2016 monthly keyword reading challenge

2016 monthly keyword reading challenge

This challenge involves six keywords for each month, the book has to have that keyword in the title. For more information and sign-ups please click the link below.

http://www.mysoulcalledlife.com/2016-monthly-key-word-reading-challenge/

Here are the monthly keywords:

•  January
•  Crowd, Girl, The, Bad, Soul, Soft
• February
•  Veil, Kiss,Her, Break, Love, Stars
• March
•  Game, Fire, Darkness, School, Like, Change
• April
•  Far, Life, Stay, One, War, Thorns
• May
•  Cure, Trial, Family, Key, Thief, Bend
• June
•  Moon, In, Only, Whisper, Sleep, Trap
• July
•  Rose, Sun, Clock, Day, Angel, Unto
• August
•  Prince, Boy, Glass, Heart, Lost, Now
• September
•  Wind, Color, Touch, At, How, Sweet
• October
•  Rock, Ghost, Fall, Away, Sky, Storm
• November
•  Dream, Holiday, And, Of, Dawn, Beautiful
• December 
• End, Promise, Everlasting, Ice, Snow, My

1. January- The three Graces by Michele Wolfe
2. February- The one you love by Paul Pilkington
3. March- Fight like a girl by Dawn Pendleton
4. April- After Life, Inc. by S.R. Ellis
5. May- Thief of Hearts: Wanted: Slayer Tales by D.L. Snow
6. June- Black Moon Draw by Lizzy Ford
7. July-Angel Fire by Valmore Daniels
8. August- The shadow prince by Stacey O'Neale
9. September- Touch & Go by Lisa Gardner
10. October- The ghost and the graveyard by Genevieve Jack
11. November- Rising Dawn by E.I. Jennings
12. December- Snow Globe by Jeanne Skartsiaris

'16 Debut Author Challenge

'16n Debut Author Challenge

I've done this challenge before, I've never finished it but I still like to try because I love to read and find new authors to love. For more information and to sign up please click the button below.

COYER 2016

COYER (Clean out your E-Reader) 2016

Clean out your E-Reader, finally read the free books you've acquired from Amazon, or Netgalley!! For more information and to sign up for this challenge just click the button below..

Around the World 2016

Around the world 2016

The goal of the Around the World challenge is to visit as many different places in the world through books, especially places that are rather rare, and not the kind of settings you see in 95% of all the books you read. We’re are going to do this by creating a google map where every pin on the map stands for one book. The goal is to have as many pins as possible and they shouldn’t be very close to each other but spread all over. Click the link below for the rules and details on the challenge.

http://itsallaboutbooks.de/2015/12/challenge-around-the-world-2016/

The Passionate Queen

The Passionate Queen

Written by: Jovee Winters

Published: August 8, 2015

Series: The Dark Queens #2

Goodreads Synopsis:
The Passionate Queen

Once upon a time a dragon dared to fall in love with the Queen of Hearts…

Zelena Hermosa wants only one thing, to be free. But for a morphling like her freedom will never be possible. Bought by a witch as a baby, she’s been raised in a household that knows no kindness or love. She’s a broken, dirty child the day she meets her prickly little dragon boy.

Ragoth Nur, heir to the throne of Drakon has just stolen a golden apple from Zeus’s favored orchard. In order to make sure he doesn’t have to face the wrath of the gods (but especially his mom) he runs off to wonderland to enjoy his treat and there bumps into the human girl who will change the course of his life forever.

There’s so much more to the Queen of Heart’s than the stories. So much more than the vindictive woman who shouts, “Off with her heads.” This is the true story of the woman, the legend, and the myth…





My Thoughts:
The Passionate Queen is the Second book in the Dark Queens series by Jovee Winters. I enjoyed seeing a different side of the Queen of Hearts. I love the characters in here they stay relatively true to the classic characters with a few twists. Zelena is just a girl when she meets this beast boy she's never seen. Ragoth visits a new realm and is enthralled by this dirty little girl dressed in rags.These kids develop a friendship that seems to be their only refuge from their lives. Will their friendship blossom into something more or will the best have to let go of his queen?

This story was a great take on one of the villains of classic fairy tales. I loved the romance and comedy in this novel. I like being able to recognize the characters from the classic and see them in different ways. I loved how you got to see the queen of hearts became hard and cold as well as seeing her softer side.

Hope to Die

 Hope to Die

written by: James Patterson

Published by: New Century

Published: November 1, 2014

Goodreads Synopsis:

Detective Alex Cross is being stalked by a psychotic genius, forced to play the deadliest game of his career. Cross's family – his loving wife Bree, the wise and lively Nana Mama, and his precious children--have been ripped away. Terrified and desperate, Cross must give this mad man what he wants if he has any chance of saving the most important people in his life. The stakes have never been higher: What will Cross sacrifice to save the ones he loves?

My Thoughts:

Hope to Die is another amazing installment of the Alex Cross series by James Patterson. I have loved the characters in this series since the beginning and will love them through to the end. I love how this one was a second part to cross my heart. The only bad guy that rivaled Thierry Mulch in this whole series was the wolf. I was very distraught with the thought that Alex Cross was going to loose his family and become one of the monster's he hunted. I was thrilled with how this book kept you on edge but foreshadowed some of the events to come, so it wasn't so heart crushing.

I love the characters and story-line of this novel. I hope for as many Alex Cross novels as James Patterson has left in his head because they are amazing.

The Sea Queen Review

THE SEA QUEEN

Written By: Jovee Winters

Published by: FairyTale publishing 

Published: June 15,2015 
Series: The Dark Queens #1

Goodreads Synopsis:

Calypso, Queen of the Seas, is mad. Spitting mad. Ghosts of the dead are fouling her waters. She wants this problem fixed, and she wants it fixed now. Rushing off in search of Hades, Lord of the Underworld, to demand answers, she’s soon shocked to discover him bound and standing trial before a jury of his peers—for nothing less than murder.

Calypso normally despises the beastly gods, all of them, but there’s something about seeing Hades bound as he is that gives her an evilly clever idea. Tired of being a virgin queen, she wishes to shed that boring image once and for all, and no one seems quite as fit for the task as the gorgeous and brooding Hades. Of course, there is the minor problem of murder to deal with, but Calypso is bound and determined to have her way.

And when a dark queen gets an idea, nothing and no one can stand in her way…  

My Thoughts:

The Sea Queen by Jovee Winters is the first book in the Dark queens series. This book centers on looking at Calypso in a different light rather than as a monster. I love the story line of this book it was wonderful reading about Calypso and the other elementals as well as the Greek gods. Calypso is a virgin Goddess and has seen intimate acts between maidens and men but has never wanted to know that feeling until after seeing her son Sirrco and his Wife Nim happy together. Calypso sees dead floating in her waters and is upset and takes a trip to see Hades and make him take care of his dead. When Calypso arrives Hades is in trouble with the other Gods and Calypso finds herself very attracted to the lord of the underworld.She wants to be physically involved with him and decides to step in and offer to keep him locked up in her kingdom until everything is sorted. Will Calypso be able to keep it strictly physical or will she lose her heart to the Lord of the dead?

I loved the dynamics between Hades and Calypso. I loved seeing a story about calypso and the story of Hades and Persephone. This book gave good backstory for the characters which gave them depth and relate-ability. I love the description the author gave for all the different settings, I could really picture the places.

I was a little disappointed though because the writing seemed a little juvenile however the main character was kind of juvenile even though she was an ancient elemental so maybe that's why it seemed that way.

Lucky 15 reading challenge

Find out more information from the hosting blog  Books to share!

This challenge will require you to read 15 books (or more) from 15 categories below. You can combine the books you read with other challenges, but can not use the same book for different categories in this challenge.

Try to match the categories from your TBR piles :) But if you don’t have any suitable books in your TBR – and want to find an excuse to buy a book for this challenge, that’s totally fine too!

Here are the 15 categories:

1. Chunky Brick: Grab that book with more than 500 pages that you’d always been afraid to tackle. You know you can do it!
2. Something New: Just purchased a book lately? Don’t let it buried in your stacks, read it now!
3. Something Borrowed: Read a book that you borrowed from someone else. Don’t make the owner waiting forever for you to finish it. (Books borrowed from friends, libraries, or even rental places, are allowed)
4. It’s Been There Forever: Dig your TBR pile and read a book that has been there more than a year. It’s time for you to appreciate it :)
5. Freebies Time: What’s the LAST free book you’ve got? Whether it’s from giveaway, a birthday gift or a surprise from someone special, don’t hold back any longer. Open the book and start reading it now :D
6. Bargain All The Way: Ever buying a book because it’s so cheap you don’t really care about the content? Now it’s time to open the book and find out whether it’s really worth your cents.
7. Favorite Color: Pick a book from your shelf which has your favorite color for its cover! Is it pink, red or black? You decide.
8. First Initial: Read a book that has been written by an author whose first initial is the same with you (Example: My name is Astrid, and I can read anything written by Agatha Christie, Aesop, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc)
9. Super Series: Read one (or more!) books that belong in a series, it can be trilogy, or tetralogy, or anything.
10. Opposites Attract: Read a book that’s been written by a writer whose gender is different from your own.
11. Randomly Picked: Ask someone else (a friend, your spouse, even your kids!) to randomly pick a book from your TBR pile. Don’t complain whatever they choose for you, just read it :)
12. Cover Lust: Grab a book from your shelf that you bought because you fell in love with the cover. Is the content as good as the cover?
13. Who Are You Again?: You’ve never read a book from this author, maybe you haven’t even heard his/her name before. But who knows? Maybe he/she will become your new favorite author!
14. One Word Only!: Read a book that only has one word for its title (number is allowed as long as it’s only consisted of one word, e.g: 1, 2, 11).
15. Dream Destination: Read a book that has setting in a place you’ve never visited before – but would like to if you have a chance. Could be real places or even fictional!

1. Chunky Brick
2. Something New - The Sea Queen by Jovee winters completed 09/2015
   
3. Something borrowed-
4. It's been there forever
5. Freebies time
6. Bargain all the way
7. Favorite Color
8. First initial
9. Super Series- Illuisve by Nina Levine (6th in Storm MC series) completed 08/2015
   
10. Opposites attract- Hope to Die by James Patterson completed 09/2015
    
11. Randomly picked
12. Cover lust
13. Who are you again?
14. One Word Only!- Zoo by James Patterson
    
15. Dream Destination 

Illusive Review

Illusive

Written by: Nina Levine

Published: August 25, 2015

 

 

Amazon Synopsis:

 

 He’s been burnt by love.
Griff Hawkins keeps his pain locked away and the ghosts of his past buried even deeper. Three years ago, he chose the Storm MC as his family and accepted the ways of their violent world. These days, he lives his life with one rule – don’t get attached to anyone but his club.
She longs to be loved.Sophia Barnes aches to know real love, and lives her life with arms wide open, ready to embrace the possibilities that come her way.
When Griff’s past is exposed and his place in the club is jeopardized, he fights for his family the only way he knows how, regardless of the consequences. That is, until he meets the woman who brings him to his knees, giving him something to lose.
Can they teach each other to leave the sins of the past behind in order to find love, or will Griff's demons dictate their future?

 

 

My Review: 

 

Illusive is the sixth book in the Storm MC series written by Nina Levine. Illusive is the story of Griff and Sophia. Griff is the enforcer of Storm, he's rough and tough and doesn't believe in love anymore. Griff only family is storm and his aunt Josie. Then a whirlwind of legs and innocence moves in next door to Josie and Griff can't understand his feelings for her. Sophia is very attracted to the gruff biker she sees over at her neighbor Josie's house doing all her outside yard work. Sophia has been through a lot in her love and is unsure if she can ever be loved. Through Josie's meddling and their own desire for each other Griff and Sophia end up having to confront their fear of love... can they be each other's salvation?

 

I love the characters in the Storm MC novels, Griff was the roughest of them and loved seeing his softer side with Josie and Sophia. Sophia is by far my favorite female character in the storm novels, I love how she started to ramble and just spit the truth out in a long drawn out way. I love how she was down to earth and simple. I never find anything in this series to dislike. I can't wait for more Storm novels.

This novel was provided to me as an ARC for an honest review by the author.