Various ARCs Giveaway #5

I'm giving away the following ARCs...

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Team Human by Justine Larbalestier and Sarah Rees Brennan

Tempest by Julie Cross

...to ONE winner! This giveaway is US only and ends August 7. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter. :)

Review: Liquid Lies by Hanna Martine

Title: Liquid Lies (The Elementals, #1)
Author: Hanna Martine
Pages: 368
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
Release Date: July 3, 2012

Magic is corporate America’s best-kept secret, and Gwen Carroway is superior at selling it ...

Gwen possesses the unique ability to pick up any language in an instant—a power that will globally expand the profitable family business. As dutiful future leader of her race of water elementals, she'll do anything to protect her people's secrets and bloodlines—including enter an arranged marriage. Inside, however, she yearns for forbidden human men.

Reed is a mercenary addicted to the money and adrenaline rush of his work. After he inadvertently saves Gwen's life, he ignites her taboo desire for men without magic—and with bodies of gods. Just as things heat up, Reed discovers that Gwen is exactly who he’s been hired to kidnap. He resolves to put work before lust, yet her luscious beauty and fiery spirit unravel him…

But there is a terrible truth behind Gwen’s family business—and now, caught between the kinsmen she no longer trusts and an enemy bent on vengeance, the only ally she has is her abductor…

My Thoughts: Liquid Lies is about a Secondary, an Ofarian, named Gwen Carroway. It's her story of growth and finding the strength to help and protect the lives of others. And also, following her heart no matter what she has been told to believe her entire life. Through it all she falls in love with the dangerous, alluring Primary or human known as Reed Scott, who helps her along the way even though the secrets between them threaten to break the connection they share.

There was something about Liquid Lies that made it seem a little different, in a good way, from other paranormal romances I've read. Maybe it's because Gwen and Reed met and were attracted to each other before Reed found out he had to kidnap her, which made their interactions afterwards tense and exciting. It helped that they had interesting and likeable personalities. Or maybe it was because I thought the history between and about the enemy alien races of Ofarians and Tedrans was fascinating and even heartbreaking. Whatever it was, it was easy to become absorbed into the story.

Another thing I appreciated about the book was that some of secondary characters really stood out, but at the same time, managed not to take the spotlight entirely from Gwen and Reed. One was Genesai, another was Griffin (who I thought would get annoying, but actually, I ended up sympathizing for him. I hope that he'll eventually get his own story with a happy ending!). The secondary character that mainly stood out for me was Xavier, a Tedran. He truly shined in the novel, and I couldn't help but to take notice. There was so much depth to him. It wasn't hard to feel for him, to see how much the trauma he's had to endure affected him greatly. I wanted to comfort him! I'm so glad to know the next book in the series, A Taste of Ice, is about Xavier. And just from the sneak peek at the end of Liquid Lies, I know I'm going to like that book.

Liquid Lies was definitely a promising start to The Elementals series, and I'm looking forward to reading more. Thank you to the author and Goodreads for the chance to read Liquid Lies!

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Review: Sanctum by Sarah Fine

Title: Sanctum (Guards of the Shadowlands, #1)
Author: Sarah Fine
Pages: 433
Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing
Release Date: October 16, 2012

"My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple."

A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos's best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance – hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn't just anyone – she's determined to save her best friend's soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.

As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she's captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city's endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn't – the dark city isn't the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.

My Thoughts: I love the feeling of going into a novel, not knowing what to expect, and realizing right away that I'm going to like it. And that as I get further in the story keeps getting better and better, and that once I'm done I just want more people to know about the book and to read it too! Sanctum was that type of read for me. The characters were multilayered and extremely likeable, the world was fascinating, and the story made it hard to stop reading. I can easily say that it is one of my top five favorite books this year! I'm so excited to read the next book in this series.

"Welcome to Suicide Gates!"

Those words and the frightening, otherworldly city where she first heard them have haunted Lela ever since she tried to end her life two years ago. Lela knows that place is where she could have ended up if she had died, but she doesn't realize how true that is until her best friend Nadia commits suicide. Lela starts having nightmares, visions, about Suicide Gates through her friend's eyes, and she becomes determined to save Nadia from that dark place even if she has to sacrifice herself in the process. The journey is nowhere near easy though. Suicide Gates is a harsh and bleak world. Everyone who ends up there must work hard to come to terms with what happened to them and to find strength within themselves so that they can finally move on. And not everyone is able to do that.

Lela's feelings towards Nadia were powerful and the driving force behind most of her decisions in Sanctum. She did everything she could to save Nadia, even if she later regretted the choices she made. This is one of the few books where I truly felt the strong bond a character has with a friend. I remember thinking that I wanted Lela to succeed, I wanted Nadia to be saved, and I wanted happiness for them both. It really was heartbreaking, and it made me just admire and adore Lela even more. She felt so real to me. She's been through so much in her life, yet she stays strong and focused for the friend who believed in her and made her a better person.

Not only is Sanctum about friendship and sacrifice, it's about love and overcoming gripping fears bit by bit. After Lela arrives at Suicide Gates, she's captured by the Guards of the city. They know she's different from the humans who are suppose to be there, and she's interrogated by their brave and intimidating Captain, Malachi. Lela and Malachi don't trust each other at first, but once they open up, Lela begins to feel safe around Malachi and he begins to feel protective of her. There's a gut-wrenching reason why Lela wanted to die two years ago, and when Malachi finds out he helps her overcome some of her fears of allowing anyone, especially a man, to touch her. He's so respectful and let's her be in control. I absolutely loved their relationship. It was sweet and beautiful and touching. They are amazing people and brought out every single bit of goodness in each other. They are also kickass and helped each other survive along the way to finding Nadia. They're the main reason why I cannot wait to read the next book.

Sanctum brings up many heavy, emotional subjects and there are plenty of terrifying moments, but it still manages to be filled with hope and love. And when a story is awesome and has wonderful characters and relationships, it makes me really happy. The ending freaked me out so much though. (I was scared and praying it wouldn't end at a cliffhanger!) It also made me pumped for book two. I wish I could talk more about the unique world in Sanctum, but it's complex and something you need to discover and experience yourself. I highly recommend Sanctum, especially to those looking for a dark, yet hopeful read. It's easily one of the best YA urban fantasy novels I've ever read!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Amazon Children's Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of Sanctum!

In My Mailbox #68

In My Mailbox was created by Kristi at The Story Siren, inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Gift:
The Golden Lily (Bloodlines, #2) by Richelle Mead [Thanks to Rachel @ The Reader's Den!]

For Review:
Captured by Julia Rachel Barrett [Thanks to Julia Barrett & GoodReads!]
Cursed ARC by Jennifer L. Armentrout [Thanks to Spencer Hill Press!]
Deity ARC (Covenant, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout [Thanks to Spencer Hill Press!]
Harmony (Kingdom of Souls, #1) by Sonya Bria [Thanks to Cambio Publishing & Goodreads!]

Library:
First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky

Tour:
Ashen Winter ARC (Ashfall, #2) by Mike Mullin [Thanks to Rachel @ The Reader's Den!]

Won:
The Glimpse by Claire Merle [Thanks to Claire Merle!]
Team Human ARC by Justine Larbalestier & Sarah Rees Brennan [Thanks to EpicReads!]

HUGE thanks and hugs to the amazing Rachel for letting me borrow her ARC of Ashen Winter and for sending me a signed copy of The Golden Lily! That totally made my day, week, month! If you guys don't know, I'm a big fan of the Bloodlines series and completely obsessed with Sydrian. So, no surprise that I loved TGL to pieces, and it's one of my fave books this year. :') Thanks again, Rachel!

Another one of my favorite books this year was Deity. It was freakin' AWESOME! :D It made me so happy! I don't want to say more, but look for my review in October. ;) Also, I have a mini-review for Harmony up. AND don't forget to enter my US/CA giveaway for two romantic suspense novels here!

I think that's about all I have to say for this week. Seriously have to get some reading done! Hope you all have nice week. :)

Mini-Reviews: Harmony by Sonya Bria & Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker

The following mini-reviews are for books I've read in the past couple of months. I hope I managed to get my feelings across in each of these mini-reviews.

Harmony by Sonya Bria 
Released: June 1, 2012 / Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Sophie has recently started having recurring nightmares revolving around her mother's death and has even started hearing the voice of Ian, someone she has dreamed about for years, in her mind. She beings to realize that these dreams might be real after all when Ian reveals himself to her. Harmony was a fast-paced read filled with romance, vampires, and hints of Irish magic and lore.

I think the parts I liked the most were actually the scenes from Ian's perspective. I have always liked reading from a male's perspective and reading from Ian's view made it interesting. While the events in the book go by quickly and some things seem to have an easy resolution, not everything is resolved by the end. I guess that's why it's a planned series.

I would recommend this book to those who can't get enough of YA vampire novels.

---

Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker
Release Date: August 1, 2012 / Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

First off, I just loved the fact that some of the book was set in my hometown Jacksonville, NC. That was really neat!

Hell on Wheels was about the relationship between Ali and Nate and how they worked together to take down the person who killed Ali's brother and Nate's best friend. I really liked the premise, but I felt only half the book was about the main characters. I think part of the reason the perspective switched to other characters was to set up stories for future books in the series. I realized I didn't mind as much in some instances, since I really enjoyed reading about Frank and Becky. However, I think it might have led to me not quite connecting with Ali and Nate. They did have some great moments, and I'm pretty much happy with how their story ended. I just wish I felt more connected with them.

Overall, it was a fun and interesting read, and I would recommend it to romantic suspense fans!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books For People Who Like Melina Marchetta

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It's a weekly meme featuring

book-related lists. This week's topic is 10 8 books, in no particular order, I think people should read if they like Melina Marchetta's novels.

(Note: I decided on only EIGHT books because it had already taken me 2 hours to pick these.)

- Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson: Guess I should start off with an Aussie book! When I read this book's synopsis, I got Jellicoe Road vibes from it for some reason. That just made me want to read it. Now, don't expect another Jellicoe Road, but it is a heartbreaking and beautiful story.

- Something Like Normal by Trish Doller: I can't help but to recommend this amazing debut, since the main character Travis and his love interest Harper were inspired by Jonah Griggs from Jellicoe Road! It was an emotional and raw read. I read it weeks ago and still think about it.

- Where She Went by Gayle Forman: Another lovely book that made me cry. It's eerie and awesome how much this book reminded me of The Piper's Son. Well, Adam reminded me Tom. They could totally be friends. And guess what? Gayle and Melina think so too!

- The Queen's Thief by Megan Whalen Turner: How can I not recommend this series to fans of the Lumatere Chronicles? Melina is the reason why I read this series, and I'm so glad I did! My top favorite is The King of Attolia. It's badass, hilarious, and made me 'squee!' so much.

- Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar: If you love Melina's contemporaries for their maturity and rawness, then I highly recommend Raw Blue. Most Melina fans, including myself, love this book. It's a heartbreaking but hopeful story. What makes it even better is that it's completely Australian.

- Graceling by Kristin Cashore: My favorite in the Graceling Realm series. After reading Finnikin of the Rock, I remember thinking that whoever likes Graceling should read FotR. So now I'm going to say the same for those who liked the Lumatere Chronicles: Read this book!

- A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley: Another favorite Aussie book. I know Graffiti Moon is most recommended, but I have such a soft spot for this book! It made me smile so much. A bit lighter than Melina's contemporaries, but still leaves an impact and has beautiful writing.

- To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee: This is more of a "OMG this book was mentioned in Jellicoe Road!" type of recommendation; however, it is such an amazing coming-of-age and thought-provoking read. Favorite classic I've ever read. And two words: Atticus Finch.

Any Melina Marchetta fans out there agree with any of my recommendations or have any of their own recommendations? I would love to know! Hardcore Melina Marchetta fan right here. :D

Giveaway: Hell on Wheels & Silver Sparks

I have two adult contemporary romantic suspense titles to give away!

Hell on Wheels by Julie Ann Walker (ARC)

Silver Sparks by Starr Ambrose (finished copy)

Both books will go to one winner. This giveaway is US & Canada only and ends July 21. Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below to enter and be sure to read my giveaway policy.