Swoon Thursdays (41)

The ladies at YA Bound have created a hot and fun new meme called SWOON #YABound. If you want to join in here's what you need to do.

All you need to do is pick up the book you are currently reading or just finished reading. Find what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding and your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Then shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag  #YABound, post in the comments, or grab the awesome button from YA Bound (above) and share it on your blog!

My Swoon this week is from Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2) by Samantha Young.

"She trailed her hands over his hard chest, contemplating ripping the buttons off as he left her lips to trail devastating kisses down her neck. His large hands squeezed her hips hard and then brushed softly against her back before sliding chills up her spine. It was like he wanted to touch her everywhere all at once and Ari was only too happy to let him. Ari whimpered into his ear as he bit gently at her bare shoulder and Jai growled at the sound, his hand tangling through her hair as he grasped her head, cupping it back like she was an offering." SWOON #YABound

What do you think? If you have a swoon leave me a link so I can check it out.

Teaser Tuesdays (20)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading. Anyone can join in. Here's what you need to do.

♥Grab your current read.

♥Open to a random page.

♥Share two (2) “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 TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here is my teaser for this week:

"And with a small smile at the unmasked fear in Ari’s eyes, her father stepped back into the Peripatos just as the bathroom door blew open. Jai rushed in, his face dark with determination and violence."

 Samantha Young, Scorched Skies(Fire Spirits #2), kindle pg 184

That's what I found this week. If you have a teaser leave a link so I can check it out.

Swoon Thursdays (40)

The ladies at YA Bound have created a hot and fun new meme called SWOON #YABound. If you want to join in here's what you need to do.

All you need to do is pick up the book you are currently reading or just finished reading. Find what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding and your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Then shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag  #YABound, post in the comments, or grab the awesome button from YA Bound (above) and share it on your blog!

This week my swoon comes from the final installment of the Warriors of Ankh, Shades of Blood, by Samantha Young.

"Eden clambered across the space between them, bracing her knees on either side of Noah’s thighs, pressing her body into his. His breath caught and Eden trembled at the sound, easing out of the ferociousness of the kiss, the burning flames dying down to flickers as their kisses grew deeper, wetter, slower. Noah groaned, one strong hand sliding up under her shirt." SWOON #YABound

That's what I found this week. If you have a SWOON, share the link so I can check it out. If my crappy internet decides to work. But I'll do my best:)

Teaser Tuesday (19)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should be Reading. Anyone can join in. Here's what you need to do.

♥Grab your current read.

♥Open to a random page.

♥Share two (2) “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 TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser comes from Blood Will Tell, by Samantha Young. This is actually a re-read. I want to read the last book in the trilogy but I need to brush up on what happened in the two previous books. Not like I really mind re-reading these books, they are so good and very addictive.

Eden shrugged and headed towards Noah. Stupid. She shook her head. Stupid, stupid. Sometimes it was hard not to act naturally. Naturally to her involved super fast reflexes, super strength, and the ability to compel humans.

Samantha Young, Blood Will Tell, ebook pg 9

Review "Smokeless Fire" Samantha Young

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Smokeless Fire (Fire Spirits #1)

Samantha Young

Publication Date: October 21, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

ebook

Goodreads

Summary:

     Ari feels trapped, she's heading for a future, business school, that she doesn't want. Her best friend Charles's life has spiraled out of control after a tragic accident on Ari's 16th birthday. Though Ari's life has been anything but ordinary lately her life is about to get even crazier. Ari soon discovers she is not human, she is one of the Jinn. Finding out out she is Jinn turns Ari's life upside down. But she will have to adjust quickly in order to protect those that she cares about.

Review:

     This is one of those books where I'm finding it difficult to write a review. Not because I didn't like it but because I liked it so much. I will try my best to write a meaningful review. When all I want to write is: This novel is amazing go out and get it quickly. The main character Ari is about to turn 18 and has no idea what she wants to do with her life. I found it easy to identify with her since I felt the same way right after high school. Eventually the choice is made for Ari when she finds out she is Jinn. The drastic changes in her life freak her out but she's strong enough to deal with the changes and move forward. She learns how to use her Jinn abilities and is eager to protect the people she loves. One thing I didn't like about Ari was the way that she dealt with Charlie. He has changed drastically and is really into drugs. He hurts her time and time again and yet she keeps forgiving him and trying to get the old Charlie back. It was annoying, I wanted to yell at her and tell her to move on, but it also shows that she is unwilling to abandon someone that she cares about so deeply.

     

     Along with learning she is Jinn, Ari gets a new bodyguard named Jai. What can I say about him, he's tall very hot with olive skin and bright green eyes. Jai can also be sarcastic, arrogant, and tries to keep everyone at a distance. I enjoyed the the few chapters that were from Jai's POV. It allowed me to not only see how he really felt about guarding Ari but about Ari herself. Jai has a rare ability thanks to his mixed blood that makes him very good at what he does.

     

     I loved the originality of this novel. I have never read about Jinn before, have you? Samantha Young is able to create worlds that suck you in and make you want more. There is plenty of action and just enough romance to keep the reader turning pages as quickly as possible to see what is going to happen next. This isn't the first novel of hers that I completely devoured. The idea of the 7 Kings of the Jinn and their father Azazil was new and it was easy to follow along as things were explained. Plus there were tons of new creatures in Smokeless Fire and I loved learning about all of them. What fun would it be if there was not some kind of trouble. The Kings are at war and Ari is right in the middle of all the danger.

Cover: 

     I absolutely love this cover. The girls green eyes are so vivid that they completely draw you in. Plus I also really like the swirling colors surrounding the girls face along with the fire rising from the bottom of the cover.

Review "Blood Past" by Samantha Young

Blood Past (Warriors of Ankh #2)

Samantha Young

Publishing Date: August 19, 2011

Publisher: Smashwords

e-book

Goodreads

YA Paranormal Romance recommended for ages 16 years and up.

Review:

     Blood Past is book 2 in the Warriors of Ankh series. I won this book from Fiktshun during a giveaway. I read the first book quickly and was eager to start on the next one in the series. I found myself completely drawn into the world that Samantha Young created. I was imaging the scenes, the people and the accents (most of the book takes place in Scotland). 

     Since the story is set in Scotland, Eden must travel a long way from home in order to try and find the redemption that she seeks. She does not go alone accompanying her are three warriors of Ankh: Cyrus, Valeria, and Noah. Noah and Eden's relationship is not what it once was, it's strained and at times they barely speak to each other.  But Eden discovers that she has bigger problems to deal with like those who are conspiring against her and a certain someone from her past comes back to claim her. Eden though comes to realize how important family and friends really are  to her and what she will do if the people she cares about are threatened. In Blood Past Eden is introduced to a whole new world of people. People she barely knew existed.

    Blood Past is not only told from Eden and Noah's POV a couple more voices are added in. I must say those were not my favorite chapters only because I really loved hearing the story from Eden and Noah. But the other chapters weren't bad just not my favorite. Samantha Young continues to give more background on the Neith, Ankh as well as the soul-eaters. It is explained why the Ankh warriors want Eden and what the intend to do with her now that they have her. I loved the way the story unfolded and was completely engrossed in Blood Past. I was just a little disappointed when I realized that I would have to wait for the next book to come out. All and All I am super happy that I was introduced to these books and I will definitely look up Samantha Young's other works.

Cover:

    I'm not sure who is on the cover of Blood Past. Though it does have me wondering why the guy is hunched over sitting in the rain.

Review "Blood Will Tell" Samantha Young

Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1)

Samantha Young

Publication Date: July 1, 2011

Publisher: Smashwords

e-book

Goodreads

YA Paranormal Fiction for mature teens+ (some content may not be suitable for younger readers)

Review:

     I won this book from Fiktshun and when I entered the contest I thought that the book sounded really good. Let me say this book did not disappoint. I found myself gazing at the computer completly devouring this book. 

    I loved the concept of this book it was original and not a topic that I had read about. I was afraid I would become overwhelmed by all the knowledge that Samantha Young gives in order to explain the story. But I found myself slowly soaking in the information and was hardly confused at all. Blood Will Tell is fast paced and I get answers to many of the questions I started to ask. Of course not all my questions were answered but if they were why would I keep reading. I was also impressed with the way the story unfolded some of the plot twists were quite unexpected. The characters were well developed yet there is room for Samantha Young to add more about the characters pasts'.

      The books main character Eden is a soul-eater, she is a total loner who has no friends until Noah shows up in her small town becoming her only friend. the book is told from the POV of Eden and Noah, and that contributed to how much I enjoyed this book. As the story unfolds we learn about the horrors that Eden must deal with, cold and creepy parents, a psychotic cousin, the only bright spot in her life are her brother Stellan and her best friend Noah.  Eden is trying to come to terms with who she is and what that means for her future. And if she becomes what her parents and family want her to be will she able to live with herself.  But everything is not as it seems and Eden has to deal with some unexpected truths about herself, her family, and Noah.

Cover:

     I think this cover is intriguing. I loved the more subdued colors as well as the girl in the dress standing close to the water. It definitely makes me want to pick up this book to find out what it's all about.