In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi, the Story Siren, You can learn how to join here This is a chance to show the books that have come to you via the post, your email or from the library.  It's a way to highlight books even if you never get to review them.

This week was a good week for books for me, I got several books in various ways. Via the post from paperbackswap.com I completed my collection of the Vampire Diaries Series by LJ Smith. This was the last book I was missing from the original set.

I also got another book from my TBR Pile, I once owned all these books but when I realised I wasn't reading them I sold them and got books I did read. Le Sigh, the things a bibliophile will do.  Since I wished to read the book but not pay too much for it I book swapped a book I read but didn't like for this one.

Dark Guardian is part of the Christine Feehan series that I'm attempting to finish. From the library I also got another of the Dark series books. called Dark Symphony. Which although not apart of my personal collection, does help me knock another book off the TBR Pile

 Also from the library, I picked up a few to help me meet the goal listed on the In Death Reading Challenge.   I got the following:

Creation in death is the book where I stopped reading this series for a while, so I am picking up with Strangers in death so I can catch up with Eve & the gang.  The next adventure in the series is called Salvation which I also picked up:

I made sure to snag the next one as well that way there is no break up in the adventures of Eve and Roarke, it's called Promises. Yes I know I skipped the anthology stories but that's okay Ill get those later.

Then just for fun because I loved the book before this which is called On Strike for Christmas (which was made into a lifetime movie, which is how I learnt about her) I picked up Small Change by Sheila Roberts, as she is a new author to me this should be fun.

I purchased the book: First Grave on the Right on monday, I have been eyeballing it each time I walked into the grocers so I decided to get it. I will admit I picked it up because I loved her shoes. Yeah i got hooked by the cover.

 I'll do a review soon.

The Pile just keeps growing and growing and I haven't even set foot in a bookstore yet!!! I did peep some new books by Mary Janice Davidson that I can't wait to get my hands on, but first I must finish these and the others in the corner, oh and the ones I promised to read and review and ohh crap it looks like a big pile of reading has got to be done. Such a hard job, but someone has to do it.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?  Any books you have been dying for? Share in the comments please.
Happy Reading

Disconnected...

I miss my trees!!!

I feel lost, like huge pieces of me are missing & I have no idea where to even start looking to find them.  I can't explain what it is to be so disconnected, not just from the blog but from my life. I haven't been in the woods in months, I haven't been able to mediate outside because of the cold plus in the 'heart' of the city there are few places to go. I have been pulling lots of double shifts lately leaving my home before sunup and getting back after sundown, it's so not healthy.

I feel like I'm hiding from my life. Gods know when was the last time I just took a breathe.  When I lived at home the woods were right there I could just walk in and feel better, I know it's because I had roots there, I would walk in and sink deeply into the earth there and feel so energized, there are almost no real green spaces here to do so.

Le Sigh, I need some serious time with the earth. Yes.this winter has been mild, but the freezing cold weather has made it impossible to even be outside for a few minutes. I'm thinking I really need to make some serious connections to the earth around here. When I moved from my parents I let go of the connections I had there, released any of the dryads I had been working with and have yet to find some here. I think that's why I feel like I'm withering inside, I have no connections here to keep me grounded, at home I had made connections with the earth with the trees, with each of the plants that grew on my family's land.

I'm a witch for a reason, i need the earth the energy of creating something & I haven't been able to craft in a while. Not with words, and certainly not even with my yarns.  I went home recently and it felt nice, the land felt welcoming, but it wsn't the same anymore, my magic is no longer tied to this land. There have been a few changes in my home and the engery is different as well, not in a bad way, just different from when I was there. Even though I'm no longer there practicing in my bedroom it's still a good amount of stored energy there and my Mom likes the feel of the room so much she repainted and re-purposed the room as a guest/ craft room for herself. My dad says she spends a lot of time in there now.  Maybe that's it? Maybe because I now know I can't really return home & slide right back where I was before?

I don't know but I'm thinking it's time to stop hiding and find out. How are y'all doing? Feeling stagnant through this winter at all? Or are you powering through? If you are getting by can you share some secrets? Please?

Book Review: Dark Hunger

Book Title: Dark Hunger: Hot Blooded

Author: Christine Feehan

Publisher: Jove

Pages: 107

Cost; $ 7.99

How I Got it: purchased 

Description:In a dark jungle a beautiful activist liberates animals from a secret laboratory-and stumbles across an unexpected prisoner. She releases the Carpathian from his bonds-only to unleash his voracious appetite on herself....

My take on the book:
This is one of the stories that expands the world of the Carpathians. I actually really enjoyed this book more than any of the others. This female character comes packed and fully loaded as an equal to the Carpathian male, she's just as strong, just as brave and just as willing to protect those who need to be protected. Juliette is amazing,

She protected the women of her clan & her family, when she met her mate she was willing to meet him half way, but wasn't willing to just walk away from her family. Juliette's story brings two other women into the world who have a special talent and actually setup stories for other men to become mates to them.

I personally loved that she wasn't a 'brand-new' woman & that she wasn't without her own power.
I truly enjoyed this one & the one I will be reviewing next. These showed women who weren't completely out of their depths & weren't afraid of embracing the new men in their lives. They knew themselves and what they wanted & were willing to explore this. The Carpathian that she mates with is one of the better ones, he didn't just high jack her life, he actually cared about her desires.  Which is a great leap from the other cavemen from before, even though many of them changed once they really got to know their mates.

I enjoyed this one due to it's sensual & masterful love scenes.
Enjoy this one, Be Blessed

Book Review: Dark Secret

Book Title: Dark Secret

Author: Christine Feehan

Publisher: Penguin

Pages: 383

Cost; $ 7.99

How I Got it: from personal library

Description:
Rafael De La Cruz has spent centuries hunting vampires with his brothers, and with each passing year his capacity to feel emotions has grown weaker and weaker until finally there's barely been a memory left-until only sheer willpower keeps him from turning into the very abomination he hunts. But it'll take more than will to keep him away from the woman who is meant to be his and his alone…

For five years, rancher Colby Jansen has been the sole protector of her younger half-siblings, and with fierce determination and work she has kept her family together and the ranch operational. Now, the De La Cruz brothers are threatening that stability. They claim that her siblings belong with their father's family, not with her. Colby vows to fight them-especially the cold and arrogant Rafael De La Cruz. But Rafael is after more than her family-he wants Colby and will not let anything stand between them. After ages of loneliness, the raw desire to possess her overwhelms his very soul, driving him to claim her as his lifemate…. (from Christine's site)

My take on the book:
I'm beginning to sense a theme in these books...centuries old Carpathian men who think they can get away with anything; young women yanked into a world they weren't aware of, & vampires hell bent on running amok. Throw in some smoking hot sex scenes, lots of magic, some adventure = pretty good story.

Colby?? Vacilitates between knowing her own mind & being childish, Rafeal?? Is just a Carpathian male. Together? they manage to bring out the best & the worst in each other. Rafael is doing his best when he discovers his mate is bossy know it all human who doesn't listen or do anything he tells her; Colby is an independent, stubborn young woman struggling to keep her head above water; she is however trying to do her best for her siblings & that means she's not exactly looking for someone to settle down with. She is about the business of doing what needs to be done.

Unlike so many of the other stories I both liked & disliked this story, there were moments where I wished to shake Rafael for the things he would do, he didn't really listen to her & was really only thinking of how the lifemate thing worked out for him, not so much about how it affected his lifemate.  I love the fact that they have to work to build their relationship, & that Rafael learns that eternity just may mean sleeping in the dog house for centuries, because Dragonseeker's can hold grudges for that long.  The realism within the story makes it even more amazing, seeing that Colby isn't just a random needs to be rescued young woman but a woman in charge made me like her. Although sometimes she did things that made me want to shake her as well.

I particularly like the villains in this story, before they were just there not really enhancing the story but just as a way to highlight the superiority of the Carpathian males who had found lifemates, now we are beginning to see some of what they were before they became vampires, I mean they are supposed to be once great Carpathians why all of a sudden they can't do anything except become cannon fodder??.

This book took you on a bit of a role coaster ride, but a good one, one you look back fondly on and may repeat in the future.This is a really good repeat read, & I find myself fast becoming obsessed with the Carpathian world. I really want to read Nicolas's story as well as Vikirnoff. I totally love that as the story goes on Mrs. Feehan enhances it by adding on more elements, more history, more families, while still mentioning the other stories, & the other great Carpathian hunters & their mates.

Overall 5/5 for the story
5/5 for the love scenes

Enjoy & Happy Reading my loves

In My Mailbox (3)

This is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. It's a chance to share your latest finds whether they came through the post or made it's way to you via the interwebs.

This week I didn't really have that many things make their way here, I did get the second book {in the original cover} of the hard to come by series by L.J Smith (I'm attempting to complete each author first then do random ones I have wanted for years).

This is called the Chase it's from the series she made called the Forbidden Game. It's a pretty compelling story & one I have remembered even now many decades later (oh Goddess I'm ageing myself with this LOL).

I also got for free on my Kindle for the PC the following books:

• Bring on the Blessings~ Beverly Jenkings 
• Horns of Power~ David Rankins
• Into the Free~ Julie Cantrell

I was also asked by a author to review their book which I will be doing but I won't do a reveal until a few weeks from now. My list just keeps growing. I'm going to have to get way better at reading so far I have read maybe seven books in two months, which for me isn't really normal so I'm going to have to get on it!!!

What books have you gotten recently? How are your challenges coming along?
Happy Reading & Be Blessed