Audio Review: Before I Wake by Rachel Vincent

Before I Wake
(Soul Screamers #6)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Narrator: Amanda Ronconi
Release: June 26, 2012
Add to Goodreads | Buy at Amazon |
Buy at Audible

I died on a Thursday—killed by a monster intent on stealing my soul. The good news? He didn't get it.
The bad news? Turns out not even death will get you out of high school….

Covering up her own murder was one thing, but faking life is much harder than Kaylee Cavanaugh expected. After weeks spent "recovering," she's back in school, fighting to stay visible to the human world, struggling to fit in with her friends and planning time alone with her new reaper boyfriend.

But to earn her keep in the human world, Kaylee must reclaim stolen souls, and when her first assignment brings her face-to-face with an old foe, she knows the game has changed. Her immortal status won't keep her safe. And this time Kaylee isn't just gambling with her own life….

Review:

The Soul Screamers series still continues to impress me! Six books in and Rachel Vincent is still surprising and entertaining me to no end. She's also somehow managing to introduce me to new supernaturals with each new book. Before I Wake serves as a bit of a bridge between the shocking events of If I Die and the final book that will wrap up the series, With All My Soul.

After the fast paced craziness in both central plot and side story romance of the previous two books in this series, Before I Wake slows things down a bit. This one wasn't as exciting as those other two, but I still really enjoyed myself and Vincent still managed to leave me shocked by the book's end. This book just kind of feels like it's purpose is to give the reader some insight into Kaylee's new job-after-death as a soul extractor and to set up the events for the final book in the series. In fact, the ending to this one is very much a cliff hanger. The story just suddenly stops! I actually thought something had gone wrong with the Audible app on my iphone! And the ending I was left with - holy shit! Even though this book moves slower, don't mistake that to mean you can stop and catch your breath. There are still some surprising events - and losses - in this one.

In this book we also get to see Tod and Kaylee explore their new relationship both emotionally and physically (*eyebrow waggle*) and while the initial intense emotions between them aren't really there anymore, the sweet relationship they have now is enough to make me happy. Really, pretty much anything involving Tod makes me happy...

Nash was really starting to get on my nerves. Instead of focusing his anger and sadness on the huge fact that his girlfriend is now with his brother (!!!), he instead focuses on the fact that Kaylee got him arrested. To me, that was kind of silly. He knew the reason for that and I know he was just all around pissed at the world by the end of the previous book, but I was really ready for Nash to begin to heal. After being such a large part of the first four books, things felt weird without him on Team Kaylee. I'm happy that, in this book, he begins to recover from...well, everything shitty that's been going on in his life.

All in all, this is a solid book in the series that just suffers from a slightly slower pace than the previous two books. I still enjoyed it, but I'm ready for the pace to pick back up and all the excitement to come to a head in the final Soul Screamers book.

Notes on the audio: I just love Amanda Ronconi's voice for Kaylee. She really hits the nail on the head and I love how I can even tell the voices for the male characters apart. I also enjoy her version of sarcastic but wise Sabine.

Recommended for fans of: emotional young adult series, terrific characters you will feel connected to,  young adult angst, young adult romance, and...as always...TOD!

    

  4 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers #1)
My Soul to Save (Soul Screamers #2)
My Soul to Keep (Soul Screamers #3)
My Soul to Steal (Soul Screamers #4)
If I Die (Soul Screamers #5)

Review: Heart of Iron by Bec McMaster

Hear of Iron
(London Steampunk #2)
Bec McMaster
Release: May 7, 2013
Add to Goodreads  Buy at Amazon

In Victorian London, if you’re not a blue blood of the Echelon then you’re nothing at all. The Great Houses rule the city with an iron fist, imposing their strict ‘blood taxes’ on the nation, and the Queen is merely a puppet on a string…

Lena Todd makes the perfect spy. Nobody suspects the flirtatious debutante could be a sympathizer for the humanist movement haunting London’s vicious blue blood elite. Not even the ruthless Will Carver, the one man she can’t twist around her little finger, and the one man whose kiss she can’t forget…

Stricken with the loupe and considered little more than a slave-without-a-collar to the blue bloods, Will wants nothing to do with the Echelon or the dangerous beauty who drives him to the very edge of control. But when he finds a coded letter on Lena—a code that matches one he saw on a fire-bombing suspect—he realizes she’s in trouble. To protect her, he must seduce the truth from her.

With the humanists looking to start a war with the Echelon, Lena and Will must race against time—and an automaton army—to stop the humanist plot before it’s too late. But as they fight to save a city on the brink of revolution, the greatest danger might just be to their hearts…

Review:

**Note: I highly recommend reading the novella Tarnished Knight (London Steampunk #1.5) before reading Heart of Iron. At the end of Tarnished Knight there is a separate, four chapter mini-novella about Lena and Will that, in my opinion, really needs to be read before book two.

Let me start out by saying that I absolutely adore this series that blends together paranormal, historical, steampunk, and romance. With many of this year's sequels being slightly underwhelming for me, I was beyond pleased to find myself just as absorbed in Will and Lena's story as the first in the series. McMaster is such a skilled author, managing to stretch across multiple sub-genres without it ever feeling contrived or cheesy. She layers just enough paranormal characters and steampunk elements into her alternate 1800's London to build a really rich world that I just love getting lost in.

I also loved getting lost in Will and Lena's romance. Man, can McMaster write with some heat. Cheese and crackers. Even scenes where the characters are just kissing make you feel dirty (in the very best way possible)! Will and Lena share several almost there scenes that will make you all hot and frustrated but they are so worth it.

But, I caution you, again, to read the novella prior to starting this book. I didn't know that and for the first 30% of the book I really felt like I had missed something. Heart of Iron picks up three years after the end of Kiss of Steel and there is A LOT of tension and emotions surrounding both Will and Lena. Will and Lena have also moved on to different places and I was confused about why each move had happened. Plus, there's this kiss they kept referring to sharing and I really wanted to know when the hell this kiss had taken place! I did some digging and discovered the special four chapter story in the novella, read it, and BINGO! I felt much more caught up. Get the novella people. If you're not ready to read the main story - which focuses on Rip and Esme - then skip to the end to find those four chapters. You won't regret it.

I love me some snarling, growly anti-hero and Will embodies this persona. He's a great character, really damaged and lonely but also so strong and protective of Lena. His back story is really sad and tragic and its really nice to see him overcome his past and become confident. He's also so honorable in his fight to stay away from Lena and the more he backed away from her the more I loved him.

And spunky Lena, who will sometimes drive you crazy with some of her immature decisions, does so much growing in this book. At the beginning she has already grown a little, due to the three year time lapse from book one, but she becomes a much rounder character as she starts to discover the things that matter most to her. By the end she's a very different Lena than she was in the first book. I love how her growing love for Will helps her grow as a character. She also has this side story going on with the aristocratic world of the blue bloods and one horrible blue blood determined to ruin her. Frankly, he deserved a hot poker through the eye, but we got to see some other sides of Lena in her dealings with this world and this monster.

The world that serves as Will and Lena's backdrop is so amazing to be a part of vicariously through these characters. I love the steam carriages and Spitfires and mechanical Trojan horses. All of the steampunk elements layered in just really make this series unique. This is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, in the steampunk sub-genre. Add in vampires, verwulfen, and a sexy and passionate romance between two characters that truly need each other and I'm hooked. I look forward reading the next in this series, which will focus on the leader of the Nighthawks, Jasper Lynch. I also wonder...will Leo Barrons get his romance in a book some time soon?

Recommended for fans of: steampunk, growling, jumping across rooftops, secret organizations, sexual tension, and sexy carriage rides.

This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the publisher.

    1/2

  4.5 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
Kiss of Steel (London Steampunk #1)

Giveaway - Gimme some Bloglovin'!

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2014 Coastal Magic Convention

Coastal Magic Convention

Formerly Olde City New Blood

Hi everyone!!! If you're reading this blog, chances are you're a huge fan of urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Luckily for you... there a con for that! 

This week, Coastal Magic Convention is opening public registration for next year's weekend of awesome with authors and readers of UF/PNR fiction. February 6-9, in Daytona Beach, FL, we'll be hanging out, chatting, and participating in general tomfoolery with some fantastic people. 

The Featured Authors are names that you'll recognize immediately (random sqeeing is permitted, although tacklehugs must be announced and approved prior to the weekend), and some are bound to become new favorites. 

Here are just *some* of the Featured Authors I'm personally most excited for:

Sandy Williams

Amanda Carlson

Suzanne Johnson

Cynthia Eden

Angie Fox

Molly Harper

Jess Haines

Kristen Painter

Plus many many many more!!!

Join us for panels, meet & greets, bad movie snarking, and all around fun times. 

Registration is only $70 for the weekend's full schedule of panels, meet & greets, large author signing, and Character Mixer. There are a few special activities that will require additional tickets. These activities are limited in number, and are very reasonably priced. More details are available on the Coastal Magic Convention website. 

Last year's inaugural event (Olde City, New Blood in St. Augustine, FL) was a blast. I'm confident that this year's party will be even more fun!! 

As a special treat... NYT Bestselling author Kevin J Anderson (who won't be with us this year, due to scheduling conflicts) has offered up a gift for the first 50 people who register during this Blog Blast!!! Huge thanks to Kevin for that, and we hope to have him with us next year! (Gift will be included in your welcome bag at the event.)

So... check out the Featured Author list (which is still growing, by the way!!)

FEATURED AUTHORS

the other Featured & Registered Bloggers (like ME!!)

FEATURED BLOGGERS

and get yourself registered for a fantastic weekend with friends and storytellers. Added bonus?? We'll be in FLORIDA... by the beach... in FEBRUARY!!! I'd call that a win on many levels, lol!! 

REGISTER HERE!

See you all there!!

Early Review: Fifth Grave Past the Light by Darynda Jones

Fifth Grave Past the Light
(Charley Davidson #5)
Darynda Jones
Release: July 9, 2013
Add to Goodreads   Buy at Amazon

Charley Davidson may not look like your everyday, run-of-the-mill grim reaper, but she has vowed to reap grimness wherever she goes despite this unfortunate fact. Sadly, she gets sidetracked when the sexy, sultry son of Satan, Reyes Farrow, moves in next door. As he is the main suspect in her arson case, she is determined to stay away from him until she can find out the truth. According to her therapist, however, she lacks conviction.


When dead women start appearing in her apartment - lost, confused and terrified beyond reason - Charley has no choice but to ask for Reyes's help, especially when it becomes apparent that her own sister Gemma is the serial killer's next target. With his ability to observe incorporeally, surely he can find out who's responsible. And even if he can't, he is the one man alive who could protect Gemma no matter who or what came at her. But he wants something in return: Charley. All of her - body and soul. And to keep her sister safe, it is a price she is willing to pay…

Review:

Charley, Reyes, Cookie, and Mr. Wong are all back in this fifth installment in the always freaking hilarious Charley Davidson series. Fifth Grave Past the Light is one of my favorite paranormal/romance/mystery/fantasy/WTF series and this one is one of my favorites so far! In the previous book, Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet, and in this one we really learn a lot more about what Charley and Reyes each are: where they come from, what their powers and abilities are, and where their relationship is going. I would have been fine with things staying on a surface level, but I must say that I really love getting to know these two characters on such a deeper level. We also get to learn a lot more about Swopes and what he went through in his brief trip to hell and I'm so glad that all finally gets revealed!

In this one Charley finds her apartment overcome by the ghosts of dead women. She suspects a serial killer and immediately sets about finding these women's' bodies with the help of her uncle. This was one of the better main plots of the books in this series, with the overwhelming number of dead people for her to help and the addition of a secondary plot involving a woman and her cheating husband. There are always, like, a million different plot threads in these books and the author manages to weave them all together amazingly well. My only complaint is that the resolution of the main plot doesn't have that big reveal feel to it that other books have typically had. The reason for this is because there are other plot threads that are ultimately more important to the series so they get more importance placed on them at the end and I'm really okay with that.

I've really loved how this series has moved into more serious territory while still maintaining the silly charm that's its famous for. If I had to describe this series with two phrases I would say sexy as hell and ROFL. Charley and Cookie are hysterical as always. They are one of THE BEST examples of Thelma and Louise BFFs in the paranormal genre and they crack me up every time they're together! The humor in this series has not gotten stale at all. How Charley manages to solve such intricate and gruesome crimes while being such a airhead is beyond me but she gets it done. She manages to be such an endearing character and if she was real I would totally want to give her a huge hug and them get margaritas together!

Now...remember when I used the phrase "sexy as hell" up there? His name is Reyes. Mmmmmmm...Reyes. Several books ago Charley described Reyes as "chocolate covered heroine" and I can't help but coming back to that over and over again because it is SO right on. He is a delicious man...dark, dangerous, possessive, and with a one-minded focus on Charley and Charley alone. In this one we get to see how other women in Charley's hometown respond to Reyes (which is awesome and hilarious by the way) but his "I-only-have-eyes-for-you-now-get-in-my-bed" attitude toward Charley just makes him even more delicious. And GOD ALMIGHTY his sexual prowess is just...YUMMY.

Overall this is another solid book in the Charley series. It made me laugh (and, if I'm being honest...snort), tear up, and swoon like crazy. I love where this series is going and I can't wait for what's next!

Recommended for fans of: chocolate covered heroine, Reyes, snarkity snark snark snark, Thelma and Louise, murder mysteries, and grim reapers.

This review is based on an advance copy of the book provided by the publisher.

    

  5 / 5 stars

My reviews of other books in this series:
First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson #1)
Second Grave on the Left (Charley Davidson #2)
Third Grave Dead Ahead (Charley Davidson #3)
Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet (Charley Davidson #4)

Audio Review: Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep

Spider's Bite
(Elemental Assassin #1)
Author: Jennifer Estep
Narrator: Lauren Fortgang
Release: January 26, 2010
Add to Goodreads   Buy at Amazon

Buy at Audible

My name is Gin, and I kill people.

They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South —when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way — good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

Review:

Spider's Bite is the first in the popular Elemental Assassins urban fantasy series by Jennifer Estep. I'm just now getting around to reading this series, although its been on my TBR forever! I was really looking forward to getting on the Gin Blanco train and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed!

Spider's Bite was so much more than I thought it would be. Its definitely on the darker side of UF, with a lot of grit and murder and sexiness. Gin should not be an easy character to like - she's a trained assassin who kills for clients and she's very private and difficult to get to know. But somehow Estep made me not only like Gin, but empathize with her.

She is a very damaged character with a typical urban fantasy heroine background - dead family, no one to turn to, lived on the streets, etc. But the way the author stretches out the details of her back story and ends the book still without fully giving us Gin's history was really well done. I know just enough to understand her a little but I'm enticed to learn more in subsequent books. I can really get the feeling that this is a series. It doesn't feel like everything important is wrapped up in one book, but rather that we will learn more and more as the series unfolds.

The other characters - Finn, Fletcher, Donovan - are very fleshed out and well rounded. They are rich characters that I felt at home listening to and they have interesting and complicated relationships that I loved. I don't like things to be easy and predictable in my UFs and this book is wonderfully complex. Donovan and Gin's relationship is especially complex since he is constantly at odd's with his growing attraction to Gin warring against his anger that she was the assassin that killed his partner (don't worry, the partner had it coming). I really have no idea how these two can have a functional relationship, but they certainly are hot together when Donovan can stop himself from getting in his own way.

As far as the Southern setting, I almost felt like Ashland was another character in the series. The world building of the city, its occupants, and their corruption is amazingly well done. Estep introduces us to elemental magic, vampires, giants, dwarves, an unscrupulous police force all without overdoing it or filling pages with info dumps. I can't wait to learn more about the city...especially the food (Yum! Don't read this book on an empty stomach!).

Overall I'm highly impressed with this first in a series and I can't wait to dive into the rest of them. Jennifer Estep has definitely made her mark in urban fantasy with this series and I can't believe I put off reading these books for so long!

Notes on the audio: Narrator Lauren Fortgang does an awesome job of combining Gin's dark and casual attitude toward her job with her sexy Southern accent. She really hit the nail right on the head. I loved the audio, but will be reading the next two because I already owned them. However, I do plan to listen to the remainder of the series.

Recommended for fans of: dark urban fantasies, assassins, complicated romance, elemental magic, and delicious sandwiches with Gouda cheese.

    

  4 / 5 stars

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Read This F@!%ing Book (15)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post 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

This week's post comes from Ruby @ Ruby's Reads

Read This F@!%ing Book Post 15: The Haven Series

Goodreads / Amazon / Indiebound / Barnes & Noble / Books-A-Million

Why I'm pushing it:
Kalayna Price is best known for her Alex Craft series, but the Haven books are way better. I mean, sure, Grave Witch has a smokin' hot character named death, but the Haven books have shifters and sexy shower scenes. I'll be honest, though. I'm pushing this series for an extremely selfish reason. If more people start reading it, I just may get to read book three, Third Blood someday soon. I don't want to point fingers, but I totally blame Third Blood's many publication delays on the success of Alex Craft.

Why I love it:

There are lots of reasons I love this series (from the characters to the world-building), but one of my favorite aspects is the basic premise. Kita, the heroine, is a cat shifter who ran away from her clan because her father (and leader) made the guy she loved (and her childhood best friend and her only ally in the clan) marry another woman. Then, as if life on the run didn't suck enough, she's attacked and turned into a vampire. Boy, just when you thought things couldn't get worse.

As a newly turned vampire, Kita struggles to understand her new identity. Drinking blood, living with her vampire maker and dealing with vampire politics all suck, but what sucks worst is that she's lost touch with her cat. She can't change anymore and if she can't change, that alters everything she thought she knew about herself. This internal struggle adds depth to all the eternal problems she faces and makes for a powerhouse of a series.

Nathaniel!

Nathaniel, Kita's vampire sire, is more than worth mentioning. Oh, Nathaniel...you're patient, long-suffering and majorly awesome all at once. I usually come down on the side of shifters, but Nathaniel is the clear winner here. His chemistry with Kita is smokin', not to mention made of that fantabulous achingly slow burn I love so much. I don't know where their relationship is headed, but boy do I want to follow.

 

   

Have you read this book?

Did Ruby persuade you to add it to your TBR mountain?

Let us know in the comments below!

2013 Netgalley Knockout Sign Up!

Are you overwhelmed with the amount of egalleys you have to read? 

Do you keep requesting those egalleys anyway?

Feel like Netgalley and Edelweiss are going to hunt you down?

Knock out those egalleys!

2013 Netgalley Knockout!

Last year's Netgalley Knockout was a great success and I've even had questions about when I would be hosting the event this year! This time around I'm making it three months long from the get go because last year I only made it for one month and ended up extending it.

Here's all the details you need to know:

• Netgalley Knockout will run from July 1 - September 30

• You are not limited to ebooks from Netgalley! You can include any ebook you have received for review from Netgalley, Edelweiss, or from a publisher or author directly. It just must be an ebook and it must be a review book.

• You can only count books that you read from July 1 to September 30. Nothing read before the challenge starts or after it ends will count toward the challenge!

• You do not have to only include books released during the months July, August, or September - but you can include these, of course! Any electronic review book counts, whether it has already been released or is still yet to be released!

• Again, even if the book has already been released, if you're reading a review ebook copy of it then it counts toward the challenge!

***And if you find this post after July 1st - no worries! You can join the challenge through the linky all the way up to September 1st if you'd like!***

PLUS 

There will be a giveaway for any blogs who link up their wrap up post at the end of the challenge in September! Every blog on that linky will be entered and one winner will be randomly chosen to receive an ebook of their choice under $15.00 from the ebook seller of their choice!

Just link up your post about joining the Netgalley Knockout challenge on the linky list below! Your post can be as simple as "Here's a new challenge I'm joining, here's the link to find out more information". 

And feel free to grab the button above and add it to your blog's sidebar. That would be *awesome* of you!

Share in the comments below or in your sign up post how many of your egalley books you plan to knockout during this challenge!

SIGN UP!

Read This F@!%ing Book! (14)

Welcome to a feature I'm going to post 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 know what you're thinking...Wait, today isn't Monday...
Well, you are correct! This week I'm guest posting over at Gizmo's Reviews in honor of Shelly's blogoversary!

Go check out this week's Read This F@!%ing Book post AND enter to win a copy of one of the books in the series I'm pushing this week!

CLICK HERE!