New Releases ~ week of 07/23/2018

80 Days or Die by Peter Lerangis (#2 Max Tilt trilogy)

Between Frost and Fury by Chani Lynn Feener (#2 The Xenith Trilogy)
Contagion by Erin Bowman (#1 Achlys)
Day of the Dead by Nicci French (#8 Frieda Klein)
Dead Knock by K.A. Tracy (#2 Sam Perry Mysteries)
Endless Water, Starless Sky by Rosamund Hodge (#2 Bright Smoke, Cold Fire)
Envy by Rachel Van Dyken (#9.5 Eagle Elite)
Expose by Danielle Girard (#3 Dr. Schwartzman)
Good Little Girls by Rita Herron (#2 The Keepers)
Hot on the Trail by Vicki Tharp (#3 Lazy S Ranch)
Itsy Bitsy Spider by Dale Mayer (#13 Psychic Visions)

Kane by Lia Davis (#1 Coven's End)
Record of a Spaceborn Few by Becky Chambers (#3 Wayfarers)
Rough Ride by Gillian Archer (#4 True Brothers MC)
Saint Or Sinner by Cynthia Eden (#8 Bad Things)
Second Time Around by Nancy Herkness (#1 Second Glances)
The Bomb Girl Brides by Daisy Styles (#4 Bomb Girls)
The Duke Buys a Bride by Sophie Jordan (#3 Rogue Files)
The Knight's Armor by Paul Gamble (#3 The Ministry of SUITs)
The Serpent by Sarah Fine (#1 Immortal Dealers)
While Beauty Sleeps by Ripley Proserpina (#7 Once Upon a Harem)
You May Now Kill the Bride by R L Stine (#1 Return to Fear Street)
Zero Hour by Kate Kessler (#5 Audrey Harte)

New Releases ~ week of 09/26/2016

A Day and a Life by Penelope Wilcock (#9 The Hawk and the Dove)

A Deadly Thaw by Sarah Ward (#2 In Bitter Chill)
A Highlander's Christmas Kiss by Paula Quinn (#5 The McGregors: Highland Heirs)
Against The Wind by Rebecca Zanetti (#1 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Alien Vs. Predator by Tim Lebbon (#3 Rage War)
Blame It on the Cowboy by Delores Fossen (#4 McCord Brothers Trilogy)
Blinding Rain by Elisabeth Naughton (#7 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Blue Skies by Dee Davis (#8 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Bold Beautiful Love by Angel Payne (#3 Temptation Court)
Brave The Storm by Lisa Mondello (#3 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge (#1 Bright Smoke, Cold Fire)

British Manor Murder by Leslie Meier (#21 Lucy Stone Mysteries)
Broken Trust by W. E. B. Griffin (#13 Badge of Honor)
Captivate Me by Ryan Michele (#5 Ravage MC)
Christmas at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard (#2 Promise Lodge)
Christmas Caramel Murder by Joanne Fluke (#20 Hannah Swensen Mysteries)
Christmas on My Mind by Janet Dailey (#1 Cowboy Christmas)
Cloudbound by Fran Wilde (#2 Bone Universe)
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (#2 Six of Crows)
Dandelion Dead by Chrystle Fiedler (#4 Natural Remedies Mystery)
Dark Forces by Stephen Leather (#13 Dan Shepherd)

Darkest Journey by Heather Graham (#20 Krewe of Hunters)
Days Of You And Me by Tawdra Kandle (#3 Keeping Score)
Deadly Is The Night by Dusty Richards (#9 Byrnes Family Ranch)
Death By Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson (#3 Death By Coffee)
Do You Want to Start a Scandal? by Tessa Dare (#5 Spindle Cove Series)
Fire and Rain by Julie Kenner (#5 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Girl in Danger by Leigh Russell (#2 Lucy Hall Mystery)
High Kicks, Hot Chocolate, and Homicides by Mary McHugh (#5 Happy Hoofers Mystery)
Hot Seal Rescue by Lynn Raye Harris (#3 Hot SEAL Team)
It's Your Party, Die If You Want To by Vickie Fee (#2 A Liv And Di In Dixie
Mystery)

Lightning Strikes by Lexi Blake (#4 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Like a River Glorious by Rae Carson (#2 The Gold Seer Trilogy)
Lured In by Laura Drewry (#2 Fishing for Trouble)
Possession by Helen Hardt (#3 Steele Brothers Saga)
Presumption of Guilt by Archer Mayor (#28 Joe Gunther)
Quiet Storm by Dee Davis (#6 Rising Storm, Season 2)
Return Fire by Christina Diaz Gonzales (#2 Moving Target)
Shadow Silence by Yasmine Galenorn (#2 Whisper Hollow)
Shadows of a Wolf Moon by Jodi Vaughn (#5 Rise of the Arkansas Werewolves)
Shoot 'Em Up by Janey Mack (#3 Maisie Mcgrane Mystery)
Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne (#5 Haven Point)
Storm Warning by Larissa Ione (#2 Rising Storm, Season 2)

Swarm by Scott Westerfeld (#2 Zeroes)
The Babe Ruth Deception by David O Stewart (#3 Fraser and Cook Mystery)
The Citadel by Alexey Osadchuk (#2 Mirror World)
The Fever Code by James Dashner (#0.6 Maze Runner)
The Murder of a Queen Bee by Meera Lester (#2 A Henny Penny Farmette Mystery)
The Semi-Sweet Hereafter by Colette London (#3 Chocolate Whisperer Mystery)
The Sinner by Amanda Stevens (#5 Graveyard Queen)
The Tengu's Game of Go by Lian Hearn (#4 Tale of Shikanoko)
The Trouble with Mistletoe by Jill Shalvis (#2 Heartbreaker Bay)
The Truth Factory by Cody McFadyen (#5 Smoky Barrett)
Unbound by Erica Stevens (#7 The Captive)
Wolf on Board by Heather Long (#9.5 Wolves of Willow Bend)
Woman of God by by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro

New Releases ~ week of 05/03/2015

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas (#1 Court of Thorns and Roses)

A Finely Knit Murder by Sally Goldenbaum (#9 Seaside Knitters Mystery)
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson (#2 Life After Life)
A Long Time Until Now by Michael Z Williamson (#1 Long Time Until Now)
A Midsummer Night's Romp by Katie MacAlister (#2 Matchmaker in Wonderland)
After The War by Jessica Scott (#2 Homefront)
Alien Separation by Gini Koch (#11 Katherine "Kitty" Katt)
At the Stars by Elisabeth Staab (#1 Evergreen Grove)
Atlantis in Peril by T A Barron (#2 Atlantis Saga)
Busted by Shiloh Walker (#3 Barnes Brothers)

Cat's Lair by Christine Feehan (#7 Leopard)
Checked Out by Elaine Viets (#14 Dead-End Job)
Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge (#2 Cruel Beauty)
Day Shift by Charlaine Harris (#2 Midnight, Texas)
Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison (#2 Honeychurch Hall Mysteries)
Death Under Glass by Jennifer McAndrews (#2 Stained Glass Mystery)
Don't Go Home by Carolyn Hart (#25 Death On Demand)
Dust to Dust by Melissa Walker (#2 Ashes)
Fillet of Murder by Linda S. Reilly (#1 Deep Fried Mystery)
Flourless to Stop Him by Nancy J Parra (#3 Baker's Treat Mystery)
Grant by Jennifer Ashley (#2 Riding Hard)

Grave Phantoms by Jenn Bennett (#3 Roaring Twenties)
Hail Storme by W. L. Ripley (#5 Wyatt Storme Thriller)
Her Wild Hero by Paige Tyler (#3 X-OPS)
Hiss and Tell by Claire Donally (#4 Sunny & Shadow)
Ice Kissed by Amanda Hocking (#2 Kanin Chronicles)
Into the Dorkness by John Kloepfer (#2 Galaxy's Most Wanted)
Kilts and Daggers by Victoria Roberts (#2 Highland Spies)
Last Kiss by Jessica Clare (#3 Hitman)
Lawless in Leather by Melanie Scott (#3 New York Saints)
Leviathan by Jack Campbell (#5 The Lost Fleet : Beyond the Frontier)
Lots of Bots by C J Richards (#2 Robots Rule)

Midnight's Kiss by Thea Harrison (#8 Elder Races)
Ming Tea Murder by Laura Childs (#16 Tea Shop Mysteries)
Murder on Amsterdam Avenue by Victoria Thompson (#17 Gaslight Mysteries)
Neighing with Fire by Kathryn O'Sullivan (#3 Colleen McCabe)
Oracle by Michelle West (#6 House Wars)
Overtaken by Mark H Kruger (#2 Overpowered)
Phoenix in Shadow by Ryk E Spoor (#2 Balanced Sword)
Prodigal by Sherry Ficklin (#2 Lost Imperials)
Riven by Sherry Ficklin (#3 Lost Imperials)
Rock With Wings by Anne Hillerman (#20 Leaphorn & Chee)
Ruins of War by John A Connell (#1 Mason Collins)
Seven Threadly Sins by Janet Bolin (#5 Threadville Mystery)

Some Like It Witchy by Heather Blake (#5 Wishcraft Mystery)
Straits of Hell by Taylor Anderson (#10 Destroyermen)
Sword of the North by Luke Scull (#2 The Grim Company)
Tessa Ever After by Brighton Walsh (#2 Caged in Winter)
The Clouded Sky by Megan Crewe (#2 Earth & Sky Trilogy)
The Confession by Sierra Kincade (#3 Body Work Trilogy)
The Heir by Kiera Cass (#4 The Selection)
The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz (#1 Descendants)
The Novice by Taran Matharu (#1 Summoner)
The Secrets of the Storm Vortex by Anne Cameron (#3 Lightning Catcher)
The Seven Sisters by Lucinda Riley (#1 Seven Sisters)
The Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman (#2 Stars)

The Venusian Gambit by Michael J. Martinez (#3 Daedalus)
Triple the Fun by Maureen Child (#57 Billionaires and Babies)
Twice a Texas Bride by Linda Broday (#2 Bachelors of Battle Creek)
Uncharted Inheritance by Keely Brooke Keith (#3 Uncharted)
Undertow by Michael Buckley (#1 Undertow)
Until The Beginning by Amy Plum (#2 After the End)

2014 Year End Post

Well another year has come and gone. While not everything was great, I at least had a better reading year. I still have not made my Goodreads goal of 150 books but got much closer this year.

Total Books Read: 136
Total Pages: 44649
Five Star Reads: 9
First Book Read: The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
Last Book Read: Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
Longest Book: A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin; 761 pages

Some Favorite Covers (books I read)

Book Review ~ Cruel Beauty

Cruel Beauty 

by Rosamund Hodge
published by Balzer+Bray
genre: YA, Fantasy, Retellings, Mythology,

Summary (Goodreads): Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

My Thoughts: I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. There were parts that were interesting and others that were confusing. It was like the author had so many ideas for a book and felt they needed to get them all into their first book. There is the retelling of "Beauty and The Beast" mixed with a type of mythology. I'm not sure it always worked.
Nyx may have been my biggest issue at times. Unfortunately, with a retelling you have a picture of characters already in your head and Nyx does not come close. While I understood her reasons, I found her to be too bitter and it was constant. She couldn't seem to do anything without going back to how much she wasn't loved and how much she hates her family. It made it hard to believe that she would be so dedicated to save them all.
Ignifex's story was probably the most interesting. I liked learning all his secrets as well as those of the castle. There was a mini love triangle but to me it was obvious what was going to happen between Ignifex and Shadow. Even before the reveal I liked Ignifex more anyways.
Overall, it was a good story it just had a few too many components. The switch towards the end with Nyx's sister didn't make a lot of sense other than to add more drama to Nyx's story. It might go back to the bitterness and hatred. It lessened her character by making her unable to make any decisions on her own. She would think one thing then do the opposite because of her family.
I enjoyed this book enough that I would definitely give this author another try.

Rating: 3.5

Some Thursday Randomness

Thursday Randomness

Decided to do some book stuff this week. Starting with some new covers that I came across. None of these come out until 2015 (which is closer than it sounds).

Velvet by Temple West (Goodreads) Orphan and Demon Vamp neighbor. Not familiar with this author but really like the cover.

Siren's Fury by Mary Weber (Goodreads) This is the second in the Storm Siren series (Storm Siren #1). Another that I'm not familiar with but sounds like you will either love or not.

Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge (Goodreads) Came across this awhile ago but thought I would add. This one sounds like something I would give a definite chance. I love fairy-tale retellings, this one is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood.

Lastly... a trailer for the new Morganville series. Starts on October 27 only on Geek & Sundry (website) Not sure how I feel about this. Loved the book series but....