauty, Alice in Wonderland and hiding in my wardrobe were mum's old mills and boon books.  Now that I have grown up, my range has grown.  I will try and keep up and add books as i start reading them.  I always like more than one on the go at a time and am easily distracted.  I am not very good at reviews so may just stick with a "star" method with very brief comments.  I am purely a visual person and pick books by their covers, which may limit my readings but I am sure that I can make it through enough to satisfy my needs.

 Currently I am reading,

• Embrace the Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
• Cape Storm by Rachel Caine
• Scorched by Sharon Ashwood
• Warrior Ascended by Addison Fox

It's been so long...

I have discovered Shelfari, which i am indebted to for keeping me up to date with books that I must read... and I mean must read.  And I don't really buy books, I borrow them from my most favourite library http://www.erl.vic.gov.au/.  They have a fantastic program that allows me to place holds on books all over my state, and they are delivered free of charge to a library of my choosing.  So what with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other 'networking' sites I forget to blog, but this year I am going to attempt a recovery process.  I have a few favourite sites.  I've worked out my top 5 sites and all this will reveal is how slightly pathetic I really am!  These are not in any particular order.  Shelfari, Eastern Regional Libraries, Facebook, my email's  and leaving room for one more, Blogger.  That is it.  Hopefully I will be back within the week.