Review! Me, Myself and Why? by MaryJanice Davidson

Me, Myself and Why?

MaryJanice Davidson

St. Martin's Press 

September 28, 2010

ISBN-10: 0312531176

ISBN-13: 978-0312531171

I have always, always loved every single Davidson book I've ever read. Mostly because they feature her awesome sense of humor and Me, Myself and Why? is no exception! Seriously, at times I was snorting while laughing out loud, much to my dismay when I'm at campus and a cute boy walks by. Oh, well.

In this book, our main heroine is Cadence and she's a triple threat. Literally. She's got multiple personalities and she works for a special branch of the FBI who only hires people with some psychiatric problems, to put it mildly. So Cadence and her crazy (Literally) partner, George, have been trying to catch the Threefer killer with no luck. He, or she, likes to kill in threes and lately, he's been leaving messages in his crime scenes. And these messages seem to be directly for Cadence and as the scenes get more gruesome, his messages get more menacing and unless Cadence and George find him soon, the next victim might just be Cadence.

Something I really enjoy about this story was that while Cadence is the main character, her multiple personalities are a very important part of the story. We meet Shiro, a super-analytical killer and Adrienne, who's just down-right nutso. I loved that it wasn't all about Cadence, even though it was. And she's got the best partner ever. I know George is a totally psycho but oh, lord, his character is insanely hilarious! Love him. All the characters are so unique and interesting and I enjoyed reading about every single one. And you can't have a book without the main heroine having a love interest. Cadence meets her best friend's brother and it's attraction from the get-go and what's even greater is the fact that he knows about her wee problem and still asks her out! I think he might be crazy too. They do have really good chemistry together and it was fun to see them interact.

Me, Myself and Why? is full of awesome and I had a blast reading this book! The characters are insanely unique and you won't see the bad guy coming until the very end. I really hope this is only the first book in an exciting new series because I would love to read more about Cadence and her crazy co-workers!

Lush Rating: 4.5!

Nancy's (Awesome) Theory of Style!

A while back I reviewed a book called Nancy's Theory of Style (Review) and I pretty much loved this book! The author Marta Acosta (pen-name Grace Coopersmith) recently emailed about something awesome - You can read the draft for this book online! FOR FREE! It "can read it at the Scribd site, download it onto their computers, or download it to e-readers and mobile devices."

Here's the link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/37115908/Nancy-s-Theory-Draft

Yes, it has typos but it's totally free and since I loved this book, you might too!

Enjoy!

Quickie Review! Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

Only the Good Spy Young
(Gallagher Girls, book 4)
Ally Carter
Hyperion Books
June 29, 2010
ISBN-10: 1423128206 
ISBN-13: 978-1423128205

When Cammie Morgan enrolled at the Gallagher Academy, she knew she was preparing for the dangerous life of a spy. What she didn’t know was that the serious, real-life danger would start during her junior year of high school. But that’s exactly what happened two months ago when Cammie faced off against an ancient terrorist organization dead set on kidnapping her.

Now the danger follows her everywhere, and even Cammie “The Chameleon” can’t hide.  When a terrifying encounter in London reveals that one of her most-trusted allies is actually a rogue double-agent, Cammie no longer knows if she can trust her classmates, her teachers—or even her own heart.

In this fourth installment of the New York Times best-selling series, the Gallagher Girls must hack, spy, steal, and lie their way to the truth.as they go searching for answers, recognizing that the key to Cammie’s future may lie deep in the past.

Only the Good Spy Young is the fourth book in this girl-spy series and while I hadn't had the opportunity to read the previous books because I read this, I highly enjoyed the story! Cammie is such a great character, she's smart and strong but definitely has her vulnerabilities and it's a nice balance. Along with her two best friends, they made an awesome group and I loved reading their adventures.

While I was a bit confused in some parts - And I'm sure this is due to the fact I hadn't read the other installments - it's easy enough to get the gist of things and I wasn't lost one bit. Only the Good Spy Young is a quick read with a little of everything - action, romance, suspense, and comedy - and it all combines to make a great read! I highly enjoyed the story and I'm definitely going to be reading Carter's future - and previous! - books.

Lush Rating: 4

Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews Giveaway!

One lucky winner will get a spankin' new copy of Bayou Moon, the second book of The Edge series! (Little hint: I already read this story and BELIEVE ME, you want to read it. For serious.)

The Edge lies between worlds, on the border between the Broken, where people shop at Walmart and magic is a fairytale–and the Weird, where blueblood aristocrats rule, changelings roam, and the strength of your magic can change your destiny…

Cerise Mar and her unruly clan are cash poor but land rich, claiming a large swathe of the Mire, the Edge swamplands between the state of Louisiana and the Weird. When her parents vanish, her clan’s long-time rivals are suspect number one.

But all is not as it seems. Two nations of the Weird are waging a cold war fought by feint and espionage, and their conflict is about to spill over into the Edge—and Cerise’s life . William, a changeling soldier who left behind the politics of the Weird, has been forced back into service to track down a rival nation’s spymaster.

When William’s and Cerise’s missions lead them to cross paths, sparks fly—but they’ll have to work together if they want to succeed…and survive.

To enter, just leave a comment. If you are/become a follower, that's an extra point for you! Giveaway ends Sept. 24th. Open to US only. Good luck!

White Heat Winner!

& the winner is.. Maddie! Congrats, Maddie! I'll be emailing you with the deets in a bit.

Huge thanks to everyone who entered!

Review! When Pleasure Rules by J.K. Beck

When Pleasure Rules 

The Shadow Keepers, book 2 

J.K. Beck

Bantam 

September 28, 2010 

ISBN-10: 0440245788 

ISBN-13: 978-0440245780

Seven innocents have been brutally murdered in Los Angeles, yet the Shadow Alliance has no suspects and no leads. As the body count mounts, the age-old feud between vampires and werewolves threatens to explode.

Lissa Monroe—a strong-willed, ravishing succubus who entices men to surrender their souls—agrees to go undercover for the Alliance. Her mission: infiltrate the mind of werewolf leader Vincent Rand, a ferociously alluring enemy who exerts a powerful hold over her. As the City of Angels teeters on the brink of apocalypse, these two adversaries must join together in order to survive an even more lethal enemy hidden in plain sight.

In When Pleasure Rules, we meet Lissa. She's a succubus who has fought for centuries for her freedom. As succubi, they're owe by traders and are reborn into that system every single time they die. In her latest lifetime, she's a successful owner of the only club that others can come and be with a succubus for the small price of a piece of their souls. Needless to say, Lissa would do anything to make sure her and her girls - the other succubus who worked for her - keep their freedoms and when she find herself between a rock and hard place, she doesn't have much choice.

Lately, people have been found savagely murdered and the Division, or the group of people that police this shadow realm, have no clue what or who is killing them. But something they do know is that there have been some rumors going around that the Alpha of the werens, or the werewolves, might be involved in this. That's when Lissa comes in. She has a special talent in that she can get into people's head when she takes their souls. While she's done her best to hide this, the Division knows and they'll do anything, including make Lissa get into the head of the Alpha's right-hand man Rand, to found if they're involved in the murders.

While Lissa is more than just apprehensive about this, she doesn't have much choice in the matter and when she first meets Rand, something immediately clicks and their instant attraction ignites. Rand's in town in order to put a stop to the rumors and find whoever is killing but he never counted on Lissa and how she would make him feel. Both Lissa and Rand are in the middle of this hot mess of political intrigue and raging murders and if they don't do everything possible to get out, either one of them could find themselves being the next victim.

When Pleasure Rules is the second book in the new Shadow Keepers series and the best installment yet! I highly enjoyed the first novel but there was a lot of setting done, which is understandable since it was the first book in a series, but in this one it's more about the main characters. Right from the get-go, Lissa and Rand's story grabs you and won't let go. These two have seriously been through a lot and that's only made them stronger. I really liked their story and it was incredibly easy to cheer for them because they're such great characters. When Pleasure Rules is a super fun, action-packed, and let's not forget sizzling story about two people who try to make the best of their options and they might have ended up finding the best thing that ever happened to them. I really enjoyed the story and I'm looking forward to the reading more!

Lush Rating: 4!

Review! Twice Bitten by Chloe Neill

Twice Bitten

A Chicagoland Vampires Novel, book 3)

Chloe Neill

NAL Trade 

July 6, 2010 

ISBN-10: 0451230647 

ISBN-13: 978-0451230645

Shapeshifters from across the country are convening in the Windy City, and as a gesture of peace, Master Vampire Ethan Sullivan has offered their leader a very special bodyguard: Merit, Chicago's newest vampire. Merit is supposed to protect the Alpha, Gabriel Keene-and to spy for the vamps while she's at it. Oh, and luckily Ethan's offering some steamy, one-on-one combat training sessions to help her prepare for the mission.

Unfortunately, someone is gunning for Gabriel, and Merit soon finds herself in the line of fire. She'll need all the help she can get to track down the would-be assassin, but everywhere she turns, there are rising tensions between supernaturals-not least between her and a certain green-eyed, centuries-old master vampire.

Twice Bitten is the third installment in the Chicagoland Vampires series and Merit's back with a vengeance! As a new vampire and also the Sentinel of the Cadogan House, she's got her hands full. Now, the werewolves are coming into town to have a type of conference and Merit has to play bodyguard for Gabriel Keene, the Alpha of the werewolves. Before you know it, Merit's ankle deep in trying to save Gabriel from assassination attempts and to make things even more complicated, she's also dealing with some enemies from the past possibly coming back. Between playing bodyguard for Gabriel, finding out who and why is trying to kill him and stop the conference and dealing with Cadogan House issues, including a certain super-hot Master vampire, Merit has got a lot going on! And she better deal with it soon - before someone ends up dead.

Twice Bitten is a fabulous addition to an already pretty awesome series! I've always been a fan of Merit and her ass-kicking ways but I still think that she's got the worst taste in men! She's had the hots for Ethan, her boss and Master vampire from the get-go and I still don't like him. He's annoying and so full of himself and yes, maybe he is super gorgeous and powerful but I can't stand that man! The thing is, in this story, I actually thought that maybe he was changing a bit and really started liking him. However, he messed up things bad and I'm totally back to hating him. My favorite character makes an appearance, though! Adorable, geeky, sexylicious Jeff. I really wish he'd had a bigger role in the story because he's awesome and I adore him!

I highly enjoyed Twice Bitten! It's an action-packed, gritty and sexy story with really great characters (Jeff!) and I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

Lush Rating: 4!