18 & Over Book Blogger Follow #18: Is it 2013 yet?

18 & Over Book Blogger Follow is a weekly feature that runs over the weekend, hosted by Crystal from one of my favourite blog sites, Reading Between the Wines.

Question of the Week:  What are the Top 5 Books that you are looking forward to in 2013?

Apologies, folks! I haven’t been around for a while, and I haven’t done one of these follows for ages, but this looked like a good one to join in on.

Obviously, my first must-buy for 2013 will be Lover At Last by J.R. Ward. I know a lot of people are really looking forward to March when it comes out.

I can’t wait for Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi, because Shatter Me was one of my fave books this year. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Julie James is another auto-buy, so Love, Irresistibly is expected to be really good.

I don’t have the cover for it yet, but Burned by Karen Marie Moning should be good. I haven’t read Iced yet – it isn’t available here, much to my annoyance – but this series is pure win and you can’t have enough Barrons or Ryodan.

And my number five, again with no cover yet, is Painting by Numbers by Jasper Fforde. The first book in this series, Shades of Grey, was amazing!

What about you? What are you looking forward to in 2013? Leave a comment below or link up HERE to follow the meme.

Cover reveal: Lover At Last by J.R. Ward

Here it is: the cover we have all been waiting for! J.R. Ward revealed Blay and Qhuinn’s book cover and title on her Facebook page today, and I think we can agree it is a winner 🙂 I particularly like that arm gripping the dagger 😉

There have been a few comments bemoaning the fact the cover doesn’t have two men on it, but Ward has said this:

“I do think it’s going to be important for people to realize the story’s going to be written as it comes (came) to me, and that they’re not getting special treatment either for or against them because of their sexuality- to me, this story has always been about Qhuinn coming around and accepting who he really is and who he really loves- so the title and the cover was always about him in my mind. This is not to dimish Blay or his journey or his role- not at all. And it is not a case of the book focusing solely on Qhuinn and ignoring Blay’s feelings (because he’s going to have some big issues to deal with, too.) I just think Qhuinn’s the one who’s fought against their HEA and is the one who has to travel the most to get there. If that makes any sense?”

Well, in any case, I’m eagerly anticipating the release of this, the 11th book in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, in about nine months’ time!

Related articles

• Lover Reborn, by J.R. Ward (mrsaubergine.wordpress.com)

Lover Reborn, by J.R. Ward

Format: Kindle Edition, 671 pages

Published: March 27, 2012

Publisher: Penguin Group

Back cover blurb:

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood.Now back in the Brotherhood – and unrecognisable as the vampire leader he once was – Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams – trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld – Tohr turns to a self-serving fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost.When he’s told he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed…Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future… but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

My review:

I almost threw this on the floor when I had counted three mentions of the “peanut gallery” by the top of the third chapter. J.R. Ward needs some new stock phrases – that one’s getting really old.

The books itself was good, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to given my admiration of Wellsie. I’ve always liked Tohr and his growing relationship with No’One – later renamed Autumn – is engrossing and hot, but halfway through the book I realised I maybe didn’t like Tohr so much any more. He was doing things for all the wrong reasons, and I agreed with Lassiter that maybe he had been led astray by the angel. The “surprise” with her at the Fade ceremony wasn’t a surprise to me at all, as I had been saying in my mind for a long time “but she died…” I liked the ending, though, despite the lack of any obvious mating/bonding scent between them.

The Xhex/JM storyline was the least interesting for me. They’ve never been my favourite couple but I will admit to seeing a softer side of Xhex around her mother. That was nice.

This book did raise a lot of questions, though, which is why I have to take half a cupcake off. For a start, why doesn’t Phury have a better idea of where the Chosen are? He can’t just let them roam free around the countryside. I suggest a clocking-in system where they punch a card to let him know where they’re going. Layla has got to be one of the dimmest lightbulbs ever. I’m not sure whether I like her storyline but I can see how it will lead to a HEA for Qhuinn. Xcor will have to be redeemed in a MAJOR way somewhere along the line, though – I can’t see Tohr killing him now.

Another question: how does Wrath know when people enter the room and don’t say anything? Or know when his wife frowns in her sleep? Either these Brothers smell pretty bad or maybe it’s his bonding to Beth that makes him aware of her movements, but please Ms Ward, if he’s blind then he should be blind. Unable to see.

Tohr said bonded males sometimes cheated on their spouses – that struck me as completely against everything we’ve been told so far about the bonding process. It did make me wonder whether Tohr could bond to Autumn because his mother chose Wellsie for him in an arrangement made before she was even born. All the other Brothers chose their shellans of their own free will, and in the end that was how Tohr chose Autumn.

The timeline was hard to follow. It appeared to start straight after Lover Mine, but Manny was already working in the clinic so it was like the events of Lover Unleashed had been completely ignored. Payne was only mentioned in crowd scenes, which surprised me given No’One was meant to be serving her. They never even visited together once. In fact, I missed a lot of the other characters. Many were mentioned in passing or got one line, and that wasn’t enough for me.

Still, I’m looking forward to the next book, with Qhuinn and Blay’s story. I hope Ward does it justice.

My rating: 4.5/5 (It’s still the BDB!)

Lover Unleashed, by J.R. Ward

Format: Kindle Edition, 489 pages

Published: March 29, 2011

Publisher: Penguin Group

Back cover blurb:

Payne, twin sister of Vishous, is cut from the same dark, warrior cloth as her brother: A fighter by nature, and a maverick when it comes to the traditional role of Chosen females, there is no place for her on the Far Side… and no role for her on the front lines of the war, either. 

When she suffers a paralyzing injury, human surgeon Dr. Manuel Manello is called in to treat her as only he can- and he soon gets sucked into her dangerous, secret world. Although he never before believed in things that go bump in the night- like vampires- he finds himself more than willing to be seduced by the powerful female who marks both his body and his soul.

As the two find so much more than an erotic connection, the human and vampire worlds collide … just as a centuries old score catches up with Payne and puts both her love and her life in deadly jeopardy.

My review:

Payne and Manny’s story was so sweet, and the smexing was very hot! Loved it. When Manny was first in the books I suspected he was Butch’s father, just because he was a doctor and … oh, I dunno. The thought crossed my mind. But now that his background is out there I hope Ward does more with it. I would love to see him become … more. (Trying not to spoil, here.) 

I agree with some of the other reviews I’ve seen that say it’s more V’s story than Payne’s, but I didn’t mind that at all. I did feel a little squicky in the scene with Butch, but after a brief walk away I got through that chapter and realised it was necessary for the story to move forward. Ward knows what she’s doing, so I always have faith, even if I was really disappointed with V for a time.I think he’s still my favourite brother, though.

There wasn’t enough of the other characters for my liking. No Tohr (but I’m SO glad he will be the next book!) and not enough Quinn and Blay, but again I have faith that story will end how we all want it to. Ward also occasionally annoys me with her pet phrases; in this book she overused “kibbitz”, especially in the first part of the book, and at one point twice in one sentence! And if I had a dollar for every time she uses “peanut gallery” I would be very rich 🙂 I still love her, though, and am not sure how I will survive waiting a whole year for Tohr’s book. Let’s hope the novellas come out in the meantime.

My rating: 5/5. It’s the WARDen – I’m only ever gonna give it five stars!

Crave, by J.R.Ward

• Format: Kindle edition 480 pages
• Published: 05 October 2010
• Publisher: Signet Books

Back cover blurb:

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

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

My review:

As with all of J.R. Ward’s writing, I couldn’t put this book down. I know this Fallen Angel series is not as popular as the Black Dagger Brotherhood, but she still has managed to craft gripping, sexy storylines with characters you become invested in. The UST in this book is off the chart, and when Isaac and Grier finally got it together, well… there was one line in particular which may or may not have made me groan out loud. In a good way.

I realised early on in this second book that the bad guys would have to win half these battles, otherwise there would only be four books to the series and not seven – one for each deadly sin. So I’m willing to let the baddies have a few souls, so long as the guy gets the girl at the end.

The only reason I didn’t give this book five cupcakes is that I became confused about the title. “Crave” indicates lust, but surely the lust between Isaac and Grier was good? (It was good for me! *wink*) Devina said she craved Jim, but while that lust will drive future stories, it had little impact here. Mathias lusted revenge, power, even death. Maybe that was it. But ultimately, while this was a great read, I think maybe J.R. can do better next time. I’ll certainly be keen to read the next title, due out later this year, called Envy.

My rating: 4/5

Covet, by J.R. Ward

• Format: Paperback 496 pages

• Published: 01 October 2009

• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Back cover blurb:

Redemption isn’t a word Jim Heron knows much about – his specialty is revenge and, to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charged with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option.

Vin Di Pietro long ago gave himself up to his business – until fate intervenes in the form of a tough-talking, Harley-riding, self-professed saviour, and a woman who makes him question his destiny. With an ancient evil ready to claim him, Vin has to work with a fallen angel not only to win his beloved over… but to redeem his very soul.

My review:

After reading the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, I wasn’t sure whether her Fallen Angels series could possibly be as good, but I found myself absolutely riveted by this book.
I loved the subtle nods to the Brotherhood throughout, and Vin reminded me a lot of Rhev, which is certainly not a bad thing. Obviously this is going to be a series of seven books – one for each deadly sin – and I have already bought book 2.
J.R. Ward just owns me.

My rating: 5/5

The Monster (Price) At The End Of This Book

I recently had a bad experience buying a book from a local major retail chain, and it made me realise that I mostly shop online for a couple of very good reasons.

For two years now I have bought all my books through The Book Depository in the UK (let’s call it TBD for short). My husband discovered them after ordering some hardcover Tintin books through Amazon UK, only to discover they were being dispatched via the Book Depository. He looked up their website and found he could have got them cheaper buying directly, as the Book Depository offers free international shipping.

Their site has books I find hard to source here in New Zealand, and often has them earlier than we can get them. They are much cheaper and take about a week to arrive in my letterbox, which I find much more convenient than having to drive to town and pay $4 an hour for parking.

However, for my birthday my brother-in-law gave me a voucher for a major New Zealand book retailer, so I decided to use it two weeks ago to buy the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire.

I bought the first book, The Hunger Games, through the Book Depository for £5.42 ($NZ11.82), delivered to my door. Catching Fire was $NZ24.99, so I got no change from my $25 voucher. Sure, it was essentially free, but I had to pay my petrol and parking money.

However, it turned out to be a false economy when I reached page 234 and found it jumped to page 283 – 48 pages missing! As a result I couldn’t finish the book at the weekend and had to wait until last Monday to return the book to the store, meaning more petrol and parking money. The staff member happily replaced my copy with the last one they had in the store – its Wellington flagship on the Golden Mile of Lambton Quay – but it got me thinking about how I had never received a dud book from my online retailer.

I decided to conduct a quick price comparison in that store and along the Quay at the other major book retailer. Coincidentally, they are both owned by the same parent company, but often have vastly different stock.

Example 1: The Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. At the New Zealand stores, paperbacks are $NZ30.99 each. I bought Club Dead last month from the Book Depository for £4.53 ($NZ9.91).

The same book at Amazon US is $US7.99 plus a minimum $US9.98 shipping (total $NZ25.48) or the Kindle version is $US10.82 ($NZ15.34). At Amazon UK it is £3.97 plus a minimum £8.78 shipping (total $NZ27.89).

Example 2: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. Paperback in Wellington $NZ32.99.

TBD £5.99 ($NZ13.10).

Amazon US $US11.56 plus a minimum $US9.98 shipping ($NZ30.54) or Kindle $US14.40 ($NZ20.47).

Amazon UK £5.59 plus a minimum £8.78 shipping ($NZ31.43).

Example 3: Innocent, by Scott Turow. Hardback in Wellington $NZ43.99.

TBD £13.48 ($NZ29.48).

Amazon US $US18.47 plus a minimum $US9.98 shipping ($NZ40.43) or Kindle $US11.99 ($NZ17.04).

Amazon UK £9.00 plus a minimum £8.78 shipping ($NZ38.89).

Example 4: Dark Lover, by J.R. Ward. Paperback in Wellington $NZ24.99 at one store and $NZ26.99 at the other.

TBD £4.82 ($NZ10.54).

Amazon US $US7.99 plus a minimum $US9.98 shipping ($NZ25.54).

Amazon UK £5.00 plus a minimum £8.78 shipping ($NZ30.14).

Example 5: Dr Who: The Writer’s Tale – The Final Chapter, by Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook. Paperback took several months to get to New Zealand, where it retails for $NZ64.99.

I bought mine at Christmastime from TBD for £12.74 ($NZ27.87).

Not available from Amazon US, but Amazon UK £8.49 plus a minimum £8.78 shipping ($NZ37.77).

Example 6: A New Zealand author. The Jane Blonde girl spy book series for kids, by Jill Marshall. In New Zealand $NZ19.99 each.

TBD £5.39 ($NZ11.79).

Prices range on Amazon US between $US5.21 and $US8 plus a minimum $US9.98 shipping ($NZ21.59 to $NZ25.55). Kindle editions are $US7.90 ($NZ11.23).

Amazon UK between £1.00 and £4.99 plus a minimum £8.78 shipping ($NZ21.39 to $NZ30.12).

New Zealand book prices are expected to go up again on October 1 when GST rises from 12.5 percent to 15 percent.

Retailers are often in the news complaining about how their sector isn’t recovering from the recession, but when online retailers are vastly cheaper and so incredibly convenient it’s hard to see how the bricks and mortar bookstores can survive. With e-books starting to take off here too, there are even fewer reasons for me to shop on Lambton Quay.