Nikyta *Miss Forgetful*

I'm an avid reader and a book hoarder. I just like to read and chat. Coming over here from Goodreads to see how this site works and to create a backup of all my existing books, shelves and reviews. Just in case ;) I can be found at Goodreads, Twitter and The Armchair Reader.

The Choosing by Annabelle Jacobs

The Choosing - Annabelle Jacobs

This review can be found at The Blog of Sid Love.

I’m going to shamelessly say that covers are the first thing that draw me in so when I saw this one, I was intrigued. Then I found out that it was not only fantasy but had shifters and I just knew that I had to read it… and I’m very glad I did.

Jerath is eagerly awaiting going through The Choosing, where he can finally find out the nature of his animal. Unfortunately, he can’t do that until his fangs come in, which don’t seem to be in any hurry to grow. One day Jerath and his friend Serim are catching fish as part of their chores only to realize on the way back to their village that raiders have taken over the village and captured some of their people to sell as slaves. Scared for their lives and their captured loved ones, they try to seek help with a southern village, Chastil. The journey to Chastil is long and tiring but comes with a few unexpected surprises. Jerath thought he’d never find a mate but when he meets Meren, one of the warriors from Chastil, that just might change his whole future. The real question, however, is whether Meren and his people can help Jerath free his fellow shifters and whether they’ll both survive it to be able to see where their connection leaves them?

I must say, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this story as much as I did. I found Jerath amusing. He’s fierce and possessive but sweet and innocent. It was endearing to see him flustered one moment but then aggressive the next. Meren was the opposite in that he was bold and confident but then easily melted whenever Jerath decided to take the reins. I adored these two and the connection that they make. It’s sweet but intense, loving and hot. I wished there had been more of them because while I feel like I know them, I don’t feel like I know them as well as I could.

The characters are definitely a great addition to this book, however, I think the main appeal was the world the author created. It’s complex but easy to understand. I loved that shifters were freely known about and even that there were whole communities dedicated to them. I liked that the women were born knowing their shifter animal while the men had to wait until they completed The Choosing to know theirs. It added mystery and conflict to the story and made it interesting seeing how the rituals were done. I also liked the fact that it wasn’t just ‘expected’ that they were going to eventually shift but there was always that fear for Jerath that it might not happen.

I had a few niggles with this story. Mostly, I felt like sometimes Serim (Jerath’s female friend) outshined not only Jerath and Meren but the relationship they were building. At times, I felt like the bond between Serim and Jerath was stronger than the one between Meren and Jerath. (This is actually even more prominent when you look at the cover and see the black panther (Serim’s shifter form), which leaves me wondering why is there a black panther on the cover? I would think there would be a jaguar instead.) Personally, that lessened my enjoyment at times because I wanted to see more of the bond between Jerath and Meren not be reminded of the connection between Serim and Jerath. Beyond that, there are a few inconsistencies but I would have loved to see more of Meren’s culture since it seems so different, yet similar, to Jerath’s culture.

Readers should be warned, however, that there is m/f sex in this story. While necessary to the development of the story arc and of Jerath, I know some readers would appreciate being told of this. I’m not all that fond of girly bits in my stories and while I didn’t exactly like this part, I did think it needed to happen so I was fine with it overall.

All in all, even with my issues, I absolutely adored this one. It’s refreshing in a way, unique in others in how different it is from other shifter stories. Add to that, the world is quite fascinating and engaging and the bond that Jerath and Meren ultimately develop was nice to see. I’m hoping Ms. Jacobs decides to write more stories in this world because I’d love to explore it further, especially if that means seeing more of Meren’s culture and rituals.

Definitely recommended for those looking for a different kind of shifter story with an interesting journey and a good HEA.

Source: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/736146199

Illumination by Rowan Speedwell

Illumination - Rowan Speedwell

There's something about Ms. Speedwell's writing that always draws me in. When I read her, I know I'm going to enjoy her story and this one is no different.

I absolutely adored these characters. Miles just breaks my heart with his issues. He's complex and has so many hidden things about him. I loved that as the story progressed, we slowly started to understand why Miles is the way he is. I'll admit, I wanted to shake him silly a few times but I also wanted to hug him and keep him safe. I connected with Miles because of how broken he is but it took a little while for me to like Adam. At first, I thought he was this conceited, spoiled rock star but the more I read, the more I realized that he just needed to find his way and where Miles helps him do that, Adam also helps Miles find his way. One thing I hated about Adam, though, was his drug habit. Then again, at the same time, his denial in actually having an addiction was very realistic.

The story explores how Adam and Miles meet, the instant connection they have and then the separation they go through when they get back to their lives. Unfortunately, they each have their issues and those issues make having a relationship difficult. Add to that, doubts and insecurity create unwanted second thoughts that cause some conflict between their fledgling relationship. I liked the way the book was handled and also the journey that Miles and Adam take to finally be together. It's sweet and heartbreaking but I couldn't put the story down once I was able to sink my teeth into it.

While I enjoyed the story a lot, though, I did have some issues. Mostly, I understood the bond Miles and Adam created but I still found it hard to believe that these two had such a deep connection to the point that they'd be willing to wait for each other. IMO, they barely knew each other, or at least we didn't see them getting to know each other to the depth that they claimed. Beyond that, I wished we could have seen more of Miles and Adam when they finally work things out and I would have loved to see Adam's rehabilitation with Miles.

All in all, this was a great story. It pulled at my heartstrings and made me fall in love with the characters but I also loved how these two got to where they finally ended up. Definitely recommended for those looking for something semi-angsty but with great characters.

Right!
Right!

This is how I measure all things. 

Reading Goal This Week

So, I have a busy life filled with work and school (like who doesn't, right??) so I haven't read more than one book a week in what seems like MONTHS! But GRL is next week and I have obligations I have to meet. I'm going to channel my inner speed reader demon (i.e. MsMiz) in the hopes of being able to finish.

 

So, fellow BL users, wish me luck because I'm hoping to knock out one 210 pager, one 300 pager and one 350 pager!

 

Oh lord.... this might be impossible *bites nails*

Fluffy

Called to Mate - Lynn Tyler

I liked the start of this one but somewhere along the lines it became a bit too cliched and predictable for me. Not that I didn't like it but it lost the uniqueness that it started with. It's more fluff than anything and I still liked the world so I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

Daily Workout
Daily Workout

Hahahaha, damn straight!

Reblogged from DayDreamer
It's never going to happen, but you know, it could!
It's never going to happen, but you know, it could!
Reblogged from Ami's Hoard
Hunk
Hunk

A little inspiration... courtesy of a friend of mine (you know who you are ;P)

What's everyone reading today?

I started Conquer the Flames this morning and I found a nice little surprise that just about made my day ^_^

 

 

What's everyone else reading today??

 

Someone keep me company while I ignore my homework!

 

 

 

Kobo codes:

 

BookRiot50 (50% off; exp Oct 15)

Comeback9_632 (35% off)

Reblogged from Mammarella
Somehow this is always what happens.
Somehow this is always what happens.

Hahaha, yup!

Reblogged from Mandy, I read obsessively

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Saturday Musings

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management - Gary Dessler

Soooooooo...... It's Saturday, I'm supposed to be doing homework (HR Management. bleh!) and what am I doing instead?? Playing with this new site.... someone should take away my internet.

 

But I think I'm digging this place... You can have drafts! Finally! What do y'all think??

 

 

Dark Sun - M.J. O'Shea I was pleasantly shocked by this book. I bought it years ago but never got around to reading it until today. With that being said, it has the plot of Romeo & Juliet with a twist of Robin Hood added in for good measure.

It's an adventurous story that follows the second son of the Dragon Triad, Lynx, as he accidentally meets the notorious 'Yoru Katana', the thief who is stealing from his family, and becomes infatuated with but who he doesn't know yet is Katana. Except, Katana is actually Orion, the supposed heir to the Phoenix Triad, the rivals of the Dragons. Orion believes completely in his mission to steal valuable meds from higher society and giving it back to the poor society. At the same time, he's also become infatuated with Lynx, putting more danger to his already dangerous missions especially when he not only has an intimate relationship with Lynx but takes him on a few missions with his team as well. However, that's not the worst of their problems and soon enough Lynx and Orion uncover a project that connects their family to something horrible that they feel needs to be stopped.

In the beginning, Lynx is this depressed, innocent, naive and spoiled noble. He's scared to mingle with those on the Bottom Level because he's been taught that they're deformed freaks. Sadly, Lynx has taken those lies to heart and is scared of interacting with anyone but his own people on Cloud Level. It was interesting to see the development between Lynx in the beginning and Lynx in the end. It's a huge change because not only does Lynx become less naive but he also becomes more fierce and confident, as well as, more generous and open-minded to those beneath him. Orion is pretty intense. He lives a dual life as one of the elitist who doesn't have a care in the world and then a life as the most notorious thief, Katana. I loved that it was so easy for him to change into the different personas. Mostly, while their sudden need for each other is not technically explained, I loved seeing these boys fall hard and fast for each other to the point that no matter what, they couldn't stay away from one another for long. It was adorable, IMO, but I still enjoyed their attempts at making things less complicated.

I think my biggest issue with this story is that it was too short. The world Ms. O'Shea created was phenomenal and interesting. It's slightly confusing at first but as the story progressed, everything made more sense. It was fascinating to see the world unravel and even more interesting to start to see how it got that way. However, because of the length, I felt like the ending was slightly rushed but, more than that, I'm left with a sense of incompleteness. I want to know what happens next, how Lynx and Orion will survive, what they'll do now. Will they continue with what Orion started? How will they be able to do that? So, I'm left with a bunch of unanswered questions.

All in all, though, I adored the story. It's short but it's also fast paced with an entertaining set of characters (who get a lot of sexy time!) and an interesting plot with suspenseful conflicts. I'm hoping there's more to come of this story, though, because I'd love to see if their efforts paid off in the end.

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