Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11) By Charlaine Harris Review

SUMMARY

There's a reckoning on the way ...

Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. It's a job which has its own challenges, but now the vampires and the shapeshifters are finally 'out', you'd think the supernaturals would get on with each other. But nothing is that simple in Bon Temps!

... and Sookie has a knack for being in trouble's way; not least when she witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. Sookie suspects otherwise, but before she can investigate something else - something even more dangerous - comes up.

Sookie's lover Eric Northman, and his 'child' Pam are plotting something in secret. Whatever it is, they seem determined to keep Sookie out of it; almost as determined as Sookie is to find out what's going on. She can't sit on the sidelines when both her work and her love life are under threat - but as their plans gradually become clear Sookie finds the situation is deadlier than she could ever have imagined.

REVIEW

Dead Reckoning is the 11th installment in the Sookie Stackhouse series. In this book Sookie sure finds herself fighting for her life once again.

The storyline of Dead Reckoning kicks off not long from where the previous book left off. Sookie is bonded and married to Eric in that unique vampire style,whilet  sharing her home with her fairy relatives i.e her cousin Claude and great uncle Dermot. Eric has a new boss, whom he simply despises and Bill is seemingly happy holed up with Judith, an ex-lover and vampire who has been helping him heal from silver poisoning. However, it isn’t long before the delicate peace of Sookie's life is shattered. First Merlotte’s is firebombed, then armed goons hold-up the bar looking to kidnap her.

Eric is as aiways over-protective of Sookie but even he seems distracted. He’s arguing with Pam and won’t tell Sookie what’s wrong. Sookie suspects it has something to do with Victor, Regent of Louisiana, and Eric’s new boss. It’s odd to think of vampires having such mundane problems as hating their boss but since most vampire problems tend to have violent and bloody endings.
This left me with the satisfaction of having read another good Sookie adventure but also with an eager anticipation of greater things to come in later instalments. Fast-paced action, quirky characters and mystery, combined with truly imaginative fantasy, served up with a dash of bloody violence and romance that’s got to be the recipe for the perfect urban fantasy novel. Recommended reading for vampire fans.

Favorite Quotes

“I love you,” Bill said helplessly, as if he wished those magic words would heal me. But he knew they wouldn’t.
“That’s what you all keep saying,” I answered. “But it doesn’t seem to get me any happier.” 


“Something always turns up. It always seems darkest before the dawn. When God closes a door he opens a window. All things happen for a reason. Into every life a little rain must fall. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.” 

Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5) By Melissa Marr Review

SUMMARY

Send the messengers for the Faery Courts. This is the end. 

The Summer King is missing; the Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen, is about to make a mistake that could cost his life.

Love, despair, and betrayal ignite the Faery Courts, and in the final conflict, some will win...and some will lose everything.


The thrilling conclusion to Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series will leave readers breathless.

REVIEW

First of all can we all just agree that the cover is stunningly gorgeous? It really gave me high hopes that the series would end well. And those hopes were well founded, the series ended brilliantly.

Things ended dramatically in Radiant Shadows with the formation of the Shadow Court and the closing of the gates of Faerie from the mortal world. Banananch attacked and Irial is in a bad shape. Niall is overwhelmed with grief. Things are out of balance, Banananch is gaining power, and no one's happy in their love life! The events unfold with a sense of dread....a new guy is in town and his name is Death. And that's all I'll say about that *grin* I've actually surprisingly grown fond of all the characters in the series and of course the excludes Banananch.
The same conflicts that have always existed are becoming so important as to force our characters into decision points that have permanent consequences. And yes, sacrifices will be made.
This is the kind of book you race through because you must know what will happen, and yet, when I finished I wished I could discover the series all over again for the first time. 

I loved Darkest Mercy, was sorry to see it end, but I'm so thankful it ended well.

FAV QUOTES

“If you get killed. I'm going to be furious."
"I love you too. Come On.” 


“Stab one or two healers, and everyone overreacts.” 


“I'm not bloodthirsty, but...seriously, she killed you. She needs to be dead.” 


“Irial!”
“Still here.” Irial didn’t open his eyes, but he smiled a little.
“You’re an ass,” Niall said, but he kept his hands on Irial’s chest so that he could feel both pulse and breath.
“You too, Gancanagh,” Irial murmured.”


“I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you,” he whispered.
“Lucky them.” 


“If you fail me, I'll kill you. I swear it, Keenan. If you fail me, I'll rip your heart out with my own hands."
"If I fail you, I'll cut it out for you.” 


“Donia asked incredulously. “What were you doing?”
“The day had just begun, and we were dancing,” Aislinn said.
“Dancing?” Donia looked at the Summer Queen with the same disdain Keenan had once seen on her face when she looked at the Summer Girls. “Of course you were. Bananach is attacking faeries, stealing from our courts. Irial is injured. Faerie is closed. Yes, dancing is precisely what will help.” 


“The Summer King stroked her cheek with his thumb. “Can you offer me your fidelity? Your heart and your body and your companionship for eternity? Do you want my fidelity? Either love me or kiss me goodbye, my Summer Queen.” 

Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely #4) By Melissa Marr Review

Summary

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.

Review

Radiant Shadows is the fourth book in the Wicked Lovely series. It's the story of Ani who is a half mortal-half faerie that has power unlike any of the faeries born before her, making her a target for both the queen of the High Court and War herself. Devlin had disobeyed orders by sparing her life once. When their paths cross again he will do whatever it takes to keep her alive. But he would also do whatever it takes to protect Faerie, so when it becomes imbalanced it is up to him to restore it.

Nothing really happens in Radiant Shadows until the halfway mark. It isn’t until 50 percent into the book that the two main protagonists have an actual conversation or spend more than five minutes in each other’s company. Something I loved about Radiant Shadows was that it was by far the most action-oriented novel in the Wicked Lovely series even if the action is in the other 50 percent of the book. The plot is slowly but surely moving towards its conclusion, and it really felt like all the pieces are settling into place before the final showdown.
Based on the way things finished up, I think Marr put herself in a nice spot to finish off the series in the next book.

Fav Quotes

“Love makes you foolish. It makes you throw every bit of logic away, do stupid things, dangerous things.” 

“Some things are more important than safety.” 

Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely #3) By Melissa Marr Review

SUMMARY

Seth never expected he would want to settle down with anyone - but that was before Aislinn. She is everything he'd ever dreamed of, and he wants to be with her forever. Forever takes on new meaning, though, when your girlfriend is an immortal faery queen.

Aislinn never expected to rule the very creatures who'd always terrified her - but that was before Keenan. He stole her mortality to make her a monarch, and now she faces challenges and enticements beyond any she'd ever imagined.


In Melissa Marr's third mesmerizing tale of Faerie, Seth and Aislinn struggle to stay true to themselves and each other in a milieu of shadowy rules and shifting allegiances, where old friends become new enemies and one wrong move could plunge the Earth into chaos.

REVIEW

Fragile Eternity, the third novel in Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, builds on the premise of the first two, yet forges an entirely new path for itself. 

From the beginning of the series, tensions among the faerie courts were present. But in Fragile Eternity, they have come to the forefront. This political tone of the novel was something completely new and unexpected. It added an extra dimension to the series as a whole. The Summer Court doesn’t want war; they are still weak, despite the presence of Aislinn. The Summer Queen refuses to be more to her King than friends and co-workers which weakens their court. The Winter Court is still powerful and balance must be reached at any cost. This is what is central to Fragile Eternity: the need for balance between the Courts.

The four fairy courts don’t get along with each other, but since there are so many friendships/romances political machinations at work, the interaction between the courts is a constant thing, and is always tricky. Seth, in particular, plays a big role in that as the protagonist of Fragile Eternity, seeing how he has ties to every single court but Winter (and since he’s sort of friends with Donia, I think that one counts, too).

This is a book that is all about character interaction. Which, to me, makes it a book that is very much down to personal taste. Personally, I am not generally a big fan of books that have lots of sitting around and talking. So overall, Fragile Eternity isn’t my favorite book, however I did have fun reading it, and I appreciate the originality of the fairies Melissa Marr writes on.

FAV QUOTES

“Choose to be happy. It is what we have all done.” 

“Sometimes being human sucks.” 

“Have you ever tried?"
"No."
Then don't tell me I can't.” 

“[Keenan] 'What am I going to do?' He sank to the floor.
[Donia] 'Hope that some of us are kinder to you than you've been to us,' she whispered. Then, before she could soften again, she walked away and left the Summer King kneeling in her foyer.” 

“I was thinking it was worth the risk if it meant forever with my faery girlfriend.”

“I don't know if you realize it or not, but your sudden devotion to her is creepy.” 

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2) By Melissa Marr Review

SUMMARY

Unbeknownst to mortals, a power struggle is unfolding in a world of shadows and danger. After centuries of stability, the balance among the Faery Courts has altered, and Irial, ruler of the Dark Court, is battling to hold his rebellious and newly vulnerable fey together. If he fails, bloodshed and brutality will follow.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie knows nothing of faeries or their intrigues. When she is attracted to an eerily beautiful tattoo of eyes and wings, all she knows is that she has to have it, convinced it is a tangible symbol of changes she desperately craves for her own life.

The tattoo does bring changes—not the kind Leslie has dreamed of, but sinister, compelling changes that are more than symbolic. Those changes will bind Leslie and Irial together, drawing Leslie deeper and deeper into the faery world, unable to resist its allures, and helpless to withstand its perils. . .


REVIEW

Ink Ecxhange was quite interesting to be honest and surprisingly deals with deep subjects. A woman doesn’t need a man to be satisfied with her own life; a woman cannot be owned by anyone but herself; love is nothing if it isn’t an act of choice. I agree with and applaud all of those messages. 

In this sequel to Wicked Lovely, the world is the same, but the reader has a new character to focus on: Aislinn’s close friend, Leslie. Leslie is a girl with a very hard life. She has an abusive home that drives her to work as much to get out of her home as much as she needs the money to try and keep paying the bills. Her life is further complicated since she is a good friend of Aislinn, the new Summer Queen of the Summer Court of the Fae. Her association brings her to the attention of Niall – the Summer Kings advisor who fears he will addict her to him due to his fae nature. And worse, ultimately coming to the attention of the Shadow King.

The story was deep and well paced – it wasn’t action packed, it was a story of experience and development rather than action and events. It was a story based more on character interaction than event progression and it was handled excellently, never leaving me bored. The characters from Wicked Lovely are present, giving continuation to the story, but they’re not dominant, ensuring they do not eclipse Leslie’s story whcich was great.

Overall I give INK EXCHANGE an A and a perfect 3/3 for an absolutely gorgeous cover.

FAV QUOTES

“Sometimes love means letting go when you want to hold on tighter.” 

“What does it mean when nightmares dream of peace? When shadows wish for light?” 

“He was an answer to a question she'd forgotten to ask.” 

“He didn't slam the door, didn't rage, didn't weep, he simply left.” 

“-"Leslie? What are you doing?"
-"Choosing. I'm mine. Not anyone else's."
-"I'm still yours, though. That won't ever change, Shadow Girl.” 

Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse #10) By Charlaine Harris Review

SUMMARY

It's all about family ...

Sookie Stackhouse is dealing with a whole host of family problems, ranging from her own kin (a non-human fairy and a telepathic second cousin) demanding a place in her life, to her lover Eric's vampire sire, an ancient being who arrives with Eric's 'brother' in tow at a most inopportune moment. And Sookie's tracking down a distant relation of her ailing neighbour (and ex), Vampire Bill Compton.

In addition to the multitude of family issues complicating her life, the werewolf pack of Shreveport has asked Sookie for a special favour, and since Sookie is an obliging young woman, she agrees. But this favour for the wolves has dire results for Sookie, who is still recovering from the trauma of her abduction during the Fairy War.


REVIEW

Dead In The Family is the tenth book in the Sookie Stackhouse Series. 

Dead In The Family sees a very subdued Sookie coming to terms with the brutal torture and near death that she faced at the end of Dead and Gone, the previous book in this series. She’s struggling to recover her physical strength but the biggest changes seem to be in her personality. She’s understandably quieter, more nervous and ill at ease. Eventually she regains some of her normal perkiness but when faced with a threat to her and Eric’s happiness her first thoughts are that it would be better if person threatening them just died – and she’s not too bothered about how. After all she reasons, “It’s not that I approve of murder – but some people just beg to be killed, don’t they?”

Eric fans will be delighted by how much page time Eric has in this book. He and Sookie are quite the happy couple until his ancient vampire maker pays him a visit at which point even Eric seems to become well, repressed. 

There’s not too terribly much else to say about the book. Readers of the series might be disappointed by this dull entry . However enough happens to keep some interest up to keep going through with it.

FAV QUOTES

“Can I help you up?”
"No,” she said bitterly. “I prefer to drag myself along the hardwood floor.”
"Bitch,” I said, squatting to help her up.” 


“A year ago,' I said, 'you wouldn’t have asked this of me.'
'A year ago,' he answered, 'you wouldn’t have hesitated to drink.' 
I crossed to the desk and tossed it down.” 


“I would feel the urge to attack people, to bite them; they'd all be walking McBloodburgers to me.” 


“I would've asked him to bring a shovel and come to help me dig a body up. That was what a boyfriend should do, right?"

Wicked Lovely (Wicked Lovely #1) By Melissa Marr Review

SUMMARY

Rule #3: Don't stare at invisible faeries.
Aislinn has always seen faeries. Powerful and dangerous, they walk hidden in the mortal world. Aislinn fears their cruelty - especially if they learn of her Sight - and wishes she were as blind to their presence as other teens.

Rule #2: Don't speak to invisible faeries.
Now faeries are stalking her. One of them, Keenan, who is equal parts terrifying and alluring, is trying to talk to her, asking questions Aislinn is afraid to answer.

Rule #1: Don't ever attract their attention.
But it's too late. Keenan is the Summer King, who has sought his queen for nine centuries. Without her, summer itself will perish. He is determined that Aislinn will become the Summer Queen at any cost — regardless of her plans or desires.

Suddenly none of the rules that have kept Aislinn safe are working anymore, and everything is on the line: her freedom; her best friend, Seth; her life; everything.

Faery intrigue, mortal love, and the clash of ancient rules and modern expectations swirl together in Melissa Marr's stunning twenty-first-century faery tale.

REVIEW

So I've finally started reading the Wicked Lovely Series By Melissa Marr. Its been on my to-read shelf for quite some time now and I guess I wanted something of a totally different theme than the ones I've been reading. The theme of this series is Fey. I havent really read many books on the Fey other then the Sookie Stackhouse books. So I finally decided to give this new theme a read. Other than my decision to read something on faery of all the book out there I specifically picked this series first of all obviously because the summary intrigued me...other than the summary I totally loved the covers of all the books in the series. They are simply gorgeous.

Wicked Lovely is about a girl named Aislinn who can see faeries, only that’s not a good thing. Faeries are mischievous at best, downright dangerous at worst, and if they find out Aislinn can see them, they’ll probably just kill her. So she pretends she can’t see them and ignores them, and tries not to live in constant fear.

It helps that her best friend Seth lives inside two converted train cars that are made of steel, i.e., iron, meaning faeries shall not pass. But this changes when one day, a faerie makes himself visible and asks her out. Its not just an ordinary Faery there people, its the Summer King himself.

I liked Aislinn, definitely adored Seth, and found it very entertaining. There’s no Keenan vs. Seth love triangle; Aislinn is never interested in Keenan and wants him to leave her the hell alone.

Totally loved Donia's character too. Because of the curse, when it turned out she wasn’t the Summer Queen, she was forced to become the Winter Girl and carry Winter’s chill. She can’t touch Keenan because he’s made of summer and sunshine. She still loves him, though she doesn’t want to admit it, and he clearly still cares about her (which only makes things worse.) Donia is pretty awesome and has a pet wolf.

All in all it was a really good book and a great introduction to a new story.

FAV QUOTES

“And he smiled at her, truely smiled- wicked and lovely...” 


“What would I do without you?"
"You'll never find out.” 


“I don't know why certain people shine for others. I don know why you and not someone else” 


“He tipped her head up. "Don't give up. Don't leave me before you're even here.” 



“Can I join you at lunch?" 
She paused. "You have every other day." 
He laughed, a sound as musical as the chiming song of the lupine fey when they ran. "Yes. But you resented it every other day." 
"What makes you think I won't resent it today?" 
"Hope. It's what I live on...” 



“you're @ home?"She could hear him moving around..."I'll let you go then."
"What if I dont want you to?"he said.
She heard the music as he walked toward his room, some sort of jazz.her heart sped up, thinking of him stretched out on his bed too, "Good night, Seth."
"So ur running again, then? One of his boots thudded on the floor."I'm not running."..
"Really?"
"Really.Its just--"She stopped.
"Maybe you should slow down, so i can catch you."He paused, waiting.He seemed to do that more & more lately, make statements that invited her to admit something dangerous to their friendship.When she didnt answer he added, "Sweet dreams, Ash.” 

Walking Disaster (Beautiful #2) By Jamie McGuire Review

SUMMARY

Finally, the highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Beautiful Disaster. 

Can you love someone too much?

Travis Maddox learned two things from his mother before she died: Love hard. Fight harder.

In Walking Disaster, the life of Travis is full of fast women, underground gambling, and violence. But just when he thinks he is invincible, Abby Abernathy brings him to his knees.

Every story has two sides. In Beautiful Disaster, Abby had her say. Now it’s time to see the story through Travis’s eyes.

REVIEW

Oh dear fairy godmother turn me into Travis's Abby.

Honestly people the undeniable chemistry, and undying love between Abby and Travis is addicting.

I remember reading Beautiful Disaster and wondering things like “I wonder if Travis is hurting as much” or “why the hell did he do that?”…well now I know! If you thought you couldn’t love Travis more than you already do I am here to tell you that you are wrong! You can and will love him more (he is just too adorable and swoon worthy) but he will also frustrate you and have you wanting to hit him up side the head a few times. :D

I also loved Travis’ relationship with Shepley. You really see so much more of Shep and I loved how they bickered, teased, stood up for each other and then they had their moments of frustration and hurt. Learning more about Shepley is just another layer to this book and shows how much we really didn’t see and know. America is the bestest friend you could ever ask for. I loved her character in BD and even more now in WD.

I absolutely LOVED Walking Disaster as much as I loved Beautiful Disaster. Maybe even more. Travis and Abby's love story is full of angst, chemistry, drama, love and secrets. It is a beautifully written novel, and is easily my favorite book of all time.The ending was bittersweet for me, as I had to say goodbye for now to Travis and Abby, because at least I got to see how everything ended, and can hope that I will see them again when I read all of the Maddox brothers' stories.

All in all a big Thankyou to the author for giving us such an amazing and memorable story.

FAV QUOTES

“One of these days you're going to fall in love, son. Don't settle for just anyone. Choose the girl that doesn't come easy; the one you have to fight for, and then never stop fighting. Never” 


“There's a girl, Dad."
He smiled a bit. "A girl."
"She kinda hates me, and I kinda..."
"Love her?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. I mean...how do you know?"
His smile grew wider. "When you're talking about her with your old dad because you don't know what else to do.” 


“Abby touched her palm to my cheek. "You know what, Mr. Maddox?"

"What, baby?"

Her expression turned serious.

"In another life, I could love you."
I watched her for a moment, staring into her glassed over eyes. She was drunk, but just for a moment it didn't seem wrong to pretend that she meant it.
"I might love you in this one.

“Once she kissed me, my heart slowed, and every muscle in my body relaxed. How much I needed her terrified me.


“The way I feel about you . . . it’s crazy.”
“You got the crazy part right,” she snapped, pulling away from me.
“I practiced this in my head the whole time we were on the bike, so just hear me out.”
“Travis—”
“I know we’re fucked-up, all right? I’m impulsive and hot tempered, and you get under my skin like no one else. You act like you hate me one minute, and then you need me the next. I never get anything right, and I don’t deserve you . . . but I fucking love you, Abby. I love you more than I’ve loved anyone or anything, ever. When you’re around, I don’t need booze or money or the fighting or the one-night stands . . . all I need is you. You’re all I think about. You’re all I dream about. You’re all I want.” 


“I like her," I said through my teeth.
Shepley held his hand to his ear. "What? I couldn't quite hear you."
"You're an asshole! Did you hear that?"
Shepley crossed his arms. "Say it."
"I like her, okay?"
"Not good enough."
"I have feelings for her. I care about her. A lot. I can't stand it when she's not around. Happy?”