Thursday, January 30, 2014

Switched by Amanda Hocking

Genre: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy
Release Date: January 3, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Format: ebook                     Pages: 318
Series: Trylle #1                  Sources: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

Switched (Trylle, #1)
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.

Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.
Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Wrecked By Priscilla West


Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Sports and Games
Release Date: December 11, 2013
Publisher: Blackbird Publishing
Format: ebook                     Pages: 286
Series: Wrecked #1             Sources: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

Wrecked (Wrecked, #1)There would be no happy ending for us. He was too damaged. I was too broken.”

Two years ago, Lorrie’s mother was murdered. But that wasn’t the end of it. Reeling from the tragedy, Lorrie’s father spiraled into alcohol, depression, and finally suicide.
The two most important people in Lorrie’s life are both gone but she’s still alive.
Trying to recover from the tragedy, Lorrie returns to campus, ready to pick up the pieces of her life. All Lorrie wants is to get back to “normal.”
Then she meets Hunter. The man, the legend, “the Hammer.”
Hunter is a cage fighter who takes on every fight like he’s got nothing to lose. His life is a tangled mess of girls, booze, and fist fights. And while it may seem like he’s got a devil-may-care attitude, he’s fighting a private cage-match with a monster he can’t defeat.
Lorrie knows that Hunter is the exact type of guy she should stay away from, especially in her fragile state, but Hunter has other ideas.
As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?

Friday, January 17, 2014

Crash Into You by Katie McGarry


Genre: YA Contemporary, Fast Cars
Release Date: November 29, 2013  
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: ebook                                Pages: 474
Series: Pushing the Limits               Sources: Netgalley

Goodreads Synopsis:

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits, #3)From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look.

But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts


Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Witches, Romance
Release Date: October 29, 2013     Publisher: Berkley Trade
Format: ebook                                Pages: 342
Series: Cousins O’Dwyer Trilogy      Sources: Online

Goodreads Synopsis:

Dark Witch (The Cousins O'Dwyer Trilogy, #1)From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts, comes a trilogy about the land we’re drawn to, the family we learn to cherish, and the people we long to love…

With indifferent parents, Iona Sheehan grew up craving devotion and acceptance. From her maternal grandmother, she learned where to find both: a land of lush forests, dazzling lakes, and centuries-old legends.

Ireland.

County Mayo, to be exact. Where her ancestors’ blood and magic have flowed through generations—and where her destiny awaits.

Iona arrives in Ireland with nothing but her Nan’s directions, an unfailingly optimistic attitude, and an innate talent with horses. Not far from the luxurious castle where she is spending a week, she finds her cousins, Branna and Connor O’Dwyer. And since family is family, they invite her into their home and their lives.

When Iona lands a job at the local stables, she meets the owner, Boyle McGrath. Cowboy, pirate, wild tribal horsemen, he’s three of her biggest fantasy weaknesses all in one big, bold package.

Iona realizes that here she can make a home for herself—and live her life as she wants, even if that means falling head over heels for Boyle. But nothing is as it seems. An ancient evil has wound its way around Iona’s family tree and must be defeated. Family and friends will fight with each other and for each other to keep the promise of hope—and love—alive…

Sunday, January 12, 2014

First Episode of Bitten- Summons Appears Last Night!!

Still of Greg Bryk, Joel Keller, Peter Myers, Paulino Nunes, Laura Vandervoort, Greyston Holt, Michael Xavier and Steve Lund in Bitten (2014)Wow!! What an episode!! After waiting a very long time, through rumors of movies, then nothing, but blind faith that someone was going to see the genius in Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld Series, it finally happened!! Episode 1 aired last night!

Still of Laura Vandervoort in Bitten (2014)As with any book that is brought to life, when they first announced the cast of Bitten, I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't know if any of the actors or actresses chosen could possible live up to the characters they were to play. First response, my very first emotion, was disappointment. I did not like Laura Vandervoort as Elena Michaels. She was just not who I saw as my absolutely favorite female protagonist. Granted that would be a huge role to slip into, right? To be fair, I would not have any idea who I would cast as Elena, so who am I to be so critical? I didn't like her for the first little bit of the episode, but by the end, I loved her. I think she did a fair job playing the only female werewolf, who was trying to get out from underneath the pack and live a normal life. She hates that part of herself, curses the man who did this to her, and just wants to forget what happened and go back to life pre-werewolf.

Still of Greg Bryk in Bitten (2014)The men chosen to play the various other characters did, in my opinion, very well playing their parts. I had always pictured Johnny Depp as Jeremy Danvers, just do to his very eccentric nature and we all know those are the parts that Johnny pulls off best. But Greg Bryk brought Jeremy's calm, mature, alpha power to the forefront. I liked his portrayal of an alpha who was just so confident in the hierarchy of his pack, that he knew they would do what he requested without the need to resort to anger or other emotion.

Still of Greyston Holt in Bitten (2014)I liked the look of Greyston Holt for Clayton Danvers, but again was not convinced that he could portray Clay just right. From what I have seen so far, he definitely has the ability. Right from the first scene in his class, with the female students visibly attracted to him and possibly his power, he still held himself apart. He had this whole, "Yes, I see you; I see your reaction to me, but I don't want anything more to do with you than I have to." attitude. His reaction to Elena was so absolutely perfect as well, like he was almost in awe of her. I am going to enjoy watching Greyston Holt bring the real Clayton Danvers to life for us.

I was honestly disappointed with the werewolves. I did like that they showed the actual change, but I just didn't like the way it was portrayed. In my humble opinion, I felt that with all the technology we have now, the change could have been shown a little better. Maybe a little messier is the word I am looking for. At least, when Elena and Logan changed, it looked horribly painful; not a pleasant experience to go through at all. But I think the wolves themselves looked way too much like a computer image. I imagined something much bigger and scarier!

Summons (2014) PosterAll in all, the complete experience was amazing! The actors and actresses did a fantastic job; the story followed the book, without revealing too much, too fast. The end of the episode literally left me speechless, thinking, "It's over?"  Bitten is definitely at the top of my watch list; as it promises to be filled with the action, drama and paranormal fantasy that got me hooked on this series and I look forward to watching the development of this totally kick-ass story!


Friday, January 10, 2014

Welcome to Becca's Book Affair

Hi and thanks for popping in; I always love company! Especially if you want to talk about books! That's what this blog is about......mostly.  First, a little about your hostess, me.....I am a really busy mom of 4, but I promise this blog will not be about teething, sleepless nights or chicken pocks; not saying those things don't deserve a blog. Just say-this is not it! 
Reading is my addiction, and I love to share. My addiction is satisfied by many genres, so this will be a little eclectic. (Can I say that here? I was told that eclectic should be saved for crazy old men, or was it eccentric old men? lol)  Anyway, I love paranormal, mystery, adventure, but just about anything will feed the addiction. Some of my favorite authors are Kelley Armstrong, Laurell K. Hamilton, Nora Roberts, Patricia Briggs, Katie McGarry, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kira Snyder, and Anne Rice. Series that I love are the Women of the Underworld, Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Mercy Thompson, Parish Mail, Shatter Me, and The Mortal Instruments, even before it became a movie. I like to read things before seeing the movie, but sometimes this sadly leads to disappointment.
A point of interest, I am so very excited for Bitten, Kelley Armstrong's new t.v series, starting on Saturday. Based on my absolute favorite werewolves, I am waiting to see if the actors picked can pull off their characters. So watch for my review on that and don't hesitate to let me know what you think about Bitten, any of my reviews or even just to share some comments, funny stories, whatever. Renember, I said I like company!