**Notice** Due to transfering back from a godaddy hosted wordpress blog back to blogger, reviews published before june 2017 don`t all have a pretty layout with book cover and infos. Our apologies.
I posted last night a fan art for Passion (which I thought was the official cover) and in my quest to find the source I stumbled on the deviantart account of the official artist!
Here are some covers recently revealed, you’ll have to forgive me for not including product description I’m feeling lazy in the middle of the night =P
Next book in the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole, to be released February 2011
Passion by Lauren Kate, third book in the Fallen series, due 2011.
*** Edit: After contacting Random House to make sure Passion was the official cover, it would seem that it is fan made. Here’s What Random House Kids said:
I think that cover might be created by a fan because the real cover of PASSION has not been released yet. We'll keep you posted! We will also be sure to tweet a link to the real PASSION cover when it is released!
Sorry for the mislead!
Shadowspell by Jenna Black, second book in the Faeriewalker series. Due Jan 2011
A mythic warrior who'll stop at nothing to possess her…
After enduring years of torture from the vampire Horde, Lachlain MacRieve, leader of the Lykae Clan, is enraged to find the predestined mate he's waited millennia for is a vampire. Or partly one. This Emmaline is a small, ethereal half Valkyrie/half vampire, who somehow begins to soothe the fury burning within him.
A vampire captured by her wildest fantasy...
Sheltered Emmaline Troy finally sets out to uncover the truth about her deceased parents--until a powerful Lykae claims her as his mate and forces her back to his ancestral Scottish castle. There, her fear of the Lykae--and their notorious dark desire--ebb as he begins a slow, wicked seduction to sate her own dark cravings.
An all consuming desire...
Yet when an ancient evil from her past resurfaces, will their desire deepen into a love that can bring a proud warrior to his knees and turn a gentle beauty into the fighter she was born to be...?
Lachlain, the Lykae King, has been trapped in the catacombs under Paris, suffering torture by fire for 150 years when he smelled her: his mate. He has been roaming the earth for centuries to find her and here she was, just out of reach! The desire to finally be with her gave him the strength to break free from his prison but he was not ready for what he discovered, his mate is a vampire, certainly he must be insane… How could his mate be of the race he hunted for so long? Destiny must be laughing at his face.
First, let me thank Tori the Book Faery & the girls at Book Junkies for pushing me to read this series! I usually stay away from this kind of cover because I don’t normally like books with a lot of sex. Well, A Hunger Like no Other has a lot of sex and I loved it! The book… not the sex… ok ok the sex to! The way all the sensuality was handled was just perfect. I enjoyed the tension, the lust, Lachlain’s bestial need to be with Emma and the restrain he had to not hurt her/push her away. While all this sexual aspect is an important part of the story, it did not weight it down and it’s something very important for me.
Now that I got this element out of the way, let me talk to you about the characters. Lachlain is awesome! He is a total Alpha male, hot sexy, sultry, powerful and yet so fragile. He has been weakened by the torture he suffered but his greatest pain is the fear that Emma will refuse him. He has all the best intensions yet he does everything wrong. I really felt for him. Emma is all the opposite, she is a beautiful and fragile flower. Half-vampire, half-valkyrie and orphan, she grew up with no one she could really relate to. She’s scared of becoming a monster and she is sweet and innocent. It was a masterpiece to see their personalities clash together.
The plot was something special and I don’t want to give anything away but Kresley Cole had me hooked like a fish on a pole. The whole time I had no idea where all this was going and kept on following the shiny lure page after page until it was over. I really liked the end, everything unfolded so quickly to reveal many great surprises.
I strongly suggest this series to mature readers. Loved it and can’t wait to start reading the second book!
Playing Easy to Get (Anthology) A Hunger Like no Other No Rest for the Wicked Wicked Deed’s on a Winter’s Night Dark Needs at Night’s Edge Dark Desires after Dusk Kiss of a Demon King Deep Kiss of Winter Pleasure of a Dark Prince (duology) Demon from the Dark
Hello Everyone! I am really happy to have the fabulous Jeri Smith-Ready by my side today! She was in Toronto this last Saturday with the Smart Chicks Tour and I was so sad to miss it =( I was really happy (and surprised) to discover that Jeri shares with me an unconditional love with a particular professional sport (mine is hockey though ^^). Without further introduction, please welcome warmly Jeri, author of multiple very successful series!
Zone Defense – When I’m Not Writing
When Tynga asked me to guest-blog about what I do when I’m not writing, at first I was stumped. Almost everything I do involves writing. The current work-in-progress affects which books I read, which bands I listen to, and which movies I watch. I’m almost always “in the zone.”
Then it hit me. I have one thing in my life that has zero to do with books: football. NFL football, to be exact (although I developed an obsession with soccer this summer during the World Cup).
I grew up near DC, so I’m a lifelong Redskins fan, but I’ve spent the last half of my life in and around Baltimore. So my favorite team is, of course, the Ravens. How could any writer not love a team named after a character from a poem? My favorite player is linebacker Ray Lewis. His drive and energy level are superhuman—I’d love to have him give a pep talk every morning when I sit down at the computer!
Oops, almost talked about writing there. I could go on for pages about how professional sports is a lot like publishing, but this is hobby time.
I hedge my bets by rooting hard for several teams. That way there’s hopefully at least one score each week to make me happy. As I write this, the Ravens have just lost to the Bengals (rats!), but the Redskins are looking pretty good against Houston. (EDITED TO ADD: Nope, they lost, too, but it was a great game.) In addition to my home teams, I’m also partial to the Packers, Patriots, and Saints (one would have to be a cold-hearted snake not to love the Saints after what they’ve done for New Orleans).
Football appeals to me on all levels. It’s got the strategic/intellectual aspects of chess (I still don’t understand many of the different routes and patterns that the announcers seem to pick up on in an instant), the artistic aspects of ballet (I mean, seriously, some of those catches and end runs they make? Things of beauty.).
And I’ll be honest: I like the hitting. As long as no one gets hurt, of course.
As my family can tell you, football works me into an emotional frenzy. I cheer and cuss and stomp, occasionally getting on my knees during a long field goal for the win (then collapsing and pounding the floor when it goes wide). My cats and dog understand that Mommy is not yelling at them. They just watch me rage, then they blink and go back to sleep.
The important thing is, football takes me out of the writing world. It also takes me out of the real world, where I worry about everything from the electric bill to global warming. It’s a pure, fun, immersive experience, untainted by creativity or politics.
(All that being said…I did once turn a real-life Ravens-Steelers game an important subplot point in my second vampire book, BAD TO THE BONE. It helped ease the pain of the Steelers 38-7 win, knowing it would ratchet up the tension in a potential love triangle via a strategically placed Speedo.)
So that’s what I do when I’m not writing (or sleeping): I watch, read about, and think about professional sports. Because it has nothing to do with anything, and for that, I love it.
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Jeri loves to hear from readers, so visit her at www.jerismithready.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jerismithready, or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jsmithready. Her next release will be the short story “Thief,” in the YA vampire anthology ETERNAL: MORE LOVE STORIES WITH BITE, coming November 1. Her most recent release is BRING ON THE NIGHT, #3 in the WVMP RADIO adult vampire series. Her debut YA novel, SHADE, was released in May 2010, with a sequel, SHIFT, coming May 2011.
About SHADE:
Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.
Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.
Well, sort of.
Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.
It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.
As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.
Jeri very generously offered a signed copy of Bring on the Night to one lucky reader, but she specifically specified that, and I quote, “anyone who disses the Ravens or Redskins is automatically disqualified. ;-)” lol
What's Blood Got to Do With It?
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin seems to finally have it all. A steady job at WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock 'n' Roll. A loving relationship with the idiosyncratic but eternally hot DJ Shane McAllister. A vampire dog who never needs shots or a pooper-scooper. And after nine years, it looks as if she might actually finish her bachelor's degree!
But fate has other plans for Ciara. First she must fulfill her Faustian bargain with the Control, the paranormal paramilitary agency that does its best to keep vampires in line. Turns out the Control wants her for something other than her (nonexistent) ability to kick undead ass. Her anti-holy blood, perhaps?
Ciara's suspicions are confirmed when she's assigned to a special-ops division known as the Immanence Corps, run by the Control's oldest vampire and filled with humans who claim to have special powers. To a confirmed skeptic like Ciara, it sounds like a freak fest. But when a mysterious, fatal virus spreads through Sherwood—and corpses begin to rise from their graves—Ciara will not only get a crash course in zombie-killing, but will be forced to put her faith, and her life itself, in the hands of magic.
Thank you so much Jeri for taking the time to stop by. You are so awesome! I had a great time with you and those pictures of you totally cracked me up! I can’t wait to read Shift =D
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Enjoyed this post? There will be more “When I’m not writing…” post in the future!
Please visit This Page to find out who my future guests are, and a chance to suggest authors you would like to see featured!
Authors, you would like to visit and share with us?
I’ve had tons of new followers since the last time I talked about my designs so I tough I would slip a word about it =)
I’ve never taken any design related classes and I am most definitely an amateur, but I love playing with HTML & Photoshop so If you're looking to pimp out your blog a bit or need a button for a feature or an event, feel free to haul me =)
Here are some of the stuff I’ve done in the past!
You probably remember the Paranormal Summer Fest from this summer, and not so long ago the BlogFest 2010!
And these last two banners are for events to come!
You can visit my Design Blog for older stuff & full blog designs and a price list (really cheap ^^)
I don’t know if you guys realized by now, but I’m a HUGE FAN of Rachel Vincent. Read all of her published books, love ‘em all and I crave for the next releases! So I am very happy to have Rachel on the blog today to share with us what her “non-writing life” is like! Her next release, Alpha, is right around the corner, only 5 more days to wait (!!!) and we have an exclusive teaser to share with you, so make sure you read until the end =)
What do I do when I’m not writing? I watch DVDs, read, or play Rock Band with #1. Honestly, though, I don’t get a lot of not-writing time anymore. Good thing I love my job!
Here’s a glimpse of what I do when I do get a break. ;)
This is a shot of one of the bookshelves in my office. The top two are mostly YA, which is what I’ve been reading and writing since I finished Alpha, and the books I’ve enjoyed most recently include an ARC of Matched, by Ally Condie (the blindingly white one, second from the left, top shelf), an ARC of The Duff, by Kody Kepplinger (bright yellow, on top), and White Cat, by Holly Black (second shelf).
This other picture shows the DVDs and Bluerays we watch most often (or love the most, but rarely get a chance to re-watch). Series of note include Buffy (of course!), Angel (not as good as Buffy), True Blood (IMO, season 1 was the best by far), Veronica Mars (love!), Carnivale (I really wish that one hadn’t ended after only 2 seasons), and Big Love (my can’t-look-away- from-the-train-wreck guilty pleasure).
Oh, and Weeds. Though I liked the first 2 seasons of that one best.
I also watch and love Dexter, but I don’t own the whole thing. Though I do own (and love) the color-change mug!
As for movies, I love a good horror, but I rarely re-watch them, so we don’t buy them. But we re-watch comedy. We have nearly every Kevin Smith movie, and they all merit multiple viewings. We also love 40 Year Old Virgin, Accepted, Tropic Thunder, Wedding Crashers, and Office Space. And Ghostbusters. And Forgetting Sarah Marshall, which is evidently in the Playstation right now, or it would be in this stack. ;)
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Thank you so much Rachel for taking a moment in your busy schedule to share with us =) It’s greatly appreciated!
Before We get to the Alpha teaser let me show you Rachel’s other books, in case she’s a new to you author =)
The Soul Screamers series (click picture to purchase)
(Jan 2011)
Shifters Series
About Alpha:
YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE FAYTHE…
The unscrupulous new Council chair has charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder, and treason. Yeah, we’ve been busy. But now it’s time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother’s death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.
It’s not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I’m heading for a final showdown that can—that will—change everything forever.
And now that exclusive excerpt I talked to you about?
"Yeah, he's good at maintaining the illusion of integrity. It's like an evil superpower." From Alpha, pg 108
Marked as special at an early age, Jacinda knows her every move is watched. But she longs for freedom to make her own choices. When she breaks the most sacred tenet among her kind, she nearly pays with her life. Until a beautiful stranger saves her. A stranger who was sent to hunt those like her. For Jacinda is a draki—a descendant of dragons whose greatest defense is her secret ability to shift into human form.
Forced to flee into the mortal world with her family, Jacinda struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. The only bright light is Will. Gorgeous, elusive Will who stirs her inner draki to life. Although she is irresistibly drawn to him, Jacinda knows Will's dark secret: He and his family are hunters. She should avoid him at all costs. But her inner draki is slowly slipping away—if it dies she will be left as a human forever. She'll do anything to prevent that. Even if it means getting closer to her most dangerous enemy.
Mythical powers and breathtaking romance ignite in this story of a girl who defies all expectations and whose love crosses an ancient divide.
Imagine a world where dragons aren’t quite extinct. A world where evolution granted these mystical creatures a talent to appear human. It’s the world Jacinda lives in. Not quite dragon, human in appearance half the time, her race is called Draki. She’s not your average Draki though (is there such a thing anyway?), she’s a fire-breather. The only one born in her pride for multiple generations. The moment she pulls an act of rebellion and ends up face-to-face with a crew of draki-hunters is the moment her life will change forever.
First up, two thumbs-up to Sophie Jordan for creating such an amazing and original lore. I won’t give you any specifics as I don’t want to ruin the fun for you but you need to know I’ve never read anything else like this before. Truly fabulous.
The characters were amazing, Jacinda is a 16 years old girl with a wild spirit but she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place because of her unique ability. She will be forced to leave all she’s ever known and will have to fight with all her might to not be broken. She also have a twin sister who always lived in Jace’s shadow because she is so ordinary compared to her. Both girls are so different it’s sometimes hard to think of them as twins but in the end they both have this desire of freedom.
Will, now that boy is so special. He is Jacinda’s lighthouse in moments of despair but he also has the power to be her demise. He is beautiful and strong and hides even more secrets than we think. He will surprise you in many ways.
The story was great, always a struggle between life & death, love & pain, trust & treason. The end unfolded very quickly and I had a vague idea of what might happen and it didn’t quite play-out like I imagined it. Firelight doesn’t exactly ends into a cliffhanger but emotions were running so high I honestly have no idea how I am going to wait for the second installment. I want to read it now!
Sophie Jordan treated us with a marvelous world I couldn’t get enough of. Fabulous creatures brought to life in a modern setting to please all the paranormal lovers out there.
the last half of my life in and around Baltimore. So my favorite team is, of course, the Ravens. How could any writer not love a team named after a character from a poem? My favorite player is linebacker Ray Lewis. His drive and energy level are superhuman—I’d love to have him give a pep talk every morning when I sit down at the computer! 
Love ties them together. 
A hidden truth. 
