Re-read Book Review: Dance With The Devil by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Dark Hunters # 3

My Rating: 5 cups

Blurb: (from Goodreads):

Zarek's Point of View:
Dark-Hunter: A soulless guardian who stands between mankind and those who would see mankind destroyed. Yeah, right. The only part of that Code of Honor I got was eternity and solitude.

Insanity: A condition many say I suffer from after being alone for so long. But I don't suffer from my insanity-I enjoy every minute of it.

Trust: I can't trust anyone...not even myself. The only thing I trust in is my ability to do the wrong thing in any situation and to hurt anyone who gets in my way.
Truth: I endured a lifetime as a Roman slave, and 900 years as an exiled Dark-Hunter. Now I'm tired of enduring. I want the truth about what happened the night I was exiled-I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Astrid (Greek, meaning star): An exceptional woman who can see straight to the truth. Brave and strong, she is a point of light in the darkness. She touches me and I tremble. She smiles and my cold heart shatters.
Zarek: They say even the most damned man can be forgiven. I never believed that until the night Astrid opened her door to me and made this feral beast want to be human again. Made me want to love and be loved. But how can an ex-slave whose soul is owned by a Greek goddess ever dream of touching, let alone holding, a fiery star?

There's something about a tortured hero that makes my heart pound. It's not that I'm happy they're tortured. It makes me sad and then angry at the people who hurt the poor guy. But I love to see how the author manages to save him and find the perfect mate for him. So it's not a surprise that I loved Zarek and his story.

It was heartbreaking to read it and some of Zarek's memories made me want to cry and cry. I was so happy to see Astrid manage to look beyond his initial response to her and to be able to push all his defense mechanisms out of the way and discover the real Zarek, the tender lover, the hero, the guy with a noble heart, the man who would risk his life to save everyone around him.

The one thing I always see in Kenyon's books is that she manages to show how different people see the same scene, the same person or action in a very different way. It's the same with each and every character. You can never really know what you'll see next. So if in Night Embrace  you read about a cruel, crazy Zarek, in Dance With The Devil you see the good side of him, the one incapable of hurting someone for no reason, the person who, despite everything that has been thrown at him, is still trying to find the goodness in people. And it's the same thing with each character in this series.

As always, more questions pop up as you read the series, and it's what keeps it interesting. Behind the love stories, you have an incredible world to discover and it's a world that I truly adore.

Book Review: Fighting the Devil by Jeannie Walker

Author: Jeannie Walker
Source: review copy offered by the author
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A Texas millionaire rancher discovered his wife and bookkeeper had stolen thousands of dollars from him. After he demanded the money back, he started getting sick. While in the hospital, doctors were mystified as to how an otherwise healthy, energetic man could become so deathly ill. The dying man told everyone within earshot that his wife and bookkeeper were killing him. The man's wife said her husband was hallucinating from drugs the doctors were giving him. The millionaire rancher succumbed in the hospital while strapped down to his bed with restraints on his hands and feet and tubes in every orifice. After the rancher died, an anonymous caller tipped off the police. The widow was the sole beneficiary of the estate and a $350,000 life insurance policy. A week before the man's death, a teenager visited the rancher's home and became deathly ill after he drank juice that was in the rancher's refrigerator. Two years after the millionaire's death, a bottle of arsenic was found in a storage locker rented by a woman under an assumed name. The millionaire's ex-wife, the mother of his children, became a sleuth to help solve the murder. No one could have predicted the aftermath with its strange twists and unexpected results.

Every now and then I feel the need to read a book based on reality. Non-fiction if you like, though my head tells me non-fiction has more to do with text books, exams and sleepless nights. But what do I know? Anyway, like I said, sometimes I need to read something autobiographical.

I have to say, Fighting the Devil wasn't what I expected. I was expecting suspense, drama, some really intense moments, maybe a little scary scenes. What I didn't expect was to be so emotional while I was reading. From sadness to anger, love, hate, fear, pity, revolted, I felt them all. I wasn't expecting that or the fact that I couldn't put it down.

The story is, I think, one of the saddest I've read this year. It's even sadder because it's true. I always get amazed by some people's cruelness and greed and their lack of compassion and conscience. It's something that to me is extremely disturbing sometimes. Of course, I did get to read about murder cases, so it's not exactly news to me, but it is still a little weird and sad.

The only thing I felt was a little too much were the religious references or the little scenes around that subject. But that's just because I'm not an overly religious person.

If you like non-fiction, true crime stories, you should try this one. It's a book that won't let you put it down.

Winner: Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes

Thank you all who entered the giveaway to win one ebook copy of Behind Closed Doors by Sherri Hayes.

The winner is:

• Kelly

Congratulations! I will send you an email as soon as possible. Please respond to my email in 72 hours (3 days) or I will choose another winner.

Blog Tour Review: Social Punk by Monica Leonelle

Author: Monica Leonelle
Series: Socialpunk #1
Source:  review copy provided by the author
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Ima would give anything to escape The Dome and learn what’s beyond its barriers, but the Chicago government has kept all its citizens on lockdown ever since the Scorched Years left most of the world a desert wasteland. When a mysterious group of hooded figures enters the city unexpectedly, Ima uncovers a plot to destroy The Dome and is given the choice between escaping to a new, dangerous city or staying behind and fighting a battle she can never win.




I have to say, Socialpunk surprised me a lot. From the moment I read the prologue for the first time, I was thrown into a very unique world that I never thought I could go to. The take on world, reality and Earth that you find in this book is completely new to me. I think it's very daring to take that path, but I do believe the author made a great job.

It's a very fast-paced novel and I felt that every page brought something new. I loved that it really kept me on the edge of my seat and it was really engaging.

What I loved most was that beneath the danger and the suspense, I realized this book was full with teenagers. I saw a lot of typical teenage behavior in what Ima and Dash and all the other characters did and I loved that. I mean, you could see the angst, the impulsiveness characteristic to people so young. It made me really connect with the characters. There were some moments when I felt that Vaughn was a little too quick to change his mood, but then again he is a teenager.

I loved the idea with the comic book. Sort of a new way to show a prophecy. If you accept that a piece of stone with something carved in it can tell you when the world's going to end, why not believe a comic book can do the same, you know?

What took me completely by surprise was the ending. I did not see that one coming, I swear. I was reading and the next moment I'm staring at the screen wanting to scream "WHAT?" Sort of like when you're watching a very engaging episode and before you know it the big black screen with the "TO BE CONTINUED" thing comes up. I can't wait to see what's next. I'm actually very, very curious.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

Monica Leonelle is holding a giveaway. You can enter by using the Rafflecopter widget below. Good Luck!

Cover Love (14)

This feature is hosted by Carmel @ Rabid Reads. The rules are very simple. Choose a cover (or two, or three), preferably new-ish, and share what you like about it. Grab the graphic or don't just so long as you link back.


My pick this week:

There's just something about a cartoonish cover. I know, I know,  I've said it too many times, but I can't stop myself. This is really a cover that catches my eye.

So, what cover caught your attention this week?

Book Review: The Binding by L. Filloon

Author: L. Filloon

Series: Velesi Series #1

Source: review copy provided by the author

My Rating: 5 cups

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Two nights after her eighteenth birthday, Lily is attacked while out jogging, but is saved by Tharin Lunar, a Sidhe prince. When she discovers that her attacker is her own brother, Lucas, who disappeared four years ago, Lily refuses to believe that her brother would truly hurt her and becomes determined to find Lucas and bring him home. Lily finds that Lucas’ disappearance is somehow tied to Tharin; so when he informs her that she is his betrothed and must return with him to Velesi, fulfill a treaty between their families and unite the two strongest clans through their marriage, Lily agrees. However, she’s not going to Velesi for a wedding, but to bring home her only family, Lucas.
On their journey to the borders of Velesi, the realm of the Thirteen Clans, they’re pursued by a Sidhe assassin group call the Ange, meet with an ogre crime lord that ends badly, deal with a sleazy troll motel manager, and when they discover that there’s a bounty on their heads, they must keep one step ahead of every assassin, bounty hunter and low-life criminal in Velesi.
Protecting Lily has become the biggest challenge of Tharin’s life. Lucky for him he has help in the form of his twin brother, Tolan, Lily’s best friend Julia and his three bodyguard cousins.

If there's one thing I love more than anything is a good fantasy book. The Binding was, in my opinion, more than just "good". It was more than great, actually.

The first thing that caught my attention was that we don't have just one perspective, but two. The book is written in first person, but we get to see Lily's and Tharin's take on the action, alternatively. That's where I, as a reader, tip my hat to the author. Seriously. As a reader that's weary of books written in 1st person, it was so refreshing not having to worry about that. Because you get two views on the same scene (or almost the same), it's like actually seeing the entire picture, like having eyes on the back of your head also and seeing every little detail around you.

The world we find in The Binding is new, fresh, surprising. Out of all the supernatural creatures, elves are the least used, so it was a nice change to see them as the main species in a story. You also find ogres, orcs, demons, wizards, wolves and a few other creatures I've never encountered before.

The characters were amazing. Lily, the heroine, managed to surprise me a lot. Just when you think you have her figured out, she does or says something that changes everything you think you know about her. She can be both strong and weak, she can be fair and she can overreact at some point, she can be happy and sad. The one thing that is constant through the entire book is that she's an extremely friendly person. And when she cares about someone, she'll do whatever it takes to protect them, even if it means endangering herself. I liked her friendship with Julie. It's one of those really rare friendships and I for one haven't found them in a lot of the books I've read.

Tharin was a very interesting hero. I'm sure that if the book was told only from Lily's perspective, I would've wished to smack him a few times. But since I got to be inside his head, see why he said the things he said, why he acted in a certain way, I can't imagine a better hero. And I liked that Tolan, his twin brother, wasn't as perfect as I first thought. There were times when I laughed alongside Tharin at his brother's behavior. So don't think that one twin is flawed, while one is perfect. They both have faults as they have moments of utter perfection. That, in my opinion, makes this characters real, it gives the idea of layers upon layers and it just made me want to uncover everything about them.

I loved the ending. It made me groan and scream in frustration, but the cliffhanger is AMAZING! I think it's best if I say there are at least two cliffhangers, not just one. I am impatiently waiting for book two.

If you like fantasy, paranormal, young adult, you should definitely try The Binding. You won't be disappointed!