Review: Prince of Wolves (The Grey Wolves, #1) by Quinn Loftis

Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

I have to say right off the bat that I'm torn on this one.  It was creative, and interesting I can't say that I'll plan on following up on the series.  It could be a reading funk that I'm in or the fact that lately I've been lucky enough to come across some great reads that I simply can't get enough of and because of this the bar has been raised.  Either way the dialogue was really what threw me off on this title.  I never felt like I was apart of the story.  It might not make complete sense, but when I'm reading a book that I love it feels as if I'm right there with the characters on the pages, I forget that I'm reading a book and lose myself in the story line and scenes that are unfolding.

The conversations that took place in this book felt too forced to me.  Too many quips thrown in that made it feel unrealistic.  I can't figure out a way to really describe it on paper, but everyone knows there's a difference in how people speak and write.  If you recorded your conversations and transcribed them to paper they'd be chaotic and all over the place nine times out of ten.  In this book I just had a hard time getting past the fact that everything felt forced.  I wish I was articulate enough to be able to nail down what it is exactly but all I can say is while this book will surely be enjoyed by many readers, it won't be a series that will make it to the top of my list for one reason or another.  I'm not sorry I read it but I'm not sure it can compete with some of the other titles I've immersed myself in lately.

I gave Prince of Wolves (The Grey Wolves, #1) 2 shamrocks!!

Countdown: Missed Titles (4)

While trying to get back into the swing of things on the blog after my crazy, wedding filled Summer, I of course decided to bring back the countdowns.  They're some of my favorites posts to prepare and doing the research on them is always exciting because I seem to always end up pleasantly surprised by how many titles out there that I end up wanting to read in the worst possible way.

So while I've got a huge list already compiled of all the great titles coming out in 2013, I wanted to come back and start first by featuring some reads that I somehow missed in the past year or two.  I'm always both upset and excited to find titles that somehow went under my radar.  Upset because I already feel like I'm behind, and have possibly missed out on great reading experiences, but also excited to finally come across them so that I'll have the chance to make up for lost time and dive right into these intriguing reads.  So here's the start to the missing titles countdown.  Since these have been on the shelves for a while now, if you see any that you've read or heard anything about, let me know and give me your opinion....should I rush them to the top of my TBR pile, or possibly hold off???

Countdown Pick #1:  Prince of Wolves (The Grey Wolves, #1) by Quinn Loftis

Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

So I've got to point out something really cool.  Whenever I do one of these posts I try to not only recommend the book to you guys or point out that it's now on my TBR list, but to also do a little research while I'm at it.  I like to know if I've missed out on a title in a series, how many other series installments are out, or expected from the series, stuff like that.  While I was digging into this title, I came across some interesting information.  The author felt that since this was her first book to be published that she wanted to say thanks in her own way to her readers, etc....so she made the book free!  Forever!  I had to see it for myself to believe it, but yes in fact, it costs nothing if you're lucky enough to have yourself a Kindle.  I checked out Amazon and sure enough it's $0.00 all with the click of a button, isn't that awesome?!  I think it's a fabulous surprise for sure...and I'll be downloading it as soon as I get home!

Countdown Pick #2:  Winter's Shadow (Winter Saga, #1) by M.J. Hearle

Blake Duchamp...

He's all that Winter Adams can think of. Ever since their fateful meeting at Pilgrim's Lament. Ever since he looked at her with those emerald eyes. Ever since he saved her life.

But Blake isn't all that he seems. There is a strangeness about him, something dark and otherworldly. Something dangerous. In his attic is a secret he would kill to defend, but Winter seems to have a special ability to make him forget his duty. And he is her only protection against the gathering darkness.

The only problem is, to protect Winter, Blake must risk exposing her to an even greater danger. Himself.

I'm just not sure what's up with this Blake guy, but he can't be all bad if he saved the girl's life right?  And what girl wouldn't swoon a little over a knight in shining armor so to speak.  It does sound like a few others out there, but I'm still curious and anxious to see where this story will lead.  If you want to check it out but aren't ready to commit just yet, you can download the first 80 pages of the book here.

Countdown Pick #3:  Dusk Conspiracy (Werelove, #1) by Lakisha Spletzer

Seventeen-year-old Laylah Le Croix has a rich father, mansion, and servants. Yet she is lonely and neglected. Her father would rather work than speak to her. At the academy she is bullied and mistreated.

When Weres attempt to kidnap Laylah, she is saved by the mysterious Donil Silentshadow. Donil rouses feelings in Laylah that make her question her life and her father's animosity toward her handsome rescuer. Confused by these emotions, she seeks answers from those closest to her and is rebuffed.

She must make a choice. Obey her father's edicts or follow her heart to learn the truth about her past.

Uh oh.  While this does sound a lot like Catherine Banks' Artemis Lupine series, that's one of my favorites.  So even if it's similar or has similar characteristics, if that's the case than it's likely I'll enjoy the read too.  And with this being the first installment in a series, I'll be able to continue on and catch up with the rest of the titles.

Countdown Pick #4:  Angelfall (Penryn and the End of Days, #1) by Susan Ee

It’s been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels’ stronghold in San Francisco where she’ll risk everything to rescue her sister and he’ll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

It must be in the air, because this author has put up the first five chapters of this title on her site, here, for free.  I think it's a great way for readers to be able to check things out and see if they're liking what they read.  If you like how things are going after the first section you're able to read for free, than at least you'll know that after buying the book it'll make a great addition to your library.  The book's description had me adding this title to my TBR, but now that I can see how things start out, I might be able to decide if I want to bump it up to the top of my list or hold off a bit until later.

Countdown Pick #5:  Immortal (Immortal Series, #1) by Lauren Burd

The wound inflicted only a few minutes before was nearly healed. A small cut was the only sign that anything had occurred. I watched in disbelief as it finished closing and eventually disappeared. "What are you?" Gods, demons,vampires eighteen year old Alina doesn't believe in any of them, until she meets Samuel and Duncan, and discovers a world that could destroy everything she loves.

With this author going the route of self publishing, much like well known author Amanda Hocking, this girl has worked hard to get her series out there.  This title has gotten all kinds of reviews and they vary all over the spectrum, but I'm still intrigued by the description.  And truthfully, anyone that can hook me enough to check out their work, and who has obviously put it a lot of time and hard work to get her work out there in the first place, they've earned my respect and I want to give this title a chance.  So here's hoping that the writing lives up to the driven author who penned it and if anyone else has come across this one let me know what you thought.

In My Mailbox (60)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I
never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

Prince of Wolves (The Grey Wolves, #1) by Quinn Loftis

Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

Beautiful Disaster (Beautiful, #1) by Jamie McGuire

The new Abby Abernathy is a good girl. She doesn’t drink or swear, and she has the appropriate percentage of cardigans in her wardrobe. Abby believes she has enough distance between her and the darkness of her past, but when she arrives at college with her best friend, her path to a new beginning is quickly challenged by Eastern University's Walking One-Night Stand. 

Travis Maddox, lean, cut, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs—and wants—to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight ring, and his days as the ultimate college campus charmer. Intrigued by Abby’s resistance to his appeal, Travis tricks her into his daily life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain abstinent for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis’s apartment for the same amount of time. Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match.

The Loop by Shandy Lawson (Thanks to Shandy)

Ben and Maggie have met, fallen in love, and died together countless times. Over the course of two pivotal days—both the best and worst of their lives—they struggle again and again to resist the pull of fate and the force of time itself. With each failure, they return to the beginning of their end, a wild road trip that brings them to the scene of their own murders and into the hands of the man destined to kill them.

As time circles back on itself, events become more deeply ingrained, more inescapable for the two kids trapped inside the loop. The closer they come to breaking out, the tighter fate’s clutches seem to grip them. They devise a desperate plan to break free and survive the days ahead, but what if Ben and Maggie’s only shot at not dying is surviving apart?

How To Lead A Life of Crime by Kirsten Miller (Thanks to Kirsten)

A Meth Dealer. A  Prostitute. A Serial Killer.

Anywhere else, they’d be vermin. At the Mandel Academy, they’re called prodigies. The most exclusive school in New York City has been training young criminals for over a century. Only the most ruthless students are allowed to graduate. The rest disappear.

Flick, a teenage pickpocket, has risen to the top of his class. But then Mandel recruits a fierce new competitor who also happens to be Flick’s old flame. They’ve been told only one of them will make it out of the Mandel Academy. Will they find a way to save each other—or will the school destroy them both?