Thursday, October 30, 2008

Wednesday Night Witches


Title: Wednesday Night Witches
Author: Lee Nichols
Series: None
Genre: Paranormal


In the spirit of Halloween I choose a new book to read, Wednesday Night Witches by Lee Nichols. Now I know one could arguably say that this really is no different then what I've been reading, supernatural stories, since this one had nothing more to do with Halloween then all the others did. Well, I found it in the fiction section and there were no steamy scenes.

It's about a woman who has 2 different friends (but who are not friends with each other) The three of them end up living on the same island and they are not happy with their lives. They get together on Tuesday nights to play trivia and drink - their team name is the Wednesday Night Witches because at Midnight it is Wednesday. Sometimes they go out and drink on Wednesdays too.

It is one such Wednesday when they drink to their wishes and dreams and accidentally let out a demon, who starts to make these things happen. Near the last few pages, they finally figure it out when things start to go slightly downhill, and need to banish the demon.

It was cute - it was a quick read and bordered on that chick lit that I once was so heavily into. One with Halloween (tomorrow)!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Georgina Kincaid Series

What an interesting twist of fate. Most of the books I'm currently waiting to read are on hold at my local library. So when I went this past week, I decided to just walk the aisles and pick up the books that look interesting to me without doing prior research. The hard part about this, is I've done it several times before and I'm always drawn to the same books that I've already taken out and read.

So I walk around and come across these 2 books on the shelf that obviously go together (YES! a series!) I pull them down. Read them and decided to see what else Richelle Mead (the author) wrote. Vampire Academy - yes...the book I put down the other day. What a coincidence. I really enjoyed this series too, maybe the author's not so bad after all :)

First thought out of my mind when I picked up this book - what is a Succubus, I'm going to have to look it up. Then I flip the back over and its says:

Succubus (n.)
An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasure mortal men.

Apparently according to Wikipedia this is a real word.
Wow - how could I not want to read this book? Georgina Kincaid is an immortal demon who sucks the life out of men. This gives her major energy and the ability to shape shift and basically live - too bad it has cost her soul. The men feel drained, sleep for days and loose years off their lives. What a life.

She works in a bookstore - meets and falls for a famous author and has a sort of supernatural puzzle to figure out. Someone is picking of the immortals - who is it? What can she do to help?

Unfortunately I found the story to be a bit easy to foreshadow, but I still highly enjoyed it.

Book 2 in the series has a lot of focus on Georgina and her now author boyfriend. Big problem when you're an adult and you can't even kiss your man. Talk about sexual struggles.

There is also another paranormal mystery to figure out. Something weird is going on with her coworkers and we meet an incubus (the male version of a succubus). This one definitely had a lot of "aww cute!" moments.

Now I found these books in the Fiction section - they are not considered romance. This leads me to wonder what is it that makes the choice to what the books are considered? In my opinion these books deserve the Romance label a lot more than say the Fever series. Can't figure that one out.

Upon further investigation (plus the little plug at the end of the book) I learn that there is a third book that came out this month! Yay!

Unfortunately - my library doesn't have this one, nor does it have the book on order yet (that I can see on their website). I could buy it, I really like this series, but I need to stop buying new books that are in the middle of a series. Then I feel the need to buy the rest of the books in the series and let's be honest - I have lots of books and I don't necessarily need that many more.

Either way - I am highly looking forward to this one, especially since currently the amazon rating is 5 stars!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Vampire Academy


Title: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Vampire Academy (Book 1)
Genre: Young Adult


Wow - I put a book down. I didn't finish it. That is a rare occasion for me. I keep thinking it will get better - it will get better...and then I'm done, I realize it didn't and I think wow, I wasted that time.

Yesterday I put down Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. It got such great ratings on Amazon too - four and a half stars! I just...I don't know. It was the wrong book at the wrong time. It is even a series - and it's suppose to be good. I think some day I might try it again, I read probably the first 125 pages or so (out of 332) and it just wasn't doing anything for me. Maybe it was too many Young Adult books about Vampires in a row.

Hopefully on to bigger (and better) things.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Immortals: The Calling


Title: The Calling
Author: Jennifer Ashley
Series: Immortals (Book 1)
Genre: Paranormal Romance



Between my extra time yesterday and a bit this morning I read Immortals: The Calling by Jennifer Ashley.

In The Calling we meet Adrian who is an Immortal, a demi-god. His purpose is to keep the balance of life-magic (think good magic) and death-magic (bad magic) in equal balance. He's been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years. Then 700 years ago his brother goes missing - lured away by a demon. Adrian has made it his life quest to find out what happened to his brother and save him.

While looking for his brother he meets Amber - a witch who is looking for revenge for her dead sister. Together they find his brother, although I'll leave it at that.

There are some things that I thought were interesting in this story that it had in common with other things I've read. They talked about the Celtic Unseelie (the Fever Series), a Book of Shadows (Charmed) , calling a circle based on four elements (House of Night Series) and some other things that I just can't remember at the moment.

I know some of the other books that are out now (which I do intend to pick up in the near future after I'm done with a few others I already have waiting) are each in turn about one of Adrian's brothers but starting with Book 5 the cover changes from having the purpley overlay on the covers to a red one - wonder if it is from a death-magic point of view? There are currently six out, with a seventh to be released November 2008 and an eighth March 2009.

One thing that I am NOT excited about regarding this series - each of the books is written not by Jennifer Ashely, but by one of three different authors. As I haven't read the other ones yet, I can't put say if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm going in worried.

I was put off by the cover of this book (and all the following ones) and I haven't decided if I LOVE it - but I enjoyed it enough to follow through with the rest of the series. Now I must say that after reading Young Adult Literature for the past couple of series this book was a shocker. It was chock full of long descriptive steamy scenes.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

House of Night Series

Continuing in Vampire (or Vampyre in this case) land - I found the House of Night novels by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast in the Young Adult section. I do enjoy a good young adult book - they are just as good reads as adult fiction (and sometimes better!)

I've finished the first three books:









These are about a world (about current time) where Vampyres not only exist, but are known by humans to exist and although are treat a little biased against - are more or less part of society and not some scary kill you suck your blood type ideal.

These stories follow Zoey Redbird as she is marked (chosen by Nyx the goddess to become a vampyre) and then goes to the House of Night (Basically Vampyre high school - where they learn to become a vampyre) She quickly makes a group of friends and they find together that they have a special affinity for the elements are are able to use them to help themselves and "talk" to the goddess.

Zoey has to deal with boy issues (of which I had a hard time in book 3 - she made some VERY poor choices and at one point I wanted to chuck the book across the room), as well as friend issues and teacher issues. Yep - sounds like young adult literature. But the story is intriguing and I enjoy the thoughts that there is another world the explore.

Interestingly enough there is what is called "People of Faith" and they are the religious fanatics. I don't know if it is the way I am reading them but I enjoy that it comes across to me that they are a bit of a crazy cult (because sometimes I feel that way about religon...sorry)

I am anxiously awaiting book 4:

I feel that it seems that I find series and start to read them when new books come out in that series (which is how I hear about them) I find that it seems that when I read all of the books that are already out there appears to be no cliffhangers - but when I get to the last book that is out (or their is a long list at the library for the next) That is when there is a real cliffhanger.

I think that Chosen had an interesting ending and I am looking forward to getting Untamed from the Library.

On a side note - I think that the website for this series is really great. There are pictures of the characters and you can see their marks (I was extra excited to see Zoey's) as well as being able to see the symbols for the different formers. I thought it was helpful to my mind's eye.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Psy-Changeling Series

Wow - I have been doing some reading (of course) and just finished a series that is currently 5 books long - the Psy/Changling series by Nalini Singh.

Jumping back into paranormal romance - these books are about mainly 2 groups of people in the future - Psy, who have been conditioned by Silence to not have any emotions, they make for an interesting race and Changlings, who are able to shift into an animal form and live in Packs. There are also regular humans in these books, but they aren't predominentally featured (except for one particular human) The Psy do not interact with either of the other races too much, although Changelings and humans are known to on a more common basis.

Aside from the obvious romance aspect of these books, there is also a struggle between the two races (three) that continues throughout the series. Thy Psy are starting to break Silence (It's a BIG deal) and the Changeli
ngs who are trying to bring down the Council (the group of Psy who rule the Psy network - have I mentioned they have mental powers and are all connected on a psycic plane?)

Sounds like a lot to take in, but it was easy to accept and even easier to follow. I adore the pet names that were used throughout the entire series.

We meet Lucas, the Alpha of the leopard pack DarkRiver. He is working on a housing project for Changelings in collaboration with the Psy (This is NOT common) when he meets Sascha who is a Psy who thinks she is broken. She feels emotion and the only solution to that is rehabilitation which leaves the Psy basically a vegetable. Insert a serial killer into the mix and it makes an interesting read.

Enter Vaughn - a sentinel of DarkRiver who is part of the close knit group that watches over the alpha (Lucas) and his mate. He meets Faith - a Psy who is known for her ability to see and tell the future. She is plagued by dreams of death (not common for Psy, they predict monetary futures) and there is only one person who can help her through them - you guessed it Vaughn!

Time to mix it up this time around. Instead of a male Changeling, we meet Judd - a male Psy who is about as deadly as they come. He has some pretty amazing powers. That means the female is a Changeling - Brenna who is part of DarkRivers blood alliance Snowdancer (Wolf Changelings) who has been abducted by one of those pesky sociopaths we learned about in Book 1 and were plagued by in Book 2. She has some things she needs to work through.

This one I managed to read in one sitting (I think it had to do with the fact that I was on vacation)

Mixing it up again - we have Clay who is a half changeling, half human member of Darkriver. He didn't grow up within the pact but was raised by his human single mother and eventually through social services. When
he was in foster homes he had a best friend - Talin (Tally) who he believed died when he was 8.

Surprise! She's not, and she (pretty much just a human) shows up for his help with missing charges (she now helps kids in the system).


I really enjoyed this installment of the series - it made me cry.

This time we follow Dorian (whos another member of Darkriver that we've seen before this). He is "broken." He is a leopard changeling without the ablitiy to change. He can feel the leopard inside of him and has many of it's traits, but is unable to make the change.

We meet Ashaya, she is a Psy who has the ablitiy to see DNA (call my geek side happy!) and is working for the Council on creating an implant for brains that will create a hive mind. But she is transported into the middle of Darkriver territory and the leopards don't react kindly to intruders on their land.

Haven't read this one yet - it was just released this past week. It is a book with 4 stories in it, each by a different author. Nalini Singh makes her contribution and it is a Psy-Changeling book, Stroke of Enticment. Not entirely sure where it falls in the series yet - I think maybe as a Book 4.5

The story is about Zach (Darkriver Changeling) and Annie (Human). I think I recall reading
something about them in Book 5, which leads me to believe it comes before that. From what I understand, it is also an easy read as a stand alone book. Needless to say, I'm waiting for the book to make it's way to the local library (it seems pricey at $15.00 for a paperback when I really want that one short story in particular)

Haven't read this one yet either - it appears simliar to The Magical Christmas Cat as in it is a book full of short stories by different authors. Beat of Temptations being Nalini Singh's contribution.

I'm excited to read this one - it revolves around Nate and Tammy - two changelings who are a big part of each of the other regular installations of the series. They are some of my favorite characters and I would love to get a better look at their coming together. I would consider it a prequel to the other stories.

Branded by Fire
isn't released until July 2009 (right around my birthday - yay!) It is the story of another female changeling from Darkriver who is also a sentinel, Mercy. She is best friends with Dorian and upset that she is the last powerful sentinel left that hasn't mated.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Lords of the Underworld

This series I loved so much that after borrowing them from the library - I went out and bought all three at Barnes & Noble. I anxiously await the next ones. They fall again into that paranormal romance section :)

The basic idea behind Lords of the Underworld Series by Gena Showalter is that there is a group of Immortals who screwed up in the past. They decided that it wasn't fair that Pandora watched over the box, because she was a chick and com
e on, why her instead of a bunch of men? So this group of "men" decided to play a trick on the gods, open the box and show them how worthy they are by capturing the demons inside and putting them in the box. Problem - they lost the box. So these men must each house a demon inside of them. Each book is about a different one of the demon housing men. Their overall goal is to break the curse by finding certain items, this is followed throughout the series.

Before Darkest Night there was an online novel The Darkest Fire. I do not own one of those nifty portable digital book holder things (can never remember what they are called) nor am I a fan of reading a book (even if it is a shortened one) on my computer screen. Therefore I haven't read it. She has discussed releasing it as a book eventually - but until then, I'm fine not reading it. It is about Geryon the Guardian of Hell that's about all I know.

There are currently three books out:

This installment is about Maddox - keeper of Violence. He is forced the die every night the same way that the men killed Pandora. His friends must stab him to death in the gut and he spends the night in hell. Wakes up the next morning good as new. He also wants to inflict lots of violence due to the demon inside of him. He meets Ashlyn who comes searching to the gods because she hears voices and thinks she must be crazy. Really she hears voices from the past. She goes somewhere and hears everything that was ever said there. Imagine the craziness of that. Needless to say Ashlyn is kidnapped by a group of people that are against the Lords. A chase ensues...


Lucien is introduced in this book - keeper of death. Kind of like the Angel of Death he has to go and collect souls and bring them to heaven or hell. Such as his friend Maddox who he brings to hell each night. He meets Anya Goddess of Anarchy. She is a flirtatious goddess who I imagine to be like a sassy rebellious teenager. The other Gods don't really recognize her and she just likes to cause mischief. Lucien is ordered by a ruling God to kill Anya or die himself. Unfortunately...he can't bring himself to do it. This makes a problem.


Meet Reyes keeper of Pain. The only way he feels pleasure is through pain. He often cuts himself as well as other extremes such as jumping off the top of the Lords home so that he has broken bones. Their home has dark colored seats and carpet to hide the blood stains from his constant mutilation. His soon to be lady - Danika - has been ordered to death by the gods. They like to order deaths. Her and her entire family must be killed and it has made Aeron (Keeper of Wrath) a bit crazy with blood lust. So much so that he is chained in the basement. Reyes feels the need to choose between Danika, the woman he is drawn to, and his friend for centuries.

The next book will be The Darkest Whisper.
Going to be about Sabin - Keeper of Doubt. He is able to insert doubtful thoughts and feelings into anyone's mind. Said to be coming out May 2009.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Fever Series

Ever since reading the Twilight Series I have been on a paranormal romance kick. I went searching for books that fell into that category but were not to "weird." I found a plethora. I recently finished reading the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning - well finished in the sense that I've finished what's out there and I'm waiting for more.

The series to date has three books to it:










The series is about MacKayla Lane - a young woman from rural Georgia with a twin sister. Her twin sister moves to Ireland and is murdered at the beginning of the first book. Mac has her sister's dying message on her cell phone and decides to go to Ireland to find the murderer (since the cops are no help.)

Once there Mac learns about another part of her world. The Fae part. Mac is a Sidhe-Seer, the magic from the Fae does not work on her, boy does that piss them off :). There are Dark Fae and Light Fae, but in reality none of them are what you would call "Good."

The Books follow Mac as she meets new people who are also involved in this world and learns more about her sister, who never told her about any of this. There is a book of the dead that everyone wants, sex crazed fae, and a mysterious employer/housemate. Mac learns to be afraid of the dark/shadows and to pretend not to see the many things she does.

When the third book leaves us, the walls between Fae and the rest of the word have come down leaving everything in mass chaos and it is up to Mac to save the world.

There are two more books to the series: Dreamfever and Shadowfever... I have yet to find a date of release for them.

Oh yes - these are marketed as Romance, although there is no typical ending with the two characters together in any of the books.