BOOK REVIEW: UNBOUND BY CAT MILLER

Title: Unbound

Author: Cat Miller

Genre: Fantasy, romance

Published on: September 25, 2011 (first edition), self-published

Girl gone wild…

College is supposed to be a time of discovery, but Danielle Vaughn never imaged it would be like this: heightened senses, supernatural powers, and a sudden craving for human blood. Dani is a demi-vamp, the daughter of a human psychic and a vampire noble, a living secret kept hidden for twenty-one years.

As Dani’s heritage manifests itself, her thirst for blood is matched only by her hunger for Chase Diedrick. But as the son of the Vampire Council’s most powerful ruling family, Chase is already promised to another. Dani saw Council politics destroy her mother’s life; she won’t let the same thing happen to her. Besides, there’s no shortage of men who are eager to satisfy her every need, including the alluring vampire Kayden.

Unfortunately, Dani also has no shortage of enemies. Her heightened powers of telepathy and telekinesis attract the attention of a rogue vamp who preys on gifted vampires, absorbing their skills along with their lifeblood. Now, Dani must seek the Council’s help to quickly master her new vampire life…or risk losing it.

I found this title after searching for good books to read in the vampire genre. Unbound is a vampire romance with mystery elements and a slight superhero feel to it. The protagonist is Danielle Vaughn. She’s a seemingly ordinary girl, smart and attractive. Dani (as others call her) has no idea about what she is, or about her noble lineage. She lives with her mother in a small town and is about to transfer to a college in New York.

As Dani comes of age, she starts experiencing things that she doesn’t understand. After an intimate moment with her boyfriend,  Lucas, Dani notices a startling change in herself. Feeling a need to get away to sort things out, Dani hastily moves to New York. She doesn't take long to make  friends. One of them is Olivia, her new roommate. She’s a pleasant girl, whom I definitely find best friend material. One night, Olivia and some friends take Dani to a club called Thirst. There, the group receives preferential treatment for some unknown reason. Dani meets Chase Deidrick, the handsome and charming son of the club’s owner. Unbound is told in alternating third-person POV, so you find out that Chase notices something about Dani that she has no idea about.

BOOK REVIEW: ALMOST DEAD BY T.R. RAGAN

Title: Almost Dead

Author: T.R. Ragan

Genre: Mystery, thriller

Published on: February 3, 2015 by Thomas & Mercer

Life for private investigator Lizzy Gardner will never be the same. It’s been three weeks since her fiancé, Jared, was shot on what was supposed to be their wedding day. He’s in a coma now, and Lizzy is being forced to make a decision she might not be able to live with.

But a string of deaths has forced her to get back to work. While they appear to be unrelated accidents at first glance, a closer look shows they all have something in common. More than a decade earlier, the victims were all members of the Ambassador Club at a Sacramento high school: a posh posse that bullied other students, one of whom remains tormented years later.

In this pulse-pounding thriller from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author T.R. Ragan, Lizzy will need her colleagues and what’s left of her wits to help her track down a cunning killer with a deadly revenge list before the next name—maybe hers—is crossed off for good.

After the huge cliffhanger in Obsessed, it’s great to finally have the sequel! It starts a few months after the events of the previous one. Lizzy Gardner has pretty much gone into zombie mode after what should have been the happiest day of her life. She now lives for her work. Speaking about living, Lizzy has been staying at her sister Cathy Warner’s house. This doesn’t last for long, due to Lizzy’s animosity toward Cathy’s douche of a husband. Kitally invites Lizzy to stay at the former’s spacious house so Lizzy doesn’t have to spend money on rent.

Saying this is the lowest time in Lizzy’s life would be an understatement. She hasn’t been worse off since her abduction by the notorious serial killer Spiderman. I really don’t know how Lizzy is handling yet another crippling blow. Lizzy is so distraught that her work ethic is beginning to slide. For instance, she doesn’t work on infidelity cases, yet Lizzy is taking almost whatever case lands at her office lately. Lizzy’s sidekick, Hayley Hansen, wants to have a serious talk with her about it.

STATUS UPDATE: A FEW CHANGES ARE COMING FOR MY BLOG

Good morning! I’m here with a new update. These past few weeks, all I’ve been posting are book reviews. They’re supposed to go live on Wednesdays and Fridays. I’ve been preoccupied lately, so I’ve missed some of those Friday posts. A couple of weeks ago, I applied to a tech-related job. It seemed just what I was looking for. I’m in charge of technology at my house, so being a computer technician would greatly suit me. I got the interview and have been waiting to hear back. Unfortunately, it appears I didn’t get the job. I haven’t heard back from the employer. I thought I’d aced the interview, even though my tech skills are a little rusty. I confess I didn’t expect to find a job like that in my city anytime soon. That’s why I’ve put a bit more focus on my language and proofreading skills this year. 

Lately, I’ve been spending more time looking for work. Options are limited in my town, so I’ve looked at some other cities in Texas. Georgetown, Round Rock, and The Woodlands have caught my eye. They’re all medium-sized cities within driving distance of major cities. Austin and Houston have way more job openings per week than my town. I’ve been job-searching long enough to make the rough calculation. Also, they’re much, much better cities than where I currently live. I would move right away if I could get a job within the first couple of weeks.

Due to my new endeavor, I’m putting less priority on tech-related blog posts. For the time being, my focus will be language and book-related posts. I might still write tech-related articles, but they won’t be a main topic anymore. One reason for the change is that I’ve realized something about myself over the time I’ve had this blog. I’ve found that despite being highly knowledgeable in technology, writing articles on the subject doesn’t come very easy. I think it’s because my knowledge is mostly practical. I learned about tech so I could fix and maintain devices, not so I could write articles. It appears that being tech-savvy doesn’t mean one can write a lot of content.

That’s it for now. I’ll continue posting new articles every Wednesday and Friday. Meanwhile, I’m continuing to look for a job. I’m eager to return to work. Being at home all day sounds nice on paper, but in reality it’s not very appealing. One needs purpose, and to do something that matters. I really hope I can find work this summer. Anyway, until next time. Bye!

BOOK REVIEW: CRASH INTO YOU BY KATIE MCGARRY

Title: Crash Into You

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Young Adult, romance

Published on: November 26, 2013 by Harlequin Teen

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a romance forged in the fast lane

The girl with straight A's and the perfect life—that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy family…and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker—a guy she has no business even talking to. But after the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind.

The last thing Isaiah needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks. But when their shared love of street racing puts their lives in jeopardy, Isaiah and Rachel will have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

I have no idea why I hesitated to read this book for so long. Pushing the Limits was good, but it wasn’t like “wow!” for me. The second book, Dare You To, was a step up. I liked Ryan and Beth better. When I read in the synopsis that Crash Into You would be Isaiah’s story, that didn’t compel me to read the book. I didn’t find Isaiah very likable. Guy with a bunch of tattoos, and earrings! That makes me sound judgmental, but trust me, I’m not. I just think earrings are decidedly female jewelry. Seeing a guy wearing them is odd. It’s like seeing women with facial hair.

Boy, was I wrong about this book. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Maybe it has something to do with Rachel, the heroine. Though I'm not picky about hair color, I like blondes. Anyway, we get to learn a lot more about Isaiah in this book. I don’t like cars with the same passion he does, but I sort of like speed. I’m simply more cautious about it. Rachel also happens to be a huge car fanatic. She knows a lot of stuff that most guys don’t! Rachel loves to be behind to wheel, and to feel the rush of speed. One night, she seeks out a race. This leads her to a guy named Eric, who is about to organize an illegal race. Isaiah is there, because he needs money. As soon as he sees Rachel, Isaiah feels mesmerized. It’s lucky that he’s there, though. Rachel has no idea of the danger she faces. Erick is known for ruthlessly beating up those who dare mess with him.

BOOK REVIEW: KILLING SARAI BY J.A. REDMERSKI

Title: Killing Sarai

Author: J.A. Redmerski

Genre: Thriller, romance

Published on: June 18, 2013 (first edition), self-published

Sarai was only fourteen when her mother uprooted her to live in Mexico with a notorious drug lord. Over time she forgot what it was like to live a normal life, but she never let go of her hope to escape the compound where she has been held for the past nine years.

Victor is a cold-blooded assassin who, like Sarai, has known only death and violence since he was a young boy. When Victor arrives at the compound to collect details and payment for a hit, Sarai sees him as her only opportunity for escape. But things don’t go as planned and instead of finding transport back to Tucson, she finds herself free from one dangerous man and caught in the clutches of another.

While on the run, Victor strays from his primal nature as he succumbs to his conscience and resolves to help Sarai. As they grow closer, he finds himself willing to risk everything to keep her alive; even his relationship with his devoted brother and liaison, Niklas, who now like everyone else wants Sarai dead.

As Victor and Sarai slowly build a trust, the differences between them seem to lessen, and an unlikely attraction intensifies. But Victor’s brutal skills and experience may not be enough in the end to save her, as the power she unknowingly holds over him may ultimately be what gets her killed.

J.A. Redmerski once again pens a great novel with Killing Sarai. I admire how she writes compelling characters that stay with you long after you finish the book. If you've read The Edge of Never (my favorite Redmerski novel), know that this new book is very, very different. Whereas Edge was a New Adult romance, this is a dark, suspenseful thriller.

Sarai Cohen is a young woman who’s lived her entire teen years in captivity. A drug cartel boss named Javier has been keeping her against her will. He has other young female captives, but Sarai gets special treatment—the ruffian thinks he's in love. One day, fortune smiles for Sarai when an American (allegedly the first one she's seen in years—she is from the U.S. as well) comes to talk to Javier. She manages to slip inside the American's car. Unfortunately, Sarai has no idea she's jumped from the frying pan into the fire. The American, Victor, turns out to be an assassin for hire. He has half a heart to just bring Sarai back to Javier's compound. However, he makes a decision that'll change his and Sarai's lives.

BOOK REVIEW: TRIPLE INFINITY BY K.J. JACKSON

Title: Triple Infinity

Author: K.J. Jackson

Genre: Fantasy, romance

Published on: April 25, 2013 by AWD Publishing

A quiet, unremarkable peace.

That was the state of life Charlotte was living in before Skye came into their mountain town, and exploded everything. Her life. Triaten's life.

And Charlotte and Triaten go down a path that never should have been breached. A path that tears their friendships apart.

As Aiden continues to train Skye against the threats of the flame moon, Triaten and Charlotte must find a way to come back from their worst mistake.

To prove that explosions aren't always bad. And that fate, and destiny, are maybe worth paying attention to.

This is the second installment of the Flame Moon trilogy. It picks up right after the first book. A war has begun, heralded by the flame moon that Skye, Aiden, Triaten, and Charlotte saw. In the lore of the Panthenites (their magical race), a flame moon is a sign of an imbalance between good and evil. It almost always precedes a significant war, either in the magical or the human worlds. Also, everyone now knows that Skye can wind back time. This gift is powerful enough that it can bring back dead people...most of them, at least. Aiden killed several Malefics (the opposites of the Panthenites) before Skye rewound time. A few of them didn't make it back alive.

For most of the beginning of this book, Skye and Aiden are absent, traveling the Orient. They are visiting old Panthenite masters so Skye can train with them. This isn’t shown, so the main characters are now Triaten (Aiden’s best friend) and Shiv (Skye’s younger sister). The latter has just arrived at the mountain, looking for Skye. Triaten, as a mind reader, is able to find out what Shiv wants with Skye. Shiv agrees to wait after Triaten tells her Skye won’t be back for a few weeks.