The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands

The Reluctant Vampire by Lynsay Sands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis: 
Has this immortal finally met her match?

Rogue hunter Drina Argenis (from the Spanish side of the Argeneau family) has been many things in her years as an immortal, but bodyguard/babysitter to a teenage vampire is something new. There's an incentive, however: the other vampsitter, Harper Stoyan, may be Drina's life mate.

Trouble is, having just lost a life mate, Harper is resigned to being alone. He's completely unprepared when sexy and unpredictable Drina bursts into his life to reignite his passions. Can Drina, with a little matchmakinghelp from their teen charge, tempt this reluctant vampire to take a chance?

Or will a dangerous, unseen renegade kill Drina and Harper's one chance at happiness?

My Review:
Ms. Sands did not disappoint in this book. As always it had suspense, drama, and lots of romance, which is exactly what keeps making me come back for more. However, it wasn't something remarkable as some of the other books. While all the elements from the previous books was still present, I just didn't feel so connected to the characters as I've felt with other pairings. I understand that this wasn't your typical Vamp/Human pairing so the whole explanation of where they came from wasn't necessary, or hiding their nature from their lifemate. But I still didn't feel much between Drinan and Harper. I love Harper don't get me wrong, I found him sweet and all, but Drina was a bit... ehh, for me. Still, I think that this series is just awesome. Oh, and their steamy, awesome sex was also on the ehh, side for me. Not much going on in my opinion.
The story picks up the story line left in the third book of The Rogue Hunter series and tells us what happened to Stephanie, Danielle's sister who was turned into a no-fanger immortal in The Immortal Hunter. Drina is sent to baby sit her in case Stephanie wants to run away and protect her from the man who's after her. Drina didn't anticipate to find her life mate there. Harper recently found his lifemate but she died during her turning from heart failure and is devastated, convince that he doesn't deserve any happiness. And so Drina has to convince him otherwise with the help of our little friend Stephanie who is more than happy to help.
Stephanie did make me laugh sometimes. She seems so... normal, even though she's a vampire now. I like her a lot so it was nice hearing from her again.
Since the first time I picked up the first book in the series I've been hooked. Each book features a different character, some we've seen or heard of before in previous nooks, and some are new.
The interesting thing about her books are her intake on Vampires, or rather, Immortals as they like to call themselves.
As always, there were lots of funny moments as well as sad and happy.
The fact that each book could act as a stand alone is awesome, but I would recommend you start from the beginning so you'll know about the other characters etc. Also, I loved hearing from past characters! I read the short story of Beau and Tiny and loved to see them during this story.

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Immortal Embrace by Charlotte Blackwell

Title: Immortal Embrace
Author:Charlotte Blackwell
Series: Embrace Series #1
Release Date: July 1st 2011 by World Castle Publishing


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Synopsis:
Sophia Pierce has suffered since her brother left, and is unsure if she will ever get over it. That is until her family decided to move to Wenham, Massachusetts. Her and her siblings have been ordered to protect their little sister, and must return to High school. Sophia never expected to find relationships that will change the meaning of her existence, and last an eternity and maybe even help heal her from the pain she has suffered.

Sophia soon meet's Nathanial and knows he is her soul mate, but she tries to fight it. The connection between them is too strong for her to resist. After she saves his life from a near fatal attack, Sophia can never lose him, and begins to open up. Her family's secrets soon come out and she will face what she thought could destroy it all.

Sophia has friends, a boyfriend and a place to belong; she loves this small town and vow's to protect it all. Terror is about to set on her sweet little town and she needs to do something to stop it. The Pierce family and their close friends prepare for the biggest fight they never expected, little did they know it is just the beginning.

This is Sophia’s story, a story of a girl who finds herself, love and everlasting friendship. The excitement of this story wraps mortals, vampires, witches, shape shifters and the supernatural all into a romantic tale of young love, friendship, the meaning of family and a girl who finds herself when she thought it was all lost.


My Review:

The book was very good. I couldn't put it down even though it seemed a bit... staged. The plot was very good, with the villains defined and you could practically see trouble coming. The characters were so-so believable and the only one that seemed truly alive was Alex and Caspian, other than that it felt a bit forced or, like I said before, staged. 

I found myself rolling my eyes in almost every page at the cheesy lines thrown in between Sophia and Nate. And the first thought that came to my mind when I began reading the book was Twilight. While I'm not trying to compare the books as to which one was better, I'm saying that this book resembled Twilight a lot. A LOT. But with anew approach. Still, the vampires didn't sparkle but had amulets that made them somehow more human. That was something new for a change. 
The romance between Sophia and Nate was very... romantic. Very. There were times when I couldn't stop smiling and other when I was frowning because it seemed like this was a soap opera in which everything was exaggerated. Perhaps it was just the copy of the book in pdf file that I got, or not, but I noticed a lot of exclamation marks at the end of almost every line Nate was saying, also Sophia, when I thought it wasn't necessary. 
Now, the writing was very good. Charlotte made the story float and I wish Caspian would have come out more. I liked him very much. Besides, she did a great job describing the backgrounds of the characters, though some of them were a bit vague and some she didn't say more than a couple of words about. Perhaps she'll talk more about it in the next book, which I'll definitely want to read because I have nothing against books with super-duper in love couples. I love them.

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Darkness Becomes Her by Kelley Keaton

Tittle: Darkness Becomes Her
Author: Kelley Keaton
Series: Gods & Monsters #1
Published: February 22, 2011 by Simon Pulse
Ages: 14 and up


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Synopsis:
Ari can’t help feeling lost and alone. With teal eyes and freakish silver hair that can’t be changed or destroyed, Ari has always stood out. And after growing up in foster care, she longs for some understanding of where she came from and who she is.

Her search for answers uncovers just one message from her long dead mother: Run. Ari can sense that someone, or something, is getting closer than they should. But it’s impossible to protect herself when she doesn’t know what she’s running from or why she is being pursued.

She knows only one thing: she must return to her birthplace of New 2, the lush rebuilt city of New Orleans. Upon arriving, she discovers that New 2 is very...different. Here, Ari is seemingly normal. But every creature she encounters, no matter how deadly or horrifying, is afraid of her.

Ari won’t stop until she knows why. But some truths are too haunting, too terrifying, to ever be revealed.

My review:

This book was really good. Amazing actually. It started off with action and it developed fairly quickly. Loved the fact that you couldn't get bored with it or put it down. Since the beginning you just know that it will be great. 

Ari is an orphan girl who consideres herself a freak for her teal eyes and silvery hair, who is determined to find out more about her past and what happened to her mother, so she head off to New 2, which is the new New Orleans after the hurricanes that struck and destroyed the city but is no longer part of the U.S. New 2 is now owned by The Novem, and the place is rumored to be full of supernatural creatures and all sorts of crazy stories. But are they real? 

It all begins from there as she makes new friends and meets Sebastian, who she supposedly falls in love, though this new found love develops too quickly for me. One moment they seem to dislike each other and then the next she has feelings for him and he likes her. It felt somehow forced. 

But the mythology in it was really good. A very good end with a twist that I loved. Who would have thought?  I mean, when I finally figured out what she was I couldn't believe it! I was so surprised. 

Rating: 4.0

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Can't Wait For It!

Overbite (Sequel to Insatiable) By Meg Cabot 

On sale: 7/5/2011 

Book Description

Meena Harper has a special gift, but it’s only now that anyone’s ever appreciated it. The Palatine Guard—a powerful secret demon-hunting unit of the Vatican—has hired her to work at their new branch in Lower Manhattan. With Meena’s ability to predict how everyone she meets will die, the Palatine finally has a chance against the undead.

Sure, her ex-boyfriend was Lucien Anton­escu, son of Dracula, the prince of darkness. But that was before he (and their relationship) went up in flames. Now Meena’s sworn off vampires for good . . . at least until she can prove her theory that just because they’ve lost their souls doesn’t mean demons have lost the ability to love.

Meena knows convincing her co-workers—including her partner, über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf—that vampires can be redeemed won’t be easy . . . especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just lives of the Palatine, but Meena’s friends and family as well.

But Meena isn’t the Palatine’s only hope. Father Henrique—aka Padre Caliente—New York City’s youngest, most charming priest, has also been assigned to the case.

So why doesn’t Meena—or Alaric—trust him?

As she begins unraveling the truth, Meena finds her loyalties tested, her true feelings laid bare . . . and temptations she never even imagined existed impossible to resist.

This time, Meena may finally have bitten off more than she can chew.

The first book was one that made me laugh a lot but also feel for Meena and Lucian. It was ironic that Meena was tired of listening to everyone talk about how great vampires are and then she meets a real vampire who she falls in love with. I loved Lucian, even though he was kind of your typical vampire who didn't want to kill the heroine and all that. Still, who doesn't love a classic vampire story? This story was just awesome. So, More Meena and Lucien? GREAT! Can't wait for it!

Enjoy the reading!

News about Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

Guess what? Guess what? There's a synopsis for Bloodlines! Yes! We'll finally have more info on what will happen next in the Vampire world that Mead has created and will probably only be left wanting more but I'm more than sure that the wait will be very much worth it when we finally get our hands on that book. Ahem. Sorry, got a little carried away there. 
Here's the synopsis. 

BLOOD DOESN'T LIE

Sydney is an alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of human and vampires. They protect vampire secrets - and human lives. When Sydney is torn from her bed in the middle of the night, at first she thinks she's still being punished for her complicated alliance with dhampir Rose Hathaway. But what unfolds is far worse. Jill Dragomir - the sister of Moroi Queen Lissa Dragomir - is in mortal danger, and the Moroi must send her into hiding.

To avoid a civil war, Sydney is called upon to act as Jill's guardian and protector, posing as her roommate in the last place anyone would think to look for vampire royalty - a human boarding school in Palm Springs, California. But instead of finding safety at Amberwood Prep, Sydney discovers the drama is only just beginning.

Bloodlines explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive - this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone's out for blood.

We already knew most of the info here but doesn't it feel more... real now that we have solid proof of it? I don't know about y'all but I'm super excited and can't wait to get my hands on this book. 

Awakened by P.C & Kristin Cast (Quick Review)

Awakened (House of Night, #8) by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Release Date: January 4th, 2011

Synopsis:

At the start of Awakened, the pulse-pounding eighth installment of the bestselling House of Night series, Zoey has returned, mostly whole, from the Otherworld to her rightful place as High Priestess at the House of Night. Her friends are just glad to have her back, but after losing her human consort, Heath, will Zoey—or her relationship with her super- hot Warrior, Stark—ever be the same? Stevie Rae is drawn even closer to Rephaim, the Raven Mocker with whom she shares a mysterious and powerful Imprint, but he is a dangerous secret that isolates her from her school, her red fledglings, and even her best friends. When the dark threat of Neferet—who is coming closer and closer to achieving her twisted goal of immortality—and Kalona returns, what will it take to keep the House of Night from being lost forever, and what will one desperate girl do to keep her heart from being irreparably broken?

My Review:

It's been a while since it came out and I refused to read it because it had been a while since i read Burned. I had no idea this book would be as good as it was. I've followed The House of Night series for a while now and because there are so many books it felt like the author was just dragging the story longer that it should, I stopped reading. The book was good, yeah. But the story is just being dragged. 

I've seen many points in which they should have been able to deaf 'Darkness' and they haven't. While it is a good read, very entertaining, I doubt I'll keep reading the series. I just got tired of Zoey and her whiny friends. At first the series was really good, that's why it got so many fans, and had really good points. But then I began to realize that it wasn't nearly as good anymore. Because, c'mon, who says bullpoopie? Or has such accentuated accent like Stevie Rae? Seriously? 

Besides, it has no action whatsoever. None. At least not until the end. And isn't this series about Zoey and her so many boyfriends? Stevie Rae totally stole the romance from Zoey with Rephaim. Her romance was the only thing that kept me reading the book. I wanted to find out what happened. Other than that, I didn't enjoy it.