Jessica

This is one badass book that is meant to inspire equally badass women.

I am going to write this review a little different than I normally do. I am going to focus on one section of this amazing little book... On Body Image.

We all worry about how we look. It is easy to become discouraged. A lot of us the our body. We shouldn't, we are what we are. I am not saying we should just let ourselves go, but we should at least not think of ourselves as lacking because of how we look. We need to have confidence in how we look.

I have a friend who thought she was too big. She was so desperate to be “beautiful” that she starved herself. At ne point she had no clue how small she had truly become. It took me and her sister forever to get her to step on a scale. When she did she was shocked at what she actually weighed. The person she saw in the mirror was still overweight. Before she actually weighed herself, I remember her arguing that she knew she was still going to be over 200 pounds. Nope, 125. She had no clue that she had gotten that small. I am glad that she recognized her problem and immediately got herself into counseling and motivating classes. At work i have a resident who was so desperate to be the “perfect” woman for her husband that she start chopping off the bad parts of her body. No lie, she carved away parts of her stomach, upper arms, and inner thighs. Her story doesn't stop there though. When she was taken to the hospital they put her in the psychiatric ward. She was put n a medicine called Depakote. They overdosed her by accident and she suffered brain damage. She lives in one of our lower function group homes and will never be self reliant again.

If you want to know why women have fucked up body images, blame the media. Or the culture-wide sexualization of girls and women. Or the invention of scales and mirrors. To start the healing process is to stop separating our body image from our relationship with ourselves.Placing blame isn't owning what's in our control, which is the way we relate to ourselves. It is not possible to connect to our hearts while objectifying our bodies. Nor treating our bodies as projects or as our primary value...

Something I didn't know:

Did you know that Dr. Seuss wrote a book for adults about naked women heroes? No joke! ‘The Seven Lady Godiva' is a subversive satire n the ancient legend. Each of the Godiva I are illustrated as innocent “sheros” with different shapes, sizes, and ages, exemplifying the body positively that roller girls, dommes, and feminists rock today. Each Godiva gains wisdom from from a scruffy, charming horse and shares her truth with her naked troupe. Oddly awesome female empowerment and a reminder that life lessons can come in unlikely packages.

This book left me feeling empowered. I want to grab that little black dress I have hanging in the closet, put it on, and not worry if I missed a spot shaving. I want to get together with my girlfriends and go out to celebrate my gender. I want to roar.

I also wanted to point out how pretty this book is. There is not book jacket. It is pretty, and has a very feminine look to it. I love the basic vanilla and black coloring, and the inscription n the back is nice, HOWEVER YOU ROCK IT, YOU ARE A SACRED FEMININE BADASS.


Recommendation:

This is a great book. I think the message it gives is amazing. Women everywhere should read this. Yes, this was written with a BDSM theme, but just as examples.

This was fun to share with the family. The images are large to share the book between two people at the same time. There is very little words, just a brief description of each illusion under it. I like how this is good for people and children of all ages. Definitely a keeper, and so worth the money I spent n the book.

This was funny. The ending though left so much just hanging. Too many questions still.

I was about to start reading this. Then I read a review by another Goodreads reviewer, now I remember this book. This book was the best of what I had read so far. The things the hero in this will do for the woman he loves and his family are amazing. I just wanted to jot this down on here so I would remember that I read this book. Now to try to figure out where I left off.

Length wise, this is a short story, but it does not feel rushed, or feel lacking in any way.

This is a story of love between an elf and a fairy. It is written in a lyrical style that could be described as poetry, but it is more than just that. The author uses words to create a beautiful picture I the minds of her readers. I can think of no other way to describe this than sharing an example from the book:

Lying on the grass, tired, they slept side by side, and found out that if they would be away from each other, then,All they needed to do was to play Tyr game in the contrary way, and the sunbeams would put them togethrr,On the grass, next to a tree, or a flower...

Proper punctuation rules are ignored to execute emotions and feelings that the author is conveying.

I have read two books by Haidji so far. As beautiful as these books were, I don't think I will ever forget them. They are beautifully written.

Recommendtion:

If you are looking for something lyrical and beautiful, give this a try. Keep in mind that even though this short, it is not something you would want to quickly read. I would read a couple of pages, then take time to really absorb what I had read. So many meanings and messages will be lost if you don't examine possible meanings and feelings behind the words.

This is paranormal romance, adult paranormal romance. It has some steam to it. It stands out from other books I have read from the genre because I seriously got some goosebumps while reading this. This is the perfect book for this time of year with Halloween so close. This story is spooky and has a very Gothic feel. We have an a haunted inn, malevolent ghosts, visions of time that have passed, and a paranormal main charater.  

My only complaint t is the length. This could have been so much better if it had been expanded. The author has some serious talent. I will definitely read more by her. I hope she pass something out that is full length, and just as spooky. I wish I would have waited until night time to read this, it would have made for an A+ experience. 

I really like a scene where the female lead encounters a ghost while following the hottie of an inn keeper to her room.
 
Taking ne last look down the staircase, she nodded. A bright flash of white caught her eye and she stopped, ice running through her vains. The white, almost translucent blob flew up the staircase, winding toward her. The thing pulsed and gave off iridescence like it was lit from within, and it trailed a shower of tiny sparks. She opened her moth to scream, but nothing would come out.

Lightening flashed in the stairwell again, and the blob disappeared. Frozen, she crane her neck to see if anything else was coming up the stairs. The stairwell was much cooler. Cold. Her heart hammered and she put her hand over her chest, as if it would calm hrt. Her breath came out in puffs of condensation, like tiny clouds in the dark.

Recommendation:

I definitely recommend this to anyone who likes paranormal romance, especially of you are in the mood for something a bit spooky. This is short, 74 pages, if you have some time to kill give it a try. I hardly ever give a book of this length more than 3 stars, but I REALLY like this. It was a perfect way to try out a new to me author.

I downloaded an ecopy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It is available “read now,” and does not require approval.

My thoughts:

This is a cute book. The illustrations are nice and colorful. We see a little girl experiencing a cold, snowy winter. Like so many other children who live in areas with winters like this, it is a time a where you are either bundled up or staring out the window hoping for sunshine.

In Ohio, where I live, I remember the cold winters and now watch my children experience this every year. This book brought back memories of my childhood. My sister and I would get bundled up to out and play. It would take quite some time to put on all layers it took to please my mother. When we finally breached the doors and made to the outside, we wouldn't last long. Twenty minutes top and we were back in our house, layers off and hanging over top of the wood burner waiting to dry while we sucked down hot chocolate. As soon as we were warm, and the clothes were dry, back out the door we went for another round of freezing our rumps off. Rinse and repeat. :)

This is a cute book. It is a poem, or more group of poems, illustrated to tell a story. I do feel that some of the words are a bit advanced for the the younger part of the “5 and up” age recommendations. On the other hand, I feel the story is too short for readers over the age of nine, maybe even younger. There was an instance where a passage stopped mid sentence and continued on the next page. This could cause confusion to early readers who are just beginning to learn proper sentence structure and punctuation. My seven year old, who is an advanced reader for his age, liked this, but I had to explain the writing style to him. I do really like the illustrations. 

Recommendation:

This is not a bad book. This is a book I would read WITH my younger reader to avoid confusion about proper grammar and punctuation.

I recieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a mystery novel set in Germany. Like most mystery novels there is more than one mystery that the story centers around. We have a dead woman and some missing diamonds stolen back in Nazi times. There are quite a few characters to keep track of, but they are written differently enough that there isn't much confusing. I did find the dialog to be slightly flat. The whodunit was easy for me to figure out early on, but there was just enough story there to save me from boredom.

This was originally translated from German. The translator did an amazing job.

Recommanedations:

You may like this if you are a fan of mystery novels and do not find subject such as Nazi Germany difficult to read about. This definitely meant for adults do to sensitive subject matter.

I won this book on Goodreads.

This is horrible. The illustrations were the only decent thing about this. The dialogue is equivalent to ‘See Jane run. Jane runs fast.' My seven year old son has written more engaging books at school. I didn't expect much out of this, but I definitely expected more than I got. I can't believe this was actually published. I want my 5 minutes it took to read this back.

Recommendation:

I would recommend this to someone I really wanted to anger.

This is the story follows two souls on their spiritual journey to life. It tells of parting ways and be dinning new journeys. It is written in poetry style, puncuation rules are ignored for impact and and to leave parts open for personal interpretation. This book will not mean the same from one person to the next.

The writing paints a beautiful picture in your mind as you read. I read this at night while going to bed and had beautiful dreams of exploring fantasy lands and soaring through colorful skies. 

This book is only 90 pages long, but I have more time invested in this than most 400 page novels. Every line written takes you on a trip of thoughts. Thinking about love made me think about friendship which lead to childhood and so on. There were time I would backtrack because I would notice connections between like es I had read previously. This wasn't just reading a book, it was a journey of the mind.

I will read anything this author writes and completely expect to one day see her have made a major impact on the literary world. I have never read anything as unique or full of emotion as I did in this book.





I recieved a copy of this book through Librarything in exchange for an honest review. I honestly never expected to enjoy this as much as I did. I have never been a fan of poetry, but poetry is just a general and nonaccurate description of what this truly is.

I really enjoyed reading this book with my children. My girls, thirteen and eleven, took turns with me reading the book outloud to my son, age seven. It held his attention very well.

In this story we meet Brodie who is visiting Monstrovia for the first time. He is staying with his uncle who is a defense attorney. Monstrovia is a fantasy land where fictional characters from books and movies live. Jack, Jan and the Beanstalk, has been accused of murdering the giant from the same story. It is up to Brodie and his uncle to prove his innocence. This is no easy task considering then case is being heard in a Giant Courthouse, the judge is a giant, and the Jack keeps saying things that make him look guilty. Jack's sister also make things difficult by saying and doing things without thinking of how they effect the murder case. 

This story is fast paced. There isn't a single dull moment. Each and every page has something interesting going on. On top of all the action and exploring, the author also makes this educational. He explains legal systems in a way that is easy for choldren to understand. My kids now know what the basic duties of a defence attorney are, and court procedures. I loved that they were learning and didn't even realize it. 

This is meant for middle grade readers. I think that is an appropriate label, but this book is also great as a read outloud book for younger readers.

I am so excited that this book is the first book in what will be a series featuring Brodie, his uncle, and Monstrovia. I will definitely read the next book in this series when it comes out.

Recommendations:

I recommend this to middle grade readers. It would make a great addition to any public, school, private, or personal library. This would make a great book to read outloud to group or individual younger readers.

I received a ebook copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is illustrated. I read a review where the reviewer called a novel/graphic novel halfbreed. I completely agree. There are a lot of illustrations, and they have dialog bubbles.

This story is “told” to us by Bick Kidd and also conveyed through illustrations “drawn” by his twin sister Beck. They are on a quest to find their lost parents. Their journey is full of hiccups and bumps.

Kids love this book (I did too, 32). The illustrations are amazing. The story is constantly twisting and very imaginative, but also has little educational facts thrown in. I like sneaky authors who trick kids into learning!

I definitely recommend this to children who like adventure, pirate, James Patterson books, etc. This would make a great addition to any personal school, private, or public library. I purchased a copy for both of my children for Xmas. I do natural regret the purchase at all.

Writing: 4 STARS ☆☆☆☆
Originality: 2 STARS ☆☆

This is a novella containing around 100 pages. It was a quick read and only took about 2 hours, give or take, to finish. The formatting was done nicely.

I really liked the writing style and enjoyed reading this. If the story would have been just a bit more original, I would have given it 4 stars. I will follow this author to see what she has to come in the future.

This is written like so many other shifter novels. Human female just broke up with cheating human boyfriend. Female decides to take vacation all by herself to clear head and overcome writer's block. Girl and boy meet and insta mate. The shifter male decides to try to avoid said female. Humans don't know about shifters and coupling between the two are not encouraged. Female doesn't understand her feelings for male. Male saves female. I am sure if you have read other shifter books, you know the rest.

I received an ARC copy in exchange for honest review.

Description (Booklikes): 

When the mildly kink-themed trilogy 50 Shades of Grey became popular reading in 2012, the media speculated that feminism was in reverse, as the public went mad over bondage and discipline, domination and submission and sadomasochism (BDSM). The novels provoked academic debate about BDSM and the issues it raises for feminists. Is the female dominant truly powerful or is she just another objectified body? Does lesbian BDSM avoid the problematic nature of heterosexual kink, or is it actually more subject to the male gaze of feminist theory? And what is it about kink that has creators of pop culture from Anne Rice to the producers of Scrubs using it to attract audiences? Examining the tropes of kink in books, TV shows, film and the music industry, this work addresses these and other questions that depictions of BDSM raise for the feminist audience. The author interweaves her own research and experiences in the BDSM scene with the subculture's portrayal in the media. 

My thoughts: 

This book is based on blog the author wrote in 2012 for Bitch magazine named “Thinking Kink: A Blog on BDSM, Feminism and Pop Culture.” This doesn't only look at how pop culture represent the intersection of BDSM and LGBT community and BDSM and the and non-white community. 

This was an interesting read. Do I feel enlightening? No, but I learned some things and had some laughs. The author has a way of conveying information effectlively, but also making it entertaining. I expected a lot more of focus on 50 Shades of Grey (It pains me to put that “book's” title in italics because of how poorly it is written and how wrong it's portrayal of BDSM is. I think of it as being in a genre called “warped and fantastical sexual abuse written to enhance your masturbation experience.”). I am happy to report that the author examined it, but didn't get stuck on the subject. When she did mention it, it was referred to as that book or  that trilogy, good idea. 

I am very pleased that book has an index in the back! BIG SMILE I recently have come across so many books that would have been a thousands times better and much easier to navigate with one. It is like people have forgotten about them.  I think the lack of including an index is part of what pushes some people to just do an Internet search for information rather than spend hours trying to skim through an entire book for what they are looking for. When I was younger almost all reference and educational books included an index.  

Who would I recommend this book to:

Definitely to people who dislike the effect that that trilogy had towards what people believe BDSM realistically is. Also to anyone who is a fan of books, movies, etc. that features BDSM scenes and themes. I know a woman who put herself in a bad situation and justified the abuse she was receiving based on pop culture's version BDSM. For the of you who read my posts about my friend leaving an abusive relationship, you know who I refer to. Some of you I gave more detail to. If any of you are curious and want to now what I am talking about just private message me in Booklikes or Goodreads. Some of the story I am not comfortable posting publicly due to the nature of the situation.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Everywhere that I was able to I gave this 4 1/2 stars.

Most second books in a trilogy suffer from what many call  “second book syndrome”. This is not the case with this book. This book males the world that Ember Shane has created so much more than we saw in the first book. She has explained how the zombie hierarchy and colony function, and it well thought out and very interesting to read about. 

The charters in this story have progressively developed. Even the last few pages were giving insight into what is important to each and everyone of them. There are quite a few characters in the story but I had no problem keeping track of them and could tell them apart by dialog alone because of their differences and and personalities. These characters have been introduced to me so well that I feel as if I know them. It is easy for me to feel angered when they are angered and happy when things are going in the right direction. I don't feel that any of their actions have broke character, which is something that irritates the hell out of me when it happens in books I read. 

This doesnt contain as much emphasis on the romance developement as i thought it would. There is a love triangle between Chuck, Doyle, and me Doyle, Addy and Pheonix. It isn't the kind where the character's don't know who they love or are going around getting naked with each other. Doyle and Addy have a pheromone bond with each other, but Pheonix has a pheromone bond to Doyle that is one sided. I really feel horrible for Pheonix. Her bond to Doyle was caused by funky scientific exexperiments that were an attempt to create a double sided bond between the two. I couldn't imagine craving someone as much as these zombies crave their bonded partner without a mutual craving in return. Doyle is repulsed by the thought of touching anyone but Addy, but he feels completely awful for how Pheonix must feel. Addy still gets under my skin, but I think it is more that my personality and he's would completely clash, that and she is with one of my book boyfriends :).

This is written in first person style. Like I said in the review of the first book, I am normally not a fan of books written that way, but this works for me. The author's writing ability is great and has obviously improved since the first book, which was also great just not on the same level as this one. It bounces between which character is being focused on. It is not confusing because at the beginning of the chapter it is clearly labeled who you will be reading about. I somehow missed this at first.

There are bad guys coming after these zombies. Their powers are craved by many, and some see them as a threat to human existense because of how difficult it is for them to control their nature. The action scenes in this book have really improved and are more detailed than in the first book.

I love this trilogy and will be reading the next book in the trilogy shortly. There are things that are left hanging in the air and I am anxious to see where it all goes. I am extremely eager to find out what Doyle's sister Jenny is. I have a good reason to believe I will be finding this bit of information in the next book. I also have found out that the author is working on a spinoff series featuring Jenny, so whatever her DNA holds, it must be interesting. I NEED TO KNOW NOW! If I don't find out soon, even if I love the next book, I will deduct a star. No I won't, but I am desperate to know... NOW!

Recommendations:

I really think that fans of L.J. Smith's Vampire Diaries, Jennifer Armentrout's Lux series, Victoria Scott's Dante Walker series, and other new adult/young adult paranormal romance. Something I think needs to considered in addition to that is that so far this trilogy isn't full of sappy romance. 

This book is said to be for readers 18 years of age and older. There is a sex scene that gets mildly graphic. It's not pornographically graphic or on the same level as a bodice ripping romance, but the acts are explained. There are vulgar words used in this book, but I don't think it was to the point of shocking.

I won this book on Booklikes.

Excerpt:

“Yes, I do. I think you have wasted a lot of cum on these books. Cum that was meant for me. I also think that these books turn you on a little, but me reading that passage to you brought it to a whole new level. Am I right, my wife? Did reading this to you turn up the scorch factor?”

Thoughts:

I don't think I can thing right now. I wish I could erase this book from my brain. Just NO! NO! NO! This was the biggest piece of shit.

Most “Mommy Porn” is at least sexy, not this. Kindle and wasted cum. 

No wet panties like promised! They cheated me, I tell you they cheated me!

I recommend this to NO ONE!

It's available on Noisetrade for free or donation.

This was fast paced fun read. The graphics were nice and bright. I love it when a book geared towards middle grade readers has graphics, it helps to keep them interested and engaged in the story.

Though this is a book of fiction, the author takes the time to add much knowledge for children to learn about astronomy, geography, and physics. I love it when an author combines fiction and fact. Children don't realize they are learning, WIN, WIN!

My eleven year old liked this a lot. This morning I heard her on the phone telling a friend, A BOY (UH OH), about the book.

This is not the type of alien story where you find violence. It is a good, clean, fast read.

I recommend this book mostly to middle grade chilren, especially those who love science, fantasy, or, of course, aliens. I also found it enjoyable and it made a long wait got by much faster and kept the boredom at bay.

Ebook provided by Netgalley for honest review.

This the history of the place I grew up in and still live. I loved how many of the last names of people I know we're the same as the earliest settlers of the area. There was even a photo of the building my first apartment was in when the building was first built. I was sitting at the end of my street in the opening of a large path through the woods at the exact time the book talks about the area. My family is mentioned in this. They were the town bakers and owned the only bakery.

This is an adorable story with a lot of words the star with “P”. On the way to Peru, the Pudgy family has airplane problems and Papa Pudgy has to set them down in the ocean. With the help of some porpoises they make it to an island. 

“Perry Pickwick personally proffered his proposal.

The illustrations are bright, colorful, and eye catching.  It definitely held the younger children's attention throughout the short story.

This was good. The graphics are amazing, and the storyline is interesting.

There is an amazing little boy android, his pet robot dog, and a driller bot that I fell in love with. The little boy robot, Tim-21, is the sweetest, most loyal character, and I loved reading his story. The little robot dog reminds me of my dog, protective and furiously loyal to Tim-21. The driller bot is a fighting machine who is simple minded, but tries his best to save Tim-21 after he is terribly wounded.

I don't read too many graphic novels, and sometimes have issues following the plot line because I usually don't spend enough time examining the illustrations, these are amazing. This was smooth and the story was not only conveyed beautifully through the illustrations, but the dialog made sense and I actually understood what I was supposed to. I will definitely be reading what ever else has been published by this author/illustrator team.

Review in exchange for ebook copy from Netgalley. Thank you.

A hay(na)ku is a very simple poetic form, and it's also one of the newest. It was apparently created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios.

Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.

This book is a small collection of hay(na)kus written by William Allegrezza. It is 58 pages in length.

Example from the book:
(I giggled at this one)

afterwardsi imagined youas irreplaceable untili wanted tohave you replaced.

My thoughts:

I had no clue what a hay(na)ku was before reading this collection of poetry. Even though poetry is not normally an interest of mine, I found this book enjoyable and fun. After finishing this my children and I had a great time coming up with our own hay(na)kus. My girls are now in competition to see who can do better, and the form is simple enough that myseven year old boy to join in on the fun without getting frustrated. Honestly he has come oup with the best one so far.

I originally struggled with writing a review for this. I find poetry difficult to rate, and am always nervous about recommending it to anyone. people never form the same opinions when it comes to something as creative as this. So I decided to review it on how much fun this book lead my family to have.

My son's cute hay(na)ku:

I
am so
tired of girls.

They
too much
sticky, stinky hairspray

It
gets in
My mouth, yuck!

(LOL)

It is funny because I can tell he is counting words every time he talks. He tries to make every phrase fit these guidelines.

Thank
you for
reading my review.

Thank you to the author for allowing me the opportunity to recieve this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It has lead to much needed family fun and bonding.

Link to buy the book: http://www.lulu.com/shop/william-allegrezza/port-light-a-haynaku-collection/paperback/product-21781993.html

This is a good addition to our library at work. I work in a developmentally disabled community. This was big help to one of the mothers of one of our aspergers clients. It helped her understand certain aspects, and be more supportive and understanding of her daughter.

Opening Excerpt:

When I was a kid, I always knew I was different. I could feel something burning down deep inside. I always knew I was different. I could feel some burning down deep inside. I always imagined I would grow up to be a special, maybe become the President, maybe a rocket scientist. What I did not expect to become was a leader of an uprising zombie army.

And yet , here I was...

Description (Amazon):

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But sometimes, under extreme circumstances, it's exactly that which kills you that makes you stronger. And faster. And a member to a new, elite race of zombies.

Armed with a current address for his biological grandfather and a slightly unusual, yet loyal best friend, Doyle Hawthorne sets out to discover the truth about his past. But answers don't come easily, and the closer Doyle arrives to his destination, the more confusing things become. Disturbing alterations to his physical appearance as well as to his personality flicker on and off as Doyle searches for a logical explanation.

Despite the increasing severity of these uncontrolled flare-ups, Doyle is determined to keep his first date with Addy - a beautiful, young woman he has met upon his arrival into town. After narrowly subduing his raging impulses, Doyle quickly decides not even death itself can keep him from her. Unfortunately, he is about to test that theory.

Once initiated, nothing can alter the process of shading - the term given to the three distinct phases of becoming a higher classification of zombie, commonly referred to as “royals”. Doyle must learn to control his tendency toward violence as well as his newfound royal powers if there is any chance of protecting those he loves from a mad scientist, the government, the colony of royals, and most importantly... himself.

My thoughts:

I didn't know how well I would like a book where the main character was a zombie, but I liked this, a lot. It wasn't a heavy, life altering read. It was just plain FUN! The writing is solid, there are no major errors in grammar or spelling. This is in the New Adult category, and it reads like it belongs there. This is written from in first person from Doyle's perspective. I said recently that I am not a fan of stories written in first person format, but this worked for me. I didn't get tired of read the word I over and over, or get so annoyed with Doyle that I couldn't stand him by the end of the book. You get insight into the other characters of the story through dialogue and actions, and the characters by the end of the story are well developed and left me feeling like I had gotten to really know them. They are young college aged students, and act like it.

This is a trilogy. There was romance in this, but not as much as I thought there would be. I do expect that part of the story to evolve as the rest of the books. This book focused mostly on the transition Doyle went through as he became a Royal Zombie, and it was an interesting transformation I was expecting something similar to the Twilight series. While I do think readers of that series would enjoy this, it felt a little older. There were scenes that reminded me of The Vampire Diaries, the T.V, series, not the books.

Recommended To:

Fans of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith, The Lux series by Jennifer Armentrout, Dante Walker series by Victoria Scott, etc.

An Excerpt I Enjoyed:

(Jenny is Doyle's adoptive sister)

I closed the door, shutting Jenny out, and stepped into the tub. Vaguely, I realized I hadn't showered since my “bed baths” with Addy. I sniffed my armpit. My entire face puckered instantly. Zombie B.O. was definitely the worst. I set the shower to hot and lathered twice.

When I had finished and was fully dressed once again, I opened the door and Jenny shook her head at me. “You didn't brush your teeth,” she scolded.

Brush my teeth? Was she Kidding? I was pretty sure zombies didn't have dental plans. It wasn't like I was going to get a cavity. But I wasn't able to communicate my thoughts on the subject effectively yet, so I rolled my eyes and reached for the toothbrush on the sink. I squeezed a line of toothpaste on top and after two passes along the front of my teeth, I realized the bristles had all been sheared off. I glared at Jenny.

She covered a smile and said, “Well there's no reason you can't at least do a shot of mouthwash.”

I won this in a giveaway on booklikes.

Description from the back of the book, it differs from what is offered online:

It is the middle of the 22nd century, and North America is once again a verdant paradise where giant herds of bison roam freely, and wild mustangs run wild in the plains. The once powerful megacities lie crumbling under their own weight, stark ruins slowly being swallowed by the encroaching vegetation.

In this world, the survivors of the pandemic that swept over the planet decades earlier are flourishing. Man has embraced an almost feudal way of life. Children swim in the rivers, lovers watch the stars, people till the fields, and lords rule the lands.

Lord Victor Strongheart to Choctaw land to meet the young lady who, by written accord, is destined to be his bride. Annasai, the chief's daughter, is everything a man could want, and Strongheart couldn't be happier. Her cousin, Setiyah, is all nettles and strings; the lord is glad not to be marrying her. But when Setiyah dances in the moonlight, Lord Strongheart, his beautiful bride at his side, watches as one bewitched. He knows the heart is a treacherous thing, and his has just betrayed him!

My Thoughts:

Wow! Zeecé Lugo can make a story come alive. I have never encountered a author more talented at making her words seem like lyrics from a beautiful song. I am amazed at how well this book turned out to be.

This is set in the future where the world has drastically changed from what we know it to be today. It seems more like the past, and this story reminded me of a historical bodice ripper, and boy did I want to be right in the story and have my bodice ripped. I really did not think this story was going to be able to work, but amazingly it did.

This is meant for adults. The sex is steamy, no, let me correct that, wholly shit this had some scorching, TAKE ME NOW sex!

The characters are great and I fell in love with each and every one of them, especially Setiyah. She is very independent and headstrong, and has no intentions of ever saying a nice word in Lord Stongheart's favor. Boy do her feelings change.

I am very curious to see how the rest of the books about Daniel's Fork stand in comparison to this one.

I recommend this to fans of romance with adult situations and descriptive sexual relations.

Excerpt I enjoyed:

The dancer stood near the fire, hands held gracefully to her heart, head slightly inclined to the side, a shimmering gossamer-thin mantle covering her from head to foot. The beat of the hand-driven percussion rhythm began, and the male dancer emerged from the shadows. He began, and a male dancer emerged from the shadows. He began a measured, rhythmic stepping dance around the shrouded female, each turn bringing him closer to her until their bodies stood barely an inch apart. He began unwrapping the gossamer film from her, inch by inch, revealing the woman beneath the veil.Mysterious and exotic, she joined her lover in a series of swirling turns that carried them into a passionate embrace. Her flowing crimson skirt moved around her as he turned under his arm...

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway.

This could be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the Phoenix Pack books before jumping into this. The first book is Feral Sins.

Warning:
This book is meant for adults. I do not recommend reading this while alone. Have your boyfriend, girlfriend, and/or vibrator handy, this author rocks the sex scene and stuffed this book full of smoking hot, drool worthy men!

Book Blurb (Amazon):
Ally Marshall isn't just a wolf shifter—she's a Seer. But a girl doesn't exactly need special powers to know that Derren Hudson despises her entire kind. Disdain practically rolls off the Beta of the Mercury Pack...disdain mixed with a healthy dose of desire. And no matter how much the ruggedly handsome male appeals to her, this is one call of the wild she's determined to ignore.

After one betrayal too many, Derren doesn't have much use for Seers—except for Ally. Forced into acting as her protector, he finds himself intensely and passionately drawn to the woman who incites his primal instinct to claim. And when enemies target the pack, Ally's gift may be just what the Mercury Pack needs. Can he put his distrust aside, or will he force himself to turn his back on the one woman who makes his inner beast howl?

My thoughts
This was fun. Like the rest of Wright's shifter books, there is A LOT OF SMOKING HOT SEX, and I mean HOT! The tension between the two main characters is great. I liked Ally's character. She is funny, smart, independent, and tough. Darren is just, let me grab my fan, WOW! That is all I will say about him. I don't think I am allowed to post what I want to say about him, or what I want to do to him. ;)

There is quite a bit of action in this book and the scenes were easy to follow. These shifters are tough and don't back down from a fight. They are very protective of their pack and mates, yes mates, but not the insta hump, bump, then bond type. It is a mating that gradually grows.

There are a lot of books featuring shifters, and Wright's books are amungst my favorites. I recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the genre.

The above opinions are my own. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing this book.