Blog Break

As much as I love doing this blog and will continue at some point. My reading has come to a complete halt, I haven't picked up a book in almost a week. Right now I need to take a step back and concentrate on all the real life things that have come up. It looks like I'm going to be moving soon (which wasn't planned at all) and I may not have access to a computer very often when I move.

Taking a step back isn't any easy thing for me to do. I'm the type of person that when I start something I want to keep it going and watch it grow.. I feel like I'm leaving this hanging right in the middle of it all.

Topics to Think About: Book Ratings

I was looking through my shelf on Shelfari to find books to review that I had read prior to creating this blog. While searching it became clear to me that most of the books I read are rated as 4 stars.

That got me thinking.. Am I rating the books high because I'm an easy to please reader? Is it because I gloss over imperfections and accept them as part of the story? Or is it because most of the books I read are from recommendations of fellow readers and they have really liked the story, enough to recommend it?

I don't really have the answer to these questions. It was something that I never really noticed before. So I was wondering if other people noticed this when they first started really rating books and writing reviews of them.

Please leave your thoughts below :)

Review: Retribution

Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
#19 in Dark Hunters Series

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

Harm no human...

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he'd spend eternity protecting the humans he'd once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief- Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meets the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster...

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who's assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he's not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they've sworn to protect.

My Thoughts

This is a Paranormal Romance, and it is in a class of it's own (at least for me). I've never read anything like it. I enjoy Sherrilyn Kenyon. Her writing is smooth and complex, yet not hard to follow.

I honestly didn't remember Jess (Sundown) from any of the other books. I know he's been in some because all the characters have been introduced as secondary characters. He just wasn't memorable before. That being said- Jess was different than other Dark-Hunters. Most of them seem to think that brooding and such is their main job. That they've been wronged so they are entitled to it (at least in the beginning of their stories). Jess realized a long time ago that being bitter and holding that grudge just wasn't worth it. He is a fun guy, the jokes or comments he made were refreshing. I enjoyed it. Abigail in essence has been living a lie. And only realizes it after being confronted by Jess. She has to face that she was hurting the wrong people. I could go on and on about these two. They seemed like an unlikely pair. But I liked them both instantly.

There seemed to be a different change of pace for this story. It didn't come across as them hating each other in the beginning (like it does sometimes). It was more of a misconception on past events that let to them meeting and as that was resolved everything fell into place. Another storyline during Retribution was about Guardians who protected plaques and what happens when balance shifts. It was interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of it unfold.

The scene with Jess and Abigail in the Audi in the car wash... It was a good one, with a little bit of humor. Not going to say much more than that, don't want to give anything away if people haven't read yet. The various humorous digs or comebacks had me laughing out loud. Which is slightly unusual for a Dark-Hunters Novel (at least in this volume).

I love this series and look forward to reading the rest. I would recommend this series. Sherrilyn Kenyon has said that she writes each book so that it can be a stand alone novel. For me, reading them in order is like putting a puzzle together piece by piece. Each story is another piece of this amazing world that Sherrilyn Kenyon has created and I couldn't imagine reading them any other way.

Tuesday Teaser #11

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:
Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
# 19 in Dark Hunters Series

Find this book on Goodreads

"No, she didn't. Because if he was right, if those images were the truth, then she was wrong on a level so profound that it made her sick." pg 124/396 Hardback copy

Review: Heart of Gold

Heart of Gold by Jessica Bird aka J.R. Ward

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

She has a chance to find something more precious than gold, if she’s brave enough to trust her heart. . . . Her intense passion for unlocking the secrets of the past is what made Carter Wessex an archeologist. Now she’s been given a chance to dig on Farrell Mountain where a doomed party of minutemen lost their lives—as well as the gold they were carrying during the Revolutionary War. Carter refuses to let the mountain’s owner, Nick Farrell, rattle her, even though she’s all too aware of his sexy yet sardonic presence. Her work on the mountain could be the most significant find of her career . . . if she can pull herself away from the smoldering attraction that is undeniably growing between them. Beneath the steely facade Nick Farrell wears like a well-cut suit, he is a man of hidden tenderness. From his first meeting with Carter, there’s an immediate flare—hotter than he has ever experienced before. But no one is more surprised than Nick when his desire for her deepens into something enduring. Now Nick must find a way to convince Carter that the real treasure to be found on Farrell Mountain is a true and lasting love. . . .

My Thoughts

This is a Contemporary Romance novel, you don't find too many books that concentrate on Archaeology. Carter Wessex (am I the only one that finds Carter as a weird name for a girl?) is an archaeologist, interested in putting together a dig on land owned by Nick Farrel. Nick Farrel is a Corporate Raider, he cares for his nephew Cort. Nick have an instant dislike for each other. Nick doesn't like anyone going up on his mountain. Nick has a pretty rocky relationship with Cort, he seems to think he has to be a dictator in order to keep Cort out of trouble and keep Cort's diabetes under control.

I really enjoyed the parts about Carter's archaeology dig. I find it fascinating when I have a chance to read about jobs I'll never be able to do. The further I got in Heart of Gold, the more I disliked Nick. I understand that a good romance has to have some friction between the two, but he was just down right mean and nasty. There was an attempt at a change in attitude toward the end, but it was abrupt and a little unbelievable. Carter has issues with her father which contribute to her reluctance to be in a relationship, to me this is believable.

Like I said before, I liked the parts where it concentrated on the dig. The story behind the part where they were doing the dig was really cool to learn, whether it was real or not. On the other hand, I didn't like the scenes where Nick has decided that he can't let him and Carter get any closer so he starts being nasty and mean. For me it was over the top, and unnecessary. I get that it was almost like a defense mechanism, but just a little much. There was a couple of parts that had me giggling, but it isn't written solely to make you laugh.

I've always enjoyed books written by J.R. Ward, so I figured I would try some of her Jessica Bird books. I liked the writing style. The story had a nice flow to it. This book, as far as I know isn't part of a series. It seemed pretty stand-alone to me. While there were parts of this story that I didn't like, overall it was a nice read.

Review: The Outlaw Demon Wails

The Outlaw Demon Wails by Kim Harrison
#6 Hollows Series

Rating-

Find this book on Goodreads

Book Blurb

To save the lives of her friends, Rachel did the unthinkable: she willingly trafficked in forbidden demon magic. And now her sins are coming home to haunt her.

As Rachel searches for the truth behind a terrifying murder, an even greater menace threatens, for the demon Algaliarept will stop at nothing to claim her, and the discovery of a shocking family secret throws Rachel's entire life into question. If she is ever to live free, Rachel must first walk willingly into the demonic ever-after in search of long-lost ancient knowledge.

But when you dance with demons, you lay your soul on the line...and there are some lines that should never be crossed.

My Thoughts

Where do I start, this is by far my favorite book in The Hollows Series so far. It's an Urban Fantasy and nothing like anything I've read in the genre before. I always look forward to reading this series because I love reading about the characters and seeing where they'll go next.

Rachel Morgan is at it again in this one. Working with Ivy and Jenks, while trying to live with them (which is always interesting when the pixies move into the church during the cold.. haha). Trent, Al, Marshall and Rachel's Mom all have rather big parts in The Outlaw Demon Wails also. Al is trying to kill Rachel which isn't a huge surprise he has never really liked her. Trent seems to think it is Rachel's job to save the Elf species and wants her to into the Ever-After to help him. With all this going on it results in a fast-pasted story that just keeps you coming back for more. I can honestly say with this series I didn't just have one favorite character. It was like being pulled in multiple directions.. I enjoyed learning more about them all.

There were a couple scenes that seemed to have a really big impact. Rachel and Ivy came to a turning point in their relationship and I was actually happy when it happened because I never really cared for that part of the story anyways. Also Rachel found out something about her parents that helped her understand why she could do what she was can. I'm loving where this series is going. All of the twists thrown into this book were interesting. I look forward to reading where it leads the characters.

Kim Harrison's writing style is really smooth and seems to have a natural flow to it. There isn't anything about her style that I don't like. I was a little shocked while reading with all the twists and such, but it's a good shocked. i will for sure continue with The Hollows. Rachel is a very interesting character and I can't wait to see what happens next. I would recommend The Outlaw Demon Wails to anyone that loves a well built world chalk full of supernatural elements.

Tuesday Teaser #10

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:
Heart of Gold by Jessica Bird AKA J.R. Ward

Find this book on Goodreads

"But then suddenly, she heard the sharp sound of a tree branch snapping and a rhythmic beating of the air. They pulled apart, shaken." Page 69/352 (paperback copy)