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Prize:ARC copy of Darkness Hunts by Keri Arthur

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Review: Forbidden by Jacquelyn Frank

Forbidden
Author:Jacquelyn Frank
Release Date: October 30, 2012
Publisher: Ballantine Books
The World of Nightwalkers Book #1
ISBN:  0345517695
ISBN13: 9780345517692
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Review Copy Source: Publisher/Librarything early reviewers

The unexpected happens in an instant. On her way to work, secretary Docia Waverley hurtles into a crashing crossroads, and she quickly begins to suspect that things will never be the same. Then, when a tall, blond, muscular stranger intervenes on her behalf, telling her it is his duty to protect her at all cost, what is just a feeling turns to proof positive. That is, as long as Docia’s savior doesn’t turn out to be a crazed kidnapper.

When Ram finds Docia, he has no doubt that she is his queen. But as this golden warrior sweeps in to protect her, he feels something more than body heat every time they touch. He is overwhelmed by a searing connection that goes deep into the twin souls inside him. A desire rises in him that is forbidden—this woman is his queen, the mate of his king, his leader, his best friend. And yet Docia is so vulnerable and attractive that she awakens a hunger in Ram that is undeniable, a carnal craving he cannot yield to . . . not without risking the very survival of the Bodywalkers.

Docia is on her way to work when she is shoved off a bridge while dodging a van set on running her over and dies. Only she doesn't. On the brink of death she was given the option to stay alive by hosting someone Else's soul and becoming a Bodywalker. She was warned that she would never be the same but she chose to live anyways. Ram is sent to protect his queen. He has no doubt that Docia is the queen and is right there to protect her at every step. Only problem is that his desire for her is more potent than anything he has ever felt and his queen belongs to another.

FORBIDDEN started off a bit on the slow side but picks up midway through as Docia and Ram are running for safety. Docia is thrust into a world she doesn't understand and wants nothing more then to know what is going on. There was a lot of world building in FORBIDDEN but it wasn't to overwhelming and it was paced out nicely to cover the whole book. Docia and Ram fight their desire for each other with all they have until they just cant take it anymore. You could feel there connection from the get go and I loved the little twist that brought them fully together. 

There were some great secondary characters with a few different side stories going on. Jackson Docia's brother is a police officer and has been protective of Docia since they were little and lost their parents. He knows she is in danger but doesnt know how to help her. I really liked his character and I'm positive that after the ending of FORBIDDEN book 2 will be focused on him and his already introduced love interest.

I'm excited to continue reading more on The World of Nightwalkers and learn more about all the great mythology and paranormal elements Frank has to share.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Review: Tempted by Evil by Amber Lynn Natusch & Shannon Morton

Tempted by Evil
Author:Amber Lynn Natusch, Shannon Morton
Release Date: November 19, 2012
Publisher: Self Published
Light and Shadow Trilogy Book #1
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Author 

A sheltered girl.

The perfect boy.

A mysterious stranger.

Random messages delivering a sobering prophecy plague Aspen's existence. With every curious encounter, her sanity wavers further. Before long, Aspen finds herself balancing the fate of humanity on her shoulders, until a single act turns her world upside down. She finds herself alone, isolated from those she thought she could trust.

Alone to damn the world.

Aspen grew up in a convent. Her parents died when she was a baby and all she has ever known was the path to good. When she sets out on her own when she hits 18 she is naive about a lot of things but ready to experience the world. Julian, a good looking young man shows up to guide her in her new life and she jumps in head first. Everything seems to be going normally until she starts getting weird visits from strangers and finds out that she is part of a prophecy that could means she alone can damn the world.

There were a few times where I wanted to smack my forehead with my Nook when Aspen didn't see what was in front of her but with her background the way it was and the way she tries to see good before bad you really couldn't fault her way of thinking to much. I did like her personality and the way she stuck by those she cared about. I personally could tell right off the bat what boy was on the side of good and evil. Julian was outgoing, caring and an all around Mr. Nice Guy. Merrick was dark and mysterious but was always there when Aspen needed him. I liked Aspen from the beginning and Julian was ok but I didn't find myself fully connecting to his character. I liked the storyline. It was a bit slow at times but the second part of the book picked up nicely and had some great twists thrown in to make up for the slow start.

I wasn't really shocked with Aspen's ending choice and I totally saw her reasoning but MY GAWD did you have to end it there? Uggh..... cliff hanger *pout* Enough Said. Absolutely no clue how her choice will affect future events and I really couldn't tell what the guys fully thought about the choice either so I'm definitely going to be picking up book 2 so I can see what the heck is going on.

I gave it 4/5 stars

Happpy Turkey Day!!

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Since I am a book blog I want to know, What 2012 releases so far have you been thankful to read?

Guest Blog & Giveaway: Tempted By Evil

UFI welcomes Amber Lynn Natusch and Shannon Morton authors of Tempted by Evil. Thanks for Joining us!!

I have a confession to make.  I have a thing for bad boys.  Always have.  Blame it on my kindergarten crush or my high school boyfriend, just don't tell my husband.  But something about those dark, broody, mysterious guys who do whatever they please and have a difficult time expressing emotion properly seals the deal every single time. Officially labeled, "damaged goods," these guys are the ones we love in books, TV, and movies, but would run screaming from in reality if we ever actually came face to face in a relationship. Thus, I write about their dark deeds rather than seeking one out in real life (my husband is grateful for this). And that's what this scene in the novel is for; to give you a peek at one of my favorite characters in the story. This is our first real glimpse into Merrick's personality and Aspen's response to him. Merrick is the quintessential bad boy plus. On top of being the dark, brooding, mysterious guy, he is also wicked intelligent with a penchant for books and music―and nothing is sexier than a bad boy with a kickass IQ. 

So, without further ado, I give you Aspen and Merrick in the library scene.

 ____________________________

Walking absentmindedly through the aisles of materials once more, I found myself gazing up the darkened staircase as I passed. The feeling of someone watching me was so strong that I involuntarily shivered and scanned the rest of the library, including the check-out desk, to ensure that I was still the only patron inside. Indeed, it was only the librarian and me, and he was still busy organizing the pile on his desk. I brushed off my senseless worry and marched myself back over to the table where my collection of take-home books sat proudly waiting for me. The cover of the top volume drew my attention as it had on the shelf, a girl with dark hair , ivory skin, and painted ruby lips.

“Memoirs of a Geisha?” a low voice asked incredulously from just behind me. “I had you pegged for an Austen girl. ”

I spun around to find a wall of obsidian staring me in the face. Taking a small step back, I looked up into the light-green eyes of a face I was certain I recognized.

“You’re the guy from the café the other night, ” I blurted out, equal parts question and statement of fact.

“Am I?” he countered sarcastically, leaning his face in toward mine just enough to make me exceptionally nervous.

“Um, aren’t you?” I asked stupidly, finding it difficult to actually recall the other night with any clarity at the moment.

He just stared at me as though I were some curiosity that perplexed him, but he clearly had no intention of answering my question.

“I’m Aspen. ” The words were out of my mouth before my brain fully registered our conversation from the other night. “Aspen Thomas. ”

“I know, ” the stranger replied with a slight nod of his head.

“And you are . . . ?”

“Amused, ” he countered, though he seemed less entertained than he claimed to be.

“Really?” The frustration at being the source of his personal amusement was evident in my tone. “Did you come here solely to harass me?”

“Hardly, ” he replied, looking at my stack on the table. A flicker of genuine interest sparked in his eyes. “I came for the books. ”

“Well, then, ” the words tasted bitter in my mouth even before I said them aloud, “don’t let me keep you. ”

A small smile erupted on his lips as he looked to my pile of books and then back to me. “No problem. It’s just a lot to carry. . . I was going to offer you a hand. ”

Of course he was. My redheaded temper had gotten me into trouble yet again.

“Oh, ” I said, feeling like a repentant child. “I brought a book bag with me and most of these are pretty small. ”

“Indeed, ” he replied, running his fingers through his jet black waves.

“You have some great texts there. Kerouac and Salinger are two of my favorites. ”

“I’ve always wanted to read Catcher in the Rye!” I exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically.

“Now you can. ” He smiled down at me as he turned around to walk through the stacks, calling over his shoulder , “And the name’s Merrick. ”

“Merrick, ” I repeated aloud, tasting the name on my tongue.

He stopped and turned around to face me once more, his mysterious sage gaze penetrating mine.

“Yes?”

“Oh, ” I stammered, unprepared for him to have overheard my verbal sampling. “I was just curious about your t-shirt. Who’s The Machine and why do you feel the need to Rage Against them?”

If I hadn't known better , I would have sworn that the slightest chuckle escaped his lips.

“The machine would be the status quo, I guess, ” he replied, shaking his head and turning to go. “And most everyone feels compelled to deviate a little from time to time. ”

Mesmerized by both him and his words, I watched him walk away, each step feeling like a call to some part of me to follow after him. He seemed to be the impossible combination of every powerful male lead and bad boy antagonist that I'd ever encountered on paper , and for whatever

reason, however irrational it might have been, I wanted to know more about him.

__________________________________

Amber: If you’re dying to know more about me, allow me to put you at ease. I’m a sharp-tongued, sarcastic cancer, who loves vegetable smoothies, winter storms, and the word portfolio. I should NEVER be caffeinated, and require at least eight hours of sleep to even resemble a human being. At thirty-four, I just now feel like I can keep a straight face while saying the word “rectum” (which is actually a huge lie because I just laughed out loud while reading this to my husband). I live with my iPod firmly affixed to my body, drive too fast, and laugh/cry at inappropriate times.

Shannon:  I love to be reading or writing something constantly, playing my music way too loud, and verbally spewing the things that other people would only dare to think.  I curse when winter comes because I worship the sun, have a meltdown when I miss Sonic’s happy hour, and would likely kill someone if I had to spend the day away from my iPhone.   And I like to think I get away with all of that because I’m a redhead…

I spent the first seventeen years of my life in a corner with my face hidden behind a book, so to say that I’m an avid reader is a bit of an understatement.   Seriously.   I view the Kindle store with the same hungry eyes that my husband sees an all-you-can-eat buffet.  Gilbert Blythe was my first literary crush but I’ve since moved on to bad boys.  If the leading man has a sarcastic streak, a badass attitude, or a dark rebel complex, count me in!

Find the Authors

Amber / Shannon

__________________________________

Tempted by Evil
Light and Shadow Trilogy #1

 A sheltered girl.

The perfect boy.

A mysterious stranger.

Random messages delivering a sobering prophecy plague Aspen's existence. With every curious encounter, her sanity wavers further. Before long, Aspen finds herself balancing the fate of humanity on her shoulders, until a single act turns her world upside down. She finds herself alone, isolated from those she thought she could trust.

Alone to damn the world.

__________________________________

__________________________________

 

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Review: Twice Shy by Patrick Freivald

Twice Shy
Author:Patrick Freivald
Release Date: October 26, 2012
Publisher: Journal Stone
ISBN13:  9781936564507
Genre: Young Adult
Review Copy Source: Librarything

High School Sucks. It’s worse when you’re dead.

Ohneka Falls is a small, Western New York town where everyone
knows everyone and nothing of note happens. Ani Romero is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to play sports, hang out, and kiss Mike, her middle-school crush. A childhood carrier of the zombie virus, she died at fourteen but didn’t become a mindless, brain-eating monster. Her controlling mother forces her to join the emo crowd to hide her condition behind a wall of black clothes and makeup, and her friends abandon her.

When creeper Dylan learns her secret, he falls into obsession,
with Ani and with death. She bites him in self-defense. Persecuted by the jocks and ignored by Mike, Ani struggles through the motions of life hoping her other’s research unveils a cure, or Dylan dooms them all to a hungry, walking death.

As her emo facade crumbles in the face of jealousy and obsession,
Ani knows that the worst thing she can do is be true to herself.

Most peoples mom's don't encourage their children to get into trouble and dress like they are constantly in mourning. But most peoples moms don't have zombie children. Ani used to be one of the popular kids, hung out with the in crowd, dressed to impress and had plenty of friend.  Now Ani is in with the Emo crowd, wears white makeup, black clothes and does everything she can to stay hidden.

Ani really just wants to be normal, go to dances, date boys, hang out with friends but to do all that would draw attention to herself. I found that Ani really did have a lot of the same issues that any other teen girl would have to deal with in high school just a few undead things on top of that. I think any teenage girl would get a kick out of her character though. The romance in TWICE SHY is awkward at times. Mike is a jock who Ani has always pined over. They used to be really good friends before the unfortunately zombie-ness took Ani over. He treated her like dirt in front of others, like a queen on their own and pinned for her on the side of all that. Awkward right? His girlfriend was a total B-i-t-c-h and did just about anything to try and show Ani that Mike would never be hers. The stalker angle was interesting fit perfectly into the book. I felt the way that Patrick portrayed Ani as a zombie was imaginative and all the things about her and her treatments were completely believable and fun to follow.

I was NOT a fan of the ending. I can honestly say I absolutely despised it actually. It seemed rash and just really threw me through a loop I didn't feel it should have thrown me through. There are quite a few twists thrown in to TWICE SHY but not a lot of action. Great imagination with a neat storyline. I would have preferred a different ending but what can you do?

I gave 3/5 stars