My First Mixed Drink Post: My Own Creation...The Tropical Depression

The Tropical Depression

Okay, so here will be my first post on mixed drinks...I'm new to this and I have no idea what the people want, if anyone will read this, or what format would best suit this type of post, so here goes...Make comments if you want more information on this post or for future posts about mixed drinks.



(Note: There is an ingredient missing in the picture of this mixed drink...sadly, it is due to my haste in getting shoved off of the Space Mountain ride at Disneyland that I left my Nikon camera with all of my families photos of Disneyland and meeting my new nephew in the bag of the ride. Whoever took it is a douche and I don't even care about the camera anymore, I can get a new one, but I can't remake those photos...It was my sons first trip to Disneyland and all we have is one photo of him with Mickey. We had many photos of him at Disneyland and all I would really want is for that damn SD card to be mailed to me or downloaded to a computer and emailed to me. Anyway, I have everything the person would need to actually make the camera work, the software for the puter, the battery charging pod, and the transfer cable. Of course, you can get these anywhere, but I'm going to sell them on ebay and see who buys them! Mwah hahahaha! Hopefully, I can at least get my pictures back! Also, I am sorry about the poor quality of this photo as I had to take it with my cell phone camera.)

Anyway, back to the drink...I probably won't be doing much research with this sort of thing as what I will buy and put together should be found at any liquor/grocery store...and be somewhat cheap in regards to alchohol, as we know can run incredibly expensive for the good stuffs.

This one, I named about four different times (settled with Tropical Depression) and when mixed correctly creates a very depressing shade of grey. (Most would call it depressing, I call it refreshing as I love storms)

So, here's what I used and the recipe on how to make this cheap, yet delicious drink that I truly enjoy.

What you need:

An 8oz. glass

A fashionable bendy straw

Ice cubes

A bottle of Boone's Farm Blue Hawaiian ($2.99-$4.00)

A bag of Malibu's Rum Punch ($16.00-$18.00)

A bottle of Jose Cuervo's Non-Alcoholic Margarita Mix ($8.00-$12.00)

A bottle of Cranberry-Pomegranite Juice ($2.00-$4.00)

(All prices are dependent upon where you'd shop.)

I used an 8oz. highball glass to mix this drink.

How to mix it:

Fill the glass with 3-4 ice cubes.

Add 2oz. of Boone's Farm Blue Hawaiian.

Add 1oz. of Malibu Rum Punch (Not Pictured).

Add a half shot of Jose Cuervo's Non-Alcoholic Margarita Mix.

Fill the remaining space with Cranberry Pomegranite Juice (My choice is Ocean Spray, but the store was out, so I settled for Langers. Ocean Spray's 100% Juice is the best choice.).

Put a fashionable bendy straw in the glasss and use it to stir.

Voila, a cheap, yet delicious drink for those hot summer days when all you want is a lovely storm...on the beach.
And...the great thing about this drink is that I didn't get any sort of hangover or icky feeling the next morning after downing about four of these after a very stressful day. How awesome is that?

You're Invited to The Romance Reviews Site Grand Opening Extravaganza!

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Kat Martin, Beth Kery, Susan Lyons, Madison Blake, Ashley March, Karen Rose Smith, LK Rigel, Gini Rifkin, Sandra Edwards, Grace Elliot, Suzanne Barrett, Jessica Chambers, Maeve Greyson, Sable Hunter, Josie Arlington, Tanya Stowe, Laura Tolomei, Kristen Painter, Renee Rearden, Elaine Cantrell, Susanna Ives, Amy Corwin, Keta Diablo, Suzette Stone, Suzanne Tyrpak, TL Schaefer, Monique Martin, Kari Gregg, Susan Meier, Laura Moore, Susan Roebuck, Kathy Carmichael, Brita Addams, KT Grant, Winslow Eliot, Ingela F. Hyatt, Jan Scarbrough, Victoria Blisse, Sharon Buchbinder, PG Forte, Bronwyn Storm, Patricia Preston, Alice Gaines, Cate Rowan, Ann Tracy, Marr Joan, Beth Erickson, Tara Lain, Terri Reid, L.J. McDonald, Lucinda Brant, Eden Baylee, Hayley B. James, Jason W. Chan, Pat Amsden, Elle James, Linda Mooney, Beth Trissel, Viviane Brentanos, Morgan Rice, Rita Hestand, Mahalia Levey, LK Below, Gale Stanley, Sarah J. Bradley, Joanne Troppello, Rhonda L. Print, Pamela Jackson, Jenny Schwartz, Mary Manners, Eve Silver, Jennifer Crusie, T.C. Archer, Jocelyn Modo, Sloan Parker, Kerri Williams, Stacey Espino,  Heather Matthews, Marcia James, Cherie De Sues, Savannah Chase, Simone Eden, Lauren Fraser, Annie Nicholas, JoAnne Kenrick, E.D. Walker, Rachel Haimowitz, HP Mallory, Suzanne Rock, Andrea Speed, Elle Amery, Nichelle Gregory, Eden Bradley, Shermaine Williams, Berengaria Brown, Tina Donahue, Taryn Kincaid, Red Haircrow, Virginia Cavanaugh, Hailey Edwards, Elle Druskin, Rachel Brimble, Frances Pauli, Nancy J Cohen, Tarah Scott, Em Petrova, Heather Wardell, Cara Marsi, CJ Archer, Mary Eason, Skhye Moncrief, Jana Richards, Jill James, Alison Chambers, LoRee Peery, Gail Pallotta, Alison Henderson, Nicki Greenwood, Alianne Donnelly, Tiffany Ashley, Michael Davis, Gem Sivad, Stacy Juba, Tory Richards, Darcia Helle, LaVerne Clark, Sibel Hodge, Ashley Ladd, Jennifer Labelle, Elaine Hopper, Victoria Howard

My Review at The Romance Reviews Site: Wicked Intentions by Elizabeth Hoyt

Link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=307

Title: Wicked Intentions

Author: Elizabeth Hoyt

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: August 2010

Genre: Historical Romance

Lord Caire doesn't care about anyone or anything, although when Mrs Dews catches his eyes late one night on the dirty, crime-riddled streets of St. Giles, an idea strikes. He could use Mrs Dews to help him get information to solve a crime that happened very close to him, as close as anyone could have ever gotten.

Lord Caire, or Lazarus, petitions Mrs Dews to help him navigate the streets of St. Giles in order to find the brutal murderer of his mistress, Marie. She was the only one that even came close to being someone that Lazarus cared about. Mrs Dews accepts only because Lazarus promises to help her find a patron to contribute to the foundling home that she and her brother, Winter, run. Mrs Dews lives in the foundling home on Maiden Lane in St. Giles and, in order to save some of the children she takes care of, she has learned to find her way around St. Giles.

The only catch is that it will be a perilous mission to find the killer. The streets of St. Giles are very dangerous and there is a rumor floating around of a masked phantom that stalks people in the night and disembowels them. Also, they have to go at night as that's when the bad people come out to play. After visiting a few of the most scandalous places in St. Giles, they come up with very little evidence and only one suspicious person.

It's time for Lazarus to take Mrs Dews to an event in order to help her find a patron for the foundling home. He accompanies her to a musical evening but Mrs Dews feels she doesn't belong amongst this class of people. She meets Lazarus's mother who is not the picture of nice. She is rather rude! However, once the piano starts to play, Mrs Dews is totally absorbed in the music.

This is the first real intimate moment between the two mains as Temperance (Mrs Dews) grips Lazarus's hand, closes her eyes and feels the music. Lazarus hasn't seen anything like this before and is mesmerized by her. As the pages flip by, the reader is taken into the investigation and the danger heats up, as they get closer to the killer. We learn about the main characters' pasts as their love story unfolds. There is an injury which has Temperance taking care of Lazarus and this helps to move their romance forward. There are a few sticky situations and as much action as any action novel, only better, because it is set in a time that most of us can only dream about.

The descriptions of St. Giles in this book had me shivering, hoping that I'd never ever have to step foot in a place like that, though craving the danger, as a rush, alongside a handsome, smart-talking, quick-witted man such as Lord Caire. I was able to picture the small city streets and alleyways with ease because, in my opinion, Elizabeth Hoyt is a master of all facets of writing. The descriptions of the twisted, ugly scoundrels, that walk the streets and sit in the gin bars, really grossed me out but added to the danger of the whole situation that Temperance and Lazarus get themselves involved in.
The romance in this story is sizzling but the tension between the two mains from the beginning is excruciating. It's there, but it is very slow building. Lord Caire speaks to Temperance in ways that no man has ever dared to speak to her before. In some novels the woman would be disgusted, but Temperance feigns the disgusted act, though his words are taunting and, though she didn't want to admit at first, arousing. She hides an embarrassing secret about her past, one that makes her feel the need to atone for the rest of her life. Something that makes her believe she should never again enjoy the company of a man. Lazarus holds his own secret, deep in his past, which makes him believe he is a monster. Through working together, they gradually divulge their secrets to one another and eventually learn what it takes to get past certain things that would make a person feel undeserving of happiness.

This book was such a fun and interesting read. I have always enjoyed Elizabeth Hoyt's writing and will continue to enjoy it in the future. The next book in the series is Notorious Pleasures set to release February 2011 and I cannot wait to read it. The first chapter was included at the end of this novel and it seems like a great read that will have the reader blushing every other paragraph. With Wicked Intentions, Ms Hoyt has set up a whole mystery with the masked phantom. I can't wait to find out who it is, even though I already have my own assumptions as to who is hiding behind that mask. She has also set up a whole new series that will have this reader purchasing the books as they come out, preordering as a matter of fact!

My Review at The Romance Reviews Site: Seducing the Duchess by Ashley March

Link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=769

Title: Seducing the Duchess

Author: Ashley March

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Signet Eclipse

Release Date: October 2010

Book Genre: Historical Romance

Ever wonder about that couple in historical romance books where they seem to have married for convenience, the man off to see his mistress all the time, and the woman acting the harlot? This book gives you a look at one of those non-main character couples. And wow, was it awesome!

Philip Burgess, Duke of Rutherford, wed his wife, Charlotte, simply for revenge against his once best friend—her brother—for stealing his fiancée. Though he tried to act the part of not falling for Charlotte, it is clear that he did and a few years into their marriage, he decides that he is ready to love her the way she should be loved, the way he can love her. Only problem is, she is hurt from his betrayal, the fact that he acted as though he loved her, then told her it was all for revenge, so she acts the harlot, out late nights at clubs adorned in very revealing dresses, sitting on the laps of other higher class men. So, with this problem, Philip does the only thing that he thinks will make a difference; he kidnaps her, in front of a whole room full of men and takes her to his estate out in the country.

At the estate, it becomes a battle as very soon, both characters realize that they still do love each other, but there were just major obstacles to overcome in the way. The entrance of a key character, Philip's ex-fiancée, adds some spice to the story with some acting shows with Philip in front of Charlotte. Finally, Philip gives up on the games and decides that Charlotte means too much to him. All the while, he had made a proposition to Charlotte to grant her a divorce if she lets him try to woo her for the duration of three months. In the end, Philip has to make a choice to set his love free if she is to love him back.

The descriptions of the countryside, a harvest festival, and the manor that are in the story were my favorite. They were so vivid and I could picture them exactly as they were written. The romance in this story is awesome. Most wouldn't be interested in a story that involves forgiveness, but the romance in this story was very interesting to me in the fact that the hero and heroine were already together at the start of the book. It was such a different take on a romance and I felt like I was there with the characters trying to whisper in their ears to just get over themselves and be together! The author did a wonderful job of conveying each character's emotions, because I felt them as I read them as well.

The situations in this book were extremely believable given the time period that this book is written in. It was very interesting to read the story of ‘that' couple from other historical romance books. I would always wonder how those other characters would fare and how their lives were led. Fortunately, this story seemed to turn out way better than any of those than I would imagine. It ended up being a wonderful and beautiful love story of falling in love again, forgiveness, and what love can repair in any relationship.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a great historical romance read full of wit and funny situations, but also those that like a good romantic read. I will definitely be anxiously awaiting anything that Ashley March turns out in the future.

My Review at The Romance Reviews Site: Damaged Cargo by Sandra Sookoo

Link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=231

Title: Damaged Cargo

Author: Sandra Sookoo

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Purple Sword Press

Release Date: September 2010

Genre: Erotic Fantasy Romance, Romantic Science Fiction/Futuristic, Steampunk Romance

Those who enjoy a strong, independent, cold-as-ice female lead, an equally arrogant and sexy male lead, and plenty of science fiction space adventure will love this novel.


While at port in Nazurlara, Space Pirate and Captain of the Wraith Orchid Emma runs smack dab into Tarik Vartouth who has troublemaker written all over him. Tarik is the Premier's son and is sick of the oppression that the Premier has bestowed upon the people with genetic testing programs that include death as a consequence if you can't turn out a "perfect" child. Tarik is a part of the Underground Resistance bent on killing the Premier and taking back the planet. All they need is a ship and since Tarik has met Emma, he has decided to commandeer the Wraith Orchid. Once on board, he gets to know icy Emma and her crew and realizes they run as a family, even though some may not know it, and it twinges in his guts that he has to take over the ship. But what lies ahead of him when he decides the time has come to take command of the ship?

The romance in this story was very tense and took a while to bloom, though I did like being up-to-date with some of the minor characters' love lives and their pasts. I really liked that Emma has a really hard time trusting anyone, not just because she has been betrayed before, but for the simple fact that if she lets anyone in, they may not be there forever; loosely translated, she has lost so many important people in life that she just doesn't want to go through it again. Though Tarik almost forces his way in, you can see Emma slowly trust him and use him to let some of her past go. It's a beautiful budding romance, even though, at times, they seem to hate each other. What's really awesome is that Tarik seems like the perfect rebuttal for all that is Emma and Emma intrigues the hell out of Tarik.

I loved loved loved the setting of this novel. Space is so fun and I love when authors create their own worlds, with their own political system and everything. It's so fun to escape into the world that Sandra Sookoo has created, because not only is it futuristic and unlike anything we could imagine living in, it's full of adventure and danger and the whole galaxy has decided to go back to the customs of the Victorian era. How cool is that? I really loved reading about the Wraith Orchid also, because it is very hard to picture a spaceship, but the author did an excellent job in presenting it so that the reader would be able to picture it in their mind.

I would definitely recommend this book to those that love science fiction, as I am an avid science fiction reader and writer in my spare time. There's just something about reading a science fiction novel that butters my bread! A word of warning though to those who have issues with violence as there is plenty of that in this novel. This reader will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.

My Review at The Romance Review Site: Veronica by Louisa Trent

Link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=406

Title: Veronica

Author: Louisa Trent

Rating: 3 Stars

Publisher: Loose Id

Release Date: September 2010

Book 4 of Blooming Companions

Book Genre: BDSM, Erotic Romance, Historical Romance, Steampunk Romance

This novella is jam-packed with fetishes of the strange quality to those who are considered "normal". All in all, it will still send your pulse racing at certain times, and others, not so much.

First off, I just wanted to say that this novella was very well written and the romance that ensues within is very sweet near the end. That said, this novella was just not very enjoyable for me. Though I do hope that others give it a chance if it's something they would prefer.

Veronica Cooper is a blooming author. Already the spotlight of many tabloids, her debut novel, an erotic detailing of things she would love to do, is a hit. She is part of a free love movement and would do anything to live out some of the fantasies that she has created in her mind. In her haste to do these, she becomes the lover of an Irish longshoreman who is just out for a meal ticket. An attempt at blackmailing her father goes awry, so Veronica Cooper's lover gives up the details of their whereabouts to a local tabloid journalist on a day that Veronica intends to stoke her exhibitionist tendencies.

After becoming a ruined woman once the news hits the streets, Veronica finds that the only person there to help her back into her writing ways is Talbot Bowdoin. Talbot has a gnarled leg from the war and loves to tinker with mechanical things. He even has a basement in his estate where he has a plethora of self-made devices specifically for pleasure. Talbot has a few strange fetishes and once he proposes marriage to Veronica's father and he accepts, Talbot and Veronica's adventure begins.

Delighted that his new young wife is eager to please and adventuresome, Talbot finds that his detachment from the pleasures of the "real' flesh is slowly drifting away as his love for his new wife grows.

I really liked the setting of this novella. I love historical, so I chose to read this upon seeing that it took place in the late 1800s Boston. There were some strange goings on in this novella that turned me away for a day or so, but that is how it is when you read something that just may not be up your alley. I really thought that the lead man was very cold as the lead female describes on various occasions, but that is his trait and to change that would change the story, but the way he was cold was also a bit odd for me. I was taken by surprised and shocked numerous times, so if you like a novella that doesn't leave anything out and might very well scare you, this one is it. The dialogue in this novella had a hard time keeping my focus. I may have had my mind on other things, but I felt like the people speaking to one another weren't speaking to one another, but as if they were talking to walls. It was strange to put it that way, but the emotional bond just isn't there until very late in the story, and the reader is wondering for pages and pages when the connection will be made. In my opinion, this story would be wonderful if the reader is into the things that this book touches on. For me, it's not one of my to-read again novellas.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is sensitive to explicit sexual encounters of the BDSM/fetish type, as it wasn't for me. I usually enjoy BDSM reads, but this one just wasn't for me. If a reader is sensitive to harsh language and graphic scenes, pick up something else. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and I will be looking forward to more stories by the author.

My Review at The Romance Reviews Site: Resurrecting Charlie's Girl by Debra Kane

Link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=426

Title: Resurrecting Charlie's Girl

Author: Debra Kayn

Rating: 3 Stars

Publisher: Breathless Press

Release Date: March 2010

Book Genre: Action/Adventure Romance, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense/Mystery

A delightful romance with a dark side, showing the reader what a tormented abused woman must go through in order to move on and find love again.

Charlise decides that the time has come to move on again. She has been running from her abusive ex-husband for a while now and only staying in places for short amounts of time. The day she is leaving The Ridge, a shot rings out and her ex-husband, Jared Blatwell, has shot her boss. He takes her captive, walking her towards his car in the parking lot with a gun to her back. Charlise doesn't want to go back to the life that Jared had given her. Too many horrible memories. Her heart jumps a beat when she sees Tom, a private detective for the G.P.I. Company coming towards her to thank her for some extra blankets she provided him with the night before. She doesn't want to get this innocent man killed, too many people have lost their lives because of her ex-husband. Just when she thinks she has saved Tom's life, she falls to the ground, Jared's heavy body on top of hers; Tom has her in his arms in an instant and is running toward the cabin that he shares with his working buddies.

On the run with Tom is changing Charlise, and though she is still afraid that Jared will turn up at any minute, Tom is helping her feel a little more at ease. He teaches her to fly a kite, and she starts to relax just a bit. But when Jared makes an appearance yet again, Charlise realizes that she should have never relied on someone else for her safety. She has endangered him and lost money and clothing that she had ready to go for these such incidents. On the run together, a love blooms that neither expect. It's sweet and Tom vows to do whatever it takes to keep Charlise safe and recover from the torment that Jared has put her through. Everywhere they go, Jared finds them. Charlise decides that the only way to end it all is to take matters into her own hands.

I like the setting of this novella. It was constantly on the move which was exciting. The dialogue was short but to the point, which I didn't mind at all. It kept the reader tuned in to what was continually going on around and between the characters. I really liked that this novella focused on something that a lot of women go through in their lives. It is a very sad and serious topic, but the recovery is the best part to read about, and I'm so glad that this story ended the way it did. One small thing I would advise the author to do is to have someone go over it for grammar mistakes, as I caught quite a few. It wasn't anything that would deter this reader from reading, but others are a bit more picky.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a story of moving on in instances where there seems to be nowhere to go. I'm very glad that I got a chance to read this novella as it has educated me in the issue that takes place. I will be looking forward to reading more books by this author.

Resurrecting Charlie's Girl, in my opinion, deserves another 0.5 rating, which would make it 3.5 stars.

My Review at The Romance Reviews Site: Fit to be Tied by Kate Willoughby

Link: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=262

Title: Fit to be Tied

Author: Kate Willoughby

Rating: 5 Stars

Publisher: Liquid Silver Books

Release Date: September 2010

Book Genre: BDSM, Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance

A jaw-dropping novella about being tied up ‘correctly' and how one bad experience can turn a person away from the world of BDSM. Well, until that person meets up with an old high school flame (who's incredibly hotter than he was then) and hopes to continue something they started way back when.


Sadie likes to move around, to the point where she has a map of the United States that she keeps with her, marking off the states that she has lived in for more than five days. One such odd job takes her to Los Angeles where her friend employs her help to manicure a garden for a butterfly exhibit at a museum. It is at this museum that she sees Max, a boy she knew in high school whom she never got to close the deal with in the back seat of his car, because she had wanted to fit in with the other girls and therefore snubbed him by calling him names.

Thinking to apologize for calling him a scrawny nerd, she approaches him and notices that he has lost his glasses, he's tall, broad-shouldered, muscled and gorgeous! He's a bug expert, so she enlists his help with a tarantula that she just purchased for a job on a movie set. It's not moving and Max joins her at her friend's house later that night to tell her that the tarantula is molting and she could borrow one of his from his extensive tarantula collection. While they're at Sadie's friend's apartment, the woman's boyfriend comes home from Iraq for four days. Max offers Sadie his house for the time being and off she goes to stay with him.

The attraction was heavy from the moment they met again and being in the same house together doesn't take that away. They hook up almost immediately and living the few days with Max, Sadie learns that he is into BDSM. After a bit of coaxing by Sadie, Max agrees to show her his lifestyle choice and the adventure begins.

This was a truly interesting story. The blurb hooked me, as geeky guys are always interesting, but a geeky man that is manly is even more interesting. The dialogue was fun and sassy. I couldn't stop reading as the interactions between Max and Sadie were so intriguing and fun, and they were truly two great characters for each other. I learned about the world of BDSM, something I had never known about before and this story was very informative in that area. This novella was written very well, I was engaged from the moment I started reading to the very last word.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is sensitive to explicit sexual encounters, BDSM, or a few curse words, but other than that, it was a very enjoyable and fun read and I will definitely be looking forward to more stories by the author.

Today's the Day

Well folks, today is the day that I have decided to get my act together and start blogging again. On top of blogging again, I have decided to catch up on the posting of my reviews, write on my WIP that is so close yet so far away freom being finished, first draft-wise. And also, to start paying attention to everything that I would like to be involved in on the internet. Over the last few months, I have had no drive to be on the computer, to read, to write, to do much of anything that involved the computer. I think I had just been on it so much that I was tired of it, I needed some time away. My husband just finished his first vacation of this year, so I am ready to get to work on the computer. So, for the next month, that is how long I have before my husband has another vacation, I will be active as much as possible on the computer...maybe that's a good thing and maybe that's a bad thing, but only time will tell. Hopefully, I can get a few reviews posted today. Oh, and for those that have followed my blog, I am adding a new feature. It's just my own silly ideas when it comes to drink mixing. I do this on a regular basis, not like I'm an alchy or anything, but I do enjoy a drink every so often. I create different concoctions all the time and I plan on sharing them...Also, with my gluten-free lifestyle, I've decided to share recipes on that as well. I have been considering getting a new blog for those things seperately, but for now, the one blog will do. I mean, reviews, drinks, and food...it can't get any better than that! :)

Improved! My son singing 'Fette's Vette' by MC Chris

Wow...Long Time, No Posts...What Gives?

So, all of my fans and friends out there that follow my blog (Cause there's so many of you) have probably been wondering where the heck I have been....Or if not, just read and see why I haven't been posting, if you're at all interested and be ready, because once the new year starts, I will be catching up on all of my blogging. I have a ton of reviews to add to my blog, so stay tuned.

Life

Been planning a ton of things over the last few months such as: bday party, family vacays, holiday gifts, and various special events that I have been the busiest I have been in years, since I quit my job to move to a different city. The hugest thing lately is that I may possibly be moving again to a city that no one int heir right mind would ever want to live in...jk, but seriously. I will make a post as soon as I find out if we are moving or not and let you in on all the crazy details. LOL

NaNoWriMo

So, I tried NaNoWriMo 2010. I tried it and I failed it. In 2009, I was gung ho for it and blasted way ahead super early, but this year, I was busy with other things and only got to roughly 12k words.So, with that said, I am also happy because I got a start on my second novel in my series that I am currently writing the first novel in. Again, with that, I'd like to let all the NaNoWriMo participants that didn't finish their novel know that they did a great job and tried their best and if you didn't win, hey, at least you got something written that may fuel you to finish that novel. To those that won, CONGRATULATIONS! You did something truly amazing last month and I hope that you get it published someday!


The Romance Reviews

I've been writing a bunch of reviews for The Romance Reviews Site lately and been reading a lot to write those reviews, so I've been a bit busy in the immerse-myself-in-reading-and-not-listening-to-anyone field. My husband is annoyed, my son is annoyed and just wants me to play The Avengers with him. But I find the time for them when I'm not up late reading and writing reviews for this awesome, fantastic site where you can find reviews on just about any kind of romance that exists. Check it out: The Romance Reviews. I tried to make the link at the side work to take you to my reviewers profile ont he website, but unfortunatel,y I'm not getting it, so here's the link: Paigeray23 Romance Reviews.

Reading

As you read above, I've been busy reading a bunch of books for The Romance Review Site and a few others of my own that I purchased recently. I also won a copy of Scoundrel by Zoe Archer that I am itching to get my hands on and devour. I also picked up a few other books, but not many that I am able to get to for now. I will be able to start on many new books in the new year, but only when time allows.

 

Writing

I am really belting away at my current novel right now. I was surprised that with failing NaNo, I've been super-charged to finish this novel that I had been told by one person would be a great book once it was finished. So, what's the point of finishing it if only one person said it would be great? Because, I'm being very secretive about it at this point because someone special told me to be and also, because the two people that I would trust to read it are busy themselves and haven't found the time for it. Right now, I am almost at 60k words which is a feat for me because I usually peeter out at around 40k, just a middle of the book issue that I have had with everything that I have ever written. So, what I did was skipped ahead to the parts that I knew what I was going to write and I wrote what I thought and that's where my higher word counts have come into play. So, now I need to go back and type in the middle of the book leading up to the climax and the ending which is already written. Yay me! After a loooooong time with no writing, almost a month, it was such a great feeling to be able to just sit at the laptop one day and write like a madwoman.




Well, that's it everyone, I won't be blogging anymore this year, partially to focus on my writing, but also to focus on the other things you just read about, if you felt like reading it. LOL

Happy Holidays(Or insert your celebration here) and Happy New Year!!

My Review on The Romance Reviews Site: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H.P. Mallory

Title: Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
Author: HP Mallory



Publisher: Smashwords
Release Date: July 2010
ISBN: 2940011812651
Book 1 of Jolie Wilkins Series
Book Genre: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy

Rating: 5 Stars

View it here: http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=203

The author of this book should be asking her readers, “Are you not entertained?!” and in response getting the sound of screams and cries asking for more of that wonderfully entertaining entertainment that she wrote in this novel.

Jolie Wilkins is your average run-of-the-mill psychic, at least she thinks so. She doesn’t know how truly powerful she is until desire dressed in slacks and a sweater walks through her door with the name of Rand. The gorgeous Rand turns Jolie’s life into an upheaval of messes, only they’re messes that would’ve been unavoidable at some point anyway because, as she soon finds out, she is the object of desire for many beings of the Underworld, dangerous or not.

Jolie and her best friend, Christa operate a small psychic business in Los Angeles after escaping what they deemed the boring miserable life in Spokane Washington. Business is going awry. One night, Jolie meets a ghost hanging out in her reception area, and he says that someone has sent him. Jolie is flabbergasted as she has never seen a ghost before. Her visions are sporadic and when the beautiful Greek godlike man Rand (complete with a sexy English accent) comes in one afternoon wanting a reading, Jolie’s heart flips and flops. He sets up appointments for three consecutive readings all on the same weekday at the same time. The first time she meets with him, she sees one small vision, but not enough to keep him coming, or so she thinks. He comes on all three meetings and on the last one, asks her to go to dinner with him. She accepts and he confesses to her that he is a very powerful warlock. Jolie can’t believe it at first, but he shows her a few things to prove what he is and eventually share a business proposition with Jolie in which she would have to travel with him to Chicago. After a few probing questions about the task she would face should she go, she agrees, with the promise of a lot of money to help her and her friend Christa out.

Once in Chicago, Rand, Jolie, and Christa spend a night on the town and enjoy themselves. The sexual tension between Rand and Jolie start from the very beginning, but become more heated while in Chicago. However, they have to get down to business. Rand had been hired to find out who killed a man named Jack, who was shot in the head back in the 1920’s. His ghost is the one that had visited Jolie at her shop. He was shot in the back of the head, so he never knew who killed him. Jolie’s job is to travel back in time via her mind and watch it happen. Only when she does, she sees who killed him and freaks out while in the vision and grabs on to Jack just as he is dying. When she wakes up back in the now with Rand and Christa, there is another addition to their party. It’s Jack the ghost and he is no longer a ghost. Jolie has brought him back to life and doesn’t know how she did it.

As it seems that the job is done, Christa and Jolie go back to Los Angeles with nothing more from Rand until one day a striking woman walks into the shop looking for Jolie. This woman was Jack’s daughter and is a very powerful witch. She invites Jolie to her house for a party, promising that Rand will be there. Jolie wavers for a bit and finally decided to go. She goes and meets a debonair vampire named Sinjin and is sitting with him on a bench learning things about the party and the beings present when Rand spots her.

He is angry and storms over to the two. He takes Jolie aside and lets her know that her coming to this party was not something she should have ever done. That coming to this party she has sacrificed any tie that she ever had to having a normal life. Everyone knows that she is very powerful now and word has spread like wildfire about her special ability to bring back those who have died. Bella, the witch who invited Jolie to the party, wants to claim her as her own and be her Protector, as they say in the Underworld. Rand will not have it and gets challenged to a witch-style duel, with the winner winning the chance to be Jolie’s Protector and teach her the ways of life for a witch. It is very intense and though very badly injured, Rand comes out the winner and Jolie is in despair as she learns that she has to move to England and leave everything she knew behind.

Upon going to England, life changes drastically. Jolie learns more and more about the Underworld and meets several interesting beings. The tension mounts and the real danger rears its ugly head, throwing Jolie into a world like nothing she could have imagined, even after learning of the existence of vampires, werewolves, and warlocks.

The descriptions of the various places are wonderful. I loved a certain few that are part of my fairy tale fantasies, especially a major description when Jolie gets to see the massive house and area that Rand lives in. It all sounds so extraordinarily beautiful and the precise choice of words were like music to my ears, I wanted to be in the book! Along with the descriptions, I love how the author used so many things from today’s world in her metaphors. I found myself cracking up, thinking, ‘that is definitely something I would say or think.’ Some of these metaphors were very odd, but in a way that fit with whole strangeness of the situation. Again, I really loved the metaphors, they made the story pop and I will remember so many of them forever as they were very relatable to me. Anyone reading this story will find themselves laughing very often.

The romance in this story is hot! By hot I mean, the tension is incredible and not with just one main set of hero and heroine. Let’s see, the heroine and several heroes. Hehe! But it isn’t distasteful in any way. It lets the reader know that the beings of the Underworld are very very attuned to their own sexual needs. The banter that goes on between several of the heroes and heroine is comical, in the sexual tension department. The paranormal creatures have no qualms speaking of the desires towards the heroine and she begins to tire of it, never knowing that she was worth it, or at least, never feeling as though she was worth it. After becoming the most powerful witch in the world, she assumes that’s just part of the gig. I found myself rooting for each one of the men at the various places in the book where they were strong characters. Though, the overall person a reader would root for would be the one who feels the most love toward Jolie and Jolie feels the most love towards as well. The author did a wonderful job describing some of the sexiest men that I have ever read in a book. Blend an English vampire who speaks with the dialect of the 1800’s, a handsome ghost who’s afraid of life, a flirty werewolf pack leader, a Scottish fairy with flowing locks of golden hair, and an angst-ridden warlock fighting his feelings. Keep your fans out! Sigh!

The situations in this book weren’t believable in the sense that they would ever happen in real life, but in the sense that they would happen in the urban fantasy world, totally believable. Also, all the conversations that take place, and the tensions between the characters are super believable. I have never read a romance novel that is written in first person and I have to say that I really liked it. Even though we didn’t get to see anything in any other characters’ point of view, the author did an excellent job conveying their facial expressions--the slump of their shoulders and any trait that could just almost give away what they were feeling, but still not quite, without letting the character seeing it happen. Strange, I know, but awesome! I’d say talent! I’ve heard a lot of people say that they don’t like books where all of the characters seem to be salivating over one main character…I had no problem with that in this book. Even though it seems as though every creature she meets wants her, the author was still able to make Jolie very humble, yet smarty enough to combat it. Given her situation, you can figure it out that it’s not just her that they want, though they all still want a piece of her. Don’t all men want someone they’re attracted to?

This book was such a fun and interesting read. I loved the new and fresh take on all the beings of the Underworld all while still keeping a firm grip on the ideas of these beings through myths and legends. It was very entertaining; I was laughing, despairing, and shaking my fist at different parts of the story. I became so involved with the characters as if I was there in the story with them, whispering in their ears to do this or that. I read this book in two sittings and could hardly function on anything else until I came back to it time and time again. I dreamed about it, it was so prevalent on my mind! I just have to say to the author, ‘Bravo, I’m oh-so-in-dire-straights hooked. When the heck is the next book in the series coming out!?’

Yes, you did sense a bit of attitude, but in my defense it was only in the sense of ‘I need to know more about these characters as soon as humanly…er, or Underworlderly possible!’

Thank you, H.P. Mallory for such a wonderful and fun book. I can’t wait for more!

(FCC: This book was free from the author/publisher for the purpose of obtaining a review.)

OH! And check this out! H.P. Mallory is holding a contest on her blog where you, yes you, could be a character in her upcoming novel, 'Toil and Trouble', which is set to release January 1, 2011. What an exciting contest. To enter go to http://urbanfantasyauthor.blogspot.com/2010/10/contest-become-character-in-my-next.html and do the tasks to get yourself entered.

The Romance Reviews Site Review by Me: The Rookie by Liz Crowe

Title: The Rookie
Author: Liz Crowe

Publisher: Breathless Press
Release Date: September 2010
ISBN: 9781926771694
Book Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Rating: 4 Stars

This short story is smoking with sexual tension from the moment the two main characters meet. The reader finds herself rooting for them to 'hook-up'.

Lisa's day starts off as any other, only bad. She's out of coffee and her cat has vomited all over her bedroom rug! The day just gets worse when she realizes that she has to have a rookie sales rep tag along with her for the day. As she is getting coffee at her place of business, the rookie corners her and he is not what she expects. GQ model status, Trent radiates sheer male sexuality and the electric torch or tingly tension between them is a lot to take in first thing in the morning.

Having dealt with these kinds of men before, Lisa is certain that she can get over the pull of desire that this man has bestowed on her with a mere look and a touch. She straightens herself constantly, but just can't get over the breathless thoughts that brew through her mind when she looks at him, or the burn deep in her thighs of anticipation. Working together for the day tends to be a lot more pleasurable for Lisa than she thought and a shocking revelation is made at one last stop of the day.

I really like the setting of this short story. It is very interesting as it takes place in the world of breweries. I love the extra descriptions of the strange 'beer geek' types of beers. Made me want to crack open a strange and tasty beer as I read. I really like that the reader gets to know Lisa's personality as the story is told somewhat through her perspective and she seems like a strong woman who knows what she wants. There isn't much dialogue but, as this is a short story, there are only so many words the author has room to work with. In my opinion, the she does a wonderful job with the elements of a short story, creating a lovely mix of everything that makes a delightful evening's read.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone who is sensitive to explicit sexual encounters or a few curse words. Otherwise, it was a very enjoyable read and I will be looking forward to more stories by this author.
 
(FCC: This book was free from the author/publisher for the purpose of gaining a review.)

How Awesome - I Won an Award



Woohoo! I won an award. I just love blog awards and I just love all of the fantastic blogs and people I meet online through blog awards. I want to thank Mandy at Mandy's Escape for giving me the 'One Lovely Blog' award. She has a great site about books and reviews and I got lost when I looked around it, there was so much cool stuff. Check it out! Now it's time to spread the joy to other book lovers.


Rules:

1. Accept the award. Post it on your blog with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.

2. Pay it forward to 15(or whatever you can get together) other bloggers that you have newly discovered or followed for a while.

3. Contact those blog owners and let them know they've been chosen.


So, this award gets passed on to the following great blogs:

1. Into the Mind of Jaimey Grant

2. Journey of KgB

3. Murder Me

4. Such a Pretty Idea

5. My Life as a Teenage Novelist

6. Ask Sella: Free Advice on Life and Fiction

7. Romance, Old School

8. The Answer

9. Dangling on the Edge of In(Sanity)

10. Goddess of the Corn

11. Hopping Thoughts

12. Off the Mark and Roaming

13. Rita's World

14. Tink's Blog

15. JaysDesign Jewelry (Just because I love the jewelry, and he's a great stalker to Jaimey Grant, and maybe I wanted to see this frilly girly award on his blog, I know that Jaimey will be the one to put in on there anyway. LOL)



HAPPY READING!

My Review on The Romance Reviews Site: Evil's Witness by Autumn Jordan

Check out my review here:

The Romance Reviews Site

ISBN 1601547358

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense
(c) June 2010, Wild Rose Press
Autumn Jordan's Website
Rating: 4 Stars

Available at Wild Rose Press (ebook), (print).

This book has it all! From murders to lust and tension in their most extreme forms, to traitors and backstabbing, mystery and action-packed suspense, drama and high emotions, depression and happiness, and a hot romance strung throughout.

Agent John Dolton is an emotionally distressed FBI agent. His problems contain heartbreaking stories of loss in his personal life and in his career. He is assigned to a new case in which the Department of Treasury trucks are being hijacked and the cargo stolen. An unfortunate event at one of these heists gives him the very fortunate opportunity to meet Ms. Stephanie Boyd and her two adorable children who witnessed the heist and consequently, had spent the night in hell.

The absolute horrible thing about the particular heist that Stephanie and her kids witnessed is that it hits close to home. Gene, Stephanie's ex-husband, is somehow involved in this hijacking plot, and the Zosimosky family (the bad guys) wants Stephanie and her children dead when it was known that they were witnesses. After escaping the heist, Stephanie goes straight to the local police department where Agent Dolton comes to question her later that morning. There is instant attraction between them and even a dose of fear as Stephanie gives the details of her horrific night. Stephanie is clearly on edge and scared for her and her children's lives, and Agent Dolton can see it.

Stephanie knows that she can identify the man who was obviously in charge of the heist that she witnessed. She informs Agent Dolton and he decides to transport Stephanie and her children to a safe house. The transport goes awry and Agent Dolton knows that someone has leaked the information of the transport to the wrong people, those who are out to get Stephanie and her kids. Stephanie escapes a near deadly shoot out in a parking lot and agrees to meet John later at a new location.

Things go well for a while at the safe house, but as the story progresses and Stephanie goes through files and files of pictures of possible suspects, Agent Dolton starts to figure out that some things just don't add up and he's not sure how the Zosimosky family is getting the information about him and the family he has to protect. As John's personal story comes out, the romance starts to unfold.

The romance is very apparent as the characters of Stephanie Boyd and John Dolton interact. Stephanie is the first woman to cause a rise in John since his wife. Given that they are living through traumatic experience after traumatic experience together, the tension mounts and mounts and mounts until finally Stephanie is tired and wants to forget about it all. It is a beautiful love story that happens very fast, not that that counts against it, but given the whole situation, it is very believable. Agent Dolton and the children even have a love story that grows as the story progresses. It is very cute and the reader will be rooting for the story to be resolved in a way that they can all be together as a happy family.

The descriptions of the places that the characters go to are short, but worded perfectly so that you get the full effect. They were shown, not told to the reader, so the reader doesn't get bored reading a whole page full of unimportant descriptions. The characters actually spoke about their surroundings and the details flowed marvelously, creating an eerie mountain highway at night, a cabin by a lake with a view to die for, and a quaint small town. Even the descriptions of the characters and smaller settings were woven throughout the story with attention-grabbing prose.

The dialogue in this book was very well-written and thought out. I felt as though I was right there with the characters listening to them talk. It takes extreme talent to master dialogue, especially given that some of them happen during periods of intense stress and plenty of suspense.

As far as reccomendations go, everyone should give this book a go. I read it in two sittings; I just didn't want to put it down. Any contemporary romance reader who reads this book will love it and be asking Autumn Jordan, "When are we going to get more books from you?"


Note according to FTC Guildlines: This book is provided courtesy of publisher/author.



Book Summary:

The Zosimosky Files

Elementary school nurse Stephanie Boyd's ordinary world changes forever when she and her children witness a blood bath. To escape the wrath of the Russian Mafia, she has no choice but to help the FBI uncover the Mafia’s mole inside the U.S. Treasury. While on the run with the handsome agent who is willing to die for them, Stephanie learns the meaning of self-sacrifice and love.

Agent John Dolton's only break in solving the case that cost him everything is a couple of kids and a beautiful woman. But keeping his witnesses safe seems impossible when their every move is foreseen by their enemy. Within weeks, Stephanie and her children soften the loner’s heart and John allows himself to let go of his all-consuming sorrow.

This time John vows not to fail to protect the family he loves.

Upcoming Book Review: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

1

Sadly, my adventures with Mr. Potter and his gang have come to an end. If I had it my way, they would continue on untill my own death, but they cannot and alas, I must review the final book in the series. *Sigh* I'm just so sad that it's all over. It's like the end of a wonderful, absolutely terrific, fantastic, enjoyable, thrill ride of fun! *crying*

Excerpt from the Amazon.com Review:

Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues.


The heart of Book 7 is a hero's mission--not just in Harry's quest for the Horcruxes, but in his journey from boy to man--and Harry faces more danger than that found in all six books combined, from the direct threat of the Death Eaters and you-know-who, to the subtle perils of losing faith in himself. Attentive readers would do well to remember Dumbledore's warning about making the choice between "what is right and what is easy," and know that Rowling applies the same difficult principle to the conclusion of her series. While fans will find the answers to hotly speculated questions about Dumbledore, Snape, and you-know-who, it is a testament to Rowling's skill as a storyteller that even the most astute and careful reader will be taken by surprise.

For more information, visit: http://www.mugglenet.com/

My Review on The Romance Reviews Site: Beauty and the Bastard by David Bridger

I have had the lucky opportunity to join the people behind The Romance Reviews Site and help them review romance novels. This is such an awesome thing and I thoroughly enjoy it. Here's my first review:

Visit The Romance Review Site

ISBN 9781595787286



Genre: Paranormal Romance


(c) July 2010, Liquid Silver Books


David Bridger’s website

Rating: 3 stars

 Available at Liquid Silver Books!

This novella is the debut of paranormal romance author, David Bridger. Beauty and the Bastard is a very serious, sometimes depressing, and tension-filled love story of a man fallen from Heaven, and a fiery-haired Demon who has a past hot on her tracks. From the very first page, the reader is taken straight into the life of Saul and you learn how he makes his living, trying to earn his way back into Heaven. How did he get banished you ask? Well, Saul doesn’t even know the answer to this yet.

The plot of this novella focuses on Saul, a fallen angel who is tormented knowing that he has to live life like a human, with only one odd thing that happens to him every night. Saul works for Demons, doing things that he thinks will get him back into Heaven. This is when he meets the beautiful Demon, Rebecca, who has just escaped a troubling past in Las Vegas to work for her uncle in New York. The attraction is apparent, though they don’t have direct contact with each other until Rebecca’s uncle hires Saul as protection for her from her encroaching past.

The romance/love story in this novella is very fast-paced and happens too fast. Although it could be more of a love at first sight/destiny type of relationship, I would have liked to have seen more scenes of the two hanging out together and talking, learning about each other to make the love more believable. Though I do realize that is hard to do in a novella, maybe this book could have been a full length novel by adding some more development on the relationship area. That said, it is still believable when seen from the context of destiny or love at first sight. It is a sweet love that was built up very fast, but the characters are true in their love for each other, which you can plainly see as you are reading. It becomes a quick page turner and the reader will be devouring pages to find out how it all turns out.

The characters of this novella are believable, but it is paranormal romance so the characters are paranormal beings, with human emotions and looks. They are both tormented with pasts that they must get through in order to move forward. It is a fun story of moving on, falling in love, and getting over life’s situations. The dialogue is witty at times, and depressing at others, mainly when Saul talks, until Rebecca livens him up a little. The steamy scenes are that; steamy, and you can feel the emotions of lust and love as the characters are feeling them. The characters grow in ways that only humans grow, so the reader can find themselves identifying with the characters throughout the novella.

The danger in this book is, from human eyes, very dangerous, meaning the climax is incredible. When the time comes that things must be faced in order for Rebecca and Saul to move forward, you are scared for the characters. The author did a wonderful job portraying the emotions of the characters in this book so that the reader feels them as the characters feel them.

I would recommend this book to paranormal romance readers. Especially those that enjoy the fallen angel type stories. This novella was very well written and the story is intriguing. Though I would suggest that any reader have another book on the side to work on after they finish this novella, because it is a very quick read and the way David Bridger wrote it, you will be devouring pages like chocolate cupcakes. My only warning would be that if a reader is sensitive to love scenes, they might want to pick up something in the clean romance section instead, because the love scenes are steamy. There is a bit of violence also, throughout the book, so if a reader is squeamish, they might want to stay away from this novella.

Note according to FTC guidlines: This book was provided for free from the publisher/author.

Summary from Publisher's website:

 Saul the Bastard is a fallen angel who works as a bounty hunter for powerful urban demon families. Rebecca Drake, a modern day demon princess, is being hunted by dangerous desert demons. When Rebecca's family hires Saul to protect her, they are both unhappy with the arrangement, but before long sparks fly as they try to resist their strong mutual attraction. For the first time in living memory, Saul has someone to love; someone he is scared of losing; someone the desert demons have marked to be their next sacrifice.

Book Review: Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Title: Graceling
Author: Kristin Cashore

ISBN-13: 9780547258300

Series: Book 1 of the Seven Kingdom’s Trilogy, ‘Fire’ is also a companion novel

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 471

© 2008, Graphia Books

Available wherever books are sold

Rating: 4 stars

Graceling is jam-packed with suspense, drama, humor, and a challenging romance. I loved this book. From the moment I dove in, to the very last page. Katsa is a Graced woman, one of the people in the seven kingdoms that are born with a little extra something in their being. At a very young age, she was found out that he Grace was killing. An unfortunate event at a family gathering gave her up and she was forced to live with her uncle, King Randa. He would have Katsa do his dirty work of bone-breaking and intimidation to the people of his land whom he wanted to control and manipulate. Katsa always thought she was an abomination to the world. This novel is the first of a trilogy and it also has a companion novel to go with it which serves as sort of a prequel. In this first book of the trilogy, I really enjoyed getting to know Katsa and a few of the other main characters. Po is a joy to read about, he is enchanting and captivates Katsa from their very first meeting. This book is real, meaning that even though it is thought of as a fantasy read, I could see some of the dilemas, other than the whole Graced part, happenning in real life.

The plot of this novel focuses on the Committee that Katsa is a part of, a group of citizens that are against the garish deeds that Randa orders Katsa to do. They also do side jobs. In the beginning, one particular side job involves rescuing a captive from a nearby kingdom. It turns out that the man is from the island kingdom of Lienid and his grandson, Po, a prince from Lienid comes to Randa in his quest to find his grandfather. He lets on to Katsa that he is graced with combat skills. His eyes are a striking shade of silver and gold, eyes that take Katsa's complete being and wreck havoc on it every time he looks into her Graced blue and green eyes. Katsa and Po start up a friendship in which they fight each other to work on their skills. Many people come to watch the fights and one day Randa comes to watch. After this, he sends Katsa on a thug job and Po tells Katsa that she should choose what she wants to do on her own and not take orders from Randa. The whole job is a nightmare, from a marriage proposal to news from the kingdom of Monsea. When Katsa returns she no longer wishes to take orders from Randa and leaves the court with Po in search of finding the truth about the rumors coming from Monsea.

The romance in this book is very real and very intense, even though challenging and different. It's almost unlike any love story that I have ever read. The hardships are clearly unlike anything that could happen in most stories or real life stories, though they mirror situations that could possibly come up in real life. That said, an explanation is required. The story is fantasy and the love story deals with fantastical elements, like the characters being Graced, and dealing with a Graced King that is Graced beyond any Grace that has ever existed, a Grace that is dangerous. There is death and murders, and torture. That said, the realistic part is that the characters have to overcome these circumstances to make their love apparent and realize it exists. Sticking together becomes difficult after an injury and in order to save a future leader, they are forced to split up. The fact that they come together after the split shows that a real life obstacle has had to pass. Hahaha, it's hard to really explain that it is realistic given the fact that this is a fantasy novel, but basically the couple has to overcome many obstacles in order to be together, like real life is sometimes.

The characters in this story are very believable in the fact that they are very human. They have strong emotions, they doubt their own worth, they put others before themselves, they love, the care, they protect, and they feel anger. The emotions in this book were very deep and reading the story, I could easily feel the emotions as the characters experienced them. Many of the side characters were believable as well. The only issue with Katsa was that she wasn't very smart about certain things. Because her life was devoted to being a thug and taking orders, she doesn't understand certain concepts. This isn't a big issue because it is who Katsa is, but it makes for a few comical conversations amongst certain characters.

This book is full of dangerous situations that will have the reader on the edge of their seat as they flip through the pages. I particularly loved a part of the book that involves a treacherous trek through a mountain pass, in this certain scene, there is so much danger that you feel as though at some point, something truly awful is going to happen, but the characters endure, barely, and you're shouting hooray as they become safer. I love that it is set in a somewhat medieval time period, it makes the book altogether a much more romantic story, which balances out very nicely with te danger and violence.

If you're into romance, suspence, drama, humor, medieval, fiction, YA, or fantasy, this book is definitely for you. It has a bit of a more adult feel to it which I really enjoyed. Most of the books shelved as YA these days don't go as deep into the romance or contain teens that are stuck on themselves and material things. This book was excellent, it contained all of the elements of a great fantasy read also minus the dragons. I will anxiously be awaiting the second book in this trilogy.