Book Review: The Mating - Nicky Charles

Title: The Mating (Law of the Lycans #1) - Nicky Charles

Release Date: The edition I have was first published in February 23rd 2010

Publisher: Smashwords

Pages: 897 (ebook)

Goodreads 

Elise had no idea when she came home that day that she'd end up mated to a complete stranger. A new Alpha and the need for an alliance between packs have made her a pawn.

THE COVER

It's a free ebook, so I won't complain.

THE STORY

The plot was very good, and in my opinion, The Mating had the best pacing out of all the books in the series. There was a lot of suspense; I was guessing the whole time. I thought I had the villains figured out, but oh no, not even close. I also appreciated the fact that the author knows the difference between werewolves and Lycans. 

The "ummm" scenes erased all the innocence I had left, but no regrets!

THE CHARACTERS

I loved the characters in this. Elise was no weakling and because she was the Alpha's mate, she simply didn't have the right to be one. I also loved when she insisted to get a job because she didn't want to rely on the pack's fund even if she could've lived like a queen.

And, oh, Kane. I liked how he's a mighty Alpha with a soft side.

The other characters were also very developed, and they added to the richness of the story.

 

MY FAVORITE PART was the climax, the confrontation scene. Action ♥  

RATING: 5/5
(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: Existence - Abbi Glines

Title: Existence (Existence Trilogy #1) - Abbi Glines

Release Date: December 12th 2011

Publisher: Wild Child Publishing

Pages: n/a (ebook)

Goodreads 

What happens when you're stalked by Death? You fall in love with him, of course.

Pagan Moore doesn't cheat Death, but instead, falls in love with him.

Seventeen year old Pagan Moore has seen souls her entire life. Once she realized the strangers she often saw walking through walls were not visible to anyone else, she started ignoring them. If she didn't let them know she could see them, then they left her alone. Until she stepped out of her car the first day of school and saw an incredibly sexy guy lounging on a picnic table, watching her with an amused smirk on his face. Problem is, she knows he's dead.

Not only does he not go away when she ignores him, but he does something none of the others have ever done. He speaks. Pagan is fascinated by the soul. What she doesn't realize is that her appointed time to die is drawing near and the wickedly beautiful soul she is falling in love with is not a soul at all.

He is Death and he's about to break all the rules.

THE COVER  

OOOOOOOOOOH THAT COVER. YES GOOD JOB YES. Pepe Toth is glory personified. And Sztella too, but all we can see here is her back, but hey, it's glorious too, lol. Oh God those eyes. Moving on!

THE STORY

When I read the synopsis, the story intrigued me. Death falling in love? Yes, please. And the fact that the female lead also had a power made it more interesting. There were a lot of surprises in the end, but I felt like a lot of parts could have been cut out to make the pace better. 

THE CHARACTERS

Unfortunately, Pagan's ability to see souls was the only significant thing about her (until we get to book two, but that's got to wait for now). Like most female main characters in YA, she had to be saved several times. I'm all for butt-kicking girls so that weakness always irks me.

Also, even though I swoon every time Dank's in the page, there really wasn't much back-up for their attraction. I won't call it insta-love, though, because Pagan certainly wanted Dank gone at first, thinking he's just another ghost. But I can't blame Pagan because if I were her, I'd fall in love with Dank, too... especially if he looked like Pepe Toth. Moving on!

MY FAVORITE PART was every time Dank sung. I'm a sucker for guys who sing and play the guitar. And the author's friend (I think?) recorded Dank's songs. Here are links to Closer and, my personal favorite, Yet You Stay.

RATING: 3/5

(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Book Review: Screaming in the Silence - Lydia Kelly

Title: Screaming in the Silence - Lydia Kelly

Release Date: The edition I have was first published October 27th 2010

Publisher: WorldMaker Media

Pages: 194 (ebook)

Goodreads 

Could you fall in love with the man who kidnapped and raped you?

After being struck by a car, Raleigh finds herself taken captive by three men who live in a remote cottage by a lake. Locked in the basement and raped, she soon discovers that her desperation is leading her to believe in and trust one of her captors. Kaden is handsome and at times protective, but will he save her from his partner, who wants her dead? And can she have feelings and fall in love with a man who kidnapped and raped her?

Screaming in the Silence is the harrowing and erotic tale of a woman's kidnapping ordeal. Edited and updated with a new ending, Screaming in the Silence is the official published version of an Internet hit that has been read over 20,000 times.

THE COVER

I'm not a big fan of this cover, but I think it really embodies the story, with the crying girl - who is, obviously, Raleigh - and the lake which is quite a big part of the main characters' relationship.

THE STORY

This is the first "girl gets kidnapped" book that I've ever read, so I was really curious when I began reading it. The pacing was really good; I just couldn't stop reading. And it took an unexpected twist towards the conclusion, and that ending has permanently taken a piece of my heart.

THE CHARACTERS

The story started off with Raleigh running away from a life she didn't want to live. It's good that her kidnapping changed her for the better, gave her the courage to voice out what she really wanted.

A surprise came in the form of my love for Kaden; he's one of the kidnappers, for heaven's sake! But how could I not? He's a French-to-English manuscript translator, and in the book - if my memory serves me right - he's working on Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Raleigh asked him why he's translating it when it's already been translated, but unfortunately, since I read this book last March, I can't remember his answer. My apologies.  

I just have a thing for broken, complicated characters.
 

MY FAVORITE PART was the last scene with Raleigh. So much hope. In my head, I love continuing the story from there.

RATING: 5/5
(photo and summary from Goodreads.com)

Guess who's posting again.

I started this blog earlier this year when I regained my love for books. It was fun, but the amount of time it took overwhelmed me; to think that back then, I wasn't taking college as seriously as I do now.

But I'm happy to say that I'm back! This time, I'll try to be better at sticking with schedules and whatnot. Self-discipline, yes.

Unfortunately, I didn't write reviews for anything I read after L.J. Smith's The Forbidden Game. I'll work on most of those books' reviews except for the ones I'll be re-reading (i.e. part of an unfinished series, or those I really loved). I will also be using a new format for my reviews because I seem to have lost my ability to string cohesive paragraphs together, lol.

Here's to My Library in the Making 2.0! ♥

Multimedia Monday: Another Cinderella Story and Zookeeper

A guy who danced with what could be the girl of his dreams at a costume ball only has one hint at her identity: the Zune she left behind as she rushed home in order to make her curfew. And with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in front of him, he sets out to find his masked beauty.

I used to dislike Selena Gomez for no particular reason but after watching this, not anymore! The dancing and music in this movie was awesome.

A group of zoo animals decide to break their code of silence in order to help their lovable zoo keeper find love -- without opting to leave his current job for something more illustrious.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian because I loved animals. I still do. So any movie about them just touches my heart. And just how cool are talking zoo animals?

(photos linked to sources; summaries from IMDb)