The Queen of Zombie Hearts Cover Reveal + Giveaway

Hi, everyone! Instead of having a regular Uncovered post today, we are going to help reveal the cover to the next book in Gena Showalter's White Rabbit Chronicles. I don't usually sign up for cover reveals but I knew I wanted to be a part of this one because I love the covers to this series. Are you ready?

Today is the day! The cover of Gena Showalter's THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS is here! We're so excited to be able to share this with you as it joins an already stunning set! Ready to see it? Not quite yet lets take a look a the first two covers in the series!

First there was ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND...

Then came THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS...

Now get ready to EAT YOUR HEARTS OUT!!!

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Official White Rabbit Chronicles website

On-sale date: Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Add it to your TBR!  Goodreads

Pre-order your copy! Amazon, Barnes & Noble

         

  Official book description:

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

About Gena:

Gena Showalter is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, the Angels of the Dark, the Lords of the Underworld, and the Otherworld Assassins series.  In addition to being a National Reader's Choice and RITA nominee, her romance novels have appeared in Cosmopolitan and Seventeen magazine, and have been translated in multiple languages.  She lives in Oklahoma with her family and menagerie of dogs, and truly believes love conquers all.

Website | Twitter | Facebook |The White Rabbit Chronicles Facebook

Giveaway Details:

1 complete set of The White Rabbit Chronicles (first 2 sent as soon as the giveaway is over and the winner will get the first hardcover of book 3 when it's available!) US/Canada Only

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Wicked Nights - Review

Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark #1) 
by Gena Showalter

Publication date: 26 June 2012 by HQN

ISBN 10/13: 0373776985 | 9780373776986
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Category: Adult Paranormal Romance
Keywords: Paranormal, romance, angels, demons
Format: Mass market paperback, eBook
Source: Bought

Synopsis:

Leader of the most powerful army in the heavens, Zacharel has been deemed nearly too dangerous, too ruthless -- and if he isn't careful, he'll lose his wings. But this warrior with a heart of ice will not be deterred from his missions at any cost…until a vulnerable human tempts him with a carnal pleasure he's never known before.

Accused of a crime she did not commit, Annabelle Miller has spent four years in an institution for the criminally insane. Demons track her every move, and their king will stop at nothing to have her. Zacharel is her only hope for survival, but is the brutal angel with a touch as hot as hell her salvation -- or her ultimate damnation?

Review:

Wicked Nights is the first book from Angels of the Dark, a spin off series of the very popular Lords of the Underworld series. I am not very familiar with Showalter’s work, having only read the first book from Lords of the Underworld a couple of years ago. I recall enjoying that book but obviously, I was in no rush to read the rest of the series. However, I decided to give this book a go based on all of the positive reviews and that smoking hot cover.

I devoured the first half of the book very quickly. I was really intrigued by Zacharel and his army of misfit angels. They’re all big, bad alpha males with dark secrets and I wanted to know more about them. Annabelle, too, was a really compelling character. Witnessing her parents’ murder is traumatic enough, but being blamed for it and then thrown it a psych ward just adds insult to injury. I admired her determination and strength in the face of adversity. However, after the initial rush and fun of diving into a new world, the story started to fizzle.

I didn’t really understand why Zacharel and Annabelle fell for each other. I read a lot of romances so I am usually OK with characters falling in love pretty quickly. However, I just wasn’t sure why these two were drawn together. They had some good chemistry, especially in the beginning, but it did not seem like a relationship that would warrant waiting over a thousand years for, as Zacharel had. The whole matter of Zacharel’s essentia being on Annabelle was also never explained. I know it’s a marker that they’re meant to be together but I would have liked a more detailed explanation on what it was and meant and if it had ever happened to anyone else before. Maybe I am missing something since I am not familiar with the Lords of the Underworld mythology, but I would have liked a little more insight.

While I liked Annabelle in the beginning, she started to get on my nerves after a while. She went from sassy and independent to annoying love struck teenager really fast. Her inner monologue and teen vernacular, especially, started to grate on me and I cringed every time she called Zacharel “Zachie.” Zacharel is your typical sexy, alpha male. I didn’t have any problem with him but he wasn’t particularly memorable either. The love scenes between the two were also somewhat lackluster. They felt rushed and were not nearly as hot as I was hoping for.

While I think this world has a lot of potential, the book lacked some spark and Annabelle and Zacharel did not do it for me. I didn’t feel a deep connection between the two and wasn’t as invested in their relationship as I should have been. I started getting bored halfway through and I found myself struggling to finish it. There is a bit of a twist at the end that surprised me, but the final confrontation is anti-climactic. Fans of Gena Showalter and the Lords of the Underworld series will probably really like Wicked Nights. I don’t think Showalter’s writing is for me and I doubt I will be continuing on with the series, which is a shame since I love the covers.

 

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Visit the author online at www.genashowalter.com and follow her on Twitter @genashowalter


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Stacked (21)

Greetings! By the time you read this I will probably be on a plane flight back to Southern CA. An old high school friend is getting married in Atlanta this weekend and I will be making the trip out there for the festivities. Since I am leaving pretty early on Thursday, this installment of Stacked is going to be pretty short. Thanks for stopping by. Hopefully I will have more to show you all next week.

Bought

Seduced In The Dark (The Dark Duet #2) by CJ Roberts - My friend Kimberly lent me the first book in this series, Captive in the Dark, and I have been waiting to see what happens next. This isn't your typical romance or erotica book. It's a tough, emotional read that I really, really liked. Excited to read this one.

Wicked Nights by Gena Showalter - Last weekend this book was on Kindle sale for only $1.99. How could I resist? And I really like this cover. This guy has a fantastic body. :) I have only read a couple of Gena Showalter books, so I am really interested to see where this new series goes.

Tough Shit by Kevin Smith (audiobook) - I am a huge Kevin Smith fan. I've seen him live at Comic Con several times and love listening to his podcast. Figured listening to his book read by him would be more fun than just reading it. 

For Review (NetGalley)

Kiss of Steel by Bec McMaster - I haven't read too much steampunk but I have been hearing good things about this one. It was still available on NG and, luckily, I was able to get a copy.

That's all for me. I may post a few pics of Atlanta when I get back. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend. 

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Lord of the Vampires - Review

It's October and officially fall, my favorite season and one of my favorite months. Halloween is right around the corner and I've already stocked up on my fun size candy. There will be lots of book reviews featuring vampires, werewolves, ghosts and other creatures of the night. To kick it off, I have a review of Gena Showalter's Lord of the Vampires. Happy haunting!

Lord of the Vampires (Royal House of Shadows #1) 

by Gena Showalter

Publication date: 23 August 2011 Harlequin

ISBN 10/13: 0373618662 | 9780373618668

Category: Adult Paranormal Romance
Keywords: Paranormal, vampires, romance, revenge
Format: Mass market paperback, eBook, audiobook 

Source: e-ARC received from Netgalley

From goodreads:

Once upon a time...the Blood Sorcerer vanquished the kingdom of Elden. To save their children, the queen scattered them to safety and the king filled them with a need for vengeance. Only a magical timepiece connects the four royal heirs...and time is running out.

Nicolai the Vampire is renowned for his virility, but in a cruel twist of fate "The Dark Seducer" has become a sex slave in the kingdom of Delfina - stripped of his precious timepiece and memory. all that remains is a primal need for freedom, revenge - and the only woman who can help him.

When the wanton vampire summons Jane Parker, she is helpless to obey. She's dawn to his dark sensuality and into his magical realm. But for this human, all is not a fairy tale. For saving Nicolai could mean losing the only man she's ever craved...

Thuy's review: 

Lord of the Vampires is the first book in the new Royal House of Shadows series which will be written by 4 different authors. I'd heard great things about Showalter's Lords of the Underworld series and was excited when I found this book on Netgalley.

The king and queen of Elden are slain by the Blood Sorcerer in a bid for power. But before dying, they each cast a spell on their four children to help them survive. One spell got them to safety and the other instilled in them the need for vengeance. The first book is about Nicolai, crown prince of Elden. Nicolai takes after his father's side of the family and is a blood drinker. He is also a notorious lover, bedding a different woman each night. In a cruel twist of fate, Nicolai finds himself as a sex slave to the cruel princess Odette. Having lost his memory, all he knows is that he has to escape and seek vengeance on the current king of Elden. To accomplish this he secretly casts a spell to bring back a human female, Jane, from another world to help him.

Let's start with the good things about this book. The premise is interesting and original. Jane and Nicolai have great sexual chemistry. There's plenty of fighting and action, in full bloody detail.

Now for the bad. Unfortunately this book just didn't do it for me. I never felt a true emotional connection between the characters and, therefore, was never able to invest in their relationship. Nicolai's plan is to use Jane to escape and then ditch her but he does an about face shortly after Jane appears. Suddenly all he can think is "Mine" and is willing to risk everything for her. Jane, likewise, is ready to risk her life for a man who kidnaps her and plans to leave her high and dry. She's even ready to kill for him, offering to accompany him on his quest to murder the Blood Sorcerer. Though they get to know each other a little more as the story goes on, I still found myself puzzled over why they were drawn to each other.

I wanted to like Nicolai. I really did. Normally I love the dominant alpha male types. Unfortunately I didn't find him very charismatic or memorable. Jane was interesting though not particularly compelling. She accepts her predicament way too easily, even for a scholar of fringe science. Her guilt over surviving a horrible car accident is an interesting facet but it's never fully explored. And, while I admire her survival instincts, I find it hard to believe that she can make a hut from leaves, fashion tools from rocks and fell ogres after six months of self defense classes.

The dialogue also felt off in this one. Nicolai often spoke in short, caveman-like sentences peppered with modern words and phrases. And don't get me started on the ogres. Their comical and cliche one word statements actually made me laugh while reading.

The plot was also hard to follow at times. With the various spells, memory wipes and time/world travel, I had a hard time keeping track of what was going on. And Nicolai's ultimate mission was never resolved. I am guessing it's going to continue on into the next book?

Despite the problems I had with this book, I am going to stick with the series. I am interested in the fates of the other siblings and in seeing what the other writers can do with these characters.

I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

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Visit the author online at www.genashowalter.com/ and follow @genashowalter on Twitter