Teaser Tuesday: Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! 

• Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh. This is Singh's new Psy-Changeling novel. It is her first hardcover release. It concentrates on the romance between Psy Sienna Lauren and Changeling Hawke who is alpha of the SnowDancer wolves. This is a romance that has been brewing through quite a few of the earlier books. At first, Hawke kept his hands off because Sienna was too young but now she is grown up. 


Teaser: 

Eyes going wolf, Hawke began to stride through the crowd. A few aggressive young males turned to give him a talking-to...and froze, their gazes jerking away when they met the dominance in his own. Even the humans understood, going pale as they moved out of his path as fast as possible.

Hawke is big and bad but Sienna is not intimidated by him. She has powers of her own that scare her much more than Hawke does. 

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (June 6, 2011)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading, is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This was a very busy last week of school. I didn't get as much time to read as I would have liked. But today is my last day of work until August 30 and I am looking forward to lots of time for relaxation and reading.

Last week I read:

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong was the first book in a new young adult series. The main character is a smart, caring 15-year-old with a great relationship with her parents. However, she is adopted and knows nothing about her birth parents. When a new boy comes to town, he seems to know more about her than she does herself. I really liked this one. My review is here.

Original Sin by Beth McMullen is the first in a new series about a former spy trying to survive as a stay-at-home mother of a three-year-old. Unfortunately, her former life comes knocking at the door. This was a spy story that was more on the humorous side. I enjoyed it. My review is here.

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews is the latest in the Kate Daniels series. This is great urban fantasy. I love the characters and the storyline. My review will be posted on June 8.

I am currently reading:

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong is the first in Armstrong's first young adult series. The overarching world is the same as The Gathering and I am eager to see what happens in this one. I also have the other two books in this series on my Kindle.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh is the latest in her Psy-Changeling series. This one finally features the romance that fans have been waiting for between Hawke and Sienna. I hope that we also get to catch up on a bunch of other beloved characters from earlier in the series. 

Next week:

Check out my TBR stacks in last week's Monday Report. I'm bringing two big laundry baskets of books home with me for summer reading.

But before I can start reading, I have to do laundry, clean out the refrigerator, pack for the summer, close up my house, and drive to my summer home. Oh, and work one more day!

In My Mailbox (June 5, 2011)

The weekly In My Mailbox post is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is fun to see what everyone else gets in their mailboxes, shopping bags, and library visits. Click on the link to The Story Siren's site to see the rules and join in the fun.

I guarantee that your TBR pile will grow when you see all the wonderful books everyone gets. You will discover lots of great blogs and lots of books that you won't be able to live without.

This week I got six new books. I got these three for my Kindle.

I read an excerpt of Truth and Dare by Candace Havens on her blog and fell in love with the characters. I am excited to read a Harlequin Blaze story. I don't think I ever have. 

I also browsed the free Kindle books at Amazon and chose Blood of My Brother by James Lepore which sounded like an interesting thriller and I, Spy? by Kate Johnson which sounds like a humorous spy story with a very unlikely spy.

I also got three print books. Two of them were highly anticipated and on my wishlist (and pre-order) for months. The other is also by a favorite author but starts a new series. I hadn't heard very much about this one.

Just Like Heaven is by Julia Quinn. I liked her Bridgerton series and this series about some peripheral characters in that one sounds like a fun historical romance.

Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh is the latest in her Psy-Changeling series. I couldn't wait to get this one and look forward to reading it. 

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews was also highly anticipated. I read this one and thought it was a very good entry into the series. 

What was in your mailbox this week?

ARC Review: Original Sin by Beth McMullen

Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure
Author: Beth McMullen
Publication: Hyperion (July 12, 2011)


Description: After falling in love and making a quick exit from her nine-year career in the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction), ex-spy Sally Sin does her best to become Lucy Hamilton, a stay-at-home mom in San Francisco. No one, not even her adoring husband Will, knows about her secret agent escapades--chasing no-good masterminds through perilous jungles, escaping evil assassins, and playing dangerous games of cat and mouse with her old nemesis, Ian Blackford, a notorious and dashing illegal arms dealer.


In her new life as Lucy Hamilton, she squeezes inside forts crafted from couch cushions by her three-year-old son Theo, makes organic applesauce, and frequents the zoo. But sometimes her well-honed spy reflexes refuse to lay low. She can't help breaking into her own house to check on the babysitter or stop herself from tossing the yoga instructor who gets on her nerves. And when Ian Blackford, who is supposed to be dead, once again starts causing trouble for the USAWMD, the agency becomes desperate to get Sally back on the job.


How can Sally or Lucy or whatever her name is save the planet while at the same time keeping her own family's world from spinning out of control?


Every bit as much fun as a spy-mom thriller ought to be, Original Sin is a fast-paced adventure story for mothers and spies, and anyone who has ever dreamed about being either.


My Thoughts: This was a fun introduction to an interesting character. It started out quirky and funny but ended on a more serious note. Lucy (or Sally Sin) is adjusting well to being an ex-spy, stay-at-home mom to three-year-old Theo -- if you discount her paranoia and her inability to let her child out of her sight. She is still hesitant to make friends because she is so used to not being able to trust anyone. She is even lying to her husband. She has thought of telling him the truth but, as the time goes by, it gets harder and harder to bring up the topic. Also, she is afraid that if he knows her real past their relationship would not survive.


I enjoyed watching Lucy's relationship with her son. Theo seemed like a realistic three-year-old and added a lot of lightness to the story. 


It gets hard to keep the secret from her husband when her ex-boss appears and wants to use Lucy as bait to catch the resurrected Ian Blackford. The boss is sure that Lucy is Blackford's one weakness. She doesn't see it that way. After all, there relationship didn't go much beyond his continual kidnapping her. 


As the story goes on, Lucy remembers the occasions when she was kidnapped by Blackford and the many adventures she had as a spy. There were lots of funny moments and lots of dangerous ones too. It is hard to describe Lucy's character. She tends to be both laconic and emotionally detached. She doesn't seem to have any sense of personal danger. I liked seeing her try to adjust to being an ordinary person. I also liked her realizing what she would do to keep the life she has. 


I think that readers who like humorous thrillers will like getting to know Sally Sin. I wonder what further adventures are in store for her. 

Favorite Quote:

I am not a religious person. I don't identify with any of the world's major religions or minor ones for that matter. In fact, I don't understand religion at all and as far as I can see the only thing it does is hasten the slaughter of people who generally seem to be minding their own business. But I had to admit, standing in that alley with this very naughty priest, I felt bad for the Pope. If he can't hire reliable people, well, who can really?

I received this book for review from an ad in Shelf Awareness. This one will be coming out in hardcover on July 12.

Book Beginning & Friday 56: Original Sin by Beth McMullen

Happy Friday everybody!!

Book Beginnings
 
Book Beginnings on Friday is now hosted by Katy at A Few More Pages.  

Anyone can participate; just share the opening sentence of your current read, making sure that you include the title and author so others know what you're reading. 

If you like, share with everyone why you do, or do not, like the sentence.
 
The Friday 56

Rules:

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 56.
• Find the fifth sentence.
• Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Freda's Voice
• Post a link along with your post back to Freda's Voice

Don’t dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

I usually try not to choose a book that hasn't been published yet for my Friday memes. I know it bugs me if I get excited about a book and have to wait months for it to appear in bookstores. But I am making an exception for Original Sin: A Sally Sin Adventure by Beth McMullen because it has such a great opening sentence. It isn't being published until July 12 but....

Beginning:

I know I'm not crazy. I know this because it said so in my file, which I stole out of Director Gray's office on a drunken dare from a guy who eventually disappeared in Somalia.

Sally Sin has walked away from being a spy and is now a housewife in San Francisco. She is a stay-at-home mom with a three-year-old son and a loving husband. No one knows that she was a spy and she wants to keep it that way. Unfortunately, her life as a spy isn't willing to let her go.

Friday 56:

And I didn't fancy dying in a dusty old apartment building with this lunatic.

I'll have to admit that I am fascinated with stories about the most unlikely spies. I loved the Mrs. Pollifax stories when I was younger. I can't wait to read this one.

Review: Hard Bitten by Chloe Neill

Hard Bitten
Author: Chloe Neill
Publication: New American Library; 1 edition (May 3, 2011)


Description: "Neill creates a strong-minded, sharp-witted heroine who will appeal to fans of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series and Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake." -Library Journal 

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals-and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are...tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society-a world full of vampires who seem ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands... 



My Thoughts: What can I say? I just love this series. Merit and I would be BFFs for sure. I love her quick wit and her sense of honor too. I loved that she just didn't forgive Ethan and go on. I also loved that Ethan knew that he would have to work to regain her trust and her love. The relationship adds a lot of tension to the story.


Tension is the name of the game here. The mayor is putting pressure on the House and on Ethan to stop the vampire raves that are getting increasing dangerous. The head of the GP is putting pressure on Ethan and the House because he wants them to back off from getting involved with the mayor. He thinks the house should keep a low profile. Then there are the protesters and vigilantes who want the vampires to leave Chicago. 


As Sentinel, Merit must protect Ethan and the house. Luckily she has some contacts that she can call on. After all, her grandfather is the ombudsman to all the supernaturals and her best friend's boyfriend is a sorcerer. Her best friend is also a sorcerer and is learning to use her magic too. Merit has to give her a pep talk when she is afraid that some of the magic is black. It was a great indication of the strength of their friendship. Merit is also being wooed by the Red Guard whose duty is to police the Masters. Merit's loyalty to Ethan has made her hesitant to get involved with them though.


This was a very fast paced episode in the series that came to a conclusion that I did not see coming. I really look forward to the next book in the series to find out what happens now.


I recommend this book to lovers of urban fantasy who like a strong, smart main character. If you haven't tried this series, why not? They are well written examples of urban fantasy that will suck you in and make you care about the characters.

Favorite Quote:

The line went dead, so I tucked the phone away. There were more drama and complications with each day that passed.

Rarely did a night pass without more vampire drama.

Sometimes hanging out in pajamas with a good book sounded like a phenomenal idea.

I bought this one in print from Amazon. You can get it too in trade paperback or for your Kindle.

I Saw Richelle Mead!

I finally got a chance to meet and hear Richelle Mead. A friend and I went to the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota last Sunday for an author signing. We had been scheduled to go last December but the weather made us cancel our plans. Luckily (?), Richelle couldn't get there either as the blizzard prevented her plane trip. This time there was a tornado in the Cities while we were there. We didn't have any problems -- not even any rain -- but I would guess the flight out might have been interesting for her.

We had a nice drive up to the Mall and were pleased to be at one of the few author signings that Richelle Mead will be doing this year. We had a nice time visiting with other fans as we waited in line for the signing to begin. Once it began, Ms. Mead read from her August release Blood Lines and even gave away five copies. I wasn't a winner but my number was only 3 away from one of the winners. I am very excited to read that story. She stopped at a very cliff hanging place!

I brought one book from each of her series to be signed. I had the most recent one from the Vampire Academy series signed for my students. I grabbed our library copy for autographing since I had donated it earlier in the year. I also had her sign the first books in her other two series for my own collection.

That reminded me that while I am current in the Vampire Academy series I am behind in reading her other two series. I have the most recent succubus book still on my stack along with books two and three in the Dark Swan series. I am hoping to catch up this summer before the newest titles release in August.

There are just 4 more days with students this year and one extra day with just teachers before my summer vacation begins. I am already making lists of all the books I want to read!