Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

And Have a wonderful New Year Too ! From Jackie's Bookbytes. 

Blood Kiss by J.R.Ward

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Blood Kiss by J.R. Ward

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The legacy of the Black Dagger Brotherhood continues in a spin-off series from the #1 New York Times bestselling author…

Paradise, blooded daughter of the king’s First Advisor, is ready to break free from the restrictive life of an aristocratic female. Her strategy? Join the Black Dagger Brotherhood’s training center program and learn to fight for herself, think for herself...be herself. It’s a good plan until everything goes wrong. The schooling is unfathomably difficult, the other recruits feel more like enemies than allies, and it’s very clear that the Brother in charge, Butch O’Neal, a.k.a. The Dhestroyer is having serious problems in his own life.
And that’s before she falls in love with a fellow classmate. Craeg, a common civilian, is nothing her father would ever want for her, but everything she could ask for in a male. As an act of violence threatens to tear apart the entire program, and the erotic pull between them grows irresistible, Paradise is tested in ways she never anticipated--and left wondering whether she’s strong enough to claim her own power...on the field, and off.

I thought Blood Kiss was Ok. It was not as good as the Black Dagger Brotherhood IMO considering it is in the same universe. Butch didn't quite sound himself and I never cared for Marissa and those were the only other couple from the BDB who had a role in Blood Kiss. Vishous and Doc Jane, Mary and Rhage were also present. Abalone, the aristocrat in the Glymera, is the King's right-hand man and his daughter, Paradise is the leading character. She isn't impressed with being a woman of the Aristocracy, meaning she isn't your typical stereotype to be treated the way woman are treated. Her passion is for fighting, and she enrolls in the BDB training program, along with 60 others. She was the last one standing and therefore named the Primus. Excellent for her and her dad should be proud, except he wouldn't have seriously allowed her to join the training program save for Paradise telling him a lie like she wasn't planning on fighting the wars against the Lessers.

Another story within Blood Kiss is that of Butch and Marissa. Safeplace was for domestic violence and abuse cases mostly all women. Marissa witnessed an injured female badly beaten and in trauma but she couldn't get help from the brothers who were all in a meeting so she phones her brother Havers. Their relationship hadn't been a good one so she kinda had to force herself to ask him for a favor. If he would look after the injured female. I didn't care about the injured female, but I suppose the story ended on a good note in some ways but meh.

The true proverbial hero of Blood Kiss is Craeg. For the sole reason of rescuing a damsel in distress the daughter of the Glymera, Paradise. We see their romance and downright lusty eroticism between these two, that much was to be expected. Yay. They are both tough characters and I find no qualms about them. They make a good addition to the BDB. I mean with Paradise, even though she is an aristocrat, I warmed up to her more than I did to Xhex.

Peyton, I seem to recall from the BDB but I would have to go back and read The Beast or Lover At Last to remember him. He was Paradises' best friend. I'm sure we will hear more about Axe and Novo, who were two others who made it through the BDB's training program. It was a really tough course and out of 60 participants, only 7 made it. (view spoiler)[Btw, Anslam was the bad guy (hide spoiler)]

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2017 New Release Challenge

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the rules for the 2017 new release challenge are simple: 

• Books have to be released and reviewed in 2017. Here's the "Can't Wait" Books for 2017
• Other challenges can be used as well, if you are participating in the Netgalley / Edelweiss challenge or in the COYER challenge, books can count towards more than one challenge, as long as the ones you use for the 2017 New Release Reading Challenge qualify to the other rules. 
• The minimum length for a book to qualify is 100 pages, it can be in any format though, physical, e-book, ARC or audiobook. 
• The New Book Release Challenge is open from January 1st through December 31st 2017, and sign-ups are open until February 15th 2017. 
• You don’t have to be a blogger to participate, you can link to your review on Goodreads or Booklikes instead – so don’t be shy! 

there are five levels in the new release challenge: 

1. 1-30 books per year – New Release Newbie 
2. 31-60 books per year – New Release Pro 
3. 61-100 books per year – New Release Veteran 
4. 101-200 books per year – New Release Enthusiast 
5. 200+ books per year – New Release Obsessed

Book Journeys - First Book of the Year

Now is the time to register and sign up for The First Book of the Year hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is a fun way to kick off the New Year by showing us the book you have chosen to read on January 1st of 2017! 

I will be reading ...

A Book I'm Waiting For

A book I'm desperately waiting for

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare

This title will be released on May 23rd, 2017 

Tweet: Sunny Los Angeles can be a dark place indeed in Cassandra Clare’s Lord of Shadows.

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her para bat ai Julian and her willingness to protect him from the harsh consequences of para bat ai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?
And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the requirements of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

Kiss of Venom (Owen's POV) Kindle Novella #8.5

Kiss of Venom by Jennifer Estep

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The New York Times bestselling Elemental Assassin series continues with a new e-novella—from the hero’s point of view! Owen Grayson is bound and determined to get Gin back...if her enemies don’t get her first. When you have a history of dating an assassin, a night out on the town can turn deadly—fast. Owen Grayson is still wracked with guilt over the end of his love affair with Gin Blanco, and there aren’t enough gin and tonics in all of Ashland to ease his heartache. But when Gin happens to show up at the same nightclub, he isn’t the only one hoping to get her alone. Some shadowy figures will do anything to take down the Spider, Gin’s assassin alter ego, and Owen will do anything to protect her. This could be the way to win her back, or at least give her a night off from fighting for her life—if Owen can survive...

Elemental Assassin Series

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My Thoughts:

Owen Grayson is reminiscent about how he failed to protect his relationship with Gin and how awful he feels for betraying her. Sitting in Northern Aggression with a friend, He wants to redeem himself and doesn't know how to go about it with Gin, until he overhears a giant and a dwarf in the men's bathroom. They were talking about Gin and how they were going to kill her.
For the love of Gin, Owen commits to taking these two guys out to try to stop them.
Owen feels guilty for ever believing Salina Dubois, and it steers him in the right direction to make things right with Gin again.

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So I haven't read a lot this year

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

I plan a New Year's resolution to read more, talk less, post more reviews, and participate more in the blogging community starting right now!

I am currently reading two Holiday Collections of which are very affordable and will help you get into the Christmas Spirit.

Love, Christmas, and Christmas in the City II, are two very fun and fabulous anthologies developed by authors with pizazz.           Click to Tweet

Christmas in the City II by Samantha Chase

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If I had, to sum up, Christmas in the City in just three words it would be, Fantastic, Fun, and Festive.
So far, I am enjoying it immensely.

Christmas Once Again by Samantha Chase is about Hunter Ashton and Lexi Hayes. They are practically High School sweethearts who are reunited after they'd broken up eight years prior. How could Hunter, who still loves her, fix Lexi's broken heart? By being honest and trustworthy and by growing more balls when it comes to his overbearing, pestering, mother, Susan.

Like Christmas by Ashlee Taylor is different in that Emmeline doesn't know who Sebastian is, contrary to Sebastian knowing everything about Emmeline. He has loved her all her life. I must say I am very intrigued by him. I am very curious to read more.

I liked Ugly Sweater by Elizabeth Hayes. It had lots of winter fun in the snow. Two girlfriends meet two gorgeous men. They fly to Aspen for a weekend and go Tubing and Skating, and well, hot-tub. Both men were wealthy as fuck.

A Change of Heart was different from the others in that it was about suffering and terminal illness. I liked Hunter, though, and I am looking forward to reading A Heart of Time.

Christmas break by Misha Elliott I didn't like. I didn't care for the characters

Joyful Temptations by Janine Infante Bosco would appeal to the hard rock, hard sex type of which I'm not that. Harley bikes and Satan's Knights. Really? I'd rather not think the devil as good in any way. Blackie and Lacey. Leather and Lace? I don't know that song reference. I also didn't like the sex. I thought it was gross.

Dancing Snowflakes by Madison Street
to be cont...

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Love, Christmas - Holiday stories that will put a song in your heart!

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The song "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was written as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis in the middle of the Cold War.

Now Christmas is just around the corner and live-in-lovers Shelley and Jake are in a cold war of their own. Detective Shelley Caldwell has all wonderful memories of Christmas, while Jake DeAtley, born of a mother turned vampire while pregnant with him, has none. They’ve come to a compromise that she can decorate “her half” of every room, but no Christmas tree. Then a case of hit-and-run leaves a dead body and a magical Christmas tree that Shelley can’t resist bringing home, heating up the war between her and Jake. There is more to the tree than either knows. When they discover the truth about it, will it bring them together or keep them farther apart?

I just finished Do You Hear What I Hear in the Love, Christmas Collection and I loved it! I appreciate the paranormal element in this novella. It was a very well written story by anyone's standards. If you like paranormal fantasy, you will like this. Mind communication, cute lovely fairies, and two cats in the yard! Sarge and Cadet. Also, Jake DeAtley, whose mother became a vampire when she was pregnant with him, so that's exciting! I liked the romance as well. Their troubles weren't so far away from real life. Shelley and Jake had their differences when it came to celebrating Christmas but who doesn't have their arguments over family Traditions and such things? I enjoyed this story, and that is why I wanted to share it with you. You can't find this story anywhere else but in the Love, Christmas Collection.

Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them is an Incredible Film!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay by J.K. Rowling

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I saw the movie in 3D Imax and I didn't like there were many unanswered questions. Like who exactly is Newt Scamander? or Grindelwald in relationship to the wizarding world. I knew of Grindelwald from the Harry Potter series but not much. There was a write up about him in Rita Skeeters book I would've like to read along with Hermione :) What I found was that Newt was a student of Hogwarts who got kicked out for endangering a person with his creatures.

I was not fascinated by the creatures, in fact, some of them were hideous, but others held more promising qualities such as a pick lock aka bowtruckle

At one point I wanted to walk out of the theatre, but I sat and watched while being bored to death. I did not even care for the creature who loved shiny things, the Niffler. I thought he was more of a mischief maker for stealing and thieving jewelry.
I also didn't appreciate the period. 1920's. New York. If it were in London in the 1920's I might have enjoyed it but it was boring. The bank scenes were a bit livelier than the newspaper room, but evidently, Newt got his suitcase mixed up with Jacobs. Jacob was applying for a loan to open a bakery, while Newt should've been more careful with his magical suitcase and guarded it like a hawk. Had he learned from his mistake? Apparently not.

He was careless, and when Jacob opened it and accidentally let a few of the beasts escape into the city, he hurt himself in the process. Newt did not obliviate his memories and the no-maj, human muggle, befriended them instead.

I found the two girls also annoying as fuck. Their characters rubbed me the wrong way. Queenie and her sister Tina were not very impressionable with their magic wand skills. At least that is how I felt. Tina was not very good at her job as an Auror either. She majored in being a blundering idiot. Yes, and Samantha Stevens she was not! How nice is it to be able to twitch your nose and flick your wand and let the magic do all your domestic chores for you? I cringed. I mean the only place we saw dishes washing by itself was in the Weasley household in the Burrow and in Bewitched!~ That was fun but to see it again in 1920 New York was not amusing. Big deal. It was boring up until Newt weirdly crawled into his suitcase. So then I decided to stay and watch.

Inside his luggage was a fantastic world full of odd creatures, and there, is where you will find fantastic beasts. Inside his suitcase was another world. Here, Newt studied magical beasts. We see giant insects and bugs, different looking birds, a bowtruckle named Pickett, Erumpents, Lions, and a giant Thunderbird whose name is Frank. The Thunderbird is the reason Mr. Scamander was in New York.
I do not understand what was wrong with that Mary Lou character. It seemed to me she wanted all wizards burned at stake or something like in the Salem Witch Trials. That is how medieval I perceived this movie was. Mary Lou beat her kids and was a total bitch, and I mean witch. She lobbied against wizards and witchcraft. I understood her son was a wizard. I did not warm up to that woman president Seraphina Picquery, of the wizarding world in America. The Macusa is like the ministry of magic. I did not understand who Tina was in relationship to the MACUSA either. She said she used to be an Auror? Like, Mad-eye Moody? More background about the Macusa would have been helpful, but then again I can only take so much in small doses.

Dougal is an invisible creature and Newts Demiguise. He was somewhat cute and furry. He is the last one to be recaptured. Oh but there was an Occamy snake-like creature. All these animals, Newt considered harmless :/

Meanwhile on the dark side of the force lol j/k, there is something called an Obscurus that is destroying the city. Percival Graves, played by Colin Farrel, is blaming all the destruction on the beasts but Credence Barebone is attracting this Obscurio, or HE IS the Obscurio! I wonder perhaps if it is because he was abused by Mary Lou, his adoptive mother. Credence could also be Tom Riddle's ancestor or relation somehow. IDK.

As I went to see the movie before I read the screenplay, it was hard to make sense of it all on screen as far as all the names of the beasts and what was happening in the film. As I was writing my review, the book came in the mail and I read it in one sitting. I saw it differently and I no longer hate the actors and the characters they portrayed. I found I learned a few things by reading the book.

But I read the screenplay just to get the facts straight and I Loved it!

Since I've read the book twice it made me reconsider how great the film is.
The full review is published on my blog

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Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman by Mimi Barbour

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description 

Strangers, Hali and Terry, and a cute but mischievous Samoyed puppy are stranded in the Alaskan bush due to a freak snowstorm that forces him to land his small Cessna. From the beginning, she's never known a man so independent and rigid in his need to have things done his way. And he's never known a woman so willing to help, stepping on his pride in such a lovable way that he can't take offense. The frigid temperatures are brutal and when he falls through the ice to save a puppy, the stakes for survival become enormous. Can their blossoming mutual attraction withstand their multiple challenges? 

My Thoughts
Frosty the Snowman, is part of the Love, Christmas Collection
I'm not a fan of survival stories and Frosty the Snowman was indeed about survival in the Alaskan wilderness.
What I liked about it. A white samoyed dog of Hali's called Frosty
What I didn't like about it : The puppy was more of a hindrance in a life and death situation. I hate camping so I didn't like their makeshift camp and the freezing cold weather. I also didn't like the fact Terry was dealing with an infection and Halie had an injury as well. It didn't make me love their character more. I couldn't see myself dealing with either of them if I was stranded like that. sheesh.
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We Need A Little Christmas

We Need A Little Christmas by Leanne Banks

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Description

When handsome cynic, Justin Dane Burgess rescues big-hearted Lilly Johansen in the snow, his life is turned upside down. Accustomed to avoiding intense relationships and the whole sticky Christmas season, he finds himself drawn into her life and learns to enjoy everything from drinking hot chocolate to decorating a Christmas tree and helping Lilly's elderly neighbors. An orphan from a young age, Lilly has learned to create her own family wherever she is. Although Justin seems anti-Christmas, he sure is generous to her. She has been misled by men before. Can she trust her feelings for Justin? Or will a bad choice Justin makes ruin their chance for forever love?

We Need A Little Christmas is a heartwarming romance that is perfect for the Holidays. It is the first story in the Love, Christmas collection of 20 romantic stories based on Christmas Carols.
I appreciate a well written story, filled with details without making it drag on. Straight to the point. Lilly and Justin's love story will warm your heart this Christmas.

What I enjoyed most about it was that Lilly gave warm coats to the homeless and the fact Justin had lots of money that allowed him to take Lilly on a sleigh ride.
What I didn't like about it was when tragedy strikes during the holidays it takes the joy out of Christmas and makes people hate Christmas just like Justin had. The car accident was a downer as well.

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child #notanovel

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two by John Tiffany

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is amazing and the story begins pretty much where we were left in the Deathly Hallows.

The Cursed Child is a reference to Harry's son. We meet him on platform 9 3/4 at the end of The Deathly Hallows part two. Remember? It jumps to the future. In this installment, we are in the future. Harry is in it along with Ginny. Ron and Hermione and even Draco Malfoy. I forget the boy's name, but he is rebelling against being Harry Potters son. He goes back in time against his father's orders and gets himself in trouble. First of all his best friend is Draco's son. They go in search of this period Turner. They plan to change the present and bring back Cedric. Cedric who didn't deserve to die. They want to save him somehow. The story fits well with the others. J.K.Rowling does a bang-up job of that. It twists and turns, and there is even a new villain. Ginny and Harry are worried sick about their son who went missing, as was Draco Malfoys son. They lost each other during the time turner thing. They both encounter people in the past and even their mother and father I think.

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Party All The Time