Book Blogger Hop (4)

It's Friday and time for the Book Blogger Hop!  What is this craziness you ask? Well it was started by Jennifer over at Crazy for Books and this is what she says...

ABOUT THE HOP:

In the spirit of the Friday Follow, I thought it would be cool to do a Book Blogger Hop to give us all book bloggers and readers a chance to connect and find new blogs that we may be missing out on!  So, I created this weekly BOOK PARTY where book bloggers and readers can connect to find new blogs to read, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books!  It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!  So, grab the logo, post about the Hop on your blog, and start PARTYING!!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun!  This is a weekly event!

So go HERE and join it! It's Friday...and it's Fun!

Review: The Education of Bet (ARC) by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

Title: The Education of Bet
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Published: July 12, 2010
Hardcover: 192 pages
Reading Level: YA
My copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 4 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from Amazon.com:

When Will and Bet were four, tragic circumstances brought them to the same house, to be raised by a wealthy gentleman as brother and sister. Now sixteen, they’ve both enjoyed a privileged upbringing thus far. But not all is well in their household. Because she’s a girl, Bet’s world is contained within the walls of their grand home, her education limited to the rudiments of reading, writing, arithmetic, and sewing. Will’s world is much larger. He is allowed—forced, in his case—to go to school. Neither is happy.  So Bet comes up with a plan and persuades Will to give it a try: They’ll switch places. She’ll go to school as Will. Will can live as he chooses. But once Bet gets to school, she soon realizes living as a boy is going to be much more difficult than she imagined.

My quick wicked thoughts...A quick and hilarious book about a girl determined to follow her dreams, no matter what it takes.

Why I was tempted to read this...I have been a fan of Lauren's writing for awhile (see my review on Crazy Beautiful) and I love historical fiction, this was a no-brainer read for me and I have been looking forward to it for months!

Cover thoughts...Very pretty, very time-period appropriate.

Romance Meter...It was about a 3.5 out of 5 on the romance, there is definitely an attraction between Bet (or Will as she calls herself when she is in disguise) and her roommate, James.  This romance of course cannot be pursued too much because James thinks she is guy!  When Bet gets to attend a dance as herself when "Will" is sick, the romance starts there with the obvious spark between the two and keeps things heated up, especially when she has a tendency to want to act like Bet when she is Will around James!

Character and Plot...Bet is determined to get an education, something not allowed to women in the era she lived, even if that means cutting off her hair and learning how to be a guy.  Will, the boy that was brought up as a brother to her, doesn't appreciate school and would really rather join the military and start living his life, so Bet proposes a trade.  She will be him and go to school (since he has to start a new one for getting expelled from the last one) and he can go join the military.  While trying to plan for everything, of course, Bet forgets some very important things and doesn't know about others, so needless to say she isn't really prepared for a lot of things at school.  This book had me laughing out loud at some of the stuff she was doing and how she reacted to certain things, but this girl has backbone and I really liked that about her.  James, her roommate and future love, is very mysterious and different from most of the kids at the school, his character develops more towards the end of the book.  At 192 pages, this is a quick, light read but one I finished in an afternoon because it was really fun to read.  Bet and her antics will have you laughing out loud and flipping pages because you will want to know what kind of trouble she will get into next.

The Ending...It ended was pretty predictably but good.  Everything wrapped up nicely with no major surprises except with James, because you just didn't know much about him.  You will walk away chuckling and smiling and wishing the book was a little bit longer so you could stay in Bet's world to see what she will get into next.  If you haven't read any books by this author, I urge you to grab one and get ready to crack up, she has a great sense of humor.

 
Fun Author Fact...Throughout college, on semester breaks she worked as a doughnut salesperson, a job she swears gave her white lung disease from inhaling all the powered sugar flying around. Oh I would gain so much weight working there! ha ha

Review: Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

Title: Heavenly
Author: Jennifer Laurens
Paperback: 294 pages
Published: August 2009
Reading Level: YA/Adult
My Copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 4.5 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from Amazon.com:

I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever. 

My quick wicked thoughts...This book was SO much more than I was originally expecting.  I think I expected a quick, fun read and while it is that...it is also so much deeper.

Why I was tempted to read this...I knew it was about a guardian angel so I was definitely interested.

Cover thoughts...It's pretty cool, you see Matthias's face in the clouds.

Romance Meter...It was an intense 4 out of 5 on the romance scale...while there wasn't a lot of actual touching, the desire to do more was definitely there!

Character and Plot...I have to say this book made me reconsider my first impressions of main characters.  When we first meet Zoe, my first impression was a spoiled, self absorbed, bitchy, unappreciative little teenager...having a pity party because she is needed to help out with her little sister who is autistic.  With that first impression, I stopped...and thought, who am I to judge someone based on their thoughts and actions when I myself have never had that responsibility of being caregiver for someone that is autistic or extremely dependent upon someone else? How do I know that I wouldn't be feeling the same why at her age given the responsibilities she has to deal with?  At that turning point for me, I became very wrapped up in the characters lives and a lot less judgmental.   Matthias is all that a girl could want; attractive, sweet, caring and having a sense of humor.  You can follow Zoe's progression of falling in love with him and fighting that, knowing nothing can come of their relationship, I mean..she's human and he's a guardian angel,  a guardian angel that has never said anything about feeling the same way about her.  Along with fighting her attraction to Matthias, Zoe has to deal with things at home including her brother's addiction to drugs and the care of her little sister. She also has to deal with the drama at school with her best friend and the guy drama, that turns out to include her more than she originally thought.  With all this, this author keeps your attention as you are sucked into Zoe's world.

The Ending...I had a hard time putting this book down to do normal "life" things (like work and sleep, ha ha)...I had to know how this would end.  What could change that they could be together? Is it going to be heart wrenching or a sweet, perfect ending?  Well, let me tell you...the ending was awesome and I was a happy little camper until I read the included sneak peep of the second book, Penitence.  This shook up everything, thanks a lot Jennifer, now I am DYING to get my hands on the next book!

Book Reading Level Info... I rated this book YA/Adult because it has a little more adult situations than your normal YA book in regards to drug and alcohol use and reference to sexual matters. Nothing too graphic tho.

Sequel...YES! Penitence was released April 29th. The third in the series, Absolution is due out October 11, 2010.

Fun Author Fact...Jennifer has 6 children ages 11 to 23, one of which has autism. I believe this is how she writes so beautifully about Abria in the book. She is also the author of Falling for Romeo.

Review: Everlasting (ARC) by Angie Frazier

Title: Everlasting
Author: Angie Frazier
Hardcover: 336 pages
Published: June 1, 2010
Reading Level: YA
My Copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 3.5 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from author's website:

Sailing aboard her father’s trade ship is all seventeen-year-old Camille Rowen has ever wanted. But as a girl of society in 1855 San Francisco, her future is set: marry a man she doesn’t love, or condemn herself and her father to poverty. On her final voyage before the wedding, the stormy arms of the Tasman Sea claim her father, and a terrible family secret is revealed. A secret intertwined with a fabled map, the mother Camille has long believed dead, and an ancient stone that wields a dangerous - and alluring - magic. The only person Camille can depend on is Oscar, a handsome young sailor whom she is undeniably drawn to. Torn between trusting her instincts and keeping her promises to her father, Camille embarks on a perilous quest into the Australian wilderness to find the enchanted stone. As she and Oscar elude murderous bushrangers and unravel Camille’s father’s lies, they come closer to making the ultimate decision of who - and what - matters most.

My quick wicked thoughts...Take family values, throw in some forbidden love  and family secrets and add a dash of Indiana Jones action and you have Everlasting.

Why I was tempted to read this... I am a fan of historical fiction, so when that is combined with a YA novel with hints of magic and curses, I couldn't pass it up!

Cover thoughts...The cover is okay, nothing dramatic or showy, but you get an idea that there will be some romance on the water.

Romance Meter...It was about a 3 out of 5.  Camille is engaged to a decent sort of guy but there is just isn't a spark with him, as bad as she wants it to be there.  The chills and sparks come from the average guy that works on her father's ship...and he has been forbidden to her, being below her station in life, by her father.  The romance between Oscar and Camille is denied until the last part of the book, she is constantly fighting what she wants and what she needs to do out of duty.

Character and Plot...Camille is a likable character, trying to live up to what her father wants for her and trying to make that work with what would make her happy out of life.  Oscar is a good guy, faithful friend and later in the book proves to have backbone so that she doesn't walk all over him. Go Oscar!  The plot was consistent and you know where it was going, it was fairly predictable, no huge surprises for me.  It kept my interest with the budding romance and the journey that they were on. Camille has some very tough decisions and gets thrown for a loop with family secrets along the way and it makes for an exciting trip!

The Ending...It was fairly predictable but I was satisfied with it.  It set up nicely for a sequel, because there are some loose ends that are dangling.

Sequel...According to the author's website there is a sequel in the works! YAY!

Fun Author Fact...Everlasting is Angie's debut YA novel and she has two destructive cats...hey, i have one of those. NOT FUN haha

Review: The Ghost and the Goth (ARC) by Stacey Kade

Title: The Ghost and the Goth
Author: Stacey Kade
Hardcover: 288 pages
Published: June 29, 2010
Reading Level: YA
My copy: Around the World Tours
My rating: 4 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from author's website:

Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star…and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot bod, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

 My quick wicked thoughts... This was a fun and entertaining story about a girl everyone loves to hate and guy that few know exist and how they are pushed together for a common goal.

Why I was tempted to read this...Well I love a good ghost story and the twist of a goth guy sounded fun.

Cover thoughts...Well my ARC was just a plain red cover, but looking at the picture of the book that will be released...I love it! I think it is fun and colorful, definitely eye-catching and it will stand out on the shelves.

Romance Meter...About a 3.5 out of 5.  There is a lot that Alona and Will have to overcome before they can even recognize that spark between each other and pursue that, but it is a fun trip all the same.

Character and Plot...Alona appears shallow, self absorbed and honestly just a bitch in the first of the book, I was wondering if she was going to get on my nerves or not.  Once you got some background information on why she was the way she was...and her thoughts shifted some throughout the book dealing with friends and a boyfriend that wasn't what she thought, she got a reality check and became fun and likable.  I have to say I was laughing out loud at some of the snarky, smart-ass comments she made, it really kept the book rolling along.  Will is your average loner guy with a few select friends, just thought of as the weird guy by most in school.  Poor guy had a lot to deal with considering the principal hated him and he sees ghosts everywhere, plus a black cloud he suspects is his father following him around.  The plot had direction and you know what it was leading towards but there were still some surprises thrown in to change your thinking. The author did a good job of keeping the readers interest up and the plot developing.

The Ending...I have to say I am a lover of happy endings and about half way thru this book I realized there is NO WAY it could end happily like I wanted it to, things just couldn't work out that way given the information I was given at that point.  Closer to the end of the book, I knew I was right and was getting a little bummed out, I admit.  BUT, happy ending lovers do not despair, the author had a few more tricks up her sleeve and things ended satisfactorily for me and I look forward to reading more!

Sequel news...YES! in the works per the author's blog, as of the March post it was titled Princess Poltergeist.  Definitely on my wish list!

Fun Author Fact...This is Stacey Kade's first book but this isn't the first thing she has written. She is an award winning corporate copywriter and has written everything from backhoe loaders to breast pumps.  Now that's depth!

Review: 13 to Life (ARC) by Shannon Delany

Title: 13 to Life
Author: Shannon Delany
Paperback: 320 pages
Published: June 22, 2010
Reading Level: YA
My copy: Traveling ARC Tours
My rating: 4 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb from Goodreads.com: 

Something strange is stalking the small town of Junction…

When junior Jess Gillmansen gets called out of class by Guidance, she can only presume it’s for one of two reasons. Either they’ve finally figured out who wrote the scathing anti-jock editorial in the school newspaper or they’re hosting yet another intervention for her about her mom. Although far from expecting it, she’s relieved to discover Guidance just wants her to show a new student around—but he comes with issues of his own including a police escort.

The newest member of Junction High, Pietr Rusakova has secrets to hide--secrets that will bring big trouble to the small town of Junction—secrets including dramatic changes he’s undergoing that will surely end his life early.

** I am trying out a new review system...tell me what you guys think!**

My quick wicked thoughts... This books is a great start to series that wraps in werewolves, mafia, and rebellious teenagers with a cliffhanger ending.

Why  I was tempted to read this...   I love a good werewolf story and the title of the book intrigued me.

Cover thoughts...  The cover was pretty cool, I originally thought the "eye" was that of a wolf but on closer inspection it appears to be a human eye...with really big eyebrows (trim those dude!)

Romance Meter...  It was about a 4 on  a scale of 5.  Jessie has a crush on the popular guy in school who has just recently shown an interest in her since she started showing the new guy, Pietr, around.  Pietr is at first rude and aloof but it gradually turns to more with Jessie, with complications from Jessie's friends.

Characters and Plot...  I thought the main characters were pretty well developed, you know what Jessie is thinking and why and she is very likable ...and Pietr, well, he is just a mystery until almost the end of the book, which kept me flipping pages.  I thought the supporting friends characters could have been developed more, they were kinda glossed over in the first of the book and it wasn't until later when you found out more info on one of them that I could actually remember them apart.  From the blurb about the book you can obviously tell that it is about werewolves but you really do not get the details about that until the very end of the book, in my opinion, if they had left that out of the blurb, I would have enjoyed the guessing game of what exactly Pietr was. It wouldn't have been shocking or anything, but just a nice mystery.

The Ending...  Can you say cliffhanger and unanswered questions? ha ha.  Yeah...I am definitely tuning in for the second in the series because there is a lot of teaser information about character and events that I am dying to know about. No details on the second...but there better be one! UPDATE from Shannon! Per the copy edits on book 2 it is scheduled to be released Fall 2010 but she has also been given a date of January 2011.  Let's hope it is more like Fall 2010, ha ha!

Fun Author Fact...  Shannon wrote 13 to Life in 2008 and won the Grand Prize in the first ever cell phone novel contest, textnovel.com. How cool is that? She has expanded the original version with additional characters and sub plots to reveal the final novel as we see it today, I just think that's amazing!

Review: The Mermaid's Mirror (ARC) by L.K. Madigan

Title: The Mermaid's Mirror (ARC)
Author: L.K. Madigan
Hardcover: 320 pages
Reading Level: YA
Published: Oct. 4, 2010
My copy:  NetGalley.com
My rating: 3 out of 5 wicked hearts

Blurb (from Amazon.com):

Lena has lived her whole life near the beach – walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves – the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch from the sand: she will learn to surf. But her father – a former surfer himself – refuses to allow her to take lessons. After a near drowning in his past, he can’t bear to let Lena take up the risky sport.   Yet something lures Lena to the water … an ancient, powerful magic. One morning Lena catches sight of this magic: a beautiful woman – with a silvery tail. Nothing will keep Lena from seeking the mermaid, not even the dangerous waves at Magic Crescent Cove. And soon … what she sees in the mermaid’s mirror will change her life …

My thoughts:

It has taken me a bit to form an opinion on this book.  I love a good happy ending so this book's ending, while happy in some aspects, left me disappointed and feeling cheated.  I found the story itself interesting but the parts that interested me the most were located in the last 1/3 of the book.  The first 2/3 gave you a lot of background info, some character building, and some wandering-filler type info but when the mermaid part came into play and her "true" love interest..it was toward the end of the book.  I need more of that!

Lena has always felt drawn to the ocean, not knowing why and when she finds herself sleepwalking to the beach and singing songs that she never remembers hearing, so she starts doing a little investigation into her Mother, that was killed, or so she thought, when she was just a baby.  She also wants to learn to surf like all her friends and boyfriend, but her Dad forbids it, never really explaining to her why.  She she defies him and starts surfing on her and ends up getting saved by a mermaid, then things start rolling.  

If I knew there would be a sequel to this book, I wouldn't feel so cheated by the ending, but my romantic heart was pretty bummed out.  The author's website does not clarify if this will be a series or not.  I wish there had been more time spent on the mermaid aspect and all that entailed, instead of it being crammed in the last 1/3 of the book.

Author Spotlight: Cynthia Roberts, author of Wind Warrior

Today I would like to welcome Cynthia Roberts to Wicked Walker!  Cynthia is the author of Wind Warrior, the first book in the Iroquois Series.  Here's a little info on Wind Warrior:

Leslie Michaels is a visionary, and only those close to her know of her special gift and the visions that come when her mind and body surrender to sleep.  Fate has a way of righting many wrongs, and for Leslie it is a destiny that changes her life dramatically. But not before she is forced to flee into the wilderness to escape a murderous trapper bent on claiming her for his very own.  Faith and a strong will to survive are her only companions, until she encounters Winnokin, the handsome Seneca war chief who first came to her in her dreams.  Not only does he prove to be her rescuer and protector, he teaches her that tragedy can breed happiness and the passion to live and love deeply once again.

Wind Warrior plunges readers into the intimate depths of a relationship that unfolds like a live drama before their eyes while painting an insightful and intriguing portrait of Native Indian life in the 1800s.  It is a story of longing, of a wanton need to survive all odds, and a love so strong it conquers human evil. Wind Warrior expresses with cunning words the simple, raw human emotions that hold readers spellbound and captivates their hearts.

Sounds great doesn't it?  I love when a book can give you a unique view on a time period and I haven't had the opportunity to read very many books about Native Americans.  When you add a paranormal twist you know it will keep you interested!

Cynthia, tell us a little bit about yourself...

Hello everyone.  Like all of you, I lived and breathed reading romances … it filled many long, lonely evenings when my husband worked nights in law enforcement and I was raising our children Jason and Alyssa (now 31 and 29).  It proved my constant companion later when my “Cinderella” marriage of twenty-five years came to an unexpected end.  There is a quote I heard once I can’t remember verbatim but goes somewhat like … “There is no greater loss than a love once known.”

I’m a true believer that when tragedy strikes and you’re standing at the edge of a fathomless abyss and all you see is darkness looking back at you, faith lies in knowing one of two things will happen.  You can either let fear consume you, roll up into a ball and waste away or, you can take a leap of faith and learn how to soar like an eagle.

I’ve always had a passion for writing from that very moment a Crayola was placed in my hand and throughout my career in marketing, public relations and sales writing creatively came easy.  When my marriage ended at the age of 45, life as I knew it was never the same.  It was a time of unrest, uncertainty, losing friends and family and financial ruin because I also found myself jobless which continued nearly two years. 

Wind Warrior became my salvation.  One evening I sat in front of the computer and decided to write instead of read and figured all I could do was fail.  It proved my therapy back then but not quite up to par to win the favor of publishers.  I received so many rejections I could have wallpapered a small room in my house and almost gave up on my dream.  That is, until I realized it just wasn’t my time.  I needed to live through and get beyond the pain in my own life before I could transform that experience into the kind of passion and emotion I wanted my readers to feel personally through my writing. 

I chose to write an historical Indian romance because the first fiction I ever read was a novel from Cassie Edward’s Savage series and instantly became hungry to read more.  I tracked down every one of those babies; let me tell you, until I read them all.  However, every one I read from that point on was based on a Plains tribe.  I wanted to focus on a tribe indigenous to my area and decided to write a series based on the tribes that make up the Iroquois League of Nations here on the east coast.  Their warriors were the fiercest ever known to strike terror in the hearts of early settlers from Pennsylvania to Canada.  They were referred to as "People of the Longhouse" because their families lived together in wooden structures upward of 40 feet long.  They were an extremely powerful nation that was sadly torn apart by the American Revolution.  I fell in love with the simplistic beauty of their culture and folklore.  We could learn so much from our Native American brothers and the reverent love and respect they have for everything that is natural and of this earth.  They knew how to live in balance with plants, animals and the natural elements ... never taking more than what was needed to sustain their people and way of life.  

Wind Warrior  will officially be released on June 15th and available now for purchase through Tate’s website.  It is my heartfelt hope readers will find it as enthralling to read as it was for me to research and bring to life.  Book #2 Captive Heart is finished and expected to be released the end of this year. 

Now that the writer in me has been unleashed … look out world!  If I can leave my beautiful five grandchildren any legacy, it will be the strength, conviction and passion put into every story I bring to life.  Please stay tuned for future projects which will include a series introducing contemporary shape shifters and two mainstream romance thrillers entitled Pawn For Malice and The Keeper’s Watch.

Wind Warrior
Tate Publishing
ISBN 978-1-61663-162-8
Link to purchase from Tate before June 15 http://www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore/book.php?w=978-1-61663-162-8
Available at Amazon and all other venues on June 15th
http://www.romanceauthorcynthiaroberts.com


Thank you Cynthia for being on my Author Spotlight and we look forward to hearing more about Wind Warrior!

Blog Award! Whoop!

Yippee! I got an award!! I love getting awards!

Thank you Bewitched Bookworms for the awesome award!

Here is how it works: If you are given this award you must first accept it by leaving a comment on the post you were nominated on. Then copy and paste the post and add it to your own blog. Make a list of the last 5 books you read and pass the award on to 5 other bloggers (no backsies!). Please also identify the blog from which you got the award and don't forget to tell them they have a blog award!

Here are the last 5 books I've read:

Dead in the Family

Once Bitten, Twice Shy

The Mermaid's Mirror

Claire de Lune

Immortal

Ok and I give the award to 5 awesome and lovely and great blogs. ( Too bad we only have 5 , picking 5 was not easy!!!) 

 

25 Hour Books

Reading with Tequila

Daisy Chain Book Reviews

Edifying and Edgy

Parajunkee's View

Review: Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris

Title: Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10)
Author: Charlaine Harris
Hardcover: 320 pages
Published: May 2010
Reading Level: Adult Paranormal
My copy: Borrowed from a friend
My rating: 3.5 of out 5 wicked hearts

Blurb (from Amazon.com):

After enduring torture and the loss of loved ones during the brief but deadly Faery War, Sookie Stackhouse is hurt and she's angry. Just about the only bright spot in her life is the love she thinks she feels for vampire Eric Northman. But he's under scrutiny by the new Vampire King because of their relationship. And as the political implications of the Shifters coming out are beginning to be felt, Sookie's connection to the Shreveport pack draws her into the debate. Worst of all, though the door to Faery has been closed, there are still some Fae on the human side-and one of them is angry at Sookie. Very, very angry...

My thoughts:

I am going to start out by saying that I am sure Charlaine Harris has a 'master plan' that she is going off for the Sookie Series, but it is not evident to me.  This book honestly felt like a filler book.  There wasn't much intense drama or life changing revelations in this book.  I can kinda see what it is leading into for book #11 and I look forward to some resolution with her, Eric and the new Vampire King.   I was over half way thru the book before I could see a plot forming.

That being said, I love the Sookie series so much, all of the above did not prevent me from finishing this book pretty quickly.  We see a different side of Sookie, Eric, Claude and even Jason in this book.  I think the characters were expanded and enriched in this book which makes it vital in the series, but don't expect many loose ends to be tied up.  Yep...I am still on the hook for book #11.

New Look....New Rating System

So I was lucky enough to win a contest for a free blog makeover from Mrs Vanquish (aka Danny) at Bewitched Bookworms!  She did SUCH a fabulous job on remaking my banner and blog...and she made me an awesome new rating system!   Check it out and let me know what you think and then check out her design blog website at Twispired Blog Design.  She is SO easy to work with and SO talented, I highly recommend her!

Thanks again Danny for everything!!

My Darklyng novel news!

Not sure if you guys have heard of this yet or not, but I was talking to Lauren Mechling and she had some big news! You might recognize her as the author of the Dream Girl/Dream Life series and she co-wrote the 10th Grade Social Climber series. Well she has a cool new project going on that I am definitely going to have to check out. I loved Dream Girl (going to read Dream Life very soon!) so I am sure My Darklyng will not disappoint! 

This is what Lauren has to say about it:

I'm co-writing a serialized teen novel called My Darklyng that will be running all summer long on the web site Slate. It will publish on Fridays, starting Memorial Day weekend. my Darklyng is a thriller about a girl who's obsessed with a vampire series and who ends up becoming friends with the gorgeous model on the cover of every book in the series. You can follow the characters on Twitter for now, and soon there will be a Facebook page for the main character, so you can follow the creepy things that are happening in her life in real time. Here are the Twitter pages--they're really fun so far.

@eternalnat (main character)

@mydarklyng (the vampire author)

@thejameskay (the model).

Doesn't that sound like fun?!  Check it out, I will let you guys know more as I know it!