"Waiting On" Wednesday: Iced

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This is my first time doing Waiting on Wednesday and it looks so cool that I guess I will just list what I'm seriously looking forward to! The book I've been waiting to read for a long time now is Iced by Karen Marie Moning!!!

Iced: A Dani O'Malley Novel (Fever World #1)
By: Karen Marie Moning
Expected publication: October 30th 2012


Summary:
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Karen Marie Moning comes the first book in her hotly anticipated new urban paranormal trilogy, set in the world of her blockbuster Fever series.

The year is 1 AWC—After the Wall Crash. The Fae are free and hunting us. It’s a war zone out there, and no two days are alike. I’m Dani O’Malley, the chaos-filled streets of Dublin are my home, and there’s no place I’d rather be.

Dani “Mega” O’Malley plays by her own set of rules—and in a world overrun by Dark Fae, her biggest rule is: Do what it takes to survive. Possessing rare talents and the all-powerful Sword of Light, Dani is more than equipped for the task. In fact, she’s one of the rare humans who can defend themselves against the Unseelie. But now, amid the pandemonium, her greatest gifts have turned into serious liabilities.

Dani’s ex–best friend, MacKayla Lane, wants her dead, the terrifying Unseelie princes have put a price on her head, and Inspector Jayne, the head of the police force, is after her sword and will stop at nothing to get it. What’s more, people are being mysteriously frozen to death all over the city, encased on the spot in sub-zero, icy tableaux.

When Dublin’s most seductive nightclub gets blanketed in hoarfrost, Dani finds herself at the mercy of Ryodan, the club’s ruthless, immortal owner. He needs her quick wit and exceptional skill to figure out what’s freezing Fae and humans dead in their tracks—and Ryodan will do anything to ensure her compliance.

Dodging bullets, fangs, and fists, Dani must strike treacherous bargains and make desperate alliances to save her beloved Dublin—before everything and everyone in it gets iced.

Dounimo Naranai Manga Review

Author: Kiriyu Kiyoi

Artist: Kiriyu Kiyoi
Genra: Hard Yaoi

Year: 2009

Original Publisher:

Frontier Works 

Volumes: 

  1 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary
Yosemine Takumi is a difficult student to handle. He's used to get what he wants by using his family's strength in school. The new Infirmary Nurse, Tsutsui, is determined to change all that. He's not going to let himself be bullied by Yosemine, or anyone else, after all these years. But Yosemine has fallen head-over-heels in love with Tsutsui-sensei and set the goal on owning the nurse for himself!

My Thoughts on the Manga

Yes this manga is a mature yaoi manga is a 18+ yaoi so if you haven't tried to read yaoi before I suggest not to start with this manga. As well as if you don't know what Yaoi means I reccomand looking it up so you don't have a heart attack hehe!

Wow it's been so long since I've read a very good manga with great plot line, great character design and great other things... If only there was more and it would have been even better.

Takumi is the bully of the school, because he is the directior's son he could get anyone in school either fired or expilled if he felt like it. It's because everyone stays away from him cause he is the directors son anyways, no one can stand up to him until he meets Tsutsui, the schools nurse. Takumi can be scary at times but other times he's really playful and childish. He gets happy really fast when it comes to Tsutsui.

Tsutsui is so relax and trusting he always has men hitting on him or trying to have their way with him. This is why he left his last job, he's cute and wants to help Takumi not to act mean towards teachers and students anymore. He even starts to fall in love with Takumi after a while.

It's a great plot with slow romance and great character development. I really do like the side story about Takumi's father and the person that works for him. I loved every moment of this manga and I'm sure you will too!


Design

Detailed work in the characters, the mangaka takes time in working on the hair of the characters and the clothes. She puts lots of work into them so your main focus is on the characters. The nurse is the guy with black hair while the delinquent student is the one with white long hair.







Overall
Great story and very addictive read, I recommend it to anyone who can handle yaoi manga.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

The Haunting at Blackwood Hall Blog Tour!

 The Haunting at Blackwood Hall

Author: Barrymore Tebbs
Genre: Historical fiction, Paranormal, Thriller, Romance, Suspense, Mystery
Publisher: self-published
Type: Ebook
Words: approx. 63,000

Purchase:
Amazon.com | Barnes and Noble

Summary

Blackwood Hall is a house shrouded in silence. Nine-year-old Alice Fenn communicates only through her music. Jonathan Fenn and his sister Judith guard a terrifying family secret. The servants refuse to discuss the mysterious disappearance of a former governess. A drawing room séance attempts to make contact with the spirit of Elizabeth Blackwood. And when a diabolic madman holds the residents of Blackwood Hall hostage to an insidious reign of terror, governess Claire Ashby finds herself in a living nightmare of drug addiction, pagan rituals, and murder.

In the tradition of the great Gothic Romances, The Haunting at Blackwood Hall is a thrilling ghost story brimming with bold new twists on the beloved conventions of a bygone era.

Excerpt:

It was early, but I felt myself growing sleepier by the moment. I hadn’t been given laudanum since I was a child, and the effects were completely foreign to me. My vision grew dim, and I found I could barely hold up my head. Alice, bless her heart, came to me and pecked me lightly on the cheek, then made an effort of drawing a blanket over me.

I fell into a strange and troubled sleep. I dreamed of a line of monks marching solemnly through the ruined abbey by moonlight. Their torches cast dancing shadows against the crumbling stone walls. Then, I saw a rider on horseback, a proud black stallion which I recognized as Nigel Kent’s mount, only the face of the rider was an ugly, twisted visage like the face on Alice’s doll. Alice was there as well, and her mother came and took her by the hand and the two of them disappeared behind a stone arch and Alice was lost to me forever.

I struggled up from the nightmare and looked about the room. Alice was asleep and the fire had died down low. It must have been the dead of night. But I distinctly heard the sound of the door handle turning, and when the person on the other side of the door realized it was locked, the handle began to shake and rattle so loudly and with such force I thought the door would be torn asunder.

“Stop it! Stop it!” I yelled, and with great difficulty I hauled myself from the bed. The moment I was on my feet the shaking of the door ceased abruptly. I went to the door and laid my ear against it. I listened for a moment, but heard neither dog nor man on the other side of the door.

Satisfied that what I had heard was only a figment of my imagination, or the remnants of that horrid nightmare clinging tenaciously to my mind, I turned to go back to bed…
…And distinctly heard the sound of footsteps running down the hall.
 
Author:

Barrymore Tebbs is a photographer and writer living in Cincinati, Ohio. His writing draws on a long Gothic tradition from the cult TV classic Dark Shadows and Hammer Films, to 20th Century Gothic writers known for deep psychological undercurrents such as Shirley Jackson, Daphne Du Maurier, and Thomas Tryon, to create the Psychological Gothic, all served with a liberal dose of black humor. Very black.  He is the author of Night of the Pentagram, The Yellow Scarf, and the psychological thriller Black Valentines.

Blog/Website | Facebook

Book Trailer

Gray Moon Rising by S.M. Reine Review

Gray Moon Rising
(Seasons of the Moon #4) 

Author: S.M. Reine    

ISBN: 1937733203 (ISBN13: 9781937733209)

Release Date:  June 3rd 2012
Format : ebook

Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal,
Fantasy
Series: Seasons of the Moon #4

Summary
It’s been almost a year since Rylie Gresham was bitten by a werewolf on Gray Mountain. Now something is beckoning her back to the place she was attacked, along with every other werewolf in the world. But they aren’t the only ones heeding the call. A group of hunters notices them gathering and sees it as their chance to wipe out the entire species.

Seth is about to graduate high school when he learns of the final hunt. He secretly plans to save Rylie and his werewolf brother even though he has to play along with the hunters to do it. But Rylie doesn’t want to be saved. She’s already decided to solve her problems with a silver bullet if answers aren’t waiting on Gray Mountain.

One way or another, everything is about to end—whether it means Rylie’s liberation or the end of her life…

My Thoughts on the Book

WARNING!! This is a review of the LAST book in this series. May contain some spoilers!

This final book of the series was fantastic! I couldn’t believe how it ended, and I’m quite happy with the ending that was given. There was a lot of struggles to make it to have a happy ending, but I do wish that the series was a little longer. 

Rylie really grows through the series. As the series progressed, Rylie had grown to hate her wolf. In this last book, she has reached a deep depression over what she is. From the moment she first became a werewolf, she has not enjoyed it. However, with the help of her boyfriend Seth, it has been liveable till now. In the past, as she struggled to control her werewolf, she had tried running from him, but Seth still cares for her and will always love her. By the end though dispite all that has happen she learns to accept who and what she is.

Seth doesn’t think of himself as a hunter in this book, due to his relationship with Rylie. He can’t stand the thought of harming werewolves. His dedication for Rylie extends as far as him going with the hunters with the purpose of trying to stop them. However, his mother is along the hunters, it’s dangerous for both Rylie and Abel, his brother. 

Abel is actually a lot nicer in this book then in the previous books. It made me like him a lot more and wish he had his own book so I can see if he finds someone to love him. He does help Rylie a lot in this book, by keeping her calm when she starts to lose control, and also keeps her safe from the hunters. He’s a really great guy and I wish there was more of him.

This book series isn’t all flowers and happiness. It's about being a wolf and having a curse, a curse that could cause the wolves to hurt people. Something is calling every werewolf in the world to Gray Mountain. They have all been having strange dreams and they need to get to that place. This book I found better then the others for all the action it has in it as well as guessing what’s going to happen to Rylie and Abel as they try to escape from the hunters who are trying to wipe out ever werewolf there. Not to mention a little mistake Abel says about Seth that causes Rylie to doubt her boyfriend. 

You will enjoy this last book of the series as much as I have believe me it’s well worth it being the last book, making you wish there was more.

Rating 

5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Sora Log Manga Review

Author: Mitsuki Kako

Artist: Mitsuki Kako
Genra: Comedy, Drama, Romance,
School Life, Shoujo

Year: 2008

Original Publisher:

Shogakukan

Volumes: 

  4 Volume (Complete)

 Licensed (in English)

No

English Publisher

Summary
Our protagonist, Hikaru, is a member of the astronomy club at her school. On one beautiful starry night, she encounters a tall boy with blonde hair that looks almost white. However, he turns out to be...?!

My Thoughts on the Manga
This is just so very cute, I enjoyed every moment of this manga. I don't see why people get upset about memory loss, I think it just adds to the story making it more interesting about finding out the past between characters.

Hikaru is such a kind person and a little clumsy at times. She takes the time to get to know people, through out the story you may think she's a little slow when she thinks everyone around her is nice people. This is why she's so cute when she firsts meet the Blond hair boy Asou. She hears everyone talk bad about him but the thing is he's just not understood and she sees this and wants to get to know him. Even though he tries to push Hikaru away quite a few times she doesn't care and keeps coming to him. Eventually she even falls in love with the quite boy with bad rumors about him.

Asou isn't understood by most people, he is always a loner because he doesn't think it's worth trying to explain to people he isn't like what the rumors say about him. He then meets Hikaru by her bumping into him late one night. He catches her and calls Hikaru "Weird". Even though he disperatly tries to keep Hikaru away she doesn't stay away and soon he can't help but starts to fall for the weird girl crying up at the stars that one night. Soon even though he's quite Hikaru understands him and he starts to trust her.

It took time before these two got together which I like. It took a while for Asou to trust Hikaru enough to let her stay by his side. Then slowly over time the develop feelings towards each other and even over come some obstacles. These two are just so cute together I'm sure you will love to read this manga.

The plot is mostly about those two learning to be with each other and then learning about a past that has been forgotten by Hikaru. Hikaru doesn't remember anything from when she was four years old but her brother does and he starts to try to keep Asou away from Hikaru. While this was going Asou Sister in Law is also trying to keep Hikaru away from Asou because she wants him to go back to playing the piano and she things that Hikaru would stop this from happening. You will see these two grow closer together and grow to trust each other more and more.

Design
I'm putting to Images because I just fine this manga to cute to not show the style of the author's drawings. She puts tones of detail into the hair and clothes that the characters wear. The eyes are also like most shojo eyes which draws you in. I ove how the characters look showing how sweet and cute they are. Not to mention how good looking Asou is in the manga.

    

Overall
If your looking for a cute story with a great background story I highly suggest reading this manga. You will get sad and happy at the same time at how cute Hikaru is and how kind she is.

Rating
5 out of 5 Howling Wolves

Storm Book Tour

Storm

Author: Bernard Lee Deleo

Release Date:  October 18th 2011
Format : ebook

Summary
FBI blackmailed Storm Crandall; but only after Storm hacked their database. At sixteen, she’s under cover at a high school, looking for clues involving five missing girls. Besides computer skills, Storm has game in the magic department. A sect of the Temple of Set soon finds out power comes in many guises.

With two FBI agents posing as her parents in the city of Warren, Ohio, Storm finds love, allies, and tragedy in her hunt for answers. By fulfilling her end of the bargain, Storm can buy her way out of spending the days until her eighteenth birthday in a juvenile detention facility.

Storm’s FBI handlers discover their young charge can do more than type fast. Their first encounter with the creature behind the disappearances shows the agents they need Storm for far more than information gathering as a high school spy.

Teaming up with an enigmatic young man attending classes with her, Storm begins unraveling a horror no one anticipated. When the case morphs from serial kidnapping into a supernatural witch hunt, Storm and her friends, under the guidance of the FBI agents, scramble to stay alive while tracking down monsters, both human and inhuman. '

Review
This book was real interesting, from the characters to the plot line. Things happen that I didn't expect it to happy the way it did and just the overall feel of the book kept me reading till the end.
 

Our main character Storm has a really unique name for a character in a book. First time I’ve seen one in a story so it caught my attention right away when I read the summary. For being a new kid for a week she has already made friends with a couple different people and it started by talking to one person in particular which is Logan. There is one problem I found with this character it’s that For one character, she has too many nicknames. It becomes frustrating keeping track of them all. Even Storm is frustrated by all the nicknames she has:

“I‟m going to forget what my name is if I stay around this place much longer,” Storm muttered, hanging up the phone.

Sure, people have nicknames, but usually only by a small group of close friends and family. They don’t get a nickname from everyone they meet.

The side characters all work together to make the story work. Logan with his background in the army did well in helping Storm when she needed it. Not to mention that he really is a good guy despite what people think due to his scars. As for the FBI agents they are both a good laugh, there names are Ted and Janet but Storm loves to make fun of Janet and call her Scully from X-files. They both know how to do their job and how to stay undercover until the need to present themselves came around. Then you have the four other girls, which are Tracy, who Storm met and talk to first becoming quick friends. Then you have the three silly girls Carol, Chris and Nancy, the reason they are silly is because they went to the park where the killings happen by themselves.

I had one problem that I found a little surprising in this story. Storm and Logan only began talking a week after Storm moved to the school, and somehow after the event in the forest, they turn from just being friends to being something more when Logan kissed Storm. Yes, there was some attraction between the two of them, but that kiss was too fast. It seems like the author wanted the romance to happen right away, placing it in the beginning of the book rather then the middle or end. The focus up to that point was on the monster of the park. This romance appears out of left field. At this point in the book (page 104 of 213), Storm's only had friends for two days after being at the school for a week, and now suddenly she has a boyfriend. Yes, this is a fantasy book, but that's not what happens in a real high school situation.

I did enjoy the plot, it was interesting but a bit to predictable. I was never surprised by anything that happen. Not to mention that it had a lot of let down scenes, where you expect something bad to happen but something else always stops it before it does happen. Besides that I could tell that the author did plan it out the best she could for what felt like a short story. Oh, one thing did surprise me, I never clued in on there being actually witches in this story so I did like that twist.

Rating

3 out of 5 Howling Wolves

The Grave Artist Book Tour! + Giveaway!

The Grave Artist

Author Paula Lynn Johnson
ASIN: B007JZT5A0
Release Date: March 14th 2012
Genra: Paranormal, Young Adult

Summary

16-year-old Clare can't stop drawing the bizarre, winged skulls she calls "Sammies". Her psychiatrist assumes the compulsive drawings are just expressions of Clare's grief over her father abandoning her. But then Clare discovers that her Sammies are exact matches for the Death's Head on the grave of Samantha Forsythe, a teen who reportedly fell to her death over two centuries ago.

Before long, Clare's drawings morph into cryptic writings that urge her to uncover the truth behind Samantha's death. Together with Neil -- the friend she might be falling for -- Clare scours the local history for clues. She finds that, although Samantha was engaged to a wealthy landowner, there were whispered rumors of her involvement with a younger, biracial man.

Soon, Clare is haunted by disturbing dream images -- a mysterious eye, a broken chain -- that point to someone Samantha called her "Dearest". But who is Dearest? And why does Samantha need Clare to find him so badly?

Isolated and carrying hidden scars of her own, Clare fears her obsession with Samantha will threaten her sanity and safety. But it seems she has no choice in the matter . . .

The Grave Artist is a compelling paranormal murder mystery and a poignant story about loss and what it means thrive in a less-than-perfect reality.

AUTHOR BIO

Paula Lynn Johnson loves a good ghost story. She's a former English major and attorney living in central New Jersey with her husband, kids, cat, dog, and killer rabbit. She adores them all, even the killer rabbit.

Paula also loves a good laugh! You can read her short, humorous pieces on sites like The Big Jewel and Errant Parent, or on her blog, Twaddle Like a Duck.

When she's not writing, Paula sells antiques and art out of Lambertville, NJ. You can visit her online at Tiny's Lambertville.

website www.thegraveartist.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheGraveArtist

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5805705.Paula_Lynn_Johnson

Now for the Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway