TITLE: Cashmere
AUTHOR: Temple West
SERIES: Velvet Trilogy #2
PUBLICATION DATE: February 14 2017
PUBLISHER: Swoon Reads
SOURCE: Netgalley ARC

This high-stakes sequel to Velvet proves that when you’re the only human caught in a paranormal war, high school can get a little tricky. With Adrian’s brother trapped in hell, the Praetorian Guard has made Stony Creek their base-of-operations, but Caitlin has a bad feeling they’re more interested in her than in finding Lucian. Caught in a sea of conspiracies and lies, Caitlin and Adrian perform a risky magical procedure in an attempt to protect Caitlin from compulsion.
Relieved that her nightmares have ended, Caitlin is disturbed to find that something even stranger has taken their place.
Determined to get on with her life, even amid a crazy paranormal manhunt, she applies for a competitive summer fashion internship in New York. Searching desperately for answers about what Caitlin might be, how Adrian’s father is involved, and where Lucian has been kidnapped to, Caitlin and Adrian must rely on each other to survive. But when the truth finally comes to light, the consequences are unimaginable.
And the question still haunts them both: even if they survive, how will they deal with the fact that Adrian is immortal and Caitlin is not?

TITLE: Velvet
AUTHOR: Temple West
SERIES:Velvet Trilogy #1
PUBLICATION DATE: May 12 2015
PUBLISHER: Swoon Reads
SOURCE: Bought

First rule of dealing with hot vampire bodyguards? Don't fall in love.
After losing both her parents before age seventeen, aspiring designer Caitlin Holte feels like her whole world has been turned upside down, and that was before the terrifying encounter with a supernatural force. Then, she learns that her hot bad-boy neighbor, Adrian—who might have just saved her life—is actually a half-demon vampire.
Suddenly Caitlin is stuck with a vampire bodyguard who feels that the best way to protect her is to become her pretend boyfriend. Trouble is, Caitlin is starting to fall in love for real, while Adrian can never love a human. Caitlin trusts Adrian to keep her safe from his demon father, but will he be able to protect her heart?

TITLE: The Vampire Games
AUTHOR: Stephanie Archer
SERIES: The Vampire Games Book 1
PUBLICATION DATE: January 31 2016
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
SOURCE: Free ARC from Netgalley

240+ Pages
WITH BEAUTIFUL PHOTOGRAPHS

~ Kira Sutherland ~

~ Cory Rand ~

Genres:

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PROLOGUE

-1-
The Puppy Eyes

-2-
The Rat

-3-
The Mack

TITLE: House Of Royals
AUTHOR: Keary Taylor
SERIES: House Of Royals Book 1
PUBLICATION DATE: June 21 2015
PUBLISHER: CreateSpace Independant Publishing Platform
SOURCE: free review copy from Netgalley 

BY MIDNIGHT (A RAVENWOOD MYSTERY BOOK 1)                                                         BY MIA JAMES

Goodreads Summary                                      3.5 STARS!!!

April Dunne is not impressed. She's had to move from Edinburgh to Highgate, London, with her parents. She's left her friends - and her entire life - behind. She has to start at a new school and, worst of all, now she's stuck in a creepy old dump of a house which doesn't even have proper mobile phone reception. Ravenwood, her new school, is a prestigious academy for gifted (financially or academically) students - and the only place her parents could find her a place, in the middle of term, in the middle of London, on incredibly short notice. So she's stuck with the super-rich, and the super-smart... and trying to fit in is when the rest of the students seem to be more glamorous, smarter, or more talented than she is, is more than tough. It's intimidating and isolating, even when she finds a friend in the conspiracy-theorist Caro Jackson - and perhaps finds something more than friendship in the gorgeous, mysterious Gabriel Swift. But there's more going on at Ravenwood than meets the eye. Practical jokes on new students are normal, but when Gabriel saves her from... something .... in the Highgate Cemetery, and then she discovers that a murder took place, just yards away from where she had been standing, April has to wonder if something more sinister is going on.... and whether or not she's going to live through it... 

MY REVIEW

Pretty conflicting emotions and mixed feelings for this book...Let's do a PROS and CONS for this book!

PROS
1) The setting was spectacular-cold gritty London. Extremely well described and makes you feel like you're actually experiencing what the protagonist is.                                                                            
2) The plot is well thought out and interesting.                                                                                                                        
3) There is an AMAZING TWIST that literally made me go ballistic!!                     
4) There was an actual build up to the love story                                                        
5) The murders were pretty gruesome but so intriguing and mysterious, i kept asking myself who was the killer!!???

CONS
1) The protagonist is really like a brat. She acts up on her friends for no reason and they always apologize to her for no reason.
2) She doesn't call her mother 'mom' but 'Sylvia' just because her mother is one of those posh people...but so what??she's still your mother!!!
3) I can't really figure out Gabriel-sometimes he's quiet and mysterious. Next his caring and sweet. After that he's cocky and arrogant. I wished the author would have settled on complementary characteristics for him. Other than that he was swoon worthy!!!
4) This book DRAGGED ON!!! Something only happened about three quarters in the book and then, to me, this is where the real story begins. There were a lot of unnecessary things that do not contribute or help at all...

NOW THE BIG QUESTION! Will I be reading the sequel?????????

YES I WILL!!! Because the plot is so promising and i'm sure the sequel will be much better since it's shorter and i get the feeling that there will be things happening all the time and a lot of action i'm guessing! But i did enjoy this book!

THE FOREVER SONG (BLOOD OF EDEN BOOK 3)                                                                  BY JULIE KAGAWA

Goodreads Summary                                    4 STARS!!!

Vengeance will be hers.

Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster? With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.

Monster.

Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions - her creator Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost - the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie. 

In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, her triumph will be short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.

THE FINAL HUNT IS ON.

MY REVIEW

Wow, the thrilling adventure that has enraptured us throughout the trilogy has finally come to an end!! From the cliffhanger of book 2, i knew that Allie would not be the same. She became what she feared most-a monster. She accepted and gave in to the hunger that was always present in her. But she soon realized her mistake and she was back to being this kick ass heroine again with a katana at her side.

Kanin and Jackal were as awesome as ever. I found myself smiling throughout this book during the sibling banter between Jackal and Allison, then Kanin was always there like an exasperated fatherly figure..i just loved these three. Jackal was as loud mouthed as ever, never allowing a dull moment to arise. Sarren was as psychotic as ever-making things SO much more interesting. I mean you can't go wrong with a psychopathic vampire!


Unfortunately, and i hate to say this-i still don't feel anything for Zeke..He really irritated me a lot in this book, he was always complaining about what he'd become and crying to Allie to kill him. I really wanted him to shut up. Then Jackal said something to him that made me like him even more, if that is remotely possible! Here's the quote:

“… Remember what you told me, then? You said I’m not a monster, and I’m not evil. Why is it different for you?”
“Because I am a monster!” Zeke snarled back. His fangs flashed as he whirled around, glaring at me. “This is what I am, Allison! I’m a demon-you know it as well as me.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”
Jackal abruptly shoved himself off the truck and came stalking forward, eyes glowing yellow, his lips curled into a grimace of disgust. “Puppy, I am getting so tired of listening to you wine about this,” he snarled to Zeke. “This isn’t rocket science. If you don’t want to be a monster, don’t be a bloody monster! Be an upright stick in the mud like Kanin. Be a self-righteous bleeding heart like Allison. Or you can stop agonizing about it and be a fucking monster, it’s actually a lot of fun.” He narrowed his eyes at Zeke and I stared at him, stunned. “But for the love if piss, make some sort of decision. If you don’t want to eat babies and nail bloodbags to walls, that’s your choice. What Sarren did or made you do in the past has nothing to do with it now. You’re a vampire. Do whatever the hell you want.”

He mirrored my thoughts exactly!! Then there is the fact that Jackal has stopped referring to Zeke as a 'bloodbag' and now calls him 'puppy' and i find that extremely accurate. This makes me think about my review of 'The Eternity Cure' when i mentioned that Zeke did not make  a good match for Allison, he's too whiny and Allie's always trying to hold his hand and comfort him. Grow up Zeke! You don't have to feed on humans but you're a vampire, the least you could do is stop trying to make your girlfriend act like your mom!! Anyway Jackal...
RIGHT ON!!

Kanin, i will miss so much...He was a real hero and his sacrifice was so noble and selfless. It literally broke my heart! Allison,i was so proud at the end of the book, she's come a long way throughout the trilogy and has finally become the best she could ever be with Jackal and Zeke at her side. Eden is safe again and the cure has been found. It was beautiful heartbreaking conclusion that left me staring at the book for a few seconds after i'd read the last sentence. Julie Kagawa is such an emotional and amazing writer that never fails to leave me awed after i read one of her books!

THE ETERNITY CURE (BLOOD OF EDEN BOOK 2)                                                               BY JULIE KAGAWA

 Goodreads Summary                                     5 STARS!!!
In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood
She has done the unthinkable: died so that she might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.
There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.
Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

MY REVIEW

Wow, i have to say i liked this book way more than the first one. Maybe because the first book was way too long and had many small action scenes but never a climax. However in this book i still got the dragging on feelings at times but the whole thing was so engrossing. There were so much more shocking revelations and things that kept me glued to the book. This sequel definitely does not disappoint!

What made the book so engrossing and never boring was due to the presence of one vampire. If Allie had been journeying on her own, i would have really been bored. But Jackal was there!!! Arrogant and hilarious, he never allowed a dull moment to peek through the journey. I was so happy when Allie started realizing that she actually cared about her blood brother!

Allie is still a kick ass fighter and i found myself liking her way more than in the first book. Her determination to find Kanin was so admirable. Now for Zeke. I'm sorry to say that i did not find myself liking Zeke more than the first book. His romantic act of leaving Eden to find Allie was pretty courageous but somehow i'm just not getting him. For me, Allie is so awesome, she need someone as awesome to stand by her side. I'm not saying Zeke is week because he's human-he has a lot of guts and courage-but i don't see him as an equal match for Allie. 



sorry Zeke, but this is how i feel about you...

Now for one of my favorite parts....KANIN IS BACK!!! i really wanted to meet him again and it did not fail to amaze me! My heart broke for Kanin as he was tortured savagely by Sarren and he just could not get a break! After being freed by Allie he had to go through an encounter with one of his long lost off springs then he had to meet Salazar who hates him. After that he has to go find the cure-which is with Sarren- while he is infected and starts dying at a slow pace!! And then on top of that, Kanin agrees to sacrifice himself to get the cure?? Kanin what the freak are you going through right now??


But then all along Kanin was



 Next thing that got this book entertaining?? SARREN!!! Yep that's right that psychopath kept things interesting till the very end with that killer cliffhanger!!



AWESOME book and glad i bought the whole trilogy cause that cliffhanger is killing me!!!

THE KEEPER'S VOW                                                                                                                                  BY B.F. SIMONE

Goodreads Summary                                  5 STARS!!!
From the day he showed up on her front porch, he desperately needed three things: a new beginning, a place to belong, and someone to stand beside him.
By the time she figured that out, it was too late.
In a world where being half-vampire is a dark secret that tears families apart, 16 year-old Katie Watts must untangle the web of lies that is her so-called life. No one is who she thought they were. Her father is keeping secrets, and everyone knows the darker truth except her. She has no direction, no answers, and—when she searches for the truth—no home.
As the web untangles, the truth pulls Katie and Tristan closer together they find themselves connected in more ways than she can believe. But—is honesty worth more than blissful ignorance? Can she live with the truths that begin with her dead mother and end with The Keeper’s Vow?

MY REVIEW

This book was amazing!!! The start was pretty straight forward and the author managed to skip the dramatics. It's action packed and thrilling from the very start with never a dull moment. I loved all the characters and the author did a great job at describing them. The plot was complex with a lot of shocking revelations throughout the book.

Tristan and Katie- SWOON!! I absolutely adore these two and they were absolutely hilarious especially that part when Katie had put a shirt that was too tight on! I was laughing throughout that scene. Stuff happened with Tristan as we discovered his past and i felt so bad for him. I loved that there love story was not from the start-they worked through problems and came out together in the end.

I really did not see the Larry part coming or the ending but it was absolutely well written. Katie was a selfish protagonist and i did get irritated with her but then i realized that this is what the author wanted all along. Katie's selfishness was one of the main catalysts of the plot and there was a kind of self-discovery thing going on as Katie rose above her selfishness. There were times when everyone wasn't talking to her, i wanted to crawl under the bed of her, i kept asking myself how she was going to get out of this. But Katie managed to stay strong and put everything right.

Overall this is definitely one of my favorite books-so good i read it one sitting last night!! and i cannot wait to read more of Tristan and Katie!! 

THE IMMORTAL RULES (BLOOD OF EDEN BOOK1)                   
BY JULIE KAGAWA

Goodreads Summary                              4.5 STARS!!!

To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters.

Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what and who is worth dying for… again.


Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

MY REVIEW

Allison Sekemoto lives in one of the sectors surrounding the vampire city and she's constantly hiding and hunting for food. From the very start you can see she's one of the kick ass heroines. She survives. She does everything to survive because survival is her only instinct. I liked the beginning of the book where the world building was well explained and described, there was nothing i didn't understand. However i was a little bit irritated with her when she didn't mourn the loss of her friends but somewhere i understand her.

I have a soft spot for Kanin, he was incredibly strong and distant but those few times when he actually did smile it made me like him even more. He was with Allie throughout her transformation and helped her survive. And one of the best things in this book-the vamps don't shine, they cry blood! This book is extremely dark and adventurous with not a moment of boredom. I can't say i like Zeke a lot but his dedication to Allie even after finding out she was a vampire was pretty sweet. 

The book had a lot of twists and turns especially when me met Jackal in the last part. I'm hoping to see more of him in book 2, i love his snarky attitude! However what i didn't like about this book was the length. It was never boring or anything but the amount of time in between the start of the plot to the actual ending was a huge time lapse. Everything came together in the end but i kept having this 'dragging on' feeling. 

Julie Kagawa has again captured me in her unique and magical world building. The iron fey series was full of magic  but The Immortal Rules was dark and mysterious, full of action and kick ass characters. Looking forward for book 2 where we'll hopefully see loads more of Kanin and Jackal!!