Read This F@!%ing Book! (7)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post from on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

Today post comes to us from Jamie at Addicted 2 Heroines.

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 7: 

The Maker's Song series by Adrian Phoenix

(Click cover for Goodreads)

   

 

(Click title for Amazon)

A Rush of Wings (The Maker's Song #1)

In the Blood (The Maker's Song #2)

Beneath the Skin (The Maker's Song #3)

Etched in Bone (The Maker's Song #4)

On Midnight Wings (The Maker's Song #5)

Why I Love It:

I love everything about this series. The Maker's Song is definitely a dark urban fantasy featuring all sorts of paranormal goodies and twisted plot lines. I am a sucker for stories set in Louisiana. The Cajun flavored dialogue always drags me into a book. The heroine in this story, Heather Wallace, is a kick ass FBI agent investigating the enigmatic night club owner and rock star, Dante Baptiste. Book one, A Rush of Wings, centers on Heather's FBI investigation of a murder. As the series progresses, we learn much, much more about Dante and his vampire roots, his sexy friend and guardian, Lucian, Heather's troubled past, and the government conspiracy that all the characters are involved in. Twists and turns, betrayal, mind manipulation, complicated mythology, back stories and strong characters make this series one of my favorites.

Why I'm Pushing It:

Each book in this series has increased in reader rating. While the first book is very heavy on world building, the series progresses in a fantastical fashion and becomes more character based. The themes in this series run deep and the characters are complex. There is a love story between Heather and Dante, although it is not the sole focus of the series making this more UF than PNR. Comparable series in tone would be Jocelynn Drake's Dark Days or any hard core UF series. Adrian Phoenix is an under-read and seriously under appreciated author, and unfortunately, has not released a book in this series since 2011 due to health reasons. Book 5, On Midnight Wings, will finally be released this Fall.

DANTE BAPTISTE!!!

I'm not one to usually love the vulnerable, slender, beautiful, Trent Reznor rocker types, but Dante is in a class by himself. When he purrs in his French-Cajun dialect, I can't help but melt into a puddle of fan girl goo! Dante is mesmerizing in his tight leather pants and rubber shirts, singing his heart out with his band and making girls swoon. He is vulnerable, highly intelligent, damaged, loyal and strong - you can't help but root for Dante, especially once you learn about his past. Dante may very well be one of the most complex characters that I have ever read about in urban fantasy.

I highly recommend this series and urge you to stick with it if heavy world building is not your thing. Adrian Phoenix is an extraordinarily talented writer and the story she weaves in The Maker's Song is epic and not to be missed.

@ Addicted to Heroines

Have you read this series? What are your thoughts?
Did Jamie persuade you to add the series to your TBR mountain?
Let us know in the comments below!

This feature has been nominated!

Sabina Kane Read-A-Long (2) - The Mage in Black

Sabina Kane Read-A-Long!

This is the second discussion in the Sabina Kane Read-A-Long hosted by myself, Jennifer from The Book Nympho, and Jenese from Readers Confession!

Today we're discussing book two in the series, THE MAGE IN BLACK by series author Jaye Wells. You can find my review of the book HERE.

*SPOILERS!*

Quick recap:

• Sabina has headed to New York with Adam to meet her long lost twin, Maisie.

• She meets her incredibly nice sister, who is just a little more friendly and girly than Sabina is, as well as Adam's aunt Rhea, her assistant Damara, and their 'leader' Orpheus.

• Sabina reconnects with vampire and ex-partner Slade, who is now known as The Shade and runs  demon fights out of the basement of his club.

• We meet the Lone Wolf werewolf pack, headed up by Michael Romulous. Even though Sabina and him meet on less than stellar terms, they end up becoming allies.

• Rhea and Maisie believe from Maisie's visions that Sabina is The Chosen One, the reembodiment of Lilith who will help unite the dark races

• We learn a little more about the Caste of Nod, who apparently have Sabina's Dominae grandmother Lavinia in their pocket and seem to have it out for Sabina.

• Sabina kills a Fae member of the Caste in self defense, runs away from the mages, has sexy times with Slade, and escapes a murder attempt by Damara.

• Sabina, Adam, Maisie, and the werewolves fight a slew of vampires and demons back at mage headquarters. After the fight it is discovered that they have kidnapped Maisie and taken her back to Livina.

Now...let's discuss!

Leave your answers to these discussion questions or any other thoughts on the series that you may have in the comments below!

1. How do you think Sabina has grown or changed? Do you think Adam and Maisie have affected her and what's your opinion of them?

2. Aw, sweet demon love...do you like new addition, Valva?

3. How do you expect Sabina's mage abilities to develop in future books? Do you think she'll become more powerful than the other mages?

4. What's up with the owl, Stryx? 

5. What do you think of Slade (and his tryst with Sabina...) and do you think we'll see him in the future?

6. Can Orpheus be trusted?

Alright, chat it up!

Read-a-Long Schedule:

3/29/2013: Green Eyed Demon
review/discussion @  The Book Nympho  

 4/26/2013: Silver Tongued Devil 
review/discussion @ Readers Confession

5/31/2013: Blue-Blood Vamp
review/discussion @ The Book Nympho  

Review: The Mage in Black by Jaye Wells

The Mage in Black
(Sabina Kane #2)
Jaye Wells
Release: April 1, 2010
Add to Goodreads   Buy at Amazon

Sabina Kane doesn't have the best track record when it comes to family. After all, her own grandmother, the leader of the vampire race, just tried to kill her. When she arrives in New York to meet the mage side of her family, the reunion takes the fun out of dysfunctional.

On top of that, the Hekate Council wants to use her as a pawn in the brewing war against the vampires. Her mission will take her into the bowels of New York's Black Light district, entangles her in mage politics, and challenges her beliefs about the race she was raised to distrust. And Sabina thought vampires were bloodthirsty.

Review:

The Mage in Black is the second book in Wells' Sabina Kane series. This gritty and exciting series is urban fantasy to the core, complete with a heroine who can and will kick your patootie.

In the first book in this series we watched as Sabina's whole world came down around her ears and she was forced to grow and adapt. In this sequel, Sabina's growth continues and I really like her character. She's a tough bitch who would fight to her death, never one to give up. But her exterior is steadily, if not slowly, cracking in the presence of handsome mage Adam and her mage sister Maisie. Some readers are apparently on the fence about how likable Sabina is, but I actually love her toughness and appreciate how author Jaye Wells shows us small changes in Sabina without compromising her true character as the series continues.

In The Mage in Black we finally meet Sabina's long lost sister, who has grown up as a mage. I liked the different setting of New York and exploring the world of the mages. We even get to meet some werewolves! The new setting and characters make the story feel fresh and, as was the case in the first book, the plot is pretty darn fast-paced.

Adam, the sexy mage Sabina is trying like hell to fight her attraction to, is absent for a while in the middle of the book and while I missed his presence his space was filled by a new character. Don't worry, I don't smell a solid love triangle or anything, but this new character is *quite* likable. I'm looking forward to where Sabina and Adam's sort-of-relationship goes in the future. I have a feeling book three might give them some more time together.

I'm really enjoying this urban fantasy series and highly recommend UF fans give it a go!

And if you've read the first two books, join us tomorrow here on this blog for the Sabina Kane Read-A-long second discussion, co-hosted by Jennifer at TheBook Nympho and Jenese from ReadersConfession!

Recommended for fans of: dark urban fantasy, heroines that shoot first and ask questions later, mage politics, sexy vampire trysts, the Dreg City series by Kelly Meding, the Shaede Assassin series by Amanda Bonilla, and the Charlie Madigan series by Kelly Gay.

    

  4 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane #1)
Read-A-Long Discussion Book 1

Giveaway - YA Paranormal Hop!

YA Paranormal Hop

Hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and YA Between the Lines

Blog hop runs from 12:01 AM February 7th through to 11:59 PM February 14th, 2013.

I'm giving away 3 YA books to ONE winner in the U.S.! They are:

  

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Review: Renegade by J.A. Souders

Renegade
(Elysium #1)
J.A. Souders
Release: November 13, 2012
Add to Goodreads   Buy at Amazon

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.
But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.
Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Review:

Renegade is the first in a new series by debut author J.A. Souders that completely blew me away. An original premise, fast pace, and characters to root for made this one one of my favorite reads of 2013 so far.

Don't let the pretty cover fool you. While the beautiful cover shows the idealistic, underwater utopia that the story is set in, the story itself is slightly grittier and tension filled. I absolutely loved the idea of a group of humans escaping a dystopian future world by building a city under the ocean. Unfortunately, things go a little wonky and this would-be utopia becomes more like an undersea hell with one scary lady in charge. 'Mother' is everything you should want in a villain: a controlled facade covering a seriously disturbed individual, someone unpredictable for the characters to be genuinely scared of, and one seriously creepy lady.

Evelyn is our main character. She is Elysium's "Daughter of the People", a title with duties similar to a princess. She lives under Mother's thumb with no idea of the horrors Mother has inflicted on her throughout her life. Mostly, that's because Mother is controlling Evelyn's memories and wiping them at her convenience. The first time this is shown to the reader at the story's creative opening I was immediately sucked in. As Evelyn's memories return shakily throughout the story we learn more and more about her crazy upbringing and the heartbreaking savagery that she has endured but doesn't even remember.

Enter Gavin, a "surface dweller" from the land above who accidentally winds up stuck underwater in the city of Elysium. Gavin has become one of my favorite YA boys as of late. I loved how he wasn't wimpy and emo at all and really 'went for it' with Evelyn. And bless Evie for never thinking "OMG Does he like me? What does that mean? How do I feel about him?" Instead, the author shows how Evelyn and Gavin's relationship grows stronger as the plot races along. And while there is a little bit of insta-love, I found myself understanding why they grew so close so quickly - running for your lives will do that! Plus, Gavin is hot, so......

I was really surprised and impressed by this debut and I highly recommend giving it a try. The writing is great and the fast paced plot, with a real feeling of the tension that Evelyn and Gavin are facing without any annoying plot devices, moves along nicely. This mesh of dystopia, utopia, and sci-fi will leave readers gasping for air and begging for the sequel.

Recommended for fans of: utopian societies gone haywire, scary as hell mothers, The Lux series by J.L. Armentrout, and the Divergent series by Veronica Roth.

    

  5 / 5 stars

Read This F!%@ing Book! (6)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post from on Mondays called:

Read This F@!%ing Book!

This is a feature for me to push my favorite reads that just aren't getting enough attention! 

I'm also opening it up to anyone who would like to guest post. Do you have a book that you just LURVED but feel like its not getting the play it deserves? Email me to let me know and I'd be THRILLED to have you post about it here! Especially if its something I haven't reviewed yet - that's even better (but not necessary)! If you're interested email me:

Goldilox3weres@hotmail.com

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 6: 

The Charlie Madigan Series by Kelly Gay

(Click cover for Goodreads)

   

(Click title for Amazon)

The Better Part of Darkness (Charlie Madigan #1)

The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan #2)

The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigan #3)

Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan, #4)

Why I love it:

This series is urban fantasy at its best: kick ass heroine, her sexy partner, great side characters, and terrific action. What is perhaps the icing on the cake is the ridiculously good world building. Kelly Gay created an alternate version of Atlanta where humans are working hard to keep the off-worlders in check. Some of the off-worlders come from Elysia, like leading lady Charlie's hunky partner Hank (he's a siren...gotta love that siren voice...). Some off worlders come from Charydon and have nefarious plans for Atlanta. Charlie works with Hank to kick some tail when necessary, and their chemistry and slowly building relationship is superb! If you love romantic tension you can shake a stick at, this series is for you.

Why I'm pushing it:

The number of people reviewing this series on Goodreads is fewer than those of comparable series. That tells me a lot of you guys aren't aware of the awesome that is the Charlie Madigan series! If you're an urban fantasy fan you HAVE TO check this series out! You won't be disappointed. The plots are fast paced and the romance has a slow simmer that heats up more and more in each book. Plus, Emma, Rex, and Brim make for some of my favorite secondary characters in the genre.

HANK!

Hank is sexy and cocky and his one liners with Charlie throughout the series are to die for. But its his consistent loyalty to Charlie and her family that warm my heart. Charlie calls him her 'lion' and this is a very appropriate nickname for him. He's huge and muscular and sex on a stick. If you try this series out just for Hank, I wouldn't blame you!

Well there you have it! If you haven't read this series I highly recommend it! 

If you'd like to participate in Read This F@!%ing Book let me know!


This feature has been nominated!

Cover Reveal and Giveaway: Revelations (Elysium Chronicles #2) by J.A. Souders

Revelations 

Elysium Chronicles (#2)

J.A Souders

Release Date: November 5, 2013

Hardcover: 320 pages

Publisher: Tor Teen

Goodreads | Amazon |The Book Depository

About Renegade (Elysium Chronicles #1)

Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has been trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she’s thought that everything was perfect; her world. Her people. The Law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into their secluded little world, she’s forced to come to a startling realization: everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren’t under her own control.

And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb... and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.

Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

About A Dark Grave (Elysium Chronicles #0.5)

An Elysium Chronicles short story: the beginning.

There is only one place forbidden to the people of Gavin's village; the island just off the shore, rumored to be haunted. Cursed.

All who venture to the island disappear.

But Gavin doesn't believe in such things. He is a hunter; since his father's death, he is the only one who can provide for the family. Silly rumors of ghosts aren't going to stop him from crossing the dark waters to the island in search of fresh game...

Goodreads | Amazon

About J.A. Souders:

J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an overabundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble. She first began writing at the age of 13, when she moved to Florida and not only befriended the monsters under the bed, but created worlds for them to play together.

Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing. She still lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and their two children.

Where you can find J.A.

Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook

J.A is hosting a giveaway of an ARC of REVELATIONS (when they are ready) a signed hard copy of RENEGADE, an e-copy of A DARK GRAVE (for those that don't have it, of course.) and signed copies of ARTICLE 5 and BREAKING POINT by Kristen Simmons.

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