Kiss of Death by Rachel Caine

Title: Kiss of Death (Morganville #8)
Author: Rachel Caine
ISBN: 9780451229731
Publisher: Signet

Summary:
"Vampire Michael Glass just received the call he's been waiting for all his life. His music has attracted the attention of a heavily connected music producer who wants him to cut a demo and play some dates - which means Michael will have to enter the human world.

But he won't be alone. He's been assigned an undead escort, which includes immortal enforcer Oliver, as well as Michael's human friends: rebellious Eve, oft-misunderstood Claire, and courageous Shane. And with that mix of personalities, this is going to be a roadtrip from hell.

But what waits for them proves more perilous than they thought. Caught between humans who hate them and a savage party of traveling vampires out to create a blood-soaked feast for themselves, Michael and his friends may not make it to the show on time... or ever."
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First Lines:

"The way the Glass House worked, on a practical level, was that there was a schedule for the stuff that had to be done - cooking, cleaning, fixing things, laundry. Technically, they were all on every housemate's list."
Page 3
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Review:

I'm going to be honest here and say that I don't particularly look forward to the latest Morganville Vampires book - it's not a series that I sit on pins and needles waiting for. And I always end up sitting on the book for a while before I pick it up to read.

All of this doesn't mean I don't like it. I guess it's just hard for me to get jazzed up about. It's a solid story with really great and dynamic characters. There is just something very similar about each book - and they're all cut off in the middle of the story. I do understand that for the sake of having multiple volumes and such... it's just hard to jump back into as a reader.

A few things were different about this particular story. Instead of the whole thing taking place in Morganville, there are several of the characters that are granted permission to leave the city limits for a few days. I enjoyed a lot of the things that happened - mostly because they couldn't have happened in Morganville. There are a few wrenches thrown in to keep the whole thing interesting. And it does quite the job of it.

There are, of course, lots of loose ends. This story probably created a lot more questions than it answered. I will always read the next book just to see what happens. I'm definitely hooked. I will continue to hand this book to kids as well. If you haven't read any of them, here are the rest of the books in the series:
Glass Houses
The Dead Girls' Dance
Midnight Alley
Feast of Fools
Lord of Misrule
Carpe Corpus
Fade Out
Kiss of Death

Here's the author's website for you to see what's coming next! Enjoy :).
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Book Blogger Hop (8)

Check out the Book Blogger Hop at the Crazy-for-Books blog. It's a great way to find other wonderful book bloggers. It's also nice to see some of the new ones that are popping up every week! I look forward to seeing you there!

Friday Fill-In (16)

Friday Fill-In is a fun meme that's hosted by Janet at the Friday Fill-In blog. Just fill in your answers!

1. My dad's macaroni salad -- the best food to take on a picnic.
2. Summer is gonna be hot and sticky. blech.
3. I can't walk in flip flops.(for very long, at least)
4. To love someone is to accept every single thing about them... and enjoy it all!
5. Sometimes it's nice to go on a long hike.
6. When I crave food, it's usually something sugary and terrible for you. Like candy.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to having three days off, tomorrow my plans include a calm day off and Sunday, I want to have a nice day with my mother-in-law-to-be!

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

Title: The Julian Game
Author: Adele Griffin
ISBN: 9789399254694
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Full Disclosure: ARC from the author - to be released in August 2010

Summary:
"All new girl Raye Archer wants is a way into the in crowd, so when ice queen Ella Parker picks her to get back at her ex, the gorgeous Julian Kilgarry, Raye is more than game. Even if it means using a fake online identity as sexy blue-wigged 'Elizabeth' to reel Julian in, then secretly sabotage him. While a fun and dangerous thrill at first, Raye hadn't counted on falling for Julian herself - and igniting Ella's rage.

Now with the real-life Julian interested in her, Raye has to reconcile the temptress he fell for with her real-life self. Meanwhile, Ella is serving up her own online revenge against the traitorous Raye. Suddenly notorious, Raye has to find a way to get out of the web of deceit that she's helped to build, and get back to the relationships that matter.

Adele Griffin's riveting novel explores the dangers of pretending to be someone else, real versus online love, and the pitfalls of posting your personal life online for the world to judge."
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First Lines:

"'This is the craziest idea you ever had,' said Natalya.
'My idea?' My heart was racing. 'What are you talking about? It was your idea.'"
Page 1
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Review:

Okay, so in this instance, the "first lines" teaser really didn't do anything much for the book. It gets clearer a few sentences later. But I'm not gonna go quoting the whole first page - then there wouldn't be room for a review! And we all know that's what you're waiting for. Right? Just say yes. So, on to that...

This book was so. much. fun. It's a lighthearted (for the most part) story about some trials and tribulations that are very high school oriented. I mean, who doesn't play around online and think about making fake profiles and stuff. Well, maybe I did... but that's beside the point. And this story shows just what can happen when those profiles are used for anything other than good.

I do worry about the all of the Facebook references dating this book before its time. But as for right now, it's completely relevant and will sing to anyone who has gotten into the whole online life.

One thing that I really loved was all of the quirky things about each character. They all had something to latch on to - Ella and her OCD, Natalya and her SciFi, Raye to her oversize sweatshirts... and so on. It just makes for a really cool element to the story. Getting to know all of the characters was a lot of fun. I either know people like them or would like to know people like them. I was also really happy with how the story turned out - but I'm not going to mention that here.

All in all, I thought this was a great book and will be recommending it far and wide once it's published. Definitely look for this one when August comes around - It'll be the one with the awesome cover decorating your library and bookstore shelves. I would love to see a movie of this book. Would be so cool!

Check out the author's website here... I didn't realize she had a few graphic novels (not to mention that they're vampire related). I may have to get those for my library.
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Other Blog Reviews:

So, I couldn't find any other reviews out there. I saw a lot of people waiting for this one and loving on the cover. But no reviews... have you read this one yet? I guess it is a bit early. :)

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones

Title: The Tear Collector
Author: Patrick Jones
ISBN: 9780802787101
Publisher: Walker and Company

Summary:
"Between hookups, makeups, and breakups, there isn't a day at Lapeer High School without drama turning into trauma turning into tears.

And tears are just as essential as air for Cassandra Gray. She and her family are vampires who thirst for human sorrow, and the energy that they soak in from a good crying jag can keep them fueled up for days.

Anytime a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, Cass is there. Anytime a boyfriend gets too secure, she breaks his heart. Cass's work as a school peer counselor and hospital volunteer also provides the perfect cover and access to her family's energy source. But she is getting tired of all the lies and manipulation - especially no that she's actually fallen in love with a human. Can she bear to betray her family for a chance at happiness and a life lived with joy?"
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First Lines:

"'Are you crying?' I ask as I tap on the driver's side window of the white Chevy Impala. Inside the familiar car, I see the unfamiliar sight of my best friend, Robyn Berry, crying."
Page 2
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Review:

This is another book that was recommended to me by one of my coworkers. Honestly I thought the whole concept was interesting - vampires who live off of energy instead of blood. If nothing else, this concept is what pulled me in. I wanted to see how that would be done.

After reading this book, I've decided that calling them energy vampires doesn't do it justice. There's nothing vampiric about them except that they are taking something from humans to live. The whole vampire thing is very sensual, personal, and a bit barbaric. The "vampires" in this book pose as caring people in order to take something that humans are giving anyway - tears. So I guess I wish there was a different term used other than vampire. It would have fit better, I think.

There was a lot more religion conversations than I was expecting. That was another thing that didn't jive with the vampire picture... the amount of discussion about god and angels and demons and so on. I mean, it did work with the story at some points, but it seemed to crop back up at odd points. Maybe that's just my take on it though.

One thing I didn't like about the main character (Cass) was the way she pulled emotions out of people. It made me have a difficult time trying to like her. I did have moments where I was thinking she was pretty cool and I'd like to know someone like her - other times I just wanted her to leave people alone. Let them deal with their grief the way they need to. I know that was part of her character and all, but it gave me a hard time.

I did think the concept was interesting and I think there are some people who would love all of these aspects of the book. Probably girls because of the main romance aspect of it. I'd say it probably shouldn't be billed as vampire romance but paranormal romance.

I wasn't able to find an actual website for the author, but there are a few places that list his information. Here's one of those.
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