Seduced By Shadows by Jessa Slade

Seduced By Shadows 

Written by: Jessa Slade

Reading Source: Library
Series: Marked Souls
Book #: 1
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating:


At first, I was reluctant to select this book -- I had never really read a "demon romance" before. However, I picked it up anyway, not wanting to be a book snob... and I made the right choice. This book has an whole new world that I've never seen in a book before - granted I haven't read the entire genre... but I've read quite a few.


Sera Littlejohn deals with death daily, she's an end of life councilor. Now she's dealing with it in her own life; Sera was seriously injured and subsequently handicapped by a car accident. And this isn't she's come close to death. Her past is the reason for her future, Sera Littlejohn is demon possessed.


Ferris Archer is part of a League of Warriors that fight the "bad demons." When he discovers that Sera is the newly possessed, he feels the need protect her, to warn her of her future. He's willing to keep her safe at all costs.


I really enjoyed this book. The characters are fun and detailed. The story-line is great! This was emotional, suspenseful, fresh and totally worth reading. I might even read it again.

Adjustments

I am in the process of applying structure to my reviews! Things will be changing slightly over the next few days!

What's in a review?:

• Book Title (Links to Good Reads book page)
• Book Author (Links to Good Reads Author Page)
• Reading Source (Library, Purchased, ARC/For Review)
• Series Information, if any
• Star Rating - 1 through 5
• Review
• Honest opinion of the book
• My feelings toward the book/character

The reviews themselves will vary depending on my mood. Some will be a summary of the plot and my over all feelings, others will be strewn with random tangents and metaphors.

I will not pull punches, but I will never be outright mean. If I do not like a book, I will explain why. If you do not agree with this policy, you should not request a review.

My Rating System:

Freaking Amazing. This is my new favorite book!

Awesome. I'll be reading this again.

Really Good. I might read this again.

Good. Fun/Entertaining Read.

OK. Worth reading.

Could be better.

Could be much better.

Did Not Enjoy.

Really Did Not Enjoy.

One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

One Foot in the Grave 

Written by Jeaniene Frost

Reading Source: Library
Series: Night Huntress
Book #: 2
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating:


This is the second in the Night Huntress Series.

Fast forward four years... Cat is now a special agent for a secret branch of the FBI. They focus on hunting down rogue vampires. She's now known as the Red Reaper and a lot of Vamps don't like her. Needless to say Cat's being hunted... that's right... by a Vamp that likes to collect "rare" objects.... and let me tell you - Cat's pretty rare. But wait! There's more... someone else is trying to kill her. Someone that knows who she was before she became the Red Reaper.

After running away from Bones four years earlier in an attempt to save his life and protect her mother she is forced back into the company of Bones in an effort to save her life.

Things start slowish - but everything is good in this book. I definitely would read Halfway to the Grave before reading this. You really need to know the back story to understand this book.

But let me say - Chapter 32. If you read the book you cannot disagree that that chapter is HOTT. Its the best sex scene I've read in a book ever... I've never wanted to be a leading lady so much in my life....

As I said above... the crazy who is hunting Cat is two fold... Ian - Bones' sire - is trying to lure her in to have her in his line as a rare sex object. And the one who is trying to kill her is her father! We learn here that Max (her father)not only scared the crap out of Justina (Cat's mom) after boffing her in the back of a car... [he told her (and I'm paraphrasing here) that he was demon spawn and that he was soulless.] but was also sired by Ian!

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Halfway to the Grave 

Written by Jeaniene Frost

Reading Source: Library
Series: Night Huntress
Book #: 1
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating:


I have to say this started off kind of slow in my honest opinion. However, once you really got into the book it was awesome.

Cat is a halfbreed. Half human, half vampire. Jaded by her mother's (Justina) view of vampires, she sees herself as half evil. In an attempt to get her mother's affection, she starts hunting vampires - at 16 years old!

I don't remember exactly how old she was when the book started... 22 maybe? but its around that time when she goes into an area bar to lure away her next kill. That's when she meets Bones - and this is when things get interesting...

She didn't get Bones away from the bar the first night... but did get another vampire, one that Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, was after. Unknown to Cat she was followed by Bones, who saw the whole episode. The next night she goes back to that same bar where Bones takes her up on her original "offer". Things don't go the way Cat would have expected with Bones, and she finds herself captive his Bones' "lair". This is where it REALLY gets good.

Bones trains Cat on how to kick serious Vamp Butt and the novel just progresses and gets better from there. Needless to say there is a romance between Cat & Bones - which is awesome.

I recommend this Author and series to anyone who likes Vamp books.

Me, Myself and Why? by MaryJanice Davidson

Me, Myself and Why? 

Written by MaryJanice Davidson

Reading Source: Library
Series: Cadence Jones
Book #: 1
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy
Rating:


So far (the prologue) I'm thinking I'm going to like this...

"First comes the blood and then comes the.... First comes the blood and then comes the screams, then comes the screams, then comes the screams, and the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round, its so loud. I just wanna sleep and the screams come around all the day long."

Oh I think I love this already.....

Cadance/Shiro/Adrienne has to be my favorite character(s)yet. At first I thought she/they didn't know that the other ones existed - but time showed my original assumption was wrong.

This book is not a "serious" read. But it doesn't detract from its awesomeness. Its a light, twisted, comical read.

MMW is told in first person from the point of view of the "sisters". Traumatized at a young age Cadance acquired a "sister" to protect her, a little later she acquired another "sister" to remember. Together, they fight crime at an atypical branch of the FBI dubbed BOFFO. BOFFO is comprised of all the crazies you'd never expect to carry weapons at the insistence of the government...

BOFFO is after a serial killer that kills three people each round. And lo and behold the killer, given the monicker ThreeFer, knows "the sisters" and is leaving her/them messages at the crime scenes.

The twist is interesting, and the mild romance in the subplot is comical and odd... but what can you expect when a "single" starts dating the sisters?

If you want a read that's quick, twisted, and darkly humorous - check this book out. I'll definitely be checking out more of MaryJanice Davidson's works.

Unicorns, Kelpies, and Trolls! Oh My!

Here is the most recent addition to My Journey Through Shadow Sight! Check out the rest of the Journey.

This is my thoughts and feelings at a little more than half way through Shadow Sight, by E.J. Stevens.

So I've really gotten into the meat of the story now. Basically, Ivy needs to save the day, like any good heroine does... and she's got a rag-tag team of friends to help her - A Motley Crew of Creepies and Not-So-Creepies-but-just-as-scaries if you will. Ivy's blessed/cursed with psychometry - which is awesome/awful - and she's charged/hired by the "good guys" to find the one person who can help fight back the baddies and save the day.

This book is chocked full of details and back story but it's always fast paced enough to make me sad to put down the book and do other things.... like eat/sleep/play with my puppy.... 

Ivy and Jinx's characters are what I love best so far. Their dynamic is awesome. They understand what each of them needs and is able to see that their friendship is vital to the other. With Ivy's gift being so sensitive to touch she's had a tough life and Jinx is the glue that patched the cracks of a tough childhood. Each time we get to glimpse into what Ivy sees when she uses her gift I have been enraptured. The detail of her visions are intense. The first time she learned of her gift she sees something awful and the emotion shared in that one scene brought me to tears. As did the next major psychometry scene. 

Shadow Sight has allowed me to see a world that I never could have imagined. Best of all, it's got the right blend of suspense, paranormal activity, and quirky humor that makes me want to read for hours.

I love Shakespeare (I'm taking an intense 8 week course on his major plays....) but I want to skip Othello and Hamlet and read more Shadow Sight!

"Pleasure and action make the hours seem short."

- William Shakespeare, by way of Iago, Othello Act 2 Scene 3

"Parting is such sweet sorrow" (William Shakespeare again... Romeo and Juliet Act 2 Scene 2)

-Dizzy Izzy the Griffin

Reviews by Request???

Hey everyone - Happy Tuesday!!

I'm working on compiling a GIANT list of all of the books I have EVER read. It will be a whole page dedicated just to the list and subsequently to the reviews I have done for those books.

And I was thinking.... I know what I like to read - but what if I've read something that you want to know more about.... how can I make your reading experience better ? (I'm a giver by nature... and a Sales Person by profession...) So I was thinking - what if I were to offer Reviews by Request?

If you want to share your thoughts please do so.

You can comment here - or email me directly at allcoveredinpurple@gmail.com

Thanks!!!

Isabella Griffin (aka Dizzy Izzy)

6/20/12 - Clarification


Hey Everyone - I just wanted to clarify the above posting. I love getting free books as much as the next person, but I am not looking for freebies or ARCs (I will weigh and assess any propositions for reviews that I may get, but at this time, School and previous arrangements are all I will be doing - at least until the end of July.)

My intention was for my followers to be able to look at my Book Masterlist and say... "What! Ho! Yonder a book lies that I have been want to read. Alas, the cover is in it's glory - What say'st the pages therein?!" (I'm taking a Shakespeare class right now --- I just finished my MidTerm about an hour ago..... ). From there you could request a review of one of the books I have listed as read, that does not already have one.

Regardless, I will continue to post reviews and add to my Master List. I just wanted to give you a place where you could be like - I want to read it, and the reviews are mixed.... what does one more person have to say about this????"

Gracias - Izzy

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Cry Wolf 

Written by Patricia Briggs

Reading Source: Library 

Series: Alpha and Omega

Book #: 1

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Rating: 

I absolutely love this spin off series. I pretty much love everything I have read by Patricia Briggs. Her series are fresh and I can read them over and over again.... granted I have only ever read the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega Series.... but I've got plans to read more of her stuff.

There is a short story that comes before this book, but if you don't read it, don't worry! The book provides you with back story. (The short story is called Alpha and Omega and can be found in the   compilation called On the Prowl.) Basically, Anna Latham is an Omega, the only and only type of wolf that has all the protective instincts of a dominant wolf, but none of the aggression. In addition to that, they don't have to listen to commands, they are essential neutral. Well as neutral as a a woman can be. She is peace for the wolves. Lucky for Anna, she's mated to Charles Cornick, the Morrock's youngest son. Charles is the big bad wolf that came in to the hell that was Anna's form pack in Chicago and took out the bad guy. To put it nicely, Anna was brutalized by her former Alpha in the hopes she, as an Omega, could cure the insanity that had taken over his mate's wolf. This went from bad to worse when the Alpha tried to break Anna in order to force her to follow commands. It is a few years before anyone learns of the mess that the Chicago Pack has become, but being Bran, the Morrock's enforcer, Charles goes in to clean up the mess and comes back mated to an Omega, and pretty hurt.

Now to the good stuff.... Despite Charles being hurt, he still must proceed with his duties as enforcer. There is a rogue wolf, or something damn near close to that, killing hunters up in the Cabinets (a range of mountains). Charles has just brought Anna back with him to Montana, and though her human half is still wary from the abuse of her former pack, her wolf half wont let her give up. I love Anna for that, and it kills me to see her struggle with the understanding that her wolf half is part of herself as a whole. The bad guys are great in this book, don't get me wrong, but I love seeing the strength, growth, and acceptance that Charles and Anna both go through in this book. 

Like I said, I love this book and this series. I will read it over and over again. Charles is my all time favorite hero-type. He is big, strong, super-human, and has a sensitive side.

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian

Reading Source: Library

Series: Midnight Breed

Book #: 1

Rating

This is the first book in the Midnight Breed series by Lara Adrian.

Another wonder. I love this genre of books - but the covers make me want to bury my head in the sand like an ostrich. I'm pretty sure ostriches bury their heads because they are embarrassed by the way they look..... well I too feel that way now.... This one at least makes more sense than Moon Called....  if you don't know what I mean check out the link to my review.... the cover has a half naked chick plastered on it. If I was a lesbian or a dude I'd tap that. Does putting myself into either of those positions make me partially either one???? Possibly - but it is not nearly as bad if I was a dude commenting on another dude...

So onward 'ho with the reviewing of the book....

I've read this book twice... I really like the sex scenes. But that's not all I like. Lucan is a warrior of old, literally. He is a gen one vampire, and the founder of the order. A league of Vampires that have dedicated their immortal lives to fighting and killing off Rogues - Vampires that have succumbed to blood lust. In this world of blood and mayhem Vampires are only male and they are only able to breed with a small percentage of human females that bear the mark of the breed. This is where Gabrielle comes in... (no big shocker that she is a breedmate - get your panties in a bunch if you like - but what kind of story would this be if the lead female wasn't compatible with the hero?)

Gabrielle has never been quite normal - and had a very rough go of things as a child. Finding out that vampires were real rocked the whole foundation of her life. Because of what she is, she is able to see things that normal humans cannot. What she witnesses puts her in danger, because there is war coming. An inhuman war between the Breed and the Rouges, and it is unlike anything they have dealt with before.

Overall, I enjoyed this book enough to read it twice. The back stories of these types of vampires are interesting. In this vamp history, vampires are actual the male descendants of aliens and human females. These aliens were not prepared for Earth, and thus were unable to survive with out the aid of blood.

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called 

by Patricia Briggs

Reading Source: Library
Series: Mercedes Thompson
Book #: 1
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating:


This is the first book in the Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

Okay... so why in the hell would I read a book with a half naked tattooed chick on the cover? Because clearly I did not see the cover when I was searching the local library's website for a book to read.... I'm not one for picking up books with "hot chicks" on the cover, it feels too much like being in an auto body shop - which is kind of humorous now that I think about it.... Mercy is not a werewolf, nor is she fae... but Mercy is not human either. Mercy is a Walker, the last of her kind, and she can change into a coyote. She doesn't get super strength, or the ability to heal almost any wound, but she is quick. She's got a quick mind, tongue, and she's fast to boot. What's a little coyote to do when her sexy Alpha werewolf neighbor needs her help?

I have a soft spot in my heart for Mercy. She was raised by wolves, but never really felt part of the pack. I get the feeling at the beginning of the book (and even a little at the end) that Mercy still doesn't feel like she fits in anywhere. By my calculations, it's not off for her to think that way. She's the only Walker anyone knows. Her mother gave her to wolves (there is more to that - but we don't get to see a whole lot... just enough to get the basics) and she's an auto mechanic. Sterotypically, women are only good for plastering themselves against car parts in barely there clothes... if any at all....  Anyways...

The premise of this story is that Mercy helps a boy who was turned into a wolf, but thinks he is a monster. She helps him by convincing him to go to Adam - the hunky alpha that lives behind Mercy's single wide trailer. All throughout this trouble is ensuing, and brewing... yes there are big baddies in this story and you'll never guess where they come from. All hell breaks loose - Adam's daughter is kidnapped and Adam is too hurt to do anything right away, so Mercy with the aide of a few old friends and a few new do what they can to get Jesse back home and safe with her father and the pack.

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong

Reading Source: Library

Series: Women of the Otherworld

Book #: 1

Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance

Rating:

Elena has been trying for a long time to deny to herself what she has become... a werewolf.
But when problems arise with her estranged pack, Elena is called home to help sniff out the culprits. What they find is more than anyone ever suspected. Will Elena be able to put aside her inner struggle to be "normal" and help keep werewolves and her pack safe?



This book was the first I have ever read by Kelley Armstrong. Her style of writing was not particularly to my taste, but I very much enjoyed the story after a while. We first meet Elena during her so-called normal life.... Her normal fella doesn't know she's a wolf, and is being patient with her random 3AM excursions.

When out of the blue, her "cousin" (read Alpha) Jeremy calls because of a "family" (read pack) emergency. Someone has been killing humans, and the rouge werewolf needs to be taken care of. To make matters worse, her ex fiancee and the man/wolf who turned her is still the same old bundle of southern fury mixed with the scent of trees and sex. Now, not only does she have to help catch a rouge, she needs to work out the inner problems she has been having with herself and her wolf.

I was surprised to end up enjoying this book. At first it was slow going. I didn't like Elena when she was pretending to be normal. She annoyed the hell out of me. Because of that I almost didn't finish reading the book. I stuck it out and I'm glad I did. Once she got back to her pack and started letting herself be natural I was hooked. I may or may not read the next in the series. i haven't decided yet. Like I said before, I'm not a fan of Armstrong's writing styles. I'll just have to wait and see if the mood strikes me.

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If you like the sound of this book, check out