Waiting on Wednesday #6

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Defiance by: C.J. Redwine August 28th 2012 by Balzer & Bray 

 Summary: 

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.

At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

MY BRAIN IS IN SHOCK OF THE PRETTY!! First off holy crap this is my all time favorite cover. I love the red hair streaming back. The clothes are elegant yet fierce and the castle lets me know that their is going to be some great mystery here!  I love high fantasy so freaking much and I don't know if I am going to be able to make it until the release. Let's face it Logan and Rachel need me right now!!

Goodreads

Katana by: Cole Gibson (Review) (Tour Stop)

Title: Katana

Author: Cole Gibson

Publisher: Flux

Number of Pages: 384

Date of Release: March 8^th, 2012

Synopsis From Goodreads:

Kill Bill meets Buffy in this supernatural samurai tale.

Rileigh Martin would love to believe that adrenaline gave her the uncanny courage and strength to fend off three muggers. But it doesn't explain her dreams of fifteenth-century Japan, the incredible fighting skills she suddenly possesses, or the strange voice giving her battle tips and danger warnings. While worrying that she's going crazy (always a reputation ruiner), Rileigh gets a visit from Kim, a handsome martial arts instructor, who tells Rileigh she's harboring the spirit of a five-hundred-year-old samurai warrior.

Relentlessly attacked by ninjas, Rileigh has no choice but to master the katana--a deadly Japanese sword that's also the key to her past. As the spirit grows stronger and her feelings for Kim intensify, Rileigh is torn between continuing as the girl she's always been and embracing the warrior inside her.

Review: Well this summary had everything I was looking for in a novel. I mean anything with a Buffy reference has to be epic right? RIGHT! The cover is cute and fits with the whole kick-butt normal teenager aspect with the perfect Japanese touches. The rich depth of culture and history was beautiful  and blended seamlessly with the rest of the novel. Katana is a thrilling debut with everything a reader could want; a kick-butt heroine, great characters and a touching romance. I cannot wait for book two!

Rileigh is a new type of character for me to read about. Usually the female protagonists are shy or weak and don’t have very much of a social life. Rileigh is vivacious and has the best gay friend a girl could ever want. Kim is alarmingly mysterious and at the beginning I was hesitant to like him until the first full scenes with him where I fell in love. The only thing I didn’t like was his air of superiorness in the first few pages but after that went away and he became flawless.

Katana has the story of all of the central characters in real life and also their past life. It is what gave the novel depth and every glimpse we got into either world left me craving more. It was intriguing to see how the person acted in reality to the flashbacks to their old lives in Japan. The whole reincarnation thing may be gaining popularity in YA right now, and I have read many of the novels, but none of them holds a candle to Katana. Cole Gibson has this effortless writing style which she then inserts humor into that left me laughing so hard I was crying. The fight sequences were so exciting and I really, really wish that I could fight like Rileigh, it could come in handy at some point. Another think I appreciated was the fact Rileigh didn’t lose her head and just trust Kim and fall in love with him at first sight. It’s refreshing to see her slowly begin to trust him little by little. I am dying here for book two!!

Branded by: Keary Taylor (Review)

Title: Branded

Author: Keary Taylor

Number of Pages: 376

Date of Release: March 4^th, 2010

Summary From Goodreads:

Jessica's had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she's a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.

But when two men she can't ignore enter her life everything changes, including the nightmares. The two of them couldn't be more different. She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will pull her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear.

Review: I have been in love this cover since its reveal. I actually have been meaning to read this book for over a year and a half. What propelled me to purchase it was after I read Eden by Keary. I knew her writing was special and had to grab it! I was instantly able to immerse myself into Branded and Keary had me on the edge of my seat the whole way through!!

I love Jessica, in a way I can really relate myself to her. She is plagued by nightmares and doesn’t ever want to sleep, because she is terrified. So am I. Besides that her character is so rich and relatable and the depth of emotion portrayed struck me and I was able to create a deep connection with her. Alex was the saving grace meant to add the light the darkness Jessica’s character had on the story and I fell in love with him from the very first scene. I mean he was tender and genuinely cared, yet fierce in his convictions. When the bad guy entered I was like oh man, I had troubles believing he was bad. Which is what every good writer can do, create a twisted villain that makes the reader question their original impressions.

The frightening twist to what readers know of Angels, will make Branded an instant hit with any reader. I really can’t begin to express my emotions on this novel. It touched some pretty dark places, within the plot but then soured into other scenes that were filled with light. The emotional ride is one you will be unable to let go weeks after putting the book down! Now I need to go pick up the other books in the series!! Love Keary as a writer so freaking much!!

Thundersnow by: Sheila Hollinghead (Review)

Title: Thundersnow

Author: Sheila Hollinghead

File Size: 381 KB

Date of Release: January 7, 2012

Summary:

Depression Era teen, Sarah Jane, struggles with a controlling mother on a south Alabama farm. Troubles accumulate when a freak thundersnow strikes. Yet, the storm also brings peace and refuge, if Sarah Jane will only seek it . . . in the shadow of the cedar.

Review: I personally love the natural phenomenon that is thundersnow. I was intrigued by the summary of this novel, and decided to review it. The tale unfolds around Sarah Jane and the everyday turmoil in her life. I found the book to be like some of my favorites growing up; Sarah, Plain and Tall, the Dustbowl. Sheila took rich history and laced it with her characters turmoil to create a heartbreaking story of loss and the steps one takes to love.

Sarah Jane is strong, independent, and slightly broken inside. I found her voice to heartbreaking. I really thought that Sheila based her on her family’s history to be really neat, and it adds a special element to the novel. I haven’t read a historical fiction novel in a while and I am glad I got the chance to read Thundersnow.

The progression of the novel builds from one even to the next. I never actually thought the love aspect was a huge deal until the end, and then realized how perfect and integral it was to the novel. There is so much mystery in Thundersnow that at times it feels like a thriller or paranormal, and that is what kept the novel going, and my brain guessing what was going to happen next. I don’t want to give anything away because there are a lot of key events, but I will say that this is deffinitely a must read for Historical fans!!

Dating The Undead by: Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe (Review)

Title: Dating The Undead

Author: Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe

Publisher: Harlequin

Number of Pages: 160

Date of Release: December 27^th, 2011

Summary From Goodreads:

They're drop-dead handsome— and we're not kidding!

Welcome to the first and only guide devoted to loving the immortal man in all of his furry, feathery, fiery glory. Here is a forbidden-fruit salad of features, fiction, fashion, and more, including:

—Lipstick on His Collar

Is your immortal just a little bit…immoral?

—Angel in the Kitchen

Heavenly dishes that don' take an eternity to prepare

—A Kiss is not just a Kiss

Immortals we crave divulge their lip-smacking turn-ons

—Undead & Well-Read

What's hot between the covers this month

—A View from a Guy

Zombie Jack's turn

—Immorstrology

Our indispensable guide to heavenly bodies

Review: When I was first offered the opportunity to review this book, I was surprised I had never heard of it. On closer inspection I instantly knew I had to read it! At first glance Dating The Undead looks like a Cosmo magazine or a copy of Elle. In a way, a very twisted and sexy way it totally is just that. While Gena’s website say’s this novel is intended to look like a magazine, it is in fact a novel. So finding it hard to take your eyes off the cover? Ya me too…. But you have to because it just gets better inside!!

This is the part where I normally talk about characters, but there isn’t an MC here so I am modifying this. Dating The undead is full of articles by LG’s (Living Girls) with huge personalities that leap off the pages in the articles, advice columns and interviews. I was finding it hard to believe that there isn’t a whole world with paranormal creatures out their looking for love when I was reading! The article “Why Oh Why Do We Love Them” was super insightful into the reason, we fall in love with “bad boys”. It was also kind of funny to read and think oh that is why I am obsessed with Ash, Luc, Adrian, Jace, Gabe and Patch! The list could go on, but I had to keep it short, if you can name all the books that those guys are from, you know what I am talking about!!

Having read Dating The Undead I now am armed with all the information I need to find my perfect immortal man. The “Immortal Icebreakers Sure to Turn His Head” have given me a few conversation starters, my personal favorite being for an Angel; “Don’t mind me – I’m an astronomer checking out heavenly bodies.”. The novel also offers a glimpse into Gena’s first novel of her Lord of the Underworld series, which gives you the chance to decide if the series is something you should look into. For me after reading that chapter the answer is a definite yes.

There are also recipes in here for cocktails and foods that look heavenly in the pictures. Not to mention the beauty tips which made me smile. In the Otherworldly Astrology page, I learned that my best match would be an Angel, but I would do fine with Dragons or Weres. Apparently I have to avoid Zombies, because they don’t handle the truth very well. At least I have a pickup line though, I am all set to go out on the town to find my Angel, and will have to pick up DJ (DJ’s Life In Fiction) soon so we can go out to the club or should I say Dungeon!

Gena and Jill have created a witty novel that brings to life the immortals that we have read about adding a whole new side to our obsessions! I am desperately hoping there will be another installment!

Dating The Undead by: Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe (Feature)

I was recently offered the opportunity to review Dating The undead and instantly said yes. I mean how could I say no to something with a cover like that??? *drools*

Anyways, I was also offered the chance to share a few of the pages inside!!

This book is written like a magazine and is effortlessly hilarious. I mean I have no idea how they came up with such ads as "Recovergirl"!!

Here is the summary from Goodreads:

They're drop-dead handsome— and we're not kidding!

Welcome to the first and only guide devoted to loving the immortal man in all of his furry, feathery, fiery glory. Here is a forbidden-fruit salad of features, fiction, fashion, and more, including:
—Lipstick on His Collar
Is your immortal just a little bit…immoral?
—Angel in the Kitchen
Heavenly dishes that don' take an eternity to prepare
—A Kiss is not just a Kiss
Immortals we crave divulge their lip-smacking turn-ons
—Undead & Well-Read
What's hot between the covers this month
—A View from a Guy
Zombie Jack's turn
—Immorstrology
Our indispensable guide to heavenly bodies

Now that I have your interest here is a couple sneak peeks!!

 Dating The Undead is available now from Harlequin! Make sure you add it to your TBR lists! Also my review will go up tomorrow!

• Goodreads
• Jill Monroe's Website
• Gena's Website