Spotlight Wednesdays: Mercy Thompson Series

 Info
Title: Mercy Thompson
Title of First Book: Moon Called
Author: Patricia Briggs
Genre: UF
Rating: 4/5


Why You Should Read it

Putting it simply, it's awesome.

Mercy is a shapeshifter coyote that was brought up by a pack of werewolves. She got sick and tired of always be the outsider, and left to live in the human world. She's a pretty decent mechanic, and she likes the life she has.


Except when the job fixing a bus for a vampire customer gets weird, Mercy has to consider asking for help from the werewolf pack that moved in next door to her years before.

It's got everything anyone could possibly want - mystery, romance, supernatural uglies, danger, explosions and a badass lead.

Did I mention she has two hot as hell werewolves fighting over her, and a weirdly chivalrous vampire has shown interest? Yeah, everyone either wants to be Mercy, date Mercy or kill Mercy.

No, I'm serious.

Spotlight Wednesdays: True Love Story

Info
Title: True Love Story
Author: Willow Aster
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Rating: 5/5

Why You Should Read It

This is one of those books that is so good, you just sit in shock after you finish it, wondering what the hell you're supposed to do with yourself now.
It's also one of those that rips your heart in two gleefully.
And you love it for it.

Sparrow's and Ian's story is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. The characters are beautifully dimensional, the plot makes sense, and the flashbacks just make you want to crawl into a corner and sob.

The pain is worth it for falling in love with these perfectly flawed characters.

Spotlight Wednesdays: Age of X

Info

Title: Age of X series
Title of First Book: Gameboard of the Gods
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Adult Dystopian
Rating: 4.5/5

Why you should read it

Actually, there are so many reasons, so I decided to make a list. People like lists, right? Lists are cool.

1. Awesome protagonists.
If you read Mead's Vampire Academy series and loved Rose and Adrian, you're going to adore Mae and Justin. They're like the adult versions of them, and *drumroll* yes, there are strings of romance between, and no Dimitri-like character to interfere.

2. Multiple POVs, so you get to be in all of those awesome heads. It is third person, but still.

3. Amazing world construction that has very strong links to our world.
Mead shows her hand as a feminist very clearly in these books (which is cool in and of itself), and there is nothing more glorious than seeing Mae cut down the patriarchy for assuming she's no threat just because she's female. Seriously, it is beautiful to read.

4. The tongue-in-cheek humour that only Mead can deliver so seamlessly.
The books sometimes get quite dark and touch on heavy subjects, but she never lets that go on for too long, always making sure there's just enough humour in there to make the book fun, without subtracting from the issues she's addressing.

Not convinced yet?

5. It's got Gods.
And by Gods, I mean that, at some point in the first two books (not saying when because... spoilers), you will meet Loki. And I don't know, I mean this might just be me, but you give me a god called Loki, and I instantly have an image of Tom Hiddleston - and that's not something I will ever complain about.

Unfortunately, unlike most of her series so far (recently completed with Bloodlines last month!), this one isn't finished, and the next one up (due out this year at some point) is book 3 - notorious for cliffhangers. But it's my humble opinion that if you haven't experienced a Mead Book 3 Cliffy for longer than it takes you to get to the bookstore to buy #4, your book experience isn't complete. Besides, not much can top Shadow Kiss, so you should be safe-ish.

Covers are from first and second books, respectively.

Spotlight Wednesdays: Vampire Academy

Info
Series Title: Vampire Academy
Title of First Book: Vampire Academy
Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: YA
Rating: 5/5

Why you should read it

The word 'vampire' carries a lot of baggage these days, but rest assured, these do not sparkle.

In Mead's vampiric world, there are two kinds of vampires - the good, live Moroi, who only feed without killing and can control the elements, and the bad, undead Strigoi; the Strigoi are your basic vampire: can't go out in the sun, enjoy killing for the fun of it and have no soul.
The plot is based off the idea that Moroi can have kids with humans, and their offspring is called dhampirs. This is what our protagonist, the badass Rose Hathaway, is. Because of the vampire genes, dhampirs are stronger and faster than normal humans, which makes them the perfect bodyguards against the Strigoi.

Rose will not hesitate before kicking your ass to kingdom come, and quite honestly, I'm pretty sure the term BAMF was made with her in mind. And to make it better?

Well, the icing on the cake is what my circle of friends affectionately calls the 'badass Russian god', aka Dimitri Belikov.

For you to have an idea of how amazing these books are, you might think that their appeal is mostly for teenage girls, right? Well, my 54 year-old father picked these up a few years back and kept pestering me to give him the next one, he was so hooked.

And no wonder as well, it has some of the best plot twists known to man (handy hint and tip: do not finish Shadow Kiss without having Blood Promise around handy. Trust me, you'll thank me later on), magic, vampires, fighting sequences worthy of Hollywood (we don't talk about the movie; it was a sad, sad thing - but if you liked that, you will love the books!) and scorching romance that will make literally anyone swoon.

Covers are of first and fourth books respectively.

Spotlight Wednesdays: Foolish Games

Info:
Title: Foolish Games
Author: Leah Spiegel
Genre: NA contemporary
Rating: 5/5

Why you should read it

It's funny how some books just stick with you, you know? And no matter what, someone will say something, years later, and you'll think of that book again.

I think for me, Foolish Games did that because Joie reminded me so much of myself. She's the geeky girl that takes her kindle to concerts and reads if she's not interested in the band. And while I've never actually done that (because I only actually pay money to go see stuff I actually like), it's the kind of thing I could definitely see me doing if I were ever in her position.
And, because you're all readers too, I'm sure that her character will resonate with you guys too.

Besides, I spent over half the book shaking with laughter. The kindle scene results in the reason I can never listen to Aerosmith's Love in an Elevator again without sighing wistfully. And for all you lovers of slow burn relationships, this one is definitely for you - Hawkins and Joie most definitely do not hit it off instantly, and hilarity ensues from their ever escalating antics.

Handy hint and tip, though: don't bother with books #2 & #3. I found them to be severely lacking, especially when compared to how amazing Foolish Games is. And it doesn't end on a cliffhanger, so I prefer to see it as a standalone.

Spotlight Wednesdays: The DUFF

Info
Title: The DUFF
Author: Kody Keplinger
Genre: NA
Rating: 4/5

Why you should read it

Actually, this is twofold.
Number one, you should read it because it is truly a hilarious book. And, can you believe this, it was her first novel - written when she was only 18?
It's an easy read that flies by, and the characters are very engaging and believable. To this day, I'm incapable of hearing Britney's 'Womaniser' without thinking about this book.

But that's #1.
#2 is that The DUFF is being made into a movie.
Yep! And even though it's nearing on 4 years since I read the book, I'm very excited for this movie - it seems just as funny as I remember the book being :)
Need a little convincing? Here's the trailer:

Spotlight Wednesdays: 1-800-Where-R-You

Info
Series title: 1-800-Where-R-You
Title of First Book: When Lightning Strikes
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5

Why you should read it
For those of you who didn't know this, if my childhood from age 6 up was all about Harry Potter, my preteens were filled of Meg Cabot. I basically read every book she ever wrote - and that's a heck of a lot of books, by the way (my Mum was ready to write a letter to her and beg her to stop writing, I bought so may books of hers haha) - between the ages of 12-15. And one of my all-time favourites will always be her least-known YA series: 1-800-Where-R-You. I'm not sure why it never caught like The Princess Diaries and The Mediator; maybe it was just the slightly long name of the series, who knows.

I honestly blame Rob Wilkins for my obsession with bad boys with dark hair and blue eyes. He started all this trouble, and now look where it's landed me. Plus, there's something just so sexy about how he only ever calls her by her surname... *dreamy sigh*
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Basically, though, when you read it, do it in order, instead of the weird mix I ended up reading. Having grown up in Brazil, books in English were hard to come across, so I just had to make do with what I had. Which basically meant I started with #1, When Lightning Strikes (at least I started at the beginning!), then bought the fourth, Sanctuary, bought the second one, Codename Cassandra, on my kindle, found the fifth, Missing You, in the bookshop, and then finally read the third one, Safe House. And despite that massive mess of sequence, I enjoyed every single second spent with the characters, which I think speaks for itself really.
Most importantly, though, looking back on the series years after finishing it, is how inclusive Cabot was with it. She's never been one to shy from controversial topics, with Lilly Moscowitz heading that particular chart. The 1-800 books have their own amazing characters, though, because Jess Mastriani (the main character) has an older brother who's schizophrenic, and Cabot's portrayal of Douglas was so important for me, growing up, to understand that a condition like that doesn't make a person less capable or less intelligent.
Basically, though, amazing characters, swoon-worthy guy, and awesome plot lines filled with mysteries, action and danger. What's not to love?

Covers for the first and last book respectively.

Spotlight Wednesdays: Dark Days series

The Info

Series title: Dark Days
Title of First book: Nightwalker

Author: Jocelynn Drake

Genre: Adult paranormal (bordering on UF)

Rating: 5/5

Why you need to read it

It's not as well-known as it should be, quite honestly. The books tell the story of 600 years-old nightwalker (that's a vampire, in case you were wondering) Mira; she's the Protector of Savannah, USA, but she's also the right arm of Coven in Italy, and many times gets sent by them to reinstate law and order throughout the US.

But it's not only Mira's general badassery with her knives, guns and ninja moves that make this series awesome. She can also control fire - a very, very different and handy skill for a vampire; it not only makes her harder to kill, it also makes it that much easier for her to kill anyone who pisses her off. It's also the reason for her nickname, Fire Starter, which tends to inspire both fear and respect wherever she goes. As a bonus, she's a sarcastic bitch who takes no shit from anyone, is not above using her feminine wiles to get her way, making her both the wet dream and waking nightmare of many men.

In Nightwalker, the first book, we find Mira as a spoilt vampire, used to getting what she wants with just a flick of her fingers and the use of her name. But, when a vampire hunter shows up in town that actually seems to know how to spot vampires, she's forced to go after him personally before he completely decimates the vamp population of Savannah.

When they finally meet, neither can kill the other... and not only because the hunter, hunky Danaus, has news for her that just might turn her world upside down.

Absolutely recommended for all fans of Richelle Mead's adult series - especially Dark Swan and Georgina Kincaid - (as well the Vampire Academy lovers looking for an adult version of Rose). The action scenes are truly something to behold, magic abounds, and Wait for Dusk, book #5 of #6, ends in a bloodbath worthy of Hollywood.

And best of all: as of 2011, the series is complete, so there'll be no waiting for the next one! The goodreads page for Nightwalker is this one. Happy reading!

Covers are for the first and last book respectively.

Spotlight Wednesday: Great Exploitations

This will be a monthly part of the blog from now, in which I spotlight one book or series that I have a particular love for, and feel like more people should know about.

Title: Great Exploitations novella series
Author: Nicole Williams
Genre: Adult contemporary
Rating: 5/5
Covers: 10/10

Here's the premise before I explain why everyone should read this:

"Seduction. Infidelity. Blackmail. Scandal. It can all be bought for the right price and for Sienna Stevens, business is good. 

Because she’s in the business of Great Exploitations. 

She’s an Eve, a member of a secret society of women contracted by the wives of wealthy, powerful men for one reason and one reason only: to seduce their husbands. To ensure their pre-nuptial agreement will be null and void thanks to a little loophole known as the Infidelity Clause. To ensure that those wives don’t find themselves on the other side of a divorce without a penny to their name. 

When it comes to the Eves, Sienna’s one of the best because she follows the number one rule of the Eves to the letter: don’t let it get personal. 

When the job file of her wealthiest client yet falls into her lap, Sienna realizes that this case could be the one that’s impossible to detach herself from. The payout would lead to her independence, but will the cost be too high in the end?”

Now, if the covers (and the gorgeous play on words of the title of the series, I mean come on!) weren’t enough to grab your interest, I'm not sure what to tell you - other than it's awesome, and you should go read it. Right now.

Trust me, you will want to read these. It’s the proverbial f*ck-you to all cheaters everywhere, and it is glorious. Plus, the protagonist is sassy to boot. And even if you don’t enjoy reading much, you’ll probably still like these, because on average, they’re about 60 pages long. The author meant for it to be like a soap or a TV show, with each “episode” showing a little more of backstory, while also having a “weekly” (I say "weekly" because it's more like every 3-4 months, but still) case to solve.

The fifth and final instalment will be out in October, according to Williams, so there's plenty of time to catch up!

note: the covers used are for the first and second volumes respectively.