The Last Awakening by Rachel Firasek - Curse of the Phoenix Book 2

About the book:
For three hundred years, Arabella’s life has been one meaningless death after another. In a cruel twist of fate, Osiris gifts the phoenix her mortality and long-gone voodoo magic with a warning that she must save her next soul within a week without using magic, or she’ll lose her power forever.

Ex-soldier Greyson Meadows desperately wants to be freed from the nightmares and guilt that haunt him. Confronted by a waif of a woman who forces him to face the truth about his past, he runs fast and hard, fighting the need to prove himself worthy despite his perceived failures.

When Ari becomes the target of her own magical blunder, the weak will find strength and the strong will fall. One will have to give up everything so the other can have peace, but will love’s magic withstand the loss?           

My Thoughts:
The thing I like most about this series is that even though the stories are short, they jump right into the action and carry you along right until the very end.  Arabella is a fiesty voodoo priestess, or at least she was.  Something went wrong with a spell one day and she ended up serving as one of Osiris's phoenixes until she learns her lesson.  While serving as a phoenix may sound glamorous, it's actually quite the opposite.  Having to die over and over again in the place of others wears thin quickly.  Then one day Ari saves Greyson and everything changes.  Ari is willing to risk her soul to try and help him fight his inner demons (which are pretty nasty), but she is only given a week to do it.

Now, Greyson is ex-military, and has carried around guilt from his time in the service for years.  When Ari shows up and tries to show him that he has nothing to be guilty about, he runs the opposite way at first, not realizing just how much he needs her.  As Ari tries to help Greyson, she realizes that she needs his help as well, and fast.  Osiris has given her a time frame to save Greyson and it's quickly approaching when she finds out that everything she knew about her past was wrong.  Facing this will push both of them to their emotional limits.

I really liked Ari in the first book of the series, The Last Rising, and was excited to see her starring in her own.  I've become attached to the characters and I really hope to see a third book come out.

3/5

Book Tour and Giveaway: Cloyne Court by Dodie Katague

About the book: 

In 1977, when 18-year-old Berkeley college student, Derek moved into the student residence co-op, Cloyne Court, sight unseen, little did he know he would learn about life, love, sex, drugs, music, alcohol and co-ed showers—all on the first day.

Located one block North of the University of California, Berkeley campus, this real and notorious student-run house has provided an alternative, counter-culture, hedonistic, raucous, and unique living experience for the “Clones”, as the students call themselves, who choose to live here each year, despite the public and parents calling for a permanent shut down of this enduring and historic building.

Based on his journals and memories of his college days at this real-life “Animal House”, author, Dodie Katague weaves true events of life at Cloyne Court co-op into a zany, wild, and nostalgic story about the carefree time of every college student’s life.

About Dodie Katague:

Dodie Katague lived at Cloyne Court from 1977-79, while attending the University of California, Berkeley. He is an attorney and lives with his wife and family in Walnut Creek, California.

Dodie's Website.

My Review:

Let's go back in time to the 1970's to UC Berkely in California. Cloyne Court, a co-ed student housing co-op, is the central location for much of this story. Hour leading man, Derek, moves in half way through his Freshman year. Before living at Cloyne Court, Derek commuted from his parent's house to school every day. The experience would be an eye opener and life changer for Derek as he experienced life in a whole new way. We follow Derek from his Freshman year through graduation. He experiences his first love and first hearbreak. He meets people and participates in events that were new and at times exciting, at times disturbing. Derek goes into the house one person and one outlook on life, and leaves changed and slightly damaged. Who wouldn't come away from a real life "Animal House" a changed man?

It has taken me a long time to figure out what to say about this book. I hope my brief description hasn't scared you away, because it is well worth the read. It's a story that is difficult to describe without telling too much. I was amazed at many of the characters that came and went in Derek's life while he lived at Cloyne Court. Many were such a positive influence, often without anyone realizing it until much later. On the other hand, many were what gave the co-op housing such a bad name. The housing politics were some of the best parts, with elected positions and assignments that were highly sought after at times. There was also a little of the high school drama mixed in, especially when it came to where and who you sat with at dinner.

A very unique type of coming of age story that I wish I could have lived part of. The story was entertaining and enlightening at the same time. Keep in mind that this is definately an adult book, with language, drugs and a sexual theme that runs througout. However, it is not over the top, it's just an important part of the story.

4/5

I have one copy of Cloyne Court up for grabs. If the winner is from the U.S. or Canada,they will have the choice of paper or ebook.  If the winner is International, they will receive the ebook.  For the ebook, Dodie will be sending the ebook winners a free coupon code for Smashwords.com
 Just fill in the form to enter. Contest ends Nov 13.

Book Review: Impulse by Candace Camp

Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 401
Acquired: 10/20/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I read it: NetGalley
Series: No

Cam Monroe is a stablehand, Angela Stanhope is nobility. Their love is forbidden and when Angela's father finds out about he threatens to ruin Cam and find a way to send him to jail for the rest of his life. Cam leaves the family's estate and vows to have Angela and his revenge. Meanwhile, Angela marries Lord Dunstan to try and save Cam from her father. Dunstan does not turn out to be the good man everyone thought he was, and several years later they end up divorced after a scandal that rocked the town.

When Cam hears of Angela's divorce he finds a way to return and try to marry her, but Angela sees herself as damaged good after her divorce and is terrified of being under the control of any man. On top of everything, Cam has been the victim of several "accidents." Accidents that seem to be happening all to frequently to be real. Will Angela and Cam learn to trust each other again, or will they forever live with their past doubts.

While this was more of what I consider a "traditional" romance, mistreated woman falls for gentle man but have too many issues to deal with to see that they love each other. However, the little bit of mystery behind Cam's accidents adds just enough to keep the story interesting, although an astute reader will figure it out early in the game.

3/5

Book Review: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

Perdido Street Station by China Mieville

Genre: SteamPunk
Pages: 640
Acquired: 08/24/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I read it: ???
Series: None

Isaac Dan der Grimnebulin is a scientist that lives on the fringes of society. He is known for his research in things that aren't quite accepted by the rest of the scientific community. His most recent project is for a garuda, a bird-like creature, that has lost his wings. His job is to find a way for him to fly again. Isaac's girlfriend, Lin, is a bug person that has been recently hired by a notorious underworld drug lord to create a sculpture. Now, these two incidents have in common. Well, not too much as first, but as we read further into the story strange and unrelated events turn into a nightmare. Nearly invincible creatures are released into the city and are killing in ways no one can quite figure out and Isaac, Lin, and their friends find themselves the center of it all.

I really enjoyed reading this. There was sooooooo much going on that I was a bit overwhelmed when I first finished, but after sitting on my thoughts for a few days I realized how detailed the whole story was. Everything that was mentioned had a purpose. That purpose may not come into play for hundreds of pages, but the set up was perfect. The characters bothered me at first because they were very extreme in their personalities. But, again, as the story went along their quirks and extreme behavior all played a part. They also grew into completely new people as the events around them forced them to change their opinions and beliefs.

This is a great book for any fan of SteamPunk, science fiction, or fantasy. I wish I could remember how it got on my wishlist so I could thank the person who recommended it.

5/5

Book Review: The Incumbent by Alton Gansky

The Incumbent by Alton Gansky

Genre: Political Thriller
Pages: 336
Acquired: 04/16/10
Book of Your Shelf? Yes (Nook shelf)
Why I read it: Free Fridays
Series: The Madison Glenn Series (1)

Maddy Glenn is the mayor of a small town, Santa Rita, in California. Small town politics are her daily business until her campaign treasurer is abducted. The only clue is a Madison Glenn business card with 4 drops of blood on it. And of course that's not all. As the crimes continue with more and more clues linking Maddy to the case, things begin to get dangerous. Police escorts, private investigators, angry fathers, and a van that seems to be following her all add up to lots of stress.

I really enjoyed Maddy as a character. She was a strong woman, but was had a deeper side to her than your stereotypical "strong female lead" role. She was compassionate to others effected by the crimes, and regularly complained about how over protective her parents could act, even though she had been out on her own for years. The characters surrounding Maddy were also very fun to read about. My only complaint were the main police characters seemed a little over the top. The disgruntled (and highly agitated) ex-husband of the first victim was an interesting addition to the story, but he almost played too large a part. However, since this is a series, they could just be setting the players for the second book.

The book was quite enjoyable, but I had the mystery figured out way too early to get excited about the big revelation near the end.

3/5

Book Review: Ophelia by Lisa Klein

Ophelia by Lisa Klein

Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 336
Acquired: 6/8/2011
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I have it: Book Battle 2011
Series: None

Most of us have read, if not at least heard of, the story of Hamlet. The danish prince's tale has captured the imagination of many, but what of the beautiful Ophelia? Where did she come from and why did she behave the way she did. Lisa Klein takes a look into the life of Ophelia before the start of Hamlet, and follows her through the tragic tale.

Ophelia's story is interesting, and Klein did a fantastic job of molding her story into the framework of Hamlet. But there was just something about her that I had a hard time connecting with for some reason. She seemed a bit one sided, always worrying, complaining, and enjoying the same things no matter what the circumstances were. I can see the places where the author tried to make her grow and develop into something more, but she always came up just a bit short....maybe that was the point?

The plot was were it really lost me. I know there is only so much freedom you have when you are working within another famous story, but there was much of Ophelia's life that was up to the imagination. Most of her story just seemed a bit cliche and overdone. I could almost swear I had read something almost exactly the same and that did turn me off quite a bit.

I don't want to turn anyone off from the book too much though. I don't think there was anything actually wrong with the story, writing style, or characters. And I have to admire the way the author was able to keep all the facts from Hamlet straight and fit it into Ophelia's story just right. It just wasn't a book for me.

3/5

Book Review: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Genre: Fantasy, Scottish, Romance
Pages: 896
Acquired: 2/26/11
Book of Your Shelf? No
Why I have/read it: Fantasy February
Series: Outlander (1)

Claire Randall, an English nurse from the 1940's, is in for the surprise of her life. While on vacation with her husband in Scotland, she finds a strange circle of stones and somehow is transported back into 1743 Scotland. Confused and disoriented, she finds herself in the hands of a Scottish lord and his men, on the run from the English.

As Claire adjusts to her new life in Scotland, she take son the task of being nurse to the castle she now lives in. The people slowly work their way into her heart. At the same time, she desperately misses her husband and searches for a way she may be able to sneak off and use the stones to go back to her own time and place. Instead she finds herself right in the middle of a feud between the Scottish people that have taken her in and an English Corporal, that just happens to be one of her husband's ancestors.

I enjoyed the little twists and turns the story took along the way. Gabaldon was able to keep the story moving very nicely throughout the almost 900 pages, something that can't be very easy to do. There were a few sections that I did struggle through, but were important to the development of the many characters.

I was very surprised at the amount of romance that was included, and have to admit there were times I skimmed over a bit of the love scenes. There were times it seemed a bit much for the type of novel that I expected, but at the same time it didn't seem to effect my overall liking of the book.

4/5

Book Review: Wings in the Night Park 1 by Maggie Shayne

A collection of novels and short stories about vampires falling in love (see Msg 107 for review of first in series). Overall pretty good stories, but I wouldn't recommend reading them all together like I did. They start to get a little predictable. I'm going to wait a little bit before diving into the rest she wrote.

3/5

Book Review: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Son of a Witch [SON OF A WITCH] [Mass Market Paperback] by Gregory Maguire

The continuing story of Oz through the eyes of Gregory Maguire. We meet the boy Liir, often seen at the side of Elphaba in the first book of the Oz series. Liir is found beaten, battered, and barely alive by a secluded order of Maunts. As they nurse him back to health he relived in his dreams his past and what has happened in his life since the wicked witch, Elphaba, was killed by Dorothy.


As much as I enjoy Maguire's books, this one had me a bit confused at times (which may have been his intent) about why Liir was acting the way he did. At times it just didn't seem like a logical or an emotional choice was made, he just did something completely random.

I fell in love with the Emerald City all over again - not because it was beautiful, but because it was so real all over again. We run across a few people and places from Wicked, and it was wonderful to visit and see how they turned out.

4/5

Alien Revealed by Lilly Cain

Alien Revealed by Lilly Cain

Alinna is an alien (very human like) that has been sent to scout the earth and decide if they would be good allies for her people. She is instructed to stay out of sight and out of the way. Fate has other plans when her small craft crashed near an Earth space base. She is retrieved by Major David Brown who assumes she is a doctor he has been waiting to show up, but he soon realizes she may not be who he thinks she is.

Whoa Nelly! Talk about a short but very hot romance. The short little book had me blushing like you wouldn't believe. Alinna and David manage to somehow overcome their initial distrust and sparks go flying - perhaps fireworks would be more appropriate. All that aside, the story was cute and entertaining. It ended quite abruptly and seemed almost unfinished though.

2.5/5

Book Review: Hero Wanted by Dan McGirt

Hero Wanted by Dan McGirt

If you enjoyed Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, you will love this comical fantasy story of Jason Cosmo. A woodcutter by trade, forced to be a hero by destiny and possibly a case of mistaken identity. As Jason flees his hometown of Lower Hicksnittle, he finds unlikely allies in a wizard, Mercury Boltblaster, and the seductive twins, Sapphrina and Rubis. A very entertaining tale with all the classic fantasy elements.

4/5

Book Review: Twilight Phantasies by Maggie Shayne

I picked this up as my first book on my new Nook ereader because I somehow got my hands on book 12 in this series and wanted to at least read the first one before reading number twelve. I found it for waaaay to much money online or 2.99 in electronic format...so electronic it was!


Twilight Phantasies is the story of a very special woman named Tamara. Tamara works for a top secret government agency that tracks and studies people with "unusual" abilities. He guardian also works for this agency tracking a vampire named Eric Marquand. Tamara's guardian is quite fanatic in his belief that all vampire's are inherently evil and should be destroyed or made weak so he can study them.

Tamara decides to go ice skating in the middle of the night, she can no longer sleep, and meets the very same man (vampire) that her guardian has been tracking and attempting to capture this whole time. She instantly feels the connection...it's as if their minds were somehow joined.

Needless to say, when her guardian finds out, trouble arises...in many many forms. I throughly enjoyed the story and the characters. The small side plots and characters only brought the main ones to life even more. I've purchased the next couple in the series and I hope they are just as good.

3.5/5

Nook

Well, after some research on the difference between the Nook and the Kindle, I finally broke down and decided to purchase a Nook over the weekend.  I was also spurred by the search for a book that I could either buy used, starting around $75, or in e-format, for $2.99.  I'm in the process of reading said book, and will post my thoughts on the book and the Nook (haha I rhymed) when I'm finished.