Chocolatiers

Review: The Chocolate Heart by Laura Florand

02:26

Title: The Chocolate Heart (Amour et Chocolat #5)
Author: Laura Florand
Date of publication: 25 Nov 2013
Genre: Romance / Paris / Chocolatier

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads Blurb

No one hates Paris--except Summer Corey. The moody winters. The artists and their ennui. The inescapable shadow of the Tour Eiffel. But things go from bad to worse when Summer stumbles into brooding, gorgeous chef pâtissier Luc Leroi and indecently propositions the hero of French cuisine...

Luc has scrambled up from a childhood panhandling in the Paris Métro to become the king of his city, and he has no patience for this spoiled princess, even if she does now own his restaurant. Who cares if she smiles with all the warmth of July? She doesn't eat dessert!

There is only one way to tempt her. A perfect, impossibly sweet seduction...

My Review

This is my favourite book in this series so far, though I have only read the previous one, The Chocolate Touch and I really enjoyed it. I can honestly say this one worked even better for me.

There a quite a few similarities between the two books - the heroes, Dom and Luc have a lot of things in common - they are both ambitious, self-made men, rising from nothing to be the best chocolatiers in Paris. 

The heroines are rather different, though. Summer is a complicated character, she acts like a spoilt brat a lot of the time, yet she is sad and miserable and lonely and unloved when living in Paris. It is difficult to feel sorry for someone as privileged  as her, yet Ms Florand manages to get you to feel deeply for her. Summer's lack of self-esteem and belief in her self-worth are presented very convincingly. She is so reluctant to let Luc into her life and into her heart that at times she is even downright cruel to him. It is her defence mechanism, she acts like that to protect herself from becoming dependant on him, losing the independence she gained while living in self-exile on a tropical island.

Luc, was just amazing, even better than Dom from The Chocolate Touch. He has overcome a difficult childhood through establishing total control in his life, something his step-father taught him. This helped him become one of the best chocolatiers in Paris but it ultimately left him empty and numb inside. He was only able to express his emotions in the desserts he made. That's until Summer came along.

The relationship between Summer and Luc grows slowly and after some initial misunderstandings, they gradually open to one another. I was frustrated a bit with their lack of communication at the beginning but this was quickly resolved and their love blossomed beautifully. It them some time and they needed some outside help (Partick, Luc's sous-chef, was quite helpful in this respect) to eventually overcome their own issues and be happy together.

The main thing that sets apart this series, is the amazing writing style of Ms Florand. It is very lyrical, sensual, sweet and addictive as chocolate. Her voice is very engaging and you can't help but feel all of the characters' emotions.

One of my objections in the previous book was the lack of epilogue. I generally like to see the couples further along in their relationship, so I particularly fond of epilogues. I was really happy that Ms Florand gave Luc and Summer's story a very sweet epilogue. It was lovely and completed their story in a beautiful way.

The next book in the series, The Chocolate Temptation, is coming in January 2014 and it will be about Patrick. He was an amazing character, funny and smart and I can't wait to read his story.

Chocolatiers

Teaser Tuesday 35

03:40


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• Be careful not the include spoilers! 
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 


I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

This week's teaser comes from The Chocolate Heart by Laura Florand. It is the fifth book in her Amour et Chocolat series and it releases today. I have only read the previous one, The Chocolate Touch and while I enjoyed it, I liked this one even better. It is a wonderful love story with complex characters set in the chocolate making world in Paris and on a tropical island. If you are interested, you can come by the blog on Wednesday to check my review.

"And then her touch on his wrist ripped his soul right out of its firm seating and lodged it under those two fingers, pulsating against them like a caught human heart. The chocolate shattered. She jerked back.
And his whole world swirled dizzily. No,. No, don't go, come back, I think you have my heart stuck to your fingers."

 The Chocolate Heart - Laura Florand
Goodreads Blurb

No one hates Paris--except Summer Corey. The moody winters. The artists and their ennui. The inescapable shadow of the Tour Eiffel. But things go from bad to worse when Summer stumbles into brooding, gorgeous chef pâtissier Luc Leroi and indecently propositions the hero of French cuisine...

Luc has scrambled up from a childhood panhandling in the Paris Métro to become the king of his city, and he has no patience for this spoiled princess, even if she does now own his restaurant. Who cares if she smiles with all the warmth of July? She doesn't eat dessert!

There is only one way to tempt her. A perfect, impossibly sweet seduction...

Feature

Top Ten Tuesday 11

21:28


Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme hosted The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new topic for each week and the participating bloggers are invited to post their Top Ten lists on it.

This week is Thanksgiving week in the USA but I don't celebrate since I am Bulgarian and we don't have this holiday. Still, I am doing today's topic since we all have things to be thankful for in our lives.



Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For 
(It is just 8 things this time)

Just one non-bookish thing, but it covers the most important thing for me:

My family – husband and baby daughter, my parents, my sister and her husband, my niece and nephew, my in-laws. 

Now, on to the bookish things that I am thankful for:

Goodreads for the friends I made there

NetGalley/Edelweiss – for the chance to read some awesome books

My ereader (a present from my dear husband) – can't image my life without it anymore

Books blogs – all the book blogs I follow or have read during the past year. They gave me the incentive to start my blog and have help me discover so many amazing authors and their books

All my favourite authors for writing stories that move me to tears and inspire me to be a better person

All the book lovers who share news on available freebies and book sales

All the readers of my blog and Facebook page for their support and interest in what I read and write about.


What are you thankful for? Leave me a comment and I will make sure to stop by your blog to check out your list :)

ARC

ARC Challenge: Week 2

04:26

My friend Lexie over at Fastidious reader started an ARC Challenge 2013 together with Deniz from Closet Geeks and Slow Mo. The challenge is pretty simple - read and review at least one, if possible two ARCs a week and it goes on till the end of this year. Since I am literally swamped with ARCs some of which I requested rather foolishly, I decided to join them.

Here is how I did with the ARC challenge: I posted 2 ARC reviews. I didn't read the books I planned initially, but still managed to finish one more ARC - The Chocolate Heart by Laura Florand.  It was a 5-star read for me and I will be posting my review hopefully on Monday. 


It is the perfect holiday romance which I enjoyed immensely (my review). It is the first in a series about the O'Neil brothers and I am already looking forward to Sean's story in book 2 which is set to be released in the summer of next year.


Sempre (Forever Series #1) - J. M. Darhower


This is a revised edition of the book which was originally self-published last year. It is shorter by 200 pages than the first edition. It is an emotional YA romantic suspense with Mafia setting (my review). I liked it a lot and plan on the reading the second and final book in the series, Sempre: Redemption, which comes out on 16 December.


My plans for this week involve reading and reviewing the books I didn't finish last week - Castle Hill: A Joss and Braden Novella by Samantha Young and Jagged (Colorado Mountain 5) by Kristen Ashley. and I am adding a holiday anthology to them, A Christmas to Remember (short stories by Hope Ramsey, Molly Cannon, Kristen Ashley, Jill Shalvis and Marilyn Pappano). I am terrible at sticking to my plans when it comes to reading, so I most likely will end up reading a completely different list of books, but still some of them will be ARCs, that's for sure. 


Feature

Friday Freebies and Book Deals #11

05:30

Freebies:

Misplaced Princess (Foreign Affairs #1) by Mari Carr - a story about Australian cowboy twin brothers and city girl fro New York, sounds good to me - Amazon



Marking Time (The Immortal Descendants #1) by April White - YA paranormal time travel story - Amazon 



Alluring Turmoil (Bayou Stix #1) by Skye Turner - Rockstar romance, you know I can never resist one of these - Amazon



Kissing My Old Life Au Revoir by Eliza Watson - a woman's journey to find herself, set in Paris - Amazon



Gotcha! (Tall, Hot & Texan #1) by Christie Craig - romantic suspense- Amazon




Note: These were the correct prices/free books at the time of the publication of this post. Please, check them again before buying. I am only posting deals valid for international users, since I based in Bulgaria and very often some sales or free books on Amazon US are only available to US residents.

Follow me on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest freebies and sales I come across. Often they last only a short time and by the time a draft my post on Friday, many of them are no longer available.

ARC

Review: Sempre by J. M. Darhower

00:00


Title: Sempre (Forever Series #1)

Author: J. M. Darhower
Date of publication: 25 Nov 2013
Genre: Romance / YA / the Mafia

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads


My rating: 3.5 stars


Goodreads blurb

A sexy novel about two seventeen-year-olds—one a victim of human trafficking; the other the son of the man who enslaved her—who fall in love and question everything they ever believed…
Haven Antonelli and Carmine DeMarco grew up under vastly different circumstances. Haven, a second-generation slave, was isolated in the middle of the desert, her days full of hard work and terrifying abuse. Carmine, born into a wealthy Mafia family, lived a life of privilege and excess.

Now, a twist of fate causes their worlds to collide. Entangled in a web of secrets and lies, they learn that while different on the surface, they have more in common than anyone would think.

In a world full of chaos, where money and power rule, Haven and Carmine yearn to break free, but a string of events that began before either of them were born threatens to destroy them instead. Murder and betrayal are a way of life, and nothing comes without a price—especially not freedom. But how much will they have to sacrifice? Can they escape their pasts? And, most of all, what does it mean to be free?


My Review

It is an interesting and unusual YA story, mainly because it has to do with the Italian Mafia in the US. There are also strong suspense elements surrounding the romance in the book.

The hero and heroine, Carmine and Haven, are both broken and living empty lives without hope. Their meeting sets in motion a series of events that ultimately lead their salvation and destruction.

Haven is a really unique characters. She undergoes an amazing and very difficult journey from being a slave to becoming her own person. It is more than simple coming of age story for her. Her life is filled with some much suffering and justice, she has been deprived of any choice and her biggest achievement is finally being free - both physical and mentally. The author presents her with compassion and makes you feel deeply for her. Throughout the story she really shines like the light she brings into Carmine's life. All the terms of endearment Carmine uses with her, especially the ones in Italian (tesoro), help create a very gentle and emotional portrayal of Haven.

Carmine himself is also an interesting character. In a way he is a victim as much as Haven. His change is a bit more predictable as compared to Haven's. He falls in love with this helpless innocent girl and this changes him completely. She helps him deal with his pain and guilt over the loss of his mother and ultimately, makes him a better man, one who cares about the others and is willing to sacrifice himself for the woman he loves. Just like his father did. 

Dr. DeMarco was a rare parental figure is YA literature. In most YA books that I have read the parents are usually pretty bad, irresponsible, some time downright cruel towards their children, but here, Dr. DeMarco was a refreshing exception. He is a rather complicated person, struggling with his own demons, trying to do the right things while still working for the Mafia and harbouring anger and pain over the death of his wife. He had his bad moments and did quite a few bad things but still, he was a good person. 

I liked the glimpses we get into the Mafia world, they didn't overshadow the romance but added a background to the story both justifying some the characters' actions and at the same time setting the stage for what is to come in the future for Carmine and Haven. 

The ending is bitter-sweet, the freedom they longed for and fought so hard for is put into question again. No one can really escape their past, least of all Carmine and Haven. Their struggles for a future of their own making are far from over in the end of this book.

My main complaint is the even flow of the story. It started really strong but then lost its pace around the middle. I felt that there were too many unnecessary details and some plot lines were left loose. The pace picked up in the final 1/3 and it is very much action-packed and emotionally intense. Some streamlining and tightening of the plot could great improve things for me. 

The next and final book in the series, Sempre: Redemption is coming out on 16 December and I look forward to reading it.

Christmas

Teaser Tuesday 34

02:00


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: 

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• Be careful not the include spoilers! 
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

This week's teaser comes from a book I actually finished a couple of days ago - Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan. It is a sweet holiday romance which I greatly enjoyed (my review). It is a love story unfolding over the Christmas holidays in a traditional small town/winter resort setting. This is the first book in a new series by Ms Morgan and the next one is coming some time in 2014. 

Here is the teaser: 

"The large friendly kitchen had been part of his life forever. Now it was the closest he had to a boardroom and his infuriating, exasperating, interfering, lovable family were his management team. Two octogenarians, a grieving widow, his daredevil brother and an overexcited puppy with training issues."

Sleigh Bells in the Snow - Sarah Morgan

Goodreads Blurb

Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green's favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year. 

Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family's resort—it's in his blood, and he can't let it fail. Now that he's got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus. 

Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she's out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it's terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?

Feature

Top Ten Tuesday 10

21:27


Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme hosted The Broke and the Bookish. There is a new topic for each week and the participating bloggers are invited to post their Top Ten lists on it.

This week's topic is about books we'd recommend to a specific person and I chose to make recommendations to a male friend. I read a lot of romance and YA fiction, so I decided to challenge myself in this way to see if any of the books that I read would also be interesting/suitable for my male book lover friends.


Top Ten Books I'd Recommend To a Male Friend

Game of Thrones series by George Martin - This series is not my usual read but I loved it anyway. It was my husband who introduced it to me, so this is without a doubt suitable for male readers :)
The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins - Another favourite series of mine. Despite its romantic undertones, I believe this is a story that would appeal equally to both male and female readers.

The Divergent series by Veronica Roth - I haven't read the final book yet, but I enjoyed the first two.
If I Stay and Where She Went by Gayle Forman - I loved this series, the second book in particular is an all-time favourite of mine. I am not sure how I male reader will take these books, they are worth at try.

The Fever series by Karen Marie Moning - This is my favourite urban fantasy series. It is told from a female POV and has strong romantic elements, yet the world building is great and the conflicts are universal, so I hope it is suitable for both sexes.
The Maze Runner series by James Dashner - Nice, action-packed series about teenage boys and girls
Legend series by Marie Lu - same as The Maze Runner. I still have the read the final book, but I loved the first two, so I can definitely recommend them to both men and women.


Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta - A fantasy series by one of my favourite authors which creates a complex mixture of fantasy, action and romance

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta - A powerful contemporary NA story - very emotional without being cheesy. 

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta  - My favourite of Ms Marchetta's contemporary books. I am not sure how a male reader will see the story but for me it was an amazing journey of growing up and discovering oneself.
What are your recommendations? Leave me a comment with a link to your TTT post and I will stop by to check them out :)


ARC

Review: Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan

23:00

Title: Sleigh Bells in the Snow (O'Neil Brothers #1)
Author: Sarah Morgan
Date of publication: 29 Oct 2013
Genre: Romance / Holidays

Author's links:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

My rating: 4 stars



Goodreads blurb

Once upon a time, Christmas was Kayla Green's favorite time of year. Now all the workaholic wants for Christmas is for it to be over—as fast as possible! So when duty calls her to snowy Vermont to close a deal with a new client, Kayla is grateful for an excuse to avoid the holidays for another year. 

Jackson O'Neil left a thriving business behind to return home and salvage his family's resort—it's in his blood, and he can't let it fail. Now that he's got marketing whiz Kayla Green working with him to put Snow Crystal on the map, success is on the horizon. The fact they strike enough sparks off each other to power all the Christmas lights in Vermont is just an added bonus. 

Kayla might be an expert at her job, but she's out of her depth with Jackson—he makes her crave the happy-ever-after she once dreamed of, and it's terrifying. As the snowflakes continue to swirl, will the woman who doesn't believe in the magic of Christmas finally fall under its spell?

My Review

If your are looking for the perfect Christmas romance read, look no further, this is the right book for you. I haven't read any holiday romances before but after reading lowing praise for this one on Dear Author and Smexy Books, I decided to try it. And it was so worth it. I really enjoyed this feel-good heart-warming fantasy romance of gorgeous characters celebrating the true magic of Christmas.

The story is rather typical - PR city girl who hates Christmas has to work with a nature-loving guy who desperately tries to save his family-run ski resort. The setting is nothing new but the execution is really good and it makes it an enjoyable holiday read. It is fun and heart-warming, setting the right Christmas mood of family togetherness filled with shared love and the unavoidable bickering.

The small town romance is shaping as a favourite of mine and this worked really well for me. I liked all the characters - the main and supporting ones - they fitted well together creating an engaging romantic story.

The heroine, Kayla, was a wonderfully complex character and she was the focus of the story.  I was worried how authentically her hatred of Christmas could be justified but her family history provided a viable explanation of her character and actions as a whole. At the beginning of the book she was your typical workaholic city girl who avoided personal relationship. Her stay at Snow Crystal and her interactions with the O'Neils family gradually brought out another side of her character - she discovered her love of the outdoor and appreciation of nature, she found herself in immersed in this crazy family life full of warmth and care for one another and she slowly embraced it, overcoming her fears and letting people close and ultimately letting herself love and be loved.

Jackson was the perfect guy - strong and sexy, smart and determined, yet gentle and understanding, supportive and honest. I admit I have a weakness of nature-loving hunks, who enjoy life outdoors. His love for his family and his care and respect for his friends and employees just made him even more attractive.

The love story developed at the traditional Christmas backgrounds - cooking, baking and decorating. I loved how the winter sports and entertainment offered in ski resort like skiing and skating, going on dog-sleighs and snowmobiles, were used to highlight the quickly-developing relationship between Kayla and Jackson.

The secondary characters, the O'Neils' family and friends were essential to the story. Each of them was unique and had a background story of his/her own. Jackson's brothers, Tyler and Sean will be getting their told in separate books some time next year and I can't wait to read them as well.

ARC

ARC Challenge: Week 1

05:43

My friend Lexie over at Fastidious reader started an ARC Challenge 2013 together with Deniz from Closet Geeks and Slow Mo. The challenge is pretty simple - read and review at least 1, if possible two ARCs a week and it goes on till the end of this year. Since I am literally swamped with ARCs some of which I requested rather foolishly, I have to admit, I decided to join them. 

I have posted two ARC reviews this week:

Crash into You by Katie McGarry which I read a couple of weeks ago and I totally love it and - my review 


The Devil's Reprise by Karina Halle which was also rather good - my review


Next week I will be reviewing Sleigh Bells in the Snow by Sarah Morgan and Sempre by J. M. Darhower. I have already finished the books, now I just need to write the reviews. I hope to start reading Castle Hill: A Joss and Braden Novella by Samantha Young and Jagged (Colorado Mountain 5) by Kristen Ashley. 

Feature

Friday Freebies and Book Deals #10

04:38

I didn't have any freebies and books to post the past two week, but I making up for it now with 5 recommendations.

 Freebies:

Bet in the Dark by Rachel Higginson - I was drawn by the blurb, not your typical college story - Amazon



Masquerade by Cambria Hebert - YA paranormal romance - not my typical read, but this one sounds interesting and has great reviews - Amazon



Never Forget (Memories #1) by Emma Hart - A NA story set in the UK - Amazon



The Edge of Courage (Red Team #1) by Elaine Levine - a nice romantic suspense - Amazon




Jaded (Rock Star Trilogy #1) by Mercy Amare - A female rock star, as a fan of rock star romances, I just couldn't miss this one -  Amazon




Note: These were the correct prices/free books at the time of the publication of this post. Please, check them again before buying. I am only posting deals valid for international users, since I based in Bulgaria and very often some sales or free books on Amazon US are only available to US residents.

Follow me on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest freebies and sales I come across. Often they last only a short time and by the time a draft my post on Friday, many of them are no longer available.


Horror

Review: The Devil's Reprise by Karina Halle

03:59

Title: The Devil's Reprise (Devils #2)
Author: Karina Halle
Date of publication: 29 Oct 2013
Genre: NA Romance / Horror / Paranormal


Author's links:

My rating: 3.5 stars


Goodreads Blurb

Given a second chance, music journalist Dawn Emerson and guitarist Sage Knightly are reunited, only to have their lives threatened again by a demonic bargain. The sequel to THE DEVIL’S METAL, from USA Today bestselling author Karina Halle.

When Dawn Emerson got the chance to go on tour with her favorite metal band, Hybrid, she thought she landed the writing gig of the century. But what started off as a dream for the budding music journalist quickly turned into a nightmare that she and guitarist Sage Knightly barely escaped alive.

Now, months after they went their separate ways, Sage invites Dawn to accompany him on his first solo tour across Europe and write about it for Creem Magazine. But like the last tour, nothing is as easy as it seems. Sage is a broken man on the path to self-destruction and Dawn isn’t sure if she’s the right person to save him. And aside from having to pick up the pieces of their burgeoning relationship, they have to negotiate the mysterious new photographer assigned to Dawn’s story, as well as vindictive promoters and demonic groupies they thought they’d never see again.

Because this time, it’s Dawn who made a deal with the devil and the only thing worse than having to uphold a bargain with the prince of darkness is not remembering how you’re supposed to pay it back.

It may be with their souls.

My Review

This is the second and final book in the Devils series by Karina Halle. I really enjoyed the first one and I had very high expectations of this one. They were met and surpassed in some aspects, still I was disappointed with some things.

This book continues the story of Dawn and Sage after they survived the unthinkable. The focused is really on their relationship or rather on their struggles to form a relationship under most unusual circumstances. 

The story is told from the POV both of Sage and Dawn and this we get to see deep into the mind and soul of both of them. We already knew a lot about the inner world of Dawn but here we are taken deep into the head of Sage as well. And it is a dark and turbulent place and at the same it is passionate, intense. There was more than occasion when I slipped making all the wrong choices but ultimately he proved to himself and to Dawn that he was capable of love.

I liked Dawn when she was talking about music and her feelings for Sage, but the deal she supposedly made with the Devil and her fight out of it fell flat for me. Things were too similar to Sage's situation in book one, but they were also fuzzy and unclear, lacking the thrill of the unexpected. We were already familiar with the Jacobs and the demons and their fights were seemed predictable.

A major let down for me was the fact that this book didn't recreate the atmosphere of the music scene of 1970s as well as book one in the series. Reading the story of Sage and Dawn, I often forgot that the events were taking place in the 1970s, they could have easily happened at any other time, to any other rock star. 

Overall, the love story is steamier and more emotionally intense which I really liked. The action portion of the book had stronger elements of horror and more powerful presence of supernatural forces, yet it failed to excite me as much as it did in book one. The story is marked by in-depth portrayal of emotional turmoil and the writing of Ms Halle is as usually brilliantly captivating. This book is a must-read if you have started the series and I believe it will be greatly appreciated by all Ms Halle's fans.

Feature

Teaser Tuesday 33

00:05


Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: 

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• Be careful not the include spoilers! 
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

My teaser this week comes from The Devils Reprise by Karina Halle. It is the second and final book in her Devils series. It is a rock/metal music paranormal/horror romance. I loved the first book in the series, The Devil's Metal (my review). This one was also pretty good, more focused on the paranormal elements and the relationship between the characters than the first one, where I felt the emphasis was on the music scene.

It was difficult for me to choose a teaser from this book, so I am offering you two - the first one is from the Prologue and gives you an idea of what's to come in the book, while the second one is a passage on the thrill of live music which I really liked. Enjoy!

"My name is Sage Knightly. One of the few surviving members of the metal band, Hybrid. I'm about to embark on my first solo tour, to be the rock star I was always meant to be. 
But something tells me I'm not coming out of this alive.
And neither is she."

 "He'd just put his battered heart on a platter, and we all gobbled it up. We couldn't be sated with anything he could give us; we always wanted more and would always want more, that needy relationship between the consumer and the artist."

 The Devil's Reprise - Karina Halle 
Goodreads Blurb


Given a second chance, music journalist Dawn Emerson and guitarist Sage Knightly are reunited, only to have their lives threatened again by a demonic bargain. The sequel to THE DEVIL’S METAL, from USA Today bestselling author Karina Halle.

When Dawn Emerson got the chance to go on tour with her favorite metal band, Hybrid, she thought she landed the writing gig of the century. But what started off as a dream for the budding music journalist quickly turned into a nightmare that she and guitarist Sage Knightly barely escaped alive.

Now, months after they went their separate ways, Sage invites Dawn to accompany him on his first solo tour across Europe and write about it for Creem Magazine. But like the last tour, nothing is as easy as it seems. Sage is a broken man on the path to self-destruction and Dawn isn’t sure if she’s the right person to save him. And aside from having to pick up the pieces of their burgeoning relationship, they have to negotiate the mysterious new photographer assigned to Dawn’s story, as well as vindictive promoters and demonic groupies they thought they’d never see again.

Because this time, it’s Dawn who made a deal with the devil and the only thing worse than having to uphold a bargain with the prince of darkness is not remembering how you’re supposed to pay it back.

It may be with their souls.

Katie McGarry

Review: Crash Into You by Katie McGarry

00:00

Title: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3)
Author: Katie McGarry
Date of publication: 26 Nov 2013
Genre/Themes: Young adult, Romance, Realistic fiction

 Author's links:
Facebook / Website / Twitter / Goodreads

My rating: 5 Stars



Goodreads Blurb

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. 

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. 

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.


My Review

This is definitely my favourtie book of this series so far. I loved Noah and Echo's story and liked Beth and Ryan's but Rachel and Isaiah totally blew me away. I generally like one the main character more than the other and I have to admit it usually is the male lead, but in this case I loved them both equally.

Isaiah has been a great character ever since he was first introduced in book 1. Things were really difficult for him in book 2 with Beth leaving and ultimately rejecting him, so I was very much eager to see him happy in book 3.

Ms McGarry has kept the realistic writing style of this series creating believable and complex characters involved in intensive relationships. Nothing about Isaiah and Rachel is simple, one-dimensional. On the surface they are complete opposites but as they story unfolds and their relationship grows they turn out to have much more things in common (besides their crazy love of fast retro cars) than anyone can expect.

Their story is told in alternating POVs thus giving us insights in the minds of both Isaiah and Rachel. He is rough around the edges, forced by the circumstances to be tough and seemingly uncaring. She is gentle, straight-laced girl who is expected to be the perfect daughter and sister. For both of them this is just a facade. Deep down they are just teenager on bring of adulthood - insecure, full of dreams and hopes and fears and secrets they are unwilling to share with anyone. 

It is a perfect romance coupled with realistic treatment of serious issues - foster care, family obligations/expectations, survival on your own on the streets, fighting for your own future.

I liked how the relationship between Isaiah and Rachel developed. It had its ups and downs, yet there was no unnecessary drama. Similar to Noah and 'his siren' Echo, Isaiah repeated refers to Rachel as his angel. It may seem a bit cheesy but for me it was endearing and just gave this dreamy, fantasy element I so like in romance. What bothered me a bit was Isaiah' over-protectiveness and possessiveness of Rachel. Being responsible beyond his age is understandable given his situation, yet I felt it was taken a bit over the top. He acted like real badass alpha male in the making and even though I like strong men, I felt like underestimated and even smouldered Rachel at times.

Rachel was also an amazing character. Her family situation seemed perfect on the outside but in reality was even more messed up than Isaiah's. The author exploits a fairly common theme in YA  fiction - really bad parenting causing terrible suffering to the children but he does it without taking it to any extremes, thus making it all the more powerful and convincing.

The story is very captivating, giving you all the thrills and anxieties of the first (true) love and at the same time keeping you grounded in the reality of imperfect/broken families and life on the streets. The issue of aging out of the foster care system was treated in depth and with the corresponding seriousness.

The author manages to make all the character realistic and to keep their stories authentic. Noah and Echo are featured prominently in this book and their friendship plays a rather important role in Isaiah's life. We see some of Beth as well, thankfully working out things with Isaiah (I really hated the way she treated him in book 2). Logan, Ryan's friend, is also quite a lot and I even thought that the next book will be about him and Abbey, a very special friend of Isaiah's (hint, hint, Ms McGarry). 

Well, as it turned out, there will be a next book in the series and it will focus on West (one of Rachel's four brothers). It is coming out in May 2014 and I can't wait to read it.

Horror

Review: The Devil's Metal by Karina Halle

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Title: The Devil's Metal (Devils #1)
Author: Karina Halle
Date of publication: 21 Sept 2012
Genre: NA Romance / Horror / Paranormal

Author's links:

My rating: 4 stars




Goodreads Blurb

It’s the summer of 1974 and 21-year old Dawn Emerson has only three things she wants to do: compete one last time in the Ellensburg Rodeo, win back her ex-boyfriend Ryan, and become the best damn music journalist at Central Washington University. But all her plans are left in the dust when she’s contacted by Creem magazine to go on the road with one of her favorite groups, the up-and-coming metal band, Hybrid. 

At first the assignment reads like a dream come true. Not only will Dawn land some much-needed credibility as a female music journalist, but she’ll finally get to experience life from the other side of the stage, and maybe crack the drunken, enigmatic code that is guitarist Sage Knightly. Instead, Dawn finds herself on an aging tour bus filled with ego-maniacs, band politics and a whole lot of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. When monsters start showing up in dressing rooms and some of Sage’s groupies become increasingly strange and dangerous, Dawn discovers the band is not only going places – they’re going straight to Hell. 

And Dawn has a backstage pass.

Author's note: The Devil's Metal is the first book in a two-part New Adult Horror/Paranormal Romance and very (very!) loosely based on the author's exploits as a music journalist. Hell comes in different forms.
My Review

I enjoyed Ms Halle's The Artists Trilogy very much, though I still have to read the final book in the series, so I decided to give The Devils books a try as well. I have a soft spot for rockstar stories and even though I am not a big fan of horror and paranormal books, I was curious about this one. Now, I am really glad I picked it up. It is rather different read for me, nevertheless I enjoyed it immensely. 

This book tells a realistic rock and roll / metal story set in 1970s coupled with strong supernatural and horror elements. I very much liked the writing style of Ms Halle in her other works, and it was just as good here. I find it to have a very strong cinematographic quality - I can see both the Artists Trilogy and this series as making great movies one day. Ms Halle's descriptions are very vivid creating a captivating images that capture your mind and soul. 

I liked the way Ms Halle has represented in great detail the atmosphere of the rock/metal music of the 1970s. The story draws you in and I found Dawn's voice (she is the one telling the story) very engaging. She is a great character - a small town girl with a big love for music, trying to find her place in life. I liked her innocence and in a sense, naivete, yet she has this youthful eagerness to learn, to experience life. Her interactions with all the other characters - her family, her best friend, the band - showed her complex personality and her development and evolution as a character. 

I absolutely enjoyed the behind-the-scene views into the life of a rock band on tour. The depictions of the rockstar lifestyle, with its perks and downfalls were spot on. The band dynamics and the different personalities of the band members were also presented in detail, giving the story a feel of realism and authenticity. No one was shown as perfect - all the characters had their good and bad qualities, their strengths and weaknesses.

Sage was a true dark and brooding rockstar - distant at first, extremely talented and focused on the music. He was the driving force behind the band, and as it turned out, behind all that happened in the story. As supernatural forces took over and we saw that there was much more to his story. 

The flow of the events was natural and smooth. The first part was more realistic, focused on the music scene but the horror was building up gradually, introducing more and more of the supernatural, coming to a powerful climax in the end. The deal-with-the-devil plot is not something new but it was well done keeping the thrill of the mystery till the very end. The suspense was palpable, making me turn pages feverishly.

It was an amazing, emotional, a little scary and a lot of supernatural story developing at the background of drugs, sex and rock&roll. There is no cliffhanger ending but it does leave you eager to read the conclusion of the series, The Devil's Reprise. 

PS: Sage Knightly is one hell of a name, I  love it and it suits the character so very well :) 

Book Release

Release Event for The Edge of Always by J. A. Redmerski

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To celebrate the release of The Edge of Always, the sequel to The Edge of Never, J. A. Redmerski has provided an excerpt and a giveaway for her fans. Enjoy!

Publisher: Forever Romance

Release: November 5, 2013

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Novel

Add the book on Goodreads

Purchase links: Amazon | Barnes and Noble 

Synopsis

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J. A. Redmerski brings us the second book in her heart-renching series about two 20-somethings who find each other in their darkest moment.

Camryn Bennett has never been happier. Five months after meeting on a Greyhound bus, she and her soul mate Andrew Parrish are engaged-and a wedding isn't the only special event in their future. Nervous but excited, Camryn can't wait to begin the rest of her life with Andrew, a man she knows in her heart will love her always. They have so much to look forward to-until tragedy blindsides them. 

Andrew doesn't understand how this could happen to them. He's trying to move on, and thought Camryn was doing the same. But when Andrew discovers Camryn is secretly harboring a mountain of pain and attempting to numb it in damaging ways, there is nothing he won't do to bring her back to life. Determined to prove that their love can survive anything, Andrew decides to take Camryn on a new journey filled with hope and passion. If only he can convince her to come along for the ride...


About the Author

J.A. Redmerski, New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with her three children, two cats and a Maltese. She is a lover of television and books that push boundaries and is a huge fan of AMC's The Walking Dead.

Author social media links:




*** *** ***

Excerpt

I turn to Andrew again, waiting for him to spit it out. A cold breeze rushes through my knitted sweater, and I hide my hands inside the sleeves.

“You have five minutes to throw all of your stuff in your bag,” he says, and my heart is beating erratically before he finishes the sentence. He taps his wrist where there is no watch. “Not a second more.”

“Andrew—”

“This isn’t up for debate,” he says. “Go get your stuff.”

I just look at him, face blank.

My theory was right, but I didn’t want it to be. I don’t want to go on the road…I mean, I do…but it’s not right. It’s just not right.

“You have four minutes now.”

“But we can’t just leave like this,” I argue. “It would be rude.” I point at Asher. “And Asher just got here. Don’t you want to visit with—”

“I can visit my big brother anytime,” Asher counters. “Right now, I think you better do what he says or you might end up on the road wearing the same panties for a week.”

A few more seconds pass and I still haven’t moved. I’m in a state of mild shock, I guess.

“Three minutes, babe,” Andrew says and is looking at me with a serious face. “I’m not kidding. Get up there, throw our shit in our bags, and get in the damn car.”

Oh hell, he’s back to his old self again…

When I start to argue again, Andrew’s eyes get all feral-looking, and he says, “Hurry up. Time’s running out!” and he points to the house.

Finally, letting down my guard and going with the moment as much as I can allow myself, I glare at him and say, “Fine.” I’m only agreeing to it because I know he’s trying make things better. But I feel guilty as hell.

Disregarding his playful five-minute demand, I turn on my heels and walk very slowly back toward the house, purposely taking my time, partly my way of silently arguing the situation.

I push open the bedroom door, set my bag on the bed, and start stuffing everything inside of it. Then I go into the bathroom and grab our toothbrushes and various bathroom necessities. I yank our phone chargers from the wall and then my phone from the nightstand and chuck it all into my purse. I make my way around the room, hoping that I’m not missing anything. 

Looks like Andrew already packed his stuff at some point and I never noticed.

Then I just stand here, scanning every inch of the place around me but not really seeing any of it. I don’t want to do this, but maybe it’s the right thing.

I hear the horn honk three times, and it snaps me out of my thoughts. Grabbing my bag, I swing it over my shoulder and grab my purse from the bed.

 *** *** *** 

You have the chance to enter not one, but TWO giveaways!

1.  Blog Giveaway: (1) eBook copy of The Edge of Always. eBooks will be distributed to your winner by the publisher via a NetGalley widget.


a Rafflecopter giveaway 2. Event Giveaway: The publisher is giving away (1) print copy of THE EDGE OF NEVER and THE EDGE OF ALWAYS to one winner! Open Internationally. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway


This release event is organised by AToMRTours.


Feature

Teaser Tuesday 32

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Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Here are the rules: 

• Grab your current read 
• Open to a random page 
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page 
• Be careful not the include spoilers! 
• Share the title & author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers. 

I have modified them slightly for my Teasers. It will not be two sentences from a random page but two, usually more, sentences from the pages I have read so far that have struck me as most interesting, original or that I just happen to like a lot.

My teaser comes from Rumor Has It by Jill Shalvis which releases today. It is book 4 in her Animal Magnetism series and I liked this one the most. I am part of the blog tour for this book, so you can check my post here, if you are interested :) Ms Shalvis writes sweet and sexy contemporary small-town romances with caring and protective alpha heroes and sassy smart heroines. This one is no different and it is truly a pleasure to read. If you are interested in this book, you can check my Book Tour post for it and enter the giveaway for a chance to win a print copy of Rumor Has It (US only!).

Here is the teaser:

"He tasted like wine. He tasted like her secret hopes and dreams. He tasted like the very best thing that had happened to her all week. 
All damn month."

 Rumor Has It - Jill Shalvis
Goodreads Blurb

He’ll help unleash the new woman in her…

Special Ops soldier Griffin Reid doesn’t exactly have happy memories of growing up in Sunshine, Idaho. He’s only come back to recover from a war injury, and while he refuses to admit he’s in a weakened state, he finds comfort in the last person he’d expect.

Kate Evans teaches fourth grade science in Sunshine, the place she’s always called home. Dreaming of graduate school and a happily-ever-after, she’s desperate to break out of the monotony of Sunshine. Luckily, a certain sexy man has just come back into her life.

To Griffin, Kate as always been his little sister’s friend, but now he’s finding her to be so much more. As both attempt to forge their paths, they must decide if their passionate connection can turn into something lasting…

Flickr Images