~Stacking the Shelves #50~

                Welcome to Stacking the Shelves was created by Tynga and the full details can be found on her page.  Basically you showcase the books you bought or received each week.  Little, or not so little, weekly book hauls. 

E-Book (Review):

Mirage (Mirage #1) by Somaiya Daud

Juniper Skies (The Juniper Series #3) by Lora Richardson 

Audiobooks:

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

                Another good small week.  Ash Princess was a pre-order that I forgot about coming out this week so cheers!  I also can't wait for a specific pre-order to come out next week....I think it will be on several lists ;)  Share a link below with what goodies you got this week. 

Don't Get Caught ~ Let the prank war begin

                Hello happy readers!  Today I am reviewing a digital ARC I received thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review, a book I have been excited about and featured in a previous Waiting on Wednesday post, and that book is, Don't Get Caught by Kurt Dinan coming out April 1st.  How fitting!

Review:  5 Stars

                To give a quick summary Don't Get Caught is about pranks.  The schools notorious Chaos Club sends a group of students to get caught after one of their pranks, including Max.  Max is just a no one, invisible nothing spectacular in his life kind of guy who loves heist movies.  Feeling betrayed and humiliated by the set up Max goes by a simple heist movie rule, get payback.  He decides to take down the Chaos Club.

                I love heist stories.  Don't Get Caught has so many amazing and on point cinematic references that left me shaking my head in agreement and also wanting to re-watch them, though I couldn't put the book down to do that.  It's epic in a high school way.  Things many of us wish we could have pulled off in school.  The pranks themselves both from planning to the follow through to the aftermath was pure hysteria for me.  Each of the water tower five had their own motives and unique personality, like any good crew does.  All from the perspective of Max as he gets to know each of his crew better and sees there is more than your first opinion of anyone, even the evil administration. 

                While I loved seeing all the pranks ensure the story also has more depth to it that you don't even realize until you're in the middle of some deep and life altering questions.  Max is a fun and entertaining person to see things from, maybe because he reminds me of myself loving movies and not being the social butterfly and all but he learns more about himself as the book and pranks progress.  We get to grow with him through the book as he comes to some harsh truths about life and what he wants to stand for.  I really enjoyed the story and so have the urge to prank someone now, though maybe I shouldn't have told that to the whole internet and ruin the element of surprise, drats. 

                Overall I think anyone who enjoys any good heist plots, contemporary, comedy, or anything could enjoy this without complaint.  There is so much happening but you never lose pace and it never felt the least bit slow to me.  I need a physical copy of this book for my shelf it was so good, and that cover is just perfect.  I hope the author does a book event near me I'd love to hear how he came up with some of the pranks and such he came up with.  Genius level stuff.  Now I'm off to go browse my heist movies and find the best one to fill the void of reaching the end of the pranks in this book. 

                I'd love to hear your thoughts and feels down below.  Have you ever pranked someone or been pranked?  I never did any major pranks but one thing I did part take in high school was an anonymous newsletter circulating once a month for one year, it had real thoughts on things from teachers and administrations, lunches, to school programs, even focusing on exposing some truths and some hilarious photos past and present.  It wasn't approved and no one ever found out who was behind it, though it was when Myspace was cool so I think I'm safe admitting my involvement now.   Most of my classmates probably don't remember it anymore but it was something we created and it was special.  What about you?

                Until next time…

These Vicious Masks

                Hello everyone!  Before today's review I wanted to quickly mention that my giveaway for a SIGNED copy of The Rose Society by Marie Lu is coming to a close and ends tomorrow (the 29th) so don't forget to get your entries in here.  That said today I am reviewing a book I received as a digital ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  The book is, These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas and it is out February 9th.  I was first interested in this book because of the cover, come on it has a masquerade mask on it and I LOVE them.  I have a minor collection of them myself!  So that drew me in and the title combined I wanted to know more and was thrilled to be granted a copy for early review.

Rating: 5 Stars

                These Vicious Masks is pitched as Jane Austen meets X-men in a paranormal romance adventure in Victorian London.  We follow Evelyn who isn't really interested in society and it's rules but instead wishes to travel.  Her sister Rose, vanishes one night under mysterious circumstances and against the wishes of her family she travels to London to find her.  She is accompanied by her good friend Mr. Kent but along the way realize the reclusive Mr. Braddock is as well, though he spins tales that they have healing powers.  She soon learns the man is not as insane as she thought as she discovers a new world around her full of people with extraordinary gifts, which means her sister is in even more danger than she thought. 

                I admit to never having read an Austen book myself but I do really enjoy the movies and I love the X-men so I think it seems like a fit.  I also felt like there was a bit of a Holmes vibe as well as the search for her sister played out as well.  I did enjoy Evelyn, and not just because of her name.  Evelyn is very candid with her dislike for the way of things much rather wanting to go travel and see the world than try to find a husband and be a perfect wife.  She and her sister started nursing, but only as a hobby as it was "unseemly" to have a true profession despite her sisters complete love of it.  I loved the bond between sisters.  Their bond was very clear from the start and the way they talked together it brought that bond out which was a real asset to the story as Evelyn goes in search of her.

                The other main characters, our two male leads as it were, Mr. Kent and Mr. Braddock were delightful.  From the start I enjoyed the friendship between Evelyn and Mr. Kent and I could see the possibility for more there.  More I enjoyed the way they acted around one another with such free banter allowing Evelyn to be herself.  Then you add in the mysterious and stand-offish Mr. Braddock.  He does not make the best impression several times over and seems a bit insane but he does help her not only in her search but in understanding her powers and getting to know him bit by hard won bit was fascinating and he shared a connection with Evelyn.  Yes while there was some romantic prospects about the story was more focused on the adventure and mystery of it all.  Finding Rose.  Finding her and discovering what it is the man who took her wants and how to stop him.

                These Vicious Masks was a thrilling tale and I didn't want to put it down when I started.  I wanted to know what would happen next not only in the search but between the characters and their adventures.  Oh and let us not forget trying to do all of this and not ruin any reputations in polite society.  I would not have survived in that era, because frankly I'm of the mind that I don't care what anyone thinks of me, I do me and you do you.  But I will admit the way for which people talked back then (from my limited knowledge of books and movies) was portrayed in a way that always makes me smile!  Just the right amount plus our modern and stubborn female ahead of her times.  The story was full of plot on its own but the powers added that extra push to make it awesome.  I thought they were pretty well thought out powers and I loved the diversity in them and how some were great while others were more of a curse, not all gumdrops.

                Overall I really enjoyed the story and I can't wait for more.  It had its moments of predictability but also some twists you don't see coming keeping it nice and fresh.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this story in the comments below.  I have already read it but have also pre-ordered myself a physical copy to have on my shelf!  Are you excited for this book to come out next month, what part intrigues you most?  Already read it, what did you think?  Let's discuss below!

                Until next time…

Alpha Divided...Need I say more.

Goodreads / Amazon

                Okay so today is a very exciting day, we have 3 great books coming out.  I’ve been talking about this for a while now, including the bind up that was released earlier this week that holds book 1 in The Alpha Girl series.  Books out today are Cipher which I reviewed here; Armageddon (Angelbound #3), which I’ll review tomorrow; and the book I’m going to be reviewing today Alpha Divided.  I was lucky enough to receive all three of these book ARC’s from NetGalley and Ink Monster.  So check them out today.  If I didn’t mention, Alpha Divided is the 3^rd book in the Alpha Girls series so from here on out there will be spoilers for the previous two books.  Kinda hard to talk about book 3 at all without out them, so be warned. For my original reviews for Becoming Alpha and Avoiding Alpha click on the title.

                Alpha Divided picks up pretty much just where Avoiding Alpha leaves off.  Tessa is still trying to figure out her life and the consequences that they are still working through from book 1.  The same thing that started it all, Tessa meeting Dastien and him biting her and turning her into a werewolf.  Since then she has fought vampires, learned she was supposed to lead a witch coven before the whole werewolf thing, broken a curse to save a friend, and fought her own issues to be with her true mate.  Things are even looking up, Tessa and Dastien will have a wonderful full moon ceremony to officially bind them and also make their case stronger.  That is until the local coven crash the party and throws down an ultimatum, give Tessa back to the witches or face war with the witches.  There is no good choice.  Tessa doesn’t want to cause a war but she also knows she can’t make the coven happy.  She’s a werewolf now and her place is as an Alpha in the pack, not part of the coven she is sure practices dark-magic.  She may not have the different sides of her life figures out yet but one thing Tessa is sure of, Dastien.  So a life where they are parted isn’t in the card.  Tessa must walk a delicate line to help save as many lives as possible.

Such pretty covers

                This book has a lot going for it just with that alone.  It ramps up the relationship feels for sure.  The connection that Tessa and Dastien have is so strong and beautiful.  They have to face some pretty tough things and the reader, along with Tessa, finds out just how strong the bond is.  We also get a look inside the coven, and a closer look at the darkness there.  Tessa is by no means happy with the current situation but she is determined to help out where she can and as consolation prize she gets to learn some more about her past, her family, and oh yeah her bruja side. 

                The series as a whole flows so easily, I read through it in one sitting.  I devoured the book and didn’t put it down until the end, where I got my heart broken that I have to wait for more about Tessa and Dastien.  Their connection is a main focal point for the series thus far, at least for me, but in this we get to see how other react to it.  We’ve been surrounded by other pack members who understand the whole dynamic even when Tessa didn’t.  Now she has to explain it to the coven and it becomes clear it wasn’t an accident or a purposefully slight against the coven.  You also have the connection she has to her family, as she uncovers the past truths and digs deeper into the world she was meant to lead.

I don’t want to give any more away, I want you to go into it unspoiled and ready for the feels and the action.  Aside from the having to wait part at the end, I am in complete love with this book as I have been with the series so far.  It holds a magical combination of fast paced action, mystery, witty dialog, and of course the romance makes it a winner.  I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this book.  It had me so worked up at parts where I had to set the kindle down and lean over it because I was scared I’d squeeze my poor kindle too hard waiting for what would happen next. 

All 3 available today!

Alpha Divided is available today so check it out.  Again if you’re new to this series I highly recommend it, 5 Stars.  The first book of the series is also in a bind-up with Angelbound which I mentioned a few days ago, here, so feel free to take advantage of that deal as well.  Also out by our talented Aileen Erin is Cipher, and Armageddon by Christina Bauer which I’ll be reviewing tomorrow to check back then!

Not your typical Prince Charming...my thoughts on the upcoming book by Krystal Wade

                

Website Goodreads

               If you follow my blog regularly you know I’m a big fan of Krystal Wade and I even had the pleasure of interviewing her for her last book.  I have been a fan since I first got approved to read the first book in her first trilogy Wilde’s Fire.  She had such an interesting story to tell and characters I fell in love with and she even messaged me.  Come on who doesn’t get a little excited and fangirl happy when an author who wrote something you liked speaks to you?  No one with any sense.  She is a very down to earth person and pretty funny as well.  I follow her on Facebook and she has been posting teasers for her upcoming book Charming for some time now and I was lucky enough to snag myself an ARC to review.  Score!  *Did my little happy dance around the apartment*

                They say what doesn’t’ kill you makes you stronger, and that’s great…as long as you don’t die.

                What a tagline.  It says it all right there I think. 

Goodreads Amazon

                Charming is about our 16 year old Haley who once had it all, the prestigious school, great family, tons of friends, a boyfriend, and a bright future until it all fell apart.  Now with an alcoholic father, a bitter little sister, and only a headstone left of her mother she has nothing left.  On the flip side is Chris Charming, with his CEO father, money, school, anything he wants, including a reputation as a trouble maker.  He may not be everything people say he is, Haley knows she isn’t what everyone thinks she is.  He has his own struggles in life and the one thing he wants is: Haley.  Little do either of them know just how determined someone is to bring them together even if it means murder. 
                So yes this is a break from the supernatural type books in the previous series but more suspense/thriller.  What do you do when the guy who has everything you used to have seems to want you as well?  Can he be trusted?  Can you let him in or is it safer to stick to what you know and never let anyone it?  I wanted to devour this book in one sitting and every time I got interrupted I would hurry to get back to it.  I needed to see what was going to happen next, never really trusting anything in the book waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Let’s face it, Haley has it rough and she doesn’t expect good things, hoping for them hurts too much.  I understand that and my heart broke for her.  I think the beauty in this book is that you root for her and want to step into the book and help her through. 
                And you also want to know what the H is going on.  Because let me tell you there is so much happening and you are thinking of a million ways the story could go and who this mysterious person is who plays a sick kind of fairy godmother to her.  I was on the edge of my seat, and with the new chairs at work that is dangerous ground, reading and couldn’t wait to get home to finish it up.  If I didn’t live so close I might have went into an open room and just read but a 6 minute break to get home was all I could take.  I won’t say too much more I don’t want to ruin the surprise for all of you.  I enjoyed delving into the characters, particularly seeing everything and everyone from Haley’s perspective while she tries to find the best solution to an impossible mess.       
                Now knowing there are a variety of tastes and preferences out there, I do want to mention that if it isn’t clear there are some pretty dark times/themes in the book in parts.  This includes child abuse, but let me assure you it’s not gratuitous or in there for shock value.  The violence serves a purpose and moves the story along, so please don’t turn away just from the implied violence there is so very much more to the story and worth the read.  I highly recommend this book to everyone!
                  It comes out October 6^th and I have my official copy pre-ordered with Amazon.  Share your thoughts below!

Worlds Collide. Magic Reigns. Love Burns. Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Amazon 

                So I realized I’ve only done I think 1 review from a NetGalley provided book in while.  I have been behind in checking and requesting books as I had so many others to read and I didn’t want to bite off more than I could chew.  However, they did approve me for Trial by Fire Book 1 in The Worldwalker Trilogy by Josephine Angelini about a month ago, but I held off on reviewing until closer to the release date which has moved up from the end of October to September 2^nd.  Score—always great to get a book sooner than expected in my opinion. 

                Cover lover for this one.  It's all dark and mysterious with a castle looming in the distance and a lone girl standing before it with her hair whipping in the wind and fire and fog blocking her path.  It makes you want to pick it up.  I have been reading some pretty great books lately.  I really enjoy them and am ecstatic to share them with you all so that you may learn about books you might not have heard of yet.  Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini, the book I’m reviewing today is another supernatural story that deals with magic and alternate worlds; like a fun house mirror image that can leave some things the same and others distorting them.  Our main character Lily is having a hard time at life, what with everything trying to kill her on a daily basis.  She has these horrible allergies that are a huge detriment to her life.  I have a friend who has some serious issues with new things popping up and being allergic to them so I was instantly interested in this character.  Lily has been unable to enjoy most of the normal things kids her age do because of said reactions but she is bound and determined to go to one high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan.

                Something horribly embarrassing happens in front of not only her crush but half of her class and all she wants is to disappear.  Frankly who hasn’t had one of these moments?  I know I’ve had plenty where I wished I could become invisible in that second or magically be somewhere else.  Well Lily does go somewhere else, she is transported to a different Salem than she grew up in; one with horrifying creatures, the Woven,  and ruled by Crucibles.  She finds many things and people she is familiar with in this world, even herself; but in this world of magic her other self is a powerful and cruel ruler.  She soon finds that what makes her weak in her home world makes her special in this new Salem. 

A handy little chart from the authors blog

                Everything is a bit of a mess for Lily.  She wants to get home.  Talk about confusing to magically be in a new world with magic, and then to find out a majority of the people want you dead, well technically the other you(Lillian) but still.  She meets with the Outlanders, those who live outside the walls and are in constant danger of being hunted down by not only Lillian but the Woven.  No one knows for sure what to make of Lily.  If trained will she turn out to be just as vicious as her other, or will she save them all?  Most conflicted is Rowan, a Mechanic, Lillian's ex Mechanic specifically, who isn't her biggest fan.  Can Lily prove she isn't like the other her and she only wants to find a way to get herself home?

                The story line was pretty interesting and I was pulled in pretty quickly.  I liked being inside her head and seeing the way she processed all the information she was thrown.  She is a very understanding person and is able to look past a lot.  She tries to be strong and confident but she is also fragile, not only in body but in her heart.  I loved seeing how she interacted with the different people and handled different situations thrown her way.  She stayed strong and kept who she was as a character is.  She learned more each day and used it to make up her own decisions despite everyone trying to pull her one way or another, including Lillian.   There was a lot of good banter to be had as well.  I love jokes and references made to things in her world that only confuse people in this world; it always reminds me when I make a book reference and no one in that group reads so I'm left with, "you don’t get it but trust me its hilarious."

                The different characters all have their own little things, similarities and differences with her old world and new world, but then there are plenty of people she has no reference for.  Rowan for one is very closed off and he seems hot and cold but as we slowly see the different layers inside we along with Lily grow to understand him better.  I can't give much more without ruining the story so I'll leave it at that.  I really enjoyed this story and give it 5 Witchstones.  Have you read this book already?  What do you think?  Tell me below in the comments.

Avoiding Alpha by Aileen Erin

                First I want to thank everyone who participated in my giveaway.  I have my very first winner and will be sending out her prize ASAP!  

                Avoiding Alpha by Aileen Erin is the 2nd book, or technically novella, in The Alpha Girls series.  I reviewed the first story in the series Becoming Alpha, here, some months back and I fell in love with it and couldn’t wait for this one to come out.  I have had it on my Amazon wish list ready to purchase on Tuesday May 13th when it comes out since it was posted on the site.  Then I was doing my daily check on NetGalley for new books to request and there it was!  I clicked request so fast.  Then later in the day while I was at work, on lunch when I was finally able to read my e-mails, I saw I had been approved for this book, 1 week early.  My lunch comrades maybe had some concerns about my mental health that day given my squeal of excitement, happy dance in my chair, and my high pitched and speedy explanation to which they were still clueless but just moved right along. 

                I admit though there was a larger reason for my excitement, not only had I been approved for Avoiding Alpha but the other book set to release the same day which I also was super excited for sent me a pre-approved to read notice.  Score 2 books I was dying to read a week early.  Then my biggest problem was figuring out which to read first, and that I had to wait until I got home as there was no wi-fi at work, and let's be honest I wouldn’t have been too focused on work if I had started during lunch.  So thank you to NetGalley and Ink Monster for letting me read and review this ARC.  Spoilers ahead for book 1, just in case that wasn't clear.

                We left Tessa at St. Ailbe's Academy where she has been through a lot but is adapting to her new life as a werewolf, if she is holding off on the whole going wolf part.  She is still learning and slowly adapting to things.  She went from being a girl who couldn’t touch things or people without seeing their life in her mind to being able to control that, having a powerful alpha mate, who sort of made her a were wolf, which broke a lot of rules.  Yep, just a normal day.  While Tessa and her sexy wolfy mate Dastien prepare for the Tribunal, yeah biting someone to make them a wolf is a big no no.  Made worse by the fact that she is part witch and the coven isn't very happy they took one of theirs, even if she had never met them.  That issue is set aside when Tessa's best friend Meredith starts to get sick, she had been cursed by the coven years ago but now her wolf is awake and its making her sick.  She doesn't have long.  Tessa is determined to find a way to help her best friend, even willing to deal with things she doesn't quite understand and make a deal with the devil. 

                This book had all the things that made me fall in love with the first book.  The connection between Tessa and Dastien is steamy, yowza.  I like all the different characters and the way the pack interacts, it's not based on age or experience but on power which is an interesting dynamic.  Being there as Tessa struggles with the possibility of losing her first real friend was heart breaking.  I read this book start to finish in a couple of hours.  It was shorter than the first book, and now that I type the review I see it listed as a novella on Goodreads, so that probably explains it.  Either way this is a great addition to the series and you won't be able to put it down.  I easily give this book 5 Stars!  Don't forget to check out both books, Avoiding Alpha comes out tomorrow Tuesday May 13th.  Also heads up book 3 Alpha Divided is already available for pre-order on Amazon and comes out October 14th, which as far as most books go that is a short wait period. 

                Now I mentioned above I had 2 books approved to be released the same day.  The other is Scala book 2 in the Angelbound series by Christina Bauer.  That review is coming up tomorrow to check back soon.  In the comments please share your thoughts.  What do you think about this series, or about werewolves in general?  

Seeress by Ednah Walters

                Okay so as you guys will remember, it was only last week that I reviewed Grimnirs Book 2.5 in the Runes series by Ednah Walters.  Now Seeress Book 3 was released April 28th.  I ordered it that same day and read it pretty quickly but the last few days have been pretty swamped. 

                Anyways I am excited to share my thoughts on Seeress.  Be warned though this review will contain spoilers from the previous 3 books so read on at your own risk. 

                In this book we go back to Raine, where in Grimnirs we got a switch to Cora's POV and I admit I was curious if that would continue or even a swap back and forth kind of deal.  No we stick with Raine which I don't mind at all, but I do hope to get more of Cora's POV in the future knowing how much I enjoyed it.  Where was I?  Oh yes I was back with Raine Cooper who is a complicated girl who is pretty much sure of a few things in life, that she loves Torin (then again who wouldn't), and she is a powerful seeress, even if she doesn't know what that means yet.  She is still training but with things spinning around a mile a minute to say her life is chaotic is an understatement.  Her mother is sequestered, her father is dying, her best friend Erick is in Hel, she's a seeress without visions, then when they come they are all messed up, who's a girl to talk to? 

               

                What do you do when your visions are so disturbing and they try to make you doubt the only things you are sure of in your crazy world?  She finally finds someone who is able to help clear things up but Torin forbids her from seeing them.  Can their love survive without answers or trust?

                Now as with the rest of the books we have the characters we've come to love.  Raine is still the girl we met in the first book but she has grown with the series thus far, I mean she kind of had to with everything she'd been through.  It feels like a natural development.  She is still confused and unsure of so many things, and I find that refreshing.  Having power and knowing how and when to use it are very different things.  Then there is her relationship with Torin.  If you remember I wrote how much I loved his dark tortured soul.  He is horribly flawed but still good.  He's a good guy but he's kind of an ass.  He does things, all be it for the right reasons, but he is a jerk about it.  He is overpowering, manipulative, and dominating, all of which could have turned me completely off from him as a character if it wasn't balanced with his sweet heart and his clear cut reasons why he thought it was the best solution.  This could have also turned me away from Raine, giving into someone who is going to demand you do as they say, not hot.  Raine calls him on his crap.  She fights back but she also knows when to pick her battles.  And I give her credit, she gets upset but she isn't as rash as I might be.  I'm just saying, someone tells me they won't allow me to do something, that just makes me want to do it all the more and probably will just to prove no one allows me to do anything.  Yeah, I'm working on my own issues of adjusting/compromising.

                We also get to see more into the world of the others.  The Valkyries have been around for a long time, some coming from different areas and different reigns.  We got a bit more depth and back story into some of the others which I liked.  Also we learn more about our the other types of magic can exist in this world with everything else.  I liked learning about the witches also, a whole other community.  I also enjoy that even as they are preparing and dealing with so much major stuff they still deal with the normal teenage things that help ground them, TV marathons, sleepovers, double dates, high school gossip and an after school job.  What can be more grounding than something simple.

                Overall I really liked the newest book in the series and can't wait for me, keeping fingers crossed for more from Cora's POV also.  There is so much brewing all waiting for Ragnarök and I can see many more juicy stories coming out of this before the end. 

Rating:  5 Artavo

                Keeping with my productivity, I have a few more ARC's that I'm excited about.  Two of which come out on the same day, and I only got them 6 days in advance, so the review won't be too advanced haha.  I have finished 1, Avoiding Alpha, by Aileen Erin sequel to Becoming Alpha which I previously reviewed here.  Also don't forget to scroll back, my authorinterview with Colette Ballard and giveaway is still up until Saturday so get your entries in. 

                Also as a side note, I was recently having problems with the comments, people commenting but they never show up.  I contacted tech support and they have advised it was the way the comment field was set up, I had the default used for display and only made adjustments to let everyone post without having to have an account because that can scare people away and I don't want that!  So if you were one of the people who tried to post and it didn't show up, I'm sorry I missed it and I think everything is back in order now! 

Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin

                Becoming Alpha by Aileen Erin is a different side to the werewolf genre.  It's a story about love and finding a place you can belong.  When you already consider yourself a freak what's being turned into a werewolf really going to do for your status?  And who knew one kiss could change your lift, literally.  This book is an ARC from NetGalley and Ink Monster LLC and came out on December 17th.    

                Tessa is a not so normal high school girl with this uncanny ability to get visions from touching people or stuff.  She can get the story behind things, so vintage shopping is a horrible idea.  Gloves will only get you so far.  Then when her father accepts a new position at a school, St. Ailbe's Academy, and they move their life from California to Texas she has the chance to start over.  When Tessa meets Dastien, a hot teachers aid who used to attend the school everyone in town seems to know something about but won't share, she starts to have feelings like she never did before.  The universe pulls them together and you'd think the worst that could happen from a kiss would be a vision, wrong.  One kiss and she ends up a new student at St. Ailbe's Academy, a school for werewolves.  Now she must sort out her new life, knowledge, and feelings for the guy she liked who also is sending mixed messages.  Her life went to a whole new level of complicated.  Throw in attacks on the school and you have a whole slew of problems. 

                For me, Becoming Alpha was a quick read.  There were different things going on all at once.  This wasn't just a werewolf book, it had a good range of characters and subplots that all worked together to meld into an intriguing story that fulfills that fantasy inside you and leave you wanting more.  I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  How would she handle what was thrown at her.  I liked being inside her head and seeing how Tessa dealt with everything that popped up.   You also get to learn about other wolves at the school and the hierarchy system there.  Throwing a new girl in who only just found out, verses who was raised on the information.   You also have family, both natural and pack, what it means.  And again, if I didn't mention it, boy trouble.  Because come on that is already a lot to process. 

                I wouldn’t want to give too much away, so I will leave you there.  I hope my readers will check out this book, it came out yesterday, December 17th, when it comes out.  Please, share your comments below!

Mind Bond by Julie Haydon

                Mind Bond by Julie Haydon is an ARC I received from NetGalley and Feather In Cap Publishing Pty Ltd.  This is a story about an adaptation in the future that allows some people to 'mind bond' with a wild animal (IST's Interspecies Telepaths).  But don't be fooled there is so much more to this book than one girl bonding with a wolf, but the whole world of things between the pages.

                We follow Christa who lost her brother when she was little, he disappeared, and after such her family moved from the country to the city.  She left behind all that made her so happy and connected to mother nature, and slowly stopped visiting as much as she grew and life happened.  Until one day she is browsing and sees something that makes her yearn to go back and spend some time camping.  So with her pure city boyfriend, and much more open minded friends, Christa heads back to the protected park where something awakens within her.  As Christa embarks on her journey to spend more time being where she feels most comfortable her connections shift.  Her life evolves yet again as she tries to rediscover what it is that makes her happy. 

                In the park she finds herself happiest.  Then of course she has her little wolf pup, Magnus.  This story is not solely around the mind bond that Christa has with Magnus, however, cute that is.  I won't like I've never been a huge outdoor type of girl but I do love the look of wolfs and their intelligence, so the idea of being connected to one is amazing.  With the mind bond you see the journey that Christa goes on in adapting her life, juggling musts with wants, and the other drama that pops up along the way like a mysterious stranger that shows up in her life or the poacher on the reserve.

My version of Magnus, so cute right!

                As I said this isn't a book with only Christa and Magnus, I was also pleased to see how well flushed out the other characters were.  Other IST's, her family, friends, everyone seemed to be given something to make them memorable and unique.  Not as if they were there solely to move the plot along but to build the world and show a different side to our main character.  

                Mind Bond leaves the book with an end, but also so much prospect for more though I have yet to find any information if there is going to be a follow up or series (but if you know something I don't please share).  Also as the characters are all in their early 20's I don’t know if I would classify this as a YA book per say.  I would include this in the new category I recently heard people discussing as 'New Adult', which is a cross between everything we love about YA and slightly older characters and slightly older themes.  No matter the classification, I gave Mind Bond 4 Stars.  

                Mind Bond came out October 1st and is ready for you to check it out.  Would you want to be an IST?  If so what animal would you want as your partner?  If not, why?  Already read Mind Bond?  Share your thoughts below, I'd love to discuss this with everyone.  

Endless by Amanda Gray

               Endless was an ARC from NetGalley and Month9Books that has made it way from my TBR list to my Read list.  Endless is a book about love and time, what you will do for love through time even if it means breaking all the rules.  This books came out on October 8th, so you don't have to wait to check it out. 

   

             Jenny always knows she's…different.  She can see the past lives of people she touches, after all.  She has a semi-normal life going for her with her father, school, part time job, and her passion to paint.  Then she meets the new guy in town working with her father on a project.  He is standoffish but the two inadvertently find an old music box with instructions for 'memerization' which they both laugh at but decide to try.  Using the box they both fall into a dream, one of a past life they share in Romanov Russia.  But they are not alone, this is the same life Jenny has seen of herself before, with a boy named Nikolai, the mysterious boy she has been dreaming of and painting for a while.  When they wake they delve into the mystery of the music box, just as the mysterious Nikolai appears in the flesh, her love who has come through time to be with her.  Jenny must choose to believe and accept in time travel and in the love she felt in the dreams or she may lose him forever.  He is after all out of time, literally, and that is something the Order, cannot allow.  They are determined to send him back, to stay together they must fight.

                This book was a pretty quick read.  I was worried with the description that it may be a bit simple, which don't get me wrong I love that sometimes, but I was very happy to see that there was also a mystery involved.  More than one actually.  This isn't just a love story, sure it has a love story as a major aspect, one that transcends time, and come on you can't tell me that doesn't make your romantic heart flutter just a bit.  A boy fighting everything even the laws of time to be with the woman he loves.  But that is not all this book offers.  There is also a mystery and intrigue from both Ben and his mysterious past, this Order group, and the growing suspicion that her mother was more than she was lead to believe. 

 

                Jenny is a more well adjusted 'abnormal teen', she has a gift/curse that makes her different like many YA books but she has grown to accept and work around it over the years.  She has much more going on with her.   Ben, the prickly son of her dads new client, also has his secrets.  He and his mom keep to themselves for a reason.  He struggles with his desire to know more and his more immediate and much more real needs than this 'feeling'.  Then we have Nikolai, the other lead, who I knew could be the make or break part.  He is from the past, out of his time.  While he has adjusted, and it is described in a way I can grasp and believe, he still has aspects to his personality that make me think of the past.  Things and actions we today sometimes never see, like chivalry (also side note a word I love but have never been able to pronounce for some odd reason it also comes out wrong).  People also don't talk with the articulate nature as they did then, we are much more straight forward and to the point.  Either way the three of them make for a good read and that doesn't even count the great supporting cast.

                Now I am out of time.  I can't wait to read more and see what happens next.  The sequel does not have a release date that I can find to share but Endless came our October 8th so you can check it out now.  I am giving it a solid: 4 Stars

Gameboard of the Gods by RIchelle Mead

                My honest review of the ARC Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton.  Thank you!  I have been eagerly awaiting this book since I found out about it, being a huge fan of Mead's already as well as the different takes of Gods and Goddesses, it seemed like heaven.  So when I saw this book on NetGalley I hit request so fast it would make your head spin.  I wasn’t sure I'd be approved but I hoped….then when I got the e-mail saying as much…well let's just say my scream of delight and the jumping up and down I did made my cat run and hide in another room.  I logged on and downloaded right away, happy I had it but sad that I was going to work.  Yep silly day job getting in the way of my reading, how annoying.

                So I got this book and I read it, work or no.  First let us discuss the cover, simple and clean white with a beautiful bit of blue (I'm a sucker for blues), a beautiful face and some type of black birds in the back (not such a fan of feathered demon creatures, ie. anything with feathers, talons, and/or beak).  It didn't give you a lot which can be good or bad, but in this case the title was intriguing and I didn’t need a bunch of other pretty things to distract from that.  Now here is the summary I read on this book from as I'm too worried if I give my own I'll give way too much away:

In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims.  But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA).  Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military's most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger.  As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead's Age of X series, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.

               

                I have to agree with that last part.  You know me and my views on characters by now, I have to like them to like the book.  Well I loved Justin and Mae.  Sure I wanted to strangle them through the book too but that just means I cared.  The book is told primarily through their points of view, with the occasional view from Tessa's.  I liked this idea because it let me see the world through different eyes.  From Mae we have someone who is always amped up and has lived in a caste as well as in the expanse of RUNA serving her country.  With Justin we have a man who was exiled, forced out of the RUNA he loved and left to live in the dredges of Panama (a province) which is the opposite of everything home was, only making him crave to go back.  With the few parts we got from Tessa, we got not only a look at out two leads through the observant eyes of another but at the world of RUNA from an outsiders prospective.

                Justin and Mae have some serious things to work out, they both had baggage.  They both have secrets and most importantly, they both are very proud.  They have a lot in common even if they don't want to admit it, or even refuse to see it.  Mead again creates complex characters that seem perfect at first but then after the smiling surface you can see that they are anything but perfect, the way no one is really perfect.  They are also very prideful characters who react like everyone else to things and build up walls and act out, much to my displeasure sometimes but I just kept reading hoping things work come to light.  I was invested in them and wanted to know how things turned out.

                If their complicated relationship wasn’t enough for you there was also a marvelous plot unraveling.  Someone or something is killing people in a very ritualistic way.  The only evidence left throws out all scientific explanation.   Yes they are tracking a killer and following leads that put them in more danger the closer they get while uncovering more than they bargained for?

                This book has all the best things I love in other Mead books and more.  I love the mythology aspect of Gods being involved, about mystical forces, it all worked out well.  So I look forward to seeing where this story goes next!  What is next for Justin and Mae?  I have so much more to say but in fear of giving it away. Check out Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead it comes out June 4th!

The Golden Gate is Red by Jim Kohlberg

                So I just finished reading this book from NetGalley.com.  It was an ARC, however, given my recent move and such I’m way behind.  Now, this book was in the YA section but I didn’t feel it was a YA book, let me explain further.

                Now, this book is pretty short, and as such so will be my review.  The book takes place in San Francisco, after the dot com bust, and I felt half the book was spent describing the city.  Don’t get me wrong I love to get a realistic feel for a setting, especially one I’m not familiar with, but this felt excessive.  I felt bogged down with street names and directions, almost like I was reading the directions from my GPS, more so given how short the book was.

                The book is a mystery of sorts, though frankly I am having trouble properly classifying it.  The main character Max is a middle aged tax man who has a sorted history with Joe and Christina.  He is trying to navigate a murder investigation, possible tax conspiracy, and his past.  Now like the directions I felt so out of place not understanding the abundance of tax terms, though mind you I don’t handle my own taxes either, that felt like more of a manual. 

                The story itself felt brief and unexplored.  I knew more about the city than I did about the characters.  There were some great physical descriptions that showed the emotion of the character but that was it.  There was no depth.  What I did learn about them was in narration and never by seeing it, so I had to take it in through the clouded judgment of the main character.  I think the story also progressed quickly and sporadically, like we took the scenic route from point A to point B.  Conversations ended then it seemed as though they were in a new place and talking about new things and I was left thinking where is the in between parts.

                I wish I could give it a higher rating because I absolutely hate giving a ‘bad’ review.  It’s not so much that I disliked the book; it was okay I just didn’t connect with it.  So sadly I can only give The Golden Gate is Red by Jim Kohlberg 2 stars.  I do give Kohlberg credit as I have since looked it up and found he is writing from some past experiences as well as mention that he normally works on screenplays.  That does make more sense to me now, but I wish the plot line was more flushed out and developed like the scenery.   

                So anyways, The Golden Gate is Red, came out July 17, 2012.  Have you read it?  What did you think?  Questions or Comments below.