Reached by Ally Condie

This was the final book in the crossed trilogy.  It was wrapped up really nicely. It didn't leave me hanging and left me content with how it ended.  Matched of course I thought was great, crossed I was pretty disappointed in.  It went on and on and was just not good until the end.  Cassia, Xander, and Ky are all on their different assignments from the rising, all scattered.  At first you are hearing from each person while they are on their assignments and eventually there are new characters introduced and the plot thickens so they say.  It gets really good.  It becomes more than just a love triangle, things are set into motion that aren't understood and that has to be figured out.  There's more travel throughout the society and even to the outskirts of the otherlands.  I don't want to get into too much detail and give everything away, but the story will take an unexpected turn and you can't help but feel involved in what is happening with these characters.  All strings were wrapped up in the end like I said.  There was complete closure with this story.  I wouldn't say I was really excited about this book because it wasn't the absolute best series I've read, but I would totally suggest it if someone asked. Happy Reading!

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

This was another book I had that had just been hanging out on my nook.  I started it Monday and haven't been able to put it down!  ABSOLUTELY loved this book.  It's a great love story with angels, demons and nephilim thrown in.  It's REALLY great.  I wouldn't suggest this to a kid under high school level though because it deals with the seven deadly sins and lust is one of those!  Could NOT put it down.  Really bummed though that the second one won't be coming out sooner.  It's about a girl who comes to the realization that her dad was a duke of lucifer and her mother was an angel.  She's really not suppose to exist and could be in a lot of danger.  She's raised by an adoptive mother as her angel mother died during birth.  Her father has been in prison "working".  She eventually meets another nephilim who then sets events into motion.  Where as most nephilim are full demon, she has some angel in here and has both good and bad natures.  It is such a really good story.  The author really goes into explaining why the demons are a certain way without being to religious and too corny.  I really enjoyed this one and would strongly suggest.  Happy Reading!

The mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

This book is the third installment to the Rick Riordan Lost Heroes of Olympus Series.  Rick Riordan is a great author.  He has also written the Lightning Thief Series which was absolutely GREAT.  A movie was made for the first book, The Lightning Thief, and a movie is in the makings for the second book, The Sea Of Monsters.  Of course the books are always better, so read them before you see the movies!  The reason i bring up the Lightning Thief Series is because I would advise reading that series before you read this one.  This book brings the Romans and Greeks together with a group of 7 demigods going on a quest together to pretty much save the world.  TONS of action throughout the book.  It is a longer book, but every book Rick Riordan publishes seems to be even better than the last.  Since there's so many characters coming together in this book from the previous told story there are many different paths that are taken and explored all while still making it a good story in going back and forth to each group of demigods while they are on their separate quests and even as they come together.  SUPER great story.  Would strongly recommend this series.  Happy Reading!!!! 

Darkness Become Her by Kelly Keaton

 This was a great read.  Supernatural love story, adventure, mystery, history, it has it all.  This was another absolute steal that I found at Garden Ridge.  $1.99 for a hardback!  I read the inside flap and thought why not, it sounds good and it's $1.99.  SO glad I picked it up.  I think I'm gonna be checking garden ridge more often!  The reason I have two pictures is because there are two covers out there.  I have the one on the left, but there is also the one on the right.  Not sure if this will be a series or maybe a trilogy.  I do know the second installment, A Beautiful Evil, will be available January 1st.  I've found that this also has two different covers.  Weird, I know.  But back to the story.  The story mainly takes place in New 2.  Hurricanes have ravaged the city of New Orleans and it really no longer exists.  The government pretty much disowned it and told everyone to leave that they wouldn't support it anymore.  So New 2 came to be a safe haven for the supernatural and questionable.  There are regular people who live there, but the majority stem from a long history of supernatural.  There are 9 historical families that have been in New Orleans since it was started.  These families pooled there resources and bought
the city from the government and have slowly been restoring parts of the city.  These families consist of vampires, warlocks, shifters, creatures of myth and magic and who knows what else. 
Ari has been through the foster system her whole life and it hasn't been a good one.  She's finally ended up with decent parents who love her but understand her need to figure out who her parents were.  She goes on a journey to an asylum in Louisiana and finds out more about her mom, which leads her to New 2.  Once she gets there, all hell breaks loose.  Strange warrior guys have been sent to try and kill her, she doesn't know who to trust, things keep getting weirder and she doesn't know if she can handle it.  She just wants to figure out who and what she is.  I'm not gonna tell you much more, but things get even more interesting when the gods, as in Athena the goddess of war, is introduced into the story along with some Greek mythology.  It's such a great book with a different edge to it.  I'm upset I have to wait to read the second!  I couldn't put this one down!  VERY happy reading with this one I absolutely loved it.

Elixer & Devoted by Hilary Duff

 This is a trilogy by yes, Hilary Duff.  I know right?  I thought the same thing and I actually found these at Garden Ridge for a STEAL so I decided to try them out.  They were really good.  The story was very original and I had never read anything like it.  It's a love story about soul mates that go through so many obstacles to be together.  He's drank an Elixer that has made him immortal and she is bound to him so much that they always find each other no matter what.  What I mean by that is she is reborn into a different body and life and somehow they always meet.  Yet they are also cursed in that they are always torn apart by her death, someway somehow.  The main thing that drew me into the first book, Elixer, was when she figured out that "he" was in every picture since her birth.  Never plain to see, always in the shadows so much that she'd have to magnify the picture so even see him, always looking the same and wearing the same clothes.  After that littler discovery all bets are off and the story gets better and better.

As I've said, Elixer is the first story and Devoted the second. I did want to read these back to back and also like I said, I found these at Garden Ridge.  Elixer was $2.99 and Devoted was $1.99 which is weird because Devoted is a hard back.  Told you it was a STEAL!!! The third and final installment, True, won't be available until mid April.  Long time to wait!  If you don't like being left to wait for months on end then I wouldn't even start the series until April because after the first you'll want to read the second and the second absolutely just leaves you hanging.  So you'll be pretty ticked that you have to wait until April!  But the books are very good and it really surprised me that this came from Hilary Duff.  Very Good, must read.  Happy Reading!

Tons of posts coming!!!

Okay, I know I've been totally slacking!  So much has been going on but I've still been reading.  So I'm gonna try and start blogging all the books i can remember that I've read since last blogging! I've read some great ones so I hope you enjoy and thanks for being patient!

Shades of Grey Trilogy by E L James

I decided to wait until I read all three books in the trilogy to post my blog about them.  I was hesitant to join the bandwagon, just because I usually don't do something I'm told I should do.=)  I could relate to Anastasia Steele in this sense!  But I finally read all three and am SO happy I did.  These were such great books.  They were each 350-400 pages each and I read them all three in one week.  Mind you I have a full time job, 2 kids with one on the way and am taking two online college courses.  I MADE time to read these books!  My advice is to not listen to the media about these books, just read them!  The characters are amazing.  EVERY character in these books I fell in love with.  It does get pretty erotic, I will warn you, but it is tactfully done and there is nothing that made me sick or anything like that.  There's nothing "gross" in there.  It is a GREAT romance story that will have you wanting to read until you finish.  E.L. James captured every woman's fantasy.  Having a man that was dominant without losing yourself in the relationship.  When Anastasia literally stumbles into Christian Grey's office you will never expect where the story will take you.  It will make you smile, take your breath away, and tear up in some parts because events will break your heart.  You will become a part of this book and wish you were there!  But I will warn you, buy some panty liners.  Your boyfriend/husband will appreciate you reading these books!  AWESOME story, love love love these books. There's talk of a movie coming out and I will most definitely be in line at midnight for this one!  VERY happy reading with these, I know you'll enjoy!

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Claire

As usual this series keeps getting better and better.  I have to admit the last book wasn't as great but this one I absolutely did not want to put down.  It really got into Clary and Jace's relationship.  They are a lot closer than in past books and their romance just keeps getting bolder and bolder and it gets intense at some points in the book.  Clary's character is much stronger in this book also.  She's full blown shadow hunter and shows her capabilities well.  Jace's character shows a softer side.  He's more into showing Clary emotion and not afraid of those emotions.  Sebastian is back and the plot gets thicker and thicker as the story progresses.  In the end some of the problem is solved but in true mortal instruments fashion, even more trouble is brought on by the events in the end of the book.  It was such a great book.  The characters have grown so much and I can't wait for the next one!  Very happy reading!!!

Endlessly by Kiersten White

This was the third and final installment to the Texas Lonestar award winning book Paranormalcy.  It has been a trilogy with Supernaturally being the second book.  This was a very good trilogy.  It dealt with you guessed it, Paranormal beings of all types.  From the fey to banshees, unicorns, dragons, vampires, werewolves and more.  In the end Evie has to open a gate for all paranormal beings to go through to get back to their realm.  Evie and Lend are of course tested but their love story is a good one!  It went along with the other two stories seamlessly and there weren't that many surprises.  The characters really came together in this final book but it would have been nice to know what really happened in the end with Lend and Evie.  It gives you a sense of an ending but not a definite one.  I really enjoyed the characters though, they were all very sarcastic and funny; very easy to relate too! I enjoyed this trilogy and know anyone that reads it will too.  Very happy reading!

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

This was another book by the same author of Abandon and Underworld that I just read.  I thought I'd try another, this one wasn't up to par with the Abandon trilogy.  It is a young adult novel. The plot or storyline was pretty generic, we've already heard this story before.  It's just with different characters.  While reading this I could've pictured this as part of a TV sitcom episode or a corny romantic comedy movie.  It's about a country girl who made the big move to New York to make it big in journalism.  She's a writer for a gossip column in a New York newspaper.  Events happen and she's thrown into an unsuspecting relationship with a man named John who is suppose to be Max Friendlander, a popular photographer.  She doesn't know his true identity and the whole book is about them falling in love with each other and him trying to figure out when to tell her who he really is.  Of course she ends up finding out about him lieing to her before he can tell her and it goes down hill but ends up having a happy ending. Yay.  It was kinda corny for me but then I usually don't read these types of books!  If you're into chik-lit this book would be for you.  The other thing I didn't really like was that the whole book is written in emails.  Absolutely no dialogue or normal writing.  EVERYTHING is emails.  Happy Reading!! I'm excited to be on to my next book! 

Underworld by Meg Cabot

I LOVED THIS BOOOOOOOOK!!!!  This is the second book in the Abandon Trilogy by Meg Cabot.  I read this 230 page book in a day, I couldn't put it down.  The romance is even more present in this book since Pierce is finally figuring out what she really wants where John is concerned.  You will also find out about more of Johns past and history along with his "friends" that are introduced in this book.  I absolutely love the characters.  Pierce and John are great for each other and as usual after reading this you'll want to have a talk with your man....hehe=)  But it also throws in another problem that has long been there ever since Johns century.  It puts Alex and Kayla in peril just like Pierce.  I won't give to much away!  The last book, Awaken, isn't due out until 2013 though!!! AGH! So bummed about the wait, but after reading these books I will definitely be looking into more books by meg cabot.  Very Happy Reading!!!!

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

This was such a great book!  I've found quite a few great books in a row!  Mara Dyer has had a hard year.  She remembers absolutely nothing upon waking up in a hospital bed surrounded by her family and nurses.  She soon learns that her best friends and boyfriend along with herself were in a horrible building collapse.  The weird thing is that she's the only survivor and the only one that really say what happened that night or why they were even in an old building.  She has such a hard time that her family moves south to Miami Florida to start anew.  Immediately Mara starts seeing her dead friends and is taken to the psychologist and given medication.  She's having more and more episodes that she has no control over and has no idea what they mean.  Things get even worse when she figures out that she has inadvertently killed people by just wishing they were dead.  To make things more interesting the school hunk, Noah, has taken an interest in her.  She it totally not wanting anything to do with him.  Isn't great love stories always how it starts out?  Eventually Mara and Noah find they have quite a bit in common and set off trying to solve all their problems together.  This was a great story with something new around every corner.  I didn't want to put it down, but I must warn you!!!  The ending will totally piss you off.  There will definitely be a second book, but Michelle throws a TOTAL left curve at you on the last page of the book that will leave you closing the book yelling dammit!!!  Will definitely visit Michelle Hodkins website to see what the second book will be and when it will be out!!  Happy Reading!!!!

Abandon by Meg Cabot

This is the first book in the Abandon series and it was awesome!!! Absolutely loved it.  I have to admit I was a little wary of Meg Cabot. Her series the princess diaries just didn't seem like my cup of tea. I've had this book on my flash drive for quite some time and finally decided to give it a whirl.  I'm a sucker for mythology books and a modern twist of a story with gods and goddesses.  So anyways, this involves not hades, but another underworld deity falling in love with a regular human being.  It's mostly a deep love story but there's also plenty of twists and turns and problems that Meg leaves for you to try and think about throughout the story.  The main character, Pierce, has the underworld deity, John, smitten.  He has fallen in love with her and that means underworld creatures such as the furies are after her to make John suffer.  This is such a good love story that is not sappy at all.  As I said there are plenty of other problems that arise and are not just laid out for you, you kind of figure them out along with the characters.  I really want to get my hands on the second book, Underworld.  Very happy reading with this one!!! Especially if you're looking for a great love story without being over the top...

Haunted by Joy Preble

This book was the sequel to Anastasia written a couple years ago.  I thought it was much better written than the first book.  There was more action, romance and way more twists and turns that were totally unexpected.  I really like how Joy twines history in among the supernatural and of course brings romance into it also.  It is one of those books that you actually have to pay attention while you're reading since there are lots of references that pop up later in the story that refer back,  a lot from the the first book.  There will definitely be a third book.  This second book is brought to a close but it is also left open to see what will happen.  This is a really good series, especially for being the first published by Joy Preble.  I would strongly recommend it!  I'll be looking into the third book, Happy Reading!!!

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

HOLY COW, I absolutely loved this book!!!! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history.  Yes, there's vampires but they are shed in a totally different light than what you've read before.  The book follows Abe's life from birth all the way to "death".  This story makes you wonder, it was so closely related to history.  It makes you question if it could have really happened the story was told in such a way. I'm not going to tell you too much of the story but I will tell you that when I closed the book upon finishing it i said, "wow".  I've had this book on my shelf for a couple of years and actually had forgotten about it until I saw the movie trailer for it.  I thought the movie looked really good but wanted to read the book before watching the movie.  Now that I'm done reading it I can't wait to see the movie.  I can't say it enough, I absolutely loved this book!!!! Very happy reading with this one!