Monthly Archives: July 2014

Review: Four: The Son (Divergent #0.3) by Veronica Roth

Posted on by
1

9780062285652_p0_v4_s260x420

Title: Four:  The Son
Author:  Veronica Roth
Publisher/Year:  HarperCollins 7/8/14
Length:  39 Pages
Series: Divergent #0.3

Overview

Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be thrilled by “Four: The Son,” the third of four stories, each between fifty and seventy-five pages long, set in the world of Divergent and told from Tobias’s perspective.

In “The Son,” Tobias struggles to find a place in the hierarchy of the Dauntless. He also begins to suspect that a foul plan may be brewing within the Dauntless leadership and discovers a truth about his past that could greatly affect his future.

My Thoughts

The journey continues – we’re not just post initiation, getting into Four’s head a bit as he has to make a decision on what he wants to be in Dauntless.  What makes things more complicated of course though is that he’s realized that someone’s been in his room, when he finds a broken glass that he didn’t break.  then the next day there’s a note in his room that’s cryptic, yet he thinks that it’s from his father, asking for a meeting.  The nice thing is that this wasn’t part of the main series at all, and the result of this conversation only now makes us realize why Four’s reaction in Insurgent was what it was.

The other nice thing about this story is that we get to know Zeke and Shauna a bit more – and see how that friendship/relationship is just way more complicated.  I can’t wait to see what comes next in the 4th and final novella in Four’s story.  Enjoy!

Review: Four: The Initiate (Divergent #0.2) by Veronica Roth

Posted on by
Reply

9780062285652_p0_v4_s260x420

Title: Four:  The Initiate
Author:  Veronica Roth
Publisher/Year:  HarperCollins 7/8/14
Length:  39 Pages
Series: Divergent #0.2

Overview

Fans of the Divergent series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth will be delighted by “Four: The Initiate,” the second of four stories, each between fifty and seventy-five pages long, set in the world of Divergent and told from Tobias’s point of view.

“The Initiate” provides readers with a glimpse into Tobias’s Dauntless initiation experience, including an epic game of late-night Dare; his first tattoo; the beginning of his passion for training new initiates; and his nascent understanding of the danger of being Divergent.

My Thoughts

It’s been a while since i read the first book from Four’s POV and this was a nice one.  I think that it’s nothing of a surprise, but i think that part of what we love about this series is that we get a lot of the backstory where it’s necessary and this is exactly that.

We’re at the end of Four’s initiation period, and we see what he struggles with but internally and with trying to make it through to be Dauntless – and it’s a tough journey.  One of the nice things here is to see how he begins to relate to others differently because he’s choosing to open himself up to what the Dauntless do, and i don’t know if i’m alone here, but i would have loved to see something between him and Shauna, even for a minute.

The other great thing is that we see that the dynamic between him and Eric isn’t just because Four was #1, there’s more to it that Four began to see early on and it lays the groundwork for the first installment of the series. Enjoy!

Food for Thought: Current US Immigration Situation – to be the next dystopia premise?

Posted on by
Reply

The more and more I hear about what’s going on with the illegal immigration in the US and the way that my mind works, i feel like i wish i were a much better writer and could be inspired to write a dystopia of my own, since this has all the workings of the prelude to a good series.

Think about it – all the unrest in other countries that are causing women and children to flee.  That will leave just the men to deal with civil unrest and the downfall of governments.  What i then foresee happening – the US becomes over populated and not able to sustain.  disease or war starts to dramatically decrease the population – all for save the wealthy few that are able to afford to be some of the folks that can charter a mission to mars or to an outer space space station.

Then we fast forawrd a few hundred years (or maybe just several decades) to a new generation – the one that was born on the space station to have to figure out how to solve some major problem – most likely to be solved from some non-human/earth source.

so…there you have it – the weird way that my mind works – yet i would so love to be able to write the story to go with it.

Review: Letting Go (The Surrender Trilogy #1) by Maya Banks

Posted on by
Reply

9780425272947_p0_v2_s260x420

Title: Letting Go
Author:  Maya Banks
Publisher/Year:  Penguin Group USA  2/4/14
Length:  352 Pages
Series: The Surrender Trilogy #1

Overview

THE FIRST BOOK OF THE SURRENDER TRILOGY

In her sensational Breathless Trilogy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Maya Banks tested the boundaries of desire. In her new trilogy, there’s only one thing left to do: cross them. And never have the consequences of erotic exploration been so irresistibly inviting, so shockingly intimate, and so totally unexpected…

LETTING GO

Josslyn found perfection once, and she knows she’ll never find it again. Now widowed, she seeks the one thing her beloved husband couldn’t give her: dominance. Lonely, searching for an outlet for her grief and wanting only a brief taste of the perfection she once enjoyed, she seeks what she’s looking for at an exclusive club that caters to people indulging in their most hedonistic fantasies. She never imagined that what she’d find would be the one man who’s long been a source of comfort—and secret longing. Her husband’s best friend.

Dash has lived in an untenable position for years: in love with his best friend’s wife but unwilling to act on that attraction. He’d never betray his best friend. And so he’s waited in the wings, offering Joss unconditional support and comfort as she works past her grief, hoping for the day when he can offer her more.

When he finds her in a club devoted to the darker edges of desire, he’s furious because he thinks she has no idea what she’s getting herself into. Until she explains in detail what it is she wants. What she needs. As realization sets in, he is gripped by fierce, unwavering determination. If she wants dominance, he is the only man who will introduce her to that world. He is the only man who will touch her, cherish her…love her. And the only man she’ll ever submit to.

My Thoughts

I’m a huge fan of all things related to this author – and while the story was good, i think that it was my own personal reading fail that made this story a bit less than amazing.  it took me a few extra days to get through it, but i think that there’s some great stuff here.

As the synopsis says, we meet Joss on the 2nd anniversary of her husband’s death and she’s trying to let him go to live her life.  Her husband’s best friend Dash is there as well, as always, being her rock and supporting her choices.  She’s never thought of him in more romantic terms, and seeing as how she has her own darker desires that she wants to fulfill, she’s never imagined what he can do for her.

It’s only when she actually takes action, against the wishes of some of her friends that her life changes.  She goes to the House  – owned by Damon Roche who we met in the Sweet series, and things go amok.  Joss goes, as planned but never gets to live out those fantasies.  Dash is there to her surprise and lays claim to her since that’s something that he’s wanted to do since the moment he met her even when she was married.

The journey that we go on in this story is twofold . one of learning to love and let go – Joss and Dash both being able to move on from Carson’s death and the other is of self discovery – Joss learning what her desires are and what makes her feel like a woman and allowing it.

there are 2 things that bummed me out here.  the entire time, i thought that Ms. Banks our author was trying to ellude to the fact that Carson’s car accident wasn’t an accident.  She kept saying Carson had a conversation with Dash not long before his death asking him to take care of Joss and his sister.  So, for me, i figured that it meant that something happened that he was worried about.

The other piece – and again i’ll say that it’s probably more my fault than the writing, i just wasn’t into the scening.  there was 1 in the beginning when they first come together as a couple that i felt was hot and passionate, but the others – they didn’t hold my attention and i found myself rushing through them to get to the meat of the story.  but…since i know that our author usually writes hot and steamy scenes, i’ll take this on myself.  Also, we only get a tease of BDSM here with one night at the club and a little bit of light bondage when i would have thought that we’d get more since that’s the lifestyle that Joss was craving.

Anyhow, it was a good intro to this trilogy and i can’t wait to see what happens.  i guess i need to finish the Sweet trilogy though cause i feel like i’ve missed something since there’s a character or 2 or 3 that i don’t know the back story on that i’m sure i would have if i had read it.

Blitz and GIVEAWAY – My First, My Last by Lacey Silks

Posted on by
1

 Young couple kissiing

Title: My First, My Last
Publication Date:  :July 21, 2014
Genre:  Adult Contemporary Romance
Word count:  78,000
Publisher: MyLit Publishing

 synopsis

Fate has kept them apart for twenty years.

Their roads hadn’t crossed and the stars didn’t align until now…

Matured, more experienced, pierced, tattooed and hot as hell, Adrian steps back into Mia’s life to reclaim his first love.

And the moment she sees him she can’t even remember her own name.

Adrian Reed had always remained in Mia’s heart. After all, he was her first boyfriend and the man she’d lost her virginity to, but that was twenty years ago. His sudden appearance at a bar, on a girls night out, has Mia acting like the fifteen year old girl she was when they parted.

But life now is not as simple as it was twenty years ago. With two kids, a hopeful ex-husband and new insecurities, Mia finds opening up to a new relationship more challenging.

Will she give her first love another chance, or will she push him away, this time for good?

 myfirstmylast-teaser2

pre-order

 

KOBO|BARNES&NOBLES|GOOGLE PLAY

about

Author of Erotic Romance, Lacey Silks writes her stories from life experiences, dreams and fantasies. She likes a pinkish shade on a woman’s cheeks, men with large feet and sexy lingerie, especially when it’s torn off the body. Her favorite piece of clothing is a birthday suit.

When she’s not thinking about writing steamy stories, which is a rare occasion, Lacey enjoys camping and skiing with her family (not at the same time of course). She’s a happily married wife blessed with two kids who adore going to the library. She’s an early bird by nature, but loves the nightly adventures with her hubby which provide good content for her books.

 myfirstmylast-teaser3

 links

 Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon

Sign up for Lacey’s newsletter to receive an email of when the novel is released.

To celebrate the relase of My First, My Last, join me at the Facebook party on July 21st from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. We’ll have games, trivia and loads of fun – with of course awesome prizes!

myfirstmylast-teaser1

Can’t wait for My First, My Last? Try one of Lacey’s backlist titles. Dazzled by Silver is the prequel to the Layers Trilogy and it’s free at most retailers.

dazzled

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

All Romance eBooks | Google Play | Smashwords

 giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Review: Mirror X (The Van Winkle Project #1) by Karri Thompson

Posted on by
Reply

9781622660582_p0_v2_s260x420

Title: Mirror X
Author:  Karri Thompson
Publisher/Year:  Entangled Publishing  6/30/14
Length:  320 Pages
Series: The Van Winkle Project #1

Overview

I was born more than a thousand years ago. Put into a cryogenic tube at age seventeen, forgotten during a holocaust that decimated the world, I’ve finally been awakened to a more serene and peaceful future. But things at the hospital are new and strange. And it’s starting to scare me. Everyone is young. Everyone is banded and tracked. And everyone is keeping secrets.  The cute geneticist Michael Bennett might be the only good thing in this crazy new world where “life is precious” but no one seems free to live it. The problem is, I don’t think he’s being totally honest with me, either. When I’m told only I can save the human race from extinction, it’s clear my freeze didn’t avoid a dreadful fate. It only delayed the horror…

My Thoughts

I don’t know why it took me so long to actually read this since i got the copy care of NetGalley, but i’m glad that i finally did.  I”m a sucker for all things dystopian, and well, this one was a nice new twist on things.

As the overview hints, we meet Cassie when she’s been awakened about 1000 years in the future, at a time when the population is dwindling fast because a plague had killed off 50% of the pop and left all women infertile.  They are surviving on cloning people, but they are quickly running out of fresh DNA.

It’s only when the medical staff comes across the cryo pods from STASIS that they find Cassie and find that she’s fertile and able to be awakened.  What we get in this first installment of the series is a story about Cassie trying to come to terms of where she is in the future, with no one she knows and trying to adapts to a new technology and way of life.

She’s also forced to work through what the staff at the hospital want from her – for her to be a breed mare of sorts – to give birth as many times as she can in her life – with only girls so that she can help repopulate the world.

Of course things are never quite as they seem and it’s only the very last twist that Michael – one of her doctor tells her that makes things really interesting.  I think that i was fully expecting most of the story to be as it was, but the twist was nice.

I’m not familiar with our author Ms. Thompson, however i think that she did a great job of beginning to show us the world and giving us some good supporting characters.  I like Dr Bennett – Michael, and i hope that he and Cassie get their happy ending.  I also really like Magnum – and his heritage which we learn from this story.  I guess the question just becomes what will he be able to do for them, since he’s a tech genius and things aren’t going exactly as planned when this story ends.

So many questions and so many things to see if they get answered in the next installment.  What is Tasma and what will the idea mean for Cassie and Michael and VIctoria?  Will Magnum be able to help save them?  Will they figure out a way to make the VWP work in a way that they are comfortable with?

Since i don’t know when book 2 will be out, i’ll have to wait quietly and patiently, but i hope that you guys get your hands on this book now that it’s out.  Enjoy!

and…here are a few links provided by the publisher to buy the book

 

Review: Graduation Day (The Testing #3) by Joelle Charbonneau

Posted on by
Reply

9780547959214_p0_v2_s260x420

Title: Graduation Day
Author:  Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher/Year:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt  6/17/14
Length:  534 Pages
Series: The Testing #3

Overview

She wants to put an end to the Testing
In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight.

But she can’t do it alone.
This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for – but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves—and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

Who can Cia trust?
The stakes are higher than ever—lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope—in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau’s epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it’s Graduation Day.

The Final Test is the Deadliest!

My Thoughts

I really enjoyed the finale to this series.  While i compared the first installment to THG i think that the path that our lovely author took was VERY different and really impressive.  In this third and final installment, we see that Cia has to figure out who to trust, how to get things back in order and understand what that means for her and her friends.  As you remember from the 2nd book, Cia has an internship in the President’s office and this means that she’s privvy to certain information.  The challenge also means that it makes her a target for the rebels since she knows more than she should.

What we get in this story is the journey that she goes on to understand who she’s grown into, trusting her instincts or trusting the people who are in power, and then understanding what to do with it.  While the other stories gave us the journey of getting through the phases of testing and trying to survive in the university, this story takes us on more of a survival tale, keeping herself safe while trying to help do the right thing for the commonwealth.

Ms. Charbonneau does something great here – she makes the supporting characters really important and we get to learn more about them in an unobtrusive way.  We continue to see Tomas in the same light that we always have, although is feature in this story was maybe less so than in the past – he’s really supporting – and more of a tertiary character.  Raffe on the other hand – we get to know him a lot more, and i think that we’re constantly challenged to understand which side he’s on.  Enzo and Will are the same in this story as well.  They play important roles, but again, Cia’s challenged to understand who can be trusted and what their motivations are.  The other one – Ian – well i think that we began to see what he was in the 2nd book when we were really introduced to him and while he’s in book 3, he’s not as major as i would have expected.

Through the course of this book, Cia learns things about herself that she didn’t know, her journey and she begins to uncover the secrets of the Commonwealth and what the testing is about.  I think that I began to question whether or not i was on the ride side of believing things as well, and those characters (the politicals) that i felt were right before, well, i wonder still if they are.

At the end, there’s a lot of death, to be expected when rebels are involved, and i think that some were necessary and some were not.  I’m still quite sad about one of the deaths, since i think that maybe that person deserved a different ending, but the sacrifice that was made seems justified so i guess it wasn’t for naught.  (like the word there?)  The others, well i think that we knew many of those would not see the end of the book.

We get some of the closure that we were hoping for, but i’m still not sure what’s to be in store for the future.  the one miss that i find with this book is that there wasn’t an epilogue.  While we get a final chapter, it’s not really what i was hoping for – it gives us a glimpse about 3 weeks into the future, but nothing substantial and that’s really the one thing that i would change.  we’ve become accustomed to fast forwards in this genre, and i was hoping that we would get that here.  Oh well.

BLITZ and GIVEAWAY: Betrayed by Rebecca York

Posted on by
Reply

RebeccaYorkBlitzBetrayedCover

Book Information
BETRAYED
Author: Rebecca York
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Romantic Suspense
 
Summary
There is a spy in S&D systems who is leaking top-secret information that could lead to extreme disaster. It’s up to Shane Gallagher to uncover the mole and set things right.
Systems analyst Elena Reyes had no intention of stealing company secrets until her brother’s life was threatened by the cruelest of mobsters. When Elena finally confesses her deeds to Shane, he’s ready to do everything he can to keep her out of danger. But will Shane’s help be enough to protect them, or will his good intentions leave them all for dead?
Excerpt
RebeccaYorkQuote1
Elena had never thought about seducIng a man. She wasn’t even sure of her moves. But she knew that Shane wanted her, even if he wasn’t prepared to admit it. She also knew he felt protective of her, which was probably part of the conflict he must be feeling.
Before he could come up with another objection, she cupped the back of his head with her hands and brought his face down as she raised her own head toward him.
She hadn’t been sure what would happen. Or perhaps she’d been afraid that he’d wrench himself away from her. But the danger must have affected his emotions as well as her own. When their lips met, it was as though someone had tossed a match into a pile of gasoline- soaked kindling. Invisible flames rose as heat flared between them.
She heard him growl her name and felt him gather her closer as he kissed her with purpose, running his hands up and down her back.
The heat coming off him made her dizzy. She should be afraid, but she kept kissing him, letting him feel all the passion that she’d held inside herself for so long.
Opening her lips, she invited him to explore her mouth, then did the same with him, absorbing his taste and the way the mouth-to-mouth contact sent shock waves to every part of her body.
“You know that you’re playing with fire?” he asked.
“I know what I want.”
“Then take off your clothes.”
Again, a dose of reality. Was she ready to get undressed in front of him? Or was she going to back away—the way he hoped she would.
She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of scaring her off. Not because she was trying to score any points, but because what she wanted hadn’t changed, even if he was trying to make her take a step back.
She did step back, but only a few feet. She kept her gaze on him as she reached for the hem of the T-shirt and pulled it over her head, then let it drop on the floor so that she stood before him naked to the waist…
Click Here for a $50 Giftcard Giveaway via Rafflecopter
Buy Links
Barnes and Noble – http://bit.ly/1rlPwaU
Author Bio
Rebecca York
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Rebecca York’s writing has been compared to that of Dick Francis, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Maggie Shayne. Her award-winning books have been translated into twenty-two languages and optioned for film. A recipient of the RWA Centennial Award, she lives in Maryland near Washington, DC, which is often the setting of her romantic suspense novels.
Social Networking Links