Toxic (Denazen #2)

Toxic

(Denazen #2)

Jus Accardo

Release Date:

October 16 2012

Publisher:

Entangled

Pages:

317

Source:

My Personal Copy

Reading Level:

Young Adult

Description:

When a Six saved Kale's life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she'd lose the one thing she'd give anything to keep... And as if it's not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six bought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez's problems.

After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the situation, he poisons Dez and offers her a choice--surrender to Denazen for the cure...or die. Determined to find a solution that doesn't involve being bagged and tagged--or losing someone she loves--Dez keeps the poison a secret. But when a rash of Denazen attacks hit a little too close to home, Dez is convinced there's a traitor among them. Jade.

Sacrifices, broken promises, and secrets. Dez will have to lay it all on the line if there's any hope of proving Jade's guilt before they all end up residents of Denazen. Or worse, dead...

Teaser Sentence(s):

'Kale was trained for this kind of thing. Breaking and entering. Sneak attacks. All-around ninja stuff. Alex could name each member of every nineties alternative band ever formed. Kale could kick all their asses. It just was what it was.'

My Thoughts:

I really liked book 1, Touch, in this series, but I cannot say the same for Toxic. There was a serious lack of action, unless you count all the plant killing. Dez spent most of the book whining and being jealous instead of taking care of the problems at hand. 

The thing I liked most about this book is probably the creepy twins who work for Denazen, Able and Aubrey. I liked their powers and their sinister attitudes, even though I do not think I was supposed to like them. I was surprised to find out who the actual traitor was, but the rest of the book was just 'meh'. I have a strong feeling of dislike towards Jade. She continuously had a crappy stuck up attitude, and I really hope she isn't in the next book. I also hope there is more of Alex. I really like him, even though I cannot figure out why. He isn't a major character, and he has done some pretty bad things. I guess I can still see the good in him.

I will still buy and read book 3 when it comes out. For some reason the second book in a series always seems to bore me, so before I call it quits I want to give it one more shot.

Enshadowed (Nevermore #2)

Enshadowed 
(Nevermore #2)

Kelly Creagh

Release Date:

August 28, 2012

Publisher:

Atheneum Books

Pages:

448

Source:

My Personal Copy

Reading Level:

Young Adult

Description:

While Varen remains a prisoner in a perilous dream world where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life, Isobel travels to Baltimore to confront the dark figure known throughout the world as the Poe Toaster. This man, the same man who once appeared to Isobel in her dreams and abandoned her in Varen’s nightmare world, holds the key to saving Varen.

But when Isobel discovers a way to return to this dream world, she finds herself swept up in a realm that not only holds remnants of Edgar Allan Poe’s presence, but has also now taken on the characteristics of Varen’s innermost self. It is a dark world of fear, terror, and anger.

When Isobel once more encounters Varen, she finds him changed. And now Isobel must face a new adversary—one who also happens to be her greatest love.

Teaser Sentence(s): 

'Lifting his arm out to the side, he let the slip of pink satin dangle from his hand. Then he unclenched his fist, letting go of the ribbon.'

My Thoughts:

I am not going to say much about this book, because I do not want to give any spoilers for anyone who has not read the first book in this series.

This book was absolutely frustrating. It seemed to go on and on forever with nothing major really happening. Varen is hardly in this book, and when he does make a rare appearance I wanted to come through the pages and give him a nice hard bitch-slap. I did like pinfeathers in this book. He was the main reason I wasn't bored out of my mind reading this. 
I know there is going to be a third book in this series. I am willing to give it a shot, with hopes that this second book was setting up for lots and lots of action and resolve in the next. 

I do not know whether or recommend this book or not. I think I need to wait until I have read the next in this series. Then I will know if it is a waste of your time or not. 

Rise of the Fallen (All The King's Men #1)

Rise of the Fallen

Donya Lynne

Release date:

March 23, 2012

Publisher:

Phoenix Press

Pages:

181

Source:

Kindle Freebie

Reading level:

Adult

Description:

In the streets of Chicago exists an uneasy, centuries-old truce between vampires and their distant cousins, a race of shifters called drecks. Vampire enforcement agency, All the King's Men (AKM), is charged with maintaining the truce, but when volatile enforcer Micah Black loses his mate and falls into the biological agony that results from the broken bond, he tests the boundaries of the truce by seeking out Apostle, a leader in the dreck community. Micah wants Apostle to kill him, a request Apostle is more than happy to fulfill.

When ex-Army medic Samantha Garrett inadvertently disrupts the plot and saves Micah's life a chain reaction set Micah's heart on a collision course with Sam's, but he will have to protect her from Apostle and her obsessive ex-husband, Steve, if they will have a chance at forever. Can Micah hold his emotions together to keep Sam alive?

Teaser Sentence(s):

'"The fallen has risen. Back from the dead to walk among the living once again."'

My Thoughts:

This is one of those Kindle freebies that has been on my iPhone for *shrugs* I have no idea how long. I randomly started reading it when I was out and found myself with some time and no book. 
I really liked the first half of the story, even though I felt like I was reading something from The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J. R. Ward. The second half just felt like it was written too quickly. Everything was wrapped up in a hurry like there should have been more to it. 
The two main characters were awesome. I loved Samantha. She wasn't your ordinary can't-take-of-herself-chick. She is ex-Army and totally bad-ass. The romance between Micah and Sam was believable and didn't seem forced. But the whole story between her and her ex-husband didn't seem well thought out. It just seemed thrown together when the story was having downtime.
I would suggest this to someone who just needed something smutty to read. I enjoyed it enough to finish reading it, but I am glad it was a freebie. 

Nevermore

Description: Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due-so unfair-on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he'd rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can't help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.
 Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.
 As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.
His life depends on it. -Amazon

Author: Kelly Creagh
Release date: August 31, 2011
Publisher: Atheneum Books
Pages: 560
Source: My personal copy
Reading level: Young Adult

Teaser Sentence(s): 'He glared up at her past the brim of his hat and, with each hand, grabbed both blades by the hilt. He yanked them from his chest in one clean motion. Gray ash poured out from the would-be wounds like sand. Then the opening closed over, and all traces of damage vanished into the blackness of his clothes.'

My thoughts: I do not even know where to begin on this one. I liked it, but sometimes it was very slow. I kept going back and forth between a 3 star rating and a 4 star rating. I normally do not do halves, but I decided I am going to rate this one 3.5 stars. I really like how the author played on Edgar Allan Poe and his works. I am a fan of Poe's, so it was interesting to see how she made a story from his stories. It was a little slow at times. I kept finding myself having to re-read pages, because my mind had started to wonder. But the creativity of the story was good and well thought out.
I really liked Varen, but not so much Isobel. I liked her friend Gwen much more. I thought Isobel was lacking a little personality, but at least she wasn't the ditsy cheerleader. The story was very well written. Everything came together really nicely at the end. Except that sad part....I am not happy about that sad part. That sad part is what's going to make me buy the 2nd book in this series. I cannot be left hanging. I really, really want to see what happens to Varen. 
If you like Edgar Allan Poe and a little high school paranormal drama, then I would say read this book. There is a little romance in this read, but mostly the author sticks to telling the story.

Rating:

Under The Never Sky

Description: Since she'd been on the outside, she'd survived an Aether storm, she'd had a knife held to her throat, and she'd seen men murdered. This was worse.
Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland-known as The Death Shop-are slim. If the cannibals don't get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She's been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He's wild-a savage-and her only hope of staying alive. A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile-everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria's help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky.
In her enthralling debut, Veronica Rossi sends readers on an unforgettable adventure set in a world brimming with harshness and beauty. -Amazon

Author: Veronica Rossi
Release date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 384
Source: My personal copy
Reading level: Young Adult

Teaser Sentence(s): 'She had feared Aether storms all her life from the safety of Reverie. Now she was in the middle of one.'

My thoughts: There were some elements of this book that I loved. This read was definitely a little different from the books I have been reading, and that was refreshing. Veronica Rossi did a great job telling the story, and I fell in love with the futuristic setting she placed before me. The technology, the pods, the wasteland, the 'solar storms' are all believable for 100's of years in the future. I adore books that have a double point-of-view. The characters are much more relatable when the reader is able to understand the thoughts of more than just the main protagonist. 
 What I didn't like about this book was the relationship between Aria and Perry. It was terribly bland. The two as a couple did not leave me feeling any emotion. Even with the forbidden love aspect, which I am obsessed with, I just could not believe in their relationship.  I like both of them separately. Aria is quick witted and tough. I hope in upcoming books she learns more about her fraternal heritage. Perry is rough, tough, scarred and tattooed, and is absolutely self-sacrificing. I love him. 
 I will continue to read this series. With this being Veronica Rossi's debut release, I feel she can only get better. That leaves me with much hope in this series. 

Rating:

All Over You / Devoured

Description: Before Sienne was devoured, before Lucas was consumed, they were all over each other... Lucas Wolfe is used to getting what he wants-from everyone but one person, that is-so when he meets the wardrobe assistant hired to work his band's newest video, he's got to have her. From the moment Sienne first obediently whispers "Yes, Mr. Wolfe", he knows she's perfect for him. Three Days. And he'll have her stripped down and bound to his bed.

Set two years before the events of 'Devoured', All Over You is a 17,000 word novella which tells the story of Sienna and Lucas's first encounter. -Amazon

Author: Emily Snow
Release date: Decemeber 31, 2012
Publisher: Emily Snow Books
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Pages: 54
Source: my Kindle copy
Reading level: Adult -sex and language

Teaser Sentence: 'And that's the precise moment when she's no longer the wardrobe girl with the tight body who won't be anything to me but a brief encounter within a few minutes.'

Description: Sienna Jensen had no plans to return home when she graduated college last spring-after all, her dreams lie in California. But when she discovers her grandmother's Nashville home has been foreclosed, and the new owner has started the eviction process, Sienna has no other choice but go back to Music City. And she comes face to face with the flawed, gorgeous man she never thought she's see again. The man who now holds the deed to her grandma's estate. When millionaire rock star Lucas Wolfe finds the outspoken redhead glaring at him from across a courtroom, he's both infuriated and intrigued. He still can't get the night Sienna almost spent with him out of his mind, and the chemistry between them is as undeniable as it was two years ago. He craves Sienna more then ever. And just like everything Lucas hungers for, he's determined to have her.  Now, Lucas will do whatever it takes to lure Sienna into his bed, even if that means making a deal with her: ten days with him, playing by his rules, and he'll hand over the deed to her grandmother's home. Though she agrees to the arrangement, Sienna is conflicted, because of her duty to her family. Because of promises she's made to herself and a past that still haunts her. And as Lucas's game of seduction continues, and Sienna is introduced to his dark, erotic world and even darker background, she realizes that at any moment, she could be devoured. -Amazon

Author: Emily Snow

Release date: October 8, 2012 

Publisher: Emily Snow Books

Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.

Pages: 223

Source: my Kindle copy

Reading level: Adult -sex and language

Teaser Sentence: 'Lucas Wolfe is all muscles and tattoos and sexiness, but it's his music that as a way of getting to me.'

My thoughts: First off, if you try to read Devoured without reading All Over You first, you are going to be confused about what happened in their past. Devoured does not give you enough information alone. I love a hot, tattooed guy in a rock band. I just can't help it, I am married to one. The cover model of these books is what sucked me in. I was a little disappointed in these books. They were not nearly dirty enough. Yes there was some hot scenes, but most of the book is just Lucas chasing after Sienna. I won't give away the ending, but being the rock-star wife I am, I was jealous at the sweet act he came up with to try and get her back. All Over You is written from both Sienna and Lucas's point of view. I really liked getting to see some of what Lucas's was thinking. I was a little upset that Devoured was all from Sienna's view point. I was really hoping for more of an idea about how Lucas thinks and why he is the way he is. There is another book yet to come out in this series. Hopefully, it will be steamier and tell us more about Lucas's past with his ex-wife. There were lots of unanswered questions when I reached the end of this book.

Rating:

Sacrifice In Stone

Description: In 1758 Britain, a blood curse imprisons solder Garrick Lawson in the form of a marble statue as a sacrifice to bring prosperity to the Rushworth family. Fighting madness inside his stone prison, Garrick awaits a release that may never come. Over two centuries later, he hears a voice that makes him hunger for love as well as freedom. Mara, the Rushworth heiress, feels irresistibly drawn to the statue. She dreams of hungry kisses in the arms of a soldier with eyes the color of melting chocolate. When Mara discovers an antique journal, revealing her family's crime, she knows the man of her dreams awaits and she must risk the wrath of her devious uncle to free him. Using her blood, Mara brings Garrick to life and awakens his desire to claim her as his woman. But even as fiery passion burns between lovers, the journal reveals that Garrick's freedom has a price...Mara's life. -Amazon

Author: Patricia Mason
Release date: October 26, 2012
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Pages: 42
Source: Free download from Amazon
Reading level: Adult - contains some violence and sex

Teaser Sentence(s): 'Her fingers slid through his hair and she felt the change. What had been silky now felt course and gritty.'

My thoughts: This is one of those random books we all download for free and let sit on our e-readers until we are tired of looking at it. This book was very rushed, but I guess that's what you get with a short story. I liked the idea and the story, but it would have been better as a full length novel with a little more information and back story on the characters. I would love to know more about Garrick's life before he became imprisoned in the stone.

Rating: