Book Review: American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout

Author: Jennifer Armintrout

Blurb (from Goodreads):

"HE'S THE GOOD KIND OF VAMPIRE. SORT OF.
Buried in the Heartland is a town that no one enters or leaves. Graf McDonald somehow becomes its first visitor in more than five years…and he was only looking for a good party. Unfortunately, Penance, Ohio, is not that place. And after having been isolated for so long, they do not like strangers at all.
Jessa's the only one to even remotely trust him, and she's desperate for the kind of protection that only a vampire like Graf can provide. Supplies are low, the locals are ornery for a sacrifice and there's a monster more powerful than Graf lurking in the woods. New men are hard to come by in this lonesome town, and this handsome stranger might be Jessa's only hope for salvation.
Even if she has to die first…"

This is the first Jennifer Armintrout book I've read and I think it's a good book to start with. It has romance, adventure, mystery, suspense and, dare I say, a little coming of age theme. I do believe it's the first novel with that combination that I've read.

Graf isn't your typical hero. Yes, he's a vampire and he loves vintage cars and leather, but he's not what I'd call a hero. He's not very mature, on the contrary, he acts like a thirteen year old all the time. He has that "mine is bigger than yours" attitude. But, as the story progresses, you can see him maturing. He stops acting like being a vampire makes him king of the world and starts thinking of others before himself. I do believe he was very unfortunate to end up stuck in Penance, but I also think he deserved it. Even the town's name says it: he had some sins he needed to atone for and grow up at the same time. The Graf at the beginning of the story wouldn't have put himself between the angry townsmen and Jessa and he wouldn't have saved her life.

Jessa is one of those women who don't accept their age and can't let go of the past. On the night 'It' appeared, she lost her family, leaving her all alone in a town that didn't have anything to offer her. Her ex-boyfriend married her best friend, though he couldn't let go of their "high school sweetheart" relationship. I don't think Jessa likes that kind of life, but she clearly isn't making any move to change it. Maybe she's waiting for a sign or maybe she believes everything that happened is her fault. She is a little bitchy at times and that kind of annoyed me at some point. But she too grows up as the story is told and she manages to let go of the past.

The book was funny. I laughed at some parts and the snarky remarks between Jessa and Graf made me smile a lot. Some parts of the book were a bit too much for my tastes, but the book kept me in its grasp from start to finish. I will definitely try other novels by Ms. Armintrout.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine

My WoW this week is The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon.

Blurb (From Goodreads):

Dream-Hunter Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions: To descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill her and her kind. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian…
Seth’s time is running out. If he can’t hand over the entrance to Olympus, his own life and those of his people will be forfeit. No matter the torture, Seth hasn’t been able to break the god in his custody. Then there’s the beautiful Dream-Hunter Lydia: She isn’t just guarding the gates of Olympus—she’s holding back one of the world’s darkest powers. If she fails, an ancient curse will haunt the earth once more and no one will be safe. But evil is always seductive...

I can't wait for this book. I'm rereading the Dark Hunter series while waiting for this new book, maybe the time will seem like it's flying faster. I'm so ready for November! What are you waiting for?

Book Review: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione
Series: Demonica
Rating: 5 Cups
Blurb (from Amazon):


"In a place where ecstasy can cost you your life . . . 

She's a demon-slayer who hungers for sensual pleasure-but fears it will always be denied her. Until Tayla Mancuso lands in a hospital run by demons in disguise, and the head doctor, Eidolon, makes her body burn with unslakable desire. But to prove her ultimate loyalty to her peers, she must betray the surgeon who saved her life.

Two lovers will dare to risk all.

Eidolon cannot resist this fiery, dangerous woman who fills him with both rage and passion. Not only is she his avowed enemy, but she could very well be the hunter who has been preying upon his people. Torn between his need for the truth and his quest to find his perfect mate before a horrific transformation claims him forever, Eidolon will dare the unthinkable-and let Tayla possess him, body and soul . . ."

It seems that demons are becoming the new vampires. And that's not bad. They're new, fresh and intriguing. Let's face it, who can resist a sexy demon? And if he's a doctor, like Eidolon, then his sexy meter has gone up in flames. 

I've read other books about demons, but it's always a nice surprise to see how an author manages to go around the general idea that demons are only bad and have no soul and make them into a lovable character. Eidolon is one of those characters. The older brother, Eidolon is also the most cerebral, or so I perceived him. He's the co-founder of the Underworld General Hospital and one of the doctors. Inside that hospital you'll find all kinds of creatures who you wouldn't exactly expect: vampires, werewolves, incubi, demons, even humans. I think that the idea of putting all these creature who are sometimes enemies is brilliant. Makes me like the series even more. But back to Eidolon.


Eidolon loves his brothers so much, he's willing to sacrifice himself in order to keep them from getting hurt or from dying. He's also loyal to the oath he took, to always care for the creatures who come into his hospital. Even an enemy. So when one of his nurses bring a demon slayer into the hospital, Tayla, he treats her like she's just another patient. He didn't exactly liked her job description, but he didn't hurt her and he didn't let others hurt her while she was in his hospital. 


Tayla is one of those people who sees only black and white. If humans can be good and bad, demons are only bad. The same goes for vampires, werewolves and all the other non-human creatures. I can't exactly blame her for that belief. She saw her mother getting raped and killed by a demon, who she later found out was the worst kind of demon. So when the Aegi, a human organization dedicated to killing all the creatures that go bump in the night, offer her an opportunity to avenge her mother and to protect the other humans to never go through the same situation as her, Tayla accepts it. So when she wakes up in a demon hospital, she's more than just furious. Especially when she realizes she's very attracted to her demon doctor, Eidolon.


I loved the universe in this series. It's unique and fresh. Even though he might seem soft, I don't think another character would've been better for a series opener than Eidolon. I still have two books left in this series, but I hope in the near future we'll get another book in this series. I'm not really ready to let go of this universe. 

My Rating:

WWW Wednesdays

WWW Wednesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently reading:

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Recently read:

Metrophilias by Brendan Connell

Going to read:

Ecstasy Unveiled by Larissa Ione

Book Review: Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Dark Hunters

Rating: 4 cups

Blurb (from Amazon):

"Harm no human…

A hired gunslinger, William Jessup Brady lived his life with one foot in the grave. He believed that every life had a price. Until the day when he finally found a reason to live. In one single act of brutal betrayal, he lost everything, including his life. Brought back by a Greek goddess to be one of her Dark-Hunters, he gave his immortal soul for vengeance and swore he’d spend eternity protecting the humans he’d once considered prey.

Orphaned as a toddler, Abigail Yager was taken in by a family of vampires and raised on one belief—Dark-Hunters are the evil who prey on both their people and mankind, and they must all be destroyed. While protecting her adoptive race, she has spent her life eliminating the Dark-Hunters and training for the day when she meeting the man who killed her family: Jess Brady.

A gun in the hand is worth two in the holster…

Jess has been charged with finding and terminating the creature who’s assassinating Dark-Hunters. The last thing he expects to find is a human face behind the killings, but when that face bears a striking resemblance to the one who murdered him centuries ago, he knows something evil is going on. He also knows he’s not the one who killed her parents. But Abigail refuses to believe the truth and is determined to see him dead once and for all.

Brought together by an angry god and chased by ancient enemies out to kill them both, they must find a way to overcome their mutual hatred or watch as one of the darkest of powers rises and kills both the races they’ve sworn to protect."

I was going crazy without another Dark Hunter book. I craved a new book in this series. I can't say it's my favorite in the series (I'm saving that space for Acheron's book and for Savitar's, whenever his book will be released) but I like the new angle, the new direction this book takes. 

I loved Jess, the gunslinger. I liked the idea of him being the bad boy of his time, the man that makes every other people shake in fear, even if he was bad for a good reason. I adored his relationship with his Squire. Reminded me a little of Kyrian and Nick. 

I liked the new pantheon. I also like the fact that Kenyon is mixing the Dark Hunter universe with the whole Apocalypse and the 2012 myths and I can't wait to see how the story develops later in The Guardian and in Time Untime. 

Abigail's character was also fresh. I don't think there was another character who hated the Hunters so much and who, ironically, ended up in love with one. Yes, Stryker does hate the Dark Hunters, but he didn't marry one, thank God! 

I think this is one of the few series I've read that even after twenty books can keep things fresh and appealing. Or at least that's how I feel. I do believe that Sherrilyn Kenyon is doing an amazing job with this series and I can't wait to see what happens next. Maybe we'll see more of Savitar in the near future?

Teaser Tuesdays and Top Ten Tuesdays

Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.
Each week, they will post a new Top Ten list that one of the bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join, just link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

 Top Ten Books I Feel As Though Everyone Has Read But Me 

1. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - I know most people consider this book a classic, but I still won't read it. Ever 
2. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer - I can't get past Bella being whiny in the first movie and I just cannot make myself go through that again in the book version. And I like my vampires manly, without sparkles.
3. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger - no valid excuse here...
4. Anything by Stephen King - I tried to read Salem's Lot but I couldn't finish it. I felt that nothing happened in that book. Don't think I'll try again with his books.
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - no excuse, just haven't gotten around reading these books
6. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead - they are on my TBR list, I promise. 
7. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - Let's just say that me and the classic books aren't good friends. I tried this book when I was a teen. Maybe I should try it again.
8. Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis - I've only read the first two books in the series. I liked them, but not enough to continue. Probably would've read them had I started the series before reading Lord of the Rings.
9. Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick - I see these books everywhere. I will try them in the near future.
   
10. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
    

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 (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My teaser today is from The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks:

With that, she sighed. “Shouldn’t you be with your friends, staring at yourselves in the mirror?”

What's your teaser this week?