Monday's Beginnings (96)

Well, it's Monday again...

How are you faring at the beginning of this week?  Are you starting a new book or finishing one up?

I had a big week (for me) in pages last week.  I finished two books I've had going and started and finished another.  I'm really proud of myself.  But, it slacked in the reviews getting posted here as I spent more time with my nose in the books.  So I have plans to get these three reviews done and scheduled through out the week to get up.  Now I have to figure out what mood I'm in so I can find the right book in the review stack to read.  But, I'm hoping to get caught up with the reviews and such here and read one book this week. :)  I also have to get caught up with all the stuff on my desk at work as I'll be taking next week off.  So, I probably wont be on from work much.

I haven't made it to lunch yet, but I do plan on reading during lunch and some tonight as well.  We'll see how much reading gets accomplished this week with the big week last week. :)

Currently Reading:
Lodestone  Book two: The World of Ice and Stars by Mark Whiteway ~ I think I'm in this mood.  As I just started the beginning pages last night.
I will be starting at the end of the week, Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa.  I've been reading this series with a few friends and enjoying the relaxed reading style.

To Come This Week:
Reviews:
   Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk
   Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre
   City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Last Week:
Books I Finished:
Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
Shadow's Lure by Jon Sprunk

Reviews Posted this Past Week:
   Sorry.  I was busy with my nose stuck in the pages.

Podcasts Reviewed:
I didn't get to listening last week.  But I'm planning on listening this week.

I was Interviewed! :) Yes, my first interview on the web is up.  If you would like to stop by and read it you can HERE.  Please say hello too!

I did post about my visit to the Seton Hill University alumni Book Signing.  There were several amazing authors there.  Click here to go read about it.

I did write a Flash Fiction Friday again. :) And this one continues from the prior two week story I have running.  If you would like to check it out, please click here to go over.  I do hope you enjoy it.

My WANT list...I've added 8 books last week.  Steady flow of additions it seems.  Always a good thing. ;)  Thank you all for the amazing reviews and tips on books.  I love it!

Books Received:
For Review:

Goodreads Synopsis:
At last, in the novel every Kelley Armstrong fan will need to own, all the major heroines and heroes of Otherworld are united. 

It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet. 

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she's powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise. 

And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Since the dawn of time, the Light of Epertase has determined when the throne was to be passed from elder to heir. For more than a thousand years, the Light's decision had never been challenged-until now. When a ruthless army advances on Epertase, the Light determines that corrupt King Elijah is no longer fit to rule - his daughter, and Princess Alina, is the kingdom's only hope for salvation. When evil men violently abduct her, Epertase's fall appears inevitable. But all is not lost, for Alina has a secret lover lurking in the outer mountains; a long-banished warrior willing to bring down armies and King Elijah himself to save her. His name is Rasi and he prepares for blood. Deadly men plan to sacrifice Alina for the Light of Epertase that lives within her soul. Rasi plans to kill all who try. The kingdom's fate hangs in the balance.


Purchased:
Yes, yes.  I'm bad at this book buying hiatus thing.  The first two books are ones I purchased at the book signing at Seton Hill University Friday night.  And they are signed.  But they are books I've wanted to get!

Goodreads Synopsis:
Keep Your Head Down.
Don't Get Noticed.
Or Else.

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution.

Goodreads Synopsis:
In the heart of Ohio, Jessie Shimmer is caught up in hot, magic-drenched passion with her roguish lover, Cooper Marron, who is teaching her how to tap her supernatural powers. When they try to break a drought by calling down a rainstorm, a hellish portal opens and Cooper is ripped from this world, leaving Jessie fighting for her life against a vicious demon that's been unleashed.

In the aftermath, Jessie, who knows so little about her own true nature, is branded an outlaw. She must survive by her wits and with the help of her familiar, a ferret named Palimpsest. Stalked by malevolent enemies, Jessie is determined to find out what happened to Cooper. But when she moves heaven and earth to find her man, she'll be shocked by what she discovers—and by what she must ultimately do to save them all.


Now these two I purchased at the beginning of last week with my $20 winning gift card.

Goodreads Synopsis:
Giavolo: proudest of the city-states and home to the great university, where the Magical Sciences are taught alongside more mundane studies. The city has been at war for longer than any of its inhabitants have been alive.

Vervain: Mistress of the Magical Sciences, she is dismayed to find herself assigned a bodyguard after divination reveals an ill-defined threat to the university’s teachers. Even worse, the bodyguard is an orc.

Riyu: Vervain’s orc bodyguard is determined to save her life—if she’ll let him.

Brighthand: When this sinister figure attacks the university and kidnaps Vervain’s partner, it’s up to Vervain and Riyu to get him back...or die in the attempt.

You don’t have to be a 20-something babe to save the world.

Goodreads Synopsis:
It’s not easy to tread lightly wearing steel-toed boots. 

Sirantha Jax isn’t known for diplomatic finesse. As a “Jumper” who navigates ships through grimspace, she’s used to kicking ass first and taking names later—much later. Not exactly the obvious choice to sell the Conglomerate to the Ithtorians, a people whose opinions of humans are as hard as their exoskeletons. 

And Ithiss-Tor council meetings aren’t the only place where Ambassador Jax needs to maneuver carefully. Her lover, March, is frozen in permanent “kill” mode, and his hair-trigger threatens to sabotage the talks—not to mention their relationship. 

But Jax won’t give up on the man or the mission. With the Outskirts beleaguered by raiders, pirates, and the flesh-eating Morgut, an alliance with Ithiss-Tor may be humanity’s only hope. 

Which has Jax wondering why a notorious troublemaker like her was given the job…


Well, I'm hoping to have a busy week this week with working up blog posts and enjoying my reads.

How are you looking so far this week?  Does it look like a good reading week for you?

Here's to wishing you all the best in words and pages.