Angieville

I can't quit Jennifer Echols . Not that I really try that hard, but I read her new ones and often feel as though I'm still searching for that one in possession of that certain something that will make me feel the way  Going Too Far did. Like I couldn't put it it down. And definitely like I didn't hate either of the main characters after the fact. Well, I found it with Such a Rush . I read this 300+ pager in a single night, which clears up the question of whether or not I couldn't put it down. And I finished it definitely not hating either of the main characters. I didn't finish it loving them both unreservedly, though. I loved Leah with my whole heart from page one and that never changed. My feelings regarding one of the Hall brothers remain complicated. More to come on this in a bit. On a side note, I'm delighted that Such a Rush is Ms. Echols' hardcover debut. It's a meticulously designed book, a pleasure to hold in my hands as I stayed up way ...

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted here at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out-of-print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! I discovered Sharon Shinn through the fabulous  Archangel --the first book in her Samaria series. I was instantly smitten and plowed my way through that series quick like a bunny. I'm pretty sure I picked up Summers at Castle Auburn while waiting for the fifth Samaria book to come out. I knew it was YA and much more traditional fantasy (also no sci fi), but honestly I was just sort of making time, if you will. I wasn't expecting that much. You know how you find a new author via a series that just steals your heart, and after devouring it in its entirety you're simultaneously dying for more but so afraid the author's other books won't hold the same shine that those first ones do? Sometimes yo...

Once again I fall prey to the hype monster. Coming off the high of Easy and the complicated mess of the aptly-named  Beautiful Disaster , I ran smack-dab into Pushing the Limits . Fairly ecstatic reviews on GoodReads piqued my interest, and before long the little click button on NetGalley was calling my name. I think I was hoping for something along the lines of the fun that I had reading  Perfect Chemistry for the first time. Maybe Going Too Far .  Upon further perusal, it certainly looked like there would be added personal drama on both sides and that hinted-at mystery aspect encouraged me even more. Perhaps it would be a touch . . . complicated. This is Katie McGarry 's first novel, and so I had no idea what the writing would be like. These expectations in mind, I downloaded it to my Nook and dug right in. Echo Emerson is back at school and thinking she should possibly be anywhere but. After the "incident," she dropped off the face of the planet. Now, after coun...

Though I read and very much enjoyed the Ilona Andrews  Andrea & Raphael novella in Must Love Hellhounds , I somehow never got around to reading the Hexed anthology. This was tragic on several levels, mainly because the Andrews novella included in that volume was the Jim and Dali story. I have been salivating over those two for what feels like forever now, anxiously crossing my fingers they would get their own book. And yet its inclusion in that antho somehow escaped my knowledge. This is why I got all giddy when Magic Dreams  was re-released last week, this time as an e-special. My nook and I clasped our hands in joy and then set about curling up together with one seriously gruff werejaguar and one smartypants weretiger. I've been extremely curious as to Jim's actual feelings on the small-package-good-things-come-in Dali, so it was with absolute relish that I devoured this 86-page treat. The alpha of Clan Cat and leader of the Beast Lord's security force is a force...

Despite being underwhelmed by Cinder 's ending (or utter lack thereof), I am interested to see where Marissa Meyer goes with Scarlet --the next installment in the Lunar Chronicles. It's hard for me to stay away from some good young adult scifi. Pair that with a fairy tale retelling (this time Little Red Riding Hood), and I'm gonna be picking up that book. I mean, the character of Wolf is a street fighter. How cool is that?! This cover is also sort of delightful. I love how it matches the cover of Cinder , and I love the font, swirling cape, smoke, etc. The skinny arm is creeping me out a little bit, but all in all I'm excited to read this sequel. Scarlet is due out February 5th.