Maybe I'd Rather Starve...

Published:  September 17th, 2012

Starved for Love

By: Annie Nicholas

Carina Press

ISBN-13:  9781426894381

After almost dying of starvation to remain faithful to a mortal lover, succubus Pia Blyton now shields her heart by feeding solely on men she won't fall for. The only trick is, to create energy to survive, she must achieve orgasm. At least that rules out bad sex with her three lovers. Too bad she's a sucker for falling in love.

When her demon lover doesn't arrive for their arranged rendezvous, Pia is forced to ask her vampire lover to step in before her energy becomes dangerously low. In return he demands a favor and Pia finds herself in the hotel suite of the mysterious Valerio Hunan, who seduces her with a devastating kiss. Too late Pia learns he's an incubus who wants to lure her into marriage—a marriage without love.

As an incubus used to bedding a variety of succubi, Val doesn't understand Pia's yearning for love. He needs a succubus wife to provide him with a steady source of energy. But he wants Pia for the passion and renewed interest in life she makes him feel. Can Pia convince Val that sex isn't just for survival and love is for more than the weak?

Review

     Pia Blyton has a feeding system that allows her to not fall in love and get hurt, but when one of her three partners vanishes her schedule goes to Hell.  And to a succubus who has a former 'eating disorder' by trying to stay faithful to one man and has had her heart broken, this is a complete disaster.  Enter incubus Valerio Hunan, a shrewd businessman looking for a sixth wife to expand his power base.  Pia's overprotective Father offered her sisters and Valerio wasn't interested - but something about Pia intrigues him against his better judgement.  When sparks begin to fly and the relationship gets more complicated than either ever expected, both of them are left hanging on for dear life.  But with the mystery behind her third lover's disappearance possibly having a more sinister reason behind it, Pia may need Valerio more than she thinks.  Is true love too much to ask for a succubus?  This was different from my usual reads by far.  It was also the first book I've ever read involving a succubus.  I can't say that I was overly impressed.  I never really got invested in the romance or the characters, my main problem being it wasn't a monogamous love story, in that only two people were married to each other.  The multiple wives just disconnected me from the start.  Plus, Pia was whiny and acted helpless all the time - it seriously got on my nerves as a reader who has little patience with the "helpless" female in literature.  I like my heroines with a spine thankyouverymuch!!!  Overall, a disappointing love story, sex scenes that felt gratuitous & fell pretty flat and a story that didn't capture my heart.  Not the one for me at all.

VERDICT:  2.5/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published September 17th, 2012.*

Witchy Woman

Expected Publication:  November 13th, 2012
Witch World (Witch World # 1)
By: Christopher Pike
Simon Pulse
ISBN-13:  9781442430280

Heading off for a weekend in Las Vegas with her friends, Jessie Ralle has only one worry—how to make it through the road trip in the same car with her Ex, Jimmy Kelter. The guy who broke her heart five months ago when he dumped her for no reason. The guy who’s finally ready to tell her why he did it, because he wants her back.

But what Jessie doesn’t realize is that Jimmy is the least of her problems.

In Las Vegas she meets Russ, a mesmerizing stranger who shows her how to gamble, and who never seems to lose. Curious, Jessie wants to know his secret, and in response, alone in his hotel room, he teaches her a game that opens a door to another reality.

To Witch World.

Suddenly Jessie discovers that she’s stumbled into a world where some people can do the impossible, and others may not even be human. For a time she fears she’s lost her mind. Are there really witches? Is she one of them?

Review

 

   So I have read a LOT of Christopher Pike's books in the past and I am very happy that he's decided to write YA books again.  As a reader, it makes me happily nostalgic.  But this book was below par compared to his previous works.  Jessie Ralles is a solid heroine for this series and as a former library page, I loved the fact that she was one in her small town.  I didn't enjoy her pining over Jimmy, her ex-boyfriend (of all of three months), who dumped her out of the blue, cruelly and without explanation.  I also felt like he was using a tired plot device when he had the reason be that Jimmy's previous girlfriend had been pregnant with their baby.  Now Jimmy wants to get back with Jessie because the baby died and he still loves her.  After graduation the two of them and a few of their other friends go on a trip to Vegas, where Jessie meets a guy named Russ and ends up discovering that their is an alternate reality called "Witch World," where there's another version of all of them.  In that world magic exists and to merge your two selves, one of them has to "die."  In Witch World, Jessie and Jimmy have a daughter who exists in place of his son in the other reality.  An evil faction of witches have kidnapped Jessie's daughter AND Jimmy's son for nefarious purposes pertaining to the possiblity of an apocalypse.  Now it's up to Jessie and her friends to convince Jimmy of reality of magic and to get back the children before it's too late.  It sounds like there is a lot of action in this book, but the majority of it is made up of plotting and scheming.  I was kind of put off by the casual way that Jessie had sex with Jimmy and felt like a normal, small-town girl wouldn't have handled things that way.  The book moved very slowly for the first 2/3 and when it finally picked up the pace I was left feeling very ambivalent.  But the cliffhanger ending guarantees that I'll read the sequel!  It was about 200 pages too long, but overall a good start to a new series.

 

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review. It will be available for purchase on November 13th, 2012.*



Neither One Prepared

Published: October 2012

Moonlight & Mechanicals (The Gaslight Chronicles # 4)

By: Cindy Spencer Pape

Carina Press

eBook

London, 1859

Engineer Winifred "Wink" Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead.

Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son. They soon discover that London's poorest are disappearing at an alarming rate, after encounters with mysterious "mechanical" men. Even more alarming is the connection the missing people may have with a conspiracy against the Queen.

Fighting against time—and their escalating feelings for each other—Wink and Liam must work together to find the missing people and save the monarchy before it's too late...

Review

     Wink has been head over heels for Liam McCullough ever since she was a teenager and he helped save her from a bunch of vampires.  But he is determined that after his parents' disastrous marriage he will be a bachelor forever.  Than one of her childhood friends, Connor, proposes marriage to her.  Wink decides to try and fall in love with him, but every time she does her mind fills up with Liam and it becomes useless.  But there are more important things to worry about than romance - someone is abducting people from London's shadier district for some nefarious plot involving revenge for the younger sons of nobility.  They are being conscripted for a cause almost too chilling to think about - to serve as mindless soldiers inside mechanical suits, with literally no control over anything they do.  Can Wink, her wayward adopted brothers and Liam come together in time to figure out who is behind the scheme?  Or will something devastating get in the way?  I saw this on NetGalley, not realizing that is was fourth in a series of novellas.  But I decided that I would read it because the summary intrigued me - and it sounded like a good romance.  I'm not usually a fan of steampunk, but this seemed like the lite version of it so I took the plunge.  I am SO glad that I did!  Wink was a wonderful heroine, perfectly capable of taking care of herself, mechanically inclined and not afraid to show it.  She used to be an orphan on the streets and so did four of her other 'siblings' until they were adopted by a Knight and his wife.  She still acts like a normal person, even with privilege, which is a joy for me as a reader.  I loved Liam, even though his stubborn refusal to try a relationship with Wink at first because of his werewolf condition made my teeth clench.  But I couldn't stay mad at him because of his fumblingly, inept attempts to point her in Connor's direction.  He really managed to amuse me.  The mystery of who is behind the abductions and mechanical army wasn't that surprising - the reason why was VERY surprising (which was a nice change from some of the stuff I've read lately, that treat readers like toddlers).    My favorite character though, was the mechanical dog George who acts and seems to think like a real dog.  Such a sweet companion to the Hadrian family.  Overall between the family relationships, the romance, the friendships, and the sneakily good world-building I'd have to call this my favorite Carina Press novella so far.  Very good and I highly recommend it.

VERDICT:  4.25/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published October 2012.*

Don't Wake Me Up, You're Creepy

Published:  August 7th, 2012

Wake (Watersong # 1)

By: Amanda Hocking

St. Martin's Griffin

ISBN-13:  9781250008121

Gorgeous. Fearless. Dangerous. They're the kind of girls you envy; the kind of girls you want to hate. Strangers in town for the summer, Penn, Lexi and Thea have caught everyone's attention—but it’s Gemma who’s attracted theirs.  She’s the one they’ve chosen to be part of their group.

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door.  He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back.  Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever.  She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove.  They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price.  And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

Review

     So, the above summary is from Goodreads and seems like a more than adequate enough background for someone reading this review to know what the book is about (or trying to be about anyways...).  So I'm just going to bypass my normal blurb and just jump right into the actual review portion of this post.  As a young adult author who started out self-published and was picked up by a major publishing house, Amanda Hocking is totally living the dream.  And I  really admire her for her tenacity and raw talent.  But that's what it is -RAW TALENT.  This book is a lot more polished than her Trylle trilogy (the first book of which left me gagging and cross-eyed) and you can tell an editor actually made changes to it.  But not enough to tell Amanda that she needs to amp up the action and show, not tell!  I couldn't make out whether Gemma was the main character or if it was supposed to be Harper.  Plus, Gemma spent a good majority of the book swimming and going on about an Olympic future and just tossed it aside with hardly a fight when she began to transform.  Her relationship with Alex was sickly sweet and showcases her vulnerability in a way that makes her seem sixteen going on seven.  It made me want to throw the book against the wall.  I never really got a sense of the backstory for Penn, Lexi and Thea.  Yes we're told that they originated from Greek Mythology, but the girls' more recent pasts are very sketchy.  And the book's trajectory felt very iffy, especially when it tried to go from zero to 80 in two seconds flat and ended up doing a weak, school-zone thirty.  There just wasn't enough world-building and I got the same feeling her other books gave me - she's trying to write herself into a book.  With this one it wasn't as obvious until the really bad romance started because of the swimming focus, but it becomes blatantly obvious.  Ms. Hocking there is a reason that most real people do not make good book characters, in a word: BORING.  Overall a very weak book that left me feeling like I'd wasted my time.  Good for fans of Twilight though.  And she did improve as a writer, which was worth noting.

VERDICT:  2/5  Stars

*No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book is now available in stores, online, or maybe even at your local library.*

The Dead Celebrity Cookbook Presents: Christmas in Tinseltown

Published:  October 1st, 2012

The Dead Celebrity Cookbook Presents: Christmas in Tinseltown

By: Frank DeCaro, Virginia Bell

Health Communications

ISBN-13: 9780757317002

Now you can put some gam in your holiday ham with The Dead Celebrity Christmas Cookbook. When it comes to holiday fun, the stars of Hollywood's Golden Age knew how to make merry – on stage, on screen, and especially on the dinner table. With The Dead Celebrity Christmas Cookbook – the follow-up to his international sensation The Dead Celebrity Cookbook – Frank DeCaro shows how to put the kitsch into your holiday kitchen as he salutes a quirky collection of celebrities who are gone, but fondly remembered every year at Christmastime.

Filled with pop culture ruminations and genuine (and genuinely delicious) recipes of the stars, The Dead Celebrity Christmas Cookbook hails such movie classics as It's a Wonderful Life and White Christmas, gives three cheers for such time-honored animated gems as Frosty the Snowman and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and puts such offbeat offerings as The Star Wars Holiday Special in their rightful place – the dining room! (summary courtesy of Amazon.com)

Review

     I have a confession to make:  I never read the original Dead Celebrity Cookbook.  But I saw this one available on Netgalley and it looked like just the sort of thing that was right up my alley as a reader.  Granted, Christmas is not my favorite holiday (AT ALL),  but I figured maybe I could get a couple of recipes to use year-round from this thing and some fun anecdotes to read about in regards to famous actors/actresses since gone.  A lot of this cookbook was genuinely fun to read and I could tell that Mr. DeCaro was very passionate about what he was doing.  That said, I sometimes felt like the background info of the specific films (versus the specific stars) overshadowed the actual recipes and only served as filler to create more pages.  Plus, it never even touched on the fact that not EVERY dead celebrity was a Christian that celebrated Christmas.  Some of them had to have been Jewish right?  So where was the Hanukkah section?  I wouldn't have minded that, especially as a reader who isn't Jewish and is always looking to try new things.  But it didn't exist in this particular book.  The chapter names and the puns they created made me smile while I was reading, but overall I felt like this wasn't the cookbook for me or the actor trivia book for me either.  It split too much between trying to be both and didn't really succeed at being one or the other.  A fun book, but not one I would read again.

VERDICT:  3/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published October 1st, 2012.*

Josie Griffin Is More Kickass Than A Vampire...But Not By Much

Published:  September 13th, 2012
Josie Griffin Is Not A Vampire
By: Heather Swain
Speak
ISBN-13:  9780142421000

A hilarious take on the paranormal trend--Twilight meets The Breakfast Club!

When former good girl turned rebel Josie Griffin gets busted for what was in her mind perfectly acceptable revenge on her cheating dog of a boyfriend, she lands herself in anger management therapy. It could be worse: it could be juvvie, or she could be a zombie cheerleader like the rest of her former friends. But there's something strange about therapy--these are not normal kids. There's the wannabe ladies man with a weird accent, Johann; the blindingly gorgeous Helios; Avis with his wild dreads; and Tarren, the sprite of a girl with a wicked temper. And all of them keep talking about "powers." Josie knows that has to be impossible, but strange things start happening, and nothing weird ever happens in Indiana. After all, there're no such things as vampires, werewolves, Greek gods, or fairies . . . right?

Review

 

     Josie Griffin had the perfect boyfriend, great best friends and was living the teenage dream as a popular high school cheerleader.  Than she found her boyfriend kissing one of her BFFs - and found out the other supposed best friend knew and didn't say anything.  So you can't really blame a girl for busting out his windshield...right?  Except now she's court ordered to attend anger management therapy and do community service.  Not so bad, except when she lands in a group where everyone believes they're a mythological creature.  There's a vampire, a shapeshifter, a fairy, and what might be a Greek God.  Then girls from the shelter that Josie is working off her community service at begin to disappear.  It's up to Josie and her new friends to figure out what's going on, before it's too late for the girls that are still left.  But can Josie fit in with these kids, even though she's just a human?  This book started off very promising and I was laughing during the first few chapters, at Josie's fun personality and cheering for her continued strength.  It didn't last.  Josie stays consistently okay as a lead character, but is very shallow for the entirety of the book.  She never undergoes any real character development and neither do any of the others, especially her love interest Helios.  I felt like the more interesting characters in this were Tarren (the fairy) and Kayla (one of the girls from the shelter).  It was very predictable, in a Saturday night B-movie kind of way.  I smiled a few times, but overall I really did not connect with this one at all.  The resolution to the mystery was very obvious throughout the whole book and it made me groan at the cliche of it all.  A cute read, but nothing deeper below the surface. 

 

VERDICT:  2.75/5  Stars

 

*I received this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No favors or money were exchanged for this review.  It became available for purchase or at your local library on September 13th, 2012.*



Deadly to My Brain

Published:  September 2nd, 2011

Deadly.com

By: Cindy McDonald

Createspace

ISBN-13:  9781463647193

The novel is the first in a series about the West family, proprietors of Westwood Thoroughbred Farm, and their friends and associates in the world of horse racing. Socially awkward George gives everyone at the racetrack a creepy feeling and is avoided by all. But he uses an online portal to create a very different alternate identity to romance a multitude of attractive women including Kate West and her brother's ex-wife, Ava. When Mike West is forced to fire George, frustration and jealousy combine to make the voices in the jockey agent's head unbearable. Soon people start turning up dead and the path of destruction leads right to the West family home.

Review

     Kate West hasn't had much luck with lasting relationships and love.  So, she decides to give in to cultural pressure and join a social networking/dating website to find her Mr. Right.  What she is unaware of is that George, a very socially awkward jockey agent, is obsessed with her and pretending to be someone else to catch her interest on the site.  But when he asks Kate out while working with his jockey at the ranch and she denies him, obsession turns deadly very fast.  When George is fired by Kate's brother Mike and spurned by Mike's ex-wife Ava, he has a full-on psychotic break with reality.  When people begin to die, can Kate and Mike find a way to survive the greatest chaos they've ever faced?  I had my doubts to begin with, as this is basically self-published and it's a very cliched subject matter.  However, it sounded like it could be a fresh, exciting take on an old plot line.  So I gave it a shot.  I wish that I had never wasted the space on my Kindle for this supposed piece of literature.  It got off to an okay start, but it just disappeared when the characters really got going with their stupidity.  It read like a very badly written soap opera, with bumbling police officers and one-dimensional characters.  The most complex character was George (the psychopathic killer) and even he seemed like a badly reconstructed rip-off of other creations in past literature.  Kate and Mike were stupid, annoying and completely unpalatable   Every time they started to show some sense, they completely negated it by saying or doing something utterly inexcusable for a mature adult.  Ava was a waste of space and served only as a plot point, to move things along.  All I wanted was for the book to be over and it seemed like the author dragged out the murder plot twice as long as she needed to.  It had a completely ridiculous ending and if it had been a print book I would have thrown it against the wall.  I will never subject myself to this sort of torture again.  NEVER.  

VERDICT:  1/5  Stars

*I received an Advanced Reading E-book Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book was published September 2nd, 2011.*