ARC Review: Winter Wolf by Rachel M. Raithby

Summary: Katalina Winter has been living for eighteen years, with a secret hidden inside of her, a secret not even she knew.

With this secret comes consequences, expectations, one's she's not willing to fulfill; she'll give her heart to whom she wishes, even if he is, a Dark Shadow wolf...

Join Katalina as she navigates her way through this world at war, where the alpha is law, and only the strong survive. You will see the power of true love, and the length's people will go to destroy it.

***

**I received a copy, from LoP group on Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review**

Initial Thoughts: This is one of my favorite books of the year. It was so good! I loved the characters and the story. It was very well developed and had such a captivating story I couldn't put it down or help falling in love with it. I'm already excited for the next book!

The Characters & Story: Katalina, or Kat, just turned eighteen and is out with her parents when they get into an accident and dark colored wolves start dragging her away. Then some light colored wolves bring her to a shed to hide her. While in the shed, a beautiful black wolf finds her, comes up to her, then turns around and leaves. When the light colored wolves come back, they tell her she is a shifter just like them and that her father is their pack leader and gave her up when she was little because they rival pack started to hunt all pure breed shifters. When her father takes her back to the pack, lots of problems happen and a hard time adjusting to a this whole new world. Not to mention her parents had died in the car accident so she's still trying to deal with that.

But remember that beautiful black wolf I mentioned earlier? Turns out, his name is Bass and he and Kat happen to be mates. He is also from the pack that wants to kill her. And the Alpha's son.

The Romance: My gosh, Bass. Let's talk about him. He was such a sweet, caring, understanding, perfect guy. We need more hims in the world, believe me. And the relationship between him and Kat was developed perfectly. Even though they felt a connection to each other from the start, the their relationship only built off of that and felt mature and real. You could clearly feel their emotions and love for each other grow and it was absolutely gorgeous.

Here is a very short favorite scene of mine that happened early one between Kat and Bass...

"Did you seriously just sniff me?" she asked, shocked at the strangeness of the past twenty-four hours. "Yes, I was just getting your scent." 

End Thoughts:I liked the pacing and how the story was set up. Winter Wolf had everything in it and it was all wrapped up in this neat book. Seriously, check it out because it was great. 5 stars.

Waiting On Wednesday - 12/3/14

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm waiting for Sea of Stars (Kricket #2) by Amy A. Bartol. It's been almost a year since the first book came out and I'm glad the wait is almost over for this one! I'll need to do a reread before it comes out but I do know that I really loved it! Have any of you read it, the first book? Happy Reading.

Publication: March 31st, 2015
Summary: Eighteen-year-old Kricket Hollowell was looking for her place in the world when she discovered that the universe was bigger—and more dangerous—than she had ever dreamed. Now, whisked across space to the planet Ethar, Kricket learns that her genetic ability to see the future makes her a sought-after commodity…and the catalyst for war between her star-crossed parents’ clans. According to Alameedan prophecy, one house will rise to power and the other will be completely wiped out, and Kricket’s precognition is believed to be the weapon that will tip the scales.

A target of both the Rafe and the Alameeda houses, Kricket finds protection—and a home—in the arms of Trey, her Etharian bodyguard-turned-boyfriend. But her visions of what’s to come disturb her deeply, especially since she must discover whether the gift of foresight will allow her to rewrite the future, or if her fate is as immovable as the stars.

Teaser Tuesday -12/2/14

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

This week I'm linking a teaser to Wicked by Jennifer Armentrout. She has been posting a chapter a day of the book and will do so until it's release in 5 days, so you can read the first four chapters already and since I can't hold off a wait for the book to come out, I've been slowly torturing myself by reading the chapters. Happy Reading!!

Link can be found HERE.

Summary: Things are about to get Wicked in New Orleans.

Twenty-two year old Ivy Morgan isn’t your average college student. She, and others like her, know humans aren’t the only thing trolling the French Quarter for fun… and for food. Her duty to the Order is her life. After all, four years ago, she lost everything at the hands of the creatures she’d sworn to hunt, tearing her world and her heart apart.

Ren Owens is the last person Ivy expected to enter her rigidly controlled life. He’s six feet and three inches of temptation and swoon-inducing charm. With forest-green eyes and a smile that’s surely left a stream of broken hearts in its wake, he has an uncanny, almost unnatural ability to make her yearn for everything he has to offer. But letting him in is as dangerous as hunting the cold-blooded killers stalking the streets. Losing the boy she loved once before had nearly destroyed her, but the sparking tension that grows between them becomes impossible for Ivy to deny. Deep down, she wants… she needs more than what her duty demands of her, what her past has shaped for her.

But as Ivy grows closer to Ren, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying secrets that could shatter the frail bond between them. There’s something he’s not telling her, and one thing is for certain. She’s no longer sure what is more dangerous to her—the ancient beings threatening to take over the town or the man demanding to lay claim to her heart and her soul.

Monday Recs. - 12/1/14

I know it's late! Oh well, this week I'm recommending Halo by Frankie Rose. I enjoyed this book and thought it was really unique and think plenty of people would enjoy it! I'm excited to read the second book for sure! Happy Reading.

Summary: She has no name.

She has her knives. Her training. Her halo.

The first and second give her the ability to defeat the opponents she is pitted against each month. The third frees her from pain and fear. From any kind of emotion at all. Everything is as it should be. Everything is as it should be, until…

Fear… Pain… Anger… Happiness… Desire… Guilt…

Love.

When a newly named Kit escapes the Sanctuary after killing her best friend, the last thing she needs is another knife in her hand. Or Ryka, the damaged, beautiful blond boy, whom she refuses to let save her. The sights and sounds of Freetown are new, yet one thing is familiar: the matches. The only difference? Where the blood in the Sanctuary landed only on the Colosseum floor, Kit will quickly learn that a river of red runs through Freetown’s very streets.

Without her halo, the inhabitants of Kit’s new home consider her saved, but is that really the case? The reality of her old life is paralyzing. Would she be better off free of the guilt associated with all the blood on her hands, or is the love of one boy worth living through all the pain?

Raksha is the call of the dead. It is the rumbling chant for fresh blood from the other side, the demand for sacrifice. The Colosseum is behind Kit. The fighting pits await.

Release Day Launch: A Grave Inheritance by Kari Edgren

Summary: Selah Kilbrid may descend from the goddess Brigid, but her heart beats—and breaks—the same as any human. Yet enduring the scorn of London's most noble lords and ladies is a small price to pay for a chance at true happiness. Selah would endure much more for love, and her betrothed, Lord Henry Fitzalan, is prepared to challenge anyone foolish enough to stand in their way—even another goddess born.

But when a captivating young gentleman draws Selah into a world shadowed by secrets, she is forced to confront her darkest fears. What if some differences are too great to overcome and a future with Henry is doomed from the start?

With these doubts threatening her impending marriage and the very last of Brigid's fire draining from her soul, a violent attack on an innocent child pushes Selah to the very edge of her power. She must find a way to cross into the Otherworld and regain her strength—or forfeit the streets of London to death and disease.

Buy Links:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | A Grave Inheritance Goodreads

Goddess Born: 

Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

 

Kari Edgren Bio:

Kari Edgren did not dream of becoming a writer. Instead, she dreamed of everything else and was often made to stay inside during kindergarten recess to practice her letters. Despite doting parents and a decent school system, Ms. Edgren managed to make it through elementary school having completed only one book cover to cover – The Box Car Children, which she read approximately forty-seven times. Things improved during high school, but not until she read Gabrielle Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude in college, did she truly understand the power of a book.

Ms. Edgren aspires to be a Vulcan, a world-acclaimed opera singer, and two inches taller. She resides in the Pacific NW where she spends a great deal of time torturing her husband and children with strange food and random historical facts. Ms. Edgren hasn’t stopped dreaming, but has finally mastered her letters enough to put the stories on paper.

 Links:

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Author Goodreads

Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting On Wednesday - 11/26/14

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week I'm waiting for Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt. It looks and sounds fantastic and I'm really really excited for it. The whole having to wait though is not fun whatsoever but I'll deal...maybe...anyways I'm so ready for this book to come out! Happy Reading.

Publication: May 19th, 2015
Summary: Penelope Landlow has grown up with the knowledge that almost anything can be bought or sold—including body parts. She’s the daughter of one of the three crime families that control the black market for organ transplants.

Penelope’s surrounded by all the suffocating privilege and protection her family can provide, but they can't protect her from the autoimmune disorder that causes her to bruise so easily.

And in her family's line of work no one can be safe forever.

All Penelope has ever wanted is freedom and independence. But when she’s caught in the crossfire as rival families scramble for prominence, she learns that her wishes come with casualties, that betrayal hurts worse than bruises, that love is a risk worth taking . . . and maybe she’s not as fragile as everyone thinks.

Cover Reveal: Lying, Cheating Heart by Mindy Ruiz

Eep you guys! I'm so excited to reveal the cover for Lying, Cheating Heart. I loved the first book and am so excited for this book too!!

Summary: No More Lies!

Cassie Vera thought the biggest threat to her life disappeared the night her boyfriend, A.J. Vasillios, used his one-time-use power and saved her from certain death.

She was wrong. 

The mythological hit list she was on is nothing compared to her freshman year at the University of Las Vegas. Rooming with Vegas’s future female royalty has pushed her estrogen tolerance to its limit. Worse, Cassie must take place in a time-honored tradition that tests her faith, while her boyfriend’s new job threatens to shatter her heart.

When age-old traditions change  … 

  Cassie’s school year is interrupted when the future queens are ordered to represent their houses in an annual high-stakes competition. While at her ancestral home in Malaga, Spain, Cassie discovers the Greek gods have gifted her with new abilities. Cassie takes matters of righting an eighteen-year-old wrong into her hands. However, actions have consequences, and Cassie’s may very well end up costing her and the House of Hearts everything. 

With her family’s future at stake and the love of her life choosing sides, Cassie must cheat death one more time.

When duty requires you to do the unthinkable, where will your loyalties lie? 

Only a Cheating Heart Knows.

Buy Links: 

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Lying-Cheating-Heart-Game-Book-ebook/dp/B00PSZFLV0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416861637&sr=8-2&keywords=mindy+ruiz

 Full Jacket:

About Mindy Ruiz:

Mindy Ruiz lives in a sleepy Beach Town in Southern California. When she’s not writing, she spends her time chasing after three boys, making flirty eyes at her hunky husband, watching fantasy television shows, cheering for the Dallas Cowboys, and hanging out at the beach with her very large and loud Italian family.

Her career in publishing started in the 4th grade with a story about a magic, museum-hopping, chair. Now, Mindy writes young adult, new adult, and adult paranormal romance. Her books always include tormented heroes, snarky heroines, and lots of swoon-y moments that will put a smile on your face or make your heart race. Mindy is the lover of a good romance, the underdog and John Hugh’s 80′s teen movies.

When her toes aren’t in the sand or her mind isn’t in the clouds, Mindy loves hearing from readers.

Links:

Facebook  www.Facebook.com/MindyRuizBooks

Twitter  www.Twitter.com/MindyRuiz

Instagram  Instagram.com/MindyRuiz

Author Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8282908.Mindy_Ruiz

LYING, CHEATING HEART Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23609492-lying-cheating-heart

Pinterest  pinterest.com/MindyRuizBooks 

Giveaway: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway