"Try Me" by Parker Blue

From Goodreads: "This part-demon teen vampire fighter and her faithful terrier hellhound are once again patrolling the dark city streets of San Antonio, Texas. Val's hunky human partner, Detective Dan Sullivan, is giving her the cold shoulder since she beheaded his vampire ex-fiancée. Vamp leader Alejandro is struggling to keep the peace between vamps, demons and humans. The mucho powerful Encyclopedia Magicka has been stolen, someone in the Demon Underground is poisoning vamps, and Val's inner lust demon, Lola, is getting very restless since Val's now partnered with sexy Shade, the shadow demon with the blond good looks of an angel. 

The second book in Parker Blue's Demon Underground urban fantasy series plunges readers deeper into a heady world of passion, friendship, intrigue and mystery.

Parker Blue lives in the wilds of Colorado with her own faithful hellhound, and she's hard at work on the next Val Shapiro book in the Demon Underground series."

I was so conflicted when it came to the boys in this book. On the one hand I really found the boys in this book to be gigantic boogers. Dan was an entire jerkface and Shade was just shady. Shade constantly said that he wouldn't force Val into doing anything that she wasn't comfortable with, yet he would do something like run around buck-naked. So yes, not forceful or anything *rolls eyes*.  But on the other hand I couldn't help but sympathize for them (well more so Shade than Dan). Shade being a shadow demon? Well, he hasn't had the worlds most normal life, in fact he has had a pretty cruddy life because he is so different from any other demon (Shade is able to dwell in more than one dimension at a time, he is kinda see-throughish with blue/purplish light flowing through him, he only looks like a super gorgeous guy when someone is touching him because they ground him in this dimension). As for Dan? Well he just had a really hard time accepting the fact that the girl he was falling for wasn't exactly who she said she was.

But Val? Well, I wasn't conflicted about her at all! I loved seeing her become even more kick-butt and I loved seeing how her and Lola started to really cooperate with one another/ learn how to live with one another. I also found Val to be quite mature in this book. When she really wanted to do something but discovered what the consequences would be, she figuratively sat down and weighed the pros and cons of carrying out said action, she didn't just do anything without giving it lots of thought.

And once again I really loved Fang, Fang is hands down the snarkiest character in this book. And somewhat surprisingly I also found myself liking Alejandro quite a bit. I just found him to be such an intriguing character.

All in all I think that this is a really great YA series that transcends the YA category, fans of adult UF/PNR will like this just as much, if not more, than teens. Also, if you like Chloe Neill's "Chicagoland Vampires" series I think you will love this! 

Rating: 5/5

I received this book from the publisher/ NetGalley to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review. 

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating...
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Title: Half-Blood
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: September 15, 2011 (I will have to ask for this one for my 21st Birthday!)

From Goodreads: "The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure-bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures.
Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:

Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden.

Unfortunately, she's crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn't her biggest problem--staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck."
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Title: Ripple
Author: Mandy Hubbard
Release Date: July 21, 2011

From Goodreads: "Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she’s ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without?"

"Bite Me" by Parker Blue

From Goodreads: "An edgy book for teens that spans the gap between YA and adult fiction. Life after high school is tough enough without having to go 15 rounds with your inner demon. Val Shapiro is just your ordinary, part-demon, teenaged vampire hunter with a Texas drawl. And a pet hellhound named Fang. Soon enough she finds herself deep in the underbelly of the city, discovering the secrets of the Demon Underground and fighting to save those she loves. Whether they love her back or not."   

I found Val to probably be one of the most mature 18 year old characters I have ever read before. In fact, I think that if someone were to read this book not knowing that she was 18 they would assume that she was in her twenties or early thirties (what does this mean? Well it means that y'all out there who like adult PNR and UF but don't really like YA PNR and UF will really enjoy this book and probably even forget that it is a YA book!). Also, her demon abilities were quite unique in my opinion (as I say time and time again, no sparkly vamps or underage wolves anywhere!).And because of Val's somewhat cruddy upbringing, Lola, and all of the creepy crawlies hellbent on destroying humanity, you cannot help but root for her and hope that everything works out in her favour! And Fang? Well, I could go on about Fang all day long! He is just so gosh darn cute and snarky (I am sure that if he were to read what I just wrote he would respond with I LIKE HER).

One complaint I have of this book is that I felt like it didn't really give us all that much a physical description of the characters (save for Shade, Jen, Alejandro, and Micah- the secondary characters). I only know what Val looks like because of the model on the cover of the book, and in picturing Dan all I can think of it some generic looking guy- kinda a cross between a football player and a cop. 

All in all, I think that this is a great book for UF/PNR lovers of all ages! It is really action packed, unique, and full of kick-ass female heroine goodness! 

Rating: 5/5

I received this book from the publisher/ NetGalley to read and honestly review. I was not compensated in any way for said review. 

MIA...

 Hey y'all! I just wanted to apologize for being pretty lame on the blogging front lately (both in my personal blogging and visiting all of your fantabulous blogs). I didn't expect this end-of-the-school-year-smackdown I am currently experiencing. I am hoping to be back to blogging, commenting and all of that jazz within the next week and a half or so (and until then I have some reviews I wrote a few weeks back that I can post).

Thanks a bunch for your patience and understanding!

On My Wishlist...

On My Wishlist is a great event that Book Chick City runs every Saturday. It's where you list all of the books that you desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. I thought that this was a fantabulous idea so I thought I would join in!
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"The Faerie Ring" by Kiki Hamilton 

From Goodreads: "London, December 1871 

Orphaned and picking pockets in London’s Charing Cross station to support not only herself, but her ‘family’ of orphans, sixteen year-old Tiki steals the Queen’s ring and thinks she’s solved their problems. That is, until Rieker, a pickpocket from the North End, suspects her in the theft and tells her that the ring is really a reservoir that holds a truce between the British and Faerie courts.

When he warns her that the fey will do anything, including murder, to recover the ring, Tiki is unsure whether to believe him or not. To complicate matters, Rieker seems to know something about the unusual birthmark on Tiki’s wrist. But when Tiki and her family are threatened the game changes.

In a dazzling debut that takes you from the gritty slums of Victorian London to the glittering ballrooms of the Royal Palace to the menacing Otherworld, you won’t want to miss this thrilling tale of mystery, adventure and romance."
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"Throat" by R.A. Nelson  

From Goodreads: "R. A. Nelson takes us on a supernatural thrill ride, a modern-day vampire story set on a NASA base and filled with space-and-science intrigue. Seventeen-year-old Emma feels cursed by her epilepsy—until the lost night. She's shocked to wake up in the hospital one morning, weak from blood loss. When her memories begin to return, she pieces together that it was a man—a monster—who attacked her: a vampire named Wirtz. And it was her very condition that saved her: a grand mal seizure interrupted Wirtz and left Emma with all the amazing powers of a vampire—heightened senses, rapid speed—but no need to drink blood. Is Emma now a half-vampire girl? One thing soon becomes clear: the vampire Wirtz is fierce and merciless, feared even by his own kind, and won't leave a job undone."
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"Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula" by Elise Stokes  

From Goodreads: "Fourteen-year-old Cassidy Jones wakes up the morning after a minor accident in the laboratory of a world-renowned geneticist to discover that her body has undergone some bizarre physical changes. Her senses, strength, and speed have been radically enhanced.

After exploring her newfound abilities, Cassidy learns that the geneticist, Professor Serena Phillips, is missing and that foul play is suspected. Terrified that her physical changes and Professor Phillips' disappearance are somehow connected, Cassidy decides to keep her strange transformation a secret. That is, until she meets the professor's brilliant and mysterious fifteen-year-old son, Emery. An unlikely duo, they set out to find Emery's mother, who is key in explaining Cassidy's newly acquired superpowers.

Their lives are put at risk when they find themselves embroiled in a dangerous, action-packed adventure. Soon they are forced to confront a maniacal villain willing to do anything - including murder - to reach his own ambitious goals."

"Portal" by Imogen Rose

From Goodreads: "Come Find Me Two Years Ago...

Six words that propelled ice hockey playing tomboy, Arizona, into an alternate dimension.

She suddenly found herself in the past. In one moment she went from being an ice hockey playing teenager in New Jersey to a glamorous cheerleader in California. She found herself transported from a happy life with her dad, Dillard, to a new, strange one living with her mother whom she hates. Apparently it's a life she's always lived in.

Everyone knows her as Arizona Darley, but she isn't. She is Arizona Stevens.

As she struggles to find answers she is certain of one thing- that her mother Olivia, a brilliant physicist, is somehow responsible. .

PORTAL is the story of the repercussions of Olivia Darley's attempt at creating a perfect world for herself and her children. Arizona's quest for answers threatens to undermine the seemingly perfect world that her mother has so carefully constructed.

PORTAL is the first book of the Portal Chronicles. Fans of time travel, romance, and the supernatural will enjoy Arizona's quest for answers."

In all honesty, about three quarters of the way into this book I was so confused as to what was going on primarily because I hadn't read the synopsis and therefore I was totally oblivious to the fact that it was a sci-fi-ish young adult book that dealt with alternate dimensions (that is what I get for purchasing a book on Amazon simply because it is 99 cents) and because I was so confused as to what was going on, I actually debated whether to just set the book aside and not finish it (which I rarely ever do). But I decided to stick it out and I can't pinpoint exactly when everything clicked for me, but it did and the book/ storyline became amazing.

The boys in this book are entirely swoon-worthy and I find it strange that I think so because they are all popular jock boys and usually those type of boys annoy the crud out of me (like Nash from Rachel Vincent's "Soul Screamers" series or Erik from the Cast's "House of Night" series). I think why I liked them so much was that we actually saw a range of emotions from them, they weren't super arrogant boys who looked down upon others, no, they were the type of boys who would do anything in their power to protect those they cared about.

I really like Arizona as a character, she was spunky and really stuck to her guns. I think that had we been introduced to "Barbie Arizona" I wouldn't have been able to deal with this book, but lucky we got the rough and tumble Arizona (and I didn't even mind all that much when she did have her infrequent "girlie" moments).

Now while I did love the book there were a few things that did bother me. Like the dialogue for instance. Typically I am not one to pick up on any iffy-ness things with the dialogue (usually I am too busy being swept off my feet by the male lead), but in this book there were a few sections of dialogue that made me want to pull my hair out, specifically when Ariele was telling Arizona about her theory as to why their lives were all messed up. This section seemed like I was reading an instruction manual or something, it seemed very robotic in a way (it was choppy and didn't flow well)- seriously, Ariele goes on for two pages explaining her theory without breaking whatsoever (I don't know how she could have talked for that length of time without taking a breath). And the name dropping. There was a ton of designer brand name dropping throughout this book, like "Here is that (insert designer's name here) clutch that you have been bugging mom about" or "I slid on my (insert name brand here) jeans on".

But all in all, I think that this is a great book and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series!

Rating: 9.5/10