Saturday, May 31, 2014

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

12578077Genre: Aliens
Paperback: 335 Pages
Published: May 8, 2012
Series: Lux
            1. Obsidian
            2. Onyx
            3. Opal
            4. Origin
            5. Opposition
Rating:★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Starting over sucks.


When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens. 

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades. 

If I don't kill him first, that is.


My Review:

Before Reading:

            My initial thought when picking this book up was, ''huh this seems interesting...'' The summary and the cover drew me in and when I read the first few chapters I knew I was hooked. I read this book in one sitting and I couldn't get over the fact that it was amazing. Armentrout created a unique alien world that captured my attention. By the end of the book I was suffering from crazy fan-girl syndrome, jumping up and down while squealing, and wishing I had a smoking hot sexy alien that got on my nerves living next door to me!

After Reading:

            Oh. My. Daemon! This smoking hot alien had me fanning myself with his remarkably good looks and witty charm. I was melting into a puddle of goo by a fictional character. Huh... can't say that has ever happened before, but I'm not complaining. Daemon is infuriating, annoying, arrogant, cocky, and smoking hot. His interactions with Katy were downright hilarious and I couldn't help but conjure a goofy grin on my face.
            Katy and her mother have just moved next door to Dee and Daemon. On her first day at her new home Katy decides to go over to her neighbors house to introduce herself. But introducing herself turns into a witty quarrel with the hot alien guy next door. Daemon is egotistical and knows how to push Katy's buttons. Instead of being a good neighbor, Daemon and Katy get into a mini fight. She is furious with this idiotic hot neighbor who was just being a dickhead. All Katy wanted to do was introduce herself and get directions, but Daemon had other plans. Soon Katy realizes she will be attending school with him, his twin sister and a few of their cousins. Katy has no idea what is in store for her, but all she knows is that it will be interesting.
            Fitting into a new school is hard enough, but when Daemon saves Katy from a oncoming car, he freezes time. Literally, he froze time to save her ass. In a few minutes she finds out that he's an alien, a galaxy of enemies are after their powers, and Daemon has just lit her up like a Vegas strip club. Now Katy has to stick to Daemons side until she stops looking like a bright beacon for alien enemies to come after them. But how can she do that when Daemon is good at getting on her nerves, pushing her buttons, and challenging herself control in not smacking him.
            Obsidian was definitely a fun and entertaining read. I enjoyed everything about this book and I fell in love with the characters. I can't stress how good this book is, so if you don't believe me then I suggest you go read it for yourself!

Finale #4 by Becca Fitzpatrick

12751687Genre: Angels
Hardcover: 454 Pages
Published: October 23, 2012
Series: Hush Hush
            1. Hush Hush
            2. Crescendo
            3. Silence
            4. Finale
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:
  
Will love conquer all?


Nora and Patch thought their troubles were behind them. Hank is gone and they should be able to put his ugly vendetta to rest. But in Hank's absence, Nora has become the unwitting head of the Nephilim and must finish what Hank began. Which ultimately means destroying the fallen angels - destroying Patch.

Nora will never let that happen, so she and Patch make a plan: lead everyone to believe they have broken up, and work the system from the inside. Nora will convince the Nephilim that they are making a mistake in fighting the fallen angels, and Patch will find out everything he can from the opposing side. They will end this war before it can even begin.

But the best-laid plans often go awry. Nora is put through the paces in her new role and finds herself drawn to an addictive power she never anticipated.

As the battle lines are drawn, Nora and Patch must confront the differences that have always been between them and either choose to ignore them or let them destroy the love they have always fought for.


My Review:

    The beginning of Finale we find Nora bound by two oaths. One to lead the Nephilim army in a war against the fallen angels and the other made to the fallen angels to squash the Nephilim's rebellion. The price of breaking either oath is immediate death. Things suddenly get  complicated because Nora has a personal stake on both sides. She is in love with Patch, who is a fallen angel and she is a Nephilim. So what can Nora do? If she fulfills one oath and breaks the other she dies. Either way, Nora is in a lot of trouble. However, Patch has finally come back, confessed his love to Nora, and is now at her side no matter what.
     I have to give Kate credit for creating such a dark thrilling novel. With each book in this series the story line become intricate. Sure, I had many issues with the plot twists, character development, and the stupidity of Nora, but I enjoyed every minute of this series. I enjoyed the fast pace, the conflicts that arose, the steady level of excitement, and most of all Patch. He was such a sweetheart, cared for Nora and stood by her side at the end.


     My initial feelings toward Nora were annoyance and irritability. However, the end of Finale changed her character to a mature young lady who made very good decisions. I was blown by the ending and surprised to find out the man behind all this horror was her biological father. There isn't much to say about the other characters except that I still hate Marcie, Vee was an interesting character like Scott, and Patch is Patch. I still love him even though he made stupid decisions, didn't tell Nora everything, did his own thing, and not shared his findings. But the ending was satisfying and I was glad to find out that Nora and Patch were able to work things out.      

Friday, May 30, 2014

Reckless #3 by S.C. Stephens

13600318Genre: Romance
Paperback: 546 Pages
Published: March 5, 2013
Series: Thoughtless
            1. Thoughtless
            2. Effortless
            3. Reckless
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Can love survive when life gets Reckless?


When the band hits it big, Kiera and Kellan must ask themselves: Can their love for each other survive the constant pressures of superstardom? The friendships they've formed, the new family they've found, and the history they've forged will all play a part in helping them navigate the turbulent waters of the band's exploding popularity. A greedy executive hell-bent on success, a declining pop star looking for an edge, and a media circus that twists lies into truths are just some of the obstacles the lovers will have to overcome if they are going to remain together. Fame comes with a price-but will it cost Kiera and Kellan everything?


My Review:

  Throughout this book I was annoyed, excited, angry, and pissed off. So it's safe to say that I felt every emotion at various moments in this book. I hated Kiera in the beginning and I still do, but her character has come a long way. We met her when she was young, stupid, annoying, and reckless. Now, she has become mature in making life decisions and thinking about her actions before doing them. I admire her for that, but I still don't have any sympathy for her. But enough about her and lets talk KELLAN KYLE! Kellan is a walking sex god that any girl will happily ruin lives for. He is sweet (in his own way), kind, caring, passionate, and hot. Did I mention he's extremely hot!!!!?


  Kellan is an up and coming rock star. The son of a rock god can make any guy full of himself. But Kellan is different. Sure there are many, many things wrong with him, his family and his love life. But he keeps his head up high and goes through life with a good head on his shoulders. He is hopelessly in love with Kiera and would do anything for her. So when he goes on a tour for six months their relationship is put to the test. Can they stay true to each other? Can they have a long distance relationship? Will they be able to trust each other to make the right choices? Well you just have to read to find out. I will say this though, Kellan and Kiera go through a lot in this book and there are many shocking surprises that will have you throwing your copy of Reckless across the room. 

Kiss of Frost #2 by Jennifer Estep

10421530Genre: Mythology
Paperback: 337 Pages
Published: November 29, 2011
Series: Mythos Academy
            1. Touch of Frost
            2. Kiss of Frost
            3. Dark Frost
            4. Crimisim Frost
            5. Midnight Frost
            6. Killer Frost
Rating:★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

I’m Gwen Frost, a second-year warrior-in-training at Mythos Acad­emy, and I have no idea how I’m going to sur­vive the rest of the semes­ter. One day, I’m get­ting schooled in sword­play by the guy who broke my heart—the drop-dead gor­geous Logan who slays me every time. Then, an invis­i­ble archer in the Library of Antiq­ui­ties decides to use me for tar­get prac­tice. And now, I find out that some­one at the acad­emy is really a Reaper bad guy who wants me dead. I’m afraid if I don’t learn how to live by the sword—with Logan’s help—I just might die by the sword...

My Review:

    Gwen is back and she's finally settling into her new life at Mythos. She is training every day before class with Logan and two of his Spartan friends. Her free time is divided between gossiping with her new best friend Daphne, visiting her grandma and working at the library with her boss who hates her guts. Everything seems alright, until her life is threatened. She gets run over and shot at with an arrow. Gwen knew Chaos, a Reaper, would come for her eventually, but she didn't realize she would be in such danger on campus. Which is why Gwen decides to join the school luxury ski resort trip for the annual winter carnival. Instead of relaxing Gwen finds herself in even more trouble than before.  
     Since the first half of this book was basically a recap I found myself skipping pages. I already knew about the characters, the plot and the side details. I really didn't want to re-read things I already knew. I guess that's why this book felt weak and uninteresting to me which is my reason for rating it with only three stars. However, the concept was pretty cool. 
    Mythos Academy is made for descendants of warriors to learn to fight reapers and keep a war from starting. The reapers follow Loki and are trying to unlock him. While Gwen is a descendant of a Gypsy, blessed with the gift of Psychometry, a skill that lets her touch things and get images/feelings from objects. So when things go wrong at the resort, Gwen and her friends are caught in the middle of this battle and they will have to do everything in their power to stop the Reapers from destroying the resort and killing innocent people.


    Overall, an okay second book. I really hope the next book picks up pace and grabs my attention. I want to see if things between Logan and Gwen can work out since they have had many cute scenes together.   

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Rapture #4 by Lauren Kate

12716010Genre: Angels
Hardcover: 432 Pages
Published: June 12, 2012
Series: Fallen
            1. Fallen
            2. Torment
            3. Passion
            4. Rapture
Rating:★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

The sky is dark with wings . . . .




Like sand in an hourglass, time is running out for Luce and Daniel. To stop Lucifer from erasing the past they must find the place where the angels fell to earth. Dark forces are after them, and Daniel doesn’t know if he can do this—live only to lose Luce again and again.


Yet together they will face an epic battle that will end with lifeless bodies . . . and angel dust. Great sacrifices are made. Hearts are destroyed. And suddenly Luce knows what must happen.

For she was meant to be with someone other than Daniel. The curse they’ve borne has always and only been about her—and the love she cast aside. The choice she makes now will be the only one that truly matters.

In the fight for Luce, who will win?

The astonishing conclusion to the FALLEN series. Heaven can’t wait any longer.


My Review:

            After stepping into an announcer, meeting her past selves, and learning about her life, Luce has finally arrived to the point in time where time first began. Along the way, Luce was escorted by a small man who claimed he was the guardian of the announcers and he was going to help Luce figure out why she was cursed. Luce has arrived to the beginning of time when the battle of good and evil began. She is witnessing the fall of Daniel, the choice the angels were given, and why she was cursed. While Luce is witnessing this, Daniel and the rest of the angels have arrived right behind her.
            
          I felt like the whole book was based on the war and not their love. I mean c'mon the author could have give Luce and Daniel a sexy scene. But no, the story revolved on the curse and the thing that made me mad was that the author never explained why Trevor died. It was like he wasn't a big part of the story (but actually he was since this curse started because of him!) and we don't even know what happened.


            Anyways...when Luce figures out that the small man that was helping her was actually Lucifer she looses her mind! How could she not have realized a crazy devil was with her the entire time. As the other angels watched, Luce jumped into the announcer after Lucifer in order to defeat him. So does she do it? Of course she does!! But was there a good vs. evil battle scene? No! I guess for me that was probably the most disappointing part about the end because there wasn't a fight, Luce defeated the angel of hell just like that... But I gotta say the covers for this series have been beautiful!!!

Witch Ball #3 by Linda Joy Singleton

814487Genre: Psychic
Paperback: 208 Pages
Published: January 6, 2006
Series: The Seer
            1. Don't Die, Dragonfly
            2.Last Dance
            3. Witch Ball
            4. Sword Play
            5. Fetal Charm
            6, Magicians Muse
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sabine is finally starting to feel accepted at her new high school. She's friends with the popular girls and even has a cute boyfriend. But Sabine also has a dark secret-she's psychic, and was forced to leave her old school after she accurately predicted the death of a football player. Volunteering with her friends to help run the psychic booth at their school's fundraising carnival, Sabine discovers too late that the fake crystal ball she meant to bring has been mysteriously switched. In its place is the strange "witch ball" she locked away after her grandmother refused to have it in the house. Now the haunted witch ball's predictions are coming true, and Sabine must solve the mystery before its final prediction-her own death-becomes a deadly reality. Finalist for the Coalition of Visionary Resources Award for Best Visionary Fiction Book..

My Review:

Still trying to find the long-lost cure, Sabine and Dominic have been through a lot of danger. They have found the charms except two remaining ones that will help them find this mystery cure. Nona's disease is progressing and Sabine is worried out of her mind. At the end of the last book, when Sabine had found a charm she also found a witch ball. She discovers, unfortunately, that the witch ball is possessed by an angry spirit who causes quite a bit of chaos. Manny, Sabine's school newspaper editor and one of the few people who knows about her gift, uses the ball at a fortune-telling booth. This causes major problems when all of his predictions start to come true and he predicted that Sabine will die at the end of the week!   

Trying to track the people that Manny made predictions for is a very hard task. Sabine learns new information about her classmates and about her self while trying to keep a hold onto her life. She becomes closer with her Goth friend Thorn, feels a strange, powerful, and confusing connection with Dominic, and tries to deal with her mother who doesn't accept her gift. Will Sabine die at the end of the week? Will she and Dominic be able to find the cure to help Nona? Or will she fail and let life be taken over by the numerous problems that she's facing?

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Silence #3 by Becca Fitzpatrick

10637766Genre: Angels
Hardcover: 448 Pages
Published: October 4, 2011
Series: Hush Hush
            1. Hush Hush
            2. Crescendo
            3. Silence
            4. Finale
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

WHEN SILENCE IS ALL THAT'S LEFT, CAN THE TRUTH FINALLY BE HEARD?


Nora Grey can't remember the past five months of her life. After the initial shock of waking up in a cemetery and being told that she has been missing for weeks - with no one knowing where she was or who she was with - she tried to get her life back on track. Go to school, hang out with her best friend, Vee, and dodge mom's creepy new boyfriend.

But there is this voice in the back of her head, an idea that she can almost reach out and touch. Visions of angel wings and unearthly creatures that have nothing to do with the life she knows.

And this unshakable feeling that a part of her is missing.

Then Nora crosses paths with a sexy stranger, whom she feels a mesmerizing connection to. He seems to hold all the answers...and her heart. Every minute she spends with him grows more and more intense until she realizes she could be falling in love. Again.



My Review:

The ending of Crescendo had my jaw hitting the floor. Because of that, I expected big things to happen in this book. And when I read the synopsis on the cover I was shocked to find out that Nora's entire memory of Patch and what happened had been wiped clean!!!!! SAY WHAT!!? In order to remember everything that she has lost, Nora has to figure out what happened. She has to put all the pieces back together and when she runs into Patch, Nora knows deep down that there is something familiar about him.
             I didn't like this twist in this book at all! It felt like we took several steps back in Silence when what I expected was to go further into her story. But as I kept reading the first half of the book was about Nora trying to get her memories back and the second half was more exciting. Lauren Kate did a good job at adding suspenseful, dangerous, romantic scenes that had me clapping my hands like a three year old!   


            We also get more insight into Nora's life, what role Merci plays in this series, and most of all we find out who Nora's real father is. I was definitely on the edge of my seat and the ending of Silence left me speechless. I was not expecting the ending at all and the execution was on point. At first I though Silence was the end of this amazing series, but when I found out there will be a fourth book I squealed with delight! Hopefully, the final book, Finale, will be fast paced, exciting, and entertaining. I really hope Patch and Nora work things out, defeat the other fallen angels, and finally stop Nora's father from  bringing hell to earth. 

Last Dance #2 by Linda Joy Singleton

651901Genre: Psychic
Paperback: 207 Pages
Published: June 8, 2005
Series: The Seer
            1. Don't Die, Dragonfly
            2. Last Dance
            3. Witch Ball
            4. Sword Play
            5. Fatal Charm
            6. Magicians Muse
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sabine can't wait to show off her new boyfriend at the upcoming school dance, but she's also worried about her grandmother, Nona, who's suffering from a fatal hereditary illness. The only cure lies within a remedy book, lost long ago. 


Determined to save Nona, Sabine goes to Pine City to visit a distant relative who may have clues. But there's someone else clamoring for Sabine's attention: a fifty-year-old ghost named Chloe who's been appearing in her dreams. Celebrated by Pine City every year on the anniversary of her tragic death, Chloe has become a town legend. Despite death threats and missing the school dance, Sabine must use her psychic skills to solve the mystery surrounding Chloe's untimely demise . . . and lay her soul to rest.


My Review:

            Sabine and her psychic gift are back in this installment with more action and mystery. This series is more of a junior high fiction, but I just love it so much!!! The writing is good and the characters are well written. So Sabine has been keeping her psychic gift a secret from her friends at her new school. But when her grandmother starts to suffer from a genetic disease (which sounds a lot like Alzheimer's) that will lead her into a comma, Sabine must decide what the right thing to do is.
            There is a cure an ancestor discovered, but it has been long-lost in her remedy book. So it's up to Sabine and Dominic (her farm hand, apprentice, man with gift of talking to animals who irritates Sabine to the max) to figure out what that cure is and bring it to her grandmother before time runs out.


            In addition to finding a cure, Sabine starts to dream about a lost spirit that needs her help to solve a mystery that took place decades ago, while planning the dance at school, working on the paper, and being the best girlfriend that she can be to Josh. But what's going on between her and Dominic? And will Thorn and Sabine turn out to be friends even though their personalities are different? 


Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Effortless #2 by S.C. Stephens

15842441Genre: Romance
Paperback: 487 Pages
Published: January 8, 2013
Series: Thoughtless
            1. Thoughtless
            2. Effortless
            3. Reckless
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author S.C. Stephens comes the new adult series everyone is talking about and a love triangle you won't forget.



After being caught in the middle of a love triangle that led to a devastating betrayal, Kiera pledged to learn from the mistakes she'd made. She was determined to never again inflict that kind of pain on anyone, especially the soulful, talented man who held her heart. But life offers new challenges for every relationship, and when Kiera's love is put to the ultimate test, will it survive? Love is easy, trust is hard.

My Review:

This book wasn't bad. I did enjoy reading it when I didn't want to bang my head against the wall. Considering I had several issues about the first book, I found myself not to be as frustrated with Effortless. My feelings were jumbled when it came to Thoughtless, but Effortless was a little better. Sure there were some negative things to say about this book and I did have a hard time finding sympathy for Kiera and her selfishness, but overall, I say there was lots of character growth.

I can't say that all of the crying and jealously in the book made me feel sympathetic towards Kiera because I just couldn't feel sorry for her. She got herself into this sticky situation, but what I admired was the fact that she didn't give up. Her and Kellan are together and making it work by taking things one day at a time. Kiera ruined Denny's life by dating his best friend, but at least she hasn't screwed it up with Kellan...yet. It was nice to see her character change. While people can and do change, I think that there will always be a part of our core that is filled with flaws that we can't change. It's how we choose to treat our flaws that guarantees our success or failure. At least Kiera was a better person in this book who made the right choices and thought about her actions before doing them.   

Overall, I still think this book was long. Sure there were many, many details that the author could have cut, but at times I found my self to skip page after page because there was too much. I liked how Kellan and Kiera are with each other. You can tell they truly loved each and will do anything to be together. We also get to meet some new characters and a few shocking surprises are thrown at you. I can say though the biggest surprise was when Kiera's sisters falls for Kellan's jerk of a friend. It was amusing to see them interact because they absolutely hate each other. All things put aside, I say this was an okay book. Even though not all of the characters were well written I'm giving it a four stars because Kiera made somewhat of an effort to change herself. 

Iron Queen #3 by Julie Kagawa

8685612Genre: Faery
Paperback: 358 Pages
Published: January 25, 2011
Series: The Iron Fey
            1. Iron King
            2. Iron Daughter
            3. Iron Queen
            4. Iron Knight
Rating:★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who's sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I'm not sure anyone can survive it.


This time, there will be no turning back.


My Review:

The false king is still trying to take over the Nevernever and he needs one more thing to accomplish his goal: the power of the Iron King. The land is slowly being poisoned and more fey are dying everyday. Meghan, Ash, and Puck are still banished from their homes, but soon that will change when Oberon and Mab realize they need their help to take down the false king. The trio will no longer be banished if they can defeat the false king and save Nevernever. Summer and Winter are willing to work together to overcome their enemy. However, working together is a difficult task when Summer and Winter have had  decades of rivalry behind them. Meghan and her friends will team up to save all the fey before it's too late.

The characters are still hilarious and entertaining as the first book. I still love Puck who is more funnier now than he was before. Ash is still the biggest jerk, but has shown his sweeter side to Meghan. And Meghan has come to be a better character. Sure she made mistakes, fell for both guys, and created more problems then solved them, but she has turned into a stronger character. I like her now more than I did in the beginning and I think she has turned into a good leader.

Fast-paced, never a dull moment, and action packed; this is the shortest way to describe this book. I loved this interesting idea of fey and the technology that is hurting their survival. Kagawa created a unique piece of writing that has become popular and entertaining. Hopefully, the final book is just as exciting and action packed as the previous two.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Passion #3 by Lauren Kate

9369720Genre: Angels
Hardcover: 420 Pages
Published: June 14, 2011
Series: Fallen
            1. Fallen
            2. Torment
            3. Passion
            4. Rapture
Rating:★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Luce would die for Daniel.


And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn't need to be that way....

Luce is certain that something - or someone - in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of thislifetime...going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel...and finally unlock the key to making their love last.

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames...forever.

Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series.


My Review:

            Luce has stepped into an Announcer, leaving her home, family, and Daniel behind, in order to figure out what happened long ago and somehow break the curse. From Moscow to Milan, she travelled alone trying to figure out what went wrong in the beginning of time. She had no idea Daniel was following her, always one step behind. Daniel was trying to catch up to Luce in order to explain to her in his way rather than Luce finding out on her own.
            Along the way Luce met her past selves, constantly lusted after the past Daniels and acted very stupid. What annoyed me most about this book was the numerous past selves that Luce met. It was so confusing trying to figure out what era she was in. Whether it was Tibet, England, Israel, Itza, or where ever the same thing happened in all of the places. Luce lusted after Daniel, but she was never able to figure out why they were cursed.
            Luce also met the other angels, Cam, Gabe, Arriane, Roland, and Molly who played major roles in Luce and Daniels life. What Luce couldn't figure out was why had she survived in the present when all of her past lives died at a very young age. She witnessed pain, hurt, love, destruction and loss. I think this idea of Luce finding out about her past selves was interesting, but the execution fell short. I found myself bored and skipping pages at numerous occasions and I just wasn't convinced about the love between Daniel and Luce. I would have liked to see them spend more time together and get to know each other before declaring their love for each other.
            Overall, an interesting concept, but not very well executed. Even though I didn't like most of this book and it was confusing, I will be reading the final book just to see what happens to their love story. Even if the story is poorly written, at heart, I'll always be a sucker for a love story. 

   

Blood Oath by Samantha Coville

21569869Genre: Sirens 
Paperback: 194 Pages
Published: April 29, 2014
Series: The Secret of the Halflings 
       1. Blood Oath
       2. TBA

Goodreads Synopsis:
Raya Sarian has always known she was different. The water calls to her in a way that isn't human. She has seen things that would scar anyone for life. And her father has been non existent in her childhood.
Because he is a Siren.

A blood drinker.

A monster.

And now she must live with him in a world populated with enemies and dangerous friends. Can she survive the year?





Author Bio:

Samantha Coville is an editor and literary critic at her website, Sammy the Bookworm. She’s been writing short stories for six years and has appeared in magazines, both in print and online. When she’s not doing something book related, she is singing in her church choir or enjoying one of the theme parks in her home state of Florida.




Author Links:


Buy Links:






Excerpts:
Prologue
It had seemed like a great idea eleven years ago, but, now, with Elder Eden staring him down like he was a disobedient child, Christopher Sarian feared that maybe it wasn’t as brilliant as he had originally thought. Her aqua eyes bore into his and he shifted in his seat, uncomfortable with the situation he had put himself in.
Her voice was silky smooth and strong, even in her old age. It also had a slight hiss to it when she was angered. That hiss seeped through in her words to Christopher. “No one will accept her here; her kind is not welcome by others. You can try to win my approval all you want, but the others will make her miserable. Is that really the best for the child?”
“She will be seventeen, you know.” In comparison to the Elder’s, his voice was small and quiet.
“I do know, Christopher, and I know that her presence would bring unrest to our already shaky colony.” Her wrinkled and dainty hands rested softly on the large oak table that was usually occupied by the Elders of the area. Now it was just her and him and the uneasy air between them.
He cleared his throat a little. He was usually so sure of himself and his power over everyone, but now he was reminded that the Elders would always be the ones in charge no matter who had the crown. But that had its upsides; they were a great source of advice and information. They hadn’t failed him yet. “I haven’t seen her for eleven years, Eden. She’ll be an adult soon and she’ll leave me behind forever. I want to see her, and claim her as my daughter, for one last time before then.”
Eden sighed and took a seat in her usual high back chair. She rubbed her temples in slow circles and then lifted her eyes to the man she had watched grow over the years. When Christopher had been crowned, she had kept a business relationship between them, calling him by his title and expecting the same back. But they were far more than that, they were family though not by blood. “Fine. You are my Lord after all. But if anything goes awry during her time here,” she threatened.
“Everything will go perfectly, I promise.”
She pointed a firm finger at him accusingly, but a faint smile crossed her full lips. “We’ll see about that, young man!”

***
“Where am I going to school?” It’d be nice to get above ground and enjoy the fresh air and actual people a little every day. And she didn’t want to end up pale like the rest of the underground inhabitants who had suddenly become her neighbors.
“There’s a school room and training dojo in the west wing. The teacher is excited to meet you.”
“You’re joking, right?” Raya rolled her eyes. “I’m going to study with blood sucking freaks and then train in a dojo for…for what?” She wasn’t really sure what a dojo even looked like outside of the movies.
“Self defense is vital to survival in a Siren world. Especially for you. You’re only half siren, Raya. I need to make sure you can protect yourself.” He said this as monotone as his other words but there was an inflection of concern in the last part.
“I’m not a little girl, Christopher. Besides, I packed pepper spray. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.”
He stared at her with a cold, steely gaze and Raya wanted to cower in the corner. “If a Siren wanted you dead, pepper spray would do nothing to stop him. Your guts would be spilled over the floor before it could even dream of touching him.”
With that, he turned and walked to the door to leave Raya to herself. But he paused just in the doorway and, without looking back, he said, “People will treat you…differently… when they realize what you are. Don’t give them a reason besides your blood to hate you. Do you understand?”
She nodded her head and, realizing he couldn’t see what she was doing, she added quietly, “Yes.”


***
“I need you to watch my daughter and protect her with your life. I have a lot on the line and I need to know that someone will keep an eye on her and keep her out of danger.”
Drew reflected on the idea and glanced to the floor, calculating what would happen if he accepted the task. “And I can’t tell her?”
Christopher shook his head. “Absolutely not. She would avoid you so as not to have someone peering over her shoulder. I know my daughter enough to know that much.”
“But you want me to get close to her, so I can watch her at all times?”
“Yes, I can’t let anyone try to…remove…her because of what she is. I need someone to get as close to her as possible without raising any red flags on her radar. And, of course, you have to keep the Secret of the Halflings. Can you do that?”
“What’ll happen if she finds out?”
“If you’re worried she’ll find out, then you’re not right for the job.”
There was no easy way to this and no upside either. Things would be difficult and confused around Raya, as if they weren’t already. But he couldn’t exactly turn down Christopher Sarian.
“I’ll do it.”

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