The Sunday Post ~ Courtship & Crooners

Hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer

This past week has been filled with news to share! Where I want to begin, is in introducing a magnificent book that I stumbled across at my local library.

See, for anyone who doesn't know, I'm an Austen nut. A Darcy fangirl. A diehard fan of BBC films where men wear top hats & women wear bonnets. 

So it was love at first sight when I saw Susannah Fullerton's Happily Ever After ~ Celebrating Jane Austen's 'Pride and Prejudice'. 

Swoon Worthy Saturday ~ Kristen Callihan's Ian Ranulf

Hosted by: Stay Bookish

Today's Swoon Worthy Saturday, which means it's time to choose a fictional male who has swept me off my feet (and made me sob into a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice-cream) this week! 

This Saturday's pick is none other than the gorgeous Ian Ranulf from author Kristen Calliahn's Moonglow (Darkest London #2). As much as I'd like to list every single one of Callihan's fictional men on here, Ian stood out the most for me this week.

Lupus Awareness Month ~ Empower: Fight Like A Girl

Women of TV have united against lupus! 

Presenting Empower: Fight Like A Girl, a special collection of short stories by top women writers from some of your favorite shows, including: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Family Guy, Person of Interest, Grimm, Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order: SVU, Star Trek: Voyager, Eureka, Twisted, The 100, Malcolm in the Middle, Millennium, Being Human, The Shield, Castle, Chuck, Gilmore Girls, and Game of Thrones. In this anthology, you'll discover supernatural thrillers, crime mysteries, horror, comedies, and more.

Authors contributing stories to this volume include:

Amy Berg

Cherry Chevapravatdumrong

Akela Cooper

Liz Edwards

Jane Espenson

Shalisha Francis & Nadine Knight

Lisa Klink

Pang-Ni Landrum

Lauren LeFranc

Kam Miller

Jess Pineda

Jennifer Quintenz

Lisa Randolph

Kay Reindl

Kira Snyder

Jeane Wong

All proceeds will be donated to the non-profit Lupus Foundation of America to help solve the cruel mystery of lupus.

Praise for 'Empower: Fight Like A Girl':

"Even non-girls will feel empowered by these stories about ordinary, flawed characters finding their own strengths. Highly entertaining and original." - Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author of The Chase and King City, whose mother lost her hearing to lupus.

Links:

• Amazon
• Goodreads

Keen Cover Friday ~ Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hosted by: Keepbooked

It's Keen Cover Friday and this week's must-see book cover belongs to Jennifer Lynn Barnes' Killer Instinct.

Killer Instinct is book #2 in The Naturals series and is to be released on November 4th 2014. 

Thief by C.L. Stone Review

Thief (The Scarab Beetle #1)
By C.L. Stone 

Rating: 4.4


'"We're the good guys, little thief. Stop talking like you're trying to figure out if we're not."

"Bad guys think they're good guys, too."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "Guess it depends on where your morals are, or which side of the law you're on. You've been on the bad guys' side too long."

"I'm not-" I stopped short, realising I was falling into what I was just telling him. "I had good reasons."

"There's always a reason."'


Kayli Winchester is a conundrum.

She's a thief with a conscience, picking her targets carefully. They're usually wealthy, confident, at ease in the world...people who wouldn't miss a few hundred dollar bills leaving their wallets. 

And they never do. Kayli's a natural pickpocket, stealing wallets with practised ease & disappearing into the crowd just as easily.

But she doesn't do it for thrills.

With a father whose only contribution to the family is stealing Kayli's hard-earned money so he can drink it all away at the nearest bar, Kayli pickpockets to keep a roof over the heads of her and her younger brother Wil - to allow Wil to stay in school and to secure a better future for him.

Pickpocketing is the easiest way...just as long as she's never seen.

But little does she know she's being watched.

Kayli's caught the attention of a team of young men living on the edge of the law. Marc, Raven, Corey, Brandon and Axel - each one gorgeous and each one equipped with a different set of talents. 

And all apart of The Academy, a mysterious organisation whose teams specialise in surveillance & espionage.

The boys offer Kayli a choice: to use her skills to help them with their latest job, or to face jail time. 

Intrigued despite her initial misgivings, Kayli agrees. The guys teach her a range of skills from shooting a gun to the art of playing video games. With the team beside her, Kayli has high hopes that their job will be successful and that her life is finally taking a turn for the better.

But danger lurks behind smiles and polite facades.

Who is the enemy? And what do they want? 

Kayli and the team must use every skill at their disposal in order to tell friend from foe before it's too late. But the further the team gets in their job, the more dangerous it is and the thicker the plot becomes. 

Their enemy has found a new target - Kayli. And not even a thief can stay hidden forever.

Get ready to fall head over heels for the Academy boys as they steal your heart as deftly as Kayli snatches wallets.

Thief is a brilliant addition to C.L. Stone's Academy world. With an addictive combination of reconnaissance, many-faceted characters and romance, this first book in The Scarab Beetle series is a YA novel you don't want to miss!

Thursday Quotables ~ Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Hosted by BookshelfFantasies

This Thursday's memorable quote comes from Nobody, a book by author Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 

The reason this quote stood out from the myriad of sentences I've read through during the week, is because of how easy it is to apply to our everyday lives. How often have we ever felt alone, unwanted or like we simply don't exist? Sixteen year-old Claire's wise words stuck with me and I'm excited to share them with you all.

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson ~ ARC Review

The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)
By Mary E. Pearson

Rating: 5+


'I drew in a deep breath, a new breath, one I had never taken before.

I am only Lia, now. From this day forward.

It felt like a baptism. A deeper kind of cleansing. Water trickled down my face and dripped from chin. Terravin wasn't just a new home. Dalbreck could have offered that, but there I'd have been only a curiosity in a foreign land, with still no voice in my own destiny.

Terravin offered a new life. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.'


Move aside Daenerys Targaryen...a new badass princess is coming!



Kings throw away your crowns. Queens start practising your curtsey. Because Princess Lia is here to show you how being royal is supposed to be done - going on a journey that will tear her apart & put her back together again as she becomes the woman she was always meant to be.

She doesn't accept lies or deception. She wants to make her own destiny. And she's so badass it's not even possible to describe the insane amounts of badass-ery this girl has. Especially that part when she faces down a bunch of barbarian assassins & tells them to basically screw themselves.


And not only does this book have a brilliantly constructed plot, a badass heroine & a fantastic world of myth & magic, but to top it all off it presents us with not one...but two gorgeous men. Although, I do think Rafe is the more attractive of the two!

So if you're ready for the adventure of a lifetime...be sure to grab yourself a copy of The Kiss of Deception when it's released! :)

Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas ~ Cover Reveal

Want to know what I thought of Heir of Fire? Check out my review here

The Throne of Glass series by author Sarah J Maas is known for its brilliant content both on the covers of its books, as well as inside of them. 

And the latest addition to the series Heir of Fire (TBR September 2014) is sure to be no different. The book's cover was officially released today and has made quite the impression with Throne of Glass fans worldwide.

If you haven't seen the much-anticipated cover yet - or, you want to take another look! - check out the images below: (both the US & UK versions)

What do you think of the covers? Are you excited for the release of Heir of Fire? Let us know below!

Undertow by K.R. Conway ~ Review

Undertow (Undertow #1)
By K.R. Conway

Rating: 4.2


'I wanted answers instantly.

Come to think of it, answers would have been helpful before I moved to this cursed strip of sand.

Why couldn't Mr. Talbot have said, "Oh yes, the home is lovely. There are some sea monsters with hands like Schwarzenegger and your eyeballs may start to glow in the dark, but other than that, the place is great."'


Sweet dream...or a waking nightmare?

For Eila Walker, inheriting a million dollar Cape Cod home is a dream come true. Her and her legal guardian Mae can have a fresh start - putting behind them the hardships of the past. Mean cheerleaders & weird neighbours aside, the whole thing seems too good to be true.

That is, until Eila realises she's inherited more than a house. She's also inherited a deadly legacy. 

The present and the past collide.

Finding out her great-grandmother was a kind of magical warrior is the least of Eila's worries. Because the evil that her great-grandmother sacrificed herself to destroy is still out there, lurking in the shadows one-hundred and sixty years later. 

And it'll do anything to get its hands on Eila. The last of her kind...and the key to limitless power. 

With the darkly handsome and protective Raef O’Reilly - plus her friends Ana and MJ and Raef's brother Kian - by her side, Eila must unravel the mystery surrounding her great-grandmother's death if she's to save the lives of those she loves. 

But at what cost?

Undertow is an intensely thrilling paranormal tale that will pull you into its depths from the very first chapter.

With clever plot construction and a great cast of characters, this book has all the makings of a great YA novel. It will be interesting to see how Kate Conway develops the concepts in Undertowfurther as the series progresses :)

A new heroine rises in a darkened corner of the world. Join her on her journey today.


**A big thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title**

Everlasting by Candace Knoebel ~ Review

Everlasting (Night Watchmen #1)
By Candace Knoebel 

Rating: 4.4


'"I have to say, Middleton, I didn't think you'd have it in you." 

He's looking me over, and I know what he meant was that I don't look the part. I'm too frail. Too small.

"Maybe you shouldn't think then," I retort.'


Kick-ass action, magic and romance combine to form an addictive tale that will have readers on the edge of their seats.

Although life has its inconsistencies, every coming-of-age novice within the Primeval Coven knows one factor will remain constant: the annual Culling ceremony. The day when they're revealed to be either a Hunter or a Witch.

The day when their purpose in life - and their place within the Coven - are secured.

But for Faye Middleton, no other factor in her life could be more uncertain.

Whilst other novices prepare for their future as either a Hunter or a Witch, Faye prepares for a life as a Defect. 

It's a fact she's had to deal with her whole life - one that ultimately means banishment and a life amongst humans, away from those she loves. And as the Culling looms closer, Faye's fear becomes stronger. 

Yet even though her clairvoyant mother saw her future a long time ago, Faye can't help but cling to a tiny sliver of hope. Destinies aren't set in stone - there has to be a way to change her own destiny. There just has to be.

All she needs is a miracle.

Going from a Defect to an Everlasting could be considered an upgrade. Or...not.

When the Culling doesn't go to plan (i.e. stuff explodes, plus screaming and general panic ensues), Faye is faced with the startling revelation that she isn't a Defect. Far from it. She's an Everlasting - neither Witch, nor Hunter, but a mixture of both. 

And although being an Everlasting may come with a lot of perks and power, it also comes with a great amount of danger - danger not only for her, but for the people around her. 

All sides need her. All sides want her. And all sides fear what she will become.

Faye is pushed to her limits as she's trained to be both a Hunter and a Witch. Isolated from the others, she finds solace in the company of trainer and protector Jaxen - a handsome guy, with a deadly secret dictating his actions and his heart. 

But Jaxen's not the only one keeping secrets. The Coven isn't as honourable as it would like its people to believe, and Faye finds herself stuck in its web, trapped between her duty and what is right. With Faye being the most sought-after chess piece on the board, the question remains: is she the one fighting? Or is someone else calling the shots?

Is she a player...or a pawn?

Be prepared for a heroine who isn't afraid to face up to her own flaws.

Unlike many female protagonists, Faye Middleton acknowledges her shortcomings - and the shortcoming of most YA/NA females - and she strives to be her own woman and make things right. One of the most potent scenes is the one where she realises that she shouldn't try to be someone else to get a guy's attention:

'"You're being absurd," I tell myself, shaking my head. But even with admitting this, I still manage to brush my hair out and braid it from one side of my head to the other, giving it some form of cuteness.

I could be a stereotype. I could fall into the trap of trying too hard. I could be someone other than myself for him.

And I don't like it.

I undo my braid and run my fingers through my hair, straightening it back out. I want to look as plain as possible. I need to.'

This is an important message - a message that tells its female audience that the person the guy should get to know/date/fall in love with, should be you - the natural you. The you without the constant primping. The you whose voice doesn't go several octaves higher when you talk to him.

It doesn't condemn looking good - far from it. But what it does reinforce is that it's very, very easy to be a stereotype and to hide behind that facade. But it takes strength to be yourself - to allow someone to see the real you.

Be prepared for a heroine who isn't afraid to talk back, or blurt stuff out.

A cross between Rose from Vampire Academy and Anna fromFrozen, Faye is a complex character who lets slip trivia when she's nervous...and on the can other hand call someone out on their behaviour with all the fierceness of a mama bear. 

And it's refreshing to also meet a guy character who gets nervous around girls like a normal guy would!

Jaxen is hot (there's no denying it). He can kick ass like a pro. But he still gets nervous when he's faced with a situation involving:
i.) Talking
ii.) A pretty girl

And it's not the kind of nervous where you stutter/freak out/sweat. But it's the sweet kind of nervous - a nervousness they both share as they start to discover and explore the bond that grows stronger between them with each day. 

And it's nice that Faye isn't afraid to stick up for herself, or tell Jaxen he's being stupid. Right here is the kind of female protagonist we need more of!

So if you like pointy weapons, sizzling kisses and plenty of angry demons, pick up Everlasting today :)