Feature & Follow Friday 05/31/2012

The Feature & Follow is hosted by TWO hosts, Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison of Alison Can Read. Each host will have their own Feature Blog and this way it'll allow us to show off more new blogs! 

Q: You are a matchmaker -- your goal, hook up two characters from two of your favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

A: My choices are Elena Michael's from Kelly Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series with Curran from Ilona Andrews Kate Daniels Series. This question is so hard since both Elena and Curran are in perfect relationships that I wouldn't want to break up under any means. However, putting all that aside in the interest of having a warped sense of humor, these are my choices for the ideal match-up of the week. As far as how it would go, I think Elena would seriously have issues with Curran's bossiness just like Kate. She would definitely fit the role of an ideal female Alpha character.

Anyway, those are my choices and I'm sticking to them. What do you think? 

Am I totally off my rocker? Who would you choose as your character hook-ups?

New followers are welcomed with open arms and sincere gratitude for following

my blog. Old followers are always welcomed as well!

Cover Reveal - Blood Winter by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Set in apocalyptic America and featuring a magically enslaved heroine who is “a riveting mixture of guts, compassion, and furious anger as she struggles with a world coming apart at the seams” (Romantic Times), the fourth in a dynamic dark urban fantasy series unlike anything you’ve ever read before.

Winter is coming to Montana and Shadowblade warrior Max is expecting trouble. People are hoarding everything. They are banding together, many flocking to the congregation of Sterling Savage, a fire-and-brimstone preacher. A charismatic cult leader who claims to be the Hand of God, he’s determined to create a human utopia and destroy all magic, starting with witches.

Unbeknownst to him, the “divine” voice he’s been hearing isn’t God but a demon that feeds on hate, death, and destruction. Savage is the perfect puppet for the demon’s ambitions. Max and her people at Horngate are all that stand in its way, and they are woefully unprepared.

Conducting terrible, bloody ceremonies to boost his own power and that of the demon riding him, Savage starts a war between his congregants and two other powerful gangs in the city, fighting for food, fuel, clothing and territory. When he manages to capture Max’s niece, brother, and several teenagers from Horngate, Max tries to free them but finds that Savage has twisted their minds. They worship him—even her brother, who is a witch and whom Savage intends to burn at the stake. Going undercover in the cult compound, Max swiftly realizes just how seductive Savage is. His charisma is reinforced with magic. His followers adore him and will do anything for him. Anything.

But courage, loyalty, and friendship are powerful forces—and Max doesn’t like to lose.

Expected publication date: December 18, 2012 by Pocket Books

This has got to be the best cover yet for this series. Agree or disagree?

Chosen Ones by Tiffany Truitt (The Lost Souls # 1)

*Review based on the ARC*

"You must face your fears in order to conquer them."

An interesting story with such a dark premise that it makes books like the Hunger Games seem tame in comparison. Here you have a society that has all but destroyed itself in an East vs West Civil War and a so called Fourth World War between nations that killed millions via nuclear bombs. The US survivors have all but given up their freedom and are living in so called compounds because there are those out there who want to do them harm. Or, so they are told.

In a rush to avoid further killing of human on human, they created the Chosen Ones who were meant to protect and guide humanity (naturals) after women stopped having the ability to breed. The Chosen are genetically engineered super-humans capable of incredible strength, durability, and speed. Some of them express hatred for humans by arbitrarily raping and killing them, especially the women.

"Emotional entanglements only led to physical trespasses. We, humans, were weak. We couldn't be trusted with our emotions."

According to the Council, humans were too weak and can't be trusted with their own safety or emotions. Each human is branded a number, in this case Tess, our main protagonist is 258915. (sounds like Nazi Germany to me.) In this society, books and music are banned. Every family is required to offer up their eldest daughter as a servant for 3 years starting at age 16. Many young women are sterilized at the first sign of menstruation.

For Tess, things change, or fall apart, when her eldest sister Emma dies during childbirth. A childbirth she was warned against having for fear that she would die in the midst of it. Thanks to Emma's demise, Tess is sent to work at Templeton the place where the chosen are created and taught how humanity destroyed itself with weakness and unwillingness to fight their own battles.

In the process, Tess meets James, a chosen who is beautiful as he is unique in his love of music and books. At first, Tess is as emotionless as you will find in any character. She seems almost nonchalant in her ability to interact with others. She's even a cold fish when it comes to dealing with her younger sister. This is, afterall, a society that scorns emotions of any sort as weakness.

"He had saved my life twice, and beyond that, he's made me realize that I had a heart and soul that still lived inside me. He showed me that love existed in a world full of darkness, something I long thought was impossible."

Then, things start to change when her relationship with James, a Chosen, starts to heat up and they find a connection among the banned books and music of their forefathers. Eventually, this leads to Tess being labeled as a troublemaker, and designated for death. Her only safe haven seems to be in the letters her own father left for her before he disappeared 10 years before.

This book will catch your attention right from the first chapter when Tess is branded on the back of her neck and then ends up at Templeton as a slave. Her emotional rollercoaster will not turn readers off, nor will her relationship with James sway anyone from continuing to read the entire book.

"I am alone and miserable; man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects. This being you must create."

Readers will definitely find themselves wondering what happens next, and when will the next book in the series come out! Overall the world building is amazing and disturbing all at the same time. For a first time writer, Chosen One's has hooked my attention and now I patiently await the second installment of this series.

ARC recvd 04/08/2012 from Entangled Publishing. Expected publication: June 12th 2012 by Entangled Publishing, LLC        

Title: Chosen Ones (The Lost Souls # 1)
Author: Tiffany Truitt
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Release date: June 12, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday 05/29/2012

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This weeks WoW is.....

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

Title: The Dead and Buried
Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic Print
Release date: January 1, 2013

The Janus Affair (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences #2) by Ballantine/Morris

The Janus Affair is the second novel in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris. It has been nearly a year since the Phoenix Rising episode and once again our heroine (Miss Eliza Braun) and hero (Wellington Books Thornhill Esq.) are thrown into a mystery of epic proportions which leads to a clumsy reunion with Braun’s one time lover and a discovery of Books secrets he’s gone through a lot of trouble hiding.

The duo works as Archivists for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences where Braun was placed as a punishment for being a little too overzealous with her bombs and gadgets and not eliminating the person she was sent to kill. Braun isn’t one to stay put in one place for long without running off and getting herself involved in cases for which she should not have access to. Now that she’s got access to the Archives cold cases, she is the female version of Sherlock Holmes on steroids, even going as far as investigating MOPD’s agents’ cold cases without authorization.

In the Janus Affair, Books and Braun witness a woman disappear from a train they are riding on in a flash of light and electricity. Braun immediately gets a bee in her bonnet and drags Books into the investigation against the wishes of her superior Doctor Sound who is carrying enough secrets around to fill the Restricted Files. The mystery soon unravels and Braun and Book realize that someone is trying to stop the Suffragist movement in its tracks. Women who are key components to the fight for women’s rights suddenly disappear in a flash of electricity. The questions are who is responsible and why are they trying to stop the movement from going forward?

Once again our Archivist and his former field agent/archivist in training find themselves investigating things that the Ministry has all but ignored. Eliza once again seems to attract mayhem, chaos, and anarchy wherever she goes. This time however, the cause is near and dear to her heart and she is drawn into the investigation when her former mentor Kate Sheppard and lover Douglas arrive in London.

Eliza, along with the help of Wellington, Alice the housekeeper, and the Ministry Seven, helps unravel the mystery behind the disappearances while secrets about Wellington’s own past finally come out into the light of day. There’s more to Alice than meets the eye as well which I loved reading about.

For those who enjoy steampunk, The Janus Affair is yet another wonderful edition to the cause. I have to say, honestly, that I found this book to be better than Phoenix Rising in scope, world building, characters, and mystery. I absolutely loved the ending of this book and can’t wait until the third book is released.

*ARC Revcd via Edelweiss 04/09/2012**

Title: The Janus Affair
Authors: Pip Ballantine/Tee Morris
Publisher: Harper Voyager
Released: May 29, 2012

Ascension (Dark Breed, #1) by Sable Grace

*Synopsis*

The gates of Tartarus are opened and allowing dangerous Dark Breeds (demons) to escape and feast on humans. Chosen humans who were picked to replace Gods like Ares, Artemis, and Hades are being killed at an alarming rate. The God Cronos has a massive following that wants nothing better than to raise him from his so called Death so that he can wreak havoc on his brothers and become the only true God. Human cities are slowly falling one by one, and a bastion of survivors find themselves living within Castillo de San Marcos in Saint Augustine, Florida.

*Review/Thoughts*

Ascension (Dark Breed # 1) is an interesting story that follows the exploits of half vampyre, half lychen Kyana Aslan. Kyana works as a tracker for the Order or Ancients and is the only real half breed that has been allowed to do so. Kyana has the ability to hold on to a scent for days without losing its potency. Kyana, even though she’s part vampyre, hasn’t fed on fresh blood in over 80 years. Kyana works for the Goddess of the Hunt Artemis and is the last half breed of her kind.

Upon learning that someone has stolen the Key to Tartarus, Kyana and her witch best friend Haven, are given a mission to find the key so that the gate can be closed once again. Kyana is reunited with her one-time love interest Ryker, son of Ares, who 10 years previously rejected her. That rejection has remained a thorn in Kyana’s side.

The world building is unique in the paranormal romance category. Ascension is set in a world that has been overrun by hells minions known as the Dark Breed. You could, in reality, call this a Dystopian genre novel since the world has been devastated by the Dark Breeds and the humans are struggling to survive thanks in large part to the efforts of Kyana and the hunters of the Order.

Sable Grace is a new author to me and I’ve read the reviews that have been all over the place from pure hatred to love. Me, I loved the use of the Greek mythology mixed with vampyre’s, lychens, witches and mystics. I loved the fact that there is an above where the humans live, below which is a sideways, or a parallel universe, as well as beyond which is where the Gods live on Olympus.

Kyana is an awesome character who isn’t afraid to get dirty and bloody. Her relationship with Ryker wasn’t thrust upon readers from page one. It was slowly built so that the feelings of both characters were taken into consideration. Kyana’s best friend Haven actually goes through a lot thanks to a bad decision by Kyana which will be carried right into the next book called Bedeviled.

I also liked the fact that Grace didn’t just expect readers to take her word on what happened to Kyana. She actually does a good job in describing what happened to Kyana and why she is a half lychen and half vampyre.

Overall, this was actually a decent start to a series and I am definitely looking forward to reading Bedeviled and then Chosen ASAP.

Author: Sable Grace
Title: Ascension
Publisher: Avon Books
Released: April 26, 2011
Total Pages: 374

Stacking the Shelves # 5

http://www.tyngasreviews.com/

Welcome to my fifth edition of Stalking the Shelves hosted by

Tynga's Reviews. I encourage you to share with me your haul as well, as you never know if I might find something interesting to read!

Here we go!

From Simon & Schuster

From Southern Bloggers Tour

From Author Amanda Bonilla

From Amazon.com

Not a single book from Edelweiss or NetGalley this week :(

Thanks so much to everyone who stops by and leaves commentary!

If you leave me your link, I shall return the favor!

Have a safe weekend!

Rachel Vincent's Shadow Bound

Shadow Bound is the second novel in the “Unbound” series and takes place six weeks after the events of Blood Bound. From the synopsis, you know that this is the Korrine (Kori) Daniels and Ian Holt story to tell.

While Kori was suffering extreme abuse at the hands of Jack Towers crew for betraying him, Ian was catching the fancy of not only Tower, but Ruben Cavazos as well with his ability to turn an entire hockey rink dark from the outside in.

Kori is known as a Shadow Walker (Traveler). She can easily step into a shadow in one room, and appear in another shadow somewhere else. She can also see in the dark like a vampire. Kori’s sister Kenley is a powerful Binder and because of Kenley’s worth, Kori agreed to be binded to Tower in order to protect her from harm. Kori is fiercely protective of her younger sister knowing that if she’s not around, Kenley is a sitting duck to all kinds of abuse.

Tower gives Kori an assignment to redeem herself for the Blood Bound mess: recruit Ian Holt or kill him if he refuses. Kori is to be his recruiter and liaison and ensure that he signs with Tower before anyone else can get their hooks into him. Kori’s first meeting with Ian happens nearly 8 weeks after she was put into a locked room and abused and it’s not all sunshine and lollypops. Yes, there is a huge catch to luring Ian into Tower’s web, but, I shalt not spoil it for anyone.

Ian Holt is a Blinder, which is rare, and unbound to any syndicate – no oath of loyalty or service. As an Independent, he knows that he will either have to sign with someone soon, or go on the run for the rest of his life. When Holt is first identified, he is on a mission to eliminate Kenley Daniels and to save his twin brother. By killing the Binder, the binding fails to hold and those who were bound are set free.

Lately, I’ve been having a hit and miss affair with Vincent’s work. While I disliked Blood Bound and its characters; I found Kori and Ian’s story much more interesting and appealing. The suspense, action, romance, and world building was much more in tune to what I expected from her Shifters series.

I also liked the fact that Vincent identified which characters were being portrayed by separating the chapters into odd and even. Kori gets the odd numbered chapters, while Ian gets the even. Unlike Blood Bound where I was totally clueless as to which character was actually speaking at the time.

I liked Kori’s characterization because she is so damaged and not perfect by any means. Yet, she is also strong willed, and tries to do whatever she can to break Towers hold on her. She knows that she is the only person who can save her sister, and will put herself through hell in order to achieve that goal. Yet, she's not a Mary Sue character where she will fall down and go gaga over a love interest like Ian. The romance was slowly building and came while the two were trying to save their respective love one's from further harm.

If you’re wondering about Cameron and Olivia Warren and whether or not they play any part in this story, yes they do. Cameron is the only man alive to have gotten out of his contract with Jake Tower and now he works for Cavazos with Olivia. Not all that surprising since this story is in the same universe as Blood Bound.

This is actually a step away from the Urban Fantasy world we are all used to. While Vincent doesn’t have any vampires, shifters, or fey, she does have a special breed of humans called Skilled. These people can be anything from Readers, to Binders, to Travelers. For me, a person who loves the supernatural, every now and again it's nice to have a different breed of paranormal characters.

Favorite quotes/lines:

“Don't believe a word they say. Don't let your guard down. And do not make friends.”

“Some lies between sisters are okay. Some are forgivable. Some are unavoidable.”

“I'm pretty good with knives. I'm so good, in fact, that I could sever your testicles with one hand, and slice open your throat with the other, and you'd go into shock so fast you'd die without ever knowing you'd spilled a fucking drop of blood."

“I hate it when women starve themselves to achieve some stupid physical ideal that only looks natural on a twelve-year old. Men don't want women who look like children. Not real men, anyway."

“You're the most dangerous weapon he has, armed with nothing but the tongue in your mouth. And what a nice mouth it is.”

*ARC Recv'd via Netgalley for Harlequin UK. Released May 22, 2012

Author: Rachel Vincent
Title: Shadow Bound
Publisher: Harlequin UK
Released: May 22, 2012

Feature & Follow Friday 05/24/2012

Welcome to another edition of Feature & Follow Friday brought to you by Parajunkee's View

& Alison Can Read.

This weeks question is actually an Activity! 

Your goal for this week is to Dream Cast the book you are currently reading:

I'm currently reading the Lingering Dead, part 3 in the Jackie Rutledge series.

The main characters are:

Jackie Rutledge 

Nick Anderson 

Laurel Carpenter 

Shelby Fontaine 

I'm going out on the ledge with my choices. My actors/actresses are:

Jackie - Kristen Stewart

Nick - Jeremy Renner

Laurel - Brooklyn Decker

Shelby - Jennifer Lawrence

Like I said, these are the main characters. Obviously there are many more.

Looking forwarded to reading your thoughts on my choices.

As always, I'm very appreciative of new followers on GFC, & Linky and those

who stop by and leave me comments.

Have a safe Memorial Day Weekend Everyone!

Early Review - A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer (Vamp City # 1)

There is something different about 27 year old Quinn Lennox. As a scientist who works for the Nation Institutes of Health, she can see shimmers and her clothing changes colors. She tries really hard to avoid any and all shimmers but when her brother Zack goes looking for his friend Lily, they fall into an alternative reality Washington, D.C.

This DC is called Vamp City and it appears that the residents (vampires) are stuck in the late 19th century when the city was founded. It is a city that was originally designed in 1870 by Phineas Blackstone, a sorcerer, who created the city just for vampires.

Some vampires are able to cross over into the 21st century and retrieve items they need like food, bathing material, and clothing. They even have a life within DC that they can feel comfortable with. But, as the sunlight slowly grows in strength, that avenue is slowly closing locking the vampires into a nightmarish situation where survival is in question.

Vamp City is a city filled with vampires who feed on the emotions of humans. It’s a place where humans are nothing more than slaves to the masters. Innocent people are being sucked into this alternative dimension via the shimmers and end up in slave auctions or meals for the vampires. There doesn’t appear to be any escape for those who end up here. The vampires are not all shiny and walk in the light, nor do they immediately fall in love with their human prey.

Vamp City’s magic is slowly deteriorating and if a sorcerer isn’t found soon, then the city will be flooded with sunlight and kill every vampire within the city. For Quinn, she may or may not be the one person who may have the ability to fix this problem. Yet, it seems that she actually may need the help of the original Blackstone family and her brother Zach in order to succeed. 

Even though Quinn is supposedly the heroine of this story, I found her slightly weak, boring, and irritating at times. Her ability to see into an alternative world while different doesn't make her strong, confident, or even likable. Her ability to stumble and bumble her way into escaping from Vamp City is only due to the up and down emotional rollercoaster known as Arturo Mazzo, a 600 year old vampire who demands to be called Master and saves her ass on more than one occasion when traders capture her and come close to raping her.

Yet, Quinn is not a Mary Sue when it comes to saving her brother or fighting back and escaping Vamp City with Zach in tow. She realizes that there is something different about her, and yet she has no clue that she may be the one person able to save Vamp City from imploding upon itself. 

So, even though Quinn has an interesting ability, I'm asking myself if Quinn was the real hero of this book or not. It seems awfully suspicious that her powers only come to bear when Zach is around. Another question I, as well as many other readers have is why would you want to save Vamp City from being totally destroyed after what you witnessed there? 

I found Arturo, who is portrayed to be an Italian vampire, to be more sadistic than compassionate and I don't much care for a character that pretty much lies about everything to get what he wants. The only thing different about Arturo is that he is an emo vampire who feeds off of fear. Okay, so, he does help Quinn, at times, but he also has a major agenda in saving Vampire City from destruction and he doesn't care who he uses.

I liked the setting for the story of 19th century Washington, D.C. and hope we will get a chance to learn more in the next installment. Vamp City is a dark fantasy story where rape and death is a commonality. Male Humans are forced to fight each other in a gladiator setting where the winner stays alive, and the loser ends up dead. The women are forced into beds by their vampire masters where they are raped and bled. Some humans find themselves as Slava’s or immortals if they stay for a set period of time. Others are just used and tossed away like cattle to the slaughter.

I’m not sure what I feel about the ending at the moment. It was not what I would have imagined it to be. There are so many questions I need to ask the author if she would avail them to me in a future interview.

Obviously this was the first book in the series thus the world building was a little more imaginative than say a second book. I can only hope the next installment answers a few of my left over questions especially about Quinn and Zach’s abilities.

Author: Pamela Palmer
Title: A Blood Seduction
Publisher: Avon
Releases: May 29, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday 05/22/2012

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

This weeks WoW is.....

Death and the girl next door by Darynda Jones

Synopsis from Goodreads

:

From the author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right—a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors

Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on. High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei?  And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real?  Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.

"Unique, witty, and touching—I LOVED THIS BOOK!" —P.C. Cast, New York Times bestselling author of The House of Night Series

Cover Reveal - House Rules by Chloe Neill

Book 7 of the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill.

In a city full of vampires, trouble never sleeps.

At the tender age of 27, Merit became a sword-wielding vampire. Since then, she’s become the protector of her House, watched Chicago nearly burn to the ground, and seen her Master fall and rise. Now she’ll see her mettle—and her metal —tested like never before.

It started with two . . . Two rogues vanishing without a trace. Someone is targeting Chicago’s vampires, and anyone could be next. With their house in peril, Merit and her Master, the centuries old Ethan Sullivan, must race to stop the disappearances. But as they untangle a web of secret alliances and ancient evils, they realize their foe is more familiar, and more powerful, than they could have ever imagined.

Publisher: NAL Penguin

Release date: February 2013

Cover Reveal - Devil Said Bang by Richard Kadrey

While ruling the denizens of darkness does have a few perks, James Stark isn’t exactly thrilled at the course his career (not to mention his soul) has taken. Breaking out of Hell once was a miraculous trick. But twice? If anyone can do it, it’s Sandman Slim. While he’s working out the details of his latest escape plan, Slim has to figure out how to run his new domain and hold off a host of trigger-happy killers mesmerized by that bullseye on his back. Everyone in Heaven, Hell, and in between wants to be the fastest gun in the universe, and the best way to prove it is to take down the new Lucifer, aka Sandman Slim aka James Stark.

Then again, LA isn’t quite the paradise it once was since he headed south. A serial killer ghost is running wild and his angelic alter-ago is hiding somewhere in the lost days of time with a secret cabal who can rewrite reality. And starting to care about people and life again is a real bitch for a stone-cold killer.

So, what do you think about the cover?

J.A. London's Darkness Before Dawn - Pre-release Review

J.A. London’s Darkness before Dawn is the first novel in a promising new series that features a world where vampires have won the 30 year war against humans and now live by an agreement called the Vamp-Hu Treaty. In accordance with the treaty, humans are required to provide blood to the vampires and in return, the vampires agreed not to attack any of the remaining US cities. Not all humans are agreeable to the treaty which leads to complications. The one positive that came out of the Vamp-Hu treaty is that vampires cannot turn humans against their will.


The story itself takes place in Denver, Colorado where the city is walled in and armed with hunters called Night Watchmen. The Night Watchmen are responsible for killing any rogue vampires that try to make their way into the city.


17 year old Dawn Montgomery is the story’s main protagonist and the official delegate between the humans and vampires. She is required to meet with the most powerful vampire in the world, Lord Valentine, on a regular basis on all matters of concern. Valentine forces her to wear Victorian clothing when meeting with him and he picked her above all others to be the Human representative.

Dawn was chosen for the job after her parents were killed by vampires mysteriously. The reason behind their attack and the secrets that they took to their grave, are hanging like a chad during a presidential election in Florida. There is something about Dawn that is considered special and intriguing but has yet to be revealed.

Michael Colt is Dawn’s best friend, love interest, as well as training to become one of the elite Night Watchmen. He and Dawn do everything together and it's hoped that they would be together forever. Later, Dawn meets vampire Victor Valentine who saves her and her best friend Tegan Romano from a vampire attack. This leads to more complications since Dawn sincerely respects Michael and what he stands for. I normally complain LOUDLY about love triangles but in this case, it was actually done in a way that left me open to Dawn being with either character.


Because this is the first book in the series, there are plenty of comparisons to Julie Kagawa’s The Immortal Rules which I actually read AFTER this book. If you want to compare the characters, we can do that.


Both Allison and Dawn are strong willed. They are both willing to do whatever it takes in order to survive in a hostile environment where vampires rule the roost. They both lost their parents under circumstances that created a hardship for both characters. One difference is that Dawn actually has a guardian, Rachel Goodwin, to look after her needs. Allison helps herself. They both have series of events that pushes them in a certain direction and their choices are not the best at times.


What is best left unsaid is that this book ends with tragedy and a cliffhanger that will hopefully be remedied in the next book called Blood Kissed Sky. The book on one hand is also predictable when it comes to the villain. When this person is introduced, warning bells should have been ringing loudly. Instead, a certain character falls head over heels for him and ends up in an unknown predicament.

I was actually surprised when this book came in the mail. I’m not sure who sent it to me from HarperCollins or who to thank personally. But, I am appreciative and hope that they will continue to share these ARC’s with me in the future.

Author: JA London
Title: Darkness Before Dawn
Publisher: HarperCollins
Released: May 29, 2012

Stacking the Shelves # 4

http://www.tyngasreviews.com/

Welcome to my fourth edition of Stalking the Shelves hosted by 

Tynga's Reviews. I encourage you to share with me your haul as well,

as you never know if I might find something interesting to read!

Here we go!

From Library

 

 

Netgalley:

Edelweiss:

Gifted:

The Poisoned House by Michael Ford

Dead End by Jason Myers

Deadly by Julie Chibbaro

Variant by Robison Wells

A Plague Year by Edward Bloor

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

Thanks to the gifted books, I had a decent week. 

What's did you get this week?

 Next weekend is Memorial Day in the US so I may, or may not be here. 

I may go to New York for the holiday to see my family.

Have a fantastic week everyone!