Darkness Bound ~ Stella Cameron

Darkness Bound ~ Stella Cameron

What can I say about Darkness Bound other than I loved it? Well to start I think the summary makes it sound more romance-ish than it is. Now for all of you romance lovers there is a great love story in here but there is such a great story line that I think non romance readers will enjoy this one as well.

Don't forget to check out my author interview, a special thanks to Stella for stopping by to give us her insight.

Summary from Amazon:
WHEN NIGHT FALLS

After her husband's tragic death, Leigh Kelly arrives on Whidbey Island determined to start over. Yet the tiny town of Chimney Rock is not as peaceful as it seems. Women have been disappearing, and Leigh can't shake the feeling that she's being watched . . . especially at night. Soon, she's experiencing visions she can't explain and fighting her attraction to a handsome stranger who seems to know her most intimate desires.

PASSION TRANSFORMS THEM

As the leader of the Team, a pack of werehounds forced to hide their very existence, former special ops soldier Niles Latimer is desperate to prove a man's heart beats beneath his predator's body. And Leigh-the mysterious beauty possessing powers she doesn't yet understand-may be the one woman who can help him. But Niles isn't the only one who recognizes Leigh's true identity. Something evil is waiting in the woods-and the hunt has begun . . .


What I really liked was that Cameron has built a storyline around werehounds. Now I love shifters anyways but I really enjoy it when someone has a different approach and Camerons werehounds are just that, something totally new that I for one haven't seen before. 
The trouble for the werehounds is that there are only males left, IE no more werehounds unless they can find compatible mates in the human world. If that isn't enough to keep this pack of werehounds on their toes they still have to deal with a trouble making pack of werewolves.
The werewolves seem to feel its their job in life to make trouble for the humans and remove the werehounds hope for a future. Throw in some vampires and a few fae for good measure and you've got yourself one wild paranormal ride.
Its up to Niles and Leigh to not only stop the werewolves evil plan but hopefully find love in the process. I honestly am looking forward to the next book in the series. The werehounds have captured my attention, as I' sure they will yours!


I give this novel a 5 out of 5 stars

Kiss of the Vampire ~ Cynthia Garner

Kiss of the Vampire ~ Cynthia Garner

Well let me start by saying I was lucky enough to score an advanced copy of Kiss of the Vampire in order to participate in Forever's Paranormal Blog tour. Since I am a fan of both Urban fantasy/paranormal and Sci-fi in general I was excited to jump right into this novel. (Check out my author interview)
In Garner's world a rift between our dimension and another opens every 83 years letting beings slip in and inhabit normal human bodies. Theses beings are what we call vampires, shifters, demons and the like. I have to say this is actually a pretty thought provoking take on the way theses creatures could appear on earth. Since this the first book in her new series Garner has taken some extra time to explain this to the reader.
As the story opens we find ourselves at a crime scene with half human/half demon liaison Nix. Nix is the human Liaison for the Council of Preternaturals, a group in charge of governing the Preternaturals here on earth. Her job is to work with human detectives to resolve human/preternatural problems.

Upcoming Blog Tour

Well hello everyone I just wanted to mention that I have been lucky enough to score interviews with both Stella Cameron and Cynthia Garner on Feb 29th (just a few days away). I will also be posting reviews on both of their new books. Make sure you stop by on the 29th to check them out. Oh and don't forget to enter my give away.

Cover Reveal : Taste by Kate Evangelista

Cover Reveal : Taste by Kate Evangelista

Kate Evangelista has revealed the beautiful cover for her novel Taste to be released in the fall. Luckily its now available to add to your TBR pile on Goodreads so make sure you take a moment and add it.

Summary....

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Taste is to be published by Crescent Moon Press and its release is slated for Fall 2012.

For more information, you can visit Kate's website: www.kateevangelista.com

Priestess of the Nile ~ Veronica Scott

Priestess of the Nile ~ Veronica Scott


from netgalley:

Egypt, 1500 BC
Drawn to his abandoned temple on the banks of the Nile by an enchanting song, Sobek the Crocodile God is even more captivated by the sight of the singer herself. Appearing to her as a man, he learns she is Merys, a descendant of his last priestess. Though filled with lust, Sobek believes Merys deserves to be more than just his mistress. But the rules that govern the Egyptian pantheon forbid anything beyond a physical joining of a Great One and a human.
Merys is attracted to the handsome stranger, who arouses passions in her that no man ever has. But with no dowry and no hope of ever leaving her village, she dares not dream of the future-or love.
Sobek takes every opportunity to visit Merys, taxing his resolve to leave her pure. When he saves her life, their mutual desire must be sated. But can a love between a human and an immortal survive the ultimate test of the gods?

A classic love story "Priestess of the Nile" is a short and enjoyable read. The heroine Merys is a sweet and loving woman who, even though she is mistreated by her family, is filled with inner strength and compassion for others. She has also been gifted with an enchanting voice which attracts a suitor of spectacular proportions.As with all star crossed lovers Merys and Beck must hide their affair in order to protect their safety. In the end though even this is not enough to protect Merys fragile human body.


Thus was a fantastic story and totally enjoyable. The characters were enchanting, likable from the very start. The length seemed perfect, just right for a quiet afternoon at home.


4 out of 5 stars

The Homegrown ~ Harry Deshpande

The Homegrown ~ Harry Deshpande


Now let me start by saying this is my normal style to read, even so I like to
change it up now and again. With that in mind I was lucky enough to check out "The Homegrown"


The Homegrown follows a young man on a not so spectacular journey. It is a
peak into the life of a normal human being who, due to a strange chain of 
events, will give up everything he knows to an act of terror. It is hard for
Americans to understand how someone could do something so horrible and 
even after reading "The Homegrown" I can't even imagine it.


The story is written less like a novel and more like the journals of Anwar. There is enough conversation to keep the book moving well but I did have a few spots where it seemed the conversation was forced. This could very easily be because of the situation Anwar was in, in truth I think he may have felt like he was 
struggling for words.


Overall I thought the book was well done and so left me with a sick feeling. Its 
horrifying to see how easily the human mind can be manipulated. A few times I had to stop reading, like during an attack on NATO troops, because all I could 
think of were my many friends in the military who are currently overseas. I
think it is a sign of a good story when it can bring out such emotion in its 
reader.

Blood of the Pride by Sheryl Nantus

Blood of the Pride by Sheryl Nantus

Well this was another on of my great Netgalley finds! Since shifters are my favorite I love to find new stories especially when they are not your average werewolf. 

Check out the Amazon description...

When a severed rabbit's paw is delivered to her office, outcast cat shifter Rebecca Desjardin recognizes the summons home. One of their own has been murdered—and a shocking photo published in a local tabloid—and her Pride needs Rebecca, now a private investigator, to track down the killer.
Investigative reporter Brandon Hanover wants to find out who slipped the photo of the half-shifted cat-woman under his door, marking him as a suspect in her death. Determined to stay one step ahead of the sexy journalist, Rebecca reluctantly agrees to partner with him to find the real murderer. But as their mutual attraction heats up, Rebecca finds it harder and harder to keep Brandon from discovering the existence of the shifter society—and her own true nature.
When the search leads them back to the Pride, Rebecca must attempt to Change for the first time in years to face the killer, and save the man she loves...


You don't find very many cat shifter stories. Rachael Vincent has a great one but up until reading Blood of the Pride I had not found any others that were worth reading.  Mrs Nantus did a great job building her Felis world. Their society is well thought out with a clear structure that comes through in the story without being boring or overwhelming. 


Now onto our main character. Reb's life is far from glamorous. As an outcast from her own kind she is living in the bad part of town as a PI. She has no close friends, unless you count a street cat she has adopted. This is the perfect setup for a budding romance, especially with all of the action she and Brandon are going to have to face in order to bring a killer to justice. Lucky for her Brandon seems just as attracted to her as she is to him and isn't deterred by her constant pushing him away.


This was a fun read with strong characters. Even though Reb is obviously the main character enough time was taken with each of the minor characters so that you felt like you knew them. The action was intense and spread out enough through the story to keep you interested. 


I do have to warn you there was a couple of spots where I had to stop and reread something when the conversation didn't seem to flow. Overall though this was a great story and well worth the time. I hope to see this turn into a series. I'd love to see where Reb and Brandon end up next.


I give it 4 out of 5 stars

The next generation of paranormal lovers

   So this is slightly off topic but have you ever wondered how much your kids develop your likes and dislikes? Or at least learn from them? Around my house we watch a lot of sci-fi. All of the kids love Doctor Who and even enjoy a few other shows (though I have to fast forward through any scary parts) Anyways I never realized how much my almost 4 year old son might be learning just by hearing us talk until the other day.
   He was in the other room watching Power Rangers while my husband and I were catching up on a dvr'd episode of Grimm (three bad wolves). Towards the end of the episode this werewolf lady is attacking a pig guy (yeah if you don't watch Grimm I know it sounds odd) when I hear "Oh, she's a Bampire" from the hallway where my son is now standing. Now I don't like him watching anything so violent so I got up and then said. "No honey she's a werewolf." He looks at the screen and shaking his head at me says "no Mama, she's biting his neck, she's a Bampire) and walks away. 
   Sometimes kids say the funniest things!

Bewitching the Werewolf ~ Caroline Hanson

Bewitching the Werewolf by Caroline Hanson

Well let me start by saying this is an adult only book! I mean it, this is a short read but there is enough adult content for a much larger book. So adults only please for the rest of this review.

Bedlam

Alright well I've been home sick and so been surfing On Demand and came across Bedlam (BBC America). Now if your not into ghost stories this show is not going to be for you but I love a good scare now and then so I think its great.
Bedlam takes place at an old asylum in England that is being converted into luxury condos. The only problem is that some of the old inhabitants are still hanging around and making trouble for the living. Luckily for the new tenants they have their own resident ghost hunter to help.
As if angry ghosts wouldn't be bad enough to live with there seems to be something just as sinister going on, a string of missing girls which started in the 80's and seems to have restarted once again.
Now I know I may be biased since I love all things BBC but this show really gave me goosebumps! Totally worth watching in my opinion.

Giveway

I've decided to host my first giveaway. 

Check out the giveaway page for 

more information.

Lightning by Dean Koontz

Lightning by Dean Koontz

Now this is an older novel you may have missed. Originally published in 1988 its totally worth the read if you missed it the first time around.

From Wikipedia
A storm struck on the night Laura Shane was born, and there was a strangeness about the weather that people would remember for years. Even more mysterious was the blond-haired stranger who appeared out of nowhere again and again to save Laura from tragedy.


 Ok now on to the review. Laura feels like an ordinary girl who lives a life wrought with tragedy. Her mother dies when she is being born. Her father dies when she is eight and she is forced into an orphanage where a child molester takes interest in her. But the truly strange thing is that at each of theses events an amazing lighting storm takes place and a mysterious man appears to try to save her. 


 Koontz always has the ability to really suck you into a story and keep you guessing. Most of the story is written focused around Laura's life but what we don't realize is that all of the important stuff is hiding behind the scenes so to speak. It all comes to a climax when Laura's husband is killed and the mystery man is forced to up his role in Laura's life, eventually appearing to try to save her, and her son, one last time.


 Now I can't get into the most exciting part of the book without dropping a big spoiler, so if you don't like spoilers you should probably stop reading right now. Ok so anyways on to the big details. So it seems our mystery man is actually a scientist from the past. He works at one of Hitlers secret labs and is part of a team working on time travel to help Hitler win the war. Stephan (mystery man) has fallen in love with Laura do to her books, she is a writer, and has felt the need to help save her from a handicap she was to have in her original future due to a malpractice issue. In saving her from this fate it seemed that Stephan had sent Laura's life in a different direction with each incident seeming to be worse than the last. Now Stephan feels the need to save her from each of these horrible events.


 What I really enjoyed about this book, besides the characters, is the science. I love the thought of time travel but unless you believe is simultaneous timelines its hard to believe that you could go back in time and change things. That being said it seems to be more believable that you could go forward in time to change things that have not happened yet. 


 Even if you are not a time travel nut like me I think the characters are compelling and the story line so fast paced at the end that Lightning will hold your interest.


I give Lightning a 4 out of 5 stars

TOURZ DE CODEX: The Homegrown TOUR HOST

Hi everyone!

I will be taking part in my first book tour for "The Homegrown" by Harry Deshpande's. My date is Feb 21st so hopefully you will stop by to see the review and Author interview.

~Delia

The Wolf Gift ~ Anne Rice

The Wolf Gift ~ Anne Rice

Let me start off by saying Anne Rice is truly a master story teller. This is actually the first of her novels that I have read (other that The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty and thats obviously a very different kind of book) I've had The Vampire Lestat sitting on my TBR shelf for some time so I think its time to dust it off and get to reading it. Just a warning there are going to be some spoilers in this review.

Now onto the description (taken from Netgalley)

The time is the present.

The place, the rugged coast of northern California. A bluff high above the Pacific. A grand mansion full of beauty and tantalizing history set against a towering redwood forest.

A young reporter on assignment from the San Francisco Observer. . . an older woman, welcoming him into her magnificent, historic family home that he has been sent to write about and that she must sell with some urgency . . . A chance encounter between two unlikely people . . . an idyllic night-shattered by horrific unimaginable violence. . .The young man inexplicably attacked-bitten-by a beast he cannot see in the rural darkness . . . A violent episode that sets in motion a terrifying yet seductive transformation as the young man, caught between ecstasy and horror, between embracing who he is evolving into and fearing who-what-he will become, soon experiences the thrill of the wolf gift.

As he resists the paradoxical pleasure and enthrallment of his wolfen savagery and delights in the power and (surprising) capacity for good, he is caught up in a strange and dangerous rescue and is desperately hunted as "the Man Wolf," by authorities, the media and scientists (evidence of DNA threaten to reveal his dual existence). . . As a new and profound love enfolds him, questions emerge that propel him deeper into his mysterious new world: questions of why and how he has been given this gift; of its true nature and the curious but satisfying pull towards goodness; of the profound realization that there are others like him who may be watching-guardian creatures who have existed throughout time and may possess ancient secrets and alchemical knowledge and throughout it all, the search for salvation for a soul tormented by a new realm of temptations, and the fraught, exhilarating journey, still to come, of being and becoming, fully, both wolf and man.

   Lets start by talking about Anne Rice's interesting take on the werewolf. Rice moves towards a more traditional Wolfman style werewolf who, as apposed to transforming into a full wolf, becomes a large man covered in fur with both wolf and human qualities. The "Morphenkinder" as Rice calls them are a race of human hybrids. Not truly man not truly wolf they are drawn to help others or more accurately the Man Wolf is drawn to the smell of evil. 

   The moral dilemma for Reuben, the main character, arrises when he is forced to face his Man Wolf actions while in his human form. How can a human man raised in high society not feel remorse when he brutally kills another human being? But what if that murder was to save an innocent? Does enjoying that killing make it wrong? These are the questions young Reuben is faced with as he learns what and who he has become. 

   Rice has the ability to slip truly moral questions into a fast paced and truly interesting story line. I enjoyed the fact that her Morphenkinder retain there human consciousness while in their wolf form. It is also important to note that they don't shift by the faze of the moon but rather by their own personal choice. The characters are rich and enjoyable. Felix is a man you would like instantly in person which makes his character seem to jump off the page. You can easily feel the love building between Reuben and Laura, which can be tough with such a demanding, fast paced story.

   Overall everything seemed to flow beautifully. I had such trouble putting it down that I was up till far too late reading. It has been a while since a book has grabbed me from the first page, but this one did right away. I only wish that I had purchased it in paperback so that I could pass it around to friends.

   The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice gets a 5 out of 5 stars and should be pushed to the top of your TBR pile!

The Department of Magic

The Department of Magic By Rod Kierkegaard, JR

From Amazon;
Magic is nothing like it seems in children’s books. It’s dark and bloody and sexual - and requires its own semi-mythical branch of the US Federal Government to safeguard citizens against everpresent supernatural threats.

Join Jasmine Farah and Rocco di Angelo - a pair of wet-behind-the- ears recruits of The Department of Magic - on a nightmare gallop through a world of ghosts, spooks, vampires, and demons, and the minions of South American and Voodoo gods hell-bent on destroying the world in the year 2012.

Only Rock and Jazz, in the company of a ragtag team of urhobos - homeless guardians of the District of Columbia - can prevent it by resurrecting “Goddess America” in a mystical ceremony on the Fourth of July.

It’s all just a normal day on the job at The Department of Magic - where new employees entering its offices are never seen again, while mysteriously continuing to draw full salaries and benefits, sometimes for decades or even a century after.

With a magical cast of characters and a wry insider's view of the US Federal Government, here at last is a Harry Potter for grownups.


As you can see from the Amazon description this story follows the sometimes hapless adventures of Rock and Jazz, two new government employes who have no idea what it is they have been employed to do. The world around them is suddenly revealed to be seeped in magic and mostly awful creatures who are pretending to be human beings. We are introduced to a number of new and horrifying creatures. Most of which Jazz and Rock encounter while trying to get the personal effects of George Washington. Think Warehouse 13 but instead of Random artifacts we are after stuff like George Washington's teeth. 
Lets take a moment to talk about the characters. Jazz starts off as a spoiled brat, worried more about her appearance than about anything else. Rock seems like a broke well meaning doormat, still being strung along by an ex-girlfriend he can't seem to forget about. The two instantly hate each other, which of course means they are going to like each other a whole lot in the near future. As the story progresses we see both characters begin to change, feeding off the adrenaline of their jobs. Jazz seems to worry she's being corrupted but Rock just appears that much more manly making him even more attractive to Jazz.
The story line did start to drag a bit in the middle until the birth of Tink, a human/vampire born to Rock and his then girlfriend (Jazz's best friend) Bobbi. Bobbi as it turns out had been dead for some time and been replaced by a crazy shapeshifting vampire. Once Tink shows up the story really picks up. I actually flew through the end and found myself wanting to read the next book.
Overall I'd give this a 4 out of 5 stars. Even though the start was slow the book really grabbed me.  I understand the need to set the stage for the world we are reading about and that can take a few chapters, so I'm going to cut him a little slack. I also enjoyed the casual political digs. Since it seems all of these otherworldly creatures spend their days working in American politics or running Homeland security. If your looking for a change from the usual fantasy novel this one is worth your time.

Blog Hop

Well I'm going to be participating in my first Blog hop run by Crazy For Books :)

Thunder Of Time

Thunder of Time by James F David

From Amazon ;
Ten years ago, the prehistoric past collided with the present as time itself underwent a tremendous disruption, transporting huge swaths of the Cretaceous Period into the world of the twentieth century. Entire neighborhoods and cities were replaced by dense primeval jungles and modern humanity suddenly found itself sharing the earth with fierce dinosaurs. In the end, desperate measures were taken to halt the disruptions and the crisis appeared to be over.

Until now.

Slowly at first, but with increasing frequency, time begins to unravel once more. What's worse, Nick Paulson, Director of the newly-formed Office of Security Science, discovers that the time displacements are being manipulated by unknown parties, utilizing a mysterious new technology. Indeed, the very integrity of the space-time continuum appears to be at risk.

To preserve both the future and the past, Nick and his allies must uncover the secrets hidden within in a lost temple at the center of a dino-infested jungle-and in an enigmatic structure on the surface of the moon. But they are not alone in their quest. A cult of ruthless fanatics is also intent on controlling the time waves, and they will stop at nothing to reshape history to their own design . . . .



I just have to start off this review by saying WOW, I mean really WOW. I picked this book up as a hardcover at the Dollar Tree (yes they do sell books) and I wasn't expecting much. Boy was I surprised. This was an amazing story, a fantastic cross between Jurassic Park and Timeline (two of my favorite books) Mr David has put just enough science in the story line to keep it both believable and just out of reach. The characters are well thought out and well developed.

Something else I really liked about this novel was that at the start of each chapter was a little excerpt that lead into the chapter. Often it was a quote for a "newspaper" or "Dinosaur textbook" that helped to add a bit a realism to the story line. The author even threw in a few quotes from famous scientists like Albert Einstein immersing  the reader in the science of this science fiction.

Now I'm going to put some spoilers in here so look away if you haven't read the book, I don't want to ruin it for you. One of the main reasons I enjoyed this story was that I loved Davids use of time travel theory's as well as the multiverse theory. As we follow Nick, John and Elizabeth in different parts of the country we have no idea that Kenny is traveling back and forth between time and space shaping the world as we know it.

This is actually a sequel to the book "Footprints of Thunder" which I have no had the privilege of reading. The novel works well as a standalone but I will pick up Footprints if I happen upon it, and its on sale! Overall I really enjoyed Mr David's writing style. Once I hit page 200 I had a hard time putting the book down. He has built a world of suspense with twists and turns at every chapter. I have to say with the amount of novels I read, there are not many that I would give 5 stars to and this one deserves 5 stars in my opinion. I will be keeping my eye out for more books by James F David and I think you should too!