Sneak Peak Sunday (26)

Last Kiss Goodnight 

by Gena Showalter

Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages

Expected publication: December 26th 2012 by Pocket Books

The breathtaking first novel in New York Times best selling author Gena Showalter’s new paranormal romance series, Otherworld Assassins, featuring a black ops agent who is captured and enslaved…and the beautiful deaf girl who holds the key to his salvation…
THE SWEETEST TEMPTATION…
Black ops agent Solomon Judah awakens caged and bound in a twisted zoo where otherworlders are the main attraction. Vika Lukas, the owner’s daughter, is tasked with Solo’s care and feeding. The monster inside him yearns to kill her on sight, even though she holds the key to his escape. But the human side of him realizes the beautiful deaf girl is more than she seems—she’s his.
THE ULTIMATE PRICE…
Vika endures the captives’ taunts and loathing, hoping to keep them alive even if she can’t free them. Only, Solo is different—he protects her. But as hostility turns to forbidden romance, his feelings for her will be used against him…and he’ll be put to a killer test.

Here's me against fulfilling that terrible need for romance novels. What would me life be like without them? Well, for one, I wouldn't be so angsty about romance, and two, I'd probably go to more school dances rather than brood at home and read.
 *insert awkward laughter here*
Plus, I mean, it's Gena Showalter so it has to be good, doesn't it?

Review: Mothership by Martin Leicht, Isla Neal

Mothership (Ever-Expanding Universe #1)
by Martin Leicht, Isla Neal

Hardcover, 320 pages
Published July 10th 2012 by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Glasses: 4.89  

Teen pregnancy is never easy—especially not when extraterrestrials are involved. The first in a new trilogy.
Elvie Nara was doing just fine in the year 2074. She had a great best friend, a dad she adored, and bright future working on the Ares Project on Mars. But then she had to get involved with sweet, gorgeous, dumb-as-a-brick Cole—and now she’s pregnant.
Getting shipped off to the Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers was not how Elvie imagined spending her junior year, but she can go with the flow. That is, until a team of hot commandos hijacks the ship—and one of them turns out to be Cole. She hasn’t seen him since she told him she’s pregnant, and now he’s bursting into her new home to tell her that her teachers are aliens and want to use her unborn baby to repopulate their species? Nice try, buddy. You could have just called.
So fine, finding a way off this ship is priority number one, but first Elvie has to figure out how Cole ended up as a commando, work together with her arch-nemesis, and figure out if she even wants to be a mother—assuming they get back to Earth in one piece.

My Thoughts

There are no words to describe how much I loved this book. 

No words. No words.

I borrowed the book on the pretense that purple was my favorite color. It looked pretty, and yeah... pretty. However, that night when I was lying in bed I picked up the book and low and behold, it was about teenage pregnancy.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of books written about teenage pregnancy, but this was the exception. Elvie is witty, clever, smart, and everything what was not the stereotypical girl you'd find on 16 and Pregnant. Cole however, is the stereotypical guy; the player who can and can't deal with relationships. 

Now let's talk about their awesome space ship and the multitude of scenes filled with epic action sequences and jaw dropping twists. Seriously, with all the cool levels of the ship and crazy alien invaders, it's just... ugh.... SO AWESOME.

Now obviously, is this a rather terrible review. It's late and I'm taking the SAT tomorrow, so I'll sum up all of my conceivable feelings in a GIF.

My New Books (1)

The festival yesterday set me up on a huge book splurge and I kinda spent a copious amount of my allowance on some reading material. Plus I've added some random books I've bought over the past month. You know those people on the couponing shows that love to keep stockpiles of food? Well I think I'm becoming one of them - with books.

Fateful by Claudia Gray

Hardcover, 328 pages
Published September 13th 2011 by HarperTeen

A tragic tale about falling in love on the world’s most infamous ill-fated sea voyage as heroine, Tess, discovers darker secrets that lie beneath the doomed crossing… and a hidden brotherhood that threaten to tear her lover from her forever.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins *signed

Hardcover, 338 pages
Published September 29th 2011 by Dutton Books

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Let it Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson (Goodreads Author), Lauren Myracle 

Paperback, 352 pages
Published October 2nd 2008 by Speak
(I know it's not Christmas, but I needed to buy one of John Green's books to be able to meet him.)

Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today?s bestselling teen authors?John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle?the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Envy (The Fallen Angels #3) by J.R. Ward 

Paperback {not in photo}
Published September 6th 2011 by Piatkus Books

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls to save. And a man and a woman treading the lines of danger, desire and deliverance ...As the son of a serial killer, homicide detective Thomas DelVecchio Jr grew up in the shadow of evil. Now, on the knife-edge between civic duty and blind retribution, he atones for the sins of his father. Hired to monitor Veck is Internal Affairs officer Sophia Reilly, whose interest in Veck is both professional and arousingly personal. But Veck and Sophia have a common interest. He's Jim Herron, a mysterious stranger enlisted to save the soul of a killer's latest victim, one precariously hovering between heaven and hell. Before Herron's job is done, Veck and Sophia will be inexorably drawn into a battle of good against evil, where the risk is nothing less than total damnation.

Angels' Blood (Guild Hunter #1) by Nalini Singh 

eBook, 339 pages
Published March 3rd 2009 by Berkley

Vampire hunter Elena Deveraux knows she is the best- but she does not know if even she is good enough for this job. Hired by the dangerously beautiful archangel Raphael, a being so lethal that no mortal wants his attention, Elena knows failure is not an option—even if the task is impossible.
Because this time, it's not a wayward vamp she has to track. It's an archangel gone bad.
The job will put Elena in the midst of a killing spree like no other—and pull her to the razor's edge of passion. Even if the hunt does not destroy her, succumbing to Raphael’s seductive touch just might. For when archangels play, mortals break.

Review: Crave by J.R. Ward

Crave (The Fallen Angels #2)

by J.R. Ward

Mass Market Paperback, 454 pages

Published October 5th 2010 by Signet

Glasses: 4.4

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose.
Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that's before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.

My Thoughts.
Gah... there are many, many things I want to say about this book. About how Issac's vulnerability is just super cute, or that the twist towards the end of the book made me gasp out loud. Sigh. It's was pretty awesome. Although, not as awesome as the first book, which was sort of a bummer.

After the last success that Jim had in Covet, he returns in this novel ready to continue his fight for humanity. This time he has to save his ex-partner for his days in the secret XOps, Issac Rothe. After he gets arrested for an underground fight club, its up to Heron to keep him alive.

We get to learn a lot more about Jim's past, including Matthias, his old boss, and just what exactly happened to them before he left. It doesn't hurt that all of the characters were amazing. Issac's just one of those guys that you might know. Despite his tight situation, he's just one of those guys that you can't help but love. And Grier Childe, his love interest, is a perfect match. His attorney, she's tough and stands her own in this world full of men. Childe is smart and what I think we wish we could be sometimes. However, sometimes she did get a bit annoying, that's one of the main reasons why I think the first book was a bit better. I could relate more to Mary, where as Grier almost seemed to perfect.

Despite a few slow moments, the scenes that we got from all of the characters kept me going through. J.R. Ward's writing is great and the twists and turns in her plot wouldn't let me put it down. Seriously... the ending freaked me out and I definitely can't wait to read Envy. >.<

Sneak Peak Sunday (6)

The Last Echo (The Body Finder #3)

by Kimberly Derting 

Hardcover, 358 pages

Expected publication: April 17th 2012 by HarperCollins

In the end, all that's left is an echo...Violet kept her morbid ability to sense dead bodies a secret from everyone except her family and her childhood-best-friend-turned-boyfriend, Jay Heaton. That is until forensic psychologist Sara Priest discovered Violet's talent and invited her to use her gift to track down murderers. Now, as she works with an eclectic group of individuals—including mysterious and dangerously attractive Rafe—it's Violet's job to help those who have been murdered by bringing their killers to justice. When Violet discovers the body of a college girl killed by "the girlfriend collector" she is determined to solve the case. But now the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye....

I can't wait for this book to come out! I still remember reading the first book and blogging about the second one coming out. Violet and Jay are such a cute couple and the summary sounds really exciting. The murder mysteries laced with romance and paranormalacy are what keeps me coming back. >.<

Review: Accidentally Dead by Dakota Cassidy

Accidentally Dead

by Dakota Cassidy

Paperback, 352 pages

Published July 1st 2008 by Berkley Trade

Glasses: 4.0

It's a lousy first day on the job for Nina Blackman when a patient, loopy from the anesthesia, bites her. At least he was cute. But for real drama she can't beat the next evening. Nina wakes up with a set of razor-sharp fangs, bionic vision, supersonic hearing, and a taste for blood. But there?s a good explanation: It?s her patient, Long Island vampire Greg Statleon. Actually they're perfect for each other if Nina's willing to commit to one man for eternity.

My Thoughts...

I have to admit that I didn't read the first one and basically,  one of the only reasons I got this book was because the cover looked cute. Yeah, that's right, I said it, cute. And honestly, that's what it was. Minus Nina's badass awesome/stubbornness, it's just plain cute. Plus. it's just one of those books that stands alone great despite some of the references to the first book there were.

The book's about Nina, a thirty sometimes dental hygiene that has, possibly the loudest mouth on the east coast. She's says what she wants and isn't afraid to let people know what she thinks. So when she gets bitten by one of her patients and wakes up the next day as a vampire she gets angry. 

It does have a bit of a rough start, and the big action doesn't come in until the middle, but I could deal with that. Completely against the idea of her new life style, she hates her vampire creator, the wonderfully hot Gregori Statleon. After he accidentally turned Nina into a vampire he tries his best to keep her alive, despite the fact that she thinks he's trying to create a vampire army to rule the world. They get off to a bad start, but the chemistry is very apparent the further you get into the book.

This is a book that doesn't take itself completely seriously, and I loved it. It was incredibly funny and the characters were clever and adorable. The beginning starts off slightly slow and it takes a while to get to the meat of the plot, but the ending had a clever little twist that was cute and wrapped up the novel well.

Although Nina's attitude got annoying sometimes, she has friends that balance her stubbornness that grow on you. Her badass-ery transcends awesome to a point that sometimes we all wish we could achieve. 

With sassy characters, a cute love story, vampires, and humor a galore, if you ever come across it make sure to give it a read.

Sneak Peak Sunday (5)

The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden #1)

by Julie Kagawa

Hardcover, 485 pages

Expected publication: April 24th 2012 by Harlequin Teen

In a future world, Vampires reign. Humans are blood cattle. And one girl will search for the key to save humanity. 

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. 

Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. 

Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. 

Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. 

But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for.

I need this book like I need Ash and Megan to stay together. This book determines whether or not Kagawa can write another amazing after The Iron Fey Series. *Looks up to the sky* Please let it be amazing... please. But from what it looks like, it will be.

Library Monday (1)

As a dirt poor teenager, I can't afford to buy books whenever I want. I wish I could, but I can't.

However there are perks to living next to a nice library, and I plan to take advantage of it as much as humanly possible. It's big and has four stories full of books. Granted, about 1/5 of the books there are in Chinese, but I'm not complaining.

Every Monday it's become a tradition of mine to go to the library and get my books for the week. Even though I get picked up there, I think the librarians are tired of my checking stuff out everyday so I'm trying to keep my visits to a minimum. 

Anywho, I figured that I'll keep doing to "In the Mailbox" segments, but my Library Mondays seem a lot more fun and frequent. 

Not only with they include books that I check out, but any audiobooks, and albums as well.

So, here it goes! :)

Books

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Hardcover, 370 pages

Published January 24th 2012 by Harper Collins / Balzer + Bray

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.
She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.
Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.
As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Hardcover, 407 pages
Published September 7th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.
Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe--until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.
Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy. 

Audiobooks

Torment (Fallen #2) by Lauren Kate

Audio CD, 0 pages
Published September 28th 2010 by Listening Library (Audio)

Hell on earth.
That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel.
It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts—immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans.
At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something—something dangerous.
What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else?

The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

Music





Her Majesty by the Decemberists

Audio CD (September 9, 2003)
Original Release Date: 2003








Sea Sew by Lisa Hannigan

Audio CD (February 3, 2009)
Original Release Date: 2009

Review: Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Hardcover, 438 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing   

Glasses: 4.3

Fitzpatrick delivers the breathtaking third book to the "New York Times"-bestselling Hush, Hush saga. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in each other, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for--and their love--forever.

So I know it seems I've been reading a lot of Fitzpatrick, but I swear, once the last book comes out I'll be finished with it. It's just that Patch is amazing. I went to Barnes and Nobles the other day and I say Hush, Hush on display in the recommended section. Underneath it in the little comment box they have, it said, "Patch is the badass Edward wishes he could be." And yeah, I totally get that. He has that whole cool dark, mysterious bad boy thing going on that just so.... so..... *swoon*. See, I lack the words to describe my feelings for Patch right now, so I'll just move on.

I have to admit I hated the beginning of the book. You quickly learn that Nora has lost all of her memory since the last book. Everything that's ever happened to her that includes Patch, fallen angels, or nephilim (did I spell that right?), is completely wiped out. I was teetering on the edge of insanity and frustration to get to the end of it, but as you can see I did. And I have to say the ending really redeems itself. It's starts off a bit oddly but gains its ground quickly. Eventually, I thought it was kinda cool that I knew more than Nora did (although, that normally happens anyways, she's not that bright of a character). There are still those moments when I couldn't help but groan at the situations she gets herself into, but that's what made this book so great. With Hank and Scott bother returning the stakes are higher and mystery is deeper. I really got into it and voiced my frustration during the good times and the bad times.

With the ending they give I can't wait to see how Nora and Patch's relationship plays out in the last book. Finale better be awesome or I'm going to be very upset.

Under the Never Sky Author Insight

Aria has lived her whole life in the protected dome of Reverie. Her entire world confined to its spaces, she's never thought to dream of what lies beyond its doors. So when her mother goes missing, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland long enough to find her are slim.
Then Aria meets an outsider named Perry. He's searching for someone too. He's also wild - a savage - but might be her best hope at staying alive.
If they can survive, they are each other's best hope for finding answers.

Is it weird that every time I hear the name Perry, I think of Perry the Platypus? But anyways, I really, really, really can't wait to get my hands on this book!

Insatiable by Meg Cabot

Hardcover, 441 pages

Published June 8th 2010 by William Morrow

Rating: 3.7 Glasses

Summary:
Sick of vampires? So is Meena Harper.  
But her boss is making her write about them anyway, even though Meena doesn’t believe in them.  
Not that Meena isn’t familiar with the supernatural. See, Meena Harper knows how you’re going to die (not that you’re going to believe her; no one ever does).  
But not even Meena’s precognition can prepare her for what happens when she meets—then makes the mistake of falling in love with—Lucien Antonescu, a modern-day prince with a bit of a dark side . . . a dark side a lot of people, like an ancient society of vampire-hunters, would prefer to see him dead for.  
The problem is, he already is dead. Maybe that’s why he’s the first guy Meena’s ever met that she could see herself having a future with. See, while Meena’s always been able to see everyone else’s future, she’s never been able look into her own. 
And while Lucien seems like everything Meena has ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, he might turn out to be more like a nightmare.  
Now might be a good time for Meena to start learning to predict her own future . . .  
If she even has one.

My Thoughts.


You know what one of my friends asked when she saw this? 


"Vampires? Again?" Then she shook her head. 


It's a well known fact within the small group of friends that I have a thing for vampire novels. They're my kryptonite in the literary world and no matter of power is ever going to stop that. 


Lucien and Meena were cute together and the addition of Jon and Alaric were most of the time well placed and helped relieve the tension of a few of the scenes. It's in limited third person so we get to see inside some of the characters head, giving us, the reader, an insightful look not only the main characters lives, but a few of the minor ones as well. 


I've never read Meg Cabot before. Other than skimming through a few of her other books, this was the first one I had finished, and I must say I quite liked it. It was original, very well written, clever, and often times funny and very entertaining. However, I hated the ending and I can only hope that the second one in the series will make up for it.


What I Liked.

• Lucien and Meena. They almost seem like the perfect couple. He whisks her off out of her world of television and into his world of darkness and excitement. They have their problems and their cute moments and it's easy to read through them both.
• Meena's Power. The fact that she can tell when people are going to die is a really clever twist to the story and totally adds to it.
• Meena's dog Jack Bauer. If the main heroine has a dog I think I'm genetically programmed to love it. He's so cute and is always there to protect her.
• Insatiable. I'd do anything to work in New York for some soap opera, no matter how terribly cheesy it is. Insatiable reminds you of those real soaps you see on TV and gives the novel a sense of reality.
• New York. I don't think the novel could have worked anywhere else. It feels so real and you really do get some of that New Yorker vibe from of the characters.

What I Didn't Like.

• Alaric. He just came off to me as some shallow jerk who has a prejudice against vampires and likes to kill them with his "Senor Sticky" of a sword.
• Jon. Meena's brother hardly seems like someone I'd want to know. He doesn't think most of the time, leeches off of his sister, and often times, only cares about his own needs.
• The Love Triangle. Must all romance novels have love triangles? I mean, Meena belongs with Lucien, end of story. Why did Alaric have to develop feelings for her too?!
• Lucien and his Pushiness. I understand that he's supposed to be the whole big shot Prince of Darkness and all that, but sometimes the way he treats others sort of bugs me. Especially with those red eyes.

Should you read it?

If you like the good old vampire romance novel with a twist, pick this up next time you see it and give it a read.

Cover: 3 Stars. I'm not digging the whole stake with lady thing going on.

Why I ADORE The Mortal Instruments

With finals FINALLY over I'd like to take some time off of my social life (or lack there of) to rant online about why I absolutely positively and unequivocally without a doubt love the Mortal Instruments.


In seventh grade I had the best history teacher in the world. Not only was her class awesome, but her entire classroom was filled with copies historic relics and shelves upon shelves of books, and if it wasn't for I never would have gotten so into reading. But, besides the point, I remember her lending me The Mortal Instruments, telling me how amazing they were after school as I helped her clean her classroom. 


Anyway, I got home and read them all in a week, as well as drop my math grade by one half a letter grade. With my middle school vocabulary there weren't any words to describe how in awe I was of this series. 


Jace, Clary, Simon, Alec, Isabelle, and everyone at the Institute were characters that were not only incredibly witting and entertaining, but were depthful and had motives to their actions (unlike Twilight, which I had just finished). There I got to the end of the City of Bones and I threw the book down and freaked out. You become so involved with the story that you can't help but feel heartbroken when the characters feel that way. 


With Simon being the geeky guy I wish I could have, Clary the badass heroine I wanted to be, and Jace the beautiful jerk I yearned to meet, you can't help but live vicariously though these characters. And when she said she was going to write prequels and well as a sequels to TMI I almost squealed my head off. I mean, I can't say how many times I wished I was Tessa in The Infernal Devices. I mean, I don't want to have to choose between Will and Jem, because that's probably the worst and best love triangle in the world, but to live in Victorian London!


And finally, that last nail in the coffin that cemented my devotion to this series was Cassandra Clare. Not only is she a Nerdfighter, but she loves almost all the same things I do. She seems just like one of those writers that you can complete relate with. Plus, she does so much stuff for her fans. 


So as you can see, I have many reasons for loving this series a crazy amount. I could probably go on, but my fingers are getting numb and I really should go and turn on the heater. Auvoir!  

Review: Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson

Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson

Paperback, 320 pages

Published April 25th 2006 by Ballantine Books

Three Stars









Summary:

Click your heels three times and say, “There’s no place like Bloomies!” 

Katie Chandler’s life is pure magic–literally. As an executive assistant at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc., she’s seen more than her share of fantastical occurrences. A mere Manhattan mortal, Katie is no wizard, but she’s a wiz at exposing “hokum” pocus, cloaked lies, and deceptive enchantments. And she’s fallen under the all-too-human spell of attraction to Owen, a hunky wizard and coworker. Owen, however, is preoccupied. Someone has broken into his office and disrupted top-secret files, and it reeks of an inside job. CEO Merlin (yes, the Merlin) and taps Katie and her special ability to uncover the magical mole. 

Keeping her feelings in check while sleuthing alongside Owen, Katie is shocked to discover that her immunity to magic is waning, putting her in grave danger. Soon she’s surrendering to the charms and enchantments of everyone and everything around her, including a killer pair of red stilettos. Katie must now conjure up her natural instincts to get to the bottom of the break-in, regain her power, and win the wizard of her dreams.

My Thoughts.


I read the first book in the series, Enchanted, Inc. early last year and I really liked. It sort of Harry Potter / Chick Lit all rolled into one. The story was fluffy and light, and the characters were new and funny. Once Upon Stilettos continues where the last book left off and does a good job at keeping that happy feeling in the air.


Katie Chandler, a human who isn't affected by magic and works at a big company that makes magical products in New York, is a really amusing character. Not only does she have to deal with her love life, but she has to juggle her tasks at finding the company mole, her parents, her friends, and the evil company competitors.


Although I don't think it was as good as the last book, it wasn't a huge disappointment. Her relationship develops with Ethan as well as Rod and the ever dreamy Owen. It does get a bit redundant at times and its really easy to get frustrated with some of the characters. However, I did really like very real work atmosphere in the novels. If only I could work at a place like that...


What I Liked.

• Merlin. I love that her boss is the great magician Merlin. Not only is he a big sweet heart, he understands her mistakes and isn't afraid to take control. He would've made an awesome grandpa.
• The fairy coworkers. You'd think they'd be deceptive and conniving creatures, but they're really relatable characters, people you'd love to have at your own job. They're quirky, unpredictable, and nice - with the obvious few exceptions. Katie's work space dynamic is great.
• The relationships. Not only does she have Ethan as her boyfriend, there's Owen who walks her to work every day and seems to act in as her best friend in her work space. There's also Rod who's looks drastically improve as her sight seems to go away. The way she handles it is quirky, entertaining, and amusing to read about. It's never to angsty and has just the right amount of cute.
• The mystery spy during the holidays. Not only does Katie to arrange all the holiday events at her work, she has to track down a spy that's cluing the in evil guys on their work. Secret Santa exchanges have never been more exciting.
• Her amazingly fabulous stilettos. They're bold, daring, and if I wasn't so tall I would totally wear them. You can tell there's something off about the shoes and I think it play rather well with the rest of the plot.

What I Didn't Like.

• Her parents visiting her in New York. I don't have anything against her parents nor do I adhere to parents visiting their children over Thanksgiving. I just found that their visit seemed almost like Swendson had nothing else to write about. They didn't contribute anything really important to the story and it didn't seem like they were sent there to foreshadow or set up something important for the future. I was definitely more than a little put off.
• Katie's roommates. You know that they're there, you just never see them. Sure there are the occasion conversations with them, but it hardly seems like they're that big apart of her life. You think that sharing an apartment with them would make them more relevant characters.
• Idris. I know he's supposed to be the antagonist in this story, but he doesn't seem like a very good one. I keep thinking he looks like some frat boy turned nerd who wears over sized glasses and torments people in strange and entertaining ways. Evil? I think not.
• The ending. It ended too abruptly for me, leaving very little closure for the two characters between books. *spoiler* It's one of those cliche endings where they kiss. Meh.

Should You Read It?

Have you read the first book? No? Read it, come back, and then decide. Read it? If you're in the mood, pick it up, but try not to hold really high expectations.

Looking for a bit of light reading? I would stay clear. However, if you're in the neighborhood for a non-serious story with an adorable plot, cute guys, and quirky fairy coworkers give it a try. It's a quick read and goes along quite well with the first book in the series.

Cover Rating

2.5 Stars

It's very '90s and, well, it looks odd. Plus the frog looks really awkward on the cover and kind of misleading. This is not a frog filled book (there are a few, but it's not like, "LOOK! Frog number 44!").

Series Overview: The Fever Series

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning

Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever


Overall Series Rating

Four and a Half, but I'll round. ;P




Winter break ended on a high note, fo'sho. My reading list for 2011 is offically over! But looking past all that gangster speak, reading Karen Marie Moning's Fever Series was one of the best decisions I made during my break from classes.


Five days, five books, and a whole lot of awesomeness.
Because I read them so fast, it's going to take me a while to review all of them so I thought I'd just like do one quick series overview so I can move on with my to-read list. 


Summary for Darkfever (Fever #1)

MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman. Or so she thinks…until something extraordinary happens.
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae….
As Mac delves deeper into the mystery of her sister’s death, her every move is shadowed by the dark, mysterious Jericho, a man with no past and only mockery for a future. As she begins to close in on the truth, the ruthless Vlane–an alpha Fae who makes sex an addiction for human women–closes in on her. And as the boundary between worlds begins to crumble, Mac’s true mission becomes clear: find the elusive Sinsar Dubh before someone else claims the all-powerful Dark Book–because whoever gets to it first holds nothing less than complete control of the very fabric of both worlds in their hands….

And that's how the story begins. Interesting, isn't it? I can't reveal that summaries for the next four books without spoiling anything, but if your in for a very different kind of romance novel then this is the story for you.


My Thoughts.

If your looking for a good romance novel with an amazing plot then definitely pick this up. I mean, Jericho Barrons is the most interesting man on the planet - well in Dublin at least.
The entire series as a whole was interesting, capitaving, and drew me in with its mysteries and hopes for the two main characters, Mac and Barrons. At first this isn't a romance at all, but it soon becomes one as their lives are intertwined.


The series in general had a really good pace, however the amount of foreshadowing that occurred in the first three books really gave away a lot of things. However, the last book completely and utterly redeems itself in some ways, and leaves us still with questions unanswered. 
But would I read it again? Psh, yeah.


*SPOILER-Y REVIEW BELOW*