Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Review: Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Review of Graveminder by Melissa Marr

Graveminder

Descriptionfrom Goodreads.

With Graveminder, Melissa Marr, the bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely series, delivers her first novel for an adult audience—a captivating story of the living, the dead and a curse that binds them to two special families.

In the town of Claysville, Maylene Barrow bears a duty to the newly departed that keeps all she knows and loves safe. At each funeral she performs the same unusual ritual: Three sips from a silver flask followed by the words, "Sleep well, and stay where I put you."

Now Maylene is dead, and her granddaughter Rebekkah must go back to the place—and the man—she left a decade ago. But she soon discovers that Maylene was murdered—and that there was good reason for her odd traditions: Beneath placid Claysville lies a shadowy land from which the dead will return if their graves are not properly minded. Only the Graveminder, a Barrow woman, and the current Undertaker, Byron Montgomery, can set things right once the dead begin to walk.

Suddenly Rebekkah is struggling with more than just her grief—she’s forced to deal with a centuries-old bargain, dark secrets, a complicated romance and a frightening responsibility: to stop a monster and put the dead to rest where they belong.

Here I go.... Wow Melissa Marr has stunned me again with her wonderful wording and her vivid imagination, she has blown me away. I am in love with the strange little town of Claysville and it's inhabitants, Like:

Maylene the Gravemider, who starts out the story with her rounds at Sweetrest Cemetery. You will get a tiny crumb of the fact that there is something different about Claysville, and there is a secret bargain. The phrase "Sleep well, and stay where I put you." is Genius, it caught my imagination as soon as Maylene first utters it.

Rebekkah who has been running away her entire life from the only place and the only man who made her fell like she was home.


Byron, Rebakkah's many times ex-boyfriend who is determined NOT to fall back into his old habit of always being there for her, and who has recently returned to town.


When Rebakkah gets the message that her Grandmother is dead she has no idea what a hornets nest she is about to step into, or the fact that the dead are walking and it is now her responsibility to put them where they belong. Thank goodness when Rebakkah was a child she paid attention to all the rituals Maylene did when she would help her grandma make her rounds, not really wondering why, it's just the way it was.

I love that Maylene and Byron's father tried to protect Rebakkah and Byron from their destiny as long as they could. And that you get the slow unraveling of family secrets and the choices that were made along the way.

Who else but Melissa Marr could not only have me wanting to get to know a character that does very bad things, but also have me wanting to take care of her and root for her to get a little.... ummm...Closure with her own past.

I found myself totally engrossed in the mixing of times and perceptions of the residence of the shadowy world that abides under Claysville, and was left wanting to know more of Charles and his strange realm.

It is very hard not to give away the twists and turns that you are guided thru in Graveminder, but needless to say I loved everyone of them.. I give Graveminder 5
outta 5 stars, Tis Awesomeness!!

If you have not already read her Wicked Lovely series Get to it! It is a MUST read.
On a side note I got my copy of Graveminder from Bookperks and it came with a spiffy flask that I got signed by Melissa Marr.. how freaking cool is that. ooh ooh and I got an awesome GM Toe-tag signed too...

Friday, May 13, 2011

Review: Minder (A Ganzfield Novel) by Kate Kaynak

Minder by Kate Kaynak
First in the Minder Series


Amazon Description
Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place.

Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought can burn a building to the ground. And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads. But it's still better than New Jersey--especially once she meets the man of her dreams..

When I was thinking of reading Minder, I went to the author site and took a look at the Book Trailer.. I have to say please don't judge a book by it's trailer :) OK book==> Bad Trailer. I liked the music I liked the description.. but not the cartoon. Seriously Lame.

Minder is a very interesting premise for a story it is kind of high school clicks mingled with -x men.
The first part of the story is the world building, then she introduces the romance element, then lastly suspense and intrigue. I enjoyed the psychological thriller part of the book. But each part was very compartmentalized.

Maddie is a normal 16 year old girl until she is attacked ... that is when she finds out that she is special and has powers she never could have imagined.. She is what they call at Ganzfield a Minder (she can read others thoughts and.. well you will find out). There are other groups: Charms, ( who can push others to do what they want) and Sparks, (they have the ability to control fire).. well you get the idea. While the premise is very good and I did like the story, the repetitive themes put me off (the instant love for instance) . How many times can you read the same *jist of* I love you so much but we just met, the connection...
I liked Minder enough to give Adversary the Second Book a try.
The Third in the Series is
Legacy, and the forth book in the Series is ACCUSED.

Even though I was not crazy about Minder I give it 2 stars Worth the Read.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Waititng on Wednesday Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey



Jill over at Breaking the Spine started and I found it on the Ravenous Reader blog. I agree it is a great idea. This blog post is to alert those that visit about "the" book that we cannot wait to get our hands on.


Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey

Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.
Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

Haunting Violet is my Wating on Wednesday ... What is yours?

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Review Lover Unleashed by JR Ward



Good Reads Description:
Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either.

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.


Her I go short and sweet:


Ohhhh My Where to Begin........ I have to say I love love love The Black Dagger Brotherhood books. When I read Vishious's story (Lover Unbound ) (Black Dagger Brotherhood #5) when I got to the end it was a WTF moment!~! *insert evil skunk eye and point it at the Warden*


As much as I was looking forward to a new BDB I am thrilled to say We have been given Vishious 2.0 *insert happy face here*


There was some V-uch moments color me happy... there was some tragic Quay action going on too. And I was soooo right about Butch being....... *insert gag in to mouth* But as I like to keep my reviews spoiler free .. which is killing me right now cauz I reallly want to spill some.. but I digress..


I very much enjoyed getting to read Payne and Manny's Love story but was seriously happy To have much of the story intertwined with the other brothers. Especially so much focusing on Jane and Vichous. We not only get to have some major insight to the past that Payne and Vichous lived, but also got to meet some new characters. The Bad ass Group known as Xcor and his Band of Bastards, ggggaaaadamn these are some serirous bad boys. I am looking forward to getting to see what trouble the new bad boys in town are going to trhough in to next few books. I was hoping to get to "meet" Mhurder but he was nowhere to be found.


All in all I was thrilled with Lover Unleashed, I got just what I wanted MORE... More Manny, Payne, Vichous, Jane, Butch, Marissa, Blay, Saxton, Quinn, Wrath, George, Beth... sigh.. I got MORE... did ya hear me... So I give Lover Unleashed 5 outta 5 Tis Awesomeness!~!~!




Sunday, May 1, 2011

May Book Release Calendar


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Wednesday, May 25, 2011


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Tuesday, May 31, 2011