*Stacking the Shelves* Episode # 113 Happy Blogging Anniversary Gizmos Reviews!

Stacking the Shelves for the week of June 15 thru June 21, 2014

Stacking The Shelves is a fun way to show off the books we received over the past week in the hopes that you will find something that you will be interested in reading. As always, it is in no way, shape, or form to be considered bragging or sticking out our tongues at other bloggers. 

 

If you've been following this blog for any length of time, thank you! Today, (June 21st, 2014) marks my THREE year anniversary of blogging! WOO HOO!! At times, it has been a struggle to do this all without any assistance, but I have somehow managed through blood, sweat, tears, depression, and definite mood swings, to make it this far. 

 

I would love to do a giveaway to honor of my three years. Perhaps I might even award one lucky commentator their choice of (1) book of their choice. In fact, please feel free to leave a comment about my blog, the books I've been allotted this week, a review I have posted this week, or what you are most excited to read this summer, and I'll randomly pick a winner. Good Luck to everyone!

Received via Netgalley & Kensington Books

Received via Netgalley & Penguin Group Viking Adult

Received via Netgalley & Random House Children's (Alfred A. Knopf BFYR)

Received via Netgalley & Disney-Hyperion

Received via Netgalley & Hachette Children's Books (Hodder Children's)

 

Received via Edelweiss (Willow Morrow)

 

Borrowed via the Library

Freebies, or Bargains

 

*Gizmos Book Reviews* Shaman Rises (Walker Papers #9) by C.E. Murphy

**I received this book from NetGalley/Harlequin Luna in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

Shaman Rises is the end of the line for The Walker Papers series. Ever since Urban Shaman released in (2005), and readers were introduced to a different sort of heroine in Joanne Walker, this series has been on my most eagerly awaited books to read for that year. Shaman Rises is no exception to that as I eagerly requested my copy via NetGalley/Harlequin Luna.

In the beginning of Shaman Rises, Murphy takes time to do a summation of each of her books in this series. I, for one, really appreciated her doing this for us as it is hard trying to remember what happened in previous installments without a bit of summation or going back and reviewing your notes as to where Joanne came from, and how she gets to the final confrontation with all her nemesis, The Master.

I will say this right out of the gate, Shaman Rises is a finale that has everything, and above all, it doesn't let me down in a major way like others have since the beginning of the year. I love the fact that Joanne is surrounded by everyone from Gary Muldoon, Michael Morrison, Suzanne Quinley, Billy Holliday, Coyote, Cernunnos, as well as her much maligned father who she broke the ice with in the previous installment.

Shaman Rises, which picks up RIGHT where Mountain Echoes left off, is filled with action, suspense, danger, incredible world building, and a bit of sorrow. Joanne is a hero who readers should be paying more attention to. Simply put, she can kick ass, takes names, while managing to have a snarky attitude, and loyal friends surrounding her ensuring that she stays grounded. More than anything else, she goes above and beyond the call of duty for a heroine by genuinely caring about what happens to her friends, and those put in harms way because of her battles with evil.

In a genre filled with characters who end up "transitioning" from human to vampire, or what have you, Joanne has remained 100 percent human with a warrior mentality and the ability to heal. That is what makes her so fascinating to me. I loved watching her character grow over the years. I loved watching her relationship with the adorable Gary who has been by her side since she was awakened with tremendous powers and responsibility. I loved her partnership with Billy, as well as his wife Melinda. In the end, it was her dance with Michael Morrison that was the most fun to track, and see where it would lead.

In the end, Mission Accomplished. Series finishes on a high note, and there are no glaring questions, or loose ends that need to be tied up. I don't see Murphy coming back to this world any time soon, but if she were to, I would hope that Suzy would be the main focus. Next to Joanne, she totally blew my socks off.

Author - C.E. Murphy
Title - Shaman Rises (Walker Papers # 9)
Published by Harlequin Luna
Released: June 24, 2014
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: E.Book 386 pages

*Gizmos Book Reviews* Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

**I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

Jamie Henry has some unresolved issues. Even though on the outside he appears to be a normal teenager who gets good grades, loves to play the piano, and was lucky enough to have been adopted along with his older sister Cate by parents who care about them, there is also a mystery that surrounds his mother's death that he tries so very hard to unravel, as well as what truly happened to cause Cate to have a major meltdown.

Jamie is a case that mental professionals would love to study up close and personal. Jamie has severe panic and anxiety attacks that cause blackouts and hands to go completely numb. Even though he truly believes his sister has gone completely off the deep end, there are things she knows that could finally put his mind at peace.

His sister Cate has spent the past two years in Juvenile detention for her actions that left a girl badly burned. She ended up with a bad reputation because of the presumptions of what she was doing behind everyone's backs. Now, she's being released and coming home, and she is aiming to enlighten Jamie about things in his past that SHE kept from him all these years.

I haven't yet read Charm & Strange but I've heard that it is similar to Complicit in that she loves darkness, and twists, and surprises in order to keep the reader on their toes. I am pretty sure I need to go back and read C & S soon since I definitely enjoyed, and recommend Complicit to even the faint at heart.

Complicit is told in the first POV by Jamie, with scenes from both the past and the present intermingled together to bring an extraordinary story to life. Even though parts of this book are dark, there is also a light in Jamie's relationship with Jenny. I guess one could say that this was the calm before the storm part of the book. Jenny's appearance is the calming influence that Jamie needs to explore the truth behind his family's history, and what Cate is really keeping from him.

Complicit is a story that could have been written by Alfred Hitchcock himself and gone over like hotcakes. You knew that when he wrote a book, your mind would be totally blown by the time you reached the conclusion. This story has many of the same key elements of a great Hitchcock movie. There is darkness, secrets, and spine tingling twists that left me with my mouth wide open. So, I say, congratulations Ms Kuehn, mission accomplished in blowing my mind.

Author - Stephanie Kuehn
Title - Complicit
Published by St. Martin's Griffin
Released: June 24, 2014
Genre: Contemporary, Psychological Thriller
Format: Ebook 256 pages

*Gizmos Book Reviews* Souls of the Damned (Kat Redding #5) by E.S. Moore

 **I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

Souls of the Damned picks up right where Blood From a Silver Cross ended. Kat Redding has her hands full with a surprise visitor (Sienna, the girl from Delai), a pending confrontation with Countess Baset who wants Kat to submit to her, and Adrian Davis who wants her to be his mate. There are her feelings for former den-master Jonathan Alucard hanging in the balance, as well as the demon Beligral who continues to taunt and tempt her with juicy morsels including the return of her humanity.

If you have read this series, you know that it would be something of a shock were Kat not in deep kimchee 24/7/365.

Reader Beware! If you have NOT read the previous installments in the Kat Redding series, I would discourage you from jumping ahead in the series. Readers need know about the town of Delai, and why Sienna's sudden appearance means so much to Kat, and throws everything else she has to deal with out the window in one fell swoop. You need to know about Kat's nemesis Levi and why finally putting him down for good, will allow her a bit of freedom.

Unfortunately, even though we do get one resolution in Levi and Kat's conflict, we are still left with many unresolved questions in regards to Sienna. Why is she so important? Why was her blood so useful to Levi? Why was Beligral so homed in on Sienna to the point of asking Kat if she was really serious about not wanting to regain her humanity she's longed for since she was turned into a vampire? Why does Beligral see things about Kat that we haven't been told yet?

I often grumble when authors build up conflicts and then leaves readers hanging off the edge of a cliff. Once again, Moore has left me hanging. After FIVE novels, there are a whole lot of unresolved issues for Kat to deal with. What makes matters even worse, is that one of the more reliable characters who shall remain nameless, finds himself with challenges that are not explained. How will this persons problems affect Kat's ability to gather important information? I guess we shall see.

Although, I really enjoy this series and will continue until the series is wrapped up, I would love to see Moore resolve the issues quickly with Adrian, Baset, and Beligral, and kill off some characters so that Kat can focus on one problem at at time. I do find the growth in Kat pretty interesting. Called Lady Death because of her bloody trails she leaves behind, this time around she has to use her smarts, and logic in order to defeat a much stronger and powerful nemesis. I'm also kind of surprised, but not really in that Moore has finally decided to allow Kat to have a bit of romance in the middle of the rest of the world going to hell in a hand basket.

Author - E.S. Moore
Title - Souls of the Damned (Kat Redding # 5)
Published by Kensington
Released: June 19, 2014
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format: E-Book

*Gizmos Book Reviews* The Revealed (The Revealed # 1) by Jessica Hickam

**I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**

*My Thoughts*

Eighteen-year old Lily Atwood lives in a time where the US was ravaged by war, and those that survived, fled eastward. The current country calls itself the North America Sector and reflects the original 13 colonies plus states bordering east of the Mississippi River. The rest of the country is supposedly a barren land, and not inhabited by any human.

It is a time of great hope for the country Six years after the ground came alive and the sky fell, and pushed the country back in time 100 years where only the rich have access to technology like computers, and cars, and the middle class no longer exists. It is a time where two individuals are running for the office of the Presidency, each with very different visions for what they see for the countries future, and its relationships with the rest of the world. One of those individuals just happen to be Lily's father Mark Atwood.

Ever since Lily turned Eighteen, her parents placed her under constant surveillance because of a little known group calling themselves the Revealed. The Revealed, who are as mysterious as the powers they wield, have targeted Lily for kidnapping like they have hundreds of others teens who have not yet reached the age of Nineteen. The Revealed, are "revealed" but I am not sure if I am ready to jump aboard their crazy train where kids are "changed" in order to help fight so called evil in the world, while also doing good in places that need it.

As for the characters, Lily annoyed me to the point where I had hoped she was a secondary character, and not the one telling the story. There is a much, much stronger, and awesome character named Rory who picks up and carries Lily throughout the story. I would definitely read a novel that focusing on Rory, instead of Lily. Lily is a Mary Sue character that ends up putting herself into so many silly situations, that you can't help but to roll your eyes at her immaturity, and righteous indignation she throws out towards her parents, and others. One can only hope her maturity grows leaps and bounds in any sequel.

Of course, there is the love interest Kai, who used to be a family friend, but turned into a playboy, and now returns as the conquering hero whose father is challenging Atwood to the presidency. I would say that their relationship runs hot and cold, and then hot again. You can't help but to wonder what the attraction is when Kai treated her like cold chili, and didn't care about her feelings and went along with the crowd in calling her cold, and a spoiled brat. People can change, I guess, and one can only wonder if Kai will return in any sequel.

As I reached the end of this story, it was revealed to me that this story was NOT a standalone, and that there apparently will be a sequel called The Enraged. I am obviously hoping that any sequel to be written would further dive in to and explain this so called war that hit the country. I am a person who needs facts. What's the facts, Jack? You only get a sense of what truly happened to the country by reading the synopsis, but not the story itself. This is Jessica's first published book, so, here's hoping that the follow up installment grows on top of the characters she's already introduced.

Author - Jessica Hickam
Title - The Revealed (The Revealed # 1)
Published by SparkPress
Released: June 17, 2014
Genre: Dystopia
Format: E-Book 314 pages



*Waiting On Wednesday* Featuring Evernight (Darkest London # 5) by Kristen Callihan

"Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at “Breaking the Spine”, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating....

 

This weeks choice is Evernight (Darkest London # 5) by Kristen Callihan

 

Once the night comes . . .

Will Thorne is living a nightmare, his sanity slowly being drained away by a force he can't control. His talents have made him the perfect assassin for hire. But as he loses his grip on reality, there is no calming him—until he finds his next target: the mysterious Holly Evernight.

Love must cast aside the shadows . . .

Holly cannot fathom who would put a contract on her life, yet the moment she touches Will, the connection between them is elemental, undeniable—and she's the only one who can tame his bouts of madness. But other assassins are coming for Holly. Will must transform from killer to protector and find the man who wants Holly dead . . . or his only chance for redemption will be lost.

 

    Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages

Expected publication: August 26th 2014 by Forever

 

 



*Top Ten Tuesday* ~Top Ten Books On My Summer TBR list~

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic and we all share our thoughts on that topic! I decided it was finally time to jump on board with this wicked fun meme!

 

Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List (Summer June 21 - September 22)

 

You really can't go wrong with any of these books!

 

Purple - means I have them on my Kindle.

The rest I want now!!!

 

1. Heir of Fire - Sarah J Maas

 

2. Red Blooded - Amanda Carlson

 

3. The Witch with No Name - Kim Harrison

 

4. The Perilous Sea - Sherry Thomas

 

5. The Infinite Sea - Rick Yancey

 

6. Trial by Fire - Josephine Angelini

 

7. Magic Breaks - Ilona Andrews

 

8. Strange and Ever After - Susan Dennard

 

9. Poison Promise - Jennifer Estep

 

10. Enslaved by the Others - Jess Haines