About Me
- Danni
- I'm a total bookworm and a romantic at heart. I'm also a little bit of a paranormal nerd so I absolutely love books that are about creatures of the night and allow me to submerge myself into a world of fantasy.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Saw this posted at the romantic scholar's blog. I thought it was a cute idea so I decided to do it as well. Anyone who's interested feel free to give it a try. :)
Using only books you have read this year (2009), cleverly answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It's a lot harder than you think!
Describe Yourself: Dark Slayer
How do you feel: Dead Until Dark
Describe where you currently live: Hidden Currents
If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Lair of the Lion
Your favorite form of transportation: Anchor and Storm
Your best friend is: In Over Her Head
You and your friends are: Companions of the Night
What's the weather like: Shiver
Favorite time of day: Burning Wild
What is life to you: Dark Curse
Your fear: Tycoon's Pregnant Mistress
What is the best advice you have to give: Some Girls Bite
Thought for the Day: Daddy by Surprise
How I would like to die: Murder Game
My soul's present condition: Rapture
Your Life Is a Book was created by: Words For Teens
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Vamps in Chicago!
You'd think headlines like that would have provoked the fine citizens of the Windy City to take up arms against us bloodsucking fiends. Instead, ten months later, we're enjoying a celebrity status reserved for the Hollywood elite—fending off paparazzi only slightly less dangerous than cross and stake-wielding slayers. Don't get me wrong, Joe Public isn't exactly thrilled to be living side-by-side with the undead, but at least they haven't stormed the castle yet.
But all that will change once they learn about the Raves—mass feeding parties where vampires round up humans like cattle and drink themselves silly. Most civilized vampires frown on this behavior, putting mere mortals at ease with their policy of asking a person's consent before taking a big gulp of the red stuff. However, that doesn't make good copy for a first time reporter looking to impress his high society family.
So now my "master," the centuries old, yet gorgeously well-preserved Ethan Sullivan, wants me to reconnect with my own upper class family and act as liaison between humans and vampires—and keep the more unsavory aspects of our existence out of the media. But someone doesn't want people and vamps to play nicey-nice—someone with an ancient grudge.
I'm currently reading the first book in this series, so I decided to look this one up as well. It sounds like it picks up where Some Girls Bite left off, I'm not usually one to stop reading halfway through the series (especially when the books are about the same character) so I can't wait to see what happens in book two!
Waiting on Wednesdays was created by: Breaking The Spine
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Synopsis:
Kat Petroski has a weakness for swoo. That indescribable charm guys from the wilder side have. Not that falling for it has worked out for her, since she-s a twice-divorced mother of two. So she-s got an early-warning swoo alert. Then Jack Treadwell walks into her life.
Between his motorcycle and his adventure-seeking attitude, Jack has all the trappings she can-t resist and should. Still, is that the real Jack? Something tells her he may be more dentist than biker. But is he father material? Because swoo aside, Kat-s a mom first. And the man who wins her heart must first win over her boys.
Review:
This book started off interesting enough, I liked the characters and storyline. Yet I never felt the love between Jack and Kat, in fact up until the last two chapters of the book they continued to refer to each other as strangers. Neither one viewed the other as "the dream", living up to their expectations. I also had hoped that Kat's sons would have had a bigger role in the story, yet Jack can't stand children? Though the author did a wonderful job showing how much Kat loved her boys it seemed that she was continuously shipping them off to her friends houses.
I love reading stories where both the hero and heroine have shared a past life together, but I didn't like that I didn't know this was going to happen and the author did not announce it at all. I went from reading about how the heroine went to sleep to turning the page reading about a completely different character. It really confused me.
I liked that at the end of the book all the characters worked out all the issues that were holding them back. Jack surprised me the most, I honestly didn't see him coming around the way he did. I really felt that Kat let her ex's walk all over her for no reason, but was glad that at the end she finally stood up for herself. I think this book is for anyone who knows what it's like to grow up in a somewhat dysfunctional family.
Plot: 3
Characters: 3
Writing: 3.5
Overall: 3.4
Friday, September 18, 2009
Christine Feehan is New York Times #1 bestselling author. She is most well known for her Carpathian novels, Dark Slayer is #20 in the series. I was so grateful for the interview!
RH: First of would you please give a summery of Dark Slayer?
A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer—a woman—who travels with a wolf pack and who destroys any vampire who crosses her path. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror into the hearts of the undead.
She is Ivory Malinov. Her only brethren, the wolves. Long ago betrayed by her people, abandoned by her family, and cast out by everyone she held dear, Ivory has lived a century without companionship or love. She has sustained her sanity by the habit of the hunt and the custom of the feeding. Until the night she picks up the scent of a man, her unexpected salvation. Her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women.
He is Razvan. Branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a dragonseeker borne of one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, only to be raised as its most despised—and captive—enemy. Fleeing from his lifetime of imprisonment, Razvan now seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence. Instead he has found his deliverance in the Dark Slayer.
In spirit, in flesh and blood, in love, and in war, Ivory and Razvan are made for each other. For as long as they dare to live.
RH: What inspired you to write the Dark series?
CF: The death of my oldest son. I always told him stories of the Carpathians and decided to write them, expanding the theme after his accident. I needed something to bring me back to life because I definitely felt as if I’d lost all the color in my world.
RH: The Carpathian world has expanded so much over the years, and so have the characters. Who, character wise, has touched you the most?
CF: Darius always has a special place in my heart. He was willing to give up everything for his lifemate, to give up what he was and grow old and die with her rather than risk her. Razvan and Ivory from Dark Slayer are my most beloved and magical to me with their courage and unswerving loyalty to one another.
RH: So far it has always been a female psychic who is lifemate to a male Carpathian, can your readers ever look forward to a reverse?
CF: Well it certainly can happen. A female could turn a psychic male, but she can’t bind him to her. Only the male can do that, so it would be interesting!
RH: As the Carpathian world becomes more complex, will you write more about the werewolves and shape shifters?
CH: I had planned to bring in werewolves from the beginning, in fact I almost started with werewolves, but the Carpathians became stronger in my mind. I have no idea if I’ll fully develop that storyline or not. I’ve written a lot of these books and keeping them fresh and exciting is a challenge.
RH: Do you already have the series planned out? Or do some of the turns it takes surprise you?
CF: The threads of the Carpathian culture and society are planned out, along with their troubles as a whole. The individual storylines are always a surprise—and a welcome one. I like the adventure of writing and following the twists and turns just as I would when reading a book.
RH: I've noticed that ever since Dark Celebration the Dark books have been released as hardbacks, is this a permanent change?
CF: Yes, the Dark books will be released in hardcover and the mass market will follow.
RH: About how long does it take you to complete a book? Is it difficult to focus on only writing one? Or do you work on several at once?
CF: I would never write more than one book at a time, but I do have other stories that try to push their way into my mind and I have to be totally disciplined and not allow that. I’ve been writing for many years now and have learned to make the pushy, strong characters wait their turn. I prefer four months to write a book, but have a three month schedule at this time which is tight for me.
RH: What do you consider the best writing atmosphere?
CF: My office, sitting in a recliner with my laptop and my four Maltese all sprawled out around me.
RH: What do you feel has been your greatest accomplishment?
CF: Hands down, my children.
RH: What's a question you wish people would ask but never do?
CF: In all honesty, I’ve been asked a lot of questions. My favorite question is what I’m reading, because I love to read all kinds of books and like anyone else, love to share my favorite authors or stories with others. In this case, I’m reading C.L. Wilson’s Queen of Song and Souls which will be out in October.
Here's the link to my review of Dark Slayer: -Review
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Synopsis:
A rumor has persisted in the vampire world of a dark slayer—a woman—who travels with a wolf pack and who destroys any vampire who crosses her path. Mysterious, elusive and seemingly impossible to kill, she is the one hunter who strikes terror into the hearts of the undead.
She is Ivory Malinov. Her only brethren, the wolves. Long ago betrayed by her people, abandoned by her family, and cast out by everyone she held dear, Ivory has lived a century without companionship or love. She has sustained her sanity by the habit of the hunt and the custom of the feeding. Until the night she picks up the scent of a man, her unexpected salvation. Her lifemate. The curse of all Carpathian women.
He is Razvan. Branded a criminal, detested and feared, he is a dragonseeker borne of one of the greatest Carpathian lineages, only to be raised as its most despised—and captive—enemy. Fleeing from his lifetime of imprisonment, Razvan now seeks the dawn to end his terrible existence. Instead he has found his deliverance in the Dark Slayer.
In spirit, in flesh and blood, in love, and in war, Ivory and Razvan are made for each other. For as long as they dare to live.
Review:
Dark Slayer is defiantly unique from the rest of the dark series, it was very action packed. I loved the descriptive battle scenes against the vampires, so detailed that I could see the action playing out in my head. I was so shocked that Ivory was the same women that the De la Cruz brothers helped raise, and believed dead. Ivory was a change from the normal Feehan heroine's. To sum it up she was a complete bad ass. I was fascinated that any person could survive being hacked to pieces yet live to tell the tale. She's a strong no-nonsense warrior, and has more than earned the respect of her people. Of course the average Carpathian male can't comprehend that any women can rival them....in anything, especially battle. So they left her no choice but to put them in their place, lol I have to say that was my favorite scene.
Razvan, long believed to be a traitor to his people, has been tortured for centuries by Xavier. Yet has never given in to the curse of the men in his species to turn vampire. He, also, was a change to Feehan hero's, he was not arrogant or macho to the extreme. He was calm an actually looked to Ivory for how to defeat the vampire (that's never happened before in the Dark series). Ivory and Razvan fit together wonderfully because the understood what the other had gone through, better than anyone else could have. An I don't think that understanding came only because they were lifemates, it went deeper than that. I guess that saying "the strongest bonds are forged in the fires of Hell" is true. The only issue I had with their relationship was that they seemed to trust each other way to soon, perhaps because they had too? I really admired how they always had each others backs.
There was so much more to the story then what was between the two main characters. Several characters from the previous books had important roles in the story. Especially Gregori. Not gonna lie he's never made a huge impression on me, his "women should tend the home an have babies and that's it. Period." philosophy really irritates me. Yet, this book upped my opinion of him...slightly lol. He actually opened up a little and became more than a macho robot. The dialogue between the characters was so much fun to read, ranging from sarcasm, to witty, to emotional.
Ivory's wolves were another first in the series, what a great idea! I never considered that animals could be changed, Feehan continues to surprise me. It all came together an proved to be all I had expected. Yet, as far as romance goes I felt Dark Slayer was lacking. Apart from the few "steamy" scenes I feel that any romance that may have been there was overshadowed by all the action, and Razvan and Ivory's need to destroy Xavier.
Overall, Dark Slayer is a great read, but not for the faint heart. While some of the books in this series can be read as somewhat of a stand alone, I don't recommend it for this one. I suggest that any reader at least read Dark Celebration, Dark Possession, and Dark Curse to avoid being confused lol. I can't wait until the next book comes out! Feehan continues to introduce more characters, so hopefully the series won't be ending any time soon. :)
Cover: 4.5
Plot: 5
Characters: 4
Writing: 4
Overall: 4.4
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I've seen this book on several different blogger wish list's, so I decided to check it out. The author, Mary Wine, has a beautiful website and her books sound amazing. I could not find a description for this book to post, but there is an excerpt at marywine.com for anyone who's interested. Apparently this book is the second in the series, so I'm going to have to get the first before I can read this one lol. I have plenty of time, though, since In the Warrior's Bed does not come out until Jan. 26, 2010. :)
Waiting on Wednesday was created by: Breaking The Spine
Monday, September 14, 2009
So my first contest just ended, thanks to all of you who entered. I used random.org to calculate the winners. Here they are!!
First place:
Marie
Second place:
Eli
Third place:
Etriv
The winner who comes in first place will have the choice of which two books he/she would like. Second place gets to pick from the remaining two. Third gets the final book. Congrats to the winners!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
More exciting awards to pass around!
I received the Zombie Chicken Award from StephanieD at Misfit Salon. Thank you girl!
"The blogger who receives this award believes in the Tao of the zombie chicken-- excellence, grace, and persistence in all situations, even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. These amazing bloggers regularly produce content so remarkable that their readers would brave a raving pack of zombie chickens just to be able to read their inspiring words. As a recipient of this world-renowned award, you now have the task of passing it on to at least 5 other worthy bloggers. Do not risk the wrath of the zombie chickens by choosing unwisely or not choosing at all." I bestow it upon:
Bookalicious
Novel Addiction
Scrounger's Online Library
Shooting Stars
Sticky Pages
I received the Lemonade Award from Jen at Sapphire Romance Realm. Thank you! :)
Here are the rules:The Lemonade Award is a feel good award which shows great attitude or gratitude. Here are the rules:~Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.~Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.~Link your nominees within your post.~Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.~Share the love and link to the person from whom you received the award.
Here are my nominees:
Tina's Book Reviews
Writing Roller Coasters
Michelle McLean's Writer Ramblings
Princess Scatterhart
The Tainted Poet
Starlight Blog
Shalonda's Blog
Outlandish Dreaming
Sweetsue
Tales of Whimsy
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
My Teaser for this week is from Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan. Here it is :) :
"He grinned at her, an evil, malicious smile. 'You have become arrogant, Slayer. And careless. You had no idea the trap was for you and not your precious wolves. You have no choice but to give me what I want, or you die this night.' "
Rules:
1) Grab your current read
2) Open to a random page
3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4) 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!)
5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Teaser Tuesday's are brought to us by: Should Be Reading
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Today was absolutely amazing!! I went to the Decatur Book Festival, I got to meet several wonderful authors. This was a first for me, in that I've never had my books signed by authors before or have ever had the chance to speak with them.
The morning started off early, some might argue a little too early (*cough*me*cough*) lol. It was so worth it, though, because we got the chance to eat breakfast with some really cool authors!
Vania, owner of Reverie Book Reviews, got a reservation for breakfast this morning and invited several bloggers and authors.
(From left to right)
Aimee Friedman author of Seachange
David Levithan author of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Diana Peterfreund author of Rampant (who was nice enough to sign some bookmarks for me so I'll be adding those into my 50 follower contest) :)
On the left is Vania and on the right is Jennifer Jabaley author of Lipstick Apology. I have to admit, having never really sat down and talked to any authors before, I was a little intimidated, but everyone was so nice and down-to-earth. An Jen was so sweet, I'm so glad I got to meet her.
I am a HUGE fan of True Blood, and I'm on the second book in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I was so excited that Charlaine Harris was there today. I couldn't believe how many people showed up to get their books signed! She was such a nice lady, dispite the number of people who showed up, she didn't rush through signings. She actually took the time to speak with us, as well as personalized our books. :)
I also got my copy of Shiver signed by Maggie Stiefvater. This is the first YA book I've read since Breaking Dawn, and I'm about half way through. I can't wait to finish it an post my review, I really like Maggie's spin on werewolves. It's a new look at what they are like, and what causes them to shift.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Sapphire Romance Realm created this beautiful award, here's what she said:
I have been wanting to start up some new blog awards to give out to blogs that I love to visit and that are big romance supporters. So this one is for those outstanding blogs that keep me coming back day after day and that avidly and passionately support Romance Novels and are not afraid to show it!!!
There are no rules for this one I only ask that you would to post where the award originated and who gave it to you when you post it to your own blogs.
I was nominated for this award by The Eclectic Reader I was so touched that she thought of me! It's nice to receive an award that focuses on content specifically. There are so many wonderful romance blogs out there, so I decided to pick three nominees here they are:
Erotic Horizon
Phoebe at Noble Romance Authors
Smexy Books- paranormal romance and urban fantasy reviews
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
I'm so psyched, I just got my copy of Dark Slayer! It's soo pretty lol. I hope to post my review of it by Saturday. I was fortunate enough to get an interview with the author, Christine Feehan, that will be posted up with the review. Happy reading everyone!
