Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

No one knows the dark desires of the soul better than #1 New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton. In Guilty Pleasures, she introduces Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. Anita's small, dark, and dangerous. But when the city's most powerful vampire comes to her for help, Anita is faced with her greatest fear--a man capable of arousing in her a hunger strong enough to match his own...

"Why should it surprise me that I was alive?...

There on the right side of my neck was the real thing...

Tiny, diminutive fang marks. Nikolaos [had] contaminated me...

I bet she thought I'd be scared of her. She was right on that.

But I spend most of my waking hours confronting and destroying things that I fear. A thousand-year-old master vampire was a tall order, but a girl's got to have a goal."

Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, book one) by Laurell K. Hamilton

Start date: December 18, 2014

End state: December 19, 2014

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Content warning: torture, sexual violence

The only reason the Anita Blake series made it on my reading challenge list was because of the rumors I had heard about the books. I’ve always been told that Laurell K. Hamilton writes graphic, detailed sex scenes. I was embarrassed the first time I ever read a story in which characters engaged in sexual acts, but I’ve come a long way since then. Now I love a well described sexual encounter and pray for them in the novels in which the characters have sizzling chemistry. I put the first book in the Anita Blake series on my list so I could try out the series to see if I liked it. After finishing the entire Hush, Hush series within the past three days (you heard read me right—I binged), I needed a satisfying sex scene to alleviate all that tension so I turned to the author I heard so much about. I won’t ruin the Hush, Hush series for anyone but if you’re looking for something steamy, you might want to look away from young adult novels. Silly me for not accounting for the target audience in my expectations of the books. Never again!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

A sacred oath, a fallen angel, a forbidden love

When Nora and Patch are forced together as lab partners, Nora would rather fall to her death than put up with his elusive answers to her questions, his teasing, and his infuriatingly handsome face and hypnotizing eyes. It seems Patch was put on earth just to drive her crazy.

But before long, Nora’s defenses start to break down as her curiosity about Patch heats up. Why does he always seem to be wherever she is and know exactly what she’s thinking? How does he know what to say to both attract and repulse her? And what is up with those V-shaped scars on his chiseled back?

As their connection grows stronger, Nora’s own life becomes increasingly fragile. Nora needs to decide: Is Patch the one who wants to do her harm or the one who will keep her safe? Has she fallen for one of the fallen?

Becca Fitzpatrick’s New York Times bestselling debut is a page-turning leap into the unknown world of fallen angels. Do you have someone to catch you?

Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, book one) by Becca Fitzpatrick 

Start date: December 15, 2014

End date: December 16, 2014

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I have a confession to make, beautiful internet people. I'm a sucker for fallen angels. Any time I see a novel, short story, movie, or whatever about fallen angels, I have to read/watch it. If the surges in popularity of movies and books about vampires, werewolves, and zombies are indicative of anything it's that I'm not alone in my obsession with certain paranormal creatures. Some people can't turn down a book about magicians, I can't turn down a book about angels—especially fallen angels. If I knew the reason, I probably wouldn't be blabbing about it to the whole wide world but I don't. And I'll live in that ignorance for a while, okay? 

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

With scorching-hot tension and high-octane humor, First Grave on the Right is your signpost to paranormal suspense of the highest order.

This whole grim reaper thing should come with a manual.

Or a diagram of some kind.

A flowchart would have been nice.

Charley Davidson is a part-time private investigator and full-time grim reaper. Meaning, she sees dead people. Really. And it's her job to convince them to "go into the light." But when these very dead people have died under less than ideal circumstances (like murder), sometimes they want Charley to bring the bad guys to justice. Complicating matters are the intensely hot dreams she's been having about an entity who has been following her all her life...and it turns out he might not be dead after all. In fact, he might be something else entirely. But what does he want with Charley? And why can't she seem to resist him? And what does she have to lose by giving in?

First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, book one) by Darynda Jones

Start date: Thursday, August 14, 2014

End date: Sunday, August 17, 2014

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

             Let me say that the only time I've read a book faster than this book was when I read The Hunger Games trilogy in less than two days. I didn't eat, sleep or go to the bathroom until I finished reading all about Katniss Everdeen and Panem. That being said, I finished First Grave on the Right in two, three-hour sessions before bed. I’m making that number up because it’s been over two months since I read the book and I couldn’t possibly remember exactly how many hours I spent reading it but I do know I finished it in two nightly sessions. (Side note: I mainly read before going to bed. It puts me in the mood to sleep and it’s a good wind down from the rest of my day. You should try it sometime if you haven’t before.) I have to admit this book was addicting. I had such a hard time putting it down so I ended up staying up later than I wanted to just so I could find out what happened next.

Update 9/15

I feel like I owe my loyal readers (all one of you) an explanation as to why I haven't posted a book review in over a month. Lots of heavy life stuff has been happening these past few weeks and that's about as descriptive as I'm going to be at this time. I have finished reading First Grave on the Right by Darnyda Jones but as of right now, I can't access the book so I can't write the review. I know what you're thinking. Why do you need the book to write the review? You've already read it! If you've read my reviews before, which I would assume you have, then you know I like to cite quotes from the book to support my opinions. Without the copy of the book, I have to rely on my memory, which is a very bad thing. Everything should be back to normal within the next week, so, hopefully, fingers crossed, I get the book review for First Grave out in a week.

See you guys then!

Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell

Lily Ivory is not your average witch. Her spell-casting powers tend to draw mischievous spirits while keeping normal humans at a distance. But now her vintage store could give her a chance to make friends in San Francisco.

Lily hopes for a normal life when she opens Aunt Cora's Closet. With her magical knack for vintage fashion—she can sense vibrations of the past from clothing to jewelry—her store becomes a big hit. 

But when a client is murdered and children start disappearing from the Bay Area. Lily may be the only one who can unravel the crime. She tries to keep her identity a secret while investigating, but it's not that easy—especially under the spells of sexy "myth buster" Max Carmichael and powerful witch Aidan Rhodes. Will Lily's witchy ways be forced out of the closet?

Secondhand Spirits (Witchcraft Mystery, book one) by Juliet Blackwell

Start date: Friday, July 25, 2014

End date: Sunday, July 27, 2014

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

First things first, I love the cover of this novel. Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t pay much attention to the cover of a book when deciding whether to read it and that was the case when I decided on Secondhand Spirits. However, it would be wrong of me not to point out that the cover has glitter. Raised, sparkly mist surrounds the woman in pink to imply an overflowing amount of magic within her. But now that I’m looking at it again, I could see how someone might confuse the wispy smoke with a bad odor or extremely nasty gas.

Still. Glitter.

Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson

From Just-Laid-Off Secretary to Queen of the Undead… 

It's been a helluva week for Betsy Taylor. First, she loses her job. Then, to top things off, she's killed in a car accident. But what really bites (besides waking up in the morgue dressed in a pink suit and cheap shoes courtesy of her stepmother) is that she can't seem to stay dead. Every night she rises, with a horrible craving for blood. She's not taking too well to a liquid diet. 

Worst of all, her new friends have the ridiculous idea that Betsy is the prophesied vampire queen, and they want her help in overthrowing the most obnoxious, power-hungry vampire in five centuries—a badly dressed Bela Lugosi wannabe, natch. Frankly, Betsy couldn’t care less about vamp politics, but they have a powerful weapon of persuasion: designer shoes. How can any self-respecting girl say no? But a collection of Ferragamos isn’t the only temptation for Betsy. It’s just a lot safer than the scrumptious Sinclair—a seductive bloodsucker whose sexy gaze seems as dangerous as a stake through the heart…

Undead and Unwed (Queen Betsy, book one) by MaryJanice Davidson

Start date: Tuesday, July 8, 2014

End date: Friday, July 11, 2014

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

            When the novel begins, Elizabeth "Betsy" Taylor is already (un)dead. The day before her death unfolds in that she is late for work, fixes the copy machine for her incompetent coworkers, and chases after her cat who is stuck in snow on the other side of the road. A truck hits her while she crosses the street and her body slams into a tree, killing her. She wakes up in a funeral parlor dressed in a tacky, pink power suit and her stepmother's last year, knock-off designer shoes. It's her mission to recover her designer shoes from her stepmother, which she does within the first forty pages, and then the rest of the novel is focused on other vampires mixing her up in their politics. 

2014 Paranormal Reading Challenge Book List

I've requested these books or put them on my wish list over at PaperBackSwap. They're sorted into the categories as prescribed by the reading challenge but they're in no particular order beyond that. I'll be reading the books in the order they arrive in. If you have any questions or suggestions of other books I should check out, feel free to leave a comment.

Can't Wait For Those New Releases – Read books released in 2014

1. Ghouls Rush In (Peyton Clark, book one) by H.P. Mallory
2. Darkest Flame (Dark Kings, book one) by Donna Grant
3. Night Owls (Night Owls, book one) by Lauren M. Roy
4. Free Agent (Grimm Agency, book one) by J. C. Nelson
5. Written in Red (The Others, book one) by Anne Bishop

Flesh & Blood – Read books that feature either zombies or vampires

1. Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, book one) by Richelle Mead 
2. Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs (Jane Jameson, book one) by Molly Harper 
3. Dead End Dating (Dead End Dating, book one) by Kimberly Raye 
4. Undead and Unwed (Queen Betsey, book one) by MaryJanice Davidson 
5. Real Vampires Have Curves (Glory St. Clair, book one) by Gerry Bartlett

Third Time's the Charm – Read books that are part of a trilogy, are the third book in a series, or have the number three in the title

1. A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, book one) by Libba Bray 
2. A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, book one) by Deborah Harkness 
3. Switched (Trylle Trilogy, book one) by Amanda Hocking 
4. Poison Study (Study, book one) by Maria V. Snyder 
5. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments, book one) by Cassandra Clare

That Old Black Magic – Read books that have a main character who uses magic in some form (i.e. witches, warlocks, etc.)

1. Sex and the Psychic Witch (Triplet Witch Trilogy, book one) by Annette Blair 
2. 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover (Witches Academy, book one) by Linda Wisdom 
3. Dead Girls Are Easy (Nicki Styx, book one) by Terri Garey 
4. Secondhand Spirits (A Witchcraft Mystery, book one) by Juliet Blackwell 
5. Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, book one) by Devon Monk

Once Upon a Time – Read books that have fae, elves, goblins or fairies as characters or are a fairy tale retelling or other novel reimagining with paranormal elements (i.e. Cinder, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Fables graphic novels, etc.)

1. While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell 
2. Entwined by Heather Dixon 
3. Strands of Bronze and Gold (Strands of Bronze and Gold, book one) by Jane Nickerson 
4. The Woodcutter by Kate Danley 
5. Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty, book one) by Rosamund Hodge

Interspecies Love – Read books that have a couple who are of different species (human and vampire, shifter and vampire, etc.)

1. Wicked Game (WVMP Radio, book one) by Jeri Smith-Ready 
2. Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, book one) by Patricia Briggs 
3. Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, book one) by Karen Chance 
4. Pleasure Unbound (Demonica, book one) by Larissa Ione 
5. My Soul to Take (Soul Screamers, book one) by Rachel Vincent

Days of Yesteryear – Read books that were either published or take place before 2004. Steampunk, paranormal alternative history or historical are okay

1. Soulless (Alexia Tarabotti, book one) by Gail Carriger 
2. Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, book one) by Laurell K. Hamilton 
3. Harm None (Rowan Gant Investigation, book one) by M. R. Sellars 
4. Moonshine (Zephyr Hollis, book one) by Alaya Johnson 
5. A Breath of Frost (Lovegrove Legacy, book one) by Alyxandra Harvey

Beefcake – Read books that have a male author, a male lead character or Fabio-esque six-pack god gracing the cover

1. A Quick Bite (Argeneau Vampires, book one) by Lynsay Sands 
2. Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna Dressed in Blood, book one) by Kendare Blake 
3. Storm Front (The Dresden Files, book one) by Jim Butcher 
4. Blackbirds (Miriam Black, book one) by Chuck Wendig 
5. Hotter After Midnight (The Midnight Trilogy, book one) by Cynthia Eden

The Kids are All Right – Read books that are of the young adult genre or have predominant characters who are children/teens

1. Fallen (Fallen, book one) by Lauren Kate 
2. Hush, Hush (Hush, Hush, book one) by Becca Fitzpatrick 
3. Marked (House of Night, book one) by P. C. Cast 
4. White is for Magic (Blue is for Nightmares, book two) by Laurie Faria Stolarz 
5. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Monster Mash – Read books that have a monster in the title (vampire, zombie, werewolf, etc.)

1. Succubus in the City (Lilith “Lily” Ad-Hzar, book one) by Nina Harper 
2. Forever Fae (Forever Fae, book one) by L. P. Dover 
3. What’s a Ghoul to Do? (Ghost Hunter, book one) by Victoria Laurie 
4. Nightwalker (Dark Days, book one) by Jocelynn Drake 
5. Demons Not Included (Night Tracker, book one) by Cheyenne McCray

Hungry Like the Wolf – Read books that have a main character who is a werewolf

1. A Werewolf in Manhattan (Wild About You, book one) by Vicki Lewis Thompson 
2. Full Blooded (Jessica McClain, book one) by Amanda Carlson 
3. Wolf Six’s Salvation by Krista Lakes 
4. Blood Law (Blood Moon Trilogy, book one) by Karin Tabke 
5. Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, book one) by Carrie Vaughn

Not in Kansas Anymore – Read books that take place in real cities that are now different (i.e. Chicagoland Vampire series, St. Louis from the Anita Blake books, etc.)

1. Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, book one) by Chloe Neill 
2. Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows, book one) by Kim Harrison 
3. Hell’s Belles (Hell on Earth, book one) by Jackie Kessler 
4. High Stakes (Vegas Vampires, book one) by Erin McCarthy 
5. Discount Armageddon (InCryptid, book one) by Seanan McGuire

You're the One Who I Haunt – Read books that have ghosts, haunted buildings, or psychics/mediums in them. Non-fiction is okay

1. Truly, Madly (Lucy Valentine, book one) by Heather Webber 
2. Texas Gothic (Texas Gothic, book one) by Rosemary Clement-Moore 
3. The Restorer (Graveyard Queen, book one) by Amanda Stevens 
4. Witch Way to Murder (Ophelia and Abby, book one) by Shirley Damsgaard 
5. First Grave on the Right (Charley Davidson, book one) by Darynda Jones

You’re Number One – Read books that are the first in a series or that contain the number one in the title

1. One With the Night by Susan Squires 
2. One Bite With a Stranger (The Others, book one) by Christine Warren 
3. Date Me, Baby, One More Time (Immortally Sexy, book one) by Stephanie Rowe 
4. Easy Bake Coven (Easy Bake Coven, book one) by Liz Schulte 
5. How to Lose a Demon in 10 Days (How to…in 10 Days, book one) by Saranna DeWylde 

Pleased to Meet You, Hope You Guessed My Name – Read books by authors you haven't read before or who share your name (first, middle or last)

1. Sleeping with the Fishes (Fred the Mermaid, book one) by Mary Janice Davidson 
2. A Girl’s Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones, book one) by Katie MacAlister 
3. Alpha Instinct (Moon Shifter, book one) by Katie Reus 
4. The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz 
5. Stray (Shifters, book one) by Rachel Vincent

Paranormal Law & Order – Read books where the main character is in some form of law enforcement or crime detection (cops, CSIs, detectives, private investigators, etc.)

1. Night Life (Nocturne City, book one) by Caitlin Kittredge 
2. Urban Shaman (The Walker Papers, book one) by C. E. Murphy 
3. Grave Sight (Harper Connelly Mysteries, book one) by Charlaine Harris 
4. Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye (Psychic Eye Mysteries, book one) by Victoria Laurie 
5. Dead is the New Black (Dead is, book one) by Marlene Perez 

It's Time to Put the Rubber to the Pavement

Here's the deal, beautiful internet people. Last month, I ran across a reading challenge on Paperbackswap tailored to people who prefer to read books in the paranormal genre. (You can find it here.) I only just recently made an account on PaperBackSwap and if you don't know what that website is, let me enlighten you briefly. You post books you have that you don't want anymore and other people post books they don't want anymore. You request books you want to read and other people request books they want to read. Somewhere in between, other people get your books and you get other people's books. You pay the postage (average of $2.69 at USPS) for the books you send out and other people pay the postage for your books. It's as simple as that.

Back to the reading challenge. The challenge officially began January 1, 2014 and ends December 31, 2014 (I assume). I realize that we're more than halfway through the year but I decided I would don the challenge anyway. There are seventeen categories (plus three bonus categories) that the paranormal books are sorted into this year from That Old Black Magic to Flesh and Blood. The goal is to read one to five books in each category by the deadline. You can receive a bronze, silver, gold, diamond or platinum status per category depending on how many books you read—bronze is one book and platinum is five books. If you read fifteen out of the total twenty categories, you become a champion. The awards are fictitious but the books are not.

I decided I’ll be attempting to read five books in all seventeen categories. I’ve started this blog to document my progress and provide reviews for the books that I read. Feel free to join me if you're so inclined. I'd love to hear about your progress!

So stick around, party folks, and enjoy the ride.