Australian Vs. U.S.A. Book Covers.

Lothaire (Immortals After Dark #12)

by Kresley Cole 

Australian.

American.

Book Review (46).

Lothaire (Immortals After Dark #12)

by Kresley Cole 

Publication: 19th January 2012

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Australia

Pages: 464

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

Price: $19.99

**Warning This Review May Contain Spoilers From Previous Books In The Series**

From the humblest of beginnings a millennia ago, Lothaire the Enemy of Old rose to power, becoming the most feared and evil vampire in the immortal world. Driven by his past, he will not rest until he captures the vampire Horde’s crown for himself. The discovery of his Bride, the female meant only for him, threatens to derail his plot.

Elizabeth Peirce is a mere mortal, a glaring vulnerability for a male with so many blood foes bent on annihilating anything he desires. Yet soon he discovers his Bride’s secret. A magnificent power dwells inside the fragile human, one that will aid his quest. But to possess that power, he will have to destroy her. Will Lothaire succumb to the torments of his past, or seize a future with her?

My Thoughts.

This series is definately one of my favourites and this new book in the series didn't disappoint.

I always wondered how Lothaire would be turned into a leading man and whether he could redeem himself to be a likable character.

We've known from the previous book that Lothaire had been blooded and had found his Bride (vampires are dead inside and their hearts only start beating once they come into contact with their  mates), what we didn't know was that his BrideElizabeth is a  human who's body is possessed by Soraya the Goddess of death who takes over her body at intervals and kills people.

After killing one night the police arrive at her families trailer (she lives in the mountains of Appalachia) and Elizabeth figures if she confronts the police while holding a gun they'll kill her and she'll be rid of Soraya forever, but as she's about to appear to the police Lothaire comes by and stops her because he believes that Soraya is his Bride not Elizabeth as he believes humans are below him, so she is sent to death row and after five years she is about to be executed but it's stopped by Lothaire who is enraged that Elizabeth would once again be trying to kill herself to get rid of Soraya.

The rest of the book has Lothaire trying to locate the ring he stole from La Dorada so he can remove Elizabeth's soul and Soraya can permanantly take over, but Soraya prefers Elizabeth stays in charge of her own body until the ring is found.

I loved the interactions between Lothaire and Elizabeth, her hillbilly talk is hilarious and the way she matches wits with Lothaire makes it one of my favourite books in the series.

We get some scenes with the valkyries at Val Hall, Thad and one of my favourite characters Nix who I'm hoping is going to be the lead in the next book.

A definite must read about the series bad boy.

I give this 5/5.

A big thanks to Caroline @ Simon And Schuster Australia.

My Facebook Games Obsession.

So lately I haven't really done much on my blog or read much at all **gasps** now normally I'd have a book read in a day or two the book I read before my current one took me 6 days **no that's not a typo** 6 days that is extremely bad for me.
And the reason why? well I blame Facebook mainly the games Cityville and Castleville I think I'm obsessed and need help, now I get up for work at 5.00am and normally I read while drinking my coffee, but have I been doing that? hell no I'm on Facebook playing games I think I need an intervention (where's the How I Met Your Mother gang when you need them?).
So I am still here I haven't deserted my blog, now that I've explained why I haven't been doing much on my blog I'll be going (now what's happening over on Cityville?).

In My Mailbox (13).

In My Mailbox Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Krist The Story Siren.

Review.

The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #1) -  Michelle Hodkin (Simon And Schuster Australia)

Fracture - Megan Miranda (Bloomsbury Australia)

Fated (Fated #1) - Sarah Alderson (Simon And Schuster Australia) 

Lothaire (Immortals After Dark #12) - Kresley Cole (Simon And Schuster Australia)

Pre-Order.

A Million Suns (Across The Universe #2) - Beth Revis

Dating The Undead - Gena Showalter & Jill Monroe

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Brought.

The Name Of The Star (Shades Of London #1) - Maureen Johnson

Inside Out (Insider #1) - Maria V. Snyder

Stealing Phoenix (Benedict #2) - Joss Stirling

Dead In The Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10) - Charlaine Harris

Envy (Empty Coffin #1) - Gregg Olsen

Book Review (45).

Spirit Bound (Sisters of the Heart #2)

by Christine Feehan

Publication: 27th December 2011

Publisher: Piatkus Books

Pages: 404

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

**Warning May Contain Spoilers From The Previous Book In The Series**

Lethal undercover agent Stefan Prakenskii knew a thousand ways to kills a man—and twice as many ways to pleasure a woman. That’s what made him look forward to his new mission: arrive in the coastal town of Sea Haven and insinuate himself in the life of an elusive beauty who had mysterious ties to his past, and a link to a dangerously seductive, and equally elusive master criminal who wanted only one thing: to possess her.

Judith Henderson was an artist on the rise—an ethereal, and haunted woman whose own picture-perfect beauty stirred the souls of two men who have made her their obsession. For years she has been waiting for someone to come and unlock the passion and fire within her—waiting for the right man to surrender it to. But only one man can survive her secrets, and the shadow she has cast over both their lives.

My Thoughts.

Christine Feehan is one of my top ten favourite authors of all-time and it's always exciting for me when a new book is released, having read every book she's ever written I know to expect a great book, and this one didn't disappoint.

This series is a spin-off of one of the author's previous series about the seven Drake sisters, Jonas a husband of one of the sisters makes an appearance doing his job as the local Sheriff.

Stefan Prakenskii is undercover in jail with a criminal Jean-Claude La Roux hoping to find information on a microchip that Jean-Claude has that he needs to retrieve to give back to Russia, Jean-Claude has the wall on his side of the cell covered in photos of a woman who Stefan is drawn too and later learns is an ex-girlfriend named Judith.

After getting out of prison he makes his way to Sea Haven in hopes that Jean-Claude passed the microchip off to her and she's hiding it, and to find his brother Lev who has an assassin named Ivanov after him, but unknown to Stefan Judith doesn't have the microchip and is in hiding from Jean-Claude after he ordered the torture and murder of her brother after he wouldn't give up information on where she was.

As soon as they meet Stefan undercover as Thomas Vincent a rich businessman who is interested in buying the local art gallery and Judith are instantly attracted to one another and it is while they are locking up the gallery that Stefan senses Ivanov close.

I did love Stefan and Judith as a couple and that her spirit element was complimented by Stefan's, and I also liked it when Stefan and Lev met up again for the first time since they were children,my only complaint is that they keep mentioning Ilya (their seventh and youngest brother who is married to another of the Drake sisters) but it's the second book and he still hasn't made an appearance although he's been mentioned quite a few times in both books and he's my favourite Prakenskii brother so far.

I also have a feeling that Blythe (a woman who lives on a farm with Judith and five other women) has married a Prakenskii brother after reading the second last page.

Can't wait to see who the next brother is.

I give this 4/5.

Feature And Follow Friday (13).

Follow Friday Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Parajunkee And Alison Can Read.

Q: Many readers/bloggers are also big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012.

At the moment I'm a big fan of Adele, Josh Groban and Rihanna.


My all-time favourites are: Mariah Carey (her old stuff), Celine Dion, Bon Jovi (their old stuff), Beyonce, Madonna (her old stuff), Leona Lewis and Michael Jackson.
There's more but it would take me quite a while to add them all.

Australian Vs U.S.A Book Covers.

A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle#1)

Australian.

American.

I definately prefer the American cover.

In My Mailbox (13).

In My Mailbox Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Kristi The Story Siren.

Pre-Order.

Spirit Bound (Sisters Of The Heart #2) - Christine Feehan

Shadow Heir (Dark Swan #4) - Richelle Mead

Dreaming Awake (Falling Under #2) - Gwen Hayes

Brought.

Breaking Dawn (Twilight #4) - Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn (Twilight #4) - Stephenie Meyer (I Like To Collect The Movie Covers)

Devoted (Elixir #2) - Hilary Duff

Angel Fire (Angel #2) - L.A Weatherly

Wood Angel (Plain Kate) - Erin Bow

Book Review (44).

A Need So Beautiful (A Need So Beautiful #1)

by Suzanne Young

Publication: 21st June 2011

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/Harper Collins Australia

Pages: 267

Genre: Paranormal

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

We all want to be remembered. Charlotte's destiny is to be Forgotten...

Charlotte’s best friend thinks Charlotte might be psychic. Her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. But Charlotte knows what’s really wrong: She is one of the Forgotten, a kind of angel on earth, who feels the Need—a powerful, uncontrollable draw to help someone, usually a stranger.

But Charlotte never wanted this responsibility. What she wants is to help her best friend, whose life is spiraling out of control. She wants to lie in her boyfriend's arms forever. But as the Need grows stronger, it begins to take a dangerous toll on Charlotte. And who she was, is, and will become--her mark on this earth, her very existence--is in jeopardy of disappearing completely.

Charlotte will be forced to choose: Should she embrace her fate as a Forgotten, a fate that promises to rip her from the lives of those she loves forever? Or is she willing to fight against her destiny--no matter how dark the consequences.

My Thoughts.

I loved this book and thought it was a great take on Angels.

Charlotte was found abandoned in a hospital waiting room when she was six years old, luckily a E.R nurse Mercy had just become a qualified foster mother and after searching for Charlotte's parents for a year and not finding them she adopted her.

Ten years later and Charlotte has been suffering from something she calls the Need, where she ends up struggling for breathe and in pain and it's while all this is happening she gets a pull to find someone who needs help or is in trouble and Charlotte can see into their future enough to help them with their problem.

Charlotte soon discovers from a family friend that she's an angel a Forgotten (people forget her as soon as she helps them) and she's put on this earth to help people but with each person she helps she loses parts of her skin and it turns to gold she is told that eventually her whole body will turn to gold and her life will be over.

But Charlotte doesn't want to die and her doubts mount up as she comes into contact with a Forgotten who still lives but works for the dark side and she tries to convince Charlotte to do the same.

Charlotte also has a boyfriend Harlin who can't understand why Charlotte keeps on disappearing and doesn't believe she has asthma (her cover for when the Need comes upon her) and he starts to think she's cheating on him.

And the ending of this book definately had me in tears and I really wish I had the next book in the series to go on with straight away I can't wait to find out what happens next.

I loved the concept of this story it was fresh, exciting, sad and a great twist on the angel genre. 

I give this 5/5.

A big thanks to Lara @ Harper Collins Australia.

 

Book Review (43).

Shades of Midnight (Midnight Breed #7)

by Lara Adrian 

Publication: 29th December 2009

Publisher: Dell

Pages: 383

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Age Appropriate: Adult

**Warning May Contain Spoilers From Previous Books In The Series**

In a frozen wilderness steeped in darkness, the lines between good and evil, lover and enemy, are never black or white but drawn in Shades of Midnight.

Something inhuman is stalking the frigid Alaskan wilds, leaving unspeakable carnage in its wake. For bush pilot Alexandra Maguire, the killings stir memories of a horrific event she witnessed as a child and evoke in her the inexplicable sense of otherness she has long felt within herself but never fully understood . . . until a darkly seductive stranger with secrets of his own enters her world.

Sent from Boston on a mission to investigate the savage attacks and stop the slaughter, vampire warrior Kade has his own reasons for returning to the frigid, forbidding place of his birth. Haunted by a secret shame, Kade soon realizes the stunning truth of the threat he faces–a threat that will jeopardize the fragile bond he has formed with the courageous, determined young woman who arouses his deepest passions and most primal hungers. But in bringing Alex into his world of blood and darkness, Kade must confront both his own personal demons and the even greater evil that could destroy all he holds dear.

My Thoughts.

Alexandra 'Alex' is a pilot who delivers food and other necessities to people living far away from any amenities in Alaska it's while making a stop to a family that are one of her regulars that she finds them all dead with their throats ripped out, this brings to mind the murders of her mother and brother both killed in the same way by a vampire right in front of her eyes years ago.

Back in Boston they hear the new and send Kade off to Alaska having been born and lived there for all his life he knows his way around and his father is the darkhaven's leader there, it's not long before Kade and Alex cross pathsand they're instantly attracted to one another, although it's nearly halfway through the book before Kade realises she's a breedmate who has the power to touch someone when they're talking and knows when they're telling the truth or lying.

The Gen One who escaped at the end of the last book appears in Alaska  as does Dragos' operation set up in an old mine.

We also find out that Kade has an identical twin brother who has turned rogue so he has to hunt him down to kill him.

The next book is already set up with Brock meeting his mate towards the end of the book.

Another great one, can't wait for the next.

I give this 5/5. 

Feature And Follow Friday (12).

Q: Go count the number of unread books sitting on your shelf. How many?

Ok so after checking I have a total of 1,087 unread and owned books, that's not including the 18 books I have on pre-order.

City Of Lost Souls Cover Reveal.

I cannot wait for this book I love me some Jace.

I really love the cover too!

Waiting On Wednesday (10).

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

God Save the Queen (The Immortal Empire)

by Kate Locke

3rd July 2012 By Orbit

Queen Victoria rules with an immortal fist. 
The undead matriarch of a Britain where the Aristocracy is made up of werewolves and vampires, where goblins live underground and mothers know better than to let their children out after dark. A world where being nobility means being infected with the Plague (side-effects include undeath), Hysteria is the popular affliction of the day, and leeches are considered a delicacy. And a world where technology lives side by side with magic. The year is 2012 and Pax Britannia still reigns.

Xandra Vardan is a member of the elite Royal Guard, and it is her duty to protect the Aristocracy. But when her sister goes missing, Xandra will set out on a path that undermines everything she believed in and uncover a conspiracy that threatens to topple the empire. And she is the key-the prize in a very dangerous struggle.

Boyfriend from Hell (Saturn's Daughter #1)

by Jamie Quaid

31st July 2012 By Pocket Books

They say justice is blind. But Justine isn’t.

Justine (Tina) Clancy is just an ordinary law student with a faulty arrest record, a part-time job in Baltimore’s radioactive Zone, and a family secret so bizarre even she doesn’t believe it. That is, until in a fit of fury she damns her boyfriend to hell—and it’s exactly where he ends up.

Much to her own surprise, Tina is apparently one of Saturn’s daughters, with the power to wield vigilante justice. But poor Max didn’t deserve to go up in flames, even if he did almost run her over with her own car. Tina’s convinced someone cut the brakes—and now a relentless nemesis is stalking her through the Zone’s back alleys, where buildings glow, statues move, and chemical waste exposure comes with interesting consequences. Tina’s usually a loner, but now she needs a posse like no other: a shape-shifting kitten, an invisible thief, a biker gang, a snake-charming private detective, a well-meaning cop, and her sleazy, sexy boss. But in between freeing Max from hell, saving her own neck, and solving a mystery that threatens the Zone and her newfound friends, how is she ever going to study for finals?

Entasy

by Brynn Myers 

June 2012 By Brynn Myers

Kira is the granddaughter of two Celtic goddesses but due to a tragedy Kira's memories were taken to protect her. She has no idea who she is really but soon she will find out...soon she will have to confront her past in order to save her future.

Transcendence

by C.J. Omololu 

5th June 2012 Walker Childrens

Love isn’t the only emotion to survive death . . .

When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.

As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?

Monument 14

by Emmy Laybourne

5th June 2012 By Feiwel & Friends

Fourteen kids. One superstore. A million things that go wrong.

A huge store isn’t the worst place to be stranded. There’s food and water, bedding and books. But what if it’s not safe to leave? Emmy Laybourne had us from the get-go with her utterly fresh and fast-paced debut.

Six high school kids (some popular, some not), two eighth graders (one a tech genius), and six little kids are trapped together in a chain superstore. Together they build a refuge for themselves inside, while outside, a series of escalating disasters, beginning with a monster hailstorm and ending with a chemical weapon spill, seems to be tearing the world—as they know it—apart.

Beauty

by Lisa Daily

10th May 2012 By Razorbill

When we first meet Molly, she is plain, shy, and practically invisible to most of her fellow high school students. Hudson, the boy she cannot help but like, is handsome and popular. One day at a town carnival, Molly stumbles across an eccentric artist who offers to sketch her portrait. Thinking aloud, she wishes she was the most beautiful girl in the world. The following day, Molly gets her wish. All the guys at school are vying for her affection. Best of all, Hudson’s finally noticing her. As Molly’s relationship with Hudson heats up, violence threatens to erupt among the guys of their high school, and the newfound attention threatens to destroy the relationships she values

Australian Vs. U.S.A Book Covers.

The Vampire Stalker

by Allison van Diepen 

Australian.

American.

I personally prefer the American cover, cause it looks like she's stalking him as the title suggests.

Book Review (42).

The Future of Us

by Jay Asher, Carolyn Mackler

Publication: 5th January 2012

Publisher: Simon And Schuster Australia

Pages: 356

Genre: Romance/Contemporary

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

Price: $16.99

It's 1996 and less than half of all American high school students have ever used the Internet. Facebook will not be invented for several more years. Emma just got a computer and an America Online CD-ROM with 100 free hours. When she and her best friend Josh log on to AOL they discover themselves on Facebook... fifteen years in the future. Everybody wonders what life has in store for them.
Josh and Emma are about to find out.

My Thoughts.

Having never read anything by either author before starting this book I wasn't sure what to expect but I definately wasn't disappointed and will be seeking out other books by the authors.

The year is 1996 and Emma has been given a new computer from her Dad and it's while she's setting it up that her childhood best-friend and next door neighbour Josh comes over with a AOL cd with free internet usage, things are strained between the two after Josh admitted he liked Emma but she didn't feel the same.

It's when the cd is loaded that Facebook comes up on the screen and Emma and Josh discover that it's 15 years in the future and while Emma isn't happy with her life in the future, Josh discovers that he's married to the most popular girl in school.

Emma does whatever she can to change her future after discovering she's not happy in her marriage, it seems everyday one little action can and will change the future be it involving marriage, kids and jobs and the refresh button changes things as well.

It's while Josh is trying to start a relationship with his future wife that Emma realises she has stronger feelings for Josh than she realised, and she also tries to change her best friend Kellan's future too without telling her what's going on.

I loved the concept of this book and I also had to love at some of the status updates that Emma reads on Facebook , and the alternate chapters are great and becoming one of my favourite things in books lately.

I definately reccomend checking this out.

I give this 4/5

A big thanks to Caroline @ Simon And Schuster Australia,

Book Review (41).

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2)

by Cassandra Clare 

Publication: 6th December 2011

Publisher: Margaret K. Mc Elderry Books

Pages: 502

Genre: Fantasy/Steampunk

Age Appropriate: Young Adult

**Warning May Contain Spoilers From The First Book In The Series**

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?

As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart.

My Thoughts.

As much as I loved the previous book in this series this one kicked it out of the park, when I got to the end of the book,  I sat there in disbelief and even let loose a few tears.

We find out that when Will was twelve he had a curse put on him by a demon that anybody that he loved would die and so that's why he pushes everybody away, of course I love Will and to find out why he's the reason he is, is just so heartbreaking so he tries to find the demon that cursed him with the help of Magnus Bane.

Tessa finds herself growing closer to Jem now that Will has told her he doesn't want to be with her, while she also tries to find out who and what she is.

Charlotte is threatned with being replaced as the head of the institute by Benedict Lightwood if she can't find Mortmain (Magister) within two weeks.

The love triangle between Tessa, Will and Jem is just tragic you know that Will and Jem both love Tessa, meanwhile Tessa believing that there's no hope with Will finds herself falling in love with Jem, we all know this can't end well and while I definately prefer Will I just couldn't bear how upset Jem would be if Tessa did end up with Will.

We find out about another spy in the institute who is helping Tessa's brother Nate with information to pass along to the Magister who still wants Tessa for his own.

I'm in two minds about the ending while I did like it I also ended up in tears and not for a good reason, I just hope the next book works out the way I want it to.

I give this 5/5.