Duke We're Glad We Knew You Review

Duke We're Glad We Knew You
Herb Fagen
4/5


Source: Library



Synopsis: To millions of movie fans, John Wayne was heroism personified, and to this day he is as big a star as he was in his prime. He was voted the 5th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly, the 4th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Premiere magazine, and #13 Greatest Actor on the 50 Greatest Screen Legends list put out by the American Film Institute.


Here, in loving memory of the Duke thirty years after his death, is the updated and expanded edition of Duke, We're Glad We Knew You, featuring never-before-seen photos and interviews. The legendary icon is made real through vivid anecdotes and observations from the insiders who worked, gambled, drank, and fought with the outsized personality that was John Wayne. Candid, funny, revealing, moving and inspiring, this two-fisted tribute shows John Wayne as the true hero he was.



Review: John Wayne is my personal ALL TIME FAVORITE actor. He is quoted as saying "you shouldn't go to movies if you don't believe in hero's." This book is a collection of rememberances from those fortunate enough to have worked with Duke Wayne during his impressive film career. From Harry Carey Jr. to Ben Johnson they are all there telling us their stories of the Duke. Stories that just goes to show that even John Wayne was human.

Fireproof Review

Fireproof
Eric Wilson

Source: Library

Synopsis: Growing up, his wife Catherine always dreamed of amrryuing a loving, brave firefighter...just like her father. Now, after seven years of marriage, she wonders when she stopped being "good enough." Countless arguments and anger have them wanting to move on to something with more sparks.
As they prepare for divorce, Caleb's father challenges him to commit to a 40-day experiment: "The Love Dare." Wondering if it's even worth the effort, Caleb agrees, for his father's sake more than for his amrriage.
Surprised by what he discovers about the meaning of love, Caleb realizes that his wife and marraige are worth fighting for. His job is to rescue others. Now Captain Holt is ready to face his toughest job ever...rescuing his wife's heart.
Complete with action, humor, and romance, this entertaining novel by Eric Wilson will have you laughing, inspired, and challenged. Based on the screenplay by Alex and Stephen Kendrick, the Fireproof novel includes subplots, characters, and back story not included in the movie.

Review: I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. I very rarely say this but the movie is better than the book in this case. I did NOT care for all the "extras" that were put into the book at all. For me personally, the book was pretty much the movie word for word plus all those extremely unwanted "extras."

Broken A Love Story Review

Broken A Love Story
Lisa Jones

Source: Library

Synopsis: Writer Lisa Jones went to Wyoming for a four-day magazine assignment and came home four years later with a new life.

At a dusty corral on the Wind River Indian Reservation, she met Stanford Addison, a Northern Arapaho who seemed to transform everything around him. He gentled horses rather than breaking them by force. It was said that he could heal people of everything from cancer to bipolar disorder. He did all this from a wheelchair; he had been a quadriplegic for more than twenty years.

Intrigued, Lisa sat at Stanford's kitchen table and watched. She saw neighbors from the reservation and visitors from as far away as Holland bump up the dirt road to his battered modular home, seeking guidance and healing for what had broken in their lives. She followed him into the sweat lodge — a framework of willow limbs covered with quilts — where he used prayer and heat to shrink tumors and soothe agitated souls. Standing on his sun-blasted porch, pit bulls padding past her, she felt the vibration from thundering bands of Arabian horses that Stanford's young nephews brought to the ring to train.

And she listened to his story. Stanford spent his teenage years busting broncs, seducing girls, and dealing drugs. At twenty, he left the house for another night of partying. By morning, a violent accident had robbed him of his physical prowess and left in its place unwelcome spiritual powers — an exchange so shocking that Stanford spent several years trying to kill himself. But eventually he surrendered to his new life and mysterious gifts.

Over the years Lisa was a frequent visitor to Stanford's place, the reservation and its people worked on her, exposing and healing theplaces where she, too, was broken.

Broken entwines her story with Stanford's, exploring powerful spirits, material poverty, spiritual wealth, friendship, violence, confusion, death, and above all else,"a love that comes before and after and above and below romantic love."

Review: I was looking through our libraries shelf of "new" releases when I came upon this one. The cover is what caught my eye....I have a "thing" for horses....I just LOVE them. As I was reading I got a little lesson in Native American history, which I did not expect but I thought it fit really well with the story. I also learned that life on the "rez" is not all that great....you pretty much have to learn how to go without in many case and that you are judged by your skin color. The characters (main and supporting) all have very interesting stories too. A little something that I picked up from this book from the author and the rest of the characters is that we are all a little bit "broken" it's just a matter of figuring out how to put the pieces back together again.

Overall, this was a really good book. I was really happy that I checked this one out. It did take me a little longer to get read than I would have liked (dang real life!) but it was totally worth that extra time.

I Love A Man In Uniform Review

I Love A Man In Uniform A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles
Lily Burana

Synopsis - 10/10

Plot - 10/10

Characters - 10/10

Overall Story - 10/10

Conclusion - 10/10

Overall Score - 50/50

Synopsis: An all-American love story about a former punk-rock stripper and her unlikely marriage to an officer in the U.S. Army.

In this brave, eloquent, and often funny memoir, critically acclaimed author Lily Burana writes about love, war, and the realities of military marriage with an honesty few writers would dare.

A former exotic dancer who once had a penchant for anarchist politics and purple hair dye, Lily's rebellious past never would have suggested a marriage into the military. But then she met Mike, a Military Intelligence officer, and fell hopelessly in love, resulting in a most unorthodox romance-poignant, passionate, and utterly unpredictable.

After Lily and Mike said "I do" in a brief, pre-deployment City Hall ceremony, Mike left for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Lily was left in a strange town to endure his absence alone, with no support system and little knowledge of the vast and confusing military world into which she had married.

Upon Mike's return from the war, the couple moved to historic West Point, where Lily found that life on base had its own challenges. As the war continued and the past intruded unexpectedly into the present, Lily and Mike found themselves plunged into the nightmare of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Struggling to cope in a community where admitting weakness is the ultimate taboo and "suck it up" is the suggested response to emotional pain, Lily suffered from depression so severe, it almost ended their marriage. With the help of a revolutionary therapeutic technique, the couple made their way out of the darkness and back to each other. Through it all, Lily wrangled with her preconceptions about the military and found herplace within the uniquely supportive sisterhood of military wives.

From harrowing emotion to the dishy details of life on base, Lily Burana bares her heart and soul as a modern military spouse. I Love a Man in Uniform is a profoundly moving story of how a woman can locate, and heal, her true self as a dedicated Army wife, free spirit, and freedom-loving American.

Review: I was perusing the shelves at my local library when I found this gem. Personally, I think the synopsis pretty much says what I would have said about it. I LOVED this book, which is pretty evident by the elusive perfect score. Once I got started reading it I had a very hard time putting it down. It's funny, it's a tear jerker but most importantly....It's real.

Hondo Review

Hondo
Louis L'Amour

Synopsis - 9/10
Plot - 10/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 9/10
Conclusion - 8/10

Overall Score - 45/50

Synopsis: He was etched by the desert’s howling winds, a big, broad-shouldered man who knew the ways of the Apache and the ways of staying alive. She was a woman alone raising a young son on a remote Arizona ranch. And between Hondo Lane and Angie Lowe was the warrior Vittoro, whose people were preparing to rise against the white men. Now the pioneer woman, the gunman, and the Apache warrior are caught in a drama of love, war, and honor.

Review: Louie does it again in my opinion! This is another one of his novels that was turned into a movie featuring my favorite actor of ALL TIME John Wayne. There really is a lot going on in this book...The Apaches are uprising....Angie Lowe and her little boy have been left to fend for themselves on their ranch (which is on a watering hole that the Apaches frequent), the army is trying to get the Apache situation under control while trying to save the lives of the families around the fort and Hondo Lane is in the middle running dispatch for the army while trying to keep not only himself alive but also Angie and her little boy.

Lots of drama....Lots of gun play....Lots of all the things that make a Louis L'Amour western a Louis L'Amour novel.

Dark Side of the Moon Review

Dark Side of the Moon (Dark Hunter novel #11)
Sherrilyn Kenyon


Synopsis - 9/10
Plot - 7/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 8/10
Conclusion - 7/10

Overall Score - 40/50

*Optional*Smuttiness - 8/10


Synopsis: Susan Michaels was the hottest reporter on the Beltway Beat until she walked into a setup that ruined her reputation. Now she’s working for a small Seattle paper, penning stories about killer moths and alien babies, convinced that her life couldn’t get any worse…
That was before an idea for a breaking news piece brought her to a local animal shelter where she ends up listening to her source rant about vampires and gets coerced into adopting a cat despite her allergies. But when her new pet suddenly reveals himself to be a gorgeous—and lethal—shapeshifter, Susan realizes that there’s far more at stake than a career-saving by-line.
Born into a world of predators, Were-Hunter Ravyn Kontis was betrayed by those he loved best. Soulless, pitiless, he has spent three hundred years battling the Daimons who seek to subjugate humankind. Against all odds, Susan evokes in Ravyn feelings of tenderness. Desire. Love. And with the ultimate battle about to begin, this one very human woman holds the power to shatter both their worlds...

Review: This is the first book that I've ever read by this author. I liked it but I didn't really LOVE it. Ravyn and Susan are both characters that are dealing with some extra "baggage" shall we say. Susan is this reporter who always get's her story (which has cost her dearly) but at the same time has a pretty quirky sense of humor (which you see a lot in the book) and Ravyn he's pretty much a no-nonsense kind of guy who doesn't particularly care to be around humans at all because they have cost him dearly. Well now that the Daimons (with the help of some humans) are trying to kill both Susan AND Ravyn they are kind of stuck with one another. The more time they spend together the more that we the readers learn about these two character's pasts...Not a pretty picture. There is even a little twist thrown in for good measure too. If you like a little Death, Destruction and Mayhem with some smutt thrown in this is a good book to check out.

Upcoming Reviews

Just wanted to drop a little update about the reviews that will be coming up this week. The first one will be for Louis L'Amour's book Hondo and then of course there will be the review for The Blind Side....A lot of people have been wanting to hear about this one. So be sure to drop by and check them out.

The Shadow Riders Review

The Shadow Riders
Louis L'Amour
224 pages

Synopsis -10 /10
Plot - 9/10
Characters - 9/10
Overall Story - 10/10
Conclusion -10/10

Overall - 48/50

Synopsis: Dal and Mac Traven left Texas young and idealistic. They came back from opposite sides of a living hell, a war that had torn the nation in two. They wanted only to reclaim their old lives…but one man held their future hostage.

Colonel Henry T. Ashford had gathered an army of criminals and renegade soldiers, leading them on a path of destruction and kidnapping through Texas to the Gulf. Among Ashford’s captives were the Travens’ sister and Dal’s tough-minded fiancée, Kate.

Now Mac and Dal must take up arms once again and ride together against Ashford’s army—ready to fight another war, if that’s what it takes to win the freedom of the women they love.

Review: I am a big fan of Louis L'Amour. He writes a story that when you start it you feel like you're actually there while it's taking place. Like a couple of his other novel's this particular book was made into a movie...Which I too enjoy. Naturally, I saw the movie before I read the book but I was equally happy with both.

The Traven brothers - Mac, Dal and younger brother Jesse - all head off to the war between the states. When the war is over they head for home only to find that a whole 'nother "war" has taken place before they even get home. A tough confederate Colonel who refuses to let the war end has taken to assembling an "army" of rouge soldiers and outlaws and proceeds to lead them on a path of death, destruction and kidnapping across Texas all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.

Now what this Colonel doesn't know is that he has taken the Traven's sister and Dal's tough-as-nails girl, Kate, hostage. The Traven's don't take to kindly to that thought and take up arms to get back their family as well as the other's who have been kidnapped. What happens next is a pretty AWESOME story of determination, love and some "ha, ha sucks to be you."

Shiver Review

Shiver

Maggie Stiefvater

390 pages

Synopsis - 9/10

Plot - 9/10

Characters -10/10

Overall Story - 9/10

Conclusion - 9/10

Overall - 46/50

Synopsis: For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Review: It took me a little longer than I would have liked to get this book read (dang real life!) but I throughly enjoyed it. This is a good old fashion young love story...of course with a twist. There ALWAYS is a twist! See when Grace was younger she was attacked by wolves, then there was the wolf with yellow eyes that saved her. Now Grace is in love with those eyes and that wolf...which strangely enough she only sees in the winter months. It turns out that Grace has seen those eyes before...In there human form.

Those yellow eyes and wolf body belong to Sam. After an incident human Sam finds his way to Grace's house where things start to fall into place for Grace. She knows those eyes...They belong to her wolf. This wounded boy IS her wolf.

From the "chance" meeting there are ups and downs for Grace and Sam. There is also a little bit of drama thrown in to keep the story from becoming a "sappy" love story. Overall, I really love how Maggie draws you in with her writing style. I giggled a bunch and there were a couple "chance for tears" moments. LOVED IT! Can hardly wait until July to read book 2 of the series...Linger.

Completed Reviews

Intertwined - Gena Showalter
Good Girl Gone Bad - Karin Tabke
Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac - Bruce Goldstein
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Book #4) - Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse (Twilight Book #3) - Stephenie Meyer
New Moon (Twilight Book #2) - Stephenie Meyer
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Lover Awakened - J.R. Ward
Lover Eternal - J.R. Ward
Dark Lover - J.R. Ward
Under the Sweetwater Rim - Louis L'Amour
Showdown at Yellow Butte - Louis L'Amour
The Rider of Lost Creek - Louis L'Amour
Prada & Prejudice - Mandy Hubbard
When It Happens - Susane Colasanti
Winter Prey - John Sandford
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Forgiven (Sisters of the Heart #3) - Shelley Shepard Gray
Wanted (Sisters of the Heart #2) - Shelley Shepard Gray
Hidden (Sisters of the Heart #1) - Shelley Shepard Gray
Fool - Christopher Moore
Truck: A Love Story - Michael Perry

Blog with Bite - Intertwined Review

Intertwined
Gina Showalter
440 pages

Synopsis - 8/10
Plot - 9/10
Characters - 10/10
Overall Story - 9/10
Conclusion - 6/10

*Overall Score - 42/50


Synopsis: Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can tell the future.
And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now, they're causing him all kinds of trouble.

Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or, he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, for as long as he's with her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late. . .

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own and a vampire princess Aden can’t resist. Two romances, both forbidden... doomed. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger... but not everyone will come out alive...








I had heard a little bit about this book on a couple of different blogs and forums before I stumbled upon Blog with Bite. At first I was a little iffy on reading it because it's not something that I would normally read....Honestly I'm a big ole sap for a sappy love story. But I'm really glad that I decided to read this book. The first chapter was a little creepy in my opinion but that's exactly what it is...my opinion. The main character Aden Stone is viewed by society as a "troubled" teen but in actuality he is possessed by 4 souls...LOVE the souls...There's just something about them I just really liked. Aden wants to go public high school so that he can spend more time with Mary Ann...who has a couple "issues" of her own. Heck there is even a little forbidden romance thrown in for both Aden and Mary Ann. I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to give away anything. I really only had two gripes with the book....Just a tad bit too many paranormal characters make an apperance in the book and the rushed ending. Overall, I'm SUPER happy with the book and I'm glad that I decided to purchase a copy instead of wait for a copy from my library.

Discussion Questions:

#1 Do you feel the ending was cut short and needed more to be resolved before the book ended? I feel that the ending was pretty rushed...It wasn't the worst ending in the world but I wasn't particularly happy with it.

#2 Regarding Question #1, what are your thoughts on series books? For one you get more and more and more - depending on how long the series drags on - for another some series leave you with very little resolution at the end of the novels, i.e. the Merry Gentry series where only a couple of hours pass within the time span of one book. Do you find this is just an authors way of having guaranteed book sales - or do you really enjoy series and love reading about your fav characters over and over again? There are some series I feel that have been written just to get the books sold...Others I have enjoyed immensly...Overall I LOVE a GOOD series and enjoy reading about my favorite characters over and over again.

#3 Which "trapped" soul was your favorite and do you see potential in the future story lines with the remaining three? I liked Eve a lot....I felt that sometimes she was the "voice of reason" for Aden.

#4 When a larger-than-life character such as Vlad Tepes aka Dracula is used as a side-plot character do you believe it gives the story a more factual base, or makes it less real? I liked that Gena used actual characters in the story...I think it made the story more "real" for me personally.

#5 What did you think of the side plot involving Tucker and Penny? Do you think the issues from that plot were adequately resolved? Honestly, I didn't care for Tucker or Penny.

#6 What is your best guess as to what Aden Stone's superpower is - the power he possess without his souls? I think he's kind of got the "Jack of all trades" superpower...But that's just me.

Good Girl Gone Bad - Review

Good Girl Gone Bad
Karin Tabke
384 pages

Synopsis - 10/10
Plot - 8/10
Characters - 10/10
Overall Story - 9/10
Conclusion - 9/10

* Overall - 46/50

** Smuttiness - 10/10

Synopsis: IN HER SIZZLING DEBUT, KARIN TABKE SETS THE SCENE WITH HARD-HITTING COPS, A SCANDALOUS CRIME, AND UNINHIBITED PASSION THAT CAN'T BE DENIED....

Straight-laced, by-the-book police officer Philamina Zorn has always lived by the letter of the law — that is, until she is assigned to work with Lieutenant Ty Jamerson, a tough-as-nails, arrogantly handsome cop who knows exactly how to press her buttons. Staking out Klub Kashmir, the Bay Area's hottest gentleman's club, Phil and Ty go undercover to bait the kidnapper of three young women — including two strippers from the club — while trying to keep their clashing personalities at bay. Baring more than just her inhibitions, Phil dons a barely there ensemble, straps on stilettos, and reveals her feisty side as Kat, a seductively sexy cocktail waitress who lets her luscious curves do the talking. Not only is she determined to expose a criminal but she has vowed to show her hot-headed lieutenant, a.k.a. floor manager of Klub Kashmir, that she's no shrinking violet.

As Phil and Ty become more deeply entrenched in the sordid underground world of exotic dancing, where money means everything and passions run wild, flaring tension becomes uncontrollable lust. It's all they can do not to surrender to desire — a hunger that intensifies with each playful encounter. Meanwhile, a cold-blooded criminal is hiding in the shadows — and a devastating secret that, if revealed, could shake Phil to her core.

Review: In Tabke's first novel length book we go undercover with police officers Ty Jamerson and Philamina Zorn. Someone is kidnapping dancers from the Bay area's ELITE gentleman's club....Now Ty and Phil must join forces to find the kidnapper, two strippers and an undercover cop. There is just one "small" problem....Ty and Phil don't get along. Ty doesn't trust anyone - especially women and Phil is determined "best" Ty by proving that her undercover character - Kat - is hardcore.

As things start to heat up in their case, tension turns into uncontrollable lust. It's not a matter of "if" Ty and Phil will give into that lust but "when." Meanwhile, there is still a criminal to catch and a painful secret that is being kept from Phil that if it were to be revealed it would shock her in a very big way.

Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac

Puppy Chow Is Better Than Prozac: The True Story of a Man and the Dog Who Saved His Life

Bruce Goldstein

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

Meet Ozzy. For the suicidally depressed author, this furry antidepressant came with only one side effect-unconditional, slobbery love.

Review: I was out one day shopping with my mom and we made a random trip to Barnes and Noble. I happend to be looking through the pet section (we had just started considering adopting another dog after we had to put our 19 year old lab mix to sleep) and found this book. I think the title alone is what had me purchasing this book...You have to admit it is a cute title. The very first sentence alone scares the crap out of you but in the end you know that things are going to go from REALLY bad to oh so much better for the author with the help of a little furry antidepressant.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: The VERY beginning (like the very first sentence) scared the crap out of me...but as I learned more about the author that sentence became much clearer.

Middle: Things are starting to look up.

End: Things are going pretty well for Oz and Bruce. Puppy Chow REALLY is better than Prozac.

Breaking Dawn - Review

Breaking Dawn
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis: It ought to seem redundant to dismiss the fourth and final Twilight novel as escapist fantasy-but how else could anyone look at a romance about an ordinary, even clumsy teenager torn between a vampire and a werewolf, both of whom are willing to sacrifice their happiness for hers? Flaws and all, however, Meyer's first three novels touched on something powerful in their weird refraction of our culture's paradoxical messages about sex and sexuality. The conclusion is much thinner, despite its interminable length. Everygirl Bella achieves her wishes quickly (marriage and sex, in that order, are two, and becoming an immortal is another), and once she becomes a vampire it's almost impossible to identify with her. But that's not the main problem. Essentially, everyone gets everything they want, even if their desires necessitate an about-face in characterization or the messy introduction of some back story. Nobody has to renounce anything or suffer more than temporarily-in other words, grandeur is out. This isn't about happy endings; it's about gratification. A sign of the times?

Review: Didn't care for it at all....And that right there is what I REALLY thought.

Eclipse - Review

Eclipse
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Readers captivated by Twilight and New Moon will eagerly devour Eclipse, the much anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's riveting vampire love saga. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob —- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Review: I kept going with the series because I wanted to see what happened with Jacob really. The highlight of the book was when the vampires and the werewolves worked together.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: It happened.

Middle: Really Jacob and the werewolves are what are keeping reading at this point.

End: Again, it happened.

New Moon - Review

New Moon
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

Legions of readers entranced by Twilight are hungry for more and they won't be disappointed. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural twist. The "star-crossed" lovers theme continues as Bella and Edward find themselves facing new obstacles, including a devastating separation, the mysterious appearance of dangerous wolves roaming the forest in Forks, a terrifying threat of revenge from a female vampire and a deliciously sinister encounter with Italy's reigning royal family of vampires, the Volturi. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Review: I'll be honest...The only reason this book got 4/5 is because about the time of the "separation" I started to really NOT like Edward and at times Bella and really started to dig Jacob. Thought Edward was just being outrageously mean in his attempt to keep Bella from further danger.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: It started off great and in my opinion went downhill from there.

Middle: Dang it Bella....You're a total USER!

Ending: Whatever.

Twilight - Review

Twilight
Stephenie Meyer

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis:

About three things I was absolutely positive:First, Edward was a vampire.Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

Review: I know a LOT of people out there have already read this so I am going to keep it short and sweet. I really enjoyed this book. It's hard not to like Edward in this book, he's so noble and even though he's not a "normal" teen like Bella he tries to do "normal" things with her. It's a classic "first love" story. Let's not forget Jacob...he's there and he's also starting to become attracted to Bella. Now we're headed for a classic love triangle.

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: When I first started reading it for the first time, I didn't really understand the beginning. Now that I've read it a couple times I really like it.

Middle: A vampire trying to act like a "normal" teen for the sake of his relationship.

End: Really liked it alot.

Lover Awakened - Review

Lover Awakened (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #3) J.R. Ward

5/5

Synopsis:

Even within the vampire brotherhood, Zsadist is feared. Still bearing the scars from a tortured past, he is renowned for his unquenchable fury. Anger is his only companion, and terror is his only passion-until he rescues a beautiful female from the evil Lessening Society.

Review: I don't think you can really go wrong with this group of vampires. I'm half way through the series (which I will be taking a tiny break from) and I could not be happier. I think that this story has a little bit of a "lesson" in it too....everybody has their "scars" and nobody is unloveable. I really liked how the author let the readers in on Zsadist's tortured past...It really helps and makes Zsadist seem a little more "human."

What I REALLY think:

Beginning: Very fast paced....I started it last Friday morning and before I knew it I had read over 100 pages before I had to get some sleep.

Middle: Intense. Zsadist goes through a whole lot of "I do but I don't" phases with Bella because of his past. Then throw in the lessers and you get get a whol bunch of AWESOME!

End: Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Lover Eternal - Review

Lover Eternal (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #2) - J.R. Ward

5/5

Synopsis:

Within the brotherhood, Rhage is the vampire with the strongest appetite. He's the best fighter, the quickest to act on his impulses, and the most voracious lover-for inside him burns a ferocious curse cast by the Scribe Virgin.

Possessed by this dark side, Rhage fears the times when his inner dragon is unleashed, making him a danger to everyone around him. When Mary Luce is unwittingly thrown into the vampire world, she must rely on Rhage's protection. Knowing that Mary feels the same intense animal attraction, Rhage must make her his alone...

Review:

I LOVED it! I'm soooo very glad that I purchased these books....I don't particularly like to share all the time. I'm going to keep this short and sweet....If you've not read this book please do!

What I Really Thought:

Beginning - Fast paced right off the bat. When the beast comes out the brothers help take care of Rhage when the beast goes back into hiding....LOVE IT! Mary tries to avoid Rhage but Rhage just won't quit.

Middle - HOT!

End - Was a little bit predictable but I still really liked it.

Dark Lover - Review

Dark Lover (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) - J.R. Ward
5/5

Synopsis:

In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly turf war going on between vampires and their slayers. There exists a secret band of brothers like no other-six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. Yet none of them relishes killing more than Wrath, the leader of The Black Dagger Brotherhood.

The only purebred vampire left on earth, Wrath has a score to settle with the slayers who murdered his parents centuries ago. But, when one of his most trusted fighters is killed-leaving his half-breed daughter unaware of his existence or her fate-Wrath must usher her into the world of the undead-a world of sensuality beyond her wildest dreams.

Review: I've read about this series of books ALL OVER the place and finally caved in and decided to give it a try. I'm definitely glad that I did cave. I LOVED this book. I'm even more glad that I purchased this book...Now I'll be able to "check it out" when ever I want. I had a very hard time putting it down so that I could get other things done...You know like eating, laundry, sleeping. I loved all the characters....Wrath is tall, dark, gorgeous, and views Beth as a liability. Beth has no idea that she's actually 1/2 vampire and gives crap as good as she get's it. The other "brothers" tall, dark, gorgeous and ISSUES in all capital letters. Butch the cop...well he's just beside himself. The lessers...they make really great bad guys....flat out EVIL!

What I REALLY thought:

Beginning: I thought that beginning started off a little bit slow. It also took me a little bit to figure out that the book itself is broken down and told from everybodies perspective. LOVED the descriptions of Wrath and all the brothers!

Middle: HOT!

End: INTENSE with a bunch tender thrown in for good measure.