WWW Wednesday #5

Another great meme hosted over at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading: Across the Universe by Beth Revis: Really enjoying this one! It starts out really strong and slows down a bit, but now that the mystery of who is tampering with all the cryo chambers is in full swing, I am excited to find out more! I also am loving the dystopia elements. These were very well thought out and add a creepy, unreal tone to the story. 

 Recently Finished: Water of Life by Rhys Astason: I had a lot of fun with this sci-fi romance! For those of you interested, please check out the review on the A-Z Reviews tab. I will be having a givingaway for this book March 17th - 24th during the Small Press Treasures Giveaway Hop so don't forget to stop by and enter!

Up Next: Firelight by Kristen Callihan: I was kindly provided with the galley for Firelight by Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing. I'm excited to get started on this one! It seems to be a mix between historical and urban fantasy and the cover is gorgeous! I have also seen so many good reviews on Goodreads, so I'm excited to get started!

Teaser Tuesday #6

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading where we book bloggers give you lovely readers a tantalizing taste of whatever it is we are reading right now. To play along:
  
•  Grab your current read
•  Open to a random page
•  Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•  Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's teaser is:

Across the Universe

Beth Revis

Across the Universe Trilogy #1

Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

"The man in front of me has long fingers. He weaves them in and out of one another, then rests his head upon them while he stares at me as if I am a puzzle he cannot solve. He seemed polite, almost sympathetic when he'd fetched me from my room, but now I wish he'd left his office door open."

pg. 97

Review: Water of Life

Water of Life
Rhys Astason
Genre: Romance, Science Fiction
Rating: 4

Dr. Gracen Ellison spends her days working in the MedBay of Camp Audie Murphy, but when she's not treating the wounds of her patients, she is pining over Master Chief Jackson Monroe. The federation's no fraternization policy keeps them both from  acting on their feelings for each other, but a devastating helicopter crash in the desert will change everything. Could humanity be having its first true close encounter with Gracen and Jackson right at the center of it all?

This charming debut e-novel from author Rhys Astason, offers readers an intriguing mix of genetics bending sci-fi and smoldering romance. Add to that a tablespoon of infectious, wry humor and you've got a truly enjoyable read. I had a lot of fun while reading Water of Life. The main characters are strong and likeable and the scientific roots of the plot set-up may surprise you. For a romance novel, Astason's first book presents readers with an intriguing core concept. I won't spoil it for you, but I think you will find there is a lot more sci-fi in this book than you would expect out of a book the author describes as "a romance with light sci-fi elements." The first half of the book unfolds quite nicely and had me reading straight through in one sitting.

As a heroine, Gracen is sharp, witty, and brave. In a crisis, she doesn't wait for a hero to come whisk her away and make everything alright. Gracen actually ends up saving her hero's ass several times throughout the book. With such a strong heroine, many romance novels would have trouble producing a hero who is man enough. That is not the case here. Jackson is CRAZY hot with all his scars and service tattoos. He manages to be authoritative and stoic without being condescending and chauvinistic.  And who doesn't love a sexy older man with the experience and body to make shiver and gasp? I call dibs! I officially claim him first for my book boyfriend harem!

The second half of the book, however, felt rushed and was less detailed leaving me confused. A lot is left unanswered and the "villain" isn't as well developed as I would have liked. I ended up not quite sure why he was doing what he was doing.I also would have liked to know more about the alien lifeforms that appear in the book. Again, no spoilers, so I will just say Astason only gets into their presence lightly leaving the reader very curious. There was so much unanswered actually that I emailed the author and inquired about a sequel. I was very excited to hear her reply:

"Yes to a sequel. I wrote it as the 'pilot' for a series. It was intended to be leave questions out there..."

So while the book is short and a lot is left to question, a sequel that is in the works promises to fill in the gaps. Overall, I would have liked to see this book longer and more fleshed out, but as a pilot for a sci-fi romance series, it is still a very fun read. I was not ready to let go of Gracen and Jackson just yet and it looks like I won't have to! I will be looking forward to the sequel to find out more about these amazingly strong, funny, and wonderful characters Astason has created.

In My Mailbox #4

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren where we bloggers share our book hauls for the week. This week I picked up a few more things at my local Goodwill (again!) and received  some epubs from Netgalley.

Received for Review

Thrift Store Finds

So, what was in your mailbox?

Review: Seduction

Seduction
Brenda Joyce
The Spymaster's Men #1
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 3

Dominic Paget awakens in the home of Julianne Greystone where he has been taken to receive care after being ghosted out of France by Julianne's smuggler brother, Jack. Dominic was shot in the back by an assassin, because, you see, Dom is an English spy working to help end the threat of the French Revolution. Unaware of his location, and the sympathies of the household, Dom pretends to be an officer in the French military, appealing to Julianne's Jacobin leanings. Will the love that forms between them survive his lie? Can two people on opposite sides of a war make their love work?

I didn't like this one as much as i thought I was going to. The prologue was very exciting and the concept intriguing, but the first half of the book really ruined it for me. The development of Julianne and Dominic's love while he is masquerading as Charles comes across as silly, fake, and over the top. Julianne's character is so naive. I get that she is innocent and doesn't really understand the world around her, but her thought processes come across very childish.  Unfortunately, she makes for a very wimpy heroine and when paired with the very alpha Dominic, she just looks pathetic.

The second half of the book made this book more enjoyable for me because once Dom was no longer pretending to be Charles, I like him a lot more. I loved his uber alpha male attitude, for some reason, that cold exterior really did it for me. Plus, he doesn't baby Julianne at this point. I ended up enjoying the book just for him and the intrigue.

Speaking of intrigue, there wasn't much to begin with and I almost gave up and put this in the silly romance pile. However, the second half of the book makes up for this and brings to the table all sorts of plots, betrayals, and blackmail.

Even though I didn't like the heroine, I did enjoy the book as a whole. It was a very quick, and fun read once Dominic was unmasked. You could also see the author pulling the strings of characters who will star in books to come. Although this wasn't a great read for me, I will still be looking out for the next book. Sometimes, the first book in a series is just ok, but the rest ends up being amazing. I can see that being the case here. Plus, I want to read a romance staring the Greystone brothers! They sound dreamy! Lucas' blonde hair and grey eyes, Jack's roguishly charming demeanor! Oh and, Dom's ex-fiance, Nadine, just so happens to be lonely and in need!  There is definitely lots of potential for future great reads there.

Thursday's Dirty Little Secret #11

My favorite meme of the week! Dirty Little Secret is hosted by the lovely ladies of Under the Covers. This awesome meme challenges book bloggers to share a new dirty little secret each week.


To participate in the meme all you need to do is:


1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link at Under the Covers


Non-bloggers, leave your answer in the comments! 

This week's question is:

It's lent and time to give up your favourite things for 40 days and 40 nights (or sneak some when no one is looking!) What series of books would you have to give up, and why?

The new BDB book comes out in March and I am losing my sanity waiting for it! If I had to give up the series I love the most. That one series that really digs deep and makes me love the characters, that series would be BDB. Waiting an extra 40 days to read Lover Reborn just may kill me, but if we are talking favorites, then that would be the one! As far as a non-book thing to give up, it would have to be video games. I might die of withdrawl, but yes, I would give up video games for lent.

Look you guys! It's Tohr! It's Tohr! I can't freaking wait!

What's your dirty little secret?

Zombie Challenge 2012

  I am excited to say I will be participating in the Zombie Challenge over at Book Chick City this year! This is a fun event where we readers challenge themselves to read a set amount of fiction staring our favorite flesh loving fiends.
My LevelTwo Chomps: Read 12 zombie books in 2012
I may end up reading more, but I think this is a good place for me to start. I've already read 2 so far.! 

 I absolutely loved The Forest of Hands and Teeth  .  The Traitor's Daughter  has light zombie elements, but promises to get into it more in the next book. You can click on the titles to read my review for each book!
Happy Reading Everyone!

WWW Wednesday #4

Another great meme hosted over at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading: Water of Life by Rhys Astason:I received this indie sci-fi romance for review from the author. The more I read, the more surprised I get. I wasn't sure exactly what kind of sci-fi to expect when I started reading, and now that I'm getting a better idea of it, I'm dying to know more! The humor, sexy scarred and tattooed hero, and the intriguing premise of man's first interaction with extraterrestrial life all make this an engaging read. Plus, the military lingo and tone of the story are a nice diversion from the usual romance novel formula. Full review Monday.


Recently Finished: Seduction by Brenda Joyce: This historical romance takes place during the French Revolution and reflects the tension between the Royalists and Jacobins through Julianne and Dominic's difficult relationship. I didn't end up liking this one as much as I though I would. The heroine was a bit whimpy, silly, and naive for my liking, however I did enjoy the action in the second half of the book. Full review Friday.

Up Next:

I can't decide on which YA dystopia to start next. I have heard good things about all three of these. Which one is your favorite? If you haven't read any of them, then which one would you pick to read next?

Teaser Tuesday #5

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted over at Should Be Reading where we book bloggers give you lovely readers a tantalizing taste of whatever it is we are reading right now. To play along:
  
•  Grab your current read
•  Open to a random page
•  Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
•  BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
•  Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
This week's teaser is:

Water of Life

Rhys Astason

Genre: Sci-fi, Romance

"Damn. He was even sexy when he was a jerk. Men sucked. And she needed a life."

This teaser made me laugh out loud. Review for Water of Life coming this Monday.

Review: Poison Study

Poison Study

Maria V Snyder

Study Series #1

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 5

This is a new feature I am doing here on Wickedly Bookish where I give my bookish sisters a chance to join in on the review for our buddy reads. You can expect to see one of these a month if not more depending on how often we finish a buddy read. Thanks to Bvandenberg for allowing me to use her gorgeous artwork in the new banner! For more information on this picture and the credits please visit the Permissions page. 

This week, my sister Lindsae and I read Poison Study the first book in the Study trilogy. Our conversations of the book progressed sort of like this:

Jess: So, how far are you? I'm on chapter 5 and it's pretty interesting so far.
Lindsae: Well... I'm still on chapter 2 because I've been busy and haven't really been able to get into it... Maybe when I get more time...

Two Days Later...

Lindsae: OMG! This book is sooooo good! I'm on chapter 26! Where are you at?
Jess: I'm kinda still on chapter 5... I've been really busy... 
Lindsae: You have to catch up so we can talk about it! I love this book! I'm ordering us the next one!

Midnight That Night...

Lindsae: I'm finished! Night!     
Jess: Holy crap... 

Needless to say, I did catch up! Both Lindsae and I noticed that once we got going, we just couldn't stop. The ease of the writing style Snyder brings to the table and the addictive quality of the story makes Poison Study a quick, enthralling read.

Yelena is a young girl next in line for the hangman's noose after murdering the son of Military District 5's General Brazell. The unspeakable horrors she endured at the hands of the General and his son Reyad will not serve as an excuse for her crime, but she does have one thing going for her. There is a law requiring the Commander's Spymaster to give the next in line for the noose a chance at being the next royal  food taster.  Yelena will get another shot at life, but death still stalks her in the halls of the Commander's palace.

Lindsae and I had a lot of fun reading this. I would have liked to learn more about the poisons when Yelena did instead of the Snyder just saying she memorized all the poisons on Valek's list. That would have made the read even more engaging for me, but I can see how it wasn't entirely necessary. There are a couple poisons readers are made familiar with, but I wanted to know more! I think that is a vital element of a good book. Getting your reader to not just want to know what will happen next, but also getting them interested in knowing more about the little details of the world you have created takes some serous skill.

I've noticed with the books of Snyder's that I have read, she manages to surprise you with the romance. She often makes her heroine and her love interest dislike or oppose each other at first and then has them come together at the end. I enjoy that aspect of her writing very much, especially because she doesn't let the romance overpower her story. She doesn't hinge everything on the romance, but allows it to come naturally through the more important main events of the plot. This is why Snyder is one of my new favorite authors. This is why she has loyal fans and will continue to gain loyal fans throughout her career. She gets her reader emotionally involved in her main character, allows that character to become strong on her own terms, and then brings in the guy. The heroine doesn't get to cheat her own healing and growth by having the guy sweep in and save her, she has to do it herself. This gives us as the reader the opportunity to respect her as an individual and see her as an individual instead of part of a couple. Another person who did this well was Karen Marie Moning in her Fever series.

Overall, everything from character development, world building, and story progression are strong in Poison Study. The story doesn't need to leave off on a ridiculous cliffhanger to keep you interested in the series, but leaves you with just enough of a question. Lindsae was so excited to read the next one, she ordered us both a copy almost immediately after finishing. We both can't wait to get our hands on Magic Study and will be watching our mailboxes with impatience.

One last thing I wanted to say is this was a great book for a buddy read. There are lots of speculations to discuss and there is such a strong heroine that you can't help but cheer for girl power! I highly recommend you read this with your bestie or your sister, or maybe even someone you want to get to know better. :-)

Coming Soon: The Sisters Wicked Review Magic Study

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren where we bloggers share our book hauls for the week. This week I picked up a few more things at my local Goodwill.

The Fallen (books 1 &2) by Thomas E. Sniegoski
Evernight by Claudia Gray
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward
Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

I'm always so happy when I find a Christopher Moore book at Goodwill in really great quality. His books make me laugh :-) I was also pleasantly surprised to find two BDB books in great condition! I've already read this series up to the most recently published book, in ebook format, but BDB is just a series you have to own. The books are so good and the covers are beautiful.

So, what was in your mailbox?

Review: A Discovery of Witches

A Discovery of Witches
Deborah Harkness
All Souls Trilogy #1
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: 3

Diana Bishop is a scholar of alchemy researching at Oxford. Inadvertently, she calls up an ancient, magical text from the stacks of the Bodelin Library; Ashmole 782. Once returned, it sets off a chain reaction that attracts the attention of every witch, daemon, and vampire nearby. The major players of each preternatural group have been seeking the book for centuries in hopes of understanding the origins of their species, and now they are seeking Diana. Can she elude them with the help of a sexy vampire scholar? And what will happen when what develops between them is expressly forbidden?

I know a lot of you loved this book, so it is with great sadness that I admit I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. I think my main problem with it stems from the fact that it is so strongly advertised as a literary urban fantasy. I was expecting an intellectual take on witches and vampires and got a "twilight for adults" The scholarly portion of the book takes up the first third and then appears sporadically throughout, but the main focus of the book seems to be the relationship between Diana and Matthew. This would have been much more enjoyable and easier for me to swallow if it had been advertised to me this way to begin with. Don't hand me a sickeningly sweet vampire romance and tell me it is "Equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense..." It would be more accurate to say it is a tale of vampire-witch insta-love sprinkled with history and science. Matthew and Diana know each other for less than a month, but end up so in love with each other, they are willing to put their families in danger in order to be together. Plus their love becomes so overly sappy, I ended up struggling to finish the book.

Now, I am not totally hating on this book. From beginning to middle, I was actively engaged and had an enjoyable read. I loved reading about the Oxford atmosphere and yoga classes. I also was delighted by the premise of Matthew researching witch DNA and being able to identify the markers for different inherited powers. That part of the book was wonderful.

I had the opportunity to read this book as a buddy read, and one of the women I read this with, Nichole pointed out it was also much longer than it needed to be. I have to agree with her here. There were quite a few scenes and details that could have been shaved off the final product. This would have made the read feel more smooth and less tedious. I always become wary when I sigh in relief after finishing a book. I feel this wouldn't have been the case if it hadn't been so unnecessarily LONG1 This was honestly a case of too much fluff and not enough solid plot.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this to romance lovers. You will find much to love in a read of A Discovery of Witches. However, if you are more of an urban fantasy person, I think you will find it leaves a lot to be desired.

Thursday's Dirty Little Secret #10

To participate in the meme all you need to do is:

1. Be a follower of Under the Covers.
2. Create a post in your blog taking the meme image (code above) and copy instructions.
3. Answer the question we propose! This can be done in any way you like, post a video, write a post etc.
4. Then add your link at Under the Covers

Non-bloggers, leave your answer in the comments!

This week's question:

Heroes in historical romance like the extremes - the virgin hero or the rogue rake. Which of the two makes you shudder in pleasure?

I absolutely love this question!. There is honestly just something so...well... hot about a well written virginal hero. Diana Gabaldon did this well in Outlander with Jamie and I have been looking for historical romance with on par virginal heroes ever since. The second book in the turner series by Courtney Milan, Unclaimed did this well too. 

On a gaming note, the Dragon Age series does this well too. In Dragon Age Origins, flirting with Allistar will reveal that he is actually, a virgin. No way! He's adorable, charming, and one big hulking templar of a man. Oh and he wants you to lead the way *wink, wink*

You want me to do what? With my...what?

In Dragon Age 2, you meet Fenris, a sexy elf with a tortured past. Oh, and he is also a virgin. Wah?! What is up with all these hot fictional guys not getting any fictional booty? Apparently there just hasn't been a right time or right person for Fenris on his run from slavery. *sigh* And by the way, he has gorgeous lyrium tattoos all over his body. Let's see if he will let us find out if it really is all over....

I'm up for the challenge. The question is, are you?

 And that's it for this week everyone! Honestly this has to be my favorite post of the week. I love this meme because it lets me be creative... and dirty. ^_^ What's your secret?

WWW Wednesday #3

Another great meme hosted over at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

 Currently Reading: Seduction by Brenda Joyce: An intriguing historical romance. Reading for review.

 Just finished: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness: I was very disappointed with this read. I guess it just wasn't what I was expecting when i picked it up. It ended up being more of a "twilight for grownups" than the literary urban fantasy feel I got from the description. Full review to come Friday.

 Up Next: Water of Life by Rhys Astason: Science fiction romance for review. I'm excited to get started on this indie title that was sent to me for review last month. It has a beautiful cover and an interesting premise.