Stacked (49)

Hello again! Thank you for stopping by Stacked, my weekly haul post. I actually have a pretty nice stash of books this week. I received a few things for review bought a few things as well. Let's get into it!

eBooks

Tiger Lily by Jodi Anderson - I have been wanting to read this one for a while now. I even checked it out from the library a few times and never got around to it. But it was the Kindle Daily Deal sometime this week and I snatched it up.

Anchored by A.J. Larrieu - Adult paranormal novella. The author contacted me for a possible review and, after reading a brief excerpt, I decided to give it a go.

Ink by Amanda Sun - From NetGalley. Not going to lie. I picked this one for the cover alone. I love watercolors and this actually reminds me of David Mack, one of my favorite artists. Besides a gorgeous cover, the premise sounds really cool.

Ooh...physical books!

Envy & Betrayal by Gregg Olsen - Thanks to Crystal from Elegantly Bound Reviews for gifting these two to me. I have been wanting to read this creepy looking series.

From What I Remember by Stacey Kramer & Valerie Thomas - Bought a brand new hardcover from the library bookstore for $1!

Old City Blues by Giannis Milonogiannis - Picked this up from the publisher at WonderCon. They always have cool stuff and this one was suggested to me. Looks really dark and gritty.

The Killer: Volume 1 by Matz & Luc Jacamon - Another pick WonderCon. I wanted to get this last year but they had run out of Vol 1. Another one that looks prett dark.

Dark Triumph by Robin LaFevers came out this week, too, and I really want to get it. Just not sure if I want to get the hardcover or the eBook. Probably the eBook but we'll see. I may go see The Host this weekend, too. Has anyone seen it yet? Yay or nay? Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

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Game for Marriage - Review

Game for Marriage by Karen Erickson

Publication date: 11 January 2013 by Entangled Publishing

ISBN 13: 9781622667970
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Category: Adult Contemporary Romance
Keywords: Romance, Sports, Realistic
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased

Synopsis from Goodreads:

He’s going in deep to make her his…

Struggling artist Sheridan Harper never imagined she’d spend a sizzling night with Jared Quinn, the smoking-hot star quarterback of her local professional football team, the San Jose Hawks. And she’s even more shocked when Jared’s publicist offers her a proposition: a fake marriage to keep Jared out of the gossip mags. Being that close to Jared would be too tempting, so to protect her heart, she insists on secretly including a clause forbidding sex between them.

Jared just wants to keep his starting QB job and keep it in San Jose. His reputation as a ladies’ man has landed him in the headlines one too many times, but there’s something about his kind, passionate new wife that tempts him beyond reason. Any sort of intimacy between them is completely forbidden, but as their bodies fall in deep, will their hearts follow suit?

Review:

Fake marriage is a common trope used in romance novels which made me wonder if I would like this one or not. However, both Jared Quinn and Sheridan Harper are highly likeable characters, and Erickson's writing style kept the story interesting. After some initial chemistry and a hot night together, Sheridan gets hit with the proposition of entering into a fake marriage with Quinn to help him save his image and career.

Readers can already anticipate what one of the biggest conflicts will be in this story - what happens when people discover that the marriage is fake?  Additionally, with the pressure of the no sex clause the possibility of exposure becomes all that more of a challenge.  The strength of the story for me was that throughout the story Jared and Sheridan truly have to discover themselves and their feelings for each other.  Initial chemistry is great but can it develop into deeper feelings? Erickson kept the story moving with just the right amount of tension, conflict, hot sexiness, and character development.

Final thoughts on Game For Marriage, this is a sweet romance with great characters, and just the right amount of sexiness. I am eager to see where Erickson takes readers in the second book in this series which I suspect will involve Sheridan's best friend, Willow and Jared's teammate, Nick.       

Check out these Bonus Features for Game for Marriage, from Karen Erickson's blog.

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Visit the author online at www.karenerickson.com , like her on Facebook,  follow her on Pinterest, follow her on Twitter @karenerickson

Uncovered (58): Archangel's Legion

Friday, oh how I have missed you. :) Hi, everyone! Thanks for coming back (or coming for the first time). This week on Uncovered, I have the newest cover in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series, Archangel's Legion. As with the rest of the covers in the series, this one was done by Tony Mauro. The Guild Hunter covers have been somewhat hit and miss for me. There are those I love (Archangel's Kiss) and those that just look awkward (Archangel's Blade). However, I love this one. Elena looks badass with her crossbow and her wings are fabulous. Love that we can see the Tower in the background as well. I am glad that this book is going back to Elena and Raphael as well. I mean, I enjoy the stories about the others in Raphael's court but I have been missing he and Elena. Archangel's Legion does not come out until October unfortunately, which seems so far away. At least I have this pretty cover to lust after now.

Anyone else excited about reading more Elena and Raphael?

 

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The Madman's Daughter - Review

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1) 
by Megan Shepherd

Publication date: 29 Jan 2013 by Balzer + Bray

ISBN 10/13: 0062128027 | 9780062128027
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Category: Young Adult Historical Fiction
Keywords: Historical, romance, re-telling, science
Format: Hardcover, eBook
Source: Library

My Synopsis:

The Madman's Daughter is a re-telling/alternate view of the H.G. Wells classic The Island of Dr. Moreau told from the point of view of Moreau's daughter, Juliet. Accused of performing inhumane and ungodly experiments, Dr. Moreau abandons Juliet and her mother when she is 10 years old. Believed to be dead, Juliet's life is flipped upside down though when she finds out that he is alive and well off on an island in Australia, possibly continuing the work that made him flee England. With no prospects and poverty imminent in London, Juliet takes the treacherous journey to the island to confront her father and learn the truth about the rumors herself.

Review:

Guys, I was so impressed with this book. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, having never read the Island of Dr. Moreau (though I did see that bad Marlon Brando movie in the 90's). I also heard that there was a dreaded love triangle (which we will get to later), which made me a little skeptical. But I was really surprised by how much I liked it. If you like dark, gothic novels and don't mind (or like) a bit of blood, then you will like this book.

The Madman's Daughter throws you into the thick of things right from the start, giving you a taste of the grisly experiments that Dr. Moreau has been accused of. If you're squeamish or don't like descriptions of animal cruelty, do not read this. It's definitely not for the faint of heart and the book does not shy away from the dirt and the dark side of life.

I thought Juliet was a really great character. She's had to take care of herself from a very young age but she doesn't feel sorry for herself. I understood the anger she felt towards her father but also her naive hope that life will be better once she finds him. She's really smart and isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in and I really admired her. Dr. Moreau is cold and arrogant and I hated him for how he treated Juliet, Montgomery, and the islanders. His moods were so mercurial, changing from fatherly affection one minute to rage the next.

There is also a love triangle in this book. I don't know about you, but I am pretty sick of love triangles. How is it that every girl has two men fighting over her? I digress. Juliet had two very different people vying for her affections in The Madman's Daughter. Montgomery is her childhood friend who knows all her secrets and still loves her. But Montgomery has been living on the island with her father for years and Juliet isn't sure that she can trust him or her feelings towards him. Edward Prince, the handsome survivor of a ship wreck, is Juliet's equal in society and shares her horror of her father's experiments. She's drawn to both men but, for me, Montgomery was a much more compelling character. He's not perfect by any means but I felt like they had much more of a connection with their shared past. Edward was too mysterious and I thought he was a bit bland. While I was rolling my eyes at the love triangle throughout the book, it is somewhat justified in the end.

And that ending - wow! What a twist! I knew something big was going to be revealed but I didn't see that coming.

What impressed me the most about this book though was that every page was so rich with atmosphere. I really felt like I was in Gothic London and on the mysterious island. Chilling and intense, The Madman's Daughter is fraught with tension and I could not shake the feeling of impending doom while reading it. If you like dark, disturbing stories with rich characters and surprising plot twists, don't hesitate to pick up The Madman's Daughter. I can't wait to read the next book coming out in Jan 2014.

 

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Visit the author online at meganshepherd.com and follow her on Twitter @megan_shepherd


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Manicure Monday (10): Lover At Last

Hi! I am writing this post pretty late at night. I was supposed to get this done earlier but got caught up hanging out with friends and eating brownies. :) But Manicure Monday is here and I hope that you like it. This didn't come out exactly as I wanted but it's not too bad. Check it out below.

As you can see, this week I have been reading Lover At Last by JR Ward. I have a Kindle copy (thanks, K!). I was trying go for a half moon manicure in blue and green to go with Quinn's eyes (he has one blue eye and one green). This was kind of an experiment because I was having the hardest time finding a blue and green that I liked. You'd think that someone with a polish collection as big as mine would not have this problem, but I did.

The green ended up being Nubar Reclaim layered over another green that was too dark. I put Reclaim down first and let it dry completely. Then I used some French Manicure stripes to block off the bottom part of my nail. I then painted on a really pretty metallic blue by Color Club called Personal Stylist. I wish my stickers had been a bit more curved so that the moons were more pronounced (sometimes they looked almost straight) but I still think it was a fun mani. 

Hope you enjoyed this week's Manicure Monday. Link up below if you participate! Thanks!

 

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