(ARC) Book Review (219): Edge Of Dawn - Lara Adrian

Edge of Dawn (Midnight Breed #11)

by Lara Adrian

Publication: 26th February 2013

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Pages: 273

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

In this pulse-pounding and thrillingly sensual novel, New York Timesbestselling author Lara Adrian returns to the mesmerizing world of the Midnight Breed, following new characters into a dark future where an uneasy peace can unravel into war—and a great betrayal can mask an all-consuming love.

Twenty years after the terror of First Dawn—when mankind learned that vampires lived secretly among them—the threat of violence reigns as the two species struggle to coexist. The only group preserving the fragile harmony is the Order, an elite cadre of Breed warriors dedicated to protecting humans and vampires alike. And in this precarious world of torn loyalties and shattered trust, Mira, a fiery squad captain, finds that every fight bears an intensely personal cost. 

Raised among the Order, Mira has always believed in the warrior’s code of swift—and even lethal—justice. But the one thing she desires more than the Order’s hard-won acceptance is Kellan Archer, a sexy but troubled Breed fighter. In love with him since childhood, Mira once broke through his tough exterior during an unexpected night of rapture, but the next day he mysteriously disappeared, never to return.

Kellan didn’t think he would ever see Mira again—or have to confront the truth of why he left. After abandoning the Order years ago, he now leads a band of human rebels intent on carrying out their own vigilante rule of law. Yet a high-profile kidnapping assignment brings him face-to-face with the past he sought to avoid, and the striking woman he has tried desperately to forget. And as tensions mount and the risk of bloodshed grows, Kellan and Mira must take sides—between the competing missions that dominate their lives, and the electrifying passion that claims their hearts.

My Thoughts.

I have to start by saying that I'm a huge fan of this series, but unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did the previous ten books in the series back when the focus was on the original Breed brothers, the jump in time I felt has lost the magic and enjoyment of the series that I used to have.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that this is a bad book but throughout the whole story all I kept wondering was when there was going to be another appearance from one of the brother's, that was the main reason that I was desperate to get my hands on a copy, I know that it's set in the future and the characters that were kids in the first ten books are now the main focus but I found that I didn't really care about these characters as much, I did like Mira and Kellan and even Nathan in the previous books as kids but I just wish that Lara could have continued on the series somehow without the twenty year jump.

I feel like we've missed out on a lot of background information on the brothers and new characters that I would have loved to discover as they were growing up, not as they are now, but there were some positives which were the appearances of all the brothers even though they barely got any page time which I hated and which has taken my rating down a lot for their rare but longed for appearances.

I'm happy that the next book will be Nathan's I really do like his character and I hope that Hunter will have a lot more scenes in the story and with Nathan, actually I just hope it's original brother's heavy with appearances.

As much as I was disappointed with this book I will continue on with this series for the fleeting glimpses of the brother's that had me falling in love with the series in the first place.

I give this 3/5 Stars.

(ARC) Book Review (218): Walking Disaster - Jamie McGuire

Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2)

by Jamie McGuire

Publication: 2nd April 2013

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Australia

Pages: 448

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Appropriate: New Adult

Buy It: The Book Depository

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. Can you love someone too much?
Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

My Thoughts.

I don't know if I can write this review and give it enough praise for the brilliance that it is.

I knew for certain that I was going to love this book, Jamie McGuire in Travis has created one of the best male characters ever in literature, the ultimate bad boy waiting for his Pidgeon.

This book was one of if not the most highly anticipated book for me this year, Beautiful Disaster was my favourite book of last year, the characters, storyline and the emotions just blew me away, so when I discovered that Walking Disaster was going to be released from the point of view of Travis I was extremely excited, there's just something about his character that I can't get enough of, ever since the death of his Mother when he was younger it's like he was broken inside until along came Pidgeon (Abby) who brought him back to life.

And like any relationship things don't go smoothly, starting out as best-friends until they both admit their feelings towards each other, you know you're going to be in for a ride, but hearing the story from Travis brings it to another level, I loved being inside his head, his thoughts and feelings towards Abby just made me want to cry, the prologue plus those scenes towards the end, man they opened up the floodgates, left me a sobbing mess.

But that's what a great book is supposed to do, leave you feeling like you've been punched in the stomach with emotions, one of the highlights of the book for me was the epilogue set 11 years later, I loved it, loved it, loved it, the perfect ending to this fantastic story.

It made me a little sad to finish this book, the story between Travis and Abby has kept me captivated and glued to the pages, but then I found on Jamie's website that she's releasing books on all the Maddox brothers and Travis and Abby will cameo *SQUEE!!!*.

This book was definitely better than Beautiful Disaster, thanks to Jamie for bringing the character of Travis Maddox to life, a brilliant character writer and I look forward to whatever she will be writing next, definitely one of my favourite authors.

And a big thanks to Caroline @ Simon And Schuster Australia, I can't explain how much I squealed and ran around like a crazy person when I received your email asking if I'd like an ARC to read and review.

I give this 5/5.

(ARC) Book Review (217): In The Shadow Of Blackbirds - Cat Winters

In the Shadow of Blackbirds

by Cat Winters

Publication: 2nd April 2013

Publisher: Amulet Books

Pages: 400

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon

In 1918, the world seems on the verge of apocalypse. Americans roam the streets in gauze masks to ward off the deadly Spanish influenza, and the government ships young men to the front lines of a brutal war, creating an atmosphere of fear and confusion. Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches as desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort, but she herself has never believed in ghosts. During her bleakest moment, however, she’s forced to rethink her entire way of looking at life and death, for her first love—a boy who died in battle—returns in spirit form. But what does he want from her?

Featuring haunting archival early-twentieth-century photographs, this is a tense, romantic story set in a past that is eerily like our own time.

My Thoughts.

I loved this book, what a fresh, intriguing and somewhat creepy story that will have you sitting with the lights burning all night long.

I enjoyed the concept of the storyline, so different from what is out there at the moment in terms of subject matter.

To intersperse World War 2, Spanish Influenza and Spiritual Photography which were all prevalent around the same time period, makes for a novel that is at no time boring and which has piqued my interest in some of the history that made this story so unique.

Set in 1918, extending towards the conclusion of the War, Mary Shelley makes for a strong heroine, personally affected by the War, when she discovers that her childhood friend and potential love interest Stephen has become a casualty of War she is devastated, and then at his funeral she starts to hear him talking to her and then not long after she begins to see his spirit, Stephen can't move on, his death isn't as cut and dried as everybody has been led to believe.

His older brother convinces Mary to sit for a spiritualistic photo (which he's become famed for) in hopes that Stephen's spirit will appear in the developed portrait, but is he a fraud or is he honestly capturing the ghostly forms of friends, family members and soldiers who have been killed on the battlefield.

This book had a very well thought out and executed plot and ending that had me wiping away a few tears, so invested I was in Cat Winters wonderful characterisations.

With the added addition of archived spiritual photographs taken from that time period, that will give you shivers down the spine, their inclusion gave this story an added depth and realisticness  that had me fascinated and certainly creeped out all at the same time.

I highly recommend this book, such a great read that will definitely be re-read by myself at some point.

I give this 4/5.

Blog Tour : Farsighted & Open Heart Blog Tour, Book Review (216).

Tour Schedule 

http://gcrpromotions.blogspot.com/2013/01/emlynchandtourS.html

Open Heart (Farsighted #2)

by Emlyn Chand

Simmi Shergill's life is a mess. Her powers of psychic feeling are on the fritz, and Grandon Township's sudden population boom has brought quite a few unsavory characters to town. She also looks like an over-blown balloon in her size 14 pants, but not even starving herself seems to be working as a diet plan. Well, at least her boyfriend, Alex, loves her so much he'd do anything for her. Last summer he even risked his life to protect her from the mysterious boy everyone was convinced wanted to kill her. The problem is, she's not so sure she feels the same way. Is Alex really the man of her dreams? And why can't she stop fixating on her would-be killer, Dax? Whenever he's around, part of her wants to run screaming in the other direction while the other part longs to run into his embrace, no matter who she'd hurt or what she'd risk. Simmi's loyalty is on the line. Who will she choose-the blind seer who loves her, or the charming telekinetic with "bad idea" written all over him? Emotions run high as the tension mounts in book two of the Farsighted series.

My Thoughts.

While I enjoyed the storyline of this book and I managed to finish it in a day, I was let down by my dislike for the lead heroine Simmi, I wasn't really a fan of hers in the the previous book Farsighted but I really couldn't stand her at all in this book.

And while Simmi and Alex are now together the relationship is pretty much one sided, while Alex is in love with her Simmi doesn't reciprocate and instead lies to him and strings him along especially now that she is attracted to Dax whom is living with Alex and his family.

Simmi is hiding a secret, she is battling bulimia, a condition that only worsens throughout the story along with her sense of self-esteem, Dax helps her feel more comfortable and happy with the skin that she's in.

As in Farsighted I really loved Shapri's character, she's not afraid to speak her mind and I'm hoping that she ends up together with Alex, you can tell from the way that she defends him in this book that she really likes him but because she's Simmi's best friend she'd never think to betray her in that way.

I'm really looking forward to the next book which is from Shapri's pov, a character that I really love and which hopefully features a lot more Alex.

I give this 3.5/5.

OPEN HEART Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13485266-open-heart

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0983930848?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0983930848&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/open-heart-emlyn-chand/1111260242?ean=9780983930846&r=1%2c+1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1& 

Alex Kosmitoras's life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead broke and insanely overprotective, and... oh yeah, he's blind.

Just when he thinks he'll never have a shot at a normal life, an enticing new girl comes to their small Midwest town all the way from India. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to "see" the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they suggest Simmi is in mortal danger.

With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex embarks on his journey to change the future.

FARSIGHTED Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13453604-farsighted

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Farsighted-Emlyn-Chand/dp/0983930821/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1358287159&sr=1-1&keywords=9780983930822

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/farsighted-emlyn-chand/1106607652?ean=9780983930822&r=1%2c+1&cm_mmc=AFFILIATES-_-Linkshare-_-GwEz7vxblVU-_-10%3a1& 

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Emlyn Chand emerged from the womb with a fountain pen clutched in her left hand (true story). When she's not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firmNovel Publicity Best known for her Young Adult novels, she is also developing a small, but devoted, following to her children's book series and is beginning to dabble in other genres as well. Emlyn enjoys connecting with readers and is available via almost every social media site in existence. Visitwww.emlynchand.com for more info. Don't forget to say "hi" to her sun conure Ducky!

Note: Emlyn also writes romance under the pen name, Darby Davenport.

Author Links:

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5130837.Emlyn_Chand

Website: http://www.emlynchand.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/emlynchand

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/emlynchand

Cover Reveal: Through The Zombie Glass - Gena Showalter

Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles #2)

by Gena Showalter 

Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home. After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things. The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

Expected publication: September 2013 by Harlequin Teen

Cover Reveal: Between The Lives - Jessica Shirvington

Between the Lives

by Jessica Shirvington

Above all else, though I try not to think about it, I know which life I prefer. And every night when I Cinderella myself from one life to the next a very small, but definite, piece of me dies. The hardest part is that nothing about my situation has ever changed. There is no loophole.

Until now, that is... 

For as long as she can remember, Sabine has lived two lives. Every 24 hours she Shifts to her 'other' life - a life where she is exactly the same, but absolutely everything else is different: different family, different friends, different social expectations. In one life she has a sister, in the other she does not. In one life she's a straight-A student with the perfect boyfriend, in the other she's considered a reckless delinquent. Nothing about her situation has ever changed, until the day when she discovers a glitch: the arm she breaks in one life is perfectly fine in the other. With this new knowledge, Sabine begins a series of increasingly risky experiments which bring her dangerously close to the life she's always wanted...But just what - and who - is she really risking?

Paperback, 327 pages

Expected publication: May 2013 by HarperCollins

Promo: Free For A Limited Time - Shadow Of Time - Jen Minkman

For A Limited Time Only, Free On Amazon, Click Here *Free* Shadow Of Time

Shadow of Time

by Jen Minkman 

Publication: 1st January 2013

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 400

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Buy It: Amazon  

All Hannah needs is a nice and quiet vacation after her first year of teaching French at a high school. She joins her brother Ben for the summer in their mom’s log cabin in Arizona. There, she meets Josh again, Ben’s childhood friend from the Navajo reservation. The little boy from the rez has grown up fast, and Hannah can’t help but feeling more for him than just friendship. 

But fate apparently has something else in store for her. And it’s not peace and quiet. Night after night, Hannah is plagued by strange nightmares about the past of Navajo Nation and terrifying shadows chasing her. They seem to come closer – and why is Josh always present in her dreams? 

Sometimes, the past has a way of catching up with you.

My Thoughts.

An absolute pleasure to read, this book had me flying through the pages to see what the conclusion to this fantastic story would be.

A truly original concept and storyline has me eager to see what Jen will release next.

Hannah and her brother Ben decide to spend their summer vacation at their Mother's log cabin in Arizona, after embarrasing herself at a gas station in front of a hot guy she's mortified when she discovers that he's Ben's best-friend from childhood Josh, what has her baffled is the intense attraction she feels for him which Josh also reciprocates.

After an encounter with three drunken men she starts to have nightmares that involve terrifying shadows with red eyes and always in her dreams is Josh a little older and they are set years ago in the past, but are they just dreams or is Hannah seeing past events that have occurred many lifetimes ago?

I loved the added storylines of the Navajo Nation it added a whole lot more to the story, more depth and the history and their customs I found to be extremely interesting, a great idea, that you don't really find in paranormal books.

This is an extremely well written, well researched book and I would love to see another book after this one, I loved the characters especially the brooding Josh and I want to read more.

I recommend any fans of paranormal romance or even romance books pick this one up it is well worth the time spent reading it.

I give this 4/5.

Q & A With Jen Minkman.

1) There is a lot of details about the Native Americans and the different tribes, how much research did you have to do to write this book?

I really had to delve deep and get a lot of books and movies about the Navajo in order to educate myself. They are quite different from tribes like the Lakota (who have been extensively portrayed in famous films like Dances With Wolves and Into The West) so good research was vital! I think out of the nine months I spent writing this book, at least three were solely dedicated to reading up on Navajo culture, mythology, language and history.

2) Have you always had an idea of featuring Native American's in your first book? 

No, not really... the first book I attempted to write was a high fantasy novel. What gave me the idea to write about them was reading New Moon by Stephenie Meyer - I liked the chemistry between Jacob and Bella in that book and was actually disappointed they didn't end up together, so I figured I should write a paranormal romance novel with Native Americans and a happy ending :)

3) If a film were to be made from this book, are there any actors in particular that you would like to be cast?

Oh, definitely! I would love to see Saoirse Ronan as Hannah and Kyerin Bennett as Josh. Not sure whether he can act, actually (he's a model)... another good one would be Michael Spears, but he's too old to play the part and Lakota, not Navajo, but I really admire his work in several projects he's done!

4) Were you inspired by any songs/music while writing this story?

First of all, I wrote my own music for the book (the songs that Hannah and Josh sing in the book really exist and can be listened to on my website). I also listened to tons of pow-wow CDs, most notably the Navajo Mountain Singers, and to punk-rock music from Navajo Nation made by the fantastic band Blackfire. I still want to see them live one day!

5) Do you plan on writing another book set in this world, maybe a sequel?

I wasn't planning any sequels, but some reviewers have complained they wanted to know more about Josh's background, so there might be a companion novella at some point.

6) Describe Shadow Of Time in five words

true love lasts beyond death.

7) What authors have inspired you over the years?

Too many to name, but a few notable ones are Ray Bradbury, Margaret Mahy, David Eddings, Tonke Dragt and Thea Beckman.

8) What are you currently reading? And what was your favourite book(s) of last year?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Hunger Games and Ultraviolet last year. Right now I am reading a book written by Ervin Laszlo about the zero point energy field and the way the world should change in order to avoid total breakdown of the current economic system. I can be very scientifically-oriented at times... but always mixed with a sense of spirituality and higher purpose.

9) And finally you're hosting a dinner party and you can only invite five people (dead or alive), who would you choose?

John Lennon and Yoko Ono, David Bowie, Jesus and my sister (because she likes all of my other guests a lot, too, and we tend to share all that makes us happy). 

Jen Minkman (1978) was born in Holland, in the town of Alphen aan den Rijn. When she was 19, she moved between The Hague, Salzburg (Austria), Brussels (Belgium) and Cambridge (UK) to complete her studies in intercultural communication. She is currently a teacher of English, career counsellor and teenage coach at a secondary school in Voorburg, Holland. She tries to read at least 100 books a year (and write a few, too!). She is a published author in her own country, and translates her own books from Dutch into English for self-publication.

In her spare time, she plays the piano, the guitar and the violin. For every novel she writes, she creates a soundtrack. 

'I have always been drawn to writing. My first book was a sci-fi novel at the age of eight, which I painstakingly typed out on my dad's typewriter and illustrated myself. Nowadays, I stick to poetry, paranormal romance, chicklit and/or fantasy. In my home country, I am the first-ever published writer of paranormal romance, and I will gradually make my books also available in English (seeing I have to re-write and translate the books myself, this will take some time!).

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