Teaser Tuesday #2- Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share one or two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~My Teaser~~~~~~~~

I shot him a look. "You know," I said. "this is your first time, so for full effect, you really need to recline."

"Recline."

"It adds to the experience." I told him. "Trust me."

             -(Page 242)

Witches of East End - Melissa de la Cruz

Rating: 4/5

From the author of the highly addictive and bestselling Blue Bloods series, with almost 3 million copies sold, comes a new novel, Melissa de la Cruz's first for adults, featuring a family of formidable and beguiling witches.

The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil. 
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Melissa de la Cruz is better known for her bestselling series, Blue Bloods, which I love. This was her first adult novel. It was nice that the main focus wasn't on vampires because as much as I love to read about them, I'm getting rather tired of them as well. Blood Blues fans will also like to know that certain characters from the series make appearances in this book. If you haven't read the series, then it's alright; you don't need to know who they are to understand what's going on. I just thought it was pretty cool how she did that. 

I'm going to admit, I was going to give this book a slightly lower rating (possibly a 3) because for the first hundred or so pages, I felt like not much was going on. Of course, there was the small things that would lead up to the bigger events, but I didn't know that at the time. All I saw was a girl having an affair with her fiance's brother and lots of sex (sometimes very graphic). So I thought, "Okay, now I know why it's an adult novel. But where's the story? Is this ALL it is?" Luckily, it wasn't. It got really good, the last 100 or so pages. So good, in fact, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. So I did, and loved it! 

The Beauchamp family consists of Joanna, and her two daughters Freya and Ingrid. They all live in quiet New Hampton, New York. Centuries ago, they got into some trouble in Salem, so they're not allowed to use their powers, orders from the Council. Ingrid is the quiet, book type. Always in her library. She can see the future and heal people with her knots. Freya works in the bar and is the complete opposite of Ingrid. She's able to solve any love quarrel with a love potion. Joanna can resurrect the dead...but it doesn't always work out the way she wants it to. And, she can't bring back the people she loves. For the most part, they've been able to avoid using their magic, but soon things go bad. People are getting sick, disappearing, or being found dead. No one knows why. Now, the witches decide to test the restriction and do what they can to help. 

I liked how each chapter was told by a different witch. You get a better understanding of who the characters really are, and get inside of their heads. All the characters were interesting and unique; fun. There's magic, steamy romance, mystery, secrecy, mythology, zombies, vampires and even a love affair. There's a bit of everything for everyone to enjoy. Just beware of the graphic sex scenes. Remember, this is an adult novel. You've been warned ;) 

The ending was the best part. It's where all the little bits and pieces mentioned along the way get put together, like a puzzle, and start making sense. There were a lot of surprises, some I saw coming, and others I did not. It also ends on a cliffhanger. 

So if someone were to ask if I recommend this book, I would say yes. There really wasn't anything I didn't like. I found the beginning slow, but others might not. I'm also looking forward to the next book in the series. Can't wait to find out what happens next!

Teaser Tuesday #1- Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share one or two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

~~~~~~~~My Teaser~~~~~~~~

Ingrid looked at her sideways. "I felt it."
"Ew! Don't tell me how! You had one of your creepy dreams?"
"Creepy doesn't cut it." Ingrid shuddered, remembering the cold hands around her neck and the way his body felt on hers. She shook her head. --page 191

Share your Teasers below! :)

Hereafter - Tara Hudson

Rating: 5/5

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.
Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.
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I haven't read many ghost stories, but in a world currently being over run by vampires and werewolves, it was refreshing to read something different.

Amelia doesn't know much about herself, but she knows she's dead. However, she doesn't know how. Wandering lost in the hereafter, Amelia keeps having this reoccurring dream where she is drowning in the river under the High Bridge. But one day, she hears the THUD of a heart beat. Obviously it can't be hers, instead, it belongs to Joshua; a boy who appears to be suffering the same fate as Amelia. No matter how she tries, she can't save him. But, in a shocking instant, he opens his eyes and sees her. Amelia can't believe it. All the years she's been wandering the High Bridge, not one human had ever been able to see her. She quickly takes advantage of this and urges him to swim up.

And as you can probably guess, the two fall in love. But, as always, there's a twist. Yeah she's dead, but that's not what I'm talking about. Joshua's family has a hidden talent: they're Seers. Basically, they're ghost hunters. However, Joshua was not intune with his talents until his brush with death. His grandmother, on the other hand, is very serious when it comes to exterminating ghosts and has the intent to exorcise Amelia the moment she lays eyes on her. Joshua, naturally, won't allow any harm to come to his ghostly love, which is kind of hard when you take into account his psycho grandmother and Eli. Oh right, Eli...haven't mentioned him yet have I?

Eli, well he's the dark, moody, evil bad boy and when I say evil, I mean evil. Most fictional bad boys are usually very attractive I suppose, but he is just plain nuts. What role does he play in this story? I could tell you, but then I'd be telling too much. Better to leave you all in suspense :P

Overall, this book was written beautifully. It was very descriptive and most of the time, I felt like I was with Amelia, along for the, beautiful yet terrifying ride. It leaves you with questions you'll want answered, but will unfortunately have to wait for. I also loved Amelia and Joshua together, even if it was a cliched forbidden romance.

I for one am very excited for the next book, Arise, to be released (sometime in 2012). 

The Faerie Ring Book Trailer

Debut novelist Kiki Hamilton takes readers from the gritty slums and glittering ballrooms of Victorian London to the beguiling but menacing Otherworld of the Fey in this spellbinding tale of romance, suspense, and danger. 

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

Check Out the Official Book Trailer Below!

Like what you saw? Check out Kiki's official blog here.

She currently has a Goodreads Book Giveaway going on. Interested? Then head on over and enter to win! Enter Giveaway

Introducing...Teaser Tuesday!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page

Share one or two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

So since Tuesday already passed for this week, Teaser Tuesday will start next Tuesday, 8/23.

 

Hope you all decide to participate

What I'm Reading

Can there truly be love after death?

Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.

Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Thrilling and evocative, with moments of pure pleasure, Hereafter is a sensation you won't want to miss.

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Very excited to start reading this book! I've heard good things about it. I do apologize, however, that it might take a while for me to read it. School starts in 10 days and, silly me!, I still have tons of summer assignments and school shopping to do, so I'm going to have to put off read until everything is done :(

So just keep checking back for any updates. Thank you!