(ARC Review) Ghost Town by Rachel Caine

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GHOST TOWN
Morganville Vampires #9
Author: Rachel Caine
Source: Author Submission
* I received this book free of 
charge in exchange for an 
honest review*

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: NAL Hardcover (October 26, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451231619
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451231611

SUMMARY:

While developing a new system to maintain Morganville’s defenses, student Claire Danvers discovers a way to amplify vampire mental powers. Through this, she’s able to re-establish the field around this vampire-infested Texas college town that protects it from outsiders.

But the new upgrades have an unexpected consequence: people inside the town begin to slowly forget who they are-even the vampires. Soon, the town’s little memory problem has turned into a full-on epidemic. Now Claire needs to figure out a way to pull the plug on her experiment- before she forgets how to save Morganville…

MY THOUGHTS:

First of all, I would like to thank the author, Rachel Caine, for sending me the book for review.  Everyone who talks to me on Twitter and reads my blog, knows that I am a HUGE fan of this series!  So, again, thank you Rachel Caine!

If you thought Morganville was crazy and scary before, you haven’t seen anything yet!  In this installment of the series,  Claire and Myrnin are trying to create a new computer to control the memories and boundaries of Morganville.  After working days with Myrnin, they finally get a system going.  As days pass though, Claire and the rest of the gang, start to realize that something has gone wrong with it.  Humans and vampires start losing chunks of their memory.  Vampires start to forget about the rules–and at times, forgetting they are even a vampire–and destroying not only others, but themselves as well.  Humans start to forget about the latest events in Morganville as well.

I was so excited to see Myrnin again in this book.  He has to be one of my favorite characters in this series.  He is so crazy, you can’t help buy laugh and sympathize for him.  You will find yourself on the fence about Oliver again–is he good or bad?–and wondering if he will help Claire fix the problem, or let it destroy everything Amelie has done to protect everyone. The laugh out loud moments were brilliant as expected, and the suspense and pace was spot on perfect!  True to the author’s usual with the series, she will leave you with an unexpected twist at the end that will leave you with your jaw dropping and your heart racing for the next book.  You will even get to read about familiar faces that were in previous books that you thought you wouldn’t see again.

The author knows how to write a book that is similar to riding a roller coaster!  One moment you are calm, the next you are gripping the pages with adrenaline and anticipation.  This is one ride I have enjoyed and will definitely be cheering for more books soon!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf For Rereading! 5 STARS!!

One Fine Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy

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ONE FINE COWBOY
Author: Joanne Kennedy
Source: Sourcebooks
* I received this book free
of charge in exchange for
an honest review*

  • Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (September 1, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402236700
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402236709

SUMMARY:

He’s got a way with horses…and with women…

His heart is as wild as the horses he trained…
Nate Shawcross is perfectly content to spend his days training wild horses. So when a beautiful greenhorn unexpectedly shows up for a seminar from the famous “Horse Whisperer” of Wyoming, all Nate wants to do is send her packing…

The last thing she expects is a lesson in romance…
Graduate student Charlie Banks came to the ranch to learn about horse communication, but when she meets the ruggedly handsome cowboy, she starts to fantasize about another connection entirely…

Nate needs to stay focused if he’s going to save his ranch from foreclosure, but he can’t help being distracted by the brainy and breathtakingly sexy Charlie. Could it be that after all this time Nate has finally found the one woman who can tame his wild heart?

MY THOUGHTS:

Hubba-Hubba!  Author Joanne Kennedy sure can write the cowboy romance!

I loved this book so much that I didn’t want it to end.  With strong and believable characters, the author has created a plot that will touch your heart and keep you turning the pages.  The romance was beautiful, the story and plot twists were amazing, and the pace of the story was great.  To top it off, the author created laugh out loud moments that kept you interested and devoted to the story.  Nate was a man who kept his feelings bottled up, and when he tried to express them, it was so funny to see him try to find the words.  Charlie was a great match for Nate and had me cheering for them both.

If you haven’t discovered this author before, now is the time to pick up one of her books in this series and dive in.  I guarantee you will last more than the 8 seconds for this cowboy ride of a story!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

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KISS OF DEATH
Author: Rachel Caine

  • Reading level: Young Adult
  • Mass Market Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Signet; Original edition (April 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0451229738
  • ISBN-13: 978-0451229731

SUMMARY:

A new chapter in the New York Times bestselling Morganville Vampires saga.

Vampire musician Michael Glass has attracted the attention of a big- time producer who wants to cut a demo and play some gigs-which means Michael will have to enter the human world. For this, he’s been assigned escorts that include both a dangerous immortal as well as Michael’s all-too-human friends. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a road trip from hell… 

MY THOUGHTS:

Kiss of Death is the 8th book in the Morganville Vampire series, and in my opinion, one of the best young adult vampire series there is.  I am a HUGE fan of this series and this author rarely disappoints me. 

In this installment, Michael gets recruited to make a demo in Dallas, Texas.  The gang is excited when they are actually granted passes to leave Morganville for a short time and help support Michael in his new career path.  The only downside is having Oliver as and escort. Along the way, they deal with AWOL vampires, diseased vampires, crazy locals and enough excitement to keep you reading non-stop!

While I was disappointed in not seeing and hearing from my favorite characters as much, we still get the action packed romance that this author delivers effortlessly!  I love how each chapter is a practically another drama packed adventure and how it gives the characters barely enough time to breath.  The romance between Shane and Claire was very sweet.  We finally get to see what Shane was going to give Claire in the previous books and it just squeezes your heart with emotions.  The romance between Eve and Michael is just as sweet, showing the devotion each character has to their relationships.  My favorite thing with this series though, is the witty humor and laugh out loud dialogue the author brings to each book.  You are always guaranteed bickering, humor and drama, but you are also guaranteed friendship, love and the feeling of family between them all.  Even Oliver showed a new side to himself in this book.  I might actually start to like him more now.

This is one series where I wish the author would write faster and give me my Morganville addiction fix quicker!  The vampire world in these books are like my own brand of drug that should be illegal to bookworms!

MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS

Eternal Kiss of Darkness by Jeaniene Frost

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ETERNAL KISS OF DARKNESS
Author: Jeaniene Frost
  • Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (July 27, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061783161
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061783166
SUMMARY:
An immortal war has been brewing in the darkness…and now one woman has stumbled into the shadows.

Chicago private investigator Kira Graceling should have just kept on walking. But her sense of duty refused to let her ignore the moans of pain coming from inside a warehouse just before dawn. Suddenly she finds herself in a world she’s only imagined in her worst nightmares.

At the center is Mencheres, a breathtaking Master vampire who thought he’d seen it all. Then Kira appears – this fearless, beautiful….human who braved death to rescue him. Though her burns for her, keeping Kira in his world means risking her life. Yet sending her away is unthinkable.

But with danger closing in, Mencheres must choose either the woman he craves, or embracing the darkest magic to defeat an enemy bent on his eternal destruction.

MY THOUGHTS:
The first thing I need to say about this book is if you haven’t read anything by this author before, what rock have you been hiding under? Ms. Frost can mix suspenseful paranormal effortlessly with romance and humor.  She writes incredible stories with characters that will capture your interest and will leave you wanting to know even more after the last page has been turned!
Kira is a private investigator on her way home late one night.  When she hears noises from a warehouse, she chooses to investigate.  What she walks into though is something she can hardly believe.  She sees Mencheres being tortured by ghouls. When she attempts to rescue him, the ghouls attack her.  What Kira doesn’t know is Mencheres is a vampire. Actually, he is a Master Vampire who is looking for an end.  He was hoping that the ghouls would have finished him off to where he could end his long undead life. When Mencheres sees the ghouls attack Kira instead, he lets his power loose, and kills them off.  He notices that Kira has witnessed it all, and heals her before she can die.  The only problem is Mencheres is having a hard time erasing her memories and being able to read her mind. He takes her to his home and tries to explain things to her.  Kira accepts what she is being told and falling for the vampire at the same time.  Mencheres falls for Kira as well, but is hesitant on being with her since his visions have shown him nothing but his death approaching.
I found the story between the two wonderful.  I loved the bickering and the banter between them when they were around each other.  I loved the suspense that Mencheres’ enemy, Radjedef brings to the story as well.  Kira was strong and determined which made her character fun and intriguing.  The romance between the two was hot one moment, and tender the next. 
I can’t wait for the author to finish the next book in the series.  I would love to see Vlad have a story as well in this series.  The side characters were so wonderful that they deserve a story all of their own. 
The only problem with this book for me was the cover!  What was up with the fake looking cover? While the people on the front were great, the blood drops looked like an after thought when printing was complete. It actually looks like someone took a red sharpie to each cover after printing and looks horrible! The photo above is nothing what the cover looks like in your hand! Trust me! That would be the one thing that I would want to be fixed for the next books.  Please figure out how to make a cover art department!
MY RATING:

Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading!  5 STARS

BEING JAMIE BAKER by Kelly Oram

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BEING JAMIE BAKER
Author: Kelly Oram
Source: Around the World Tours

  • Paperback: 360 pages
  • Publisher: Bluefields (June 14, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0615377548
  • ISBN-13: 978-0615377544

SUMMARY:

“Most superhero stories start with a meteor shower or a nasty insect bite, but mine actually starts with a kiss…”

An accident t…more “Most superhero stories start with a meteor shower or a nasty insect bite, but mine actually starts with a kiss…”

An accident that should end in tragedy instead gives seventeen-year-old Jamie Baker a slew of uncontrollable superhuman abilities.

To keep her secret safe Jamie socially exiles herself, earning the title of Rocklin High’s resident ice queen. But during a supercharged encounter with star quarterback Ryan Miller she literally kisses anonymity goodbye. Now the annoyingly irresistible Ryan will stop at nothing to melt the heart of the ice queen and find out what makes her so special.

Unfortunately, Ryan is not the only person on to her secret. Will Jamie learn to contain her unstable powers before being discovered by the media or turned into a government lab rat?

More importantly, can she throw Ryan Miller off her trail before falling in love with him?


MY THOUGHTS:


I admit. I chose to read this because of the fabulous cover!  The cover caught my eye before I had even read the summary.  Then when I found out that it is about a high school girl who ends up with super powers, I was hooked. 


I adored this book.  It was so cute and fun to read about Jamie and Ryan.  Ryan was definitely swoon worthy, but Jamie was really the one who stole the show in this book.  Jamie is having plenty of problems keeping her powers a secret so she doesn’t become the governments next science fair project, but when Ryan enters the picture, she has a hard time concealing things.  Amongst all of the chaos, romance and suspense, the author has brought to us a fun and super charged teen book for paranormal lovers of all ages. 


I love the world the author created.  I personally can’t wait to own my own copy of this book and to see what the author will come up with next!


MY RATING:


Outstanding Book That Will Stay On My Bookshelf
For Rereading! 5 STARS!