It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by The Book Date.

Read Last Week: 

Lottery Boy Michael Byrne

Currently Reading:

The Serpent King Jeff ZentnerThe Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

Synopsis: Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace.

He and his fellow outcast friends must try to make it through their senior year of high school without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self. Graduation will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is content where he is thanks to his obsession with an epic book series and the fangirl turning his reality into real-life fantasy.

Their diverging paths could mean the end of their friendship. But not before Dill confronts his dark legacy to attempt to find a way into the light of a future worth living.

Review: Covenant With the Vampire by Jeanne Kalogridis

Covenant with the Vampire (The Diaries of the Family Dracul #1) Jeanne KalogridisCovenant With the Vampire (The Diaries of the Family Dracul #1) by Jeanne Kalogridis

Publication Date: September 1st 1994
Details: Hardcover, 324 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
ISBN: 9780385313131
Source: Either I bought it or my mom did. 🙂

Jeanne Kalogridis:
Website | Goodreads

Buy Covenant With the Vampire:
Amazon | Book Depository

Summary

A sensual, terrifying, incredibly accomplished first novel, this fascinating prequel to the classic and most popular horror novel of all time, Dracula, focuses on Dracula’s great-nephew, who inherits the job of managing his great-uncle’s estate…and his appetite. Written in diary form as Dracula is, this compulsively readable book has revelations that will shock and delight readers of the original. More erotic than Anne Rice, Kalogridis is a major new voice in vampire fiction. The first chilling tale in an exciting new trilogy is a rich and terrifying historical novel set fifty years before the opening of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. At the castle of Prince Vlad Tsepesh, also known as Dracula, Vald’s great-nephew Arkady is honored to care for his beloved though strange great-uncle…until he beings to realize what is expected of him in his new role. It seems that either he provides his great-uncle with unsuspecting victims to satisfy his needs, or Vlad will kill those Arkady loves. He is trapped into becoming party to murder and sadistic torture. And it is in his blood. When Arkady learns that his newborn son is being groomed one day to follow in his footsteps, he knows that he must fight Dracula, even if it means death.

Review

I have wanted to read this book since I found out about it back in 2007. So needless to say I was beyond excited when I walked into Goodwill last year and found the whole trilogy just sitting there on the shelf waiting for me. I am so happy that I own all three because Covenant with the Vampire was great and I can’t wait to pick up the second book.

It took me an entire week to read this book because I’ve been having trouble recently with concentrating. I have had a lot on my mind and it’s been making most things, especially reading, very difficult. However, I have no doubt that if I wasn’t having this problem, I would have read this in a day.

The only problem I had with this book was the fact that Arkady drove me insane. There were so many times I wanted to reach into the book and shake him. I might have even said to my dad once or twice that I wanted to smack Arkady because he’s an idiot. Of course I just got a weird look.

Other than that, it was an amazing book and I hope to get to the next one very soon. If you like vampires, you should check this one out.

4 out of 5 stars

Review: A Billionaire Between the Sheets by Katie Lane

A Billionaire Between the Sheets (The Unexpected Billionaires #1) Katie LaneA Billionaire Between the Sheets (The Overnight Billionaires #1) by Katie Lane

Publication Date: November 24th 2015
Details: Mass Market Paperback, 305 pages
Publisher: Forever
ISBN: 9781455533138
Source: Won a copy from Goodreads. 🙂

Katie Lane:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Buy A Billionaire Between the Sheets:
Amazon | Book Depository

Summary

Overnight billionaires, the Beaumont brothers are thrust into life in the fast lane with exotic cars, private jets . . . and sex and success on their minds.

A commanding presence in the boardroom and the bedroom, Deacon Beaumont has come to save the failing company French Kiss. He was born to be boss in this glamorous new world of lacy lingerie and stunning supermodels. But one bold and beautiful woman dares to question his authority.

Olivia Harrington has dedicated her life to the company’s success. Just because Deacon is sexy as hell doesn’t mean he’ll make a better CEO. With a limitless supply of push-up bras and garter belts, Olivia turns her considerable feminine charms on Deacon to discover what makes him tick . . . and reveals instead the billion reasons why she wants him to stay.

Review

I had a hard time rating this book. Sometimes I would be really enjoying it and other times I was slightly annoyed. I don’t know, maybe I’m just being picky, but there were times when I really didn’t like Deacon. Olivia’s neighbors, and Grayson were the only characters I can actually say I liked. Everyone else I either didn’t like or didn’t care about at all.

The reason I liked the book and gave it three stars was the fact that it was funny. There were a few times this book had me laughing out loud.

Even though I didn’t absolutely love this one, I would still love to read the next book, A Billionaire After Dark.

3 out of 5 stars

Waiting on Wednesday: Nightstruck

new-wow

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. This week I picked: 

Nightstruck Jenna BlackNightstruck by Jenna Black

Details: Hardcover, 304 pages
Expected publication: April 5th 2016 by Tor Teen
Buy it: Book Depository

Summary: The start of a spooky yet romantic dark paranormal horror series from Glimmerglass author Jenna Black

The night is the enemy, and the city of Philadelphia is its deadliest weapon.

Becket is an ordinary teenage girl, wrestling with the upheaval of her parents’ divorce. Her biggest problems to date have been choosing which colleges to apply to, living up to her parents’ ambitious expectations of her, and fighting her secret crush on her best friend’s boyfriend. That all changes the night she tries to save an innocent life and everything goes horribly wrong.

Becket has been tricked into opening a door between worlds. As dark magic trickles into Philadelphia, strange creatures roam the streets and inanimate objects come to life, all of them bloodthirsty and terrifying. The city returns to normal when the sun rises each morning. The moment the sun sets, most citizens shut themselves in their houses and stay there no matter what they hear.

The magic is openly hostile to most mortals, but there are some it seems to covet, trying to lure them out into the night. While Becket struggles to protect her friends and family from predatory creatures of the night, she is constantly tempted to shrug off her responsibilities and join them.

Review: Grimm House by Karen McQuestion

Grimm House Karen McQuestionGrimm House by Karen McQuestion

Publication Date: November 12th 2015
Details: Paperback, 200 pages
Publisher: Nightsky Press
ISBN: 9780986416477
Source: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 🙂

Karen McQuestion:
Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Buy Grimm House:
Amazon | Book Depository

Summary

When Hadley’s parents leave on a cruise and then are reported lost at sea, her perfect world is turned upside down.

In a flash she is whisked away to a new life of drudgery at Grimm House where she waits on not one but two persnickety old aunts. As she grudgingly fulfills their commands of cooking, cleaning, and even after-dinner-dancing, she comes to suspect the aunts are really witches who are scheming to take the thing she loves best.

With only her wits and the help of some unlikely new friends, Hadley makes a plan to escape Grimm House and find her way home before it’s too late.

For ages 7 – 11, or those who are young at heart.

Review

Grimm House was a good read. It wasn’t amazing but I liked it. I gave it three stars because I’m sure I would have really enjoyed this book when I was a kid. I wish I had it when I was seven and was obsessed with Goosebumps, but was wanting creepy books that were a bit bigger. This one would have been perfect.

If you have a kid or know a kid that likes reading books that are a bit dark, I would recommend this one. It’s not scary, but it is a bit creepy. That is the best word to describe this book. Whenever I think about the aunts and their house the first word I think of is creepy.

Overall, probably a two star read for me, but getting three because I’m sure I would have liked it a lot when I was a kid.

3 out of 5 stars

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by The Book Date.

Read Last Week: 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark HaddonGrimm House Karen McQuestion

Currently Reading:

Lottery Boy Michael ByrneLottery Boy by Michael Byrne

Synopsis: In a gripping thriller with a hint of Oliver Twist, a street kid and his dog are chasing an unlikely fortune — and dodging the thugs who would steal it.

Twelve-year-old Bully has lost his mum and his old life. Living rough on the streets of London with his dog, Jack, he can’t imagine a future. But one day he finds, tucked inside his most cherished possession—the last birthday card his mother ever gave him—a lottery ticket he bought her. And it’s a winner. Abig winner. Suddenly there’s hope, if only he can get to his prize on time! But just as Bully’s prospects open up, peril closes in. Now ruthless gangsters are in hot pursuit, and everyone wants a piece of him. Whom can he trust to help him retrieve what’s his? And even if Bully does claim all that money, will he really be winning what he needs most? Michael Byrne’s thrill-packed debut delivers the emotionally charged story of a boy whose luck has changed for the better, if only he can survive long enough to claim it.
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