Shut Up & Read

Title:   Demon King's Desire Author:   J.L. Sheppard Series:  Elemental Sisters Genre:   Paranormal Romance Pages:   247 Published:   January 2013  Jenna Jenson is a 25-year-old journalist living and working in New York. She’s tried to locate her four sisters after being separated from them following their mother’s death. A reporter for New York News newspaper, she is investigating the seven deaths and three disappearances when she’s attacked by a man whose supernatural abilities supersede her super hearing, strength and abnormal reflexes. She is rescued by a handsome powerful demon, Lucas, and powers she never knew she possessed are revealed. Lucas, the demon king, has been fighting Malum Inmortalis, evil immortals, for centuries. After a war in his demon plane and home, Treconomia, that killed his entire family, he’s dedicated his life to combating Malums. He created the Guardian league to help save immortals and humankind from the Malum...

    What is Think Out Loud?  Think Out Loud is a weekly meme created by Thinks Books to break out of the blogging bubble. Consider your Think Out Loud posts a time to do WHATEVER YOU WANT! You can find more information and how to participate on your blog HERE! So, here is my Think Out Loud for this week!   I know this meme does not have to be about books, but this week I have decided to make a top 10 list – The Top 10 Reasons I Love Books!   I have had a love for reading since before I can even remember, and if you are reading this blog, chances are you are a book lover, too.  Here are my reasons for loving books...     1. They expand my imagination. Sometimes when I am reading I think I know how the story is going to end, and then the author throws in an amazing twist that I would have never thought of myself. I love being surprised! 2. They allow me to travel without leaving home. I had not read much f...

Title:   Blood Moon Author:   Amanda Turner Series:   The Witchlings #2 Genre:   YA Paranormal Romance For the first time in her life Roxanne had it all. A permanent home, her mother back in her life and her gorgeous boyfriend Luke. Little did she know that was all going to change. She was about to lose everything she held dear. With the witch finders looming ever closer, can Roxanne defeat the Blood moon curse? Can she prevent death, possession and the five angels of hell? Will she ever be accepted as a true Elite? For Roxanne, only one thing is certain. Her life will never be the same again. Add Blood Moon to your Goodreads shelf!

What is Think Out Loud? Think Out Loud is a weekly meme created by Thinks Books to break out of the blogging bubble. Consider your Think Out Loud posts a time to do WHATEVER YOU WANT! You can find more information and how to participate on your blog HERE! So, here is my Think Out Loud for this week!     Shut Up & Read was nominated by the amazing Think over at Thinks Books for the Liebser Blog Award. Basically what this means is someone thinks our blog is awesome!  To accept the award, I answer three questions about myself asked by the person who nominated my blog and in turn I nominate three more blogs and ask them to answer three questions.    Think has an amazing post about the history of the Liebster Blog Award HERE .  Check it out! Here are the questions Think asked me to answer: 1. What is your favorite part of blogging? I love doing author interviews.  I have had the chance to get to know some really ...

Title:    Fix by Force Author:   Jason Warne Genre:   YA Contemporary Fiction Spencer doesn't have a choice.He can't choose to be different than what he is--the son of the town's worst enemy, the weakling who can't stand up for himself, the loser without friends.He can't change the way things are.Or maybe he can.Immediate confidence.Rapid change.Instant hope.These are the things Spencer believes he needs to fix his life, and that is what the steroids promise--a quick fix.But promises can be broken and shortcuts are often treacherous, and Spencer must decide if those risks are worth the perceived rewards--if "artificial" hope is strong enough for him to be fixed, by force. Add Fix by Force to your shelf on Goodreads!

Title:   Marked for Vengeance Author:   S.J. Pierce Series:   Alyx Rayer Chronicles #1 Alyx Rayer’s existence in Atlanta, the eternally bustling capital of Georgia, is one of routine and blending in among the worker bees. But her ‘normal’ life is actually a façade for a higher calling; she's a three hundred year old soul, encased in a human vessel and sent from the darkness between heaven and Earth to capture her Marked when summoned by her superiors. During the initial, routine stake-out of her Marked, a dream prophet named Isaac Walsh, Alyx is thrown for an emotional loop when his allure captivates her heart from two rooftops away. The event marks the very instance when her sense of what’s right and what’s wrong is brutally challenged as her contact with him is strictly forbidden. While already trapped between honor and desire, her emotional struggles are further challenged by a man in a black suit who continually pops up when she least expects it, his presence evo...

Title:  The Athena Effect Author:  Derrolyn Anderson Series:  The Athena Effect #1 Country girl Cali has been kept a secret her entire life, raised in isolation by two very troubled people. Despite her parent’s disturbing fits, Cal is perfectly content, living at one with the nature that surrounds her, and finding adventure inside the pages of her beloved books. When an awful tragedy tears her away from her remote cabin in the woods, nothing she’s ever read has prepared her for a world that she knows very little about. Girls and motorcycles are what bad-boy Cal’s life is all about. Brought up in a raucous party house by his biker brother, he’s free to do as he pleases, going through the motions on his final days of high school. Aimless, Cal stopped thinking about his future a long time ago. Attacked by a gang of thugs while running an errand for his brother, Cal is in serious trouble until a fierce girl appears out of nowhere to intervene. She chases off three gro...

Title: Fire Country (Country Saga #1) Author: David Estes Release Date: February 1st, 2013 Cover Artist: Regina Wamba In a changed world where the sky bleeds red, winter is hotter than hell and full of sandstorms, and summer's even hotter with raging fires that roam the desert-like country, the Heaters manage to survive, barely. Due to toxic air, life expectancies are so low the only way the tribe can survive is by forcing women to procreate when they turn sixteen and every three years thereafter. It is their duty as Bearers. Fifteen-year-old Siena is a Youngling, soon to be a Bearer, when she starts hearing rumors of another tribe of all women, called the Wild Ones. They are known to kidnap Youngling girls before the Call, the ceremony in which Bearers are given a husband with whom to bear children with. As the desert sands run out on her life's hourglass, Siena must uncover the truth about the Wild Ones while untangling the web of lies and deceit her father has mast...

I am happy to welcome author Derrolyn Anderson to our blog today!    Derrolyn's book, The Athena Effect , is up for review in Shut Up & Read this week! Title: The Athena Effect Author: Derrolyn Anderson Series: The Athena Effect #1 Genre: YA Goodreads rating: Publication: August 2012 Available from: Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords Country girl Cali has been kept a secret her entire life, raised in isolation by two very troubled people. Despite her parent’s disturbing fits, Cal is perfectly content, living at one with the nature that surrounds her, and finding adventure inside the pages of her beloved books. When an awful tragedy tears her away from her remote cabin in the woods, nothing she’s ever read has prepared her for a world that she knows very little about. Girls and motorcycles are what bad-boy Cal’s life is all about. Brought up in a raucous party house by his biker brother, he’s free to do as he pleases, going through the motion...

Crimson Darkness by Amos Cassidy My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have been looking forward to Crimson Darkness ever since reading Crimson Midnight. The second book in the series is packed full of action, adventure, and danger. After London was plunged into darkness, everybody left is fighting to save themselves and the world as they knew it. All of our favorite characters are back, and there are some new players who I am very interested in reading more about. Rose is struggling with some decisions she has had to make and some new information she has to deal with about herself. Crimson Darkness was much darker and more sinister than the first book. You can see the definitive shift from the old world to the new one and the toll the stress of fighting every moment for life has taken on the characters. Tension is high and everyone knows that likely disaster is imminent. Once again the storyline was unpredictable and exciting. I love being surprised every step of the way. And, oh...

Sunset by Arshad Ahsanuddin My rating: 4 of 5 stars Daywalkers, Nightwalkers, and Sentinels. They are out there. This was a great book. It was fast paced and well written. The world building was amazingly complex and detailed. The author was able to put his thoughts and ideas into words in such a way that helped to create this stunning portrait for his readers. The inner structure of the different races was incredibly intricate. It was a bit confusing at times trying to understand the hierarchy within each group and the alliances and rivalries between the vampire species, but it was well thought out and written well. The characters were great. Nick, the protagonist, was easily likable. All of the characters were complex with deep backgrounds and painful pasts, though I found emotional attachments to the characters difficult, which is one of the only things I found lacking in the book. When I am reading I want to be able to feel for the characters, and it just did n...

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry My rating: 5 of 5 stars I was told going into this one (my many people) to have the Kleenex handy. I did, and I needed them. I wonder if anyone has thought to tell authors it is hard to read their books with tears in your eyes. I loved this story so much. It was not your usual high school drama boy meets girl love story – it was so much more. The characters are hard not to fall in love with. Echo's life was seemingly perfect once. Now all she wants is to be "normal." It was heartbreaking watching her go through her days trying not to be noticed, trying to hide herself, and doing things she did not want to do just so she could maybe feel normal again, if only for a little while. I really enjoyed Echo's transformation throughout the story. You can actually see her grow emotionally with each turn of the page. Noah is a girl-using stoner boy and jacket-loaning savior. But, there is so much more to Noah than what you ...

At Grave's End by Jeaniene Frost My rating: 4 of 5 stars Another installment in the Cat and Bones saga. Not my favorite thus far, but very good nonetheless. My favorite things about this book: - Bones, of course. Still incredibly hot and sexy, and now even more powerful than before. - Cat. I like her attitude overall. She's not a wishy-washy female lead. She sees what needs to be done and does it. She does not let emotions interfere with her actions. -Cat's mom (Justina). This book shows a whole new side of her. I was laughing so hard reading the sections about her. Rodney deserves a medal! I wish: - We would have gotten more of Dave's transition to ghoul. This book picked up about four months after the last book, so we missed the newness of him. I would have really liked to see what it was like for him and the struggles involved with that. I'm sure it cannot be easy waking from the dead! - We would have gotten more of Patra. There was s...

The Surrogate, the Sudarium Trilogy - Book One by Leonard Foglia My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am not exactly sure what I was expecting when I started this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The authors' use of simple language rather than flashy prose helped make Hannah more believable. She was a simple girl from a small town, maybe a tab bit too naive. She had dreams of doing something important and meaningful with her life but had to get out of the rut she was stuck in. Answering an ad in the local newspaper seemed to be the answer to all of her problems. The world as Hannah knows it is perfect and sweet. She is innocent and trusting. The story as reality knows it is dark and dangerous. People lie, steal, and cheat, and sometimes they do worse. A few chapters in I was worried that this book was going to drag too slow. While it is true there was not a lot of action until close to the end, the time seemed to speed by quickly. I enjoyed the side story of Jimmy and r...

Mr. Bear by Midu Hadi My rating: 5 of 5 stars Mr. Bear is an enjoyable short story with alluring characters and an entertaining and effortless story line. I like the bear shifter – different from the usual. View all my reviews

Forbidden Fantasies by Jodie Griffin My rating: 3 of 5 stars This story was sexy and sweet. Married for fifteen years, Jessica and Alex are comfortable with their lives, but it is not terribly exciting. Jessica wants to bring some spice into their relationship like the types of things she reads about in her romance novels. She has reservations bringing these things up to her husband, afraid of what he will think of her ideas. I like that the author chose to write about a married couple with a long history. This was not some fly by night romance. The couple has an almost perfect life; all it is missing is some excitement. The author did a good job getting both Jessica's and Alex's emotions into the story as they began to communicate inside the bedroom and began to really learn what the other wanted and needed. View all my reviews

Title:   Eden-South Author:   Janelle Stalder Series:   Eden #3 Release Date:   March 2013 The betrayal that tore a family apart. Two brothers bent on destroying the other. A whole world on the brink of war. Aiden has been through his second battle in the magical world of Eden. The victory is short lived and Aiden is sent racing toward his friends in the Capital. After being back in Eden with the Riders, he is eager to reunite with Wolf, Elisa and Logan, although he doesn’t realize just what he’s returning to. Surprises await him when he arrives in the Capital; his close-knit group of friends is slowly falling apart. On top of it all, another battle is just around the corner, one that will change everything. Rain has made her choice, and now she is in some unknown fortress with the feared sorcerer, Aziz. She wants nothing more but to please him, but being his Queen isn’t as easy as she thought. While trying to learn sorcery, and dealing with Aziz’...

Title: Dark Expectations Author: Janiera Eldridge Series: Soul Sisters #2   With Ani taking her place as queen, there are some enemies lurking she could never imagine! There's a secret compound in California that wants to know the secrets to making a vampire or werewolf. When they kidnap Ani during a trip back to California they might actually get what they want. Her sister Dana, her lover Diego and other vampires do everything they can to get her back. If they don't succeed,they face being controlled completely by the human race forever! Dark Expectations is the exciting sequel to Soul Sisters that's full of adventure, danger and what it means to be queen! Add Dark Expectations to your shelf on Goodreads!

Title:   Uniquely Unwelcome Author:   Brandy Nacole Genre:   Paranormal/Fantasy Being unique isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. After searching all over the world for someone as unique as she is, Racquel finds herself back in her home town where she’s treated like a monster ready to kill. Racquel is one of the most unique beings ever created. Four of the most powerful beings in the Shadow World are intertwined within her, making up her unique DNA. But no matter how unique her bloodline is, she’s considered an outcast by the entire Shadow World. Once arriving home, Racquel finds that greater evils exist and that the person she cares for most in this world, her half-sister Addie, has been kidnapped along with other Shadow World beings. Racquel finds herself facing horrible odds with those who would rather see her dead than alive. As her journey continues, Racquel learns more about herself, what she is capable of, and that not every being looks at her as an abominat...

The Art of Domination by Ella Dominguez My rating: 4 of 5 stars Once again I find myself conflicted here. I had originally given this 3 stars but after writing my review moved it up to 4. The story is fun and steamy, a continuation starting five months after the first. In the interim, Isa and Dylan have been getting to know each other and building their relationship. I loved the chemistry between them. Plus there was quite a bit of action (ha ha, besides just the hot sex) and suspense. I enjoyed having the different points of views, much better done in this book than the first. The technical issues with the first book (quotations, dialogue) were fixed in this one, as well, so that is a definite plus. This book delved much deeper into the world of BDSM as well. My biggest issue with this book was Dylan himself. I absolutely loved Dylan in book 1. He was not perfect by any means, he made mistakes, but he was a great guy. In this book, he is too domineering, too controll...

Starkiller by Eric Edstrom My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a great end to a great series. Not to be outdone by the first two Undermountain books, Starkiller is full of action, adventure, mystery, and suspense from the very first chapter to the very last. While some of the bigfeet are planning on revealing themselves to the people of earth, it is up to our heroes and heroines to save the earth from certain destruction at the hands of the tangoga. Not only do Danny and his friends have to stop the end of the world, they have many conflicts along the way, including Breyona's struggle with her new abilities, the loss of loved ones, and, though it would not seem like a conflict, the Oath. "How does peace prevail," Shiv asked, "if those who are peaceful are all dead?" As an overview of the whole series, the books are wonderfully written with incredible attention to detail. The world Eric Edstrom created is positively unique and surprisingly complex. Th...

11/22/63 by Stephen King My rating: 5 of 5 stars If you had the chance to change the course of history, would you? As usual, Stephen King has rocked my world. His ability to weave a tale and get into the minds and lives of his characters is second to none. When I first opened this book (or as it was, turned on my iPod), I was expecting a story about traveling back to stop an assassination. While that did happen, it turns out it was not the main story. True to King fashion, he took us on an incredible journey to get to the heart of the matter. There were many side stories, which turned out to all tie into the big story. It was an incredibly complex journey, but as a reader it was easy to follow along and enjoy the ride. Jake, the main character and narrator of the story, is an easily likable English teacher with a simple life who is drawn by chance into this crazy world of time travel. Back in "the land of ago," he becomes George, another likable character but by circums...

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have been hearing about Cat and Bones from practically everyone for practically forever. So when I finally decided to pick up the first book and read it…whoa! I realize now what everyone is talking about! The second book in the Night Huntress series was just as action packed, fun filled, and hot and steamy as the first. I was a bit worried at first having Cat without Bones, but I figured he would not be able to stay away for long – although four years! What was he thinking? That was definitely long enough. I love that Cat is kickass and does not take crap from anyone. She sees what needs to be done and goes for it. She does not question herself or second guess her decisions. Many times you have heroines hemming and hawing over their decisions for chapter after chapter – boring! Cat is a go-get-em type of girl. I love how Bones just takes charge of everything. He walks into a room and commands it. The ...

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost My rating: 5 of 5 stars Any book that makes me laugh this much deserves at least four stars, in my opinion. Add in a great story, exciting plot, super sexy vampire, kick-ass female lead, and excellent storytelling and you have Halfway to the Grave. The story being told through the Night Huntress series is unique – you often get vampire/vampire, human/vampire, werewolf/vampire, or any other combination therein, but never before have I read half human-half vampire/vampire. I love it! Cat is such a great lead. She is very innocent and naive, yet she goes out every night hunting vampires to try to pay for a sin that was not hers. Bones is just….wow. I love the chemistry between them and their banter. I actually read Once Burned before this series, and fell in love with Frost's writing then. I knew without a doubt I was going to be reading this series as well. I just wish I would have started sooner! View all my reviews

Edge of Disaster by A.M. Hargrove My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a new boyfriend. His name is Pearce. Don't tell my other boyfriends – they get jealous. So…what I love about this book (besides that cover!)- I love Alexia. Though a bit too immature for her age at times, she was a fun character. She's been through some tough times and let them get her down, but ultimately, with the help of a great friend and great guy (my boyfriend) is able to begin to pick herself back up and get her act together again. I love Pearce. Yummy, sexy, rich, sweet, romantic…oh my God, why even go on? He's perfect. He is able to see something good in Alexia and goes after it despite the fact that they come from completely different worlds. He holds onto her when she tries to let go. I love him. I love that although Alexia and Pearce are attracted to each other instantly, their relationship is slow going. Pearce is a little crazy for Alexia, but she needed some time to sort he...

Half Black Soul by H.D. Gordon My rating: 4 of 5 stars The second book in the Alexa Montgomery series picks up right where the first one left off. In this book we get to see Alexa grow into her role as a Sun Warrior. It is a difficult struggle for her, though, to embrace her destiny and accept what she sees as a monster inside of her. We also got to see her grow as a person as she searches out her feelings for Kayden. I loved that we got Nelly's POV in this book. She is a great character and you can see, though she did not play a big role in book one, she is quickly becoming crucial to the plot of the story. I liked the fact that we got to know her a little bit better and were able to invest ourselves in her more. The world the author created for this book was wonderful. She has a way of painting a picture with her words that flow right off the page. This series is fast becoming a favorite for me. View all my reviews

Redemption by H.D. Gordon My rating: 5 of 5 stars Writing this review is bittersweet. I absolutely fell in love with this series and the characters therein, but it came to a necessary end. You have to love a book that can punch you in the gut in the last chapter. It was not at all what I was expecting, but then, why read a book if you know exactly what's coming? As I have said in all my reviews for this series, I love H.D. Gordon's writing. She has a way with words and is able to take this complex storyline with so much going on and make it smooth and beautiful. She has quite an imagination and brings it out well with her words. It was difficult to watch Alexa go through this book. She was so very young and innocent in so many ways, yet had the weight of the world on her shoulders. Everyone looked to her to fix their problems, knowing what the outcome would be, while she struggled with her own inner turmoil. I loved Kayden all the more for being her rock and s...

Under His Command by Kristine Cayne My rating: 4 of 5 stars I love how Kristine Cayne is able to make her characters come to life on her pages. She is able to create such depth and emotion in them that you feel invested in their story and cannot help but hope for a HEA for them. Jamie and Erica have been separated for a while and are trying to fix their failing marriage. Jamie is a firefighter, a dom, and is used to taking charge in every way. Erica is fighting her past and is scared of what it would mean to give up control. Ultimately, both Jamie and Erica have made mistakes in their marriage and now they have the challenge of correcting those mistakes if they want to stay together. It will not be an easy road for them, but if their Hawaii honeymoon is any indication, they are definitely off to a good start! Through the story we get to watch them grow both as individuals and as a couple. Jamie learns that he cannot be a good husband when he is pretending to be something ...

Masters at Arms by Kallypso Masters My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have to admit that after all of the great reviews for this book, I was a bit disappointed with the stories. The good- These short stories were a good setup for the longer novels to come. In them, we got to meet the main characters and get a good look into their personalities. This will be important later when getting into the main books. These stories show how the characters' lives all come together for the next step in life. The bad- I felt as if there were too many inconsistencies in these stories. The characterization was not uniform even from the beginning of one short story to the end, and definitely not from story to story. Then there were so many moments where I stopped to say, that didn't really just happen! (I call these WTF moments). There were just too many of them to make the stories believable at all. Ultimately, I think I am leaning towards reading at least the first full length book...

Blood Warrior by H.D. Gordon My rating: 5 of 5 stars Blood Warrior is the story of Alexa, a 17-year-old girl struggling to fit into her life. She has a seemingly crazy mother, a sister she would kill for, and a best friend who she knows will always be there for her. Alexa’s life takes a crazy turn the night her home is attacked and she’s forced to run with her sister and friend Jackson, leaving her mother behind. Along the many twists and turns, Alexa comes to the realization that nothing is as it seems, even herself. Through this book we watch her inner struggle with herself as she comes to term with who she really is, as well as the outer struggles among the people who are supposed to be allies. Blood Warrior is a captivating book. The characters are so well drawn, you cannot help but want to be happy for them, cry for them, and be upset when they are wronged. Alexa is a teenage girl who has always been a loner, never seeming to fit in, and she ends up with more attent...