No Mercy by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Series: Dark Hunter #19 / Were-Hunter #6

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Published: Sept 2010

Goodreads

Live fast, fight hard and, if you have to die, then take as many of your enemies with you as you can. That is the Amazon credo and it was one Samia lived and died by. Now in contemporary New Orleans, the immortal Amazon warrior is about to learn that there’s a worse evil coming to slaughter mankind than she’s ever faced before.

Shapeshifter Dev Peltier has stood guard at the front of Sanctuary for almost two hundred years and in that time, he’s seen it all. Or so he thought. Now their enemies have discovered a new source of power--one that makes a mockery of anything faced to date.

The war is on and Dev and Sam are guarding ground zero. But in order to win, they will have to break the most cardinal of all rules and pray it doesn’t unravel the universe as we know it.

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Do you have any of those authors that inspire such loyalty that no matter what book they write, you will read it? Sherrilyn Kenyon is one of those for me. Her Dark-Hunter series was my first introduction to the world of vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and the ones they love. And for that, I will be forever grateful. So even though she's eighteen books into this series - and each book tends to be the same - I will devour every single one of them.

No Mercy is Dev's story, the hot bearswain that guards the door to 'Sanctuary'. We've met him before in several other books, and I'm happy that Ms. Kenyon gave him a happily ever after. We met Samia briefly in the last book, and it was a pleasure to get to know her better. The two make a lovable pair, and it was enjoyable to read about the adventures and trials they had to go through in order to be together. There is one chapterish where Samia has to compete against another Amazon woman to get a valuable object, and that whole section cemented Samia as one of my top kick-butt heroines. Those Amazon women are intense. If I ever have need to be a kick-butt heroine in real life, I will definitely be channeling the Amazonian ways.

There's only one semi-negative opinion I have to give about this series. It seems that in every book Ms. Kenyon introduces another mega-bad player. Who, of course, has immense powers and can accomplish anything with the snap of his/her fingers. These characters literally just appear, like dandelions or something. Which is fine, in some ways, but the mega-bad-all-powerful-all-knowing lineup is getting a tad bit full. I'm having a hard time keeping track of who's who. Maybe I should put a bid in to Ms. Kenyon to put in a glossary of characters from here on out, so I have a resource for my forgetful brain. Think she'll listen to me?

If you are a fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon, No Mercy is another winner and a welcome addition to the Dark-Hunter family.

I'll leave you with a choice bit of humor from Dev. May we all have his winning attitude when facing a daunting task:

"By golly, I'll take Door Number Two, Bob. You know the one that calls for straight suicide with a side of mutilation and pain? Sign my hairy ass up for that and don't be late."

Happy Monday!

Blogger Rec's Recap - Jan 30

A lot of the books I've read have been recommended to me by another blogger. Each week I want to summarize all the book recommendations I've received from the blogs I visit. Here is proof that your reviews/posts are being read! I literally just thought of this yesterday, so I've only been keeping track since... yesterday. I have several more books that were added to my TBR list this week, but can't remember which blog did a post about it! I'll do better next week, I promise. ;-)

From The Story Siren

Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

Red Riding Hood screenplay by Sarah Blakely-Cartwright

(Is this movie out yet? It looks so good!)

From Mel's Random Reviews

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Coming out Sept 2011

From My Need to Read

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Queen of Shadows by Dianne Sylvan

On My Wishlist #2

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually read yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.

I love me some kick-butt heroines, and there are two series that have new books coming out this year that I am ecstatic to get my hands on:

Hard Bitten 

Author: Chloe Neill

Series: Chicagoland Vampires

Coming Out: May 3, 2011

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands.

Goodreads

Other books in series:

1. Some Girls Bite

2. Friday Night Bites

3. Twice Bitten

Tangled Threads

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: Elemental Assasin

Coming Out: April 26, 2011

I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.

But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead.

Goodreads

Other books in series:

1. Spider's Bite

2. Web of Lies

3. Venom

Follow Friday #1

 

To join the fun and make new book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - http://missiontoread.blogspot.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can, as many as you want, or just follow a few. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Also, don't just follow, comment and say hi. Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say "HI"
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!  
8. If you're new to the follow friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

I'm new to the Follow Friday feature, so are we supposed to answer the question? I guess I'll do it anyway, as it won't hurt anything!

Q. What was/is your favorite subject in school?

A. Definitely English! I had a creative writing class once that I loved, as well as a short story literary class. I have never in my life liked short stories, but for some reason this class did it for me.

Thanks for the follow!



Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn

Author: Julia Quinn

Series: Two Dukes of Wyndham

Genre: Historical Romance

Published: October 2009

Goodreads

Amelia Wiloughby has been engaged to the Duke of Wyndham for as long as she can remember. A mere six months old when the contract was made, she has been waiting for the rest of her life for the actual marriage to take place. She is now 21, old by Victorian England standards, and the Duke has yet to set the date. Thomas Cavendish enjoys the idea of having a fiance, as it keeps the marriage hungry mama's and their daughters away. Mostly. He hardly ever thinks about her though, except when required to attend social functions, where the couple do their obligatory dance to keep up appearances. At one such social function, Amelia suddenly decides that she is tired of waiting, and certainly tired of the Duke. She surprises everyone in attendance by refusing to dance with the Duke. Shocked himself, Thomas volleys back by dancing with her friend. Amelia's little rebellion has finally piqued the interest of her fiance.

 A surprisingly passionate kiss, a drunken encounter and a highway robbery later, Thomas's long lost cousin arrives on the scene. Unfortunately for Thomas, the arrival of this cousin could ultimately mean the loss of his title and his beautiful fiance, whom he has suddenly come to love.

Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is incredibly delightful and witty. Then again, all of Julia Quinn's novels are incredibly delightful and witty. Ms. Quinn constantly has me laughing out loud at the conversations and situations she gets her characters into. In this novel, there is a conversation about cupids that I am still laughing about, a day later. I love Ms. Quinn's spunky heroine's and her proud, handome heros. Amelia is adorable, the kind of girl you want to be friends with and have on your side. Thomas is everything I could hope for in a duke: tall, lordly, with a desire to be treated just as everyone else is.

Ms. Quinn delivers wonderful prose in each of her novels, and every once in awhile I crave her wit and ability to take me on a great adventure to Victorian England. If you haven't already discovered Julia Quinn, please give her a try. Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is a great place to start!

Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning

Author: Karen Marie Moning

Series: Fever Series

Genre: Urban Fantasy / Sci-Fi / Fantasy

Published: Janurary 18, 2011

Goodreads

Go here for summary

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I don't really have much to say about this book that hasn't already been said. I have been waiting a long time for this book! When I finally got my hands on a copy, I had a hard time believing it was real.

Shadowfever is wonderful, fascinating, delightful, funny, inspiring, amazing and everything I could have hoped for. I loved everything about it, except that it had to end. If you haven't read the series yet, it's a MUST read, starting with Darkfever. I hope you will fall in love with Mac and Barrons and the characters of KMM's fever world as I have. The series, and especially Shadowfever, has a beloved spot on my bookshelves, and will be read over and over again.

Jade Lee's Wicked Surrender

Author: Jade Lee

Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Publish Date: Sept 2010

Genre: Historical Romance

Goodreads

The daughter of an actress, Scher Martin feels she'll never fulfill her dreams of acquiring a good home and having a respectable family, so she agrees to be the mistress of Brandon Cates, Viscount Blackthorn.

But when Brandon's cousin proposes marriage, Scher finds herself torn between the propriety she craves and the love of a dark and troubled man.

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This is one of those random books I saw on the library shelf, liked the cover so I picked it up and gave it a try. I have never before read (or even heard of, for that mattter) this author previous to Wicked Surrender.

I have my favorite historical romance authors, and I wondered if this new-to-me voice would enter the ranks of Julie Garwood, Catherine Coulter, Julia Quinn... but Jade Lee didn't quite make the cut.

It's our typical problem with Victorian England of class issues. Society has very strict rules on who is appropriate to marry and who isn't. I actually quite like these story lines. I think highly of characters that are strong enough to love whomever they choose, regardless of what others may think. At first, I admired Scher's willingness to "flout the rules" and marry a gentlemen despite her status. And then she kept putting herself in situations where she would get ridiculed and snubbed. And again. And again. I wanted to throttle her and say "Stand up for yourself girl! You deserve better than these awful people!" I'm all for strength in character, but there is a point when it becomes ridiculous. And Jade Lee hit that point in this book. Scher was just too... too... "woe is me" for my tastes. Who keeps putting themselves in situations where they get beat down over and over again? It just wasn't real.

I did love Brandon though. I love the dark heroes with their tragic pasts and wounded souls. He was simply adorable. In fact, if he hadn't been written as well as he was, I probably would have stopped halfway through the book. But I did finish it out, and Wicked Surrender will never grace my bookshelves or be read again, but I had to start somewhere with this author.

I will give Ms. Lee another try, just in case her other books are better than this one. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't.. great. I have so little time, and I want to fill it with great books, not so-so ones!

On My Wishlist (#1)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where I list all the books I desperately want but haven't actually read yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming.

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I just stumbled upon this in Goodreads one day, and it looks great! I confess, my favorite type of love stories are where they hate eachother at the beginning (but are really quited attracted), and then fall in love at the end. This sounds like it will fit right in!

Overprotected

Grove Creek Publishing

Publish Date: Feb 2011

Genre: Young Adult

Goodreads

Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.

Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.

Daddy was wrong.

Meg Cabot's The Boy Next Door

Author: Meg Cabot

Genre: Contemporary Romance

ISBN: 9780060096199

Published: October 2005

Goodreads

Gossip columnist and single New York City girl Mel lives lives in the most exciting place in the world, yet she's bored with her lovelife. But things get interesting fast when the old lady next door is nearly murdered. Mel starts paying closer attention to her neighbors—what exactly is going on with the cute boy next door? Has Mel found the love of her life—or a killer?

________________________________________________________

To: You

From: loveletters.books@gmail.com

Subject: This is my first book from                                             

Meg Cabot, and I must admit, I quite enjoyed it. It was a cute, clean, fun little romance.

The whole book is written in the format of e-mails. Literally. It's not just from hero to heroine either, it's all of the characters. Mel would divulge all the juicy details to her best friend, or John would ask his brother for advice, or all Mel's co-workers would talk to eachother about her love life through inter-office e-mails. Instead of witnessing the events first hand, we are told about them after the fact through an e-mail to one various character or another. It took me awhile to get into the swing of things. I would be reading the e-mail, but find myself lost as to who the speaker is. Or rather, writer, in this case. Once I got into the habit of reading the "From" and "To" fields and got into the flow, I settled into the story.

The characters were delightful! I loved Mel and her innocent country girl personality. I adored John and his desire to make it on his own without the help of his very wealthy family. I really felt the chemistry between the two, and even though the book wasn't written in typical format, I still felt like they were developed well and I had a chance to get to know them and fall in love with them. The host of side characters only complemented the story. Ms. Cabot was also able to bring out the personalities of the side characters, even through e-mails.

While I wouldn't put this book in my list of favorite books of all time, I would probably reread it. The Boy Next Door is great if you are in the mood for a light, fun read. I recommend it for those lazy days when you just want a book that makes you laugh.

Sincerely,

Cait

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Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

My hubby received a promotion within his company, which means our little family is moving across country. From being Utahns for the last four years or so, we are going to become Tennesse-ians. We're nervous, excited and... nervous. We're living in an area we have never been too, moving into a place we've only seen in pictures, and have absolutely no friends and no family whatsoever anywhere close. It's a good thing for his career, but wow.. what a big change! We've been packing this week for the Big Move to occur next week, and there is no place in my home to go without seeing these:

Nothing like having one's life packed in generic brown boxes, not-so-neatly stacked everywhere. I keep telling myself that once we get to our new home and start unpacking, it will be like Christmas all over again. Right?

BCC's 100 Books in a Year Challenge

Book Chick City is hosting a challenge that I would love to participate in. I'm going to challenge myself further and not include books that I've previously read and are just rereading. So basically a 100 new-to-me books. Here is the button to join the challenge if you're interested:



 

I'll be posting links to all my reviews in the above labeled tab "2011 Reviews", which will also help me keep track for this challenge.

 

Can't wait to see how I do!

Catching the Fever

I absolutely love the Fever series by Karen Marie Moning. The first time I read them through, I moved from one book to the next and I think it only took me a few days to finish reading them all. Next Tuesday, the 18th, the fifth and final book of the series is going to be released:

I want.... to finally find out what Barrons is.
I want.... to find out who Mac "helped" to kill at the end of Dreamfever.
I want.... some more Barrons & Mac lovin'. ;-)
I want.... to read it right now!

I finished rereading the series this morning, so that all of the details would be refreshed in my mind. I'm sure it will be a bitter sweet read: bitter because the series has to end, and sweet because I'll finally get all my questions answered. Crossing my fingers that this is the most amazing conclusion ever!

Impatient in UT,

Cait