Review: Sin Undone - Larissa Ione

HER TOUCH IS DEADLY
As the only female Seminus demon ever born, master assassin Sinead Donnelly is used to being treated like an outcast. She spent decades enslaved, and now vows she'll die before she'll relinquish her freedom again. Then Sin's innate ability to kill her enemies goes awry: She creates a lethal new werewolf virus that sparks a firestorm of panic and violence.

HIS HUNGER CAN'T BE DENIED
Half-werewolf, half-vampire Conall Dearghul is charged with bringing in Sin to face punishment for the plague. And she's no stranger: He's bound to her by blood, and the one sexual encounter they shared has left him hungering for her raw sensuality. Worse, Sin is the underworld's most wanted and Con soon leans he's the only one who can help her . . . and that saving her life might mean sacrificing his own.

The Demonica Series:
Pleasure Unbound
Desire Unchained
Passion Unleashed
Eternity Embraced (Novella)
Ecstasy Unveiled
Sin Undone
Eternal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 1)
Vampire Fight Club (Novella in the Supernatural anthology or as a separate ebook)
Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 2)
Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 3)
Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 4)
Reaver
Azagoth (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 1)
Revenant
Hades (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 2)
Base Instincts (Novella)
Z (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 3)
Razr (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 4)
Hawkyn (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 5)
Her Guardian Angel (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 6, also part of the Masters and Mercenaries Crossover Collection)
Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe (Short Story Collection & Recipe Book, Demonica Underworld book 7)
Cipher (Demonica Underworld book 8)
Reaper (Demonica Underworld book 9)

For more information visit Larissa Ione's website

Review:
I am a massive fan of Larissa Ione's books, I love her Demonica series and have been really enjoying the Lords of Deliverance books too so I have no excuse for why I hadn't read Sin Undone before now. This is a pivotal book that ends the Demonica series and leads into the Lords of Deliverance books so I knew I'd picked up spoilers by reading Eternal Rider first and I think that's why I held off for so long. Anyway, if you're going to read the last book in a series you want to it to go out on a high note, I know a lot of the characters make appearances in the spin off but this is really the book that ties things up nicely for the Seminus brothers and their rather unique sister Sin. Luckily Larissa Ione always manages to exceed my high expectations so I loved Sin's story.

Sin is the only female Seminus demon and although she is close to her twin brother Lore she has never wanted to get to know their other brothers Eidolon, Shade and Wraith. She brushes them off like she doesn't care but in reality she is scared to let them in, she has been through so much in her past that she is nervous about letting anyone get close enough that they could hurt her. Although she acts like a tough master assassin (and in many ways that's exactly what she is) she is also surprisingly vulnerable and my heart went out to her. She took on the role of master assassin at the end of Ecstasy Unveiled so that Idess wouldn't have to and now she is stuck in a job she never wanted and has to die to get rid of. She also finds herself forced into close contact with Eidolon as he tries to find a cure to the werewolf plague she started by accident with her Seminus "gift".

Half vampire and half werewolf Con has been asked to ensure that Sin helps discover a cure to the plague and then he must bring her in for punishment. There may be chemistry between them but Con believes that she started the plague on purpose and is disgusted with her because of it. But no matter how bad his opinion of her is he still finds the lure of her blood irresistible and quickly finds himself verging on a blood addiction. I loved the banter between Con and Sin from the beginning but I really loved how Con breaks down her walls and sees the person she tries to keep hidden from the world. He sees the vulnerable and soft side of her and he falls for her because of it. The couple are so well suited and I loved the way they worked through their problems so they could be together.

With Sin being a succubus who needs regular sex to survive Larissa Ione doesn't skimp on the sex scenes in Sin Undone but they don't overtake the storyline and we get plenty of action alongside the steam. We also get to catch up with the other brothers and their respective mates, as well as some of the other side characters we've come to know so well and paramedic Luc gets a little romance of his own. I love the way the author manages to include so many different plot threads without them ever overtaking the main couple's story - they just compliment it and make the book an even more satisfying read. If you haven't read anything by Larissa Ione yet then I can't recommend her highly enough but I would definitely suggest starting with the Demonica series and then moving onto the Lords of Deliverance books afterwards so you can watch the full back story unfold without picking up spoilers.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

US Cover

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Ecstasy Unveiled - Larissa Ione

UK Cover

A Demon Enslaved

Lore is a Seminus half-breed demon who has been forced to act as his dark master's assassin. Now to earn his freedom and save his sister's life, he must complete one last kill. Powerful and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing to carry out his deadly mission.

An Angel Tempted

Idess is an earthbound angel with a wild side sworn to protect the human Lore is targeting. She's determined to thwart her wickedly handsome adversary by any means necessary - even if that means risking her vow of eternal chastity. But what begins as a simple seduction soon turns into a passion that leaves both angel and demon craving complete surrender.

Torn between duty and desire, Lore and Idess must join forces as they battle their attraction for each other. Because an enemy from the past is rising again - one hellbent on vengeance and unthinkable destruction.

The Demonica Series:
Pleasure Unbound
Desire Unchained
Passion Unleashed
Eternity Embraced (Novella)
Ecstasy Unveiled
Sin Undone
Eternal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 1)
Vampire Fight Club (Novella in the Supernatural anthology or as a separate ebook)
Immortal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 2)
Lethal Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 3)
Rogue Rider (Lords of Deliverance book 4)
Reaver
Azagoth (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 1)
Revenant
Hades (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 2)
Base Instincts (Novella)
Z (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 3)
Razr (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 4)
Hawkyn (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 5)
Her Guardian Angel (Novella) (Demonica Underworld book 6, also part of the Masters and Mercenaries Crossover Collection)
Dining with Angels: Bits & Bites from the Demonica Universe (Short Story Collection & Recipe Book, Demonica Underworld book 7)
Cipher (Demonica Underworld book 8)
Reaper (Demonica Underworld book 9)

For more information visit Larissa Ione's website

Review:
Lore and his twin sister Sin have been enslaved by the demon Detharu for years, forced to act as assassins on his behalf. Lore has finally been offered a chance to escape though, he just has to make one final kill and then he will be free. Failure is not an option, especially when the penalty would be the death of the sister that he would do anything to protect. Idess is an angel who has been tasked with protecting certain important humans in order to earn her wings. It just so happens that the human Lore has been hired to kill is the one that Idess must keep safe. Lore and Idess may be on opposing sides but the attraction between them is instant and intense, can they find a way for them both to get what they so desperately want or are they both doomed to fail?

I'm a massive fan of both Larissa Ione's Demonica series and her Lords of Deliverance books, she has created a wonderful world and populated it with some of my favourite paranormal romance heroes and heroines. I have been looking forward to reading Lore's story for a long time now (I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to it!) and I wasn't disappointed. This series is a must read for paranormal romance fans but I would recommend reading the books in order starting with Pleasure Unbound.

Lore has spent years being forced to do whatever his master tells him to, he has become a lethal killer but his actions have always been to protect his sister and deep down he just wants to live in peace. When he is hired to kill Kynan he has no idea that his actions will force him to go up against the brothers he only recently discovered. Lore is forced to choose between the sister he adores, the brothers he has only just met and the angel who is quickly stealing his heart and it doesn't seem like there is any way for a happy ending for all of them. Things sure do get complicated for the seminus brothers in this instalment to the series, lines are crossed, sides are chosen and there are a lot of arguments. It was strange to see what has up until now been such a close knit family fall so far apart but the reasons why all become clear in the end. I have to admit I was disappointed with Shade's treatment of Eidolon in this book though and Wraith wasn't much better. Lore understandably has little loyalty to the brothers he has only just met compared to the twin he grew up with but it is obvious he would avoid hurting them if possible, he just can't seem to see a way around it.

I fell for Lore completely reading his story, he's such a sexy demon! A stone cold killer with a heart of gold he is totally swoon worthy. Idess is his perfect match and not quite as angelic as you'd expect her to be. First and foremost Idess is a fighter who will do whatever it takes to protect her charges, even if it means resorting to underhand measures to achieve her goals. She is prepared to give up everything she has ever dreamt of to keep Kynan safe and you have to admire her for that. As a couple these two practically scorch the pages in every scene they share. Their attraction is intense and builds up to a wonderfully explosive conclusion.

Ecstasy Unveiled has everything you would expect from a Larissa Ione book - a hero to swoon over, a feisty heroine, scorching hot romance, action and a glimpse of how all of the previous characters are getting along. One of my favourite books in an amazing series.

Source: Larissa Ione kindly sent me a signed US copy of this book after I met her at ADDPhilly, I was also sent a UK paperback by Piatkus in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

US Cover

Paperback / Kindle:

Review: Shadow Fall - Erin Kellison

Sacrifice
Custo Santovari accepted pain, blood, even death, to save his best friend. But a man with all his sins just isn't cut out to be an angel.

Mystery
One moment he's fleeing Heaven: the next, he's waking up stark naked in Manhattan. In the middle of a war. Called there by a woman who's desperately afraid of the dark.

Shadow
It gathers around Annabella as she performs, filled with fantastic images of another world, bringing both a golden hero and a nightmare lover.

Wolf
He pursues her relentlessly, twisting her desires even as she gives herself to the man she loves. Because each of us has a wild side, and Annabella is about to unleash the beast.

Shadow Series:
Shadow Bound
Shadow Fall
Shadow Touch (Novella)
Shadowman
Shadow Play (Novella) (April 2012)
Fire Kissed (July 2012)

Visit Erin Kellison's website for more information

Review:
I really enjoyed Shadow Bound so was looking forward to picking up Shadow Fall which is the second book in Erin Kellison's Shadow series. Please note that this review will contain slight spoilers for the first book in the series so please don't read further if you've not already read it.

I had expected the story to pick up immediately after the ending of Shadow Bound so it was quite a surprise when I discovered that two years had passed since the events in the first book. Custo was tortured and killed while protecting Adam and Talia from their enemies and doing so earned him a place in Heaven as an angel. He doesn't want to stay in Heaven though, the last thing he discovered before he died was that there was another traitor in the Segue Institute and he is determined to find a way to warn his best friend Adam that he is still in danger.

As Custo journeys through the Shadowlands trying to find his way back to earth he stumbles across Annabella. She is a ballet dancer who is so skilled that her dancing has opened a pathway between the two realms. But Custo isn't the only one who has spotted Annabella - she has also drawn the attention of a dangerous hunter who has now followed her to earth and is determined to claim her as his own. Can Custo protect her from Wolf and at the same time track down the traitor in the institute to make sure Adam and Talia are safe?

As much as I liked Shadow Bound I have to confess I wasn't a massive fan of Adam as the hero so I was pleased to discover that this was Custo's story because I already liked him a lot more. Custo went through hell to protect Adam and even died for his friend so I was already impressed by his bravery and the more I found out about him the better he got. Custo doesn't feel like he should be an angel, he has done things in his past that he isn't proud of and doesn't feel worthy but the more you find out about him the more you realise that he has always had honourable intentions. I liked the way Custo is so protective of his friends and also of Annabella but I really wanted him to put himself first just once, or for someone to stand up and fight for him for a change. He is so protective that it turns into more of a self destructive streak!

Although I like Custo more than Adam I didn't enjoy Shadow Fall as much as I enjoyed Shadow Bound. I think that was mainly because I didn't connect with Annabella in the slightest - I just couldn't believe how stupid she was to go off with Custo so quickly (literally the first time she meets him). When the heroine is so scared of the hero that she leaves a voice mail message telling people who she is with & where she was taken in case they find her body I find it hard to accept that she has the hots for him a few minutes later. I had to laugh when Custo called her sensible for making the phone call - OK so if she is murdered the police might be able to find her killer but that wouldn't make her any less dead would it? That hardly makes her sensible in my eyes! As much as I know Custo is the hero she didn't have a clue who he was and I lost all respect for her at that point and didn't get it back. I also found myself quickly getting bored with the descriptions of her dancing but that is probably because ballet is something that has never interested me in the slightest - I don't know the names of the dance moves so found it hard to picture the dances in my head. If you're a ballet fan then you would probably enjoy that part of the story a lot more than I did. The romance between them was so fast that I didn't find it even slightly believable and I just didn't feel enough of a connection between them to like them as a couple.

Unfortunately I was disappointed with Shadow Fall but I'm still curious enough about this series and the world that Erin Kellison has created to try the next book. I'm hoping that I'll enjoy the next instalment much more and am interested in finding out what happens with Adam, Talia and Custo even if I don't particularly care about Annabella. I'm also desperate to find out more about Shadowman who I fell for in the first book and love even more now.

Source: I was given a copy of this book at AADPhilly in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog

Review: Shadow Bound - Erin Kellison

Death
Some people will do anything to avoid it.  Even trade their immortal souls for endless existence.

Wraiths
Secretly, inexorably, they are infiltrating our world. sucking the essence out of unsuspecting victims with their hideous parody of a kiss.

Segue
Adam Thorne founded the Segue Institute to study and destroy his monster of a brother, but the key to its success is held in the pale, slender hand of a woman on the run.  There is something hauntingly different about Talia O'Brien, her unknowing sensuality, her uncanny way of slipping into Shadow.

Twilight
This is the place between life and what comes after - a dark forest of fantasy, filled with beauty, peril, mystery.  And Talia is about to open the door.

Shadow Series:
Shadow Bound
Shadow Fall
Shadow Touch (Novella)
Shadowman
Shadow Play (Novella) (April 2012)
Fire Kissed (July 2012)

Visit Erin Kellison's website for more information

Review:
Adam started the Segue Institute after his brother Jacob was turned into a wraith and killed both of their parents.  Adam is set on revenge and will do anything to find a way to destroy his immortal brother and the wraiths that seem to be multiplying in numbers at a horrifying rate.  Humanity may not be aware of it yet but it looks like we are on the brink of a supernatural war with Adam's team our first line of defence.  After reading Talia's thesis Adam is convinced that she has information that could help him beat the wraiths, he just has to track her down and get her to help him.  But Talia is in hiding and when Adam manages to find her it quickly becomes clear that she is hiding something.  Why are the wraiths so determined to capture her?  Can Adam convince her to use her unusual abilities to help him?

I was hooked into Shadow Bound from the prologue where we are introduced to human Kathleen and the mysterious Shadowman.  We don't spend much time with the couple but you get a really good sense of how much they mean to each other.  Skip forward 26 years and the story picks up with their daughter Talia.  She knows she is different but she doesn't understand why and her parents were never available for her to find out.  All she wants is to live a normal life so she keeps her ability to wrap herself in the shadows a secret and knows nothing about the supernatural world.  It comes as quite a shock when she is attacked by a wraith, she doesn't know what this creature is but she manages to escape using the shadows.  Her first instinct is to run and hide and I can't really blame her for that.

When she meets Adam and starts to learn more about both what she is and the enemy that she is facing it takes her a while before she decides to fight.  I wanted her to be a bit more proactive and work harder at learning how to use her powers but it takes quite a while before she stops trying to run.  I did find her a likable character I just wanted her to be a bit more kick ass.  I found it easy to sympathise with Adam but there were times when I found it very difficult to like him.  His attitude and the constant lies and secret keeping were a real turn off for me and at first I struggled to see what Talia saw in him.  I liked the chemistry between them though and I do feel he'd redeemed himself by the end of the book.

I enjoyed the world building in the story, the mythology was a bit different to most of the paranormal romance stories I've read and it was woven into the story well so you weren't overwhelmed with info dumps.  I did find myself getting confused at times though, a couple of characters had very similar names and for a while I wasn't sure if they were the same person or not.  Despite the minor problems I really enjoyed the story overall and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Source: I was given a copy of this book at AADPhilly in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Event Report - Author's After Dark 2011 - #AADPhilly

I just realised that we're about to reach the end of 2011 and I still haven't shared any of my American adventures from the summer.  I had a whole series of posts planned but with everything that has been going on with the house (in case you missed the updates I've been in temporary housing since a couple of weeks after we got home, first in a B&B and now in a flat with no internet access!) I haven't had the time to write them.  My Dad, brother and I had an amazing time in Washington, New York and Niagara Falls but I'll tell you more about that some other time.  For today I want to share with you one of my bookish highlights of the whole year - the Authors After Dark Con in Philadelphia.  Really this was the most amazing experience and although there were a few problems with the hotel I loved every minute of the weekend.

Day 1 - 11th August

Thanks to a mix up over train times I ended up getting to Philadelphia later than planned so I'd missed the convention opening and quite a few panels but luckily I managed to find my roomies quickly so we could get checked in & offload our bags.  I can't tell you how excited I was to finally meet Larissa (from Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life) her blog is one of the first ones I discovered when I started blogging and she is just as lovely in person as she is online.  I was also really looking forward to meeting Jaime (author JA Saare who also writes as Aline Hunter) who I have been chatting to on twitter forever and I love her!  She has the most adorable southern accent & we were the terrible red-headed twosome for the weekend :o)

Roomies! Jaime, me & Larissa

I can't believe I had to go all the way to America to meet one of my favourite UK bloggers and twitter friend Jules (Minxy) from Loose Knickers and Window Lickers (isn't that just one of the coolest blog names!).  Jules and I had a blast and we're already plotting ways to try and do the whole Brit Chick on tour thing again & get back to AAD another year.  If only flights weren't so damn expensive!  Someone else I'd really been looking forward to meeting was Jen from That's What I'm Talking About.  I've been chatting to Jen for so long now and it was awesome to finally see her in person.

The first event we all went to was the Blogger ARC party where we got to meet some amazing authors, were given a stack of fabulous books and I got to chat with some other fab bloggers.  I know I'm going to have missed some off this list (probably some that I spent lots of time chatting to over the weekend knowing my memory!) so I'll apologise in advance for that but a big shout out to Bells (Hanging With Bells), Joy (Joyfully Reviewed), Grace (Livre D'Armour), Robin (Intense Whisper), Pam (Wicked Lil Pixie), Marq (Love to Read for Fun), Felicia (Geeky Blogger) & Mandi (Smexy Books) and everyone else I spoke to (please let me know if I missed you!).

Lara Adrian & me

Then there was my highlight of the entire year, you know that moment where you meet your favourite author ever, the one you love so much that your first ever tattoo was a symbol from her series?  Well, perhaps not everyone knows that exact moment but you get the idea lol.  Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series was the first adult paranormal romance series I ever read and it hooked me in from the minute I picked up Kiss of Midnight.  I have spoken to Lara on twitter and via email pretty much since I started blogging but I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to finally meet her - it was the whole reason I wanted to go to AAD in the first place (although finding out that Larissa Ione was going to be there too was just the icing on the cake!).  The fact that Lara spotted me from across the room, knew who I was (OMFG SHE KNEW WHO I WAS!!) and came over to give me a hug made my day!  Not only that but I got to go for dinner with Lara and some of the others which was fantastic.  Lara is so lovely and I'm so pleased I got to spend time chatting with her!

Larissa Ione & me

After dinner we went to an event hosted by Lara Adrian & Larissa Ione where we had lots of giggles and begged for spoilers (not that I could possibly tell you if we got any or not!) and posed for pictures.  So less than 1 full day at the con & I'd already met my two favourite authors!  Yup, it was a good day :o)  Larissa is just as lovely as I knew she would be and meeting her was awesome!  Lara & Larissa are both the friendliest and coolest people and I may possibly have worried them a little by stalking them bumping into them all weekend.

Day 2 - 12th August

I have to admit the second day passed in a bit of a blur, I'd only had about 3 hours sleep since Jaime, Larissa and I were a bit hyper and over excited the night before.  It was like being a teen again at a girly sleepover where you spend all night whispering in bed, I think we finally turned the lights off at about 4am but since Larissa forgot to turn off her alarm we were up again by 7am!  I know we went to several panels but I forget which ones & you're probably not going to believe this but I was incredibly lax about taking pictures.  I think I was so overwhelmed by the whole experience that I just completely forgot I was walking around with a camera in my hand.  I met so many fabulous authors and hardly took pictures of any of them, not at all like me I know and I was really annoyed with myself afterwards.

I spent quite a bit of time on the 5th floor balcony which was where most of the smokers gathered and there was always someone to talk to.  It was there that I got talking to Dakota Cassidy who is without a doubt one of the funniest people I've ever met.  Seriously, if you ever get a chance to meet her do it but expect to laugh until your sides hurt!  I hadn't read any of her books before but I bought several at the AAD signing and if they're half as funny as she is in person then I know I'll love them. 

Stella Price & me

Jules and I also managed to spend a few minutes with the lovely Stella Price who works so hard to organise AAD every year.  I know there were a lot of complaints about some things that happened at AADPhilly but that was mostly down to the seriously bad customer services of the hotel, I can guarantee I'd never go back to that hotel again!  It was irritating that events switched rooms at the last minute and you couldn't always find what you were looking for but that didn't stop me from having the most amazing time at the con so I'm not going to say anymore about it.  Other things that people have complained about didn't effect me personally so I'm going to stay away from the drama there, yes I'm sad that some people were disappointed but I'm not going to let that colour my experiences.  I thought AAD was fantastic and I would love to go again every year, the only thing stopping me is the flight costs but trust me as soon as I've saved up enough I'll be going again!

Jules & me

Jules and I might have sneaked into the hotel bar for cocktails before we went to get changed for the Masquerade dinner & ball.  The evening was great fun and there were some fabulous costumes, everything from Greek goddesses to Medusa, geisha girls to faeries.  Leanna Renee Hieber & her partner Marcus looked absolutely amazing dressed as the Goddess and Alexi from her book The Perilous Prophecy of Guard and Goddess and I also loved Stephanie Burke's geisha outfit (you can see pics in the slide show below).  We got to sit with Larissa Ione for the dinner which was fantastic as it was also her birthday so we got to help her celebrate.  After the dinner there was dancing but I have to admit I spent most of the evening sitting outside chatting so I missed most of that. 

Day 3 - 13th August

This was the busiest day of the con and I'm still not quite sure how I survived it considering Jamie, Larissa and I had spent another night gossiping and giggling rather than sleeping!  Jules and I hit a couple of panels in the morning including the "It's All About the Fangs, Baby" panel with Larissa Ione, Lara Adrian, Jess Haines, Jennifer Armintrout, Alexandra Ivy and Samantha Sommersby which was great fun and added quite a few books to my wish list!

Jess Haines, Lara Adrian, Larissa Ione, Samantha Sommersby, Jennifer Armintrout & Alexandra Ivy

After the panel we had about 2 hours to spare before the big book signing in the afternoon.  Jules and I were both leaving Philadelphia as soon as the convention finished so we decided it would be nice to spend a little bit of time exploring.  Admittedly we didn't have time to see everything but at least we can say we ventured out of the hotel now!  We were able to go on a tour of Independence Hall which is where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were discussed and then signed.  We also got to go and see Liberty Bell, there was quite a long queue but luckily it was fairly fast moving and we managed to get back to the hotel just in time.  Here are a few pics I took as we were walking around Philadelphia, I'd love to go back and explore properly one day:

Then it was time for the signing, we had been given quite a few books by authors who were at AAD but there was also a book seller outside the signing room where we could buy more.  I have to confess that I got a bit carried away at that book stall & I spent nearly $200 buying books (well when am I going to get the chance to get books signed by all these American authors again?).  I'd heard so many good things about Meljean Brook's The Iron Duke (which I have since read & reviewed here - it was AMAZING!), I loved the first book in Nicole Peeler's Jane True series (Tempest Rising reviewed here) so had to pick up the next couple of books and I've wanted to read Leanna Renee Hieber's Strangely Beautiful series for ages so I couldn't resist them either.  I also bought books by Jess Haines, Carolyn Crane and Dakota Cassidy who had all been on my wish list and I'm sure some more that I've forgotten about.  Of course I'd bought full sets of Lara Adrian and Larissa Ione's books with me to get signed too :o)

I had so many books to get signed that I had to carry them in 3 batches (by the time I'd packed a box to ship home I could barely pick it up!).  Along with the authors mentioned above I got to meet and get books signed by Lia Habel, Kristen Painter, Anton Strout, Lydia Dare, Karin Harlow, Sidney Ayers, Erin Kellison, Theresa Meyers, Nancy Holzner, Monica Burns, Judi Fennell, Jessa Slade, Bianca D'Arc, Sylvia Day, Jennifer Estep, Bronwyn Green, Mia Watts, Brynn Paulin, Samantha Kane and Stephanie Julian.  Stupidly even though I had my camera with me I only remembered to take one picture with Leanna Renee Hieber.  If I ever make it to AAD again I WILL be more organised with my camera!

I did remember to take lots of pictures at the steampunk ball though!  I'd been looking forward to seeing everyone's steampunk costumes for months, it had taken me forever to decide on my own costume too but I had some help on that one.  I have to say there were some absolutely fantastic outfits and people had come up with so many different ideas.  One of my favourites was Lia Habel who looked like a princess in her pretty pink dress (you can see some action shots of her dancing in the slide show below), Leanna Renee Hieber and her partner Marcus both looked fab and I loved Meljean Brook's wonder woman tshirt and corset combo.

I wasn't too sure what to make of the carnival side show, I'm a bit squeamish so someone hanging weights off of hooks that have been poked through their eye lids is enough to send me running from the room!  I think it was a fun idea if you have a stronger stomach than I do but I stayed outside until it was over and then came back in for the dancing.  It was a great evening though and one that involved a bit too much drinking and yet another late night.

Day 4 - 14th August

Jules, Jen & me

It was so sad to reach the last day of AAD, we'd had such a fantastic time that I didn't want it to end!  Unfortunately the closing ceremony had been cancelled so there were no organised events on the last day but I did get to go for breakfast with Larissa, Jules, Jen and some of the other bloggers before it was time to check out of the hotel.  I have to say by the time my Dad and brother collected me to head for the train station for our trip to New York I was ready to sleep for a week.  I had less than 10 hours sleep in 3 nights and was completely running on empty but it was worth every minute. 

AAD was such a fantastic experience, I met some amazing people - some who were already friends and some who are now, I have some wonderful memories and some fab books that I really need to make time to read.  Thanks to everyone who I spent time with for helping make it so special and I hope I'll get to see you all again another year!

Review: Touch of Frost - Jennifer Estep

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy - a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos.  First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities.  Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War.  You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things.  Freaky stuff like this goes on all of the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why - especially since I should have been the one who died . . .

Mythos Academy Series:
First Frost (prequel ebook novella)
Touch of Frost
Halloween Frost (ebook novella found in the Entangled anthology)
Kiss of Frost (November 2011)
Dark Frost (June 2012)

Visit Jennifer Estep's website for more information

Review:
Gwen has been an outcast since she started at the Mythos Academy, with the student's all training to be warriors and claiming to be from families of Spartans, Amazons & Valkyries, Gwen is the uncoordinated one who struggles to make it through weapons training without doing herself an injury.  She does have an ability though, she may not be good at fighting but she is able to know the history of every item she touches and feel the emotions of people who touched it before she did.  Gwen doesn't really want to be at the Academy though, she doesn't believe in the myths and legends that she is taught and isn't quite sure what to make of the fact that everyone else seems to think they're true.  When she discovers the body of another student she becomes determined to find out who was behind the murder, along the way she will also discover just why she was sent to Mythos Academy in the first place.

In a market flooded with vampires and werewolves Touch of Frost stands out for it's use of mythology - Gods & Goddesses, Valkyries, Amazons Spartans, Romans & even Vikings all have their part to play (not a vamp or were in sight!).  The world building is strong but not overwhelming and I'm looking forward to finding out more as the series progresses.  The story moves along at a good pace and I loved the action and fight scenes.

Gwen is a great character, a self-confessed geek who loves comics and doesn't care about fashion she struggles to fit in at a school where everyone else seems perfect.  Gwen comes across as very independent but deep down she is incredible lonely, she is still struggling to cope with her mum's death and doesn't have anyone at school to turn to.  I loved the fact that she has a strong relationship with her grandmother though and she does find others she can rely on as the story progresses.  Gwen's gift is as much of a curse as it is a blessing, she has seen some terrible things because of it but she copes amazingly well and is determined to use her gift to do something positive.  There were a couple of times that I felt Gwen was acting a bit young for her age (which I think is about 16/17?) but that may just be the fact that I'm getting old lol and it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story.  Gwen is the kind of character that may be shy but she won't let anyone walk all over her and I appreciate someone who can stand up for herself.

The other stand out character for me was Daphne, when we first meet her she is one of the school mean girls and I really didn't like her.  She changes a lot throughout the book though and I came to love her by the end, she has such a snarky sense of humor and I really enjoyed scenes with her in them.  It was nice to see her friendship with Gwen develop and I felt that they were good for each other.  Potential love interest Logan is a character I'm looking forward to seeing more of, he is a Spartan and the school bad boy but he is also very protective and has the whole hero thing going for him.  He is definitely hiding something though so I'm curious to find out more about that in future books.

Overall Touch of Frost is a great start to a new series, it is the first book I've read by Jennifer Estep but I've been wanting to read her adult series (Elemental Assassins) for a while now and am definitely planning on picking it up soon.  I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to Gwen in the next book, Kiss of Frost, which luckily is out in November so I don't have too long to wait!

Source: I was given a copy of this book at AADPhilly in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Between Dreams and Reality
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

ARC Review: Darker Still - Leanna Renee Hieber

New York City, 1882. Seventeen-year-old Natalie Stewart's latest obsession is a painting of the handsome British Lord Denbury. Something in his striking blue eyes calls to her. As his incredibly life-like gaze seems to follow her, Natalie gets the uneasy feeling that details of the painting keep changing...

Jonathan Denbury's soul is trapped in the gilded painting by dark magic while his possessed body commits unspeakable crimes in the city slums. He must lure Natalie into the painting, for only together can they reverse the curse and free his damaged soul.

Magic Most Foul Series:
Darker Still
The Twisted Tragedy of Miss Natalie Stewart
Titles & release dates for further books in the series are currently unavailable.

Visit Leanna Renee Hieber's website for more information

Review:
I've had Leanna Renee Hieber's Strangely Beautiful series on my wish list for a long time now so I was very excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of the first book in her new Magic Most Foul series.  Darker Still is a fantastic Gothic paranormal story set in Victorian New York and I loved it. 

The story is told in the form of diary entries written by our heroine, 17 year old Natalie.  Natalie is a beautiful, intelligent young woman but since the trauma of witnessing her mother's death as a child she has been unable to speak.  Her father loves her dearly but is unsure how to cope with her and she has spent most of her childhood in an asylum with people suffering from various mental illnesses.  She has now come home to live with her father but is treated as an outcast by society because she is unable to speak and is very unlikely to make a suitable marriage because of her disability.  Natalie's father works for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and she manages to convince him to get her a job there, afraid that he will send her back to the asylum if she doesn't find something useful to do. 

It is at the museum that she first sees the painting of Lord Denbury.  She has already heard of the mystery surrounding the painting, the subject disappeared not long after the painting was finished and is presumed dead and there are rumors that the painting itself is haunted but she is just intrigued by the amazing detail in the picture.  Famous spiritualist Mrs Northe has her heart set on buying the painting and she quickly takes Natalie under her wing.  The more time Natalie spends with the painting the more she starts to believe that there is something suspicious going on, she is positive that Lord Denbury moves when she isn't looking and starts to wonder if she really is insane after all.  It doesn't take long before she discovers that something much more sinister is going on though, the real Lord Denbury has been trapped inside the painting but can she find a way to help him escape and who put him there in the first place?

Natalie is a great heroine, she has led a sheltered life but is smart and resourceful and you really get to see her grow throughout the story.  She is terrified of the things that she sees and has to face but is equally determined to find a way to help Lord Denbury.  It makes a nice change to read a book where it is the heroine who has to rescue the hero rather than the other way around.  I also loved the fact that the story is set in Victorian New York, I've read a lot of books from that era set in London and this made a refreshing change.  I liked Lord Denbury, he is sweet and passionate but doesn't really have a major role to play in his own rescue.  Trapped as he is there is little he can do but stand by and watch as Natalie faces the dangers on his behalf and I'm hoping he will have a more active role in future books in the series.

I don't want to tell you more about the story because I think you need to read the book and discover it for yourself so I'm just going to say that if you like books with a historical setting, strong female characters and a paranormal twist that is different from the usual vampires or werewolves then Darker Still is a must buy.  I loved Leanna Renee Hieber's writing style and have purchased her Strangely Beautiful series which I can't wait to start reading.  I will also be first in the queue when it comes to picking up the next book in the Magic Most Foul series.

Source: I was given a copy of this book at AADPhilly in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Loose Knickers and Window Lickers
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Review: Blood Rights - Kristen Painter

The lacy gold mapped her entire body. A finely-wrought filigree of stars, vines, flowers, butterflies, ancient symbols and words ran from her feet, up her legs, over her narrow waist, spanned her chest and finished down her arms to the tips of her fingers.

Born into a life of secrets and service, Chrysabelle’s body bears the telltale marks of a comarré—a special race of humans bred to feed vampire nobility. When her patron is murdered, she becomes the prime suspect, which sends her running into the mortal world…and into the arms of Malkolm, an outcast vampire cursed to kill every being from whom he drinks.

Now Chrysabelle and Malkolm must work together to stop a plot to merge the mortal and supernatural worlds. If they fail, a chaos unlike anything anyone has ever seen will threaten to reign.

House of Comarre Series:
Blood Rights
Flesh and Blood
Bad Blood

Visit Kristen Painter's website for more information

Review:
Chrysabelle is a comarre and from birth has been trained to be the perfect blood slave for a vampire.  When her patron is murdered and she is the prime suspect she has to run from everything she has ever known and take refuge in the human world.  She is going to need help if she wants to remain hidden from the vampire nobility but when she meets outcast Mal she gets more than she bargained for.  Mal doesn't want or need any new complications in his life.  He is already dealing with a double curse - the first that causes him to kill anyone he ever drinks from and the second that has caused all of his victim's names to appear on his skin and their voices to become a constant drone inside his head.  He's already on the verge of insanity and the scent of Chrysabelle's blood may just be enough to push him over the edge.

I was really excited about Blood Rights but I have to admit that I found the first half of the book a little confusing.  Kristen Painter has built a complicated and detailed world and it took me some time to get my bearings and start to understand how everything fits together.  I was fascinated by the idea of the comarre though, they are like geisha's to their vampire patrons - pure blooded, beautiful and trained to be graceful companions.  They also have their secrets from their patrons though and I have a feeling we've only just begun to uncover them.  I still have some questions about how various parts of the comarre / patron relationship works and I'm hoping these will be answered in future books in the series.

Chrysabelle can be incredibly naive and innocent about the human world, although she is over 100 years old she has had very little interaction with anyone outside vampire nobility and her comarre community.  I was a bit worried that she would be one of those heroines who has to sit around and wait for the hero to rescue her but she quickly proves that she is capable of protecting herself, in fact what she needs most from Mal is help remaining hidden from the vampire nobility who are chasing her.  Mal is a tortured hero and I couldn't help but feel for him, the effects of his curses would be enough to drive anyone mad and Mal is definitely on the edge.  There is great chemistry between the two of them and although at the moment they both love to hate each other I'm looking forward to seeing how things play out in future books.

As I got to grips with the mythology I was able to really appreciate the complexity of the world building and I enjoyed the second half of the book much more. There is more action, some great sexual tension between Chrysabelle and Mal and we are given a lot of hints about the wider story line that had me excited about reading the next 2 books in the trilogy.  If you're looking for a new take on vampires then it would definitely be worth picking up a copy of Blood Rights.  The really good news is that the last 2 books are both being released this year so there will be no long wait between installments - I've already preordered my copies!

Source: I was given a copy of this book at AADPhilly in exchange for an honest review & also downloaded a copy from Netgalley so I could start reading it while I was waiting for the box of books I shipped home to be delivered.

Other Reviews:
Nocturnal Book Reviews
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

ARC Review: Dearly, Departed - Lia Habel

UK Cover / US Cover

'I'm newly wired with a burning desire for hot flesh.  You know, like every other teenage boy.' Bram, recent zombie recruit.

It should be game over for Nora Dearly when she is ambushed and dragged off into the night by the living dead.  But this crack unit of teen zombies are the good guys, sent to protect Nora from the real monsters roaming the country and zeroing in on cities to swell their ranks.

Can Nora find a way to kill-off the evil undead once and for all?

Can she trust her protectors to resist their hunger for human flesh?

And can she stop herself falling for the noble, sweet, surprisingly attractive, definitely-no-longer-breathing Bram...?

Nora Dearly Series:
Dearly, Departed (UK Release date = 29th of September 2011, US release date = 18th October 2011)
Dearly, Beloved (Title & release date TBC)

Visit Lia Habel's website for more information

Review:
I have to admit when I first heard about Dearly, Departed and it was described as a zombie romance I was sceptical.  I don't mind zombies as the bad guy but I don't have the best track record when it comes to them as the hero - especially when they have a romance with a human heroine.  It just presses my ick button & I can't usually get past that to enjoy what I'm reading.  However, I'd heard from friends I trust that the story is amazing so I put my fears to one side and decided to give it a try.  I'm so glad I did because Lia Habel has managed the impossible and I have to admit to having a slight (OK possibly more than slight!) crush on a zombie!

Dearly, Departed is set in the future, the ice caps have melted and there is a shortage of land - the world looks very different from how it is today.  After a massive loss of life people have now settled into new regions and Nora Dearly lives in the Elysian Fields, an underground city in New Victoria.  The people have latched onto Victorian times as a time of peace and prosperity and have set about re-creating that era now to see them through their current hardships.  The story is a cross between a dystopian and steampunk and the world Lia Habel has created is both believable and realistic.  It was easy to understand people's motivation to escape their current situation by stepping back into the past.

Nora has been brought up as a proper Victorian young lady should be but she has a fascination with politics and war that her aunt doesn't believe she should indulge in.  Ever since the death of her father the previous year she has been living with her aunt but it hasn't been an easy environment to live in.  Where her father encouraged her to look at the world differently her aunt is determined to train her properly and make a successful marriage for her.  Everything changes for Nora when she is set upon by a group of zombies who attempt to kidnap her.  She is saved by a mysterious group of strangers but soon discovers that they are also zombies - but these ones are supposed to be the good guys.  Can Nora really trust a group of strangers who are fighting the urge to eat her flesh though?

The Lazarus virus causes the death of anyone who is infected but shortly afterwards they rise again as zombies, some people retain all of their previous mental capacity and go on to become the good guys, others come back like monsters - much more your traditional zombies who can only focus on their next meal.  Our hero Bram is one of the good zombies, he fights the urge to eat flesh and along with his team helps to protect the humans from the bad zombies.  They are still dead though, their bodies incapable of healing and any damage done to them is permanent.  Some of the group are missing limbs or flesh and they aren't the most attractive bunch.  What they are missing in physical appearance they more than make up for in heart though and you can't help but like this group of misfits and respect them for the choices they make.

I don't want to give the story away but there are a lot of mysteries for Nora to uncover as she learns more about the people who saved her.  Nothing about her life will ever be the same again but she is a strong heroine who takes things mostly in her stride.  The story is told from several different perspectives which really allows the author to reveal things to the reader in a way that is fascinating to read.  Seeing things from Bram's point of view really helped me get past the fact that he was a zombie and I found myself really hoping that they would be able to find some kind of a cure for him.  I'm very excited to know that there will be a sequel and I can't wait to re-visit Nora's world in the future.  The story is action packed with plenty of twists and turns that keep you gripped to the pages and I have to mention how much I loved Nora's friend Pam (just wait until you see what she can do with a parasol!).

Even if, like me, you're not sure about the idea of a zombie romance story I would definitely recommend checking out Dearly, Departed.  The romance is sweet and believable but is by no means the main focus of the story and you'd be missing out on a treat if you don't give it a try.

Source: I received a UK copy of this book from RHCB and was given a US copy at AADPhilly, both copies were given in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.