Review: The Heart of Hannen by Fawn Bonning

I'm reposting this review because the book now has a new cover!!! (Much improved!). The plot is really good, so give this baby a try. :) (Remember what they say... don't judge it by its cover.)

The Heart of Hannen
by Fawn Bonning

Paperback, 484 pages

Published March 22nd 2011 by Old Line Publishing, LLC

Christine, a troubled teen with a dark past, is miserable in her small town. Shadowed in shame, she feels destined to live her lonely life as an outcast. She has no idea that her true destiny lies in a different town, in a different world; a most brutal world called Atriia. There she learns the true meaning of misery, the true meaning of loneliness, the true meaning of shame. But she also learns that her bravery is boundless as she battles against a formidable foe, a dark shadow that tries to smother the land. And in the arms of a most unlikely candidate, she also learns the true meaning of love. He is Hannen Fallier, the one they call the foul fraigen dropper, revered by men for his fearless feats, but looked upon by women with open disdain. With a face horribly mauled, he hides behind a mask of shame, deeming himself unworthy of love. That he would seek acceptance from Christine is irony in its purest form. That he would seek her love . . . the ultimate betrayal.

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My Review:

I really enjoyed this book! I won it from my first Goodreads giveaway! *-*

I must admit I first judged it by its cover. I thought it might not be so well-written, but I was very mistaken. It was fantastic. I loved the story and the characters.

I really enjoyed seeing how the main character, Christine, grew up! She suddenly finds herself alone in this strange, unknown place called Atriia, where everything is different from Earth. She deals with rude, aggresive, male-chauvinists and strange social costumes, not to mention the weird food and language, but manages to adapt quickly, and very well. I'm not sure I would've been as strong as she was.

Hannen found his way into my heart from the very start. (and when you read it, you'll see exactly what I mean with 'from the very start'). Such a complicated, strong, sweet character. Very well thought of and developed.

I was a bit confused at first with the new 'language' the author introduces to us, but eventually I got the hang of it. (It was only afterwards that I noticed there was a glossary at the end of the book. Silly, slow little me. >.<)

It was a dark, dramatic and sad book, but also very touching. Needless to say, I cried. Hard.

Of course, I wish I could have changed the ending and maybe have seen a bit more of a couple of characters, but it was still great. The book is a bit long, but it's not tiring at all! This one is a keeper. :)

I'm SO glad I had the chance to review it, otherwise I might have never heard of it. Thank you, Fawn Bonning!!!

Now, you! Go ahead and get it, you'll love it too. It's an excellent pick for romance and fantasy lovers.

Review: A Love Beyond Time by Judie Aitken

A Love Beyond Time
by Judie Aitken

When anthropologist Ryan Burke joins a dig at the site of Little Big Horn, she realizes that not everyone is excited about the opportunity. Renowned Indian affairs lawyer Dillon Wolf wants to shut the project down. But when Ryan is given an old tribal tipi, she journeys to the past -- where the tension between her and a Lakota warrior named Wolf erupts...into passion.

Genre: Adult, Time-Travel Romance

Publication Date: Jan 1st 2000

Publisher: Jove

Format: Mass Market paperpack, 378 pages 

Series: no

Source: Better World Books


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My Review

I am a sucker for romantic time-travel books. Really, that's almost an understatement. I mean, who wouldn't prefer a manly warrior or a cultured 'Don Juan' to these brainless twits in their 'YOLO' shirts, and pants hanging half-off their hips, and wearing so much 'bling' it's almost blinding? That's why I prefer to escape reality with my books.

The first part of A Love Beyond Time is a bit slow, I won't lie. I almost put it down a couple of times. But, luckly, I did not. This one had to have been one of the most amazing books I've read in quite a while. It had everything! EVERYTHING a good time-travel romance should have. I was immersed in the Native American culture, I lived their lives, I saw their language, could almost hear their voices, feel their pain and happiness. And I fell in love with Wolf right along with Ryan (love the boy name for the heroine, BTW). It was an amazing experience. Now I want a hot Native American for myself and that is KILLING me. :P LOL.

The Indians were so... blunt and unselfconscious and to the point about things, but, at the same time, so unafraid to show their feelings, and unembarrassed about their emotions, and also so kind and accepting! That's what I love about different times/cultures. The screaming differences! If it were the other way, an Indian in the middle of white people, I suspect he wouldn't have been received with half as much respect. Just sayin'.

So, that's all you need to know: this was a fantastic creation, filled with excellent characters and well-researched dates, places and local customs. There's even mystery and crime-solving! Simply put, it's a DELIGHT to read. A forbidden pleasure you'll want to savor slowly, but quickly, and without pause. (it'll make sense if you read it, I assure you). I read it in one sitting and wanted to bite the head off of anyone who dared try to interrupt me. Truly.

Don't judge it by the cover and don't let it pass even if you don't like romance, but like actual history in historicals, or vice versa. It has plenty of both and something for everyone. Too bad the author hasn't written anything else. I felt the same about Jack Knife and The Sterkarm Handshake. ANYWAY, get your used copy TODAY (it's out of print and unavailable in ebook format, unfortunately), but it's really worth it. ;)

Review: The River Knows by Amanda Quick

The River Knows
by Amanda Quick

The first kiss occurred in a dimly lit hallway on the upper floor of Elwin Hastings's grand house. Louisa never saw it coming....

Of course, Anthony Stalbridge couldn't possibly have had romantic intentions. The kiss was an act of desperation meant to distract the armed guard from catching the pair in a place they did not belong. After all, Louisa Bryce, in her dull maroon gown and gold-rimmed spectacles, was no man's idea of an alluring female. The only thing the two interlopers have in common is a passionate interest in the private affairs of Mr. Hastings-a prominent member of Society whom they both suspect of hiding terrible secrets. Now, brought together by their ruse, Anthony and Louisa are united in their efforts to find the truth.

Each has a reason for the quest. Anthony's fiancèe was said to have thrown herself into the Thames-but Anthony has his own suspicions. Louisa-whose own identity is shrouded in layers of mystery-is convinced that Hastings has a connection to a notorious brothel. When Anthony successfully cracks Hastings's hidden safe-and discovers incriminating evidence-it appears that both their instincts were correct.

Genre: Adult, Historical

Publication Date: April 24th 2007

Publisher: Putnam Adult

Format: hardcover, 368 pages 

Series: no

Source: Used book store

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My Review

Amanda Quick is the kind of hit-or-miss author for me. Either I love her stories from the very first page, or I just instantly know I won't be interested enough to finish it.

Thankfully, this one was a delight from beginning to end. Very much like Mischief was. When Quick gets it right, boy, she gets it VERY right. Her heroines are all so very independent, self-suficient and practical about things, they are very fresh sights for sore eyes in the middle of the sea of too-young and too-silly heroines we usually find in historical romances. No, her heroines are in their middle-twenties, they are generally alone in the world and just have to be clever enough to survive in a world where women are nothing without a man to stand beside them. Or in front of them. 

When women found themselves alone and without means during that time, they were expected to do anything, ANYTHING, mind you, be it becoming a governess, a companion or even a prostitute, anything BUT go into trade. And that was what our heroine did. At least in the beginning of the book. Before she killed a man who was trying to rape and kill her. After that she was forced to fake suicide, and sometime later managed to reapper in Society as a widow called Louisa. She also managed to attract the eye of gentleman Anthony Stalbridge. But that was not all she managed to attract... now there's a killer on the loose and what started with the investigation of a couple of crimes soon becomes three, then four... and, if she is not careful enough, her murder might be next on the list.

Quick's heroes are always very likeable as well. They are the first ones to notice how much they care about the heroines, and then have to convince them to be with them. It's most unusual and diverting. Yes, Quick is very good with influencing her readers to use new/more 'archaic' vocab. :P

I loved Anthony and Louisa and their misadventures. I could almost feel their chemistry, they were so good together. Too bad Miss Quick isn't much of a fan for steamy scenes, because they sure would have been great at one of those. LOL!!! Anthony's family were delightful as well. Very unconventional, like most of her characters. 

That is the perfect word to describe Quick's books: 'unconventional'. That and 'unexpected'.

If you like books like that with strong, proud heroines and amazing, heart-warming heroes, then Quick is the author for you.

Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm (Katerina #1)
by Robin Bridges

Published January 10th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: Jan 10th, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Format: Hardcover, 368 pages 

Series: yes

Source: My own copy

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My Review

Let me start this review by stating that I fail to understand why so many people gave The Gathering Storm such low ratings. I really was able to simply lose myself in this book. I read it in one day, secretly turning pages during college classes and everything. Russia has always been very interesting to me, and this was the first book with a Russian main character I've seen. I liked that the author gave a brief explanation about Russian names and prefixes before the beginning of the book.

It was nice knowing more about the historical setting, about the situation of Russian in the 1880's, especially concerning the women's views and their expected roles. I love to see women trying to be more than what they're expected to be. :)

Katerina, our MC, was a very strong character. She managed to stand her ground and follow her dreams and express her opinions even when most people (her mother included) were trying to crush them, to change her, to fit her into the pretty little mold all the other silly little girls were expected to be molded into. She wanted to be a doctor, one of the very first female doctors, one of the very first females to go to college! And, boy, was I impressed with her courage! 

But now that I've stopped to think about it, I suppose most probably didn't enjoy the story as much because of the fantastical flavor of it. Kat is a necromancer. The main love interest is part-faerie. The villains are witches. There are zombies roaming around. Those things didn't bother me at all. As a matter of fact, they fit very well into the story. However, I can see how some of these characteristics could bother some readers.

The Russian society cracked me up some times. It looked like almost everybody was either a prince/princess or a duchess/duke. Or, at least, somehow related to one of those. There was an overload of 'Your Highnessess' and 'Your Majesties' and the alike. That struck me as particularly funny at certain moments, especially during battles in which people were fighting for their lives, trying not to get blood on their pretty frocks while still managing to NOT drop the royal treatment. LOL. 

Or, I suppose, most didn't like the fact that romance was not the main focus for the plot. There were romantic tidbits, but there was SO much more going on that those were delegated to a second plane. But, come on, it was a slow-developing romance (they were mad at each other/did not trust each other for the greater part of the book) and forbidden, on top of that! (a mere duchess who could care less about marriage and wants nothing more than becoming a doctor and a PRINCE who wanted to kill her and now wants to give her the world?).

Also, there were some things that managed to creep me out, like those weirdoes/mean witches and their rituals... that was fun. ;P

I cannot wait to read the next stallment. I'm sure it'll be great. *-* And there'll be more romance, too, I'm certain.

Review: A Breath of Magic by Teresa Medeiros

Breath of Magic (Lennox Family Magic #1)

by Teresa Medeiros

Published February 1st 1996 by Bantam

Precocious Puritan and aspiring witch Arian Whitewood spends her lonely nights dreaming of magic and excitement. She gets more excitement than she bargains for when she crash lands straight out of a witch hunt into the 20th century and the arms of Tristan Lennox, a reclusive billionaire. Arian blows through Tristan's climate-controlled existence like a breath of magic, only to discover that the spell he weaves around her heart is more compelling than any enchantment.

Genre: Adult, Romance

Publication Date: Feb 1st 1996

Publisher: Bantam

Format: Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages 

Series: sort of, but not really

Source: My own copy

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My Review

It's been forever since the last Teresa Medeiros book I've read. I forgot how much I enjoyed her storytelling and her characters. :)

A Breath of Magic felt more like a breath of FRESH AIR after so many 'bad' or simply 'ok' adult books I tried this week... I laughed SO hard with it! Really, I can't stress how much fun I had reading it. :) It really came at the best possible moment for me.

Arian is the French daughter of an unmarried woman in the 17th century and never met her father. She's sent to live with a stepfather in the middle of a bunch of Puritans.... which would be okay, if not for the small fact that, uhm, she's a witch. A WHITE witch, sure, but a witch nonetheless. And all is evil in the eyes of the Puritans. Arian finds herself in the middle of an Inquisition, just about to drown when she utters a last-minute spell to try and make time stop, but that actually sends her 300 years in the future, in her flying broom.

Tristan doesn't believe in magic, but, ironically still has some inner hope to find it in the world. Which is part of the reason why he promises a million dollars to whoever proves to him that there is such a thing as real magic out there. Tristan is getting fed up with all the charlatans when, out of freaking nowhere, a girl dressed as a nun appears flying/crashing a broom up in the sky. When she falls/lands right into the middle of the contest. He saves her, and sends her broom for examination, certain that it must had some gadget that made it fly. But while his team of researchers find themselves busy trying to prove it was NOT just a broom, Tristan is about to find himself believing in magic again... and also in love.

Tristan could be very bossy and demanding and rude sometimes, but he constantly made up for it, so all was well. He wore his past wounds as an armor around his heart, but it was very satisfying to see Arian slowly melt it away.

Speaking of Arian, she had everything that could have made me dislike her as heroine, but, surprisingly, did not. I actually LIKED her. And you guys must know by now how bitchy I can be. :P She was smart, but kind and pure in a way that was BELIEVABLE and fitting, not coming out as stupid or over-the-head as they usually do in romance books these days. She was genuinely good and naive. But still strong-willed and determined. Authors, take note of this. Your characters don't need to be total losers/pushovers in order to be good/kind-hearted. 

Their romance was also pure and so, so adorable. There were very few sex scenes, only a couple, as a matter of fact, but they were so... gentle and nonexplicit and just, well, romantic. (I'm very eloquent today). They were heart-warming in their simplicity and candor, and very much perfect in their context. This was a real love story. I liked it immensely. And I'm most certainly NOT a romantic. Yes, I am slightly astonished myself. O.o

I was also charmed by the lovely secondary characters! Copperfield, Tristan's (only) best friend and Indian lawyer. Sven, the poor bodyguard, former manicurist/hairdresser, turned goat. Hilarious! I wish they had books of their own. XD

Miss Medeiros, you managed to write a real gem! One that still remains modern, even after sixteen years!!! I congratulate and thank you for such a feat/treat. :) It will come out a bit cheesy, but it was simply... magical. Really, just enchanting.

Review: Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1) by Jackson Pearce

 

Sisters Red (Fairytale Retellings #1)
by Jackson Pearce

Published April 5th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: April 5th 2010

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Format: Paperback trade, 352 pages 

Series: sort of

Source: my own copy

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My Review

There are dozens of fairytale retellings out there. Maybe hundreds, I don't know, I'm too lazy to count. Anyway, what I mean is that after so many rewrittings/versions it can get kind of boring and even repetitive to read pretty much the same thing every time.

But Sisters Red is almost a whole new story. Sure, it's based on the Little Red Riding Hood tale, and it has a few things in common: the big, bad wolf, the dead grannie, the woodsmen, and even the walk in the forest with the food basket thingy... BUT in this version the Little Red Riding girls fight back. Yup, they kick some serious wolf ass. Heh.

This was my first Pearce book, and, boy, did she get it right! Her writing just flows, and when you least expect it, the book has ended! The characters are all very well-portrayed, very different from each other and from usual YA stereotypes. Even the younger sister, Rose, who had many weak and girly and romantic moments managed to suck it up and save herself, killing a handful of monsters while doing so. I really can't recall the last book I read in which a heroine saved herself by herself. O.o They usually have at least a little help or are next to completely helpless. Loved that! And, oh, boy, oh, boy, were those Fenris guys (wolves?) hot. It was no surprise those silly Dragonflies (as the main character called those clueless, pretty little girls who made themselves into perfect victims in the night) were drawn to them. I guess we all love to flirt with danger sometimes... even more when it's in the shape of attractive young men.

Oh, and one of our MCs, the older sister, Scarlett (love the name), was a tough cookie from the start. The girl killed her first wolf when she was just a child! For that she received many scars, on the inside and on the outside. The poor thing lost an eye and had half her face disfigured, along with her arms and most of her body. But that doesn't stop her from hunting. No, siree. Scarlett was the most adult and, well, simply the most different character I have found in YA until now. She doesn't care about love, friends, school or her appearance. All she cares about it hunting down and killing as many Fenris/wolves as she possibly can. That is her whole life, what drives her and completes her. That and her little sister, Rose. Oh, and her childhood friend, Silas.

But things get weird when Rose and Silas start to fall for each other... and start to want to hunt a little less and spend some more time alone, just doing... uh, nothing much. Scarlett cannot possibly understand that, especially when they have been so busy looking for the Potential to try and lure the Fenris close enough to kill them all. Oh, and talking about the Potential... that was the worst possible level of 'I've seen it coming from the start, how more obvious could it be', but even that didn't stop me from enjoying the book.

What ruined a lot of my glow was the ending. Keep reading if you don't mind a little bit of spoiler.

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How could the author send the pretty boy, who used to like the scarred girl for who she was and despite what she looked like ever since they were little kids, off to live happily ever after with the perfect sister and leave the scarred one all by her lonesome??? That was just... heartbreaking! Does she not deserve some love, too? Could she not learn to care for something more than just hunting? SHE NEEDED TO GROW IN THAT SENSE!!! She needed more in her life and you gave her no chance! :((

Well, drama and disappointments aside, this one is still a keeper. Why? Because the plot was very clever, the cover is beautiful and interesting all by itself and I can always change the ending in my head. LOL.

Early Review: Velveteen by Daniel Marks

Velveteen (Velveteen #1)
by Daniel Marks

Expected publication: October 9th 2012 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Velveteen Monroe is dead. At 16, she was kidnapped and murdered by a madman named Bonesaw. But that’s not the problem.

The problem is she landed in purgatory. And while it’s not a fiery inferno, it’s certainly no heaven. It’s gray, ashen, and crumbling more and more by the day, and everyone has a job to do. Which doesn’t leave Velveteen much time to do anything about what’s really on her mind.

Bonesaw.

Velveteen aches to deliver the bloody punishment her killer deserves. And she’s figured out just how to do it. She’ll haunt him for the rest of his days.

It’ll be brutal... and awesome.

But crossing the divide between the living and the dead has devastating consequences. Velveteen’s obsessive haunting cracks the foundations of purgatory and jeopardizes her very soul. A risk she’s willing to take—except fate has just given her reason to stick around: an unreasonably hot and completely off-limits coworker.

Velveteen can’t help herself when it comes to breaking rules... or getting revenge. And she just might be angry enough to take everyone down with her.

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal

Publication Date: Oct 9th, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte Books

Format: eARC, 464 pages 

Series: yes

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

First line: When Velveteen Monrow pictured Bonesaw's house -and she did, more often than could be considered healthy- blood striped the paint a muddy reddish-brown, internal organs floated in jars of formaldehyde, and great big taxidermy crows leered from branches that twisted from the wall like palsied arms.

Last line: Again.

Favorite quote: Could he actually be a decent guy?
Hard to imagine.
He was pretty to look at, though, she thought. Boys weren't objectified nearly enough, and turnabout is always fair play.

Sixteen year-old Velveteen Monroe was murdered by the psychopath/looks-like-the-boy-next-door Bonesaw. Now she's stuck in purgatory for who knows how long. There she is the leader of the Salvage team, i.e., they 'salvage souls  that don't have any business in the daylight'. She works as a body thief, and really enjoys her job. But Velvet won't be able to really rest in purgatory until she can have her revenge on her killer. 

When she finds a hidden crack through the veil between the world of the living and the dead, she goes for it. She starts to haunt him. And that is the WORST thing she could ever do. Haunting is against the law. It's pretty much the only serious offense a soul can be charged with in purgatory... which is why she's keeping it a secret from everyone.

Every once in a while, something triggers small parts of her memory back. Memories from those days. Her days at the mercy of Bonesaw. Bloody, painful scenes that makes us hurt, too. And they just serve to reinforce her decision to make him suffer as much as possible. 

However, she starts to slightly waver in her decision when she rescues her fifty-seventh soul: a very handsome, very sweet young guy named Nick. Nick seems to quickly gain everybody's sympathy and friendship, especially from those that are part of her Salvage team, which he soon joins. Velvet is torn between feeling jealous about him becoming so close and dear to her best friends so quickly, and being happy that he is such a good influence to them. Oh, and she can't decide exactly how she feels about him. Annoyed? Absolutely. Attracted? Well... yes! Uncomfortable? That's for sure. Thankful? Sometimes. :P

As if trying not to fall for her newest rescued soul while doing her best to haunt and drive her killer to commit suicide wasn't hard enough, now there's a revolution starting underground, and every single one of Velvet's mentors are acting suspiciously... 

The first chapter of Velveteen really sucks you in. It's very abrupt, very raw, very shocking. It's awesome. But then things slow down. Excessively. There were moments I almost gave the book up, things were so dull... then we get to the middle of the book. And that's when things get interesting. From middle to end, I got totally caught up into it again. I have to say it was worth the waiting. ;)

This is a very different book from the usual YAs out there. It way, after all, written by a guy, even if the main character IS a girl. It somehow just made her more believable, in my opinion. The same goes for her relationship with Nick. Teenagers (and, let's face it, adults, too) aren't nice and cuddly, YA writers! They are mean, horny, and selfish. Even if they do have their good moments. And reality isn't all about cute romance, butterflies and happy endings. The world is NOT a nice place. And Daniel Marks was able to capture every single realistic aspect (while still making it very readable, if slightly gruesome) in this fantastical/paranormal tale. Velveteen rocked.

If you're looking for something different and refreshing, with an imperfect and bloodthirsty heroine (repeatedly called a super bitch) and a very cool, very crushable hero, then you'll go bananas over Velveteen, just like yours truly.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Early Review: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama

Monstrous Beauty
by Elizabeth Fama

Expected publication: September 4th 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences. Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Publication Date: September 4th 2012

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

Format: eARC, 295 pages 

Series: no

Source: Netgalley

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My Review

The mermaid Syrenka has loved before and only managed to find pain. But in the year 1872 she can't help but fall in love again, very hard, this time for Ezra, a very hadsome young marine biology student, who's fascinated by every sea creature. Needless to say, he's completely enchanted by her. They are quite happy for a while... but they could never imagine that their 'forbidden' romance would bring a lot of pain and suffering -to themselves and others- for years and years to come.

It's 2002 and seventeen-year-old Hester has just met a very strange, yet very charming man inside a cave by the beach. She is stragenly drawn to him, and can't help but come back and just be close to him. She's falling in love... and it's the worst thing she could ever do. Hester has promised herself to never fall in love. Ever since she was just a kid she's been hearing stories about the women in her family, who always seemed to die just after giving birth to their daughters. Including her mother. So, just to be safe, she decides to not love at all. But no doctor could ever find out what really happened to those women. Not even the modern medicine can tell. Is it some kind of genetic condition? Or could it be something more dangerous, like a curse?

When she mentions the mysterious deaths to the guy from the cave, he suggests she looks deeper into it. And when Hester starts to investigate, she discovers much more than she could ever expect to find. Is teh crypt where her ancestors are buried really haunted? Who is the little girl who used to play with her at the cemetery that no else can see but her? And why is it that everything always leads her back to the ocean? Are the myths of sea creatures really myths?

Gods. So much love, so much tragedy, so much sadness, violence and wasted lives. This book will break your heart and make you cry a freaking river. But you'll love it anyway. Elizabeth Fama is a complete genious. Her writing is perfectly fluid, clearly well planned and well thought of, her characters are very alive and almost spill out of the pages. It is, I daresay, an almost perfect tale. It has it all. Drama, tragedy, romance, true love, action, violence, magic, mystery and paranormal beings. And it all fits superbly.

I can't say I was terribly excited about starting this book. I didn't care much about the other mermaid books I've read recently (found them to be very childish, weak or even downright mediocre...), but, oh, boy. Was I surprised by Monstrous Beauty!!! It blew my mind. I just couldn't stop reading it. I could barely blink! (even bloodshot eyes are totally worth it, I promise!). It's not everyday I give a book 5 stars, so that alone should tell you how much I loved it.

Hester was so strong, so smart and likeable! I usually find main heroines annoying, but this one was just absolutely incredible. Ezra was definitely charming, if quite pitiable. He deserved so much more of life... Syrenka was one of the most fascinating characters I've ever read about. I really wanted her to find the happiness she had been looking for her very long life. Even if she did some very gruesome things while trying to achieve it. And the secondary characters were all captivating in their own ways. Peter, Sam, the priest, Nellie... they were all very complex, even if they had short appearances. Oh, and the double POVs were awesome.

There was nothing I didn't like in this book, except that it was too short. LOL. I wanted to keep on reading it forever. ;) Even if it did make me cry quite a bit.

If you like tales of true love with tons of mystery, drama and quite a bit of action and adventure thrown in the mix, you'll love Mostrous Beauty just like I did, especially if you're not a fan of mermaid books, like I was. And you'll follow my example and pre-order it right away, because it's so freaking good you have to have it. (My beautiful precioussssssss must be on its way. *-*).

* I'm so happy I received an eARC for this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

P.P. (Post posting): I sort of liked the eARC cover better, buuuut.... what's a girl to do, right?

So, do you think you'd like to read this book? If you've read it, what did you think? :3

Early Review: The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

The Unquiet
by Jeannine Garsee

Expected publication: July 17th 2012 by Bloomsbury

Sixteen-year-old Rinn Jacobs has secrets: One, she’s bipolar. Two, she killed her grandmother. 

After a suicide attempt, and now her parents' separation, Rinn and her mom move from California to the rural Ohio town where her mother grew up. Back on her medications and hoping to stay well, Rinn settles into her new home, undaunted by the fact that the previous owner hanged herself in Rinn's bedroom. At school, her classmates believe the school pool is haunted by Annaliese, a girl who drowned there. But when a reckless séance goes awry, and terrible things start happening to her new friends—yet not to her—Rinn is determined to find out why she can’t be "touched" by Annaliese...or if Annaliese even exists. 

With the help of Nate Brenner, the hunky “farmer boy” she’s rapidly falling for, Rinn devises a dangerous plan to uncover the truth. Soon reality and fantasy meld into one, till Rinn finds it nearly impossible to tell the difference. When a malevolent force threatens the lives of everyone she cares about--not to mention her own--she can't help wondering: who should she really be afraid of?

Annaliese? Or herself?

Genre: Young Adult, Supernatural

Publication Date: July 17th 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: eARC, 388 pages 

Series: ?

Source: Netgalley

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My Review:

First line: Sometimes, when I dream, the deadliest moment in my life happens all over again.

Last line: I don't believe you. 

Favorite quote: As someone who's always drawn to the "bad boy" type, I can't explain my attraction to a certified band geek who'll probably major in animal husbandry and end up inseminating cows for a living.

Corinne Jacobs has been a good girl, taking all of her meds everyday, for 3 months and 13 days. Why she's being so careful and counting all the days like that? Because of what happened 3 months and 13 days ago. The time when she decided to stop with her bipolar meds and ended up killing her grandmother.

Now her stepfather hates her and her mother has dragged her from sunny California to chilling middle-of-nowhere Ohio, where she grew up. Rinn doesn't think that moving to this dinky little town will make anything better. But then she actually starts making friends. And the cute farmer boy next door is starting to look way too yummy. Oh, and she absolutely loves her new house and room up in the attic. Until she finds out that the previous owner killed herself up there, of course. Right after her granddaughter was found dead in the pool at Rinn's new school. Awwwwkward. 

And, as if that wasn't freaky enough, she finds out that very strange things have been happening to the people who cross the 'Tunnel' (the part of the gym with the pool where Annaliese's body was found). Weird things have always happened there before, but now another student is found dead by the pool and Rinn's new friends start to act very bizarre. Is it the ghost of Annaliese? Is she haunting the pool area? Is she haunting Corinne? If so, why?

This book had so much in it! So much mystery, so much drama, so much angst and romance!! It really had everything a good book should have. I especially liked knowing/seeing more about how bipolar people act, what they have to deal and fight with everyday, how they really feel about themselves and everyone else. The pressure. The fear. The regret. The desire to just let go. The strength needed not to. 

The Unquiet gives you very strange vibes throughout the book. You start to think that things are getting better, that Rinn herself is getting better and everything and everyone is going to be alright... then the creepiness starts and you have to control yourself not freak out over what's happening in a freaking book! LOL. Miss Garsee has such an engrossing, enrapturing and right-to-the-pont way of writing things that it sucks you right in and makes you feel comfortable... and that's when you should be careful. She makes you forget, repeatedly, that you're actually reading a ghost story, not an ordinary teenage tale. And it sneaks right up to you. Every. Single. Time. O.o

It's been a while since I've found a book's title that is as absolutely perfect or as fitting as this one is. Unquiet. That's exactly how you'll feel during the entire 'ride' that is Corinne's story. And afterwards. Yup. Even after you close the book and start to try to think of something else. It will stick with you. That unquiet feeling. That little chill behind your neck. And you'll love it.

P.S.: And Nate was so adorable!!! *-* It makes me want to move to Ohio, too. Like, right now.

* I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #2) by Molly Harper

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf (Naked Werewolf #2)

by Molly Harper

Baring It All

Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous. . . .

Genre: Adult

Publication Date: March 2011

Publisher: Pocket Books

Format: paperback, 336 pages 

Series: yes

Acquisition: bought

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Maggie Graham lives with her family in a very isolated and peculiar comunity in Alaska. What's so special about them? They are werewolves. 


She became the pack leader when her brother turned down the job. She's very good at it, being strong, fierce. She takes her duty as Alpha (pack leader) very seriously and always makes sure everyone is OK and everything is running smoothly. Her relationship with her family and friends is one of trust, animosity and closeness. She's never been a "girly" kind of girl and usually makes fun of her mother and sister-in-law for trying to tame her. Maggie is being pressured into marrying a were to try and keep the genes of her family going, but all of her suitors are really not worth it. They are either too weak or just want to become alpha and take over her. None of them like her for real. 


Everything changes when Dr. Nick, PhDs (yup, he has two), a very hot foklore professor, comes to town convinced that werewolves exist and he will be the one to prove it to the world.

Maggie gets imediately attracted to him, but when she finds out who he is, she tries to make sure everybody knows how much she automaticaly hates him. No matter how hard she tries, Maggie just keeps getting more and more into Nick until they have a truck accident and she realizes how dangerous it is to be around him, not for her safety, but because she can barely control her primal instincts when he's around..  

Even though Nick eventually finds out that they are real werewolves, he's willing to keep it to himselp so he can win Maggie over, now that he's fallen in love with her. But, since Nick's only human, she needs to think about the pack and how much they need to find other werewolves to mate, otherwise the pack will become smaller and smaller and eventually die out. Of course, she could just have a little bit of fun with him, but unfortunatelly, werewolves mate for life, so she had to be very careful of who she'd choose to have babies with, since Nick wouldn't be able to make her bear werechildren.

Decided to get over Nick, Maggie starts going out with Clay, a werewolf from another pack, who came to town with his sister Alice and her two young children to take care of their grandmother Billie, who's got dementia. Maggie had blamed herself for the accident on the old truck, but as she has her office burned down and was then attacked by another werewolf on the mountains (only to be saved by Nick), she realizes that someone has been trying very hard to either to kill or frighten her. 

The book ends with a (not very) surprising revelation about who's behind those attacks, and Clay and Alice's true identities. And, of course, Maggie finally admits she can't live without Nick and agrees to marry him in the most traditional way, despite all her previous efforts against it.

The book was a very light, since the author writes in a easy and captivating way. You imediately feel sympathy for the main character, Maggie, who's funny and unconventional. The way the author describes the community gives you such a homey feeling that makes you wish it were real and that you could meet them. Also, the way Maggie describes to feel when she's in wolf form makes it sound SO fun and liberating! The whole book is filled with great quotes, that surprise you with how clever and fun they are. Nick was so cute! *-* I wanted a viking look-alike like him for myself. ;) Samson, Maggie's cousin sounded really great, too!

This book is a sequel of "How to flirt with a naked werewolf", which I loved! (Mo and Cooper made for such a nice story) and hopefully there'll be a third one, because Molly's writing and imaginative storytelling sure makes us wanting more!

Reviewed by:

Amebugi and Kah_cherub