Book Review: Web Of Lies by Jennifer Estep

Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin #2
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: May 25th 2010
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Curiosity is definitely going to get me dead one of these days. Probably real soon.

I'm Gin Blanco.

You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive.

This was an interesting continuation of Gin's story. I'd really like to start by showing the middle finger to a certain annoying character. But more on that later.

I like that we learn more about Fletcher's past. We start to understand more about him. I have a feeling it would have been nice to have him around, to have more time with him. I'm still pretty sad that he had to die *pout*

Finn is always such an entertaining character. He's very funny and I like how he's constantly flirting with each and every woman around him. I kind of want to see if he'd have what it takes to flirt with Mab Monroe. That would be an interesting scene, right? Anyway, he's always fun and easy going and I love him to death.

I want to know more about the Devereaux sisters. I think there's a big mystery behind them and I want to find out what that is. But I like how Jo-Jo always has advice for everyone. And she always gave me the impression of... the wise old lady. Not that she's old (at least in the series) but she's very wise. Her sister is still a big mystery to me. I'm waiting for that to be unveiled.

Here comes the not so fun part of my review. First, I said I wanted to show the middle finger to a character. That would be Donovan "Spineless" Caine. I hate him. It's really difficult to actually hate a character, but I do. I don't want to ever, ever, ever read about him again. Ever!

One thing that bugged me a little while reading this book was that there were so many repetitions. I understand the need to remind readers of what happened in the previous books, but there is such thing as too much reminding. It did pull me a little from the story. I know what you're going to say, "skip those parts". I've had some other people say that to me many times. But you see, it's the same thing, really, because I know why I'm skipping a paragraph. It still pulls me out of the story and it still kind of ruins the moment if it makes sense. I would be so much happier without the repetitions.

The last thing that I'm still waiting to happen is for Gin to "look" like the big, bad-ass assassin she claims to be. I didn't feel like this was shown as much as it was told. Like we should take it for granted that she is one of the best assassins out there. She might be a bad-ass assassin, but I want to see her being one. I hope that makes sense.

Anyway, I'm starting to like this series. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I do. And (since I'm ahead with my reading) I am actually looking forward to what happens next in the series (can't tell you, because those are major spoilers ;) )

12 Days of 2012: Day 1 Best Covers of 2012

I don't know if I said this before, but I love lists. I didn't use to make lists when I was a kid or a teenager, but about the same time I discovered I was obsessed in love with reading I started making lists. Looong lists. So I though I'd share the lists I made for this year. It has to do with books, I promise not to share any other lists. Anyway, for the next 12 days I'll share my "best of" things book related lists. It's about everything from best covers to best couple to anything you can imagine. So, let's start with Day 1.

BEST COVERS OF 2012

In no particular order, here are 10 of the prettiest covers I've seen this year (yes, it's for books published in 2012):

Paul Marron with red, vampire-ish eyes. I don't need a better reason than that. :D 

Lothaire - Kresley Cole (my review here)

Cowboy boots. Oh, and I'm sure I've mentioned the fact that I luuuuurve cartoon covers. I do, I love them.







Death On Heels - Ellen Byerrum (my review here)

Like when I first saw this cover, the bleeding eye is enough reason for me to love his cover. It's perfectly creepy, if it makes any sense. And the book is good :D






The Immortal Rules - Julie Kagawa (my review here)

I always love a pretty cover that makes the crafty side of my brain go "Ah-HAH!". That's what the design made me feel like when I first saw this cover (have I ever mentioned how much I love jewelry? Not necessarily gold, just jewelry in general and also, not the pricey stuff. I'm okay with any material, even plastic, as long as it's pretty and funky and unique)

I haven't yet read the book, so I don't know if my wish came true about one of the characters (I hope it did though). Anyway, it's a very cool cover :D



Thirteen - Kelley Armstrong 

Another cartoon cover, I know. It's just that they're so pretty! I love them.

Oh, and if you haven't yet read the book, you should. It's very funny :D





I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella (my review here)

This is a very cool cover. The entire series has cool covers. I like the fact that it's all blue and white and maybe a tad black. But mostly blue and white. (I love blue)








A Feast Of Souls - Hailey Edwards (read my review here)

That is a very pretty...horse *grins* The horse is gorgeous! The male model isn't that close to how I pictured Reseph, but he comes very close  (*laughs* no pun intended. No, really, I'm serious)







Rogue Rider - Larissa Ione (read my review here)

Even though I didn't finish this book, I have to admit that this is a very, very pretty cover.






Velveteen - Daniel Marks

I think I stared at this cover a lot. It's very beautiful. I love the fact that there's a link between the cover art and the title. I haven't read the series yet, but the cover makes me want to.

A Beautiful Evil - Kelly Keaton

Maybe I've said this before, but this cover is so awesome. The more I look at it, the more I think about one of the promo posters for the TV show Revenge. And I love the fact that every time I look at the cover, I see new details. 

Something Strange And Deadly - Susan Dennard

There are many, many more books with amazing covers that were published this year. I can't list them all, because this post would never end. But trust me, I loved a lot of covers. 

What covers did you like this year? What's your Top 10 list?

Obsessed With Covers #2

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

This series has such pretty covers. The dress is absolutely gorgeous and I like that there are many, many mirrors behind her. Makes the entire cover look mysterious.


The Elite - Kiera Cass

I love her outfit. I have a thing for corsets. And I'd love to have hair like that, that is wavy without looking like I had a meeting with an electrical wire and I lost.

Oh and for some reason, she kind of reminds me of a young Annie Lennox. I don't know why, but the cover model looks like her, don't you think?



The Girl With the Iron Touch - Kady Cross











What covers caught your eye this week?

Book Review: Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning

Author: Karen Marie Moning
Series: Fever #2
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Release Date: October 16th 2007
My Rating: 4 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

I used to be your average, everyday girl but all that changed one night in Dublin when I saw my first Fae, and got dragged into a world of deadly immortals and ancient secrets. . . .

In her fight to stay alive, MacKayla must find the Sinsar Dubh—a million-year-old book of the blackest magic imaginable, which holds the key to power over the worlds of both the Fae and Man. Pursued by assassins, surrounded by mysterious figures she knows she can’t trust, Mac finds herself torn between two deadly and powerful men: V’lane, the immortal Fae Prince, and Jericho Barrons, a man as irresistible as he is dangerous.

For centuries the shadowy realm of the Fae has coexisted with that of humans. Now the walls between the two are coming down, and Mac is the only thing that stands between them.

I have to start with a confession. I probably would have given this book a very different rating. But, being the curious little creature that I am, I was checking out some discussions on this series and I found out that there's a short story called The Alpha Alternative: JZB Sex Scene. Because I'm me, I had to check it out. And I did. While I wasn't very impressed by it (I wanted the dirty details, what can I say? *shrugs*) it helped me see Barrons in a very different light. So, even though we get the events from Mac's POV, I know that there's always something else behind Barron's behavior (usually his tendencies to act like a jackass). So yes, he's not as bad as he seems or like he wants Mac to believe. He's still a mystery to me, but he's not so... insufferable as before.

Mac is as sarcastic as ever and I like that about her. Sarcasm is always good in a character. And I like that she's still scared of the world, even though she knows what's out there. But there's something else I see in her. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. She seems a little... naive at times. Maybe I'm wrong, but it's the feeling I get. But yes, I do like her all in all.

Besides that, I liked that there's more mystery surrounding the world. I liked that there's also more darkness and more tendencies towards horror than in other paranormal books. It's one of the reasons why I like the series. Oh, I still don't know what to make of some of the things that happened, and V'Lane still gets on my very last nerve, but the horror, the frightening feeling some of the scenes have are what keep making me want to go on with the series.

Speaking of V'Lane, I know a lot of you like him and I've had people telling me to be patient, that eventually I'll get to liking him. I'm still waiting for that to happen. Honestly, I have yet to see something "likeable" in him. Maybe his "death-by-sex fae" status is what makes my expectations so high? I don't know, but I have yet to like him. He actually made me want to smack him in one scene in this book.

If you asked me if you should read this short scene before going on with the series, I'd say I have no idea. I know it changed my perspective. It depends on how you saw the first book and how you want to go on seeing the characters. I don't have an honest answer, but I do know that my view of Barrons is a lot changed. And I know that I will keep reading the book.

Obsessed With Covers #1

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

 This looks like a painting. There's this artist that does paintings like this (can't remember his name, no matter how much I try), but this cover reminded me of some of his art. And I love the purple sky and the icy blue snow. Have I ever told you how much I love snow?



Christmas on Mimosa Lane - Anna DeStefano

 This is a situation in which I hope I never find myself: trapped under a mountain of snow. Then again, if this comes with heat, all-you-can-eat buffet, study-free days and my huge mountain of TBR I wouldn't complain at all...



Trapped - Michael Northrop

I love this cover. It's so pretty with all the branches and holly. And I love the far, far away landscape. And the house. And the lovers kissing under said holly. Though I kind of wish for a snowball fight *grin*



Romancing The Holiday - Jaci Burton, HelenKay Dimon, Christi Barth

Early Book Review: A Feast of Souls by Hailey Edwards

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Araneae Nation #2
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Release Date: December 18th 2012
My Rating: 5 cups
Source:ARC/review copy offered by the author
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The only way to save her is to bind their souls as one.

Born with the ability to communicate with the dead, few things take Mana by surprise. But when a canis lopes into her life, announcing himself as the long-dead father of a childhood friend, she’s shocked. To make matters worse, he has a dire message that she alone can deliver.

Now Mana must face Vaughn, the male who inspired one too many girlish fantasies, and impart the spirit’s message—without acknowledging her source—so the soul can be laid to rest.

With rumors of a burgeoning clan war setting his nerves on edge, the last thing Vaughn needs is for an innocent to get caught in the crosshairs. But the woman he remembers as an awkward girl refuses to leave his side until he’s heard her out. That’s not the only change in her that calls to him. Her kindness soothes his battle-scarred soul—and he craves her in ways a warrior shouldn’t.

When they are both captured, they learn of an even greater threat. The plague devastating the southlands has come to his clan home. And his best—and only—chance to keep his people alive is the female who walks among the dead.

 

I loved this book. So, so much. For me, it was one of those situations when I look at the clock and it's about 10 pm and I say to myself "Okay, I'll read a few chapters. No more than 4". And then read and read and when I look at the clock again I have one of those "oh, crap" moments because it's about 3 am and I have to wake up in about 4 hours and, surprise, I'm way past the first half of the book. Though it might not sound like it, I really love it when a book does that to me, 'cause then it means it's that good :D

I liked Vaughn a lot. I have no idea what is it about arrogant, strong heroes, but I just love them. Vaughn is such a strong character. Strong enough that even the mention of his name commands attention. He's had a rough past and at times I just felt the need to get inside the book and give him a hug. A big bear hug. I liked his strength and his dedication towards doing what was right. I also liked how he believed and respected what Mana was doing, her ability to talk with the dead. I think it made him even more perfect for Mana, the fact that he respected it and that he didn't try to make it sound like some hallucination or something like that.

Mana is one cool heroine. Just the fact that she can spirit walk makes her cool. And she's good for Vaughn. She made him a better person and I felt like for the first time Vaughn was trying to be better for someone. I really liked those two together. And I liked their flirting and teasing.

As with A Hint of Frost, I liked the fact that there isn't an abundance of descriptions, because I could use my own imagination to create some of the aspects of the world. I also liked that there's a little mystery surrounding the plague and where it comes from. I'm very curious to see what happens next and about the various new creatures there are in this world. I'm ready for book 3.

So if you haven't yet read the first book of the series, A Hint Of Frost, start now. You won't be disappointed!