Early Review: Bound by Night by Larissa Ione

Author: Larissa Ione
Series: MoonBound Clan Vampire #1
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: September 24th 2013
My Rating: 4 cups
Source:NetGalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

The first installment in a sexy new paranormal romance series by Larissa Ione, author of the bestselling Demonica series!

A WOMAN OUT FOR BLOOD
Nicole Martin was only eight years old when the vampire slaves rose up in rebellion and killed her family. Now she devotes her life to finding a vaccine against vampirism, hoping to wipe out her memories—along with every bloodsucker on the planet. But there’s one thing she cannot destroy: her searing, undeniable attraction for the one man she should hate and fear the most . . .

A VAMPIRE OUT FOR REVENGE
A member of the renegade vampire MoonBound Clan, Riker is haunted by demons of his own. When he recognizes Nicole and remembers how her family enslaved his loved ones, his heart burns for vengeance. But when he kidnaps Nicole and holds her in a secret lair, his mortal enemy becomes his soul obsession, his greatest temptation, and, perhaps, his only salvation—a hot-blooded lover who could heal him with her touch . . . or bury him forever.

I love Larissa Ione's Demonica series and it's spin-off, Lords of Deliverance, so when I found out that she's going to write a series about vampires I was so very excited. I know a lot of people are thinking "Vampires? Again?" but I'm not. I love vampires and I love vampire books and if you ask me, there aren't enough vampire books out there and I don't think I'll even get to the point where I'll say "that's it, I'm done with them". More vampires, I say.

The first thing I noticed in this book was that not all vampires are good. There are some pretty cruel, really bad vampires. So there's a great balance between the good vamps and the bad vamps. Some, I might say, are actually insane. At the same time, not all humans are shown as being good people. There's also a good mix there. Which I think is good and makes the entire story feel much more realistic.

Riker was soooo sexy. What I liked about him was that he has many layers. I thought I had him figured out, but he surprised me more than once.  He can be very gentle when he wants to, but he can also be very brutal and fierce. Did I mention he's also terribly sexy? 

Nicole was... She was damaged. That's the first thing that pops into my head when I think about her. She's had a bad experience with vampires when she was a kid and, frankly, I kept asking myself how is she not insane? It really was amazing that she wasn't half crazy. But she's very brave and I liked that about her. And she has the ability to look past what has been done to her and realize that not everything is black and white. 

There are a number of other very sexy vampires in this book and I definitely want to learn more about them. Also, I hope we'll get more details about the history of vampires and how they came to be. I found that part of the story fascinating. I'll definitely read the next book in the series, though it pains me to wait another year for it. Oh well, at least Reaver comes out soon.

Houston BookRave Epic Giveaway

Would you like to win some signed copies from some of the amazing authors who will be attending the Houston BookRave?

Well, here is your chance!

TrinDee Events is giving away 10 signed copies to three lucky winners. The first winner drawn will get to choose five books, the second winner will choose three, and the final winner gets their choice of two.

Best part? Winners choose off TrinDee Events featured author list.

Check out the attending authors here: http://houstonbookrave.blogspot.com/p/authors.html

All you have to do is help spread the word about the Houston BookRave!

Unfortunately, this giveaway is open to the US only. However, if you live outside the USA and are willing to cover the shipping cost, feel free to enter. If your name is drawn TrinDee Events will contact you with shipping details.

Good luck everyone!



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TV Madness: Roswell

Over the summer I was in the mood to watch some new TV shows. And because I didn't want to get to a point where I had to wait for new episodes to come out, I decided to watch a show that had already ended. So I talked with my BFF Lucy and she said I needed to watch Roswell.

Now, to me aliens means Star Trek. I loved that show when I was a kid (the New Generation show) so growing up, Roswell didn't attract me that much. After watching it I have to say I was so wrong about not wanting to watch it. It's just perfect!

I loved the idea of the show, I loved the couples, the actors, the little subplots, the whole thing was just amazing. If I had to choose my favorite character, I'd say Maria wins. She can sing, she has great fashion sense and she's funny. And she has a great boyfriend *grins*

Then I saw that the show was based on a book series. From what I understood, the books are slightly different than the show. Still, I'll give them a try once I get some free time on my hands.

There's another show with aliens that's due this autumn, in case you didn't know. It's from the CW and it's called Star-Crossed. I watched the preview on Youtube, but I'm not sure about it. It looks a bit too similar to Roswell in certain aspects.

Anyway, did you watch Roswell? What did you think about it? Also, did you read the books? If yes, did you like them?

Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney

Have I ever mentioned how much I love books about ancient gods? Well, I do. And one of the amazing authors who write amazing stories about them is Tellulah Darling. Her second book in the Blooming Goddess Trilogy,  My Date From Hell, will arrive on October 31st.

To celebrate the upcoming release, Tellulah wants to have some fun, so Sassy Girl Swoony God Tourney was born. There will be a number of challenges in the next weeks. A lot of great bloggers are participating and there will be some fun prizes too. To check out Tellulah's post on the Tourney, go here. I can't wait for the fun to start. By the way, if you're wondering, I'm leading Team Mermaid. Hey, a girl has to have her dreams right? :D

HOUSTON BOOKRAVE: On-Line SIGNED book sales is LIVE!

 The On-Line SIGNED book sales is LIVE!

For those of you who can't make this event here is your chance to get sign books by HBR AUTHORS. You can see what books are available HERE. 

Here is our Updated Author list

Subject to change...

Young Adult 
Amalie Howard

Belle Whittington

C.C. Hunter

Crissa-Jean Chappell

J. A. Souders

J.L. Spelbring

Jennifer Archer

Jennifer L. Armentrout aka J. Lynn

Jordan Dane

Joy Preble

Kay Honeyman

Laura Ellen

Mary Gray

Michelle Pickett

P. J. Hoover

Rachel Vincent

Rebecca Ethington

Rebecca Maizel

Sarah Guillory

Tara Hudson

Trinity Faegen

Victoria Scott

Mary Ting
Rose Garcia

New Adult

B.C. Burgess

Cora Carmack

Dawn Pendleton

Elizabeth Reyes

Emily Snow

Erin Noelle

Jay Crownover

Jillian Dodd

K.A. Tucker

Katy Evans

Lisa Desrochers

Marata Eros

Megan Smith

Michelle A. Valentine

Nicole Reed

Nyrae Dawn

Paige Weaver

Sophie Jordan

K.A. Robinson

K.J. Bell

Christina Lee

Ann Marie Frohoff

Adult

Candace Havens

Cherrie Lynn

Diana Castilleja

H.B. Heinzer

Heidi McLaughlin

J. Kenner aka Julie Kenner aka J.K. Beck

Jennifer Miller  
Kimberly Knight
L.B. Simmons

Ophelia London

S.L. Scott

Toni Aleo

Dawna Raver

Olivia Cunning

Angela Corbett AKA Destiny Ford
Tabatha Vargo

Book Review: Styxx by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon
Series: Dark-Hunter #23
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: September 3rd 2013
My Rating:5 cups
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Just when you thought doomsday was over...

Centuries ago Acheron saved the human race by imprisoning an ancient evil bent on absolute destruction. Now that evil has been unleashed and it is out for revenge.

As the twin to Acheron, Styxx hasn’t always been on his brother’s side. They’ve spent more centuries going at each other’s throats than protecting their backs. Now Styxx has a chance to prove his loyalty to his brother, but only if he’s willing to trade his life and future for Acheron’s.

The Atlantean goddess of Wrath and Misery, Bethany was born to right wrongs. But it was never a task she relished. Until now. She owes Acheron a debt that she vows to repay, no matter what it takes. He will join their fellow gods in hell and nothing is going to stop her.

But things are never what they seem, and Acheron is no longer the last of his line. Styxx and Acheron must put aside their past and learn to trust each other or more will suffer.

Yet it’s hard to risk your own life for someone who once tried to take yours, even when it's your own twin, and when loyalties are skewed and no one can be trusted, not even yourself, how do you find a way back from the darkness that wants to consume the entire world? One that wants to start by devouring your very soul?

Note: I had a different review planned for today, but I honestly can't wait to talk about this book, so I did some rescheduling.

To say that I was surprised when I first heard that Styxx will be getting a book is to put it mildly. I was somewhat angry. Oh, I was delighted to get a book about one of the big guys in the Dark Hunter universe, don't get me wrong. But let's be honest, those of you who've read the entire series know that Styxx was never one of the good guys. He helped Ash once and then that was it. Then Sherri posted some snippets/teasers and I felt like I needed this book more and more. And then finally the day arrived and I've been an emotional wreck ever since I finished reading the book.

If you think you hate Ash's relatives, wait until you read Styxx! I cried so hard during this book. I laughed a little, but mostly I got my heart broken by this amazing character. 

Styxx surprised me a lot. I never thought I'd get to love another Dark Hunter character as much as I love Acheron. But I now do. Styxx is one of those silent heroes, the ones you really don't expect to act like heroes or to even become one. And he's hard to figure out. You think you know what he'll do in certain scenes, but what he does is so selfless I just wanted to hug the guy. There were scenes where I felt like he was still an innocent child, no matter the horrors he had to face. 

Here's the great part of reading this book and why I can safely say Sherrilyn is my favorite author. If you take away the horror, the pain, and the suffering, this book helps prove that there are two sides to everything. If you remember how certain characters acted in Acheron and compare to how they acted in Styxx you'll see how different they really are from another perspective. There were certain characters I wanted to slap so hard in Styxx. And if you have the heart to compare the twins' stories, you'll see why Styxx had it harder than Ash in so many ways. Not the past, I'd never compare their pasts, but in the present days.

As expected with a Sherrilyn Kenyon book, there will be a lot of surprises in Styxx. Some you'll see right away, for some you'll have to do some digging to discover. Let me just say that after this book I truly believe that Chronicles of Nick should be read if you're reading the Dark Hunter series. I feel like the universe is changing and I think both series are starting to become very connected. I know, one is in the past and one in the present, but to me they make sense together. Then again, you'll have more questions than answers if you do read both of them.

I loved the book. I will say that so far, it's my favorite in the entire series. If you're like me and you love having some musical background while reading and you're feeling extremely daring and brave, Sherrilyn has shared a book playlist on her website (and let's face it, if you ever checked the book playlists she has, you know her musical taste is amazing). Just go to Styxx book page and you'll find it there. I didn't check it out until after I read the book (I wasn't feeling terribly brave at the time I started reading the book) but I did after I finished it and let me tell you it fits the book completely.

If you're having doubts about reading this book, don't. Take a deep breath and read it. I promise you won't be disappointed. Just be sure to have a full box of tissues and maybe a comfy pillow that you can hug or maybe punch when you feel the need and you're all set.