Ex Libris

Do you like to read books that set in a certain city, state, or country? Do you ever find a town in a book that just calls your name and you can't wait to tell someone about it?

Goodreads appetizer: Ruth is thirty two years old and doesn't know if she wants to be thirty three. Her meticulously-ordered lonely life as a microbiologist is starved of pleasure and devoid of meaning. She decides to give herself three months to decide whether or not to end her life, and we read her daily diary as she struggles to make sense of her past and grapples with the pain of the present. "Thaw" explores what makes any of our lives worth living. Can Red, the eccentric Russian artist Ruth commissions to paint her portrait, find a way to warm her frozen heart?

Goodreads appetizer: From today's most provocative authors come four tales of urban fantasy and paranormal romance exploring body art that is more than it seems-in a world of magic and mayhem that always leaves its mark.

This captivating tattoo theme surrounds each author's popular characters and worlds: Karen Chance's war mage Lia de Croissets, Marjorie M. Liu's demon-hunter Maxine Kiss, Yasmine Galenorn's Otherworld Intelligence Agency operative Camille D'Artigo, and Eileen Wilk's Lupi world.

Goodreads appetizer: Glasgow is being terrorised by a serial killer the media have nicknamed The Cutter. The murders have left the police baffled. There seems to be neither rhyme nor reason behind the killings; no kind of pattern or motive; an entirely different method of murder each time, and nothing that connects the victims except for the fact that the little fingers of their right hands have been severed. If DS Rachel Narey could only work out the key to the seemingly random murders, how and why the killer selects his victims, she would be well on her way to catching him. But as the police, the press and a threatening figure from Glasgow's underworld begin to close in on The Cutter, his carefully-laid plans threaten to unravel - with horrifying consequences.

This is the place where I'll list all the books I read for this challenge:


1. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
 
 
Updated on 27 March 2010
 
 

Progress so far:

1 / 8 books. 13% done!

This is the place where I'll list all the books I read for this challenge:
 
1. No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

2. Exit Strategy by Kelley Armstrong

3. Deadly Décisions by Kathy Reichs

4. Made to be Broken by Kelley Armstrong

 
Updated on 27 March 2010

4 / 12 books. 33% done!

This is the place where I'll list all the books I read for this challenge.

1. No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

2. Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

3. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

4. Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole


Updated on 27 March 2010

4 / 12 books. 33% done!

This is the place where I'll list all the books I read for this challenge.

1. Highland Warrior by Monica McCarty

2. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

3. Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole

4. Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

5. Wicked Knight by Tierney O'Malley

6. Land of Falling Stars by Keta Diablo


5 / 5 books. 100% done!


Updated on 27 March 2010

Amazon appetizer: Nothing will stop Cadeon of the Rage Demons from finding the means to atone for the one wrong that haunts him. But once he captures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, he finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.

Raised as a human, Holly Ashwin never knew that some legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon, who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the Cade's wicked touch. Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs - and claim his heart?

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Cover: 7/10

Grade: 4 stars

Novellus Superbus!

Amazon appetizer: From New York Times bestselling author, Kim Harrison, comes the first book in an exciting urban fantasy series; packed with the perfect balance of wry humour and thrilling action, which will delight fans of thrillers and fantasy alike.

Rachel Morgan is a white witch and runner working for Inderland Security, in an alternate world where a bioengineered virus wiped out a great deal of the world's human population -- exposing the existence of the supernatural communities that had long lived alongside humanity. For the last five years Rachel has been tracking down law-breaking Inderlanders in modern-day Cincinnati, but now she wants to leave and start her own agency. Her only problem is that no one quits the I.S. Marked for death, Rachel will have to fend off fairy assassins and homicidal weres armed with an assortment of nasty curses. She's a dead witch walking unless she can appease her former employers by exposing the city's most prominent citizen as a drug lord. But making an enemy of the ambiguous Trent Kalamack is just as deadly as leaving the I.S.

Several issues weren't closed at the end of the book, so I hope the second book will address them.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 8/10
Writing: 9/10
Cover: 8/10




 

Jennifer from Crazy for Books is the one responsible for the fantastic phenomenon called the Book Blogger Hop (affectionately simply called "THE Hop").

Those who are new to the Hop might wonder what is "THE Hop"? Well it is Jennifer's wonderful idea to connect all book bloggers, old and new, to advertise your blog and discover the blogs of other book bloggers. It is not only to advertise but mainly to socialize and network, and of course to expand the number of blogs you follow and read :-)

So head on over to THE Hop's site over at Jennifer's blog to discover some new blogs you haven't heard of yet.

It's Monday, What are you reading this week? is a weekly event hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read and the books to be finished this week.


Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole
Wicked Knight by Tierney O'Malley
Dark Desires After Dusk by Kresley Cole


Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison


On the Edge by Ilona Andrews
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

Grade: 5 stars

Novellus Perfectus!

Goodreads summary: Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her -- and those she loves.

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness -- her wanton desire for him.

Plot: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Writing: 9/10
Cover: 9/10

1 book=curious
2-3 books=IS Runner in training.
5 books (and a short story or two)=you've been pixed!
all titles=Hollows resident
 
I'm aiming for Hollows resident! :-) 
 
Lately I have come across so many people raving about Kim Harrison and her fantastic Hollows series and because of a stroke of luck having won the first 2 books in the series, so this challenge is perfect for me! 
art in banner © Harper Collins

Goodreads summary: When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league—but she wouldn't have it any other way…

Goodreads summary: Rose Drayton lives on the Edge, between the world of the Broken (where people drive cars, shop at Wal-Mart, and magic is a fairy tale) and the Weird (where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny). Only Edgers like Rose can easily travel from one world to the next, but they never truly belong in either.

Rose thought if she practiced her magic, she could build a better life for herself. But things didn't turn out how she planned, and now she works a minimum wage, off the books job in the Broken just to survive. Then Declan Camarine, a blueblood noble straight out of the deepest part of the Weird, comes into her life, determined to have her (and her power).

But when a terrible danger invades the Edge from the Weird, a flood of creatures hungry for magic, Declan and Rose must work together to destroy them, or the beasts will devour the Edge and everyone in it . . .

I have read so many wonderful reviews about Ilona Andrews and her UF series that I couldn't wait to get my hands on the first books of her series! Now they are on the top of my TBR pile, can't wait to start reading them.

Goodreads summary: Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.

Goodreads summary: RITA Award-winning author Kresley Cole continues her bestselling Immortals After Dark series with this electrifying tale of a ruthless demon mercenary and the lovely young halfling who enchants him.A seductive beauty he cannever have, yet can't resist...

Cadeon Woede will stop at nothing to atone for the one wrong that will haunt him forever. But once he secures the key to his redemption, the halfling Holly Ashwin, Cade finds that the woman he thought he could use for his own ends and then forget haunts him as much as his past.A tormented warrior sheshould fear, but can't deny...

Raised as a human, Holly never knew that some frightening legends are real until she encounters a brutal demon who inexplicably guards her like a treasure. Thrust into a sensual new world of myth and power, with him as her protector, she begins to crave the demon's wicked touch.Surrender to dark desires...

Yet just when he earns Holly's trust, will Cade be forced to betray the only woman who can sate his wildest needs -- and claim his heart?

This is the 6th book in the series, I wanted to buy this before Christmas when I ordered the 5th and 7th books, but they ran out of stock so I had to read the series skipping Cade's story until now.


Won:

 I have discovered so many highly praised authors - previously unknown to me - thanks to book blogs, I can't wait to read their books.

Goodreads summary: Seattle. One minute you're drinking a vanilla breve, the next, some creepy old dude is breathing on you, turning you into a zombie. And that's just for starters. Now, the recently deceased Amanda Feral is trying to make her way through Seattle's undead scene with style (mortuary-grade makeup, six-inch stilettos, Balenciaga handbag on sale) while satisfying her craving for human flesh (Don't judge. And no, not like chicken.) and decent vodkatinis.

Making her way through a dangerous world of cloud-doped bloodsuckers, reapers, horny and horned devils, werewolves, celebrities, and PR-obsessed shapeshifters--not to mention an extremely hot bartender named Ricardo--isn't easy. And the minute one of Amanda's undead friends disappears after texting the word, "help" (The undead--so dramatic!) she knows the afterlife is about to get really ugly.

Something sinister is at hand. Someone or something is hellbent on turning Seattle's undead underworld into a place of true terror. And this time, Amanda may meet a fate a lot worse than death...

This is the first in the Amanda Feral series, I have won this from Steph at Paper Cut Reviews.

Goodreads summary: The underground population of witches, vampires, werewolves—creatures of dreams and nightmares—has lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But after a genetically engineered virus wipes out a large part of humanity, many of the "Inderlanders" reveal themselves, changing everything.

Rachel Morgan, witch and bounty hunter with the Inderland Runner Services, is one of the best at apprehending supernatural lawbreakers throughout Cincinnati, but when it comes to following the rules, she falls desperately short. Determined to buck the system, she quits and takes off on the run with an I.S. contract on her head and is reluctantly forced to team up with Ivy, Inderland's best runner . . . and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shape-changing assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crime lord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death . . . not to mention her own roommate.

Goodreads summary: Rachel Morgan s back, and in more trouble than ever! Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and other vampire novels won t want to miss the second novel in Kim Harrison s addicting--and already bestselling--supernatural series.

Former-bounty-hunter Rachel Morgan has it pretty good. She s left the corrupt Inderland Runner Service and started her own independent service. She s survived werewolves, shape-changing demons, bad-hair days, and sharing a church with her vampire roommate Ivy. She even has a cute (if human) boyfriend-what more could a witch want?

But living with a reformed vampire isn t all it s cracked up to be, particularly when your roommate s very bad ex-boyfriend wants her back, and wouldn t mind you in the process. And especially when he s six feet of sheer supernatural seduction, and you ve got a demon mark that makes vampires literally hotter than hell....

To save herself and Ivy, Rachel must confront the vampire master-and the dark secrets she s hidden even from herself.

Rule: Nominate 10 bloggers you feel deserve the Humane Award.

1. Thank and link to the person that gave you the award.

2. Pass the award onto 15 bloggers you've recently discovered and think are fantastic.

3. Contact said Blogs and let them know they've won.

4. State 7 things about yourself.


So 7 things about me:

1. I'm a multilinguist: I speak English, French, Hungarian, Italian, a bit of German and Spanish and I even learned Latin and Flemish for some time. I love languages :-)

2. My biggest love besides reading is travelling! One of the greatest adventure of my life was visiting China!

3. I have had all sorts of animals while growing up: parrots, cats, hamsters, rabbits, ducks, birds and a dog who lived for 15 years (all this with my mom not liking and being afraid of animals).

4. I'm obsessed with lighthouses, I love them. I would love to spend a vacation living in one, it must be amazing to hear the constant sound of the waves and look out on such a vista.

5. I have two "little" sisters (though they are not that little anymore as they are 23 and 19 years old).

6. I almost drowned when I was 4: my family went with some friends to a swimming pool and while everyone was relaxing I walked down the steps of the pool, one step at the time, not really caring that the water was above my head. My dad's best friend yanked me out after he saw I was under.

7. I love horses and I would love to learn how to ride.


I am passing this award to:

1. Angie at Angieville

2. Suzana at Bookalicious Ramblings

3. Jessica at Book Bound

4. Cherry Mischievous

5. Jennifer at Crazy for Books

6. Sarah at Book Reviews from Inside an Igloo

7. April at Good Books and Good Wine

8. I Heart Monster

9. Amelia at Imagination in Focus

10. Meg at In Which a Girl Reads

11. Pattepoilue at One Book Away from Heaven

12. Rachel at Parajunkee's View

13. Sandy at Pirate Penguin Reads

14. Miss Eliza at Strange and Random Happenstance

15. The Bookologist 

Do you like to read books that set in a certain city, state, or country? Do you ever find a town in a book that just calls your name and you can't wait to tell someone about it?

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read and the books to be finished this week.

My sister came to visit the last week and we had family gatherings nonstop, so I didn't get too much reading done this past week. Most of the books I bought last weekend still haven't arrived, so now I don't know what to read next..hm..

Grade: 3 stars   

Novellus Bonus!

Goodreads appetizer: Nine-year-old Emily Anne Toussaint is fatally shot on a Montreal street. A North Carolina teenager disappears from her home, and parts of her skeleton are found hundreds of miles away. The shocking deaths propel forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan from north to south, and deep into a shattering investigation inside the bizarre culture of outlaw motorcycle gangs -- where one misstep could bring disaster for herself or someone she loves. Kathy Reichs? astonishing bestseller pulses with cutting-edge scientific know-how -- and the narrative power of an award-winning crime fiction star.

My thoughts: I realized that there are some books for which I can't write a normal length or detailed review as they either didn't provoke that much thought from me, or I just don't have too much to comment. So from now on I introduce the "Mini Review".

Just as an introduction to the whole Temperance Brennan series:

As the majority of all those who read this series I also picked it up because I'm a huge fan of Bones, and wanted to read more of the Bones goodness. I saw quite early that the heroine of the books had only two things in common with the protagonist of the TV series: they were both called Temperance Brennan and they shared the same occupation, but beside these 2 you couldn't find two persons more different. Just to name a few as examples: the Tempe in the TV series is in her early 30s, while the book Tempe is over 40. The series Tempe was abandoned and had no family until recently, she is closed off and doesn't have too many friends, while book Tempe had a husband, has a daughter, sister, nephew, many friends and she is friendly and easy with new people. Anyway I won't detail this any more, you get the picture. You have to consider these books completely separate from the TV series or else you will be disappointed.

Deadly Décisions is the 3rd Temperance Brennan book. I confess I didn't enjoy the first book in the series that much, found it dragging and a bit slow, thought the second was an improvement, the plot was more interesting, but with this third there is no doubt Kathy Reichs' writing got better! The long scientific blabla is not boring and dull anymore, the story flows much more easily. I hope this tendency will continue and the 4th book will be even better.

Plot: 7/10
Characters: 6/10
Ending: 7/10
Writing: 6/10
Cover: 4/10 (the new covers and especially the UK cover are much nicer than this one I have.. :-/ )

Goodreads summary: #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole enraptures again with this seductive tale of a fierce werewolf prince who will stop at nothing to protect the lovely archer he covets from afar.

A DANGEROUS BEAUTY....

Lucia the Huntress: as mysterious as she is exquisite, she harbors secrets that threaten to destroy her -- and those she loves.

AN UNCONTROLLABLE NEED...

Garreth MacRieve, Prince of the Lykae: the brutal Highland warrior who burns to finally claim this maddeningly sensual creature as his own.

THAT LEAD TO A PLEASURE SO WICKED....

From the shadows, Garreth has long watched over Lucia. Now, the only way to keep the proud huntress safe from harm is to convince her to accept him as her guardian. To do this, Garreth will ruthlessly exploit Lucia's greatest weakness -- her wanton desire for him.

Goodreads summary: He vowed never to love again. She is afraid to love. A passion so strong they cannot resist.

Ruggedly handsome pediatrician, Dr. Tristan Knight, is done with marriage. Once is enough. Eager to avoid making another mistake of getting trapped in marriage vows, Tristan wields strong control to suppress his growing attraction to his sister's friend, Julie Parrish. But his resolve is tested when an unusual request for help lands on his lap--marry Julie.

Author and former model, Julie Parrish has been trying to keep her image clean; otherwise, her drunkard father will get the inheritance her mother has left her. She will never let that happen. But her stepmother, Marla, has learned about the will's stipulation. Since then, she's been attempting to prove to the lawyers that Julie is far from being clean. Fortunately, her mother has added an out to the will. Marriage. So when Tristan surprised her by offering his help end her problem with Marla, she accepts. But Julie wants more than just a ring. She wants the elusive doctor's heart.

Wicked Knight was voted Book of the Month over at Dark Divas Review . I won this book through Alaine from The Queen of Happy Endings. I can't wait to dig into this story, the reviews have all been great.


Since my sister came to visit for the week and we had nonstop family gatherings I didn't have too much time to read (or review), instead spent most of the time eating more and more delicious treats, one of which I will share with you in this week's Sunday's Treats, so check back a bit later for the yummy recipe and hopefully appetizing pics ;-)