Book Review: Linger by @mstiefvater She made me cry! July 4, 2011
Oh, Maggie. The ending of this just killed me. I knew it was coming, but it didn’t make it hurt any less.
I was so wowed, I immediately started reading Forever as soon as the ARC showed up, but Linger is still stuck in my head!
The constantly changing points of view were difficult, I found myself craving Sam and Grace, but Isabel and Cole are interesting to add to the mix. I just love Sam so much. And Grace is such a fantastic female lead. I guess I’m just attached to them.
As always, Maggie has taken us into a world we could never comprehend and made it simple and ours. You sympathize with Grace’s need to be a part of something and her craving for Sam and his security and love. You can familiarize with Sam’s desires for loving and protecting Grace, but his need to remain loyal to Beck and his pack. Also with Sam’s reticence to be an alpha, to be the boss… when you’re young you might crave adulthood, but when you’re the one every one is turning to for guidance, it would be nice to shirk responsibility rather than be the one to blame when it all falls to pot. I just wanted to hug Sam and tell him everything was going to be okay, even if I knew it wouldn’t be. I wish I could keep Grace and Sam in my pocket and make everything better for them… make them a perfect world where they can have it all.
It’s a modern day Romeo and Juliet only instead of Montagues and Capulets we have naive human and wild wolf shifters. Both, just like in R+J, have their selfish desires and self preservation in their core, but both can be beautiful as well. This is what I love about Maggie’s writing… she shows us the good with the bad, the feral with the humanity, the pleasure wrapped in the pain, the kindness hidden beneath the fear. It’s beautiful.
I wanna be Maggie Stiefvater when I grow up.
Wildfire ARC Giveaway by fellow book blogger @CValdezMiller July 1, 2011
Go check out her beautiful blog and you can enter to win an ARC of Wildfire by Karsten Knight.
Yes, I am shamelessly plugging not only to get Carolina more traffic, but I kinda want this ARC š Double dipping yea?
Carolina’s Book Blog
Tell her I sent you !
Here’s the summary of Wildfire:
Summary: Ashline Wilde is having a rough sophomore year. Sheās struggling to find her place as the only Polynesian girl in school, her boyfriend just cheated on her, and now her runaway sister, Eve, has decided to barge back into her life. When Eveās violent behavior escalates and she does the unthinkable, Ash transfers to a remote private school nestled in Californiaās redwoods, hoping to put the tragedy behind her. But her fresh start at Blackwood Academy doesnāt go as planned. Just as Ash is beginning to enjoy the perks of her new schoolābeing captain of the tennis team, a steamy romance with a hot, local park rangerāAsh discovers that a group of gods and goddesses have mysteriously enrolled at Blackwoodā¦and sheās one of them. To make matters worse, Eve has resurfaced to haunt Ash, and sheās got some strange abilities of her own. With a war between the gods looming over campus, Ash must master the new fire smoldering within before she clashes with her sister one more timeā¦ And when warm and cold fronts collide, thereās guaranteed to be a storm.
Sounds like a winner ā¤ And you gotta love a hot park ranger yes? š
Book Review: Notturno by @ZAMaxfield Awesome paranormal read! May 21, 2011
What an emotional story!
I picked this out because it looked like a naughty romp, but it turned out to be more so. Adin’s story made my heart hurt over and over!
I was reading over the last day and my stomach kept dropping. It seemed like every chapter I had to tweet ZA about how much my heart hurt for Adin!
Donte is a lovely vampire character and the entire story just makes you swoon and smile and gasp. ZA has a wonderful way about her fluency and word choice, the way Donte and Adin coin a phrase was just adorable and fun. You could feel the attraction as you’re reading. It starts passionately and ends passionately. It’s a lovely mix of intrigue and action, mystery and conversation. It’s wonderful!
It was a fantastic story. If you’re looking for something that combines paranormal romance with intrigue and fun for a really great read, I highly recommend!
Book Review: Black Dagger Brotherhood 8: Lover Mine by J.R. Ward *sigh* May 9, 2011
Oooooh…. John Matthew!
I was completely absorbed and enthralled by his story. Since we met him way back in the earlier books as the scared, abused pretrans. Then his growth and changes, meeting his support system, watching all the pain and suffering he goes through to become who he is at the end of this book. Oh.my.god!
It just killed me over and over. It took me a lot longer to get through this one due to the heavy subject matter, not only with John, but also with Xhex, the flashbacks of Tohr, and Lash. It all melded nicely together in this story, but it also hurt! Especially, Xhex’s storyline. Wow. Incredible.
I really liked learning more about where Xhex came from and learning about John Matthew and his connection to Xhex. His story is hard to read, but it’s so well told.
I also loved seeing Blay in action and his storyline coming out. I’m hoping we get more of his story in number nine. It is so refreshing to have a m/m storyline other than what we learned about some of the Brothers in earlier stories. This is a dedicated storyline and it’s awesome. Angsty and beautiful š
These books have me so completely addicted. It’s ridiculous. And I’ve begun enabling others and bringing them along too š At least I’m not alone!
Book Review: Black Dagger Brotherhood 7: Lover Avenged April 28, 2011
Yep… I think I have fallen for every brother and now Rehvenge.
What an awesome story. My heart is still stuck on John, but I’m also totally enthralled with the others. This one took me four days to read. A lot longer in comparison with the others.I blame my own writing and work. If I didn’t have to work and support my husband, I would’ve read all day and gotten it done sooner!
Rehv as he’s known throughout the book is such an interesting character. Full of self loathing and a savior complex. He feels like everyone is worth of love and care save himself… he feels he is worthless, worth no one’s time, and is willing to sacrifice himself for everyone else.
His story begins in tragedy and just kind of wanders around a garden of thorns and landmines. When the addition of Ehlena comes in, you just sit back and watch. You know what will happen- Beauty and the Beast a la vampires and sympaths.
It’s totally easy to call, but at the same time, you are glued on that story… on them. They are a fun combination. A spunky, spendthrift nurse and a angry, self hating, drug dealing pimp. You would think oil and water… and you’re right. But man is it fun to watch.
You also get to know Xhex and the Moors more, which is great. I’m hoping with the next installation we’ll learn ever more about these guys and John Matthew and his boys.
I am really enjoying this series as I’m sure you all can tell. In the last 15 days I’ve read all seven of the BDB books and I’ve enjoyed every single one! š
Anyone know how I can get a hold of J.R. Ward so I can thank her with much gusto and fervor?!
Book Review: Black Dagger Brotherhood 6: Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward April 21, 2011
Lover Enshrined… encapsulated… controlled… captured…. frozen.
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Although this one was much shorter, this book had a lot of heart.
Between the main story about Phury and the subplots of John, Quihnn, Blay, Bella, Z, and the others as well, you become enshrined.
And you can see each one of these storylines mingling within each other and how each of the characters has an entrapment. Phury’s addictions, Cormia’s prison-like home, Rehv’s nature, John’s emotions, and Blay’s heart, Bella’s pregnancy, Z’s past, hell… even Lash’s patronage.
I was really impressed with this one when it came to the story line, the continuity, the push and pull between all the characters for dominance. I really liked Phury and Cormia… their story was so strong and passionate and not just because of the physicality, it’s that mental connection of them both being captives to their situations and how they rose above that both separately and together. It was so beautiful.
Something about Cormia’s character called to me. Maybe it’s my situation in my life at the moment. The call of duty outweighing the need for independence and chasing your own desires… it really hit home for me.
Cormia seems so weak in the beginning, such a pushover. She’s so willing to submit and serve, but as she breaks out of that shell, with the help of Phury, John, and Bella… she finds out that she is a living, breathing choice. Not just a Chosen one. She has more to her than subservience and duty. With each of these stories I fall in love more and more with these characters.
It was really well done and I can’t wait to start number seven.
This was such a quick read, it took me less than eight hours and I had to work today too. It was just that…. enthralling? What’s the right word.
Just a good read š
Book Review: Black Dagger Brotherhood 5: Lover Unbound by J.R. Ward April 19, 2011
Okay, so yeah, read this one in about 5 hours and sobbed my eyes out for the last 20 pages.
And when I say sob, I don’t mean delicate, feminine little ribbons of saltwater softly trailing over flushed cheeks… no this was a torrential, cathartic, snotsobbing-style weeping. It wasn’t pretty.
Vishous’ story was so full of pain… I thought Zsadist’s story was painful… it was. This mounted that pain and made it it’s bitch.
God, my stomach still hurts.
The ending was fantastic and I adored the tĆŖte-Ć -tĆŖte that was V and Jane co-mingling and challenging each other. It was such a beautiful, real, raw love story. Add the mother stuff, well, for those of you who know me in real life, this all really affected me.
Vishous’ story is just poignant. I don’t want to say more and ruin others reading, but this was an extremely good one.
I think V’s story and Z’s story are by far my favorite so far.
Can’t wait to read on!
Book Review: Black Dagger Brotherhood 4: Lover Revealed by J.R. Ward April 18, 2011
Awwww Butch!!!!
Okay so this was a great one too! I loved the story of Butch and his history as well as him coming together with his mate. It was so well done!
We still have all the subplots going on around us with John and Tohr, Bella and Z, Wrath and Beth as well as we get another peek into V’s world and his story is compelling.
I’m guessing the next one is about this one brother. He needs his story told badly!
The action sequences were really well thought out and executed and of course the lemons were wonderful as well š
I am truly enjoying these stories!
Oh and an update on my girl Rheana- she had her baby today š Congratulations!!!!
Book Review: Black Dagger Brotherhood Book 3 by J.R. Ward April 16, 2011
Holy…
I’m just… there are no words!
This story was probably the best and it has the most pain. The emotions of this story just ripped my heart out.
There was an amazing ending, but the subplots just tore me apart. My heart is still hurting!
“I was dead until you found me, though I breathed. I was sightless, though I could see. And then you came…and I was awakened.”
Truly a fantastic story about Zsadist and his twin Phury, but also Bella, Thor, John, and Wellsie. All of them woven together in such a beautiful tapestry. It was fantastic, but it hurt!
The story of Bella and Zsadist is so wonderfully told and I just achingly intense. I devoured this book and wanted so badly to read more and more of their story.
I’m eager to read on, but after the emotional gutting of this book, I think I need some time off. There’s no rebounding from some of the things you learn in this book, but I’m hoping the next books will have positive things like Nalla.
Oh who am I kidding, I’ll probably start four tomorrow morning…
booknerdbecca 