MR. MAILMAN: THE RAINE BENARES SERIES

Yikes!! I won The Raine Benares Series by Lisa Shearin from The Qwillery's Interview with Lisa Shearin and Contest!!! Couldn't wait to find it in my mail!! *jumping up and down* This wait is worth a Mr. Mailman feature! A kind of "blog meme" started by Juju over at Tales Of Whimsy.

...So sometime soon I am hoping to find The Raine Benares Series by Lisa Shearin in the mailbox!! (fingers crossed)

About Mr. Mailman:

Mr. Mailman is a feature Juju decided to try. Periodically when there is a book in route which she is anxiously hoping to find when she gets home to her mailbox - Juju would feature Mr. Mailman.

Mr. Mailman is a hybrid of Waiting on Wednesday by Breaking the Spine and In My Mailbox by the Story Siren. Please feel free to grab the logo and feature your Mr. Mailman request on your site. Please leave a link to your Mr. Mailman request in the comments at Tales Of Whimsy.

Source: Info in the About Mr. Mailman was pinched from Juju's blog, Tales Of Whimsy, on 04/12/09.

The Raine Benares series:

Magic Lost, Trouble Found (Book 1)

My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. The people who hire me are usually happy when I find things. But some things are better left unfound…

Raine is a sorceress of moderate powers, from an extended family of smugglers and thieves. With a mix of street smarts and magic spells, she can usually take care of herself. But when her friend Quentin, a not-quite-reformed thief, steals an amulet from the home of a powerful necromancer, Raine finds herself wrapped up in more trouble than she cares for. She likes attention as much as the next girl, but having an army of militant goblins hunting her down is not her idea of a good time. The amulet they’re after holds limitless power, derived from an ancient, soul-stealing stone. And when Raine takes possession of the item, it takes possession of her.

Now her moderate powers are increasing beyond anything she could imagine—but is the resumé enhancement worth her soul?

Armed And Magical (Book 2)

My name is Raine Benares. Until last week I was a seeker—a finder of things lost and people missing. Now I’m psychic roommates with the Saghred, an ancient stone with cataclysmic powers. Just me, the stone, and all the souls it’s ingested over the centuries. Crowded doesn’t even begin to describe it…

All Raine wants is her life back—which means getting rid of the stone and the power it possesses. To sort things out, she heads for the Isle of Mid, home to the most prestigious sorcery school, as well as the Conclave, the governing body for all magic users. It’s also home to power-grubbing mages who want Raine dead and goblins who see her as a thief. As if that’s not enough, Mid’s best student spellsingers are disappearing left and right, and Raine’s expected to find them.

Lives are at stake, goblins are threatening to sue, mages are getting greedier, and the stone’s power is getting stronger by the hour. This could get ugly.

The Trouble With Demons (Book 3)

My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. People hire me when they need something found. I’m not usually the one being sought. But that all changed when I found the Saghred, a soul-stealing stone of unlimited power — and the bane of my existence. Now mages and madmen have me in their sights, not to mention demons…

An opened Hellgate leads to a demon infestation on the Isle of Mid, and while there’s never an ideal time to face down demon hordes, it’s hard to imagine a worse one. Already fighting the influence of the Saghred, Raine discovers she is also magically bonded to a dark mage and a white knight, two dangerous and powerful men on opposing sides — and Raine’s stuck in the middle.

But with demons pouring through the Hellgate, Raine can’t afford to be distracted. Turns out, the demons want the key to unlock the Saghred. As a seeker, Raine should be able to find it first. As the axis of light and dark powers, she’s a magical cataclysm waiting to happen…

Bewitched And Betrayed (Book 4)

My name is Raine Benares. I’m a seeker. I find lost things and missing people — usually alive. Finding the specters of six evil mages who escaped the Saghred, a soul-eating stone of unlimited power, was easy. Stopping them before they unleash Hell on earth just may be the death of me.

Being bonded to the Saghred wasn’t my idea — neither is hunting down its escapees. Especially not when one of them is also hunting me. He’s regenerating his body by taking the lives of powerful victims, along with their memories, knowledge, and most important of all, their magic. The dark mage wants control of the Saghred, and if he gets it, he’ll become an evil demigod whom no one can stop. The only thing in his way is me.

One of us doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

Source: Info in The Raine Benares series was taken from The Qwillery at http://qwillery.blogspot.com/2010/05/interview-with-lisa-shearin-and-contest.html on 15/05/2010.

IN THE MAIL: SEA, ORIGINAL SIN & BLUE FLORAL NECKLACE

I would like to thank Angie over at Angie Frazier for hosting the Some Serious Blue Cover Love contest which made it possible for me to win Sea by Heidi R. Kling!

About Sea:

Still haunted by nightmares of her mother’s death, fifteen-year-old Sienna Jones reluctantly travels to Indonesia with her father’s relief team to help tsunami orphans with their post traumatic stress disorder—something Sienna knows a lot about. Since her mother’s plane went missing over the Indian Ocean three years before, Sienna doesn’t do anything if it involves the ocean or planes, so this trip is a big step forward.
But the last thing she expects is to fall for Deni, a brooding Indonesian boy who lives at the orphanage, and just so happens to be HOT. When Deni hears a rumor that his father may be alive, Sienna doesn’t think twice about running away with him to the epicenter of the disaster. Unfortunately, what they find there could break both their hearts.

A compelling summer romance, Sea marks the arrival of a stunning new voice in YA.

Source: Info in the About Sea was taken from amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Heidi-R-Kling/dp/0399251634?ie=UTF8&tag=wwwcherrydece-21&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969 on 10/05/2010.

Publication Date: 10 June 2010

I would like to thank Brande over at Book Junkie for hosting the Review: Original Sin by Allison Brennan & Giveaway which made it possible for me to win Original Sin by Allison Brennan!

About Original Sin:

In Allison Brennan's first book in the 7 Deadly Sins Series, Original Sin, Moira is a witch, or was rather, because Moira O'Donnell has rebuffed the fact that she is a witch. Witches in her world are evil, there are no two ways about it. Case in point her mother Fiona is the worst of her kind. Spending most of her life searching for the Book of Knowledge so she can summon the evil demons from hell, the 7 Deadly Sins. But something goes terribly wrong and the portal is open, it is a cataclysm and they are let loose on human kind. Only Moira can hunt them down, but she isn't alone, she has the help of a pretty comical cast of characters, Anthony who is a demonologist and his girlfriend Sky. Anthony does not trust Moira, she is a witch after all and they are evil so he is on edge just waiting for her to stab them all in the back. A hard and angry his frustrations and dislikes are made abundantly clear at every turn. Then there is the ultra sexy and super mysterious Rafe. Moira isn't quite what to make of him and frankly I wasn't either. I felt as though the author could have given the readers a little more details on Rafe as I found his part a little confusing at times. Fact his Moira rocked in my book, shaky on the other characters although I did think that they were all vital to the story. Moira is tough, plain and simple, despite the uneasy feeling she gets from her nightmares of demon upheaval and human sacrifices, she has been training for years while in hiding from her mother and sister, to fight demons and eventually fight her mother which is inevitable. A lot of action and once you got past the first few chapters the story really started to take off for me, a really fantastic and cool ending.

Source: Info in the About Original Sin was taken from Book Junkie's blog at http://myfoolishwisdom.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-original-sin-by-allison-brennan.html on 11/05/2010.

I would like to thank Star over at StarShadow for hosting the Blogmania (stop #19) contest which made it possible for me to win the Blue Floral Necklace by Tradetrust4U!

THANK YOU!!!
(((muah)))

I SO WANT TO READ THIS: MY AVENGING ANGEL

WISHLIST:

My Avenging Angel by Madelyn Ford

Publication Date: 25th of May 2010

About My Avenging Angel:

To save her life, he must break a covenant—and lose his heart.

An Angels and Demons story.

It’s Victoria Bloom’s twenty-fifth birthday. But is she out celebrating? Oh, no. She’s in a stuffy old attic with the Three Stooges—a.k.a. her so-called spirit guides. There’s a demon who wants her dead, the same one that killed her mother two decades ago. No worries, say the Stooges. All she has to do is summon an angel. What could go wrong?

Well, plenty when you summon the wrong angel. The next thing Tory knows, she’s got one very bad-ass, pissed-off and sexy Archangel on her hands.

Michael, mighty warrior, leader of an elite team of demon killers, is shaking in his heavenly combat boots. Not because he finds all humans distasteful. But because he’d rather face Lucifer himself than the woman his soul has just recognized as his mate. Binding himself to a mortal, one who will eventually die, is the one path he’s sworn never to follow.

It’s too late now; his fate is sealed. With one touch, she becomes as necessary to him as the air he breathes. He will move heaven and earth to protect her—but against a demon as powerful as Asmodeus, heaven and earth may not be enough…

Warning: This book contains one bad-ass Archangel with a fiery, um, sword, a witch who blows things up, one nasty demon who is trying to kill them both, and ghosts who make interfering their mission. Steamy sex is had, even with the voyeur ghosts—though Tory is still blushing.

Source: Info in the About My Avenging Angel was taken from the publisher's website at http://samhainpublishing.com/coming/my-avenging-angel on 12/05/2010.

WW28: SHADOWGLASS

WW28

• First you grab our Wicked Wednesday pic.
• Then you grab a book. Turn to page 28. Take the first sentence. And then you post it in your site with a link back to WW28.
• Come back to Cherry Mischievous - WW28 and give us the url of your post (in a comment at a WW28 post) so that other WW28 readers can find your WW28 offering.

WW28 book offering: Shadowglass by Erica Hayes
Page 28, 1st Sentence:

He slips a bloodstained finger into his mouth, and it stings.

About Shadowglass:

A seductive magic mirror lies hidden deep in a demon’s lair, with a simple warning: don’t stare at the glass…

Ice is a troubled fairy trying her best to survive in the squalid underworld of the Shadowfae. When she spends a hot night with a demon lord, she discovers a powerful magic mirror in his lair — and pilfers it, knowing it’s the key to escaping her bleak life as a two-bit con artist. But Ice soon discovers that the mirror's power comes with a price…madness, which is slowly overtaking her...

Source: Info in the About Shadowglass was taken from the author's website at http://ericahayes.net/ on 05/05/2010.

IN THE MAIL: PERFECT CHEMISTRY

I would like to thank Rhiana of Rhiana Reads for hosting the 150 Followers Giveaway! which made it possible for me to win Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles!

About Perfect Chemistry:

Get ready for a whole new take on
star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet,
West Side Story, bad boy meets good girl...
At Fairfield High, everyone knows that south siders and north siders aren’t exactly compatible elements. So when cheerleader Brittany Ellis and gang member Alex Fuentes are forced to be lab partners, the results are bound to be explosive.

Neither teen is prepared for the most surprising chemical reaction of all – love. Can they break through the stereotypes and misconceptions that threaten to keep them apart?

Source: Info in the About Perfect Chemistry was taken from the book's website at http://www.perfectchemistrythebook.com/ on 07/05/2010.

Author link(s):
Simone Elkeles

THANK YOU!!!
(((muah)))

I SO WANT TO READ THIS...

WISHLIST:

A Devil In The Details by K.A. Stewart

Publication Date: 6th July 2010

About A Devil In The Details:

Every lost soul needs a champion.

Jesse James Dawson was an ordinary guy (well, an ordinary guy with a black belt in karate), until the day he learned his brother had made a bargain with a demon. Jesse discovered there was only one way to save his brother: put up his own soul as collateral, and fight the demon to the death.

Jesse lived to free his brother--and became part of a loose organization of Champions who put their own souls on the line to help those who get in over their heads with demons. But now experienced Champions are losing battles at a much higher rate than usual. Someone has changed the game. And if Jesse can't figure out the new rules, his next battle may be his last...

Source: Info in the About A Devil In The Details was taken from amazon at http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Details-Jesse-James-Dawson/dp/0451463439/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1 on 06/05/2010.

Can't wait for July to roll around already!!

Review: SHADE by JERI SMITH-READY

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

Genre: urban fantasy, YA

About Shade:

Love ties them together.
Death can't tear them apart.

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Source: Info in the About Shade was taken from the author's website at http://jerismithready.com/books/shade on 19/04/2010.

I would like to thank IBT for letting me read the review copy of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready!

Author link(s):
Jeri Smith-Ready

My Take On this Book:

I would describe this book in a few words as: Tear jerker

Character development is good and right at the start I could really sympathise with the female protagonist for the pain she was going through. And anger for her that it ever happened. The author gives us characters who lingers in my head long after I finished reading the book... The author also weaves a very convincing world where ghosts feels so real to the reader. I would give the "suspension of disbelief" a 4.5 out of 5. The story itself though does not seem to have any clear structure where there is a central conflict and a climax. The story? I'd give it a 1.5 out of 5. The book feels like a simple retelling of events. I didn't want a history class, I want a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. The end therefore did not sufficiently close the story because there was not much of a story dilemma to close with. And it was sort of a cliffhanger, I would give the ending a 2 out of 5. The whole book reads like it is a first chapter of a bigger book.

The author knows how to play emotional manipulation with the reader though and I cried at about the last three quarters of the book. But this does not compensate for the fact that the story lacks a strong dilemma centrepoint. I would give the story-telling quality a 3.5 out of 5. I found this book to be a quick read and the pace to be nice and steady until you get towards the end where it gets quicker and quicker, which I like and is a definite plus. I enjoyed this book and would say the book has an overall entertainment value of 3.5 out of 5.

Cherry's Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Other reviews on Shade:
Just Bookin Around
Steph Su at Steph Su Reads