Review: On Every Street by Karina Halle

Three things convinced me to read On Every Street:

1. The review Giselle posted over at Xpresso Reads.

2. The term "long con". I realize Ellie is a woman, but it put me in mind of Sawyer, who was my favorite character from Lost. Besides, how often do we get a female character who isn't on the right side of the tracks and playing it safe?

3. The fact that I knew from word go that Javier was going to be a total badass. Would he win me over? I had to find out.

So I grabbed this for $1 off Amazon and got started. I can tell you right now, On Every Street was far more satisfying then a cup of Tim Hortons Coffee--and cheaper.

(Summary from GoodReads) 

When young con artist Ellie Watt decides to call herself Eden White and go after the drug lord who ruined her as a child, she never expects to fall for one of his henchmen. But Javier Bernal is no ordinary man. Subtly dangerous and overwhelmingly seductive, Eden finds herself passionately in love with Javier, the very person she's set-up to betray. With her body and heart in a heated battle against her deep need for revenge, no one will walk away from this con a winner.

This 50K word (100+ pages) novella takes place six years before Sins & Needles. It can be read before or after Sins & Needles and may also be read as a standalone.

Okay, some quick thoughts about On Every Street.

1. Chillingly dark, incredibly romantic and utterly captivating. The characterization, descriptions and voice of this story sucked me in like quicksand.

2. Ellie and Javier convincingly show how even two extremely screwed up individuals, with very questionable morals and motives, can find and need love.

3. Javier, how I love you. Javier, how I hate you. Yet WHY do I hate you more for what you do at the end of the book then for what you do throughout it? *headdesk!*

4. A @&%& and his car are soon parted. 'Nuff said. Though I'd wager that'll bit Ellie on the ass later.

5. I don't know if I'm that big a fan of the ending. The plot shifted gears half way through and it gave the book a slightly disjointed feeling, despite how fab everything else was. Likely because this is a prequel and it had to connect.

In short: Really glad I read this first. I'm incredibly invested in what happens to Ellie and I jumped right on to Sins & Needles, something that is rare for me. This series is totally worth checking out!

Top 10 Tuesday: Books I Had To Have... That I Haven't Read Yet! (Video)

Top 10 Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where we share top 10 lists about various bookish topics.

Okay! It's been eons since I did a Top Ten Tuesday post, but this one looked fun. I decided to do a video since I'm trying to keep the stress on my hands from typing down. Ready to see what is on my shelf ... yet unread? Enjoy!

So, which book(s) must I read immediately? And what is sitting on your shelf with a flashing neon "Read Me!" sign over it? I'd love to know, so feel free to leave a comment. :) 

Review: The Devil's Triangle by Toni De Palma

*A copy of this book was provided to me for review.

Note: My arthritis is flaring up, so this review is going to be quick. Sorry, guys!

Stories that involve what happens after we die always seem to intrigue me. There's just something about that vast unknown that gets my imagination going, that makes me want to ask questions.

So when I was asked if I'd like to read and review The Devil's Triangle, the premise caught my attention right away. A guy getting a second chance after a major screw up in life, complete with some interesting paranormal concepts (The devil has a sister? Who knew?) sounded right up my alley.

The Devil's Triangle takes a great idea and infuses it with humor, interesting characters and some interesting twists and turns that made me glad that I took the time to read it.

(Summary from GoodReads)

When 17 year old Cooper dies in an attempt to burn down his school, he finds himself in the afterlife. Lucy, the Devil's sister who has crossed party lines, decides to give Cooper another shot at heaven. The deal? Cooper returns to Earth and has to find a girl named Grace. The rest is up to him.

While Cooper figures out his mission, he's thrown into the life he's always wanted. Great parents, a spot on the Varsity football team and a real future are all within reach. But what he really wants is Grace, a feisty girl with an abusive boyfriend who can pound Cooper into pulp if he doesn't watch out.

While Lucy plays demonic-puppeteer, clues to an unknown past between Cooper and Grace start to unravel. Cooper discovers that what's keeping him and Grace apart is far more sinister than anything this bad boy could have ever imagined.

The first thing I can tell you about The Devil's Triangle is that it's very clever. You aren't going to be spoon fed everything in a straight chronological order. You are going to spend some time asking yourself "What the hell is going on here?". But trust me, it's worth it. Trying to sort out Cooper's new life with him is an intriguing and often rewarding experience, and as the novel progresses, it all comes together beautifully. 

The next thing I can tell you is that the careful blending between contemporary and paranormal themes in this book is well done. I liked how attention was paid both to the actual situation Cooper found himself in--having thirty days to try and fix where his soul was going--and what he was actually doing with those days. 

The last thing I will tell you is that the way the mythology and ideas here are presented is both interesting and really fun. I liked meeting Lucy and Pete before Cooper goes back to earth, because the tone that their scenes set in the afterlife help set a tone for the rest of the book. This is a very fun, tongue in cheek narrative that will crack you up just as much as it will intrigue you. I found that really refreshing.

I thought that the cast was very solid here, especially the ways that they tied into how things were happening and how my perceptions shifted as I, as a reader, learned more about what was actually going on. 

Cooper was a great narrator and an all around interesting guy. There aren't enough male narrators in YA and I found Cooper's voice very distinct and I'm sure he'll stick with me for a good long while, even aafter this review goes live. I feel that Toni De Palma should be congratulated for writing a guy who sounds like, well, a guy. I could easily have pictured my brothers saying and thinking a lot of the things Cooper did when they were in their teens. 

I found Grace an interesting mystery, which seemed fitting since we get the story from Cooper's perspective rather then hers. So often I think girls and guys are confused by each other, and watching Cooper navigate the waters with Grace was interesting, especially with all of the plot related concerns that we weighted on top of the general awkwardness of girl and guy interactions at this stage of life.

The rest of the cast was interesting and did a great job of bringing out the central story of the two main characters. As stated above, Lucy and Pete were standouts. Blake was a character I loved to hate. And I felt that Cooper's interaction with his new parents were touching. 

I thought that this was well done, and I loved how it fit with the rest of the story. The fact that there is a push and pull going on--that there is some form of connection between Cooper and Grace, and that at the same time we don't get "ZOMG Insta-Love"--was unique and raised a lot of questions. 

I think that the way that romance and the rest of the plot was also well balanced. It can be hard to find the right ratio between plotlines and I think some good decisions were made here. 

This was a solid effort. It's not going to end up on a top ten list, but it's also not going to be one of those pairings where I'm going "What were you thinking?". It also managed to sidestep my irritation at characters who are taken ending up as a love interest for someone else. I really wanted to get Grace as far away from Blake as possible. 

A unique premise, humorous narration and a likable cast of characters succeed in making The Devil's Triangle an easy recommendation to fans of paranormal romance. There is a great balance here between combining things that make a great story and taking risks that result in something truly original. The Devil's Triangle is definitely worth checking out. 

Xpresso Book Tours Presents: Strength by Carrie Butler (Review)

*I received a copy of this book for review from Sapphire Star Publishing / Xpresso Book Tours. 

I first heard about Strength over on Absolute Write, a really great community for writers and authors that I've been a member of for a couple years. Carrie Butler had started a thread to share her new cover with everyone in the romance forum and after seeing the stunning design and reading the equally great synopsis, I knew I wanted to read the book.

So imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail telling me Xpresso Book Tours was hosting a tour for Strength, a book that I've been dying to read? I don't sign up for tours very often--I'm not good with fixed dates for anything and tend to prefer to do stuff at my own pace. But here, I just couldn't resist. The opportunity to read this sooner, and to share my thoughts with everyone in a way that would hopefully get the word out about this book, was too much for me to resist.

Of course, the danger of signing up for a tour is that while we can hope a book will be the most awesome thing under the sun, there is no guarantee. Strength is an interesting story and there are some really great things going on in it. But there are also certain things that drove me a little up the wall. I can't quite sing the praises and give the gushing review I had hoped for, but hopefully I can give you all information to help you decide whether Strength will be worth checking out for you. Despite any flaws I do feel it has, I am glad that I read it.

(Summary from GoodReads)

When college student Rena Collins finds herself nose-to-chest with the campus outcast, her rumor-laced notions are shattered. Handsome, considerate, and seemingly sane, Wallace Blake doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, screaming and banging on the walls of his dorm room. Hell, he doesn’t look like he spends his nights alone, period.

Too curious for her own good, Rena vows to uncover the truth behind Wallace’s madman reputation--and how two seconds of contact had left her with bruises. Of course, there are a few setbacks along the way: guilt, admiration, feelings of the warm and fuzzy variety…

Not to mention the unwanted attention of Wallace's powerful, supernaturally-gifted family.

They’re a bloodline divided by opposing ideals, two soon-to-be warring factions that live in secret among us. When Rena ends up caught in their crossfire, Wallace has no choice but to save her by using his powers. Now they’re really in trouble. With war on the horizon and Rena’s life in the balance, he needs to put some distance between them. But Rena won’t let go. If fighting is what it takes to prove her own strength and keep Wallace in her life, then that’s what she’ll do--even if it means risking a whole lot more than her heart.

First, I want to praise the paranormal elements in this book. They were interesting, well handled and original. They were also integrated very slowly into the story, allowing the reader to get a handle on the characters, what their concept of "normal" was and showing interest between Rena and Wallace before things shifted too much. This created an interesting mystery, and many questions, as I read. I knew from the blurb that things weren't going to be what they seemed, but the pacing regarding this element of the story gave me time to guess things, come up with theories, etc. in a way that isn't always common in paranormal or urban fantasy. 

Unfortunately, this came at the cost of the opening being a bit slower then I would have liked. Things moved about in what I felt was a rather odd fashion and there were several times early on where the book lost my attention because of strange plot shifts that (at the time) did not make any sense. 

I also had a lot of "Why are you telling me this?" moments as I read. This is bad for two reasons: (1) If I am asking the author this, it means I am not being pulled into the text, which means I'm not seeing / hearing / practically tasting it the way I tend to when I read something that has really sucked me in. (2) This often results in pacing issues that hold back my need to keep reading. I don't know about anyone else reading, but if I walk away from my kindle and haven't left myself at a point where I'm dying to go back it can be really hard for me to pick it back up. As an author, you really don't want that loss of momentum in a story because most readers won't be reading the story for a tour like I was. There's no guarantee they will pick the book (in general--I don't necessarily mean *this* book, just to be clear) back up.

However, the above issues are honestly side effects. The real problem for me, I think, was that I never really connected with Rena. There are several reasons for this. When we meet her at the beginning of the story her immediate and pre-existing judgments about Wallace are (or were for me, at least) very off putting. It may not be fair, but I found myself annoyed with her on page one. Now, this is a gutsy move on Carrie Butler's part and the way it allowed her to open the story did up the tension and make me have an immediate need to know what the heck was going on. But unfortunately, for each thing that I learnt about Rena that brought her a step closer to being likable or relatable, she would inevitably do or say something that would push her back onto my shit list. It's very hard to root for a character when I feel like that, and when I'm not rooting for them to succeed, it ties back into what I was saying about the plot and causes my "care meter" to start nose-diving and my interest in continuing the book to wane. 

Fortunately Rena is countered by the intriguing and endearing Wallace, whom I immediately liked and felt deeply sorry for. It's to Carrie's credit that he, as a character, was just as interesting and memorable as the mysterious circumstances surrounding him. Every time that Rena did something that made me want to use my Kindle for a frisbee, Wallace was the saving grace that kept the Kindle in one piece and the book being read. 

The other thing I want to praise on the character front is the very real feeling and unique friendship between Rena, Gabby and Aiden. I liked the grounding presence this friendship added to the story, even if it was sometimes responsible for the plot taking a bit of a lull. These characters do not fit into some type of pre-existing clique or stereotype. They felt real, unique and like the kind of trio that could actually exist within a college setting. They were both parts loyal and able to push each other's buttons, which made them feel very fleshed out and memorable. 

That's the final thing I want to make clear before I move on from characters. Despite any complaints I may have given here, and despite how they may have effected my reading experience, these characters were all well created with depth and individuality. Given a choice between a character like this not working for me or the author chickening out and creating something more palatable, but also more cardboard, give me this any time. Because even in a situation where a real character does not work for me, I would not want to deprive another reader from discovering a character her or she may really love. I don't get along with everyone in real life and I don't expect fiction to be any different. 

The imbalance in my feelings toward the characters did cause me to not be as invested in their romance as I would have liked to be.

Speaking objectively I can tell you that there is no weird funky insta-love here, although there is definitely some attraction to Wallace on Rena's part from word go. 

There was nothing 'wrong' with the romance. Rather, I just felt like Wallace and Rena didn't fit together quite the way I like a couple to. This likely, again, has much to do with how I felt about them. I honestly couldn't imagine becoming interested in someone who had previously been (at least partially) responsible for an entire dorm thinking thinking I was crazy, and while I admired Wallace's obvious capacity to put that behind him my own biases (I have never been a real social butterfly, and university was not any better then high school) likely played a part here. 

Strength is by no means a bad book. It just wasn't as good (as far as my own reading experience) as I would have liked, and this was largely due to a disconnect between me and Rena, who was a first person narrator. That is a key danger of first person: the narrator gets to have a lot of influence on how the story feels overall and can work wonders or wreck havoc. 

Strength is well written and has some really original ideas. I don't want to make it seem like there was a tremendous error on the author's part, because that is not so. Rather, Carrie Butler took some interesting chances and for me, some of those paid off while others, well, didn't. If you've been looking forward to reading Strength, though, you really should. There is some real brilliance here and as I keep saying, your experience and mine may differ greatly. 

A huge thank you to Xpresso Book Tours, Carrie Butler and Sapphire Star Publishing for having me along. :) 

Cover Reveal: Runes by Ednah Walters

Today I'm thrilled to be part of the cover reveal for Runes by Ednah Walters. I thought the premise here sounded quite interesting, so I couldn't resist taking part.

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(Summary Provided by Xpresso Book Tours)

Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only is she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

Are you intrigued? Add it to your GoodReads!

My Thoughts:

I think this cover is quite well done. I love the shades of blue and purple, and the clean yet interesting choices for the typography. I'm not totally sure, based on the cover, what's going on in the book. But that can be hard to pul off and the fact is, this would draw my eye long enough for me to check the summary, so it works. 

About The Author:

EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.

Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, will be released April 2013. She’s working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN.

Ednah also writes New Adult paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. She is presently working on book 2, IMMORTALS.

Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published four more books in this series. She's presently working on book six. You can visit her online at www.ednahwalters.com or www.ebwalters.com.

So, what do YOU think of the cover for Runes? I'd love to know!