Greta and the Goblin King (Mylena Chronicles, #1)

Greta and the Goblin King by Chloe Jacobs

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story depicts a hellish nightmare for Greta and I would have liked to know more about her life in her world, but we find her already fighting goblins, ogres and other fantastic creatures in a land called Mylena. This fiery place had two moons and two suns and was often plagued with eclipses. During an eclipse, all the creatures turned into ferocious beasts.

Being human was unsafe to say the least and she fought for her life everyday. Of course it didn't help her to know she was the enemy and every creature wanted her dead except for the few whom Greta befriended. You can see why I felt it was a nightmare for Greta. She had taken on a bounty hunter role in Mylena and the Goblin King admired her , a lot.

It was romantic what Isaac[the goblin king] did just for Greta. She was stubborn and determined to get back through the portal which she had fallen into , back to her own world, and with the help of the Lost Boys she succeeds in removing the evil Agramon who had plagued Mylena with dangerously cold weather, ice, frost and snow, not to mention stole young boys for their blood. He needed human blood for the spell that would release him from his prison and to open a portal for him to escape.

I was unsatisfied not knowing what happened to the few Lost Boys Greta had hidden in Luke's underground cellar, because they didn't make it through the portal obviously. I presume between her and Isaac they will find a way back home too eventually.

In the end Isaac and Greta are happy in Mylena , hopefully the land will stay safe and beautiful and sunny, now that Agramon is removed BUT what about Earth? Agramon was sent back through the portal with all the other little boys. I know there is going to be a sequel however...

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Cryptid Tales Triple Cover Reveal

Reveal (Cryptid Tales #1)

The eBook Version is Free on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!!!!!!
          Goodreads    Amazon     iBooks

Shay could be the key to ending a war that humans don't know exist. Of a race of beings that aren't real, or are they?

Shay Tafford's childhood has been fatherless, filled instead with memories of speaking to the dead. She is forced to hide her unique ability from those living around her. That's why it's been comforting to have Jeremy, a child ghost, as her confidante. But recently he's been absent, perhaps lost as her father is. When Shay meets Hugh, the guy she's had a crush on for weeks, and finds he can speak to ghosts too she's just starting to find a normalcy in her life.
But as Hugh reveals the truth to Shay, about who she really is and about what it is she can do, he erases all chances she had at a normal existence. Turns out talking to ghosts is just scratching the surface of her genetically engineered gifts. Shay learns she may be part of an age old prophecy that could save the entire race of cryptids. But can she?

Capture (Cryptid Tales #2)

eBook only $2.99!
       Goodreads       Amazon

One thing is for sure, Shay is in for the fight of her life.

Shay is finally learning who she is, and who it is she will become. But for now escaping the clutches of the evil Malsumis will have to be enough. Or is it?

In Capture Shay embraces other cryptids in order to defeat their common enemy.
She is willing to die trying to save her father and the love of her life, Hugh.
But can Hugh, her cryptid mate, protect her from the evil Malsumis? Or will she fall victim to his horrible plans?

Settle (Cryptid Tales #3)

Release Date Late January/Early February
              Goodreads

Betrayal leaves nasty scars. A soul departs. Love must conquer all, or be lost forever.

Shay's life has once again fallen into mystery as she discovers her father's whereabouts. On a mission to locate him and bring him home she learns more about who to trust than she thought possible. Her group of cryptids will be forced to rise again and defeat their common enemy, but they will also discover another hidden threat. As their queen, Shay's discoveries in Settle, the final installment of the Cryptid Tales series, will shake the cryptid world forever.

About Brina:

Courtney is a young adult author obsessed with chocolate, crime shows, and fantasy movies. She's spent the last few years as an elementary teacher and a high school cheering coach. She lives in a small town in Pennsylvania with her husband and two very loud, small dogs. 

Website: http://www.brinacourtney.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brina-Courtney/270546116309774 
Twitter: http://twitter.com/brinacourtney 
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5295520.Brina_Courtney 


There is actually a Cryptid Tale 0.5 but it might be in the back of the 1st book. (I'm not sure)

Ignite (Cryptid Tales 0.5) by Brina Courtney 

Goodreads

Jeremy has no last name. His family has left him at Marksville Orphanage in rural eastern Virginia, hoping to find work during the end of the Great Depression. Unfortunately Jeremy is never adopted, because HE intervened before Jeremy ever had the chance. Ignite is just a piece of his story. Don’t miss Reveal, the next installment in the Cryptid Tales .

I kind of liked the old covers more . The fonts are wild and riveting and they appeal to me. I generally don't like to see real people on book covers. They did the same thing with Beautiful Creatures UGH! really??!! This series is obviously not your typical run of the mill fiction so why not keep it fantastical? 

Tempting the Best Man (Book 1)

Tempting the Best Man by J. Lynn

Gamble Brothers Series

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Kindle Edition

Madison Daniels has worshipped her brother’s best friend since they were kids. Everyone thinks she and Chase Gamble would make the perfect couple, but there are two major flaws in their logic. 1) Chase has sworn off relationships of any kind, and 2) after blurring the line between friends and lovers for one night four years ago, they can’t stop bickering. Forced together for her brother’s wedding getaway, Chase and Madison decide to call a truce for the happy couple. Except all bets are off when they’re forced to shack up in a tacky 70’s honeymoon suite and survive a multitude of “accidents” as the family tries to prove their “spark” can be used than for more than fighting. That is, if they don’t strangle each other first.

My Review 

I won an Ebook copy of Tempting the Best Man. I loved the Covenant Series but I'm sorry to say this one was a bit of a snoozer, although the sex aspect is very delicious. I know how hurtful unreciprocated love is and that is precisely what Madison is dealing with. Chase Gamble is too much of an idiot and he just didn't know that he loved her too, but, he had to make sure she wasn't going to be a one night stand, since he was dealing with his best friends sister. Weddings usually do bring out the best in people so it'd finally catch on.

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About the Author 

J. Lynn (also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout) is the USA TODAY BESTSELLING author of the Young Adult Lux and Covenant series, among other books. She writes steamy and fun New Adult and Adult romance under the pen name J. Lynn. You can find her Twitter @JLArmentrout or at her website www.jenniferarmentrout.com

The Official Blog of Jennifer Armentrout | Website Blog

North Of Need~Hearts of the Anemoi

North of Need by Laura Kaye

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Her tears called a powerful snow god to life, but only her love can grant the humanity he craves… Desperate to escape agonizing memories of Christmas past, twenty-nine-year-old widow Megan Snow builds a snow family outside the mountain cabin she once shared with her husband, realizing too late that she’s recreated the very thing she’ll never have. Called to life by Megan’s tears, snow god Owen Winters appears unconscious on her doorstep in the midst of a raging blizzard. As she nurses him to health, Owen finds unexpected solace in her company and unimagined pleasure in the warmth of her body, and vows to win her heart for a chance at humanity. Megan is drawn to Owen’s mismatched eyes, otherworldly masculinity, and enthusiasm for the littlest things. But this Christmas miracle comes with an expiration—before the snow melts and the temperature rises, Megan must let go of her widow’s grief and learn to trust love again, or she’ll lose Owen forever.

Alone in a vacation cabin for the holidays, grieving the death of her husband, out of sheer boredom and aching loneliness, Megan Snow builds a whole Snowman Family, but realizes what it represents, she will never be able to have, and it makes her collapse falling on the snowman in tears.

After reading that part over again, I cried;(

With a little of his winter magic, Owen Winters, the snowman, comes to life. He is the god of the North Wind who has been sent by his Father and at the request of John Snow's soul, to help Megan live a happy life but there is an order of things. Megan has to want, love, need Owen for him to become human. Otherwise, he will become Ethereal again.

The god of spring also threatens the time Owen has with Megan, and it only added to the agonizing frustration I felt for Owen. In the course of the story, when she learns more about Owen, I was mad that she didn't think to preserve him from melting. Just like with John's accident, if she could prevent something bad from happening why didn't she? Anyway, I thought she could've fixed the A/C or perhaps got one of those walk-in freezers. If she loved him, she would have tried to keep him safe from the warm weather at least. She disappointed me.

I also thought when and if he did become human there would be no more running with the wind and using magic. He would only be half the man he use to be :(

The most obvious prediction in the story for me was  I knew the minute she forgot to take her birth control that she was going to get pregnant. I mean with all the sex they were having how could she not?I highly recommend North of Need. It is Gravetells.com choice to read for December 2012.

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About the Author

Laura Kaye is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of nearly a dozen books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Laura grew up amidst family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses, cementing her life-long fascination with storytelling and the supernatural. Laura lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

Waiting On Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights the books that keep me waiting impatiently for.

Here We Go!..
Jennifer Armentrout is such a talented author and the covenant series is one of my favorite book series. It was outstanding!~ I can't wait to see what will happen next...in ....
..

Expected publication: April 9th 2013 by Spencer Hill Press

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex. Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back. The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries. Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

Cinder for me was way more than just a retake on a very classic and old fairytale. It had a history all it's own and I like the cyborg Lunar princess idea . See My 5 Star Review of Cinder 

Expected publication: February 5th 2013 by Feiwel and Friends

Cinder returns in the second thrilling installment of the New York Times-bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother and the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she has no choice but to trust him, though he clearly has a few dark secrets of his own. As Scarlet and Wolf work to unravel one mystery, they find another when they cross paths with Cinder. Together, they must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen who will do anything to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner. 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 150 Books Completed!

Yes I finished 150 books and I accomplished my 2012 Reading Challenge Goals! Yay! Blow the trumpets, sound the alarm! I should celebrate in honor of completing this challenge right? Well, I admit I was falling behind, so for the month of December ,to get caught up, I chose only Christmas short stories and Novellas and I've enjoyed it immensely. The novellas were super fun to read. So now I can continue to read long novels slowly at my own pace.

What I read last week

Messages (New Beginnings Series)
A Vampire's Christmas Carol by Karen McCullough
The Sneezing Christmas Tree by Aaron Kerr
Christmas Ever After by Elyse Douglas
Must Love Santa by Nina Bruhns
A Wizard for Christmas by Dorothy McFalls
The Ghost Of Christmas Last by Sean Hayden
Home for the Holiday by Christine Lynxwiler is my 150th book!
A White Cougar Christmas
Merry Christmas Mr. Babbers!
Secret Santa
Jingle This!
Wicked Christmas Eve
Holiday Flirts! 5 romantic short stories
Mary's Son by Darryl Nyznyk

What I'm reading now 

Not a thing. 

What I plan on reading

Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays by Christine Lynxwiler

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Amazon Kindle

A heartwarming Christmas novella about true friendship, helping those in need, and falling in love. . .What's a girl to do when she falls in love with her lifelong best friend? Small town librarian Lauren Forrester moves to St. Louis so that handsome contractor Jeffrey Warren can find a wife without having to deal with Lauren's moods. But when Jeffrey shows up on her doorstep to convince her to come home for a country Christmas, will the hardheaded pair lose their friendship or find something even more precious?

My Review

Lauren and Jeff had been best friends since they were kids. She had swore to help Jeff after his mom overdosed on drugs and his grandparents adopted him. Lauren was a type of person who'd help anyone though.

Jeff Warren confided in Lauren about his unsuccessful attempts at finding the perfect partner..maybe because he loved Lauren...and she loved him... and they just forgot to mention that part, or they were both good at hiding their feelings ....until the time was right - on Christmas Eve.
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