Black Magic by Cherry Adair

Product Details
Pocket Star, July 2010
Mass Market Paperback, 400 pages
ISBN-10: 1439153817
ISBN-13: 9781439153819


SHE HATES USING MAGIC . . .
Ever since the death of her parents, Sara Temple has rejected her magical gifts. Then, in a moment of extreme danger, she unknowingly sends out a telepathic cry for help—to the one man she is convinced she never wants to see again.

HE'S A POWERFUL WIZARD . . .
Jackson Slater thought he was done forever with his ex-fiancé, but when he hears her desperate plea, he teleports halfway around the world to aid her in a situation where magic has gone suddenly, brutally wrong.

THEY'VE BEEN CHOSEN TO SAVE THE WORLD . . .
But while Sara and Jack remain convinced they are completely mismatched, the Wizard Council feels otherwise. A dark force is killing some of the world's most influential wizards, and the ex-lovers have just proved their abilities are mysteriously amplified when they work together. But with the fate of the world at stake, will the violent emotions still simmering between them drive them farther apart . . . or bring them back into each other's arms?

My Thoughts:

This reminded me of Harry Potter for adults. It was a dark, suspenseful paranormal romance that was actually highly entertaining. I enjoyed the plot line as well as the characters. This is my first reading a book of this sort, as well as reading a book by the author, Cherry Adair, and I must say that I will be on the lookout for more from this author. I also enjoyed the way that she brought the characters together. This is a book that all lovers of magic should read.

Sizzling Summer Nights giveaway

Are you looking for a few steamy romances to read this summer, well then aren’t you in luck. I have a Sizzling Summer Nights giveaway featuring a variety of genres from Historical Fiction to Romantic Suspense.


FORBIDDEN PASSION
By Rita Herron
DEADLY FEAR
By Cynthia Eden
DARE TO SURRENDER
By Lili Feisty
TO SURRENDER TO A ROGUE
By Cara Elliott
RAVISHED BY A HIGHLANDER
By Paula Quinn

I have 3 Sizzling Sets to giveaway

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Contest ends August 30th.

Giveaway thanks to Anna @ Hachette Book Group.

Forgert You by Jennifer Echols

Title- Forget You
Author- Jennifer Echols
Publication Date: July 20, 2010
Paperback: 304 pages
Genre: Fiction, YA


WHY CAN'T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET...AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER?
There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. With her life about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.

But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people—suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.

Published by MTV Books, a division of Simon & Schuster.


My Thoughts:

I have never been one to read YA novels, even as teen I opted for the classics of the historicals, so reading a contemporary YA novel was a bit of a change. Although I tried my best I found that I did not enjoy the plot (yes it was likable but nothing to rave about) , at times I felt as though the dialogue rambled a bit, then again I had to remind myself I was reading a book based on the perspective of a 16 year old. While it’s aimed at teen readers, I felt as though some of the language and content was above what was appropriate for teens. This book should be 17 and up.

Sure the characters were likable, one or two could even be called lovable, and yes some were even emotional layered (once you could past the grumbling), but I felt that the majority of them were one-sided and fell flat. I did see character growth, but it was a little to late in the story, and I felt as if the story was stretched to far. It was an easy read but I had to force myself to finish it.

Fever Dream by Preston & Childs review & giveaway

Yesterday, Special Agent Pendergast still mourned the loss of his beloved wife, Helen, who died in a tragic accident in Africa twelve years ago. Today, he discovers she was murdered. Tomorrow, he will learn her most guarded secrets, leaving him to wonder: Who was the woman I married? Why was she murdered? And, above all . . . Who murdered her? FEVER DREAM Revenge is not sweet: It is essential.

My thoughts:

Loved it! Fever Dream is one of those books that will have you at the edge of your seat and keep you guessing the whole way through. I loved the story as it unraveled, and it had many layers that like an onion. I loved the way that Helen’s past and hidden life comes into view and the journey that Pendergast takes to discover the truth. I was also surprised at the historical aspects of the book and the fact that Audubon is intertwined with the mess.

This is one of those books that you want to skip ahead to find out what’s going to happen. Although this was audio book, it didn’t take anything away from the story, I think that it added to the story with the rich New Orleans accent that it was narrated it.

If you only listen to one audio book this year make it this one, it has it all mystery, drama, and complexity.

I have 3 audio books to giveaway of August 1

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Captured by Moonlight Nancy Gideon

IN THIS DARK THRILLER FROM NANCY GIDEON’S SULTRY NEW SERIES, SEXY NEW ORLEANS COP CHARLOTTE CAISSIE GOES HEAD-TO-HEAD WITH THE LAST NEMESIS SHE EVER EXPECTED: HER SUPERNATURAL BOYFRIEND.

THEIR LOVE IS JUST BEGINNING.
Detective Charlotte Caissie is growing used to the secrets that come with loving the mysterious leader of a shape-shifter clan. But that doesn’t mean she has to like it. She’s avoided complications of the heart all her life, but when it comes to irresistible Max Savoie, she’ll force the truth out of him if she has to.

HIS TIME IS ALMOST UP.
Hunted by the deadly trackers his nefarious father warned him about, Max is transforming into a preternatural force he can’t explain and Cee Cee will never understand. He’s tempting the dangerous limits of their love, but it’s her curiosity that could get them both killed.

WILL THEY EVER REALLY BE TOGETHER?
When Max discovers the enemy’s true target is someone far more vulnerable than he, he must do the unthinkable to save his own flesh and blood. But he can’t fight this battle alone, and Cee Cee faces the ultimate test of loyalty: the man she’d sacrifice everything for . . . or the laws she swore her life to protect.

My thoughts:

I am not sure whether it is do to the fact that I haven’t read the first two books in the Shape Shifter series, but I felt as though I was lost reading Captured by Moonlight. Although I am curious about the first two and probably will go hunt them down, and then reread, Captured to see if I can get a new take on the book. For me it felt a little dry, yes it did have the normal romance aspects as well as the internal struggles associated with many of the shape shifter type of books, but I just couldn’t get the feeling of it.

Hunter's Moon by Don Hoesel

Every family has secrets.
Few will go as far as the Baxters to keep them.
Bestselling novelist CJ Baxter has made a career out of writing hard-hitting stories ripped from his own life. Still there's one story from his past he's never told. One secret that's remained buried for decades.
Now, seventeen years after swearing he'd never return, CJ is headed back to Adelia, NY. His life in Tennessee has fallen to pieces, his grandfather is dying, and CJ can no longer run from the past.

With Graham Baxter, CJ's brother, running for Senate, a black sheep digging up old family secrets is the last thing the family and campaign can afford. CJ soon discovers that blood may be thicker than water, but it's no match for power and money.
There are wounds even time cannot heal.




My thoughts;

Hunter’s Moon was a highly interesting look into a families closet of skeleton’s. A thriller of sorts that has depth, so it’s not your light Summer read, it’s a heavy book that takes the readers on an emotional ride as CJ Baxter discovers the truth that was hidden. A perfect read for those who like a weighty type of drama.

Masked

WELCOME TO THE SECOND "GOLDEN AGE" OF SUPERHEROES AND HEROINES

Superheroes have come a long way since the "Man of Steel" was introduced in 1938. This brilliant new collection features original stories and novellas from some of today's most exciting voices in comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Each marvelously inventive tale shows us just how far our classic crusaders have evolved—and how the greatest of heroes are, much like ourselves, all too human.

In "Call Her Savage," MARJORIE M. LIU enters the dark heart of a fierce mythic heroine who is forced, by war, to live up to her own terrible legend.

In "A to Z in the Ultimate Big Company Superhero Universe (Villains Too)," BILL WILLINGHAM presents a fully-realized vision of a universe where epic feats and tragic flaws have transformed the human race.

In "Vacuum Lad," STEPHEN BAXTER unveils the secret origins of the first true child of the space age—and disproves the theory that "nothing exists in a vacuum."

In "Head Cases," PETER DAVID and KATHLEEN DAVID blast through the blogosphere to expose the secret longings of a Lonely Superhero Wife.

In "The Non-Event," MIKE CAREY removes the gag order on a super-thief named Lockjaw . . . and pries out a confession of life-altering events.
(From the back of the book)


My Thoughts

This was a different type of book for me, and I wondered if I was going to like it once I held the copy in my hands. Being an anthology on superhero’s, I found that I was surprised when I actually liked several of the short stories that was included. If you are a fan of the whole superhero genre you may want to pick this one up, although I would recommend it for the men in your life. This would be a great gives for the teen boys in your life.

My thanks to Gallery books for this review copy.

To Surrender to a Rogue by Cara Elliott

An expert in antiquities, Lady Alessandra della Giamatti arrives in Bath to excavate newly discovered Roman ruins-only to find herself caught in a web of evil intrigue by a blackmailer threatening to expose her scandalous past. The one man who can help her is Lord James "Black Jack" Pierson, a fellow member of the expedition and a sinfully handsome rogue whose tempting presence ignites a different sort of danger.

Jack has clashed with Alessandra in the past, so when she suddenly surrenders her body he can't help being suspicious. Is she a scheming temptress? Or is she truly a lady in trouble? As desire and deceptions swirl around them, Alessandra and Jack must find a way to win each other's trust. For if they don't work together to uncover a shocking truth, their enemy-and their own simmering passions-may destroy them and everything they cherish.


My Thoughts:

The second book in Cara Elliott’s Circle of Sin series, is more sinful that the last. The characters that loved from the first book To Sin with a Scoundrel are back in yet another unforgettable story. I will say that I enjoyed this book more than the last, and cannot wait read more from this amazing author





1. “Black Jack” Pierson, the hero of To Surrender To A Rogue, is a gifted watercolor artist, so Cara visited the British Art Center at Yale University to do some research on the subject. In the course of an afternoon in the study room, she was handed a box of paintings to browse through—which turned out to be J.W.M. Turner’s original sketches from a walking tour through the Alps!

2. In the course of her research, Cara also discovered that the finest quality paint brushes are made from the hair of the Asiatic marten (better known as Russian sable) because it’s so flexible and can hold a fine point when wet. This technical detail is put to . . . um, intriguing use by her hero.

3. Cara set her story in the city of Bath, which is famous for its Roman ruins and thermal hot springs. In fact, the Romans, who were famous for their enjoyment of sybaritic pleasures, were one of the first to establish a “spa” on the site of the present-day city—and the warm, bubbling waters play a role in the book’s plot.

4. One of the secondary scenes takes place at a famous London fencing club. Cara admits that she took up fencing in college, but soon decided to switch sports as she didn’t like getting poked with a sliver of sharpened steel.

5. Cara has been fascinated by archeology ever since she was a child and saw a documentary on the excavation of Troy. (Her parents did not appreciate the numerous holes that appeared in the back yard and had to lecture her on the fact that Achilles and Hector did not ever live in suburban Connecticut.)



I have 5 books to giveaway on the 1st of August
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