The Friday 56: August 20, 2010

Tonya @ Story Time With Tonya and Friends hosted this fun weekly meme, which is you have to;
* Grab a book, closest.
* Turn to page 56, find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of the blog.
*Post a link along with your post back to Tonya's blog
*Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest or most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST!

I just won this book (plus some swag, yay!)over at YA Urban and it just came in the mail, so it was sitting on top of my stack of books for Sunday's In My Mailbox.

Return the Heart

T.K. Richardson

"By the way, you were pretty good down there," I said, referring to our act in front of Rose and Joseph.

"You weren't so bad yourself. Maybe, a little too good.' His sly smile grew just a little wider.

Review: The Scent of Shadows

The Scent of Shadows (Sign of the Zodiac Book 1)

by Vicki Pettersson

First Copyright Date: 2007

Type of Book: Paranormal Romance

ISBN No. 0-060-89891-7

Book Blurb by Paperbackswap:

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert. By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset--a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow--seeking answers to whom or what she really is... and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning--for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own...

Joanna Archer is the daughter of a Light Zodiac Warrior (Zoe, aka the Archer) and Tulpa (leader of the Shadow Zodiac Warriors). She is what they call the Kairos and all the fates hinge on her. She is made up of both sides and can choose her destiny. Warren (a Light Zodiac Warrior) is her guide during her metamorphosis. Ajax is Shadow Zodiac Warrior sent to kill her during her metamorphosis.

This book is more fantasy than what I normally read. That does not mean I didn't enjoy it. It just means that it helped A LOT to write things down. I compare this book to The Matrix. You have Joanna (Neo), Warren (Morphius) and Ajax (Agent Smith). You also have the traitor among the good guys, who I won't reveal and ruin the entire book for you. Once I put it in this context the book smoothed out a bit. It is the basic good versus evil.

If you can get through the beginning chapters you will find a good story that Pettersson created. Joanna is a very strong character. She likes to kick ass and ask questions later and yet you see her soft side with her love for her sister Olivia and childhood sweetheart Ben. Warren is the fatherly figure that guides Joanna through this journey and will go to the ends of the earth because he believes she is the one. Ajax is the typical bad guy that just keeps coming back again and again until you just can't stand it. Plus there are a lot of other characters that are introduced that have potential. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

Rating:

3 of 5 Stars

**book personally purchased by me**

  About the author from her website:

Born and raised in Las Vegas where the Zodiac Series is set, Vicki has always been a voracious reader and writer. However, a post-college stint in PR convinced her she didn't want to spend her days writing on assignment ... so she did what any self-respecting Vegas girl would do. She became a showgirl. Ten years later she traded in her sequins for a laptop. She can most often be found haunting the true-life locales that appear in her urban fantasy series.

WoW and WWW Wednesday: August 18, 2010

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating. This week I am eagerly awaiting:

Dark Peril

by Christine Feehan

Release Date: August 31, 2010

Dominic of the Dragonseeker Carpathians is on a desperate mission, in the very heart of enemy territory. Solange Sangria is one of the last of the jaguar people. She has long been fighting to save women who are able to shift from the hands of the man who slaughtered her family and everyone she loved-her own father. They are two warriors who have lived their lives alone. Now, a the end of their time, they find each other, a complication neither saw coming.

WWW Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Should Be Reading that answers these three questions:

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you will start next?

CURRENTLY READING

Unsure about this one...it is taking me a little bit to get into it. Hoping that the story picks up soon.

The Innocent

by Posie Graeme-Evans

The year is 1450, a dangerous time in medieval Britain. Civil unrest is at its peak and the legitimacy of the royal family is suspect. Meanwhile, deep in the forests of western England, a baby is born. Powerful forces plot to kill both mother and child, but somehow the newborn girl survives. Her name is Anne.

Fifteen years later, England emerges into a fragile but hopeful new age, with the charismatic young King Edward IV on the throne. Anne, now a young peasant girl, joins the household of a wealthy London merchant. Her unusual beauty provokes jealousy, lust, and intrigue, but Anne has a special quality that saves her: a vast knowledge of healing herbs. News of her extraordinary gift spreads, and she is called upon to save the ailing queen. Soon after, Anne is moved into the palace, where she finds her destiny with the man who will become the greatest love of her life -- the king himself. 

FINISHED READING

Hands down the best out of all her books in the series so far.

The Outlaw Demon Wails

by Kim Harrison

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

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

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

Review to come

The Scent of Shadows

by Vicki Pettersson

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert. By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset--a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow--seeking answers to whom or what she really is... and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning--for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful shadows want her for their own...

UP NEXT

Can't wait to start this one. Hopefully it is as good as the last one.

White Witch, Black Curse

by Kim Harrison

Kick-ass witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan lost her lover, and now she won't rest until his murder is solved and avenged. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and Rachel's past comes back to haunt her -- literally.

Teaser Tuesday: August 17, 2010

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

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two "teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! Share the title and author, too, so that others can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser!

The Innocent

by Posie Graeme-Evans

How could she have woken so childlike this morning, and now, at the end of the day, feel as if she had been swept away on a sea of her own darkly turbulent blood? (p.65)

"Last night. That is, I was in the chapel and they were there. I was so frightened, for the king, and then he, well he..."(p.231)

 

In My Mailbox: August 9-15

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Anyone can participate in IMM and you are not limited to only sharing books that arrive via your mailbox. You can also share books that you've bought or books that you've gotten at the library. If interested please click the link above and sign up!

This is a little late getting up but when we got back from camping today our internet wasn't working!! Let's just say I did have a little melt down (FREAKING OUT) but now it is all good!! This has been a good week, I won a couple of books and found a new series to try out on Paperbackswap!

Won

Relatively Famous by Jessica Park (Lori's Reading Corner)

Seduced by Sin by Kimberly Logan and a GORGEOUS book thong!! (Michelle's Book Blog)

 

Paperbackswap

Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley by Alison Weir

Never After  by Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, Marjorie M. Liu and Sharon Shinn

Nightlife (Cal Leandros, Book 1) by Rob Thurman

Moonshine (Cal Leandros, Book 2) by Rob Thurman

Madhouse (Cal Leandros, Book 3) by Rob Thurman

Deathwish (Cal Leandros, Book 4) by Rob Thurman

Roadkill (Cal Leandros, Book 5) by Rob Thurman

Mirror Mirror: A Novel by Gregory Maguire

Kindle Download

I Thought It Was You: Grimm's Circle Book 2.5 by Shiloh Walker