Review: Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla

Defending the Duchess
by Rachelle McCalla
Release Date: March 5th 2013 by Love Inspired 
Series: Protecting the Crown #1
Pages: 224
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

He'll keep her safe—at any cost. Protecting the royal family is Linus Murati's job. So when the queen's younger sister is attacked, the devoted Lydian royal guardsman goes into action and saves her life. But this was no random occurrence. Danger has followed Julia Miller across the Atlantic from Seattle. Now Linus has two missions: to keep the maddeningly independent future duchess in his sights at all times, and to catch the culprit who threatens the woman whose trust—and love—he desires above all others.

Protecting the Crown: The royal guardsmen serve their country with honor and integrity.

(Summary from Goodreads)

My Review:

                       *ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley*

I absolutely love this book! It's sweet and full of mystery. I like the place that Rachelle creates in the story and how an ordinary person can be sister to a Queen. Defending the Duchess is a story filled with twists that made me want to read everything at once. It was hard to put down, specially when the Queen's sister is giving a bodyguard to protect her. At first it was just his duty to protect her and the royal family, but it became so much more when Julia (Queen's sister) got herself in trouble when she decided to leave the palace by herself. After attacks made to the palace and the royal family, it was crucial for the royal guards to protect the entire royal family, (including Julia). But it became evident that the threats were specially for Julia, Linus (her bodyguard) was set to protect her no matter what. With a mysterious past, and threats happening around Julia and Linus, the story becomes a page turner. The romance in the story left me wanting for more. Overall, it was a well written story, full of suspense and romance.


My Ratings: 

WWW Wednesdays (2)

Hosted by Should be Reading

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

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


What am I currently reading?

Vortex by Julie Cross



What did I recently finish reading? 

How To get Over Your Ex by Nikki Logan 

What am I going to read next?

The Watcher by Lisa Voisin

What books would you be reading next? Leave me a link of your WWW Wednesdays and I'll make sure to check it out. :) Thanks!

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: 

The Collector (Dante Walker)

Publication Date: April 2, 2013 

He makes good girls...bad. 

Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence have made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple: weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.

Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal-opportunity collector and doesn't want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within ten days.

Dante doesn't know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect, he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector…and uncover emotions deeply buried.

Summary taken from Goodreads.



I can't wait to read this book! It's going to be awesome :)

What book/books are you waiting to read? Leave me a link of your WoW, and I'll make sure to check it out. Thanks!

Teaser Tuesday (3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

Vortex (A Tempest Novel) by Julie Cross

"She doesn't know me. She isn't my Holly. Not anymore. I just had to hold it together and not run over and kiss her or something else completely idiotic. I'd survived this in 2007. I could do it again now. I didn't wan to see her-not now, after I'd endured three months of reprogramming. But it would be very irresponsible to leave without at least seeing with my own eyes that she was all right." 











Leave me a comment/link of your teaser. I would love to see them.  Thanks! :)

Review: How To Get Over Your Ex by Nikki Logan

How To Get Over Your Ex 
by Nikki Logan
Release Date: Published January 22nd 2013 by Harlequin KISS
Series: Valentine's Day Survival Guide Duet
Pages: 224
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

After her on-air proposal is turned down by her commitment-phobe boyfriend, Georgia Stone must learn to survive singledom. Unfortunately, thanks to a clause in her contract, she has to do it under the watchful gaze of brooding radio producer Zander Rush. And so begins the Year of Georgia! Lurching from salsa classes to spy school, Georgia discovers a taste for adventure. Her biggest thrill so far? Flirting with danger-aka the enigmatic Zander. But admitting she's ready for more than just a fling...? Definitely Georgia's scariest challenge yet!

(Summary taken from Goodreads)



My Review:

                     *ARC courtesy of Harlequin via NetGalley*


It was a sweet story full of romance and adventures. The story evolves around Georgia Stone as she prepares to propose to her boyfriend Daniel on Valentine's Day. What she doesn't expect is coming out of the proposal without a actual fiance, and to make things worse, her proposal was heard on the radio by millions of people. As coming out of bad proposal wasn't enough, she'll now have to deal Zander for a year if she doesn't want to get sued by the radio station, and that is how the Year of Georgia begins. I really liked the plot of the story, it's unique and very well written. The characters that Nikki uses in the story are very well developed. I was able to see their struggles and how they both grow throughout the story. It is really not just about how they develop feelings for each other, but is also about how they learn to overcome their differences and their past. Overall, it was a great story, loved the characters!and the ending was just amazing. 


My Ratings:

Feature and Follow Friday #4

Feature and Follow Friday 

Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison can Read.

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond. 

Question: We always talk about books that WE want. Let’s turn it on its head. What books have you given other people lately? 

Answer: I'm pretty much the only one in my family that loves reading! So, giving them books would drive them crazy. :) But, there was one book that my mom wanted for her birthday, so I decided to get it for her; The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. For one of my friends, I got her art books. That's about it, I mostly get books for myself or from my parents, but giving books to people is hard since some don't like to read. :(


What books have you given to other people? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll will be following you if you leave me your blog link below. Thanks!!!

Review: The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark

The Demon Lover 

By Juliet Dark   

Release Date: Published December 27th 2011 by Ballantine Books 

Series: Fairwick Chronicles #1

Pages: 448

View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

I gasped, or tried to. My mouth opened, but I couldn’t draw breath. His lips, pearly wet, parted and he blew into my mouth. My lungs expanded beneath his weight. When I exhaled he sucked my breath in and his weight turned from cold marble into warm living flesh. 
 
Since accepting a teaching position at remote Fairwick College in upstate New York, Callie McFay has experienced the same disturbingly erotic dream every night: A mist enters her bedroom, then takes the shape of a virile, seductive stranger who proceeds to ravish her in the most toe-curling, wholly satisfying ways possible. Perhaps these dreams are the result of her having written the bestselling book The Sex Lives of Demon Lovers. Callie’s lifelong passion is the intersection of lurid fairy tales and Gothic literature—which is why she’s found herself at Fairwick’s renowned folklore department, living in a once-stately Victorian house that, at first sight, seemed to call her name.
 
But Callie soon realizes that her dreams are alarmingly real. She has a demon lover—an incubus—and he will seduce her, pleasure her, and eventually suck the very life from her. Then Callie makes another startling discovery: Her incubus is not the only mythical creature in Fairwick. As the tenured witches of the college and the resident fairies in the surrounding woods prepare to cast out the demon, Callie must accomplish something infinitely more difficult—banishing this supernatural lover from her heart.

(Summary taken from Goodreads)


My Review:

                          *ARC courtesy of Ballantine via NetGalley*

When I started reading this book, one of the things that throw me off a little was the beginning. I completely misread the title and it didn't click that I was reading another part of a story. (separate story), so that was a bit confusing to read. But as soon as I started reading chapter one, things started to make sense. The main character, Cailleach McFay, is a professor/author of folklore, and she is at a interview in Fairwick, New York for a job as a professor. One of the things that struck me the most is that Juliet was able to remain the facts/events a mystery rather than revealing them right away. As Cailleach emerges herself in the school, and with the people of Fairwick, she discovers that the small town is full of secrets and mystery. Witches, and demons occupy the small town, especially one that haunts Cailleach at night. Which I didn't fully understand what it was until after she moves into a “haunted house” near the college that she is teaching at. As things unravel, Cailleach is pulled deep into the world of the witches and demons. I very much liked her character, her adventures in Fairwick take the story to a whole new level of mystery and adventure. Although the ending leaves us with a cliffhanger, it would be interesting to read the next book.

I would recommend this book to readers that like mystery, romance, and (witches and demons).  

My Ratings:

Review: Beautiful Bastard by Christina Lauren

Beautiful Bastard
by Christina Lauren
Release Date: February 12th 2013 by Gallery Books
Series: Beautiful Bastard #1
Pages: 320
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N 

An ambitious intern. A perfectionist executive. And a whole lot of name calling. Whip-smart, hardworking, and on her way to an MBA, Chloe Mills has only one problem: her boss, Bennett Ryan. He’s exacting, blunt, inconsiderate—and completely irresistible. A Beautiful Bastard.

Bennett has returned to Chicago from France to take a vital role in his family’s massive media business. He never expected that the assistant who’d been helping him from abroad was the gorgeous, innocently provocative—completely infuriating—creature he now has to see every day. Despite the rumors, he’s never been one for a workplace hookup. But Chloe’s so tempting he’s willing to bend the rules—or outright smash them—if it means he can have her. All over the office

As their appetites for one another increase to a breaking point, Bennett and Chloe must decide exactly what they’re willing to lose in order to win each other.

Originally only available online as The Office by tby789—and garnering over 2 million reads on fanfiction sites—Beautiful Bastard has been extensively updated for re-release.

(Summary taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

*ARC courtesy of Gallery Books via NetGalley*

I don't really have a lot to say about this book, although Beautiful Bastard is quite an interesting book, there were a lot of times when I found myself lost in the story. The plot definitely has potential to be a good book though. As I was reading, I found myself intrigued with the relationship between Bennett and Chloe. (love and hate relationship) It is a roller coaster ride for their relationship since the beginning, and since they have to work together, there is always tension between them that soon enough it starts to spark passion between them. They have a passionate romance that leads them into trouble. As a result, they had to learn to cope with the challenges that they faced within their families and work. I really wish there was more story to the plot, it all seemed so rushed. Overall, the story was good, the ending was my favorite part. It was nice to see them happy.

My Ratings:

Review: Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Jessica Rules the Dark Side
by Beth Fantaskey
Release Date: Published January 10th 2012 by Harcourt Children's Books
Series: Jessica #2
Pages: 309
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N

It’s one thing to find out you’re a vampire princess. It’s a whole other thing to actually rule. Newly married Jessica Packwood is having a hard enough time feeling regal with her husband, Lucius, at her side. But when evidence in the murder of a powerful elder points to Lucius, sending him into solitary confinement, Jessica is suddenly on her own. Determined to clear her husband’s name, Jessica launches into a full-scale investigation, but hallucinations and nightmares of betrayal keep getting in her way. Jessica knows that with no blood to drink, Lucius’s time is running out. Can she figure out who the real killer is—and whom she can trust—before it’s too late?

(Summary taken from Goodreads)


My Review:

I absolutely loved this book, Beth (the author) was able to captured Jessica's weaknesses in order for her to become a better princess. As a new Romanian princess, Jessica is faced with major obstacles as she starts to learn what it really takes to become a queen and ruler of a major clan of vampires. What I enjoyed reading in this book is how close Jessica and her Romanian prince Lucius are. In the first book (Jessica's Guide to Dating the Dark Side) we see how important Jessica is to the vampires for them to stop a war against two powerful families. In this book, Jessica is newly married and soon finds herself alone to deal with the elders in order for her to save Lucius from an injustice. I really enjoyed reading more in depth about Mindy (Jessica's best friend), and about what happened to her and Lucius's cousin Raniero at Jessica's wedding. The writing in this book is what also interest me, because there are chapters of the book that are written in letter form (more like emails), it makes the story more interesting apart from just reading about Jessica. Overall, the story was great, as readers we are able to see how Jessica grows/matures over the course of the story. She become strong and independent as she faces challenges of her own. The ending was all right, I wished there was more of Jessica and Lucius, it stops really soon. But I loved it and I'm sure those that have read the first book, would really enjoy reading the sequel/ending to Jessica's story. :)

My Ratings:  

Feature and Follow #3

Feature and Follow Friday 

Hosted by Parajunkee and Alison can Read.

Gain new followers and make new friends with the Book Blogger Feature & Follow! or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond. 

Question: What is the first thing you would do if you woke up to find yourself in your favorite book? 

Answer: I'm not so sure what I would do. I would probably be way too excited to do anything. I love the House of Night Series, so it would be great to be able to take classes there, and meet my favorite characters. On the other hand, it would be super exciting to be in the Nevernever (from the Iron Fey Series). I would most likely faint if I get to see Ash or Puck. :)


It would be great if you could follow me, and if you do let me know so I can follow you back. Thanks!