Review : Covet by J.R. Ward

Title : Covet
Author : J.R. Ward
Publisher : Signet
Genre : Paranormal Romance
ISBN : 978-0451228215
Series : #1 Fallen Angels
Release Date : September 29, 2009
Rating : 3/5 Good

Description from Amazon :

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.

Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

Review :

Jim Herron never really thought about much in life, until the day that it all changed. He has a whole new job title, that is nothing like his previous position. He is a fallen angel, and his job is to save the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. He thinks it's crazy, but when the fate of the world is in his hands, he can't afford to fail.

Vin DiPietro has worked his way up to the top, and nothing will stop him from getting what he wants now. Money, and power are easy for Vin, but the love of a good woman? You can't buy happiness, and now Vin will have to trust a fallen angel to help him both save his soul, and keep the woman he loves.

When I first picked up Covet, I was expecting it to be just like Ward's previous series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood. While some of the language is the same, namely refrencess to shitkickers and glocks is right on, the actually story line itself is completely different. While the BDB gives off a paranormal feel, this first installment in the Fallen Angel Series feels more like a romantic suspense to me.

There isn't much paranormal activity in the beginning or even the middle of this novel. It all starts barreling toward you at the end, and while our main characters Jim and Vin are learning, we learn with them. The only similarities between this novel and the BDB Series is probably the fact that the men in these novels are described as brick houses, full of power, and seem to be very territorial and protective of their women.

I liked how this novel was not only supposed to be a paranormal story, but how there was an underlying mystery in it as well. It was suspenseful, and I couldn't help but turn the page to find out what happened next. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series.

Where did I get this book? :

I purchased my copy through BookDepository.com in order to participate in the Blog With Bite discussion.

Review : Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title : Hush Hush
Author : Becca Fitzpatrick
Publisher : Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Genre : Young Adult, Paranormal
ISBN : 978-1416989417
Series : 1st in a Series
Release Date : October 13, 2009
Rating : 3/5 - Good

Description from Amazon :

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Trailer :

Review :

Nora Grey is just your average high school student. She's smart, does her homework, and for the most part listens to what her superiors tell her. Rarely do you see Nora doing something that she's not supposed to do, unless she's pushed into it by her best friend Vee. She's more quiet then anything, and just wants to get good grades so she can go to a good college. Vee on the other hand, wants her to have some fun, and finally get a boyfriend.

Nora has other plans when it comes to boys, and the plan is, don't bother. She doesn't want any distractions, because when your floating between A's and B's, you need to put your attention back on the school work so you can fix the problem. How will she get into a really good college if she doesn't have straight A's?

Nora is usually home by herself a lot, despite the fact that the cleaning lady comes after school to clean up and make her dinner. Nora's mother works a lot of hours, and does a lot of traveling, so there isn't much time to spend with Nora. It's the only thing her mother could think to do to keep the farmhouse they love so dearly. Her father isn't in the picture anymore, for lack of trying. He was killed and now Nora and her mother are struggling to keep the things they had before his passing, as well as trying not to be overcome with grief.

Despite Nora's attempts at keeping boys out of her main priorities, she finds herself paired up with one during her Biology class, and his name is Patch. He's arrogant, pushy, and yet down right sexy. He knows things about Nora that he really should never have known, and seems to always be following her around. Although Nora is pretty much freaked out about the fact that Patch knows so much about her, and that he seems to be stalking her, she is completely drawn to him. She finds herself thinking about him more and more everyday, and starts doing things that are completely against her code of ethics. She tells herself she has to though, because it's the only way to find out the mystery behind Patch, and whether he could be dangerous.

I, for the most part, can say that I enjoyed this novel. It was a little slow from the start for me, but picked up nicely toward the middle. I was hoping that there would be more paranormal activity going on, but it was more of a mystery than anything else. The writing flowed very nicely though, and made it easier for me to read most of this book during my hour lunch breaks at work. I was actually surprised how fast I was flying through it.

I'm on the fence about whether I can say I really liked Nora. While she was a smart girl, she was also quite stupid as well. She seemed to always put herself in dangerous situations, and was baffled by the outcome. I for one, would have gotten the hint the first time around.

I was drawn to Patch the same way Nora was, even though at first I thought she was crazy for even being attracted to him. He was way too pushy, and more often than not, rude. He was also extremely mysterious, and always seemed to point out things about Nora that no one else ever noticed. I would probably compare Patch to chocolate, because despite the fact that it looks so good and you want it, it's probably best that you stay away from it.

If I had to compare this book to another book that I enjoyed in the past, I would say it reminded me of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, in fact it was a good thing. The story flowed very nicely, and much of the characters reminded me of the ones in Twilight. I would have to say, that in all honesty, I liked Nora more than Bella though.

I'm very greatful to have been able to read this book, although the ARC that I received has a different ending than the final release. I'm curious to see how they decided to end it, and will be going out to buy myself a copy.

Where did I get this book? :

I received my ARC from Barnes & Noble's Teen First Reads Club.

Contest Winners : Daniel X : Watch the Skies by James Patterson & Blogger Layout Contest

Congratulations!

• Wanda
• Nancye Davis
• Tiffany
  
  I have emailed the winners above to claim their prizes. They have until Wednesday to return their emails with a mailing address. In the event that they fail to respond, or have already won this audiobook in a previous contest, I will choose a new winner.
  
  
  Winner of the Blogger Layout Contest is :
  
  ParaJunkee @ ParaJunkee's View

It took me a little while to choose a winner for this one, because I promised my sister I would include in her vote. Unfortunetly the two of us both work conflicting schedules, but we both agreed on the above layout! We absolutly loved the way ParaJunkee did the header, it's beautiful :)

Teaser Tuesday - October 13th

Teaser Tuesdays

Hosted by Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along!
Just do the following :

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share 2 teaser sentences from anywhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
5. Share the book title and author so others can wishlist the book.

My Teaser :

"Father, I have...sinned."

"In what manner."

Even though he knew. But the point of confession was the vocalized recitation of evil deeds; without that there could be no absolution, no relief.

pg. 215

I purchased my copy of Covet by J.R. Ward for the sole purpose of reviewing it for the discussion with the online reading group, Blog With Bite.

Mailbox Monday - October 12th

Ok! Here's this past weeks loot!!! YAY! Technically...not all of these books arrived in my mailbox, but...I did receive them! lol.

For Review :

The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox (Trade Paperback) - From the author for an upcoming Pump Up Your Books Review.

Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship.

Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz.

In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she's honored as ''the chosen one'', the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz's control. But it s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous ''Magic Warble,'' in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen s ''zelbocks'' before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman (ARC) - From Random House thanks to Sidd from Internet Book Database.

Andromeda Klein is a quiet, booky girl with an unexciting life. Until her world takes a turn for the weird. Strangely and suddenly Andromeda’s tarot card readings have begun to predict events with bizarrely literal accuracy. It seems impossible, but it looks like her once-upon-a-time-partner-in-occultism, Daisy Wasserstrom, has begun to harass her. Which wouldn’t be quite as strange if Daisy hadn’t died the year before. But what is weird is getting arguably worse. Omens, dreams, cards hidden inside a hollowed out book, and images from a file of comics drawn by a previous inhabitant of her family’s suburban duplex are all coming together to contain hints of buried truths concerning her family, her circle of “friends,” her cat, and her secret, estranged, much older and forbidden boyfriend-in-theory. And as Andromeda tries to figure it all out, she finds herself in a whole world of creepy you couldn’t even begin to make up.

Mooched :

You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay (Trade Paperback) - From PBS.

Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she’s part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues.

All Megan wants is to be normal—and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it’s a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead.

Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it’s looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party—the bloody kind.

Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life—and more importantly, homecoming—depends on it.

Bought :

Living With the Dead by Kelley Armstrong (MMP) - BookDepository.com

The men and women of the Otherworld—witches, werewolves, demons, vampires—live unseen among us. Only now a reckless killer has torn down the wall, trapping one very human woman in the supernatural crossfire.

Robyn moved to LA after her husband died to try to put some distance between herself and the life they had together. And the challenges of her job as the PR consultant to a Paris Hilton wannabe are pretty distracting. But then her celebutante is gunned down in a night club, and Robyn is suddenly the prime suspect. The two people most determined to clear her are her old friend, the half-demon tabloid reporter Hope Adams, and a homicide detective with an uncanny affinity for the dead.

Soon Robyn finds herself in the heart of a world she never even knew existed—and which she was safer knowing nothing about…

The Awakening by Shannon Drake (Hardcover) - Local library donation store.

New Orleans musician Megan has returned to the home of her ancestors to perform, with her husband Finn, in a weeklong series of concerts, culminating on All Hallow's Eve - and to renew her connection with the past. As the full moon approaches, Megan senses that she is in great danger.

Visions of Seduction by Cassie Ryan (Trade Paperback) - Local library donation store.

From A Vision Of Passion...

Katelyn Hunt is fascinated with the sexy stranger who has been hanging out at her New Age store for the last week. As a Seer, the sensual power she feels from this man of mystery intrigues--and arouses--her. But only his touch allows her to truly see what it would be like to lie beneath him naked and exposed, experiencing complete sexual surrender. And this vision is just the beginning...

To A World Of Pleasure...

As Prince of an otherworldly clan who use sexual energy as their life-force, Grayson de Klatch has searched far and wide for the Seer who can help save his planet. And when he finally finds Katelyn, he knows he has discovered his future mate. His body craves the sex her body so willingly offers and he aches with the need to make this woman his own...

Shopaholic & Sister by Sophie Kinsella (MMP) - Local library donation store.

Sophie Kinsella has conquered the hearts of millions with her New York Times bestselling Shopaholic novels, which feature the irresistible one-woman shopping phenomenon Becky Bloomwood. Now Becky's back in a hilarious, heartwarming tale of married life, best friends, and long-lost sisters (and the perils of simply having to own an Angel handbag!).

What's a round-the-world honeymoon if you can't buy the odd souvenir to ship back home? Like the Chinese urns and twenty silk dressing gowns Becky found in Hong Kong - the five kilim rugs from Turkey - the splendid hand-carved dining table (and ten chairs) from Sri Lanka - the, um, huge wooden giraffes from Malawi (that her husband Luke expressly forbade her to buy)...

Only now Becky and Luke have returned home to London and Luke is furious. Two truckloads of those souvenirs have cluttered up their usually immaculate loft, and the bills for them are outrageous. Becky's even maxed out on her second secret credit card, and she doesn't have a new job yet!

Luke insists she go on a budget. And worse: her beloved best friend Suze has found a new best friend while Becky was away. Becky's feeling rather blue - when her parents deliver some incredible news. She has a long-lost sister! Becky is thrilled! She's convinced her sister will be a true soulmate. They'll go shopping together, drink cappuccinos together, have manicures together, and watch their favorite videos together.

Until she meets Jessica for the first time and gets the shock of her life. Surely Becky Bloomwood's sister can't hate shopping?

Leaving Atlanta by Tayari Jones (Hardcover) - Local library donation store.

It's summer in Atlanta and black children are disappearing. By the time the heinous killing spree is over, 29 will be dead. This haunting menace provides the backdrop to the exquisitely evocative stories of three children fighting the everyday battles of adolescence: Tasha, who is coping with her parents' separation and the sweet pain of a first crush on a tender boy; Rodney, who struggles to make friends and wants only to please his abusive father; and Octavia, who faces down the popular crowd at school and must straddle the line between protected and protective daughter. Ultimately, these individual stories reveal the loss of innocence that accompanies the passage from childhood to adulthood.

Feed by M.T. Anderson (Pocket Paperback) - Local library donation store.

Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.

For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.

What did you get?! Feel free to comment, or post a link to your Mailbox Post :)

Weekly Recap : October 5th - 11th

This week went by SUPER fast...for me anyway. Things are hectic around here, so please don't hold it against me if I'm not posting daily memes or book reviews. We may be moving within the next couple weeks, and we have been dragging Virgo over to place we will be staying so she can get to know the family before we take her there permenantly. We are also waiting on their landlord to let them know whether they will be allowed to take on a roommate. I'm secretly wishing that he will, because the space is HUGE and Virgo will have TONS of room...as well as all the extra space for more BOOOOOKS! YES!!

On another note -

I usually review a book as soon as I'm through with it, and post it here right away for you guys to read. Well, things are going to change, in the event that something like what I'm going through right now happens! From now on I will read the books, and review them....but wait to post the reviews. That way I can spread them out a little bit, and eventually get to the point where I'm posting a review every day. Like for instance, I already finished 2 books this week that I haven't reviewed here. I'll post one...and then wait until next week to post the other. Please keep in mind that blog tours will be posted on their specified date. Eventually, this will enable me to post more reviews...and still read the same amount of books. It's gonna go slow for awhile, but you'll see it pick up soon!

Ok! Here goes...

What happened last week?

**Reviewed : Soul Catcher by Leigh Bridger
**Read and Reviewed : Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne
**Read : Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

**Read : Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
**Started Reading : Covet by J.R. Ward

Contests & Promotions Posted :

Cirque du Freak : The Vampire Assistant Movie Giveaway (2 Winners) - Ends October 30th, 2009 @ Midnight!

What's happening this week?

**Reviewing Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
**Reading and Reviewing Covet by J.R. Ward
**Reading Playing House by Fredrica Wagman

**Reading The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner

Upcoming Contests :

5 Copies of The Smart One and The Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik
5 Copies of Show No Fear by Marliss Melton

Giant Contest over at Princess Bookie!

This is just a sample of the awesomeness that Cindy over at Princess Bookie is giving away! I'm so excited :) There's going to be a total of 4 winners, with tons of books to choose from.

GO NOW!

Contest ends when she feels like it needs to...surprise! yay!