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Blood of Anteros by Georgia Cates.

Title: Blood of Anteros (The Vampire Agápe #1)
Author: Georgia Cates
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Publication Date: 21st September 2011
Description: Cruel circumstances turned Curry Brennan into the wretched monster he hates and refuses to accept, but when an expected turn of events releases him from the bond of his obsessive maker, he returns to the home he knew 161 years earlier and finds the return of happiness and joy in something he didn’t know existed. Puzzled by his growing attraction to Chansey Leclaire, a human, he is unable to resist the captivating relationship that threatens to reveal his existence as a vampire. He eventually discovers the reason he was destined to find what he didn’t know he searched for and is faced with the cruel realization that the living and the immortal undead will always be separated by one thing. Eternity.

Be sure to check out the book trailer for Blood of Anteros on my Goodreads profile page or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LbJpi...

{ Review }

I was really surprised by the opening passages of this novel. The cover is just so fantastically beautiful that I had in my mind a form that I thought this book would take, but I was completely wrong. The beginning of this novel is so intriguing and right from the onset the author is setting you up for something big to happen later in the novel. The first chapter was just so mysterious, I couldn't stop reading and the writing of this book is absolutely mesmerising.

I never really understood it when characters in books talked of people (vampires) looking young but seemingly wise beyond their years until now. Curry is a young man but something about him makes it seem like he's a lot older than that. The book is written from his perspective so we are hearing the thoughts of a vampire who's over one hundred years old and it's really strange because usually we read a book through the experiences of the human. I was really surprised by the fact that this book was written from the male perspective. Most of the paranormal romances I've read have been from a woman's perspective, in fact, I don't think I've ever read a paranormal romance from the male POV. This was really interesting and refreshing because it meant that immediately it was different from all the others and it was the female character that was the intriguing one.

I liked that even though this is a 'paranormal romance', the paranormal aspect wasn't that overbearing. In fact, at times I completely forgot that Curry was even a vampire. This was unusual for me because in most of the other vampire books I've read, the fact that the characters were vampires was an extremely prominent feature that the author sort of forced upon you at every turn, but this was different. The paranormal elements are quite subtle and this made the whole plot seem more realistic, something that is quite hard to do when you're talking about the supernatural in this day and age.

I've read too many books recently where the characters fall in love instantaneously and frankly I was starting to get a little bored of romances. Blood of Anteros; however, has broken that streak because the relationship between the two main characters, Curry and Chansey, actually develops. There is a real build up throughout the novel and the story unfolds slowly and carefully, keeping you interested throughout the whole novel.

I tried to read this book at my normal pace but for some reason I just couldn't. I had to read every single word, slowly and carefully because I didn't want to miss a single detail. This slowness isn't a bad thing, it just meant that I was caught under this book's spell and it wanted me to read every single letter and it was impossible for me to even try to speed up. I found it kind of annoying that the book had that sort of power over me and it was really strange because I've never really encountered a book that set out a pace that I couldn't break.

I thought this would be just like those other vampire books popping up all over the place, but it really wasn't and for that I am so glad. This book is absolutely gripping and I would highly recommend it to all fans of paranormal romance.

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Amateur Angel by Karri Thompson.

Title: Amateur Angel
Author: Karri Thompson
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Goodreads Summary: Only 18-years-old, Ashley is no ordinary teenager. Not only is she dead, but upon her death, she mistakenly enters the wrong line in the afterlife, a line meant for trained, guardian angels. With a pair of wings on her back, Ashley is sent to Los Angeles to replace another angel whose "assignment" was none-other-than Cannon Michaels, a current member of the band Sendher, the sexiest man alive, and Ashley's celebrity crush in life.
While exposed to Cannon's selfish, judgmental behavior and his reckless, rock-and-roll lifestyle, Ashley is far from meeting the requirements of a true guardian angel. She misses her family and friends. Will she ever be able to accept her own death? What will she do when she jeopardizes her position as an angel and Cannon's physical safety by falling in love with him?

{ Review }

I wasn't really sure what to expect from Amateur Angel, but I thought a story about love and guardian angels would be something nice and lighthearted to read during summer.

This book is written from the first person perspective of Ashley, the angel, which gives the reader more of a connection to her. Ashley herself is pretty clueless from the beginning so you feel like you're going on a journey with her as she learns the ropes of being a guardian angel. I thought that her character could've been developed a little better as sometimes I thought her feelings were a little rushed and out of the blue. I also thought that she settled into being a guardian angel a little too fast for someone who had just died and been thrust into a new and strange existence but she is an interesting character nonetheless.

The other main character, Cannon Michaels, is a little harder to figure out. He is quite an unpredictable character which makes the story all the more interesting as, of course, it can be quite difficult to look after someone if you have no idea what they're going to do next. Ashley has quite a hard job keeping up with Cannon and his rock star lifestyle but as she is stuck within a 10 foot radius of him she soon gets to know him quite well.

I loved that the guardian angels could never been seen or heard but were silent protectors. Or at least, that's what we're led to believe. The book centres around Ashley and Cannon and their 'relationship', though, of course, they don't really have one given that Ashley is basically invisible to him. I found this a little frustrating because I've never read a book where the two protagonists never actually interact with each other, but I suppose that was refreshing.

The ending was quite unexpected for me and I was a little disappointed with it. As I was reading the book, I kept imagining different scenarios for how this would end but I couldn't predict what actually happened. I suppose this is also a good thing because I like it when a book surprises me and it gets a bit annoying when all the books you read are predictable and repetitive.

Amateur Angel is like no book that I've ever read before and it provided me with an interesting and quick summer read. The writing simply flows off the page so I was done with this book in no time. I liked that the story wasn't too heavy and it was just a quick and easy read.

{ About the Author }

As a first-time author, I cannot express- not even in words- how excited I am about the release of my debut novel, Amateur Angel. It took a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. There were many disappointments and rejections along the way, but in the end, my persistence and determination eventually paid off. In many ways, I think writing a novel is easier than finding an agent to represent it and then a publisher to buy it. Two years ago, I almost gave up on my dream to become an author, but then my son, Kyle, wrote a special poem for me, and it inspired me to write a new book and try again. The new book was Amateur Angel.

Here is his poem:

You fail and you fail,

You fix and you fix,

You wait and you wait,

Until you succeed.

I hung this poem in my closet and read it every day when I was getting ready to go to work and each night before I went to bed. It is still there and always will be. I know what I’m about to say will sound like a cliché, but based on my own personal experience, the best advice I can give anyone is to always believe in your abilities, hold your head high, swallow your pride, accept criticism and then learn from it, and most importantly, never give up.

I grew up in San Diego County and attended San Diego State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in education, and my teaching credential. I am a high-school English teacher in the East County of San Diego where I also live with my husband, our son, and two dogs.

Being a lover of Victorian literature, my favorite author is Charles Dickens although I haven’t quite finished reading all of his books. Someday I’ll finally finish David Copperfield- I promise. If you are one of my students, you are either laughing or shaking your head at this.

I lead a very busy life, but when I’m not teaching, grading papers, or attending my son’s soccer games, I find time to write novels, my greatest passion.

Author's Links:

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{ Author Interview with Kate Evangelista }

Today we have an interview with Kate Evangelista, the author of 'Taste', which is an absolutely fantastic YA paranormal romance :)

1. What inspired you to write Taste?

At the school I used to teach at, they would ring a bell in the afternoons to signal to the remaining students that they need to wait for their parents at the guard house for pick up. The practical answer for this is that the nuns need silence while they are at prayer. But in my head, I imagined other things happening in the school at night. That's why the beginning of Taste is Phoenix waking up in the library with the bell ringing.

2. Are any of the characters based on people you know in real life?

No. The characters in my head come as they are.

3. Was the character Dray (and his experiments) inspired by any of your experiences in medical school?

Dray is the kind of character that comes along to mix things up. He's so unsure of himself, but when it comes to his experiments, he's totally confident. *laughs*

4. Will you be writing a sequel to Taste?

I've decided to leave it as a stand alone novel.

5. What's your all-time favourite book and why?

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It's the funniest take on the end of the world that I've ever read. I totally recommend it.

6. If you could swap lives with any literary character, which would you choose?

Amanda Briars from Suddenly You by Lisa Kleypas. My favorite historical romance of all time.

7. Which author, if any, would you compare yourself to?

I haven't read enough novels to definitively compare myself to another author. I'd like to think that we're all different no matter how many similarities we have.

8. Do you have any advice for budding young writers?

Prepare for the wait. There's a lot of waiting involved in the writing process. When you send out your novel to your critique partners, you have to wait. When you start submissions, you have to wait. Once you get a publisher, there's a lot more waiting there. So, starting now, save up on your patience.

9. What are you working on next?

I'm working on two trilogies. The first is Til Death with Entangled publishing and the second is Reaping Me Softly with Omnific Publishing. I can't wait to share these stories with all of you.

10. Finally, if you were a biscuit, what sort of biscuit would you be? :)

Can I be a cookie? Because I would be chocolate chip and mint. Yum!

I would like to take this time to thank Laura for letting me hang out today. It was so much fun answering her questions. Please make Taste part of your summer reading and discover what Laura has discovered underneath Barinkoff Academy. I dare you to break curfew.

**Read my review of Taste here!**

Taste by Kate Evangelista.

Title: Taste

Author: Kate Evangelista

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Romance

Publication Date: 30th April 2012

Goodreads Summary: At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Luka has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Luka the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

{ Review }

I've seen reviews for Taste popping up all over the blogosphere and after hearing such great things about it, I just knew that I had to get my hands on a copy. I have just spent the entire morning whizzing through Taste and it was absolutely fantastic. It exceeded my expectations by far and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would give that 'zombies' (or any sort of flesh-eating creatures) are my least favourite supernatural creatures.

Taste really has a way of drawing the reader in. I was completely engrossed in this story and found myself feeling the emotions of the characters and I even shed a tear or two which was very unexpected. I felt a connection to all of the characters, particularly the protagonist, Phoenix, in a way that I haven't felt whilst reading a book in a very long time. The characters are all compelling, particularly Phoenix, Demetri and Luka. All three of these characters have some sort of deep emotional baggage which makes them all the more intriguing. All the boys in the novel sound devastatingly beautiful and the description is superb. In my mind's eye I can perfectly imagine each and every character because of the intricate and detailed writing.

The writing brought out real emotions in me and had my heart pounding, my stomach squirming and my fingers tingling with every word I read. The romance in Taste was electrifying and I could feel shivers through my body as I was reading certain passages. The chemistry between the two protagonists is undeniable though my one criticism would be that at the beginning of the novel it wasn't made clear which boy she was fated to be with. For some people this will be a good thing, but, personally, I would've preferred it if there had been a little less confusion.

With most paranormal romances, I can see the end coming a mile off, and even though the ending of Taste wasn't that surprising, I still didn't see it coming because my mind was too engrossed in thinking and being the characters. This story is new and unique and I had no idea what to expect from it. The plot was constantly twisting and turning in a series of unpredictable events that had me gripped from the onset. Kate Evangelista has created a completely new world that you yearn to learn more about

It was really refreshing to read a YA Paranormal Romance that didn't have vampires or werewolves in it and I commend the author for her originality. In addition, both the cover and the title really suit this book and make it look like a really interesting read, and it is even better on the inside! This is an absolute must read for any teen with an interest in the paranormal romance. Kate Evangelista has another three upcoming YA books that I can't wait to get my hands on as I'm sure they'll be just as electrifying, if not more.

Anyone else read Taste or have another 'zombie' novel to recommend? Comment below! :)

Clary is back in New York and life is good: she's training to be a Shadowhunter and is finally able to call Jace her boyfriend. But nothing comes without a price. When Jace inexplicably begins to pull away from her, Clary is forced to acknowledge that she herself has set in motion a chain of events that could lead to the losss of everything she loves. Even Jace.

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge.

The stakes are higher than ever...

City of Fallen Angels is the fourth instalment in the phenomenal Mortal Instruments series, written by Cassandra Clare. I have been a huge fan of this series ever since I read City of Bones and I could not wait to get started with City of Fallen Angels. Cassandra Clare's writing is absolutely brilliant. Her books draw you in instantaneously and keep you turning page after page after page - its impossible to put her books down! Although The Mortal Instruments series is written from the third person narrator, you still feel really connected to all the characters and know exactly how they're all feeling. The plot that Cassandra Clare has woven is so detailed and intricate that the plot often shifts from one person's story to another. This means that you can see what each and every character has been up even when they're not together. With scenes jumping from place to place, you would think that the book was always jumping around and moving back and forth; however, Cassandra Clare writes in such a seamless manner that you don't notice this.

It has been a very long time since I read the first three books in this series and I did have to refresh my memory several times whilst reading City of Fallen Angels, which is why I'd say that this isn't really a stand-alone book. In order to fully enjoy and understand all the references and character relationships, I think it is essential for the reader to have read the previous three books. All the characters in City of Fallen Angels have developed and changed a lot since their debut in City of Bones and in order to understand the characters in City of Fallen Angels, you need know why they are who they are and what events shaped their personalities. The reason the first three books are so important to this series is because the complicated plot twists that were unravelled in them need to be understood by the reader. I think that the first three novels work very well together as a collection and City of Fallen Angels is sort of like a new part to the story that kicks off after the events in the first three books have been resolves. (This would be because the series was supposed to end with City of Glass). At least, this is what it appears to be for the majority of the novel. Towards the end, there is (of course) a dramatic plot twist, bringing back things from the past in ways you would never expect and you realise that the action from the first three novels isn't over.

City of Fallen Angels is certainly a fast paced novel that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. Many characters are sort of transitioning from their old selves to their new selves and there are also a couple of new characters introduced. The plot line is constantly moving, and definitely keeps you on your toes. The action is just non stop - just when you think it's all over, something else happens to kickstart it all over again and this is why I love Cassandra Clare's books so much. There is never a dull moment in this series, there are no empty or undeveloped characters, they are all incredibly complex and their life stories weave in and out of each others in such a fascinating manner.

Clary and Jace have always had a complicated relationship and I'm sorry to say that things do not go smoothly for them in City of Fallen Angels. This pair are definitely the central characters to the novel; however, this novel is not solely orientated around their romance. There is also a lot of family drama, friend drama and demon drama which brings so much action to the novel. I would say that this book is a lot more tight knit than the previous three. I think the focus is narrowed down to a few, very important characters who are all deeply involved in the plot line, whereas in previous books there has often been different people doing different things but in City of Fallen Angels, all the characters have some business with all the other characters.

This is a must read for anyone who loves anything to do with the paranormal/fantasy genre will love this young adult book and I cannot recommend it enough. It is full of romance, suspense, drama and action and I guarantee that you will not be able to put this book down! In addition, the film of City of Bones is set to be released in 2013, so get ahead of the game and read the series now.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick.

Crescendo is the sequel to the very successful novel 'Hush Hush'. Patch and Nora's story continues but there are many unexpected twists and turns right from the onset. The plot line of Crescendo is completely different to that of Hush Hush which is good as many authors run dry after one really good novel and fair to come up with more interesting material.

Crescendo draws out some threads from Hush Hush and expands and develops them, the most prominent of which being the death of Nora's father. Was it really under 'normal' and 'human' circumstances? Was it possible that Patch was involved? Nora's quest to find out what happened to her dad and who killed him drives the plot of this novel. Unsurprisingly the fallen angels and the nephilim are heavily involved and we see the introduction of a new character: Scott. He's the loser childhood friend that Nora had forgotten about, but now he's transformed into a muscular, mysterious hunk. Ordinarily Nora would probably ignore Scott and his type, but the fact that Patch is telling her to stay away from him and that he seems to have so many secrets draws her to him. As Patch seems to draw closer to Nora's arch enemy Marcie Miller, things begin to hot up. People's relationships come under scrutiny and there are quite a lot of shocking moments when the truth is revealed. This book is easy to read and with the very exciting plot you'll just want to keep reading on and on.

There is only one thing about this book that I dislike and that is that Patch and Nora don't spend a lot of this novel together as a couple. In fact Patch isn't present in a lot of the novel, not physically at least, of course he's still on Nora's mind for nearly every second of the day. However, we are rewarded with many scenes of sexual tension between the pair some of which are better than those of the previous book.

This book is excellent in driving the plot of the series forwards and it progresses much. This book was indeed worth the wait and I sincerely hope that 'Silence' does the same. I highly recommend this book for all paranormal lovers, don't think that this is a book about 'silly little angels'. These are hardcore, bad-boy angels that have fallen from Heaven.

The Vampire Diaries: The Return - Nightfall.

The reviews for this book are extremely mixed, there was even a controversy on Amazon over it. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to say that I was extremely disappointed with this book. Having read the previous four books in 'The Vampire Diaries' series I assumed that this book was going to be excellent, sadly I was wrong. It appears to me that over the seventeen year break between 'Dark Reunion' and 'Nightfall', LJ Smith lost her touch, which is understandable giving that seventeen years is a heck of a long time. Nightfall did not live up to the expectations and is way below the bar that the previous four books have set.

By 'Nightfall', I believe that the plot had just become rather ridiculous. Elena had undergone so many changes (human to vampire to dead to spirit to human) that the plot had become even more unrealistic. No one character can possibly go through that many life changes in such a short space of time.

'Nightfall' got off to a very slow start and I found it difficult to get back into the series. For a lot of the first part of the book Elena is just trying to get back to human self and has to essentially relearn everything from how to walk to talk to act and it's all rather boring and sappy as Stefan mollycoddles Elena and Elena overstretches herself. The plot doesn't kick off until around half way through and even then it's all very repetitive. I didn't think that the characters were very well developed in this book and there wasn't a lot of substance. This book was considerably longer than any of it's predecessors, it's probably about twice the length, and consequently, twice the rambling and irrelevant information. Stefan, a main character, was AWOL, inexplicably for the majority of this book and even by the end of it the reader is left confused as to what has happened to him. Stefan is not the only mystery. If I'm perfectly honest, I haven't got a clue what was going on at the end of this book despite the fact that I finished reading it only a couple of short hours ago. The story did not finish, but it was not the sort of cliffhanger that the reader likes, it was just loose ends that needed to be tied up.

The imagery in the story reminds me a lot of 'The Exorcist' or 'Splice' as many of the town's people become possessed by 'malachs'. They then proceed to do weird and disgusting things, but again there is little explanation. There are two new characters, the two troublemakers, but I didn't understand their motives at all. It is quite a long book and it's taken me quite a long time to read it because frankly I just kept getting bored and drifting away from it. Thinking back, I really don't remember all that much happening throughout. The climax is very near to the end but the problem with this is that a. most people are so bored by then, they really don't care and b. it wasn't worth the wait. I know that a lot of people will disagree with me as many think that this is an excellent book, but I am sorely disappointed and I don't feel like I want to read the two subsequent novels.

All in all, this book does not live up to the expectations that were set by the previous four books and I wouldn't recommend you read it. Don't let this book spoil your memories of the first four (excellent) books.

Darkness becomes her by Kelly Keaton.

Article first published as Book Review: Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton on Blogcritics.

I have literally devoured this book in the past two hours. I was recently sent this book to read and review and I decided that I would not read it until after the impending doom of this week's IGCSE exams; however, I got bored of revising and so I began to read 'Darkness Becomes Her'. This was a big mistake. Not because the book isn't good, because it is, but because after: 'just the first chapter', I literally could not put it down.

It is a very fast paced novel so I was turning page after page like nobody's business and the thrilling plot kept me going the entire way through. I did not know what to expect from this book, clearly it had something to do with the paranormal but other than that I was clueless. I was actually quite suprised by what I found. I thought that this book was just another author trying to feed off the success of the twilight phenomenon, but boy was I wrong. Of course, there are vampires in this book, but they're more like extras rather than something which actually contributes to the story. There is literally every kind of supernatural being in this book. It ranges from vampires to witches to shapeshifters, and what really suprised me: Greek Gods. The way that Keaton incorporates bits of Greek mythology into this novel is a bit odd at first, but when you get used to it is a superb addition to the plot. If you're a fan of the supernatural then this is definitely a book for you.

What is also interesting about this book, is that it is set in the future, in New Orleans after a series of great hurricanes that destroyed the city. The rest of the plot stems from there and it is truly intriguing as a paranormal story is placed in such a familiar setting that all the readers should know of.

There are quite a lot of unexpected twists and turns in this book, if you really analyse the plot you could probably guess how certain characters fit into the mix, but I'd say that this would be a book full of suspense for the average reader.

I don't want to give away any of the plot, but this is truly a great read and I highly recommend the first in what is sure to be a great new series! Follow Ari, a confused and curious teenage girl, and her new band of paranormal misfits as they try to uncover the secrets of her past and how to progress into the future.

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WIN an ebook copy of Halo of the Damned by Dina Rae (epub, pdf, mobi, digital)! Enter using Rafflecopter below :)

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**Read my review of Taste here!**

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Taste by Kate Evangelista.

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Charity Moon by DeAnna Kinney.

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Stained by Ella James.

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BOOK REVIEW: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

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