Review: One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost (AUDIO Version)

You can run from the grave, but you can't hide . . . Half-vampire Cat Crawfield is now Special Agent Cat Crawfield, working for the government to rid the world of the rogue undead. She's still using everything Bones, her sexy and dangerous ex, taught her, but when Cat is targeted for assassination, the only man who can help her is the vampire she left behind. Being around him awakens all her emotions, from the adrenaline kick of slaying vamps side by side to the reckless passion that consumed them. But a price on her head—wanted: dead or half-alive—means her survival depends on teaming up with Bones. And no matter how hard she tries to keep things professional between them, she'll find that desire lasts forever . . . and that Bones won't let her get away again. **Synopsis from Shelfari**

This review is for the "newly released" audio version of Jeaniene Frost's One Foot in the Grave. (Frostie fan girl squeal!!) Yes,  I know most of you have already read this book, entire series twenty times, so I will TRY to keep this short and sweet! Oh,and before I forget..What do you guys think of the cover?? Do we like long-haired Cat?

Summing it up....
One Foot in the Grave takes place around four years after book one in the Night Huntress series, Halfway to the Grave. Cat is dealing with a lot in this book, mainly her decision to leave Bones, which haunts her every day. She knows he is the love of her life, but she made a bargain with the devil, oops, I mean government, and for his safety must stay away from Bones. Yeah, that plan is working really well until she ummm bumps into him, at her BEST FRIENDS wedding! Coincidence?  Who knows! The point is, what she left behind years ago is back and he comes with a vengeance that promises to never let her go again!!

The Rundown....
Overall, I was pleasantly pleased with this book. I really like the way the narrator, Tavia Gilbert portrays Cat. Enthusiastic, Sarcastic, Sensitive, somewhat Cocky, Fearless...these are just a few of the traits I love in Cat and and she emanates them flawlessly. Even the side characters sound pretty realistic, my favorite being Cat's nut-case of a mom, Justina. My only gripe, is the narrator's portrayal of Bones. In my mind, Bones is this hot, macho-ey man with a deep sexy, sultry voice!! When Bones comes to mind, I immediately think Man Candy. Unfortunaltey, the narrator's interpreation of Mr. Bones is a tad, wee-bit underwhelming! She gives him an English accent (sort of) that sounds like  a mix between Mary Poppins and the witch from the Wizard of Oz. And no, not the good witch Glenda, I am talking about the Wicked Witch from the West. Yeah, the creepy green one. [hunches shoulders...curls fingers and squeals...."I'm melting, I'm melting, what a world...what a world!] Shutting mouth now!!

Okay, so overall, and despite my previous Bones banter, I really did enjoy this Audio book. Sidenote- If your a newbie to the Night Huntress world, I suggest you actually read the book first. Then, if you like it as much as I do, check out the audio version! (makes the drive back and forth to work fly by:)
***Note. Looking for more Jeaniene Frost books in Audio format? Check out: Halfway to the Grave, First Drop of Crimson, Eternal Kiss of Darkness, and Death's Excellent Vacation (includes anthology titles, "One for the Money").

Overall Rating
4 out of 5 stars

Book Info:
Title: One Foot in the Grave: A Night Huntress Novel (Unabridged)
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Published: 2010
9 hours: 46 minutes
Purchase From: Audible or ITunes

Follow Me Friday #1

 Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted at Parajunkee's View that gives us a chance to network with fellow bloggies within the blogosphere! 
To join the fun and make now book blogger friends, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Host { Parajunkee.com } and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers - whatbookisthat.com
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers.

The Friday Follow Features...

Emily @ What Book is That?
 

 
I'm a special education teacher by trade and when I'm not doing that, I'm reading or talking about books! While I keep coming back to paranormal romance and urban fantasy titles, I'm pretty open to anything that sounds interesting. I'm also a Kindle convert and am in the process of converting my print library to entirely an ebook one (gasp!) I'll say it here, loud and proud, I thought I would miss the book smell but I don't. So there.

Anyway, What Book is That? was an idea born on a Sunday afternoon, an idea that came from my desire to have a place to keep track of the books I read and the ones I liked and didn't like. Shortly thereafter, I had a second idea that said that other people might like and not like the same books and may be interested in talking about them! A little over a year later, here I am!

What are you currently reading? Basically, what book is that?

******************************************************************************

Currently I'm reading **Raphael** by D.B. Reynolds. So far, so good! Reynolds' vampires  are old school...broody, superior to humans, all powerful, etc... Definitely pre-Edwardian!!

I'm also listening to **Kiss of Crimson** by Lara Adrian on Audio. Loving the refresher! It's been a while since I first read book #2 in the Midnight Breed series (Tess & Dante). The narrator's starting to grow on me!!

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

AUDIOBOOKS - The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

While browsing around goodreads the other day, I happened to come across a “really awful” review of a book I absolutely love. Hey, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect that. But the thing is, everyone I know adores this book so why the heck did it get a bad review? Short answer is… the book was in audio format and the reviewer disliked the narrator.

 
Now, I personally prefer reading the book myself, but every once in a while I come across an audio book, that in my opinion is worth the listen. Here’s my Top 5 audio recommendations….

1. Black Dagger Brotherhood (J.R. Ward) Picture Fritz as the reader. Jim Frangione is one of my favorite narrators.
2. Lords of the Underworld (Gena Showalter) Love the different voices Max Bellmore uses, especially for my favorite Lord, Maddox.
3. Sookie Stackhose - Southern Vampires (Charline Harris) HMMM. I think Anna Paquin must have listened to these... She sounds just like the narrator, Johanna Parker. Lurve, lurve, lurve these books.
4. Shifters (Rachel Vincent) My newest favorite series in Audio format
5. Twilight Saga (Stephenie Meyers) Its Twilight, need I say more?

Also, if your an iphone/ipod user make sure to check out the Audible app. at Audible.com. With a memebership (price varies) you can purchase and listen to books right from the app. And unlike with Itunes, you do not have to be connected to a computer to organize your library. Books can be downloaded, organized in folders, and deleted (to save Iphone/pod space) right from the app. Also, if a book is accidentally deleted from the library, it can easily be re-downloaded, also from within the application.

 
Happy Listening!  

P.S. I just noticed that the Audible app is also available on Blackberry and Android!!

Review: The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

After the Iron Duke freed England from Horde control, he instantly became a national hero. Now Rhys Trahaearn has built a merchant empire on the power — and fear — of his name. And when a dead body is dropped from an airship onto his doorstep, bringing Detective Inspector Mina Wentworth into his dangerous world, he intends to make her his next possession. 

Mina can’t afford his interest, however. Horde blood runs through her veins, and despite the nanotech enhancing her body, she barely scratches out a living in London society. Becoming Rhys’s lover would destroy both her career and her family, yet the investigation prevents her from avoiding him…and the Iron Duke’s ruthless pursuit makes him difficult to resist.

But when Mina uncovers the victim’s identity, she stumbles upon a conspiracy that threatens the lives of everyone in England. To save them, Mina and Rhys must race across zombie-infested wastelands and treacherous oceans — and Mina discovers the danger is not only to her countrymen as she finds herself tempted to give up everything to the Iron Duke.

A new edition to the "Steam Punk" genre, the Iron Duke is the first book in Meljean Brook's Iron Seas series. Up until a few weeks ago, if you told me I would be knee-deep and utterly enthralled in a "Steam Punk" book I probably would have laughed out loud and declared on the spot where my reading loyalties lie. I'm a Vampires, shape-shifters, demons, etc. kinda gal. I'll even stretch for a fallen angel here and there, although he better be bad arse or forget it!! So, when news hit the social networking realm surrounding the instant popularity of this book, I was all about the "Thanks, but no thanks!" Yeah, that lasted about one day! After about fifty " I love it, I love it, I love it" reviews on book blogs, GoodReads, Amazon, and twitter I finally caved.. And boy am I glad I did!! 

This book is arrrghsome! The so called "steam Punk" world Brook created is both amazing and unbelievably insane. Put Edward Scissor Hands and Pirates of the Caribbean in a blender along with a shot of Orwell's 1984 and you get The Iron Duke.

 Two hundred years ago England was taken over by the horde. Although now free, thanks to the Iron Duke, the people of Europe have yet to recover. Because of the Horde, people are infected with nanoagents, bugs that when activated can manipulate their feelings and bodily control. This is where Detective Inspector Mina Wentorth comes in. Mina was conceived during a horde frenzy, where her mother was raped. Because of this, Mina is rejected by society, called names, and spit on.  The one thing Mina does have, however, is her family who love and support her dearly.

Rhys Trahaearn, aka the Iron Duke is a wealthy merchant. He is big, strong, handsome and revered by all for his part in destroying the Horde. To him though, the reverence is unwanted. An ex-pirate, Rhys wants nothing to do with social matters, Parliament, or society.

Mina finds great purpose in her job as an inspector, and when she is called to investigate a dead body at the Duke's house, she takes the job very seriously. Rhys, on the other hand, wants to handle the investigation himself. Although, one look at Mina and Rhys decides he just might be able to work with her after all. I think I'll stop here before I tell you every detail and spoil all the fun!!

To sum it all up -This book blew me away!! Brook has an imagination, the likes of which I can only compare to J.K. Rowling. Seriously, she had zombies, mechanical sharks, giant killer rats, tinker kids, bedroom toys that made me blush, and so much more.  Also, Brook's side characters are down-right, drop on the floor hilarious. One in particular, Scarsdale ,whom I would love to see featured in his own story!!! [Hint.Hint.] The Iron Duke won me over from the very beginning. Rhys is strong, confident, and cocky, but he's also very sensitive and tender especially towards Mina.  Their relationship starts off slow at first, but once it takes off, whew.., hold on and brace for a long, hot ride!! Case in point... 

When he returned and lay down, Mina rolled against his side, feeling slightly giddy--almost drunk with triumph, with pleasure, with contentment. "You didn't fight me," he said, stroking his hand over her hair. "I didn't need to." Though she didn't know why. Perhaps trust. Perhaps more. But the thought of that "more" was to frightening to dwell on now. Heartache lay in that direction. "You inspired me," she said instead. "You didn't have to fight when you destroyed the Horde. So I decided to make your tower explode."

 Okay, I think you get the point! Now, what are you waiting for??? Go out and get this book ASAP!:)

Final Rating: 5 out of 5 stars.

Coming Up Next...

Review of Meljean Brook's

**THE IRON DUKE**

Review: Crave by J.R. Ward

Seven deadly sins. Seven souls that must be saved. One more no-holds- barred battle between a fallen angel with a hardened heart and a demon with everything to lose.

Isaac Rothe is a black ops soldier with a dark past and a grim future. The target of an assassin, he finds himself behind bars, his fate in the hands of his gorgeous public defender Grier Childe. His hot attraction to her can only lead to trouble-and that's before Jim Heron tells him his soul is in danger. Caught up in a wicked game with the demon who shadows Jim, Isaac must decide whether the soldier in him can believe that true love is the ultimate weapon against evil.

Crave is the second installment in J.R. Ward's Fallen Angel Series. In book #1, Covet, we learned that Jim is on a mission to defeat "evil" and in order to do that must save the souls of  four out of seven people.  First and foremost, let me just say that I am a huge Warden fan. To date, I've read each book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series at least fifty times. Well, maybe not fifty, but you know what I mean. Then the first Fallen Angels book came out and I was won over once again. So, with the release of Crave...lets just say I hightailed it to my local B&N, shower be damned. And NO, I did not stand in the parking lot frantically reading the excerpt at the back of the book for LOVER UNLEASHED, the next BDB installment!!  Nope,  I was seated in my car before the whole devour like a fat kid in a candy store thing happened. See, I can be civilized!!

Moving right along... In Crave, the checkers are back in order and round two begins. Very quickly, Jim learns that his assignment involves people  from his past, fellow XOps members Isaac Roth (teammate) and Matthais (his boss) . Roth, aka AWOL is on the run, determined to break free from the XOps organization, to regain his life. Meanwhile, Matthais is set on finding Roth and enforcing the whole "stay or die" policy. Jim's knows right away that his job is to save Roth from what looks like a very imminent death.

In walks Team Evil, aka Devina. Devina is back and lets just say she's not too happy about losing the soul to Jim in round one. The aftermath of round one is revealed during one of Devina's therapy sessions. Yes, even the Devil's pawn has use for a good therapist. This time around, Devina is prepared and willing to do whatever it takes to win.

Roth's attempt at being a "free bird" is short-lived, and he ends up in prison after getting busted for illegal cage-fighting. On top of that, Roth is there under his real name, a proverbial sitting duck waiting to be flambeed. Geesh. At least Roth's bad day gets a little better after a meet-and-greet with his his public defender, Grier Childe. Roth thinks Grier is the most beautiful woman in the whole world; her presence is like a drug to him. This closely parallels Grier's reaction to Roth. Grier is immediately taken back by Roth's handsomeness as well as his gentle demeanor. She sees a face behind the mask and truly wants to help him. This is jut a brief synopsis of Crave.There's a lot more, but I don't want to give too much away, without paraphrasing the entire book.

So, Did I like Crave? The answer is Yes. I did like it, although it was very different from what I expected. The plot was intriguing as well as entertaining. The ending was not what I anticipated, but I totally get why it went down that way. Jim, with his bad-a** angel wings was awesome in this book. He stepped up to the plate and proved himself in more ways than one and I can't wait to see what his future holds. Also, we got to see him bond with his A-Team, Adrian and Eddie. There was one part with Adrian that was especially moving.

Now, my only problem with this book is the heroine, Grier Childe. With her social status and background, it just didn't seem realistic to me that she would bail this fugitive out of jail and bring him into her home. Nonetheless, within 24 hours of meeting him. For a lawyer, she is really, really naive. The whole love thing seemed rushed. Also, there were some really hawt love scenes and I mean Hawt! But unfortunately, they fizzled out in the middle of the story. I could have used at least two more love scenes. Ahemm!!

Final Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Get Yourself an ILL Book!!

Did you know that almost everyone in the US has access to ILL books? And no that's not the Ebonics talking. Really, I'm just not that cool! Anywho, ILL stands for Inter library Loan. Evidently, most public and even some private libraries operate under a mutual cooperative book swap. The best part is... ready?.. wait for it.... IT's FREE!!

The folks at WIKI had this to say....

Interlibrary loan (abbreviated ILL, and sometimes called interloan, document delivery, or document supply) is a service whereby a user of one library can borrow books or receive photocopies of documents that are owned by another library. The user makes a request with their local library, which, acting as an intermediary, identifies owners of the desired item, places the request, receives the item, makes it available to the user, and arranges for its return. 

So, next time your at the local library and you can't find what your looking for, go find a librarian and tell him/her, " Yo, Yo, since you aint stockin' what I'm rockin', how aboutz you hit up another book joint, "ILL-style" baby!! Holla at me when you got my shiznet, word?!?! " Sorry, I keep channeling my inner-Lafayette..Hookah!?!

If you want to know for yourself which libraries got em and which one's don't - check out WorldCat. This site will give you access to the card catalogs of over 10,000 libraries throughout the world. Whadyaknow, they even got an app for that!!

PUG Post - Coming Soon...

Review of J.R. Ward's

**CRAVE**

Review: Taken by Midnight by Lara Adrian

AT THE CROSSROADS OF DEATH AND DESIRE, A WOMAN TASTES A PLEASURE NO MORTAL IS MEANT TO SURVIVE.

In the frozen Alaskan wilderness, former state trooper Jenna Darrow survives an unspeakable breach of body and soul. But with her narrow escape comes an even greater challenge. For strange changes are taking place within her, as she struggles to understand—and control—a new hunger. To do so, she will seek shelter in the Boston compound of the Order, an ancient race of vampire warriors whose very existence is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps the most mysterious of them all is Brock, a brooding, dark-eyed alpha male whose hands hold the power to comfort, heal . . . and arouse.

As she recovers under Brock’s care, Jenna finds herself drawn to the Order’s mission: to stop a ruthless enemy and its army of assassins from subjecting Earth to a reign of terror. Yet in spite of their resolve, a purely physical relationship without strings soon binds Brock and Jenna together with a desire fiercer than life and stronger than death itself—until a secret from Brock’s past and Jenna’s own mortality challenges their forbidden love to the ultimate trial by fire.

Taken By Midnight is Lara Adrian's eighth book in the Midnight Breed series featuring Brock, the dark and mysterious breedmate, who up until Adrian's previous book, Shades of Midnight, has remained under the radar.

After escaping the nightmare with the Ancient in Alaska, Jenna wakes up to a whole new world in Boston, at the Order's compound. Jenna is pretty much thrown into this whole vampire world, and suffice it to say, she's a little taken back, if not frightened by the whole idea. Never mind the fact, she's been recently implanted with some sort of Ancient Vampire DNA, that has taken up residence, and literally spread like wildflowers within her body. 

Without giving away too many spoilers, I will say that I enjoyed this book. I especially liked Jenna. She came with alot of emotional baggage, but despite that, she was strong, tough, and amazingly accepting to the whole "vampire's really exist" thing. Jenna's attraction to Brock is immediate, but she's a realist and her vulnerabilities take center stage, especially at the thought of any kind of future with him. 

To be honest, I was not looking forward to Brock's story. Maybe it's because up until the previous book we haven't heard much about him. Even in Taken By Midnight, his back story was brief, if not lacking. I wish there was more, because personality wise, he seemed overall like a genuine nice guy. Brock is caring and gentle and I wish I could have seen more of that before. His issues with "commitment" are revealed, but only briefly. As much as I liked his personality, I just didn't get that whole connection.

Despite this, I still enjoyed the book. My favorite part was the fact that it took place within the compound. That is, we got to see all the other vampires and and breed mates interact with each other. Also, two of my favorite breed members, Chase and Hunter got some screen time. To my delight, at the end of the book Adrian provided us with a glimpse of the next installment, which just so happens to be my numero uno favorite breed member, Hunter. I am still all fangirl smiles about that revelation.

To sum it up, yes I was a tad disappointed in the book. Brock just didn't do it for me. I wish there was more. Maybe more of him with the breedmates, more of him with Jenna, or maybe just more of him in general. Something to get me to see the connection.... Despite this, there were still parts, although secondary to the main plot, that I really loved. If you're a Midnight Breed fan, I say go out and get the book, it's a fun read, and if you're anything like me, you may not love it, but you'll definitely agree it's an integral piece of the series .


Final rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars.

Coming Up Next.....

Review of Lara Adrian's

**Taken By Midnight**







Review: Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Eat Prey Love is the 9th installment in the Love at Stakes series. This book features were-panther, Carlos Panterra and mortal younger sister to Shanna Draganesti, Caitlyn. This book picks up immediately after Robby and Olivia's book, The Vampire and the Virgin.

First thought... What do you mean Carlos isn't gay?? That's right, the fun-loving, olive-skinned, gorgeous gay man introduced in Ian and Toni's book, All I Want For Christmas is a Vampire has officially come out of the closet. That's right, due to his animal magnetism and instant appeal to women, Carlos has been disguising himself as a gay man. That is, until he finds the right female. Carlos' story is about his quest to find a female were-panther mate to help take care of his adopted children and to continue his species.

In comes Caitlyn Whelan, Shanna's gorgeous sister who sees right through Carlos' disguise. Caitlyn is thrown into the mix, when she attends a Birthday party for the nephew she never even new she had. Turns out, Caitlyn's father, Sean Whelan has been keeping a lot of things from the family, including his oldest daughter, Shanna and her affiliation with the Undead world. Immediately after her arrival, Caitlyn catches a glimpse of her nephew flying, and all too quickly she's thrown into the paranorrmal world surrounding her.

Eat Prey Love was another great addition to the Sparks collection. Caitlyn proves to be an uncommon heroin, or rather, a breath of fresh air for the paranormal romance genre. As soon as Caitlyn sets eyes on her kitty, she pounces, and the seduction begins. Caitlyn's smart, witty, and caring. But her best quality, in my opinion, is her determination to win the heart of a Panther.

From the steamy first kiss, Carlos' game plan is turned upside down. The attraction is immediate and Caitlyn seems to be everything Carlos wants in a woman. Except for one thing, the most important thing....she's not a panther. Carlos knows he has to avoid her at all costs because in the end, the temptation may destroy them both.

This was a fun read. Especially since we got to spend some time with characters (uhhmm I heart Angus)from previous books. Sparks is an expert with tongue & cheek humor, and this book does not disappoint. Filled to the brim with action, ear to ear grins, and sexual tension, this book is an absolute delight. Up next in the Love at Stakes series is Vampire Mine, featuring one of my favorite vampires, Connor Buchannan, scheduled to release March 29, 2011.

View all my reviews

ALPHA by Rachel Vincent

Saying Goodbye….

I can’t believe it’s over. Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series caught my eye in June of 2010 and after devouring the first five books in less than a week, the wait for the sixth and final book, Alpha seemed like eternity. During that wait, I made a personal pact to stay away from Alpha spoilers. I wanted the full experience of reading this last book without the opinions of others tainting my reaction. I knew this book was the final wrap-up, that many things would change, and decisions would finally be made. 

With this said, when I finally got my hands on Alpha, I literally devoured it. From page one, I was fixated and finished the book in one sitting. One word…WOW!!!

The book starts off immediately after Shift, where Faythe, Marc, and Jace are faced with trespassing, kidnapping, and murder charges. In addition to this, the unscrupulous Calvin Malone is gunning for the Head Council chair and with the majority of were-cat allies backing him up, no doubt he inevitably triumphs. The overtaking of the council is only the beginning of a series of blows Faythe and her family face.

The Faythe/Marc/Jace love-triangle picks up right where it left off in Shift. Faythe still can’t choose between the two men she loves. “…He’s the only thing keeping my heart beating. I love him so much that it feels like I’m dying a little bit each time he won’t smile at me. Or touch me. Not even a hug. He keeps that distance between us now. And Jace has to do the same, because they have this weird, fragile truce that isn’t quite working, but I know better than to make them break." (pg. 60) But this truce is going to break me. In the end, Faythe does make a choice, and it is all her own. No one dies and no one backs down.

 Everything is at stake… pride, justice, freedom……and a full-scale war seems to be the only solution. Unfortunately, and so sadly, Faythe learns all too quickly what the real cost of war is.  And in one single moment, her life is forever changed.

This was such an emotional read for me!! Faythe goes through so much in this book, pain, suffering, anxiety, love, loss, anger…. I am still left with my mouth open in shock at what went down. That’s how great this book is. There are book series that start out great, but then they go on and on, slowly become boring, and lose my interest. This was definitely not the case. Vincent was right to end the series the way she did.  Faythe went out with a bang and a blaze of glory and I couldn’t be happier or more satisfied. Now, off to replenish my Kleenex supply!:].