Review: Hushed by Kelley York

Title: Hushed
Author: Kelley York
Type: Standalone
Pages: 260
Format: eARC
Publisher: Entangled Publishing
Published: December 6th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

I was really excited to be contacted by Entangled to be apart of the Hushed tour (my interview with Kelley will be up on December 9th) and even more excited to read Hushed early!

I'm going to be honest and say that I was a bit worried that I wouldn't like it after I read the first seventeen pages, but that's where things started to get really good!

I don't think that I've ever wanted a character to get away with murder as bad as I wanted Archer to! I was a bit worried about him at the start, but as the story progressed I just wanted to fold him up and put him in my pocket for safekeeping!

Evan was just as adorable as Archer, you could just see how well they would fit together and I was cheering for them to get together and kick psycho Vivian to the curb!

Vivian was an amazing complex character, she's one of those girls that everyone likes. Archer is so in love with her, that he even turns to murder to try to heal all the pain and suffering that she's been through, in hopes that she will turn back into the girl that he fell in love with so many years ago. 

There was a turning point in the story when Vivian basically has two choices, to change her life for the better or to let the crazy come out to play... if you haven't guessed, she decided on the crazy.

At first I wanted Archer to end up with both Vivian and Evan... don't ask why haha I don't know, I just did, but then Vivian went all psycho bitch... which was masterfully done, she was so creepy and I got really worried about both Evan and Archer that I was sitting on the edge of my seat gripping my kindle, excited yet scared to turn the next page to see what would happen next.

Also I'm going to mention the build up between Evan and Archer was torturous! In a good way of course, but there was all this yummy tension and then suddenly from small touches and tantalizing embraces to BAM steamy goodness, which kind of shocked me with how sudden it went from something small to something big... but I'm not complaining!

Then the ending... well first there's the unofficially ending when I finally took a breath and sat back not worried about what would happen next and then Kelley kicked me on my ass with the ending.. oooh boy oh boy! I wasn't too sure how I felt about it either and had to take a moment to think after the final page and taking it all in.

I loved it, and can't wait to see else Kelley will write next. I hope that there will be lots of Scary characters, chilling scenes and especially yummy, steamy goodness in the not too distant future!

Hushed
by Kelley York

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Waiting on Wednesday: For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that fellow bloggers can't wait to get their hands on!

Title: For Darkness Shows the Stars
Author: Diana Peterfreund
Release Date: June 12th 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Generations ago, a genetic experiment gone wrong—the Reduction—decimated humanity, giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Eighteen-year-old Luddite Elliot North has always known her place in this caste system. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family’s estate over love. But now the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress and threatening Luddite control; Elliot’s estate is floundering; and she’s forced to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth—an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliott wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she abandoned him.

But Elliot soon discovers her childhood friend carries a secret—-one that could change the society in which they live…or bring it to its knees. And again, she’s faced with a choice: cling to what she’s been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she’s ever loved, even if she has lost him forever.

I am a big, BIG fan of Jane Austen's Persuasion (and the 2007 movie), so when I discovered that Diana Peterfreund (who wrote the amazing Killer Unicorn series) is writing a sci-fi inspired tale of Persuasion... (I also love sci-fi) I was beyond thrilled and possibly squealed excitedly, and it is now one of my MOST anticipated books for 2012!

Not to mention how stunning that cover is! *sigh* I think I'm going to have to go watch the movie now haha. Bring on June 2012!

Review: Dark Mirror by M.J Putney

Title: Dark Mirror
Author: M.J Putney
Series: Dark Mirror
Pages: 306
Format: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: March 1st 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the earl and countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status. 
Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted . . . by magic.
When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.
But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.

You can tell from my last two reviews that I have been in a Historical mood, Dark Mirror was no exception from the previous two, I thoroughly enjoyed this one also!

Lady Victoria Mansfield has grown up believing that magic is bad and is shocked to discover that she is quite powerful, but she knows that if she is discovered she will be exiled from her friends and family and be shunned by society, but when push comes to shove she decides that her nephew's life is worth being outed and saves him, then is quickly sent to Lackland Abbey with other privileged children of England society with magical gifts like her, hoping by themselves and their family to be 'fixed'.

She eventually gets a choice, to hone her gifts and serve England in the upcoming war, or to work on suppressing and eventually getting rid of her magic so she can rejoin society, although, her social status will be lowered to that of the working class as she is now known to be tainted by magic. She chooses magic.

Although it's not the upcoming war that her friends and herself face, in this book, but the war in the future with the Nazi's, after they discover Merlin's mirror and travel to the future.

I really enjoyed M.J's concept of the 18th century mage's fighting in the future that is still the distant past for us, and thought, wow this is really good, I hope in book two we will get more history in the 1800's, but have now discovered they are going to the future again. Don't get my wrong, I loved Dark Mirror and can't wait to read book two, but I would love some more history of their own time! Although, I may be surprised and they wont spend that much time in the future in book two... or maybe we will get enough of both worlds, I'll just have to wait and see!

I would love to see Tory eventually leaving the school and going into society as a known mage and the social norms going haywire, her families reaction would be priceless, I also would also love to see all the mage's at Lackland Abbey saving England in the 1800's and being rewarded for their bravery and commended instead of shunned for their magic ability, but once again I'm getting ahead of myself!

I loved Allarde, he was so scrumptious! Victoria and him together certainly sent some steam waves wafting out of the book, causing my glasses to fog up! They are both fantastic characters and can't wait to see what will happen with them in book two, because it doesn't seem like things will be smooth sailing just yet!

Elspeth was another great character that I would love to see more of in future books, I think theres a lot more to her than we can see and I would love for M.J to delve deeper with her.

I'm excited to read more about Cynthia in book two, she seems like she will play a bigger role, even though she can be nasty I really liked her and hope to see her develop more character, not to mention I can't wait to see things steam up with her and Jack! (Who is another yummy character! I actually thought Jack would be a love-triangle with Tory and Allarde, yet I was quite happy when it didn't go that way!)

Polly and Nick were other favourites of mine, Polly was such a laugh and I loved her showing our 18th century girls that they could be more independent, in many different ways that they had already known! (& Nick's insistence that Tory's gown was a nightgown had me laughing)

The Dark Mirror
By M.J Putney
was a fantastic book and I would recomend it to all YA Historical lovers!
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In My Mailbox #14

 In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This week I got a lot of fantastic books!

Since you couldn't really see them well in my vlog here's my moo cards via instagram!

Matched by Ally Condie
Real Men Will by Victoria Dahl
The Guy Next Door by Lori Foster, Susan Donovan and Victoria Dahl
Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews (sorry if I pronounced the name wrong, I'm pretty shocking with things like that)
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep (my review)
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
The Agency - The Body at the Tower by Y.S Lee (I gave in and started reading this haha)
The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

Review: Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle

Title: Bewitching Season
Author: Marissa Doyle
Series: Leland Sisters
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Square Fish
Published: 1st September 2009
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Twins Persephone and Penelope Leland are anticipating their first London season with mixed feelings. Pen can’t wait to flirt with handsome young men at parties, but Persy would far rather stay home and continue her magic studies. When the twins discover that their governess has been kidnapped as part of a dastardly plot to enchant the soon-to-be Queen, they’re determined to find and save them both. Along the way, Persy learns that a good lady’s maid is hard to find, that one should never cast a love spell on anyone after drinking too much brandy punch at a party, that pesky little brothers can sometimes come in handy, and that husband hunting isn’t such an odious task after all, if you can find the right quarry.

This is another book that I've been meaning to get for a long time. Any book that is YA and Historical is pretty much sold to me, and not to mention has magic in it! As soon as I read the synopsis I was intrigued and couldn't wait to get my hands on this! Also because it has twins in it... and well being a twin I'm intrigued by author's interpretations of twin relationships!

So after finally getting my hands on this I didn't take long to dive right into it, since I was in a historical reading mood I couldn't wait to start, and devoured it in no time at all!

The chapter headers in Bewitching season are just so beautiful! --> (photo taken by me using intagram! My latest obsession)

Also with an opening line like that I was sucked in instantly and couldn't put it down. It was such a beautifully crafted book with lots of twists and turns and never a dull moment.

At times I wanted to shake Percy and say 'Open your eyes girl!' but Marissa crafted it well and I didn't get too annoyed with her... because everything happened at the right moment and the frustration made the conclusion all the more sweeter!

I don't think that there was one character that didn't find a place in my heart, well a few but I wont mention them.

I adored Chuckles, he was such a smart kid and I just wanted to give him a big hug, then quickly run away before he could get cranky with me! (I really hope that Marissa will bring out a book with Chuckles as a main character all grown up, I think book three in the Leland sisters is about their mother's past, which looks to be very intriguing, so even though the series is called The Leland Sister's I'm hoping Chuckles can have a turn!)

Lochinvar, I just LOVE his name, it is just so yummy... like the character himself haha. He was a great character, so funny and cute and yummy all bundled up in one package, I certainly know why Percy fell in love with him and gets all confused when he's around, their interaction with each other was definitely priceless.

Ally was a great character, but to be honest I think I liked her little sister Lorrie even more, she was such a fun and quirky character, who I would love to see more of, or as a star in her own tale, but I doubt we will see that. :( (but I can hope!) 

I can't forget to display my love for the two heroines: Persephone and Penelope, I really liked how they were so different, Marissa Doyle gets my twin stamp of approval! Percy was a great heroine and I loved how she dressed up as a boy with Chuckles... and then when Lochinvar catches her, oh boy was that hilarious! Pen was another great character that I can't wait to read book two so I can get to know her better as her own story unfolds.

Bewitching Season By Marissa Doyle is definitely a book not missing out on, even if you don't like the cover, I highly suggest this book for everyone who likes a fun magical historical tale, with romance! I'm eagerly looking forward to reading other books by Marissa, and hope that she writes many more in the future!

Bewitching Season
by Marissa Doyle
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TGIF #14

Since last Friday at Nomalicious Reads

Reviews: To Catch A Pirate by Jade Parker and The Agency ~ A Spy in the House by Y.S Lee.
Fun Stuff: Waiting on Wednesday: Fated by Sarah Alderson, Top Ten Tuesday #1 and In My Mailbox.

TGIF:

When You're Not Reading: What occupies your time 
when your nose isn't stuck in a book?
Hmm this is a good question, when my nose isn't stuck in a book, I can be doing lots of things here's a list:

1. Buying books.

2. blogging about books. (haha okay I'm going to be serious now)

3. University - takes up a massive chunk of my life.

4. Friends! my friends that I grew up with, met randomly, over the internet or all my lovely new blogger friends have another chunk! Either hanging out with them, chatting with them on the phone, skype or on facebook or twitter <3 you all.

5. TV and Movies... massive fan of a lot of TV shows, love movies and I love Japanese anime and live action shows - so I watch a lot of those also!

6. World of Warcraft.... yes I play WoW, haha - especially now that uni is over for the year! (any other blogger's have this guilty pleasure also?)

7. Shopping, online and offline I just love shopping... and not only for books!

8. Instagram - my latest obsession I love this iphone app to pieces, it is so much fun! (feel free to follow me: Nomadish - or let me know your username!)

9. Writing. I love to write and spend a lot of time creating new worlds in my head and then writing them down!

10. Last but not least is my monster dog Luna, she takes up a big part of my time and I love her to pieces!

Review: To Catch a Pirate by Jade Parker

Title: To Catch a Pirate
Author: Jade Parker
Pages: 230
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Point
Published: May 1st 2007
Goodreads | Amazon 

Once caught, it’s harder still to let a pirate go.

When Annalisa Townsend’s ship is set upon by pirates in search of her father’s treasure, one of the crew, James Sterling, discovers her in the hold.  When he moves to take her necklace, she begs him not to, as it is all she has left of her mother.  He accepts a kiss in exchange for the necklace.  “A fair trade, m’lady,” he tells her afterward, before disappearing.

A year later, with a forged letter of marque, Annalisa is intent on hunting down the wretched James Sterling and reclaiming her father’s treasure from him.  But now she’s in danger of him stealing something far more vulnerable this time: her heart.

This book was adorable, probably not the best way to describe the surly pirates and independent characters in this book, as they would be highly offended... but the book just sent me to my happy place and gave me a fantastic warm and fuzzy feeling.

To Catch a Pirate is a good book to curl up with on a rainy day, or even a nice hot day at the beach!

I've been meaning to get this one for a while now, so when I finally decided to grab a copy I was shocked to see that it's gone out of print and that you can only buy used copies on amazon and elsewhere. So a friend saving the day lent me her copy, which I quickly devoured!

To Catch a Pirate made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean, James made me think that he was a mix of Captain Jack Sparrow with William Turner.. and our leading heroine Annalisa Townsend had a mix of Elizabeth Swan in her. Now I hate comparing books to movies or other books... but I just couldn't help it. I suppose its a common thing to think of Pirates of the Caribbean whenever the word Pirate is mentioned these days.

It was such a fun read that I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next, because pirates are if anything, unpredictable... especially James! 

The interaction between James and Anna is definitely worth the read, things could be chilling one moment to steaming hot the next!

It was a fun, fast paced story, that will not bore you in the slightest, it's filled with non-stop action, back-stabbing pirates, jealousy and of course love! I recommend this book  to everyone that loves pirates, romance and young adult books!

To Catch a Pirate
by Jade Parker
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Waiting on Wednesday: Fated by Sarah Alderson

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that fellow bloggers can't wait to get their hands on!

Title: Fated
Author: Sarah Alderson
Release Date: January 5th 2012
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

What happens when you discover you aren't who you thought you were? And that the person you love is the person who will betray you? If your fate is already determined, can you fight it?

When Evie Tremain discovers that she’s the last in a long line of Demon slayers and that she’s being hunted by an elite band of assassins –Shapeshifters, Vampires and Mixen demons amongst them – she knows she can’t run. They’ll find her wherever she goes. Instead she must learn to stand and fight.

But when the half-human, half-Shadow Warrior Lucas Gray - is sent to spy on Evie and then ordered to kill her before she can fulfil a dangerous prophecy, their fates become inextricably linked. The war that has raged for one thousand years between humans and demons is about to reach a devastating and inevitable conclusion. Either one or both of them will die before this war ends.

If your life becomes bound to another’s, what will it take to sever it?

I loved Sarah Alderson's Hunting Lila and even if I hadn't read an excerpt of Fated at the end of Lila I would still want this book... and any that Sarah writes in the future! If you haven't read Hunting Lila I suggest you go do so now!

I also can't wait for Losing Lila to come out, but Fated will be another thrilling tale to read in the meantime, then I'll be anxiously awaiting its sequel... if she writes one!

Review: The Agency ~ A Spy in the House

Title: A Spy in the House
Author: Y.S Lee
Series: The Agency
Pages: 335
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Published: March 9th 2010
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository



Rescued from the gallows in 1850s London, young orphan (and thief) Mary Quinn is surprised to be offered a singular education, instruction in fine manners — and an unusual vocation. Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls is a cover for an all-female investigative unit called The Agency, and at seventeen, Mary is about to put her training to the test. Assuming the guise of a lady’s companion, she must infiltrate a rich merchant’s home in hopes of tracing his missing cargo ships. But the household is full of dangerous deceptions, and there is no one to trust — or is there? Packed with action and suspense, banter and romance, and evoking the gritty backstreets of Victorian London, this breezy mystery debuts a daring young detective who lives by her wits while uncovering secrets — including those of her own past.

I'm not sure that I can describe how much I fell in love with this book. It was phenomenal and I'm shocked, ashamed and a little outraged at myself for taking so long to discover this purely stunning masterpiece! So glad that I have (thanks to Kristi) and I'm going to be recommending this to everyone!

I'm a big Nancy Drew fan, so when I read the synopsis it instantly reminded me of Nancy but in the 1800's. And any book that gives me 18th century England combined with a girl detective will have me quickly clicking my ever open tab of The Book Depository to order a copy stat!

But not only does Mary have the sleuth skills of a detective, but she has awesome kick-ass moves that growing up on the street and the training at the Academy gave her at her disposal, not to mention her lock picking skills... would it be entirely wrong for me to say that I would love to be able to pick locks? For only good reasons of course (not that I could go and add that on my resume).

Then, The Man from the Wardrobe met Miss Closet... I mean then James met Mary, under very strange and hilarious circumstances, if I didn't already fall in love with the book previously, this scene would have done me in, instantly!

James and Mary's interaction with each other throughout the book will have you in peels of laughter and then sighing...  at all the right moments. They are both thrilling and fantastic characters that I can't wait to read more about them!

A Spy in the House is not  based solely on romance, but we do have little sparks flying around! (so don't be afraid it's non-existent) But it is mainly about the mystery. James and Mary come together, at first reluctantly to solve the big mystery, each of them having a different stake in the outcome, they decide that if they work together they can achieve the results they want faster, only problem being... they don't trust each other and watching them slowly come to terms with each other and finally trusting the other was one of the best parts of the book, and in the end they make a fantastic team!

I can't wait to see if James ever finds out about the truth about Mary and The Agency and I especially can't wait to delve deeper into Mary's past, especially about her father and her possible relatives... which seems like it will be very important in future books!

This book also made me ball my eyes out at a certain part... because I'm a wuss and I just want to say: Nooo Y.S How could you!? (It's okay, I don't hate you, even though you made me cry!)

Another thing I loved is that Mary wasn't a perfect detective either, she was an inexperienced novice that made mistakes, so I can't wait till book two finally arrives in my mailbox so I can see how she has grown from these past mistakes to becoming a better investigator!

After I finished the last page of A Spy in the house I immediately bought the third book (as I already bought the second, shortly after I started), I even bought the third in paperback as the hardcover hasn't been released yet, which I'm going to make sure that I buy when it's out... Although both covers are beautiful... and I think I may just buy the remaining paperback ones also.

The Agency
A Spy in the House
by Y.S Lee
Is an amazing book that is going in my favourites and will be one of my most read books of all time gets:

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If I haven't convinced you already here are two favourite quotes:
"You damned fool!" snarled a familiar voice. "Stop fighting and I won't hurt you."
Mary froze, elbow poised in mid-jab. She couldn't decide whether to be grateful or appalled. "Let me guess," she said weakly. "You'd like to waltz?"
~
"That's all very well, but I believe you gave up your status as a lady when you climbed into that wardrobe with me."

Top Ten Tuesday #1

I've been really sick lately, so I decided what better way than to cheer myself up by participating in my first Top Ten Tuesday! A book meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish!

I've seen this meme everywhere and have always wanted to take part in it myself so here I go!

Being Australian we don't celebrate thanksgiving, but I thought that it would be fun to do this anyway.

Top Ten Author's that I would want at my table (on Thanksgiving)

1. Nora Roberts - I'm a big fan and I would love to have a meal and chat about her amazingly written bad guys and if she ever gets creeped out by how in depth she reaches into their crazy creepy minds!

2. Tamora Pierce - I love Tamora Pierce and everything she's written, she is an inspiration! and I would probably be speechless if I met her in real life and just want to soak up her awesomeness.

3. Maria V. Snyder - another amazing author! I was looking forward to meeting her when she came to Australia, but Uni and my strange schedule kept me away :( So I would love to chat with Maria... about anything!

4. Leah Clifford - Leah is a whole bunch of fun and I think she would definitely liven up a party! & also would love to chat with her about the amazing ATM and Kittens... haha

5. Janet Evanovich - Her books are so hilarious, I think Janet would be a load of fun to have at a party and would love to get an insight to how she sticks so much humor in her books!

6. Karen Marie Moning - love love love her books and would just like to bask in her glory but would like to talk about her upcoming books and her fever series!

7. Y.S Lee - Lee is a new favourite of mine! After reading The Agency - A Spy in the House she has me captured and I can't wait to get my hands on the next two books! I just think that it would be amazing to meet her and chat about awesome heroines and detectives!

8. Jennifer Lynn Barnes - I'm a big fan of the Raised By Wolves series and her latest book Every Other Day coming out next year blew me away, I would love to chat with her and probably cry and ask Whhhy!? haha.

9. Tahereh Mafi - Shatter Me is amazing! Tahereh Mafi is amazing... I will just have to listen to the audio pronouncing her name 100 times until I had it down pat before I met her!

10. Jennifer L. Armentrout - She is AWESOME SAUCE... enough said haha.

And that is the end of my first Top Ten Tuesday!! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone else's choices!

In My Mailbox #13

 In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren

This week I got a lot of goodies!

Bad Boys Do by Victoria Dahl
Faking Faith by Josie Bloss
Enthralled Anthology
Dark Passage by M.J Putney
Betrayal Season by Marissa Doyle
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanff
Death Watch by Ari Berk
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting  (review)

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi (review)

&
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

TGIF #13 & Follow Friday #14

Since last Friday at Nomalicious Reads

Reviews: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson and Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep.
Fun Stuff: In my Mailbox, Waiting on Wednesday: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig
and check out my
2012 Debut Author Challenge List!

TGIF:Giving Thanks: Which books are you most thankful for receiving from other bloggers, friends, family members, or publishers?

There are a lot of people and publishers that I want to thank!

First would be to everyone over at Netgalley for making it possible that I could get..
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (Thank you Harlequin!)
Illuminate by Aimee Agresti (Thank you very much Rachel over at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!)
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi & the Harper Collins team!
And it's been a couple weeks but a massive thanks goes out to Lewis Pollak at Entangled Publishing and the amazing author herself: Jennifer L. Armentrout, for giving me the chance to read and review a copy of the amazing Obsidian (my review).

I could probably go on for a while, but I shall leave it there!

Follow Friday:
Letter to Santa: Tell Santa what books you want for Christmas!


Best thing about being all grown up is that you can buy what you want when you want - providing you have the money of course - so even though I can buy most books when I want, I still have a list!

But instead of listing a heap I'm just going to mention one, I doubt I'll actually get it for Christmas but I'll buy it after, if Santa doesn't come through!

Nancy Drew Starter Set: I'm a big Nancy Drew fan, I loved the books when I was a kid, and haven't read any in so long I want to start from the beginning again, so this set would be fantastic as it has the first six books in one! (I love the Nancy Drew games also!)

My 2012 Debut Author Challenge List

I'm very excited to be apart of the 2012 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren, I was too late to join the challenge for 2011, so I'm very excited to be apart of this challenge, as I love reading and discovering new authors and reading their debut work.

My list for 2012 so far:

1. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
2. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
3. Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
4. Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood
5. Tokyo Heist by Diana Ren
6. Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
7. A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warburton
8. When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellison
9. Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris
10. Everneath by Brodi Ashton

That's all I have up for now, but there definitely will be more added to this list as the year goes on!

Waiting on Wednesday: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that fellow bloggers can't wait to get their hands on!

Title: Pretty Crooked
Author: Elisa Ludwig
Release Date: March 13th 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones.

Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

I'm beyond excited for Pretty Crooked to be released! I've always been a big fan of Robin Hood since I was little so for this modern day twist with a female Robin makes me all the more excited to read this amazing sounding book, and check out that stunning cover! Another pair of shoes I would like to steal!

Review: Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep

Title: Kiss of Frost
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Mythos Academy
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 29th November
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository


Logan Quinn was try­ing to kill me. My Spar­tan class­mate relent­lessly pur­sued me, swing­ing his sword at me over and over again, the shin­ing sil­ver blade inch­ing closer to my throat every time. A smile tugged up his lips, and his ice-blue eyes prac­ti­cally glowed with the thrill of battle...

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 …

I've been dying to read Kiss of Frost ever since I read the last page of Touch of Frost back in July, and was happy that I only had until November to get the next installment of this thrilling tale! Although it turned out that I didn't even have to wait that long, thanks to Jennifer for sending me a copy of the eARC in early September, which I devoured very quickly! 

Boy oh boy, was it good! Just like Touch of Frost left me aching for Kiss of Frost. Kiss of Frost left me longing for the third: Dark Frost, really really badly! I just can't wait to get my hands on it!

Kiss of Frost was also the first book that I read on my brand new kindle, which by the time this review is out, wont be so new.

Everything that I loved about Touch of Frost was all present in Kiss of Frost and even more amazing things were added.

Kiss of Frost dives right into the action, with a fast paced opening scene and things don't slow down there! Jennifer keeps up the pace and I have yet to find one dull moment in the Mythos Academy series, its just so much fun to read and keeps you enraptured right up until the end. (the teaser for book three will leaving you gaping and gasping for more!)

Logan, the sexy beast is back and possibly even hotter than he was in the first book... although he does act like a complete ass for a while, but hey he's a guy, who are known to be prone to random acts of douchery. But honestly, I think he makes up for all that near the end.. well he did for me anyway.

Gwen, is as always such a pleasure and a complete hoot to read about, I love everything about her, her attitude, her fashion sense and most especially her sense of humor... and of course, her taste in guys... and swords!

One thing that I'm going to mention, well ask really is: Jennifer always uses the term 'The Powers That Were' I don't know if it's just me and my strange Australian ways, but I've always seen 'The Powers That Be' and not 'Were' - have any of you lovely readers heard this term before? Or maybe its just unique for the Mythos Academy series and I'm just being silly.

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep was a thrilling read and I highly reccomend this series to everyone! If you love a good mystery, hilarious and yummy characters, this series is definitely for you!

Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep gets:

nomalicious nomnom noms

Some favourite quotes:
~'I might no know how to sling a sword, but I could throw verbal daggers with the best of them.'
~
'I doubted we had much in common. He loved gym class, and I did not. He knew how to use weapons, and I did not. He was a real bad-ass warrior, and I was not.'
~
'"I don't like breathing the same air as you," I finally snapped back. "but I make do."'
~
'"Well, I do aim to please," he drawled. "You should see what I can do with my hands. And other parts of my body." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously? You've been cut open like a fish, there's a psycho-killer Reaper after us, and you're still hitting me up for sex?"

Review: Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson

Title: Hunting Lila
Author: Sarah Alderson
Series: Lila
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: August 4th 2011
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

17-year-old Lila has two secrets she's prepared to take to the grave. The first is that she can move things just by looking at them. The second is that she's been in love with her brother's best friend, Alex, since forever. Or thereabouts.
After a mugging on the streets of South London goes horribly wrong and exposes her unique ability, Lila decides to run to the only people she can trust - her brother and Alex. They live in Southern California where they work for a secret organisation called The Unit, and Lila discovers that the two of them are hunting down the men who murdered her mother five years before. And that they've found them. Trying to uncover the truth of why her mother was killed, and the real remit of The Unit, Lila becomes a pawn in a dangerous game. Struggling to keep her secrets in a world where nothing and no one is quite as they seem, Lila quickly realises that she is not alone - there are others out there just like her - people with special powers -and her mother's killer is one of them...

I've been seeing Hunting Lila everywhere since before its release in August and had never really looked into it, as soon as I read the synopsis a while ago I quickly clicked open the book depository and bought it straight away, shocked and shamed that I hadn't done so before. I couldn't wait to start reading this awesome sounding book.

What sold me?

Well first the cover.. I want her shoes, they look so pretty! But not only that attracted me, but I guess that I've had a thing for stories about a main character with a crush on their brothers best friend since I was a teen (and made me wish my evil brother had hot friends haha), also not only did it have that, but add in a murder, mystery and psychic powers! All that together in one neat little awesome package and you had me SOLD!

Lila is a fantastic character, I loved watching her reactions to everything, especially where Alex was concerned, it was so cute and funny.

Alex... *fans self* seriously that is one steamingly hot sexy sexy man! (where can I get one!?)

Jack, Lila's brother was pretty adorable. Which leads me to a question I want to ask - do you have a brother like Jack or know someone who does? Just a curiosity of mine to see if anyone has an older brother who is over-protective? (I have a twin brother and he would hand me over gift-wrapped with a big smile on his face to any bad guys!)

I also loved Suki, she was so completely crazy which was awesome, (I just want to give her a big hug) I can't wait to see more of her in book two.

So many things happened in Hunting Lila, things that I expected and things that I didn't, I can't wait until Losing Lila comes out in August 2012, so many things can happen and I'm bursting at the seams to find out what! Its going to be a long impatient wait! (but at least we have a new book by Sarah coming out in the meantime, which sounds to be equally thrilling as Lila was! Make sure you check out Fated! Which will be out in January - Can't wait!)

It's so hard to write this review without spoiling anything and give justice to the absolute amazing world that Sarah has created!

Sarah Alderson is definitely an author to watch out for, Hunting Lila is going into my favourites and I'll be pursuing all of Sarah's books in the future! If you Haven't read Hunting Lila yet, make sure you do!

Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson gets:

nomalicious nomnom noms

One favourite Alex and Lila moment:

Alex turned and threw me a T-shirt. 'Here, you can sleep in this if you want. Just don't go stealing it again.'
'I didn't steal it,' I had so stolen it.
'I'm just kidding with you. You can keep it if you want.' He was laughing.
I turned away so he wouldn't see my face turning beetroot.
(Page 112)