Rhapsody: Child of Blood(Symphony of Ages Series #1) by Elizabeth Haydon

Picture yourself back in time, the year 1139. When women mostly married and raised their children. The town is having the annual Foreharvest dance. Emily is attempting to avoid the marriage lottery. Told this year she must enter she is upset that she must give up all the dreams she has.

Gwydion has been transported back in time and to the other side of the world. He is invited to the Foreharvest dance by the farmer who has agreed to hire him. Still trying to get his barrings he leaves the Foreharvest dance to contemplate his plight. While sitting outside he sees Emily and strikes up a conversation. An instant connection is made and after a night of shared passion and a marriage proposal the two decide to run away together. Only problem is that Gwydion isn't from this time and the next day is ripped back through time. Hence, the real story begins 7 years later. When love, magic, and dragons are involved you know it's gonna be good.

I gave this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

The thing that may throw people off about this book:

- The beginning of the books starts with 2 characters that, on the surface, seem to have nothing to do with the rest of the book that is until later.
- You learn bits and pieces about the magic world as the story progresses. It's not just laid out for you in the beginning. This may irritate some individuals.

Heist Society by Ally Carter

Very fun read. Katarina (Kat) is trying to get out of the family business. When people ask what that business is she usually attempts to say Art. The distribution side, but her family is really into the business of stealing Art. While attempting to "steal" a prime education her friends think they're doing her a favor by "springing" her from the school much to Kat's dismay.

Kat's father is being threatened by a man whose paintings have been stolen. The prime and only suspect? Kat's dad. Now Kat is approached by said man who threatens her family if he doesn't get his paintings back. So Kat must now try to figure out who took the paintings, where they are, and steal them back in the allotted time or else.

Little bit of a love triangle going on with Kat/Hale/Nick. Loved the names associated with the various cons such as Avon Lady, Smokey the Bear, etc. Had me laughing and grinning. Definitely a light hearted read and won 6th place in the Goodreads Choice Awards for Young Adult Fiction. I can't wait to read the sequel.

This book is not everyone's cup of tea, so if your not a big fan of YA books you may not like it as much as I did.

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

Who knew this one could be so good? I wasn't sure what to expect from this book and was pleasantly surprised. Set in the time when Neanderthals were about to die out Ayla, a five year old, is taken in by a clan of Neanderthals. The difference in the two races is very apparent and acceptance is not automatic. While Iza and Creb love her almost immediately and act as substitute parents, Broud, the chief's son is jealous and hates her. As she grows from child to women her spirit, strength, and courage are put to the test. Very sad ending, but I loved it just the same. Will definitely be reading the series.

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Kaylee has a secret that she's kept. She can tell when someone is going to die. She sees a darkness around the person and get an incredible urge to scream. The last time such an event occurred no one believed her and she was confined for a week to a mental health ward. Now she knows she's not crazy because the girl she just singled out as about to die the night before actually did. But what good is knowing someone's about to die if you can't change it? She literally looses all function but the urge to scream when she encounters someone on the verge of death. Her best friend and one of the cutest guys in school both witnessed what happened and thought she was having a panic attack. Somehow they managed to calm her before she screamed. Now she'll search for some answers about what is happening to her and try to figure out why 3 totally healthy teenage girls have mysteriously dropped dead for no apparent reason.

 

Awakened by a Kiss by Lila DiPasqua

This book is anthology of 3 stories written by the same author. If she didn't tell you what the connections was to Fairy Tales you probably would have no clue they were variations of the well known tales. All are historical romances that take place in France.

Sleeping Beau
Sort of a twist on Sleeping Beauty. Catherine did something five years ago that she's not proud of, but she was desperate. She seduced a man from Vienna by lacing his drink with an aphrodisiac. She gave up her virginity that night expecting to never see the man again, but sometimes your past comes back to haunt you.

Turns out the man whom she seduced all those years ago was the King's son. He's just spotted her and he wants answers. She's haunted his dreams almost every night since their one night of passion.

Little Red Writing

Anne, Henriette, and Camille are sisters and authors. One of them writes articles under the name Gilbert Leduc. The articles reveal secrets about the male nobility that can ruin or make a mockery out of them. They are also considered illegal.

Nicholas de Savignac is a Musketeer and part of the King's private Guard. They have been sent to arrest whichever of the women is Gilbert Leduc. Nicholas senses a mutual attraction between himself and Anne and decides the best way to get information is to seduce her and get her to feel at ease around him so she'll spill who is the mysterious Gilbert Leduc really is.

Very fun.

Bewitching in Boots

Clair is the favorite daughter of the King. She's a widow and knows that her father has plans for her to wed again. Before the King makes up his mind Clair comes up with a plan which she hopes will allow her to choose her own husband. The problem is he sees her as a manipulative spoiled tease and doesn't wish to play her silly games. When he decides to call her bluff he realizes first impressions aren't always correct.

Note to those of you who dislike the use of words like f@ck and such this one does contain such language.

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Title: The Iron Duke
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Science Fiction/Steampunk
Format: Paperback, 384 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (October 5, 2010)
ISBN-10: 0425236676
ASIN: B004X8W3W8
Author Website:  http://meljeanbrook.com/

I am starting to get addicted to these steampunk paranormal books. 

Looking for a fast paced, fun, and slightly naughty read? Well, this might just hit the spot.

Set in England in the 1800s in an alternate world that reminds me a little of something that would happen on an episode of the Sci-Fi TV series Sliders (not that this is like one, but would have fit into the series nicely). Mina is the inspector and is looking into the murder of an unknown individual found on the Iron Duke's property. The Iron Duke, Rhys Trahaearn, is a celebrated war hero who saved England from the rule of the Horde. 

The Horde (in this story), ruled by one of Ghengis Khan's eldest sons, invaded and took control of England and parts of Europe through a biological Nanotechnology. With this technology the Horde could control people using the nanoagents that infected every person living in London by using different frequencies. The Iron Duke destroyed the tower used to send out the commands.

Mina has given up on the idea of marriage. She is the offspring of an unknown member of the Horde who took advantage of her mother during a Frenzy. England still holds a grudge against anyone who resembles the Horde. It is for this reason she must always be accompanied by a body guard. One of the funny things about Mina's family is that Mina's mother is the leader of the Ladies Reformation League which encourages women to stay home with their children. 

Together Rhys and Mina work to find the person who murdered the individual and uncover a plot that could ultimately kill everyone in England. Throw in some Kracken, zombies, and the fact Rhys is determined to have Mina and you've got the makings of a very fun book. Loved it.

Order of the series:

1) The Iron Duke 2) Heart of Steel

Shadowfever (Fever, #5) by Karen Marie Moning

Moning is warped and I mean that in a totally complimentary way. lol This book had so many twists and turns that if you weren't paying attention you'd miss something. Could this be her way of trying to keep all us dreaded skippers(people who try to take a peek ahead to see what happens) totally in line and totally clueless as to how she achieved her ending if one hadn't read everything prior?
It's finally revealed who Mac killed. Determined to not let her grief get her down she teams with her enemy because you should always keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Trying to curb her feelings she comes up with a plan to put things back in order. Having nothing left to lose the bad guys better watch out because Mac is playing for keeps and she's gonna kick some @ss. ;)