Friday, January 27, 2012

Short & Sweet Reviews: Crimson Wind by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Title: Crimson Wind
Author: Diana Pharaoh Francis
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Horngate Witches #2

Where did I get this book?: Bought it for my own pleasure reading.

Mass Market Paperback, 384 pages
Published December 28, 2010 by Pocket

Book can be purchased on Amazon.com

Summary (via Goodreads): 
THERE ARE GOOD GUYS. THERE ARE BAD GUYS. AND THEN THERE’S MAX.

Max knows what trusting the wrong person can cost you. Her former friend Giselle, a powerful witch, enslaved Max years ago, turning her into a Shadowblade—a deadly warrior compelled to fight for Giselle. But there’s more at stake now than Max’s thirst for revenge. The Guardians, overseers of the magical world, have declared war on humanity and on any witches not standing with them. Max and Giselle have come to an uneasy truce in order to protect what’s left of Horngate, their coven’s home. Max would do anything for Horngate—even give herself over to a mysterious otherworldly creature in the nearby mountains in exchange for his help. But first, she intends to save the mortal family she left behind. And Alexander, the Shadowblade warrior who could be her closest ally or her deadliest enemy, is going with her.
On a road trip into the unknown, Max and Alexander face wild magic, desperate enemies, and battles that bruise both body and soul. But the greatest challenge will come from unexpected revelations that test everything Max believes about who she is—and where her loyalties lie. . .

My thoughts: Crimson Wind, is the second installment in the Horngate Witches series. The book picks up four weeks after the events from the previous book, Bitter Night. Max, Giselle, and the other shadowblades and sunspears  are rebuilding their coven after being attacked by the guardians. On top on rebuilding the coven, max has become sleep deprive.  Every time Max closes her eyes  the creature “Scooter”, that lives underneath Horngate keeps trying to take her in her sleep. Scooter keeps on mentioning that Max is his “gift”, which no one knows what that means. Scooter then shows Max a glimpse of her human family in danger, and gives her about a week to retrieve them before he pulls her back to him (he attaches something to her arm, which is like an invisible leash). Max sets out to save her family with Alexander of all people to keep her watch her back and make sure that she comes back alive.

Crimson Wind, is an excellent addition to the series and even better than the first! The book captured my attention right away. The book opens up with Max having another dream, where Scooter is trying to take her away and shortly after that Max goes out to retrieve her family. There’s never a boring moment in the book, it’s jammed packed with nonstop action. The chemistry between Max and Alexander is scorching! I love their interaction as they try to fight their attraction to one another. The secondary characters such as the shadowblades (warriors who can only go out in the night time) and sunspears (warriors who can only go out in the day time) are a joy to read. They have a great sense of humor, are fiercely loyal, and all have their own distinct personalities. If you’re interested in looking for a new urban fantasy with a strong heroine, and an amazing cast of characters look no further. This series will need to be read in order to get the full effect of the great world building and characters. The order of the books are as follows; Bitter Night, Crimson Wind and Shadow City. Many other readers felt like this book had nothing to do with the first book, that it was a filler book but I disagree. The book gives us another perspective into Max’s life besides her being a shadowblade prime (leader of the shadowblades) and we get to meet her family and learn more about her.

I highly recommend this series to all urban fantasy fans. If you haven’t read this series, you’re really missing out! This is a truly great sequel and I can’t wait to get my hands on the third book, Shadow City. 

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

WoW: Waiting on Wednesday [23]

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine, to show books that we are patiently waiting for.  

Summary:
N/A
Book 4 in the Charlie Madigan Series by Kelly Gay
[JULY 23, 2012]

Don't you guys love this cover? I love the color scheme for the cover. I've read the first three in the series, and enjoyed every single one. This series gets better and better. I can't wait to read this book, if you haven't read this series yet...you're missing out!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

In My Mailbox [19]

 In My Mailbox is a feature that was started over at The Story Siren. Where we share what books we receive in the mail each week.
 
 Bought:
Fated by Sarah Alderson
Switched by Amanda Hocking
Succubus Revealed by Richelle Mead

What did you get this week? Leave links so I can check it out! :)

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Monday, January 16, 2012

Short & Sweet Reviews: Ascension by Sable Grace

Title: Ascension
Author: Sable Grace
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy
Series: Dark Breed #1

Mass Market Paperback, 374 pages
Published April 26, 2011 by Avon Books

Where did I get the book: Bought for pleasure reading

Summary (via Goodreads):
The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed—vampyre, demons, shape shifters—and mankind fight their last battle for survival. 

Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen . . . and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission—to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity—Kyana has no choice but to accept. 

She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort . . . Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motive and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both

My Thoughts: Ascension is the first book in the Dark Breed series by debut author Sable Grace. Sable Grace is a team of 2 authors, Heather Waters and Laura Barone. The main heroine of the novel is a re-purified dark breed, Kyana is half Vampyre and half Lychen and the last of her kind. Kyana works for the Order of Ancients (Greek gods) as a tracker finding all of the chosen ones. The gods and goddesses are getting weaker and every one of them will need a chosen one (chosen one, a person who will be the god’s or goddess’s replacement). There are two main problems going on simultaneously. First, the gate of hell is open and the dark breeds are constantly flowing out and someone is targeting all the chosen ones. In the mist of all the chaos, Kyana learns of an ancient god, with his group of followers out to get back what once was his.  

 I didn’t know what to expect when I first picked up this book, it has Greek gods and goddesses, vampires, werewolves, witches, and warlocks types all rolled up into one. It is listed as a paranormal romance, but I think it has more of a urban fantasy aspect. Both readers of these genre will like this new debut. The story starts immediately within the first couple of pages, as we follow Kyana, her escort Ryker (demi-god, son of Ares), and her friend Haven (a witch) as they search for the key. I have never read a book where gods, vampires and werewolves were all incorporated into one, and to my surprise I really enjoyed it. It was different from all of the other urban fantasy I’ve been reading. Kyana was a kick-butt heroine, who never took cr*p from anyone. She is known for being ruthless, but underneath that hard exterior is a person who is protective of her friends/family. I look forward to the next dark breed novels. If you haven’t read 
 this book yet, I highly recommend it.
 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop (INT)

This blog hop is hosted by Martha's Bookshelf and I Am A Reader, Not A Writer!



Thank you for stopping by!
The Blog Hop runs from January 13 to January 18th
One (1) Winner will be drawn via random.org
 
My Giveaway: 

OR



-$10(USD) in Books-
Your choice of a $10(USD) amazon.com Gift Card (For those in the US) or up to $10(USD) in books from The Book Depository (US & INT, as long as Book Depository ships to your country!)
 
Requirement 
You must be a follower of this blog
(Giveaways are for followers only, there were many who weren't a follower in the last giveaway and I've taken them all off the list)
-Extra Entries- 
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+1 Network Blog friend

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Check out the other fantastic blogs that are participating!