I took the YouCam App out for a testdrive and this is what I found... #Review #AppReview

There are those who say we live in an age of unrealistic expectations and unattainable beauty standards. From the size of your behind to the lushness of your pout, women are trying out new things to become "perfect."

It isn't just women, either. The rise of manscaping, metrosexuality and lumbersexual have proved that men are also held to standards of beauty as never before. Instead of going in depth into the cultural ramifications of setting a standard of perfect merely on physical aspect rather than focusing on spiritual and intellectual pursuits, however, I'm instead going to look at a free app I found on my phone.

It is called YouCam and it claims to be an instant makeover.

Pffft, said I. For you see, I spent years learning about makeup and the correct application, so how could some app possibly give me a makeover? Surely, it will look massively photoshopped, right?

Well, this is me. I'm just an average gal with above average rainbow in my hair.
And sometimes a cat or two...

I do have some acne (because the universe is unfair and apparently decided I should pay for my teen years of blemish-free face with an adulthood of spots) but no major wrinkles or anything (yet.)

Here's me on YouCam:

Glamorous? Well, a lot more so than the normal me. This picture was literally taken within an hour or so of waking up. I hadn't brushed my hair yet and I wasn't wearing a spec of makeup in real life. But look at me! No pores, no flaws, just shining awesome.

And fake. This is so very fake. But other than the lashes (which I think you can still tell are added) this is a REALLY good photoshop. Like, if you didn't know me, you might believe I look at least mostly like this.

Here's a side-by-side of the app and the original pic.

Yeah, real me had pores. I had pinkish spots and under eye baggage. My hair really isn't brushed and I look far from flawless.

On one hand, this is awesome. I no longer have to put on makeup to take a snazzy looking pic! That's awesome!

On the other, it does imply a standard of beauty I won't ever actually manage in real life. Could this be damaging to young girls who are forming their ideas about what beauty is? Could it mean people won't recognize me in real life? Okay, I'm not sure if that second one is a bad thing, but moving on...

You can also give yourself enlarged eyes. Like REALLY enlarged. I thought I looked anime, but folks said I looked like everything from an elf to an Olson twin (Maybe I am the lost Olson. If so, I really want my sissies to bring me a new car. Nothing flashy--just a nice 2015 Spark would make me happy. Sisters? Mary Kate? Ashley? Liz? Nothing? Damn.)

Anyway, I found this app to work better than I expected. I also think that I'm old enough and wise enough to understand that if all my buddies suddenly start looking WAY better than I remember them looking when I saw them earlier at the gas station, I'm going to know it was because of digital magic and not take it personally.

However I will say there are teen girls out there, striving to find their place in this world and wanting to fit in. To be considered beautiful. Remarkable.

To them I want to say... You ARE beautiful. You don't need an app to make you lovely. You need a good heart, a big brain and a willingness to keep getting back up when life smacks you down.

But, you can play with silly apps... so long as you remember that reality and fiction are not the same thing.

xoxo mama virg

REVIEW - IF YOU ONLY KNEW #NewRelease by Kristan Higgins

Let me start out by saying that we romance authors are not supposed to review books that we buy and read for pleasure, so I won't be posting this on Amazon as I might normally...

Apparently, I'm not supposed to be a reader anymore, even if I still am and have been dying to read this book for ages. I was neither hired by Kristan Higgins nor her publisher to write this review, and I did NOT receive a free copy for my review. I preordered it and have been counting down the days eagerly until it popped onto my kindle on release day so I could read it.  I get nothing for writing this, I'm just doing it because...dagnabbit this is MY blog. I have an opinion. I should be allowed to share it!!

All disclaimers aside, I've BEEN a huge Kristan Higgins fan. I've never met her, which is good as she'll likely think me a speechless moron when/if that magical day ever comes. I'll probably just stand there and stare, mouth hanging slightly open like a mouth-breathing ape creature, and just say, "Dude. Dude. You're her. Dude." a lot.

*sigh* She made me ugly cry again. Like, blubbering in my office, until my son said, "Are you listening to me? Is it another book?"

*sobsobsob*

Him, "Ugh, I'm going to school."

I loved this book. #truestory

if you only knew
Kristan Higgins
9780373784974

Buy Links
Amazon | AmazonUK | Nook | ARe | Kobo
 
Letting go of her ex-husband is harder than wedding-dress designer Jenny Tate expected…especially since his new wife wants to be Jenny's new best friend. Sensing this isn't exactly helping her achieve closure, Jenny trades the Manhattan skyline for her hometown up the Hudson, where she'll start her own business and bask in her sister Rachel's picture-perfect family life…and maybe even find a little romance of her own with Leo, her downstairs neighbor, a guy who's utterly irresistible and annoyingly distant at the same time.

Rachel's idyllic marriage, however, is imploding after she discovers her husband sexting with a colleague. She always thought she'd walk away in this situation, but her triplet daughters have her reconsidering her stance on adultery, much to Jenny's surprise. Rachel points to their parents' perfect marriage as a shining example of patience and forgiveness; but to protect her sister, Jenny may have to tarnish that memory—and their relationship­—and reveal a family secret she's been keeping since childhood.

Both Rachel and Jenny will have to come to terms with the past and the present and find a way to get what they want most of all.


*** MY REVIEW ***
I thought I knew what this book would be about. Something simple and fluffy to get me through my day and remind me what is good about everything. I thought, well, I'm surely not going to identify with these characters...

As I mentioned, I ended up ugly crying, laughing, and otherwise falling madly in love with an Irishman, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

This starts out a pretty cut and dry story--Jenny Tate is moving back home because she recognizes her relationship with her ex and his new wife isn't altogether natural or healthy for her. That she recognized this (having a similar relationship in my real life, I comprehend sometimes it takes many years for us to see what is unhealthy in our own lives) and is willing to try for a fresh start says a LOT about her character. She's special, a fighter, and is doing the brave thing. Even if she doesn't feel awfully brave in doing it...

She moves into a house with a grumpy and useless super...who is also the delicious Irishman I mentioned I fell for. He's a hoot! I'm not going to spoil his lines, because they're all brilliant, but I will say he was a huge high point in the story for me--which is good because it does have a lot of dark moments to pull it down.

While Jenny is doing all this, everyone is watching her sister live the perfect life. She's got a handsome and adoring husband, three beautiful triplets, and a lovely house--everything is perfect! But is it? One sext later and she's not so sure anymore.

So Jenny is on a journey to figure out what she really wants out of life while Rachel...is doing the same thing. From the other's perspective, each sister tends to think the other has life figured out. Jenny thinks Rachel is happy and beautiful and altogether did way better at life than she managed. Rachel thinks Jenny is sophisticated, brave and far more interesting than her dull, housewife self.

But really, they're like us (AND THAT, my darlings, is how Higgins always wins me on these books!) and flawed. Neither is perfect and neither makes all the right choices. They fumble, they second-guess themselves, and they sometimes just want to pull over and get out of the minivan full of screaming kids and bawl.

Okay, back to the delicious and irresistible downstairs super. He's also a redhot mess of a man, but I love, love, love, love this hero. Leo Killian (oh, even the name gives me shivers!) is handsome and brilliant and broken. I looked on Kristan Higgins facebook feed and I can't see that she posted who inspired this particular hero... but I'm thinking something like Sam Heughan from Outlander. Someone dangerously handsome who isn't afraid to tell you he knows he's handsome. He isn't cocky, not exactly, more distanced. Anyway, it isn't how he looks that won me.

It is what he did for Evander James, his student. This man teaches piano and I admit I had to google the piece he plays in one scene. I let the music flow around me, eyes closed, and I imagined sitting in a small room of Julliard myself, hearing and watching a true maestro become one with the instrument. Being gifted can come in a lot of forms, and I think everyone really talented walks away from their gift at some point in their lives--because LIFE.

But, well, this quote:

"Evander needs to be filled up with music. Fill him up."

When you read the book, it will make sense, but I wept.

Higgins writes:

"Just living can be pretty terrifying. I don't know how you do it."

Yeah, that. I so get that. Don't we all??


The triplets were adorable. They made me get a little weepy at my no-longer-tiny kiddos. Hard to say I am waxing poetic about the days of projectile vomit, but I kind of am. Not to mention the gooey wonderfulness of baby Natalia. All of it globbed up to be a wonderful experience for me--a journey with two wonderful and yet believable heroines. They discover themselves, they discover each other, and they even discover their mom (the mending of years old hurt between Jenny and Lenore had me crying again)

To summarize, I'll quote Higgins again:

"But life isn't like that. There are only perfect, glowing moments, like this one, and then there are the everyday moments that weave them together into a shimmering path that can always be seen, even in the dark."

Yeah. That is why I loved this book. Because I didn't just read it, I live it. Everyday.

We all do. Higgins doesn't tell stories, she reminds us why it all matters. Loved that. Loved this book.

Highly, highly, highly recommend.

Happy reading!

xoxo
virg

Ugly Crying Because Higgins ~ A #review of #newrelease In Your Dreams

I preorder every new book by Kristan Higgins which, for a single mama and college student (omg the cost of books) is saying a lot. MOST books? I wait for some reviewers to have at them, just to be sure I really, really, really want to buy the book (otherwise, I'd own ALL the books and be gnawing on the dog for sustenance.) Not Higgins. Preordered this one the MOMENT it became available and, spoiler alert? I don't regret it.

She's yet to make me regret that easy one-click-preorder option Amazon so nicely offers.

Her newest release, In Your Dreams, is yet another tale in the Blue Heron series and focuses on brother Jack--the perfect one. On one hand, how can she fail to make me love Jack? Everyone loves Jack, even the other characters. Former military, a hunk, a family man, the perfect brother and son, the perfect uncle, a winemaker, hot, knows he's hot and uses his powers of hotness for good and not evil (he's EVERYONE's loaner date guy. Have a wedding and don't want to go alone? Call Jack. Have a reunion and need a guy so your former classmates don't know it is just you and your cat? Bingo, call Jack.) and all of that besides being part of the Holland family who readers have grown to love as this series progressed.

On the other hand? Uh, he's too perfect. Way too perfect. Of course it will be easy to love him? What on earth is there NOT to love?

Lots, apparently, because Jack is suffering from some very well deserved PTSD, and his ex-wife (enter Southern Belle Barbie) who is back in town and, well, all that perfect. (Yes, I said he was suffering from the ex-wife and being perfect--that wasn't a misplaced word. These are things to be endured, not perks, promise.)

Because what woman can believe she deserves all that is Jack Holland and can keep him too?

Not Emmaline Neal, local cop and hockey player. She's quite sure, from page one practically, that he's not for her.

I've said this before, yet it bears repeating...each time I read the description of one of Higgins' heroines, I think to myself, "Yeah, she and I have nothing in common." Me? Well, I have a really decent case of writer's butt. I have rainbow-bright hair and three kids. I live in a barn with some poisonous frogs, loud and boisterous teenagers, a rescued dog and some no-longer-stray cats and otherwise...

It just doesn't seem likely that I'd find much common ground with an outgoing cop who likes sports and (shuddering) running. On purpose. Like, even if she's not being chased by zombies. Shoot, I don't think that even zombies would make me run...I'd probably meander quickly, figuring it was my fate if one bit me, and hope someone else tripped or something. Running? For fun?

Not in my vocab, sorry.

But Emmaline shared that magical trait that Higgins' heroines all do. I love her. I adored her. I sympathized her and ended the book really bummed that I couldn't call her up so we could hang out. She's flawed. She's strong. She's been hurt and isn't letting it cripple her.

Plus, uh, did I mention Jack is hot? Because yeeeowza.

He cooks, by the way, as if all his earlier traits weren't sufficient to make him hero material. And offers cake as foreplay. I gotta be honest, if he'd been ugly and mean? The cake offering as foreplay might have won me over. I'm easy like that. Also, uh, I like cake. We mentioned writer's butt already, right?

Eh, but I digress.

Without giving away spoilers, I'll say that Emmaline was once in love with a guy who wasn't perfect, but he was hers. He even proposed, planned the wedding...all that. But then he left her for his trainer and since then? Emmaline has been a little gunshy. Well, not gunshy. In typically Higgins fashion, we started the book with one of those unforgettable first sentences, to be honest.

Nothing kicked off Emmaline Neal's weekend like using a Taser.

-Kristan Higgins, In Your Dreams

So when the ex invites her to the wedding in SoCal (to be attended by her parents, her sibling, and a whole slew of folks from her past, Emmaline tries for a date so that, at the very least, the People magazine article which dubbed her the unsupportive ex will be somewhat ignored due to her not being the cast-off badguy.

 Jack? Well, he's got that PTSD I mentioned and no one local either recognizes or seems willing to stop triggering it with their attempts at helping him. He's also got Southern Belle Barbie back in town...and all in all, the offer to fly off to parts unknown and escape winter and the real world? She's kind of doing him a favor. 

Once at the wedding, nothing goes as planned. Even if there wasn't much of a plan to begin with, but still it manages to veer right into the land of hilarity and misadventure. I laughed with these characters. When they got back to town and things continued to spiral out of control? I ached for these characters.

By the end of the book? I cried with these characters. Ugly tears. My kids can now tell simply by the bouts of unrestrained laughter followed by sobs that I'm reading a new Higgins book (or rereading an old one. Both kind of have the same reaction from me, though from the kids I'm never quite as bad with rereading them as I am when I get my greedy fingers on a new one.)

I wanted to hang out with Em, maybe join the Bitter Betrayeds, and then give Angela a hug for being such a great sister.

I wanted my very own Jack, flaws and all, and I only have one complaint. That it ended and I find myself yet again in the gap between Kristen Higgins books. 

( Dear Santa--All I want for Christmas is more Higgins books. I won't lie and tell you I've been a good girl, but...JACK ON THE KITCHEN TABLE. Just sayin. )

Highly recommend. Full of hilarity, poignant bits, and the amazing identifiable nature of the characters I've come to expect from this author.

Now, back to nursing my book hangover...

Note: I did not receive this copy from the author or publisher in return for an honest review. I just bought it because I'm an addict and I cannot resist stuff by this author.

 

Turn Me On released and blog hop this weekend...

Turn Me On is available now. This is my smexy little ff erotic romance for Valentine's Day (which a lot of you have found over at ARe already--Thank you!!)

Blurb:
Valentine's Day sucks.

When Kay gets a call to meet a former lover for Valentine's Day, she learns that not only is the ex getting married but she expects Kay to take part in the blessed event.

Kay doesn't want chocolates.

The sexy sister of the groom-to-be is determined to help Kay get over the bride.

Turn Me On...

Will Cammie help Kay learn that passion is better when it's not hidden? Or will Kay give up the one woman who can bring her body-and her broken heart-back to life?

Amazon | All Romance Ebooks | MuseItUp | Bookstrand | Barnes and Noble

 

Night Owl Reviews reviewed it, gave it five stars and a top pick award.

 

"I immediately adored this book...Once again, I am extremely pleased with Ms. Nelson’s writing. I can’t wait to read more from one of my new favorite romance authors." You can read the whole review here.

 

Also, I will be participating in a blog hop this weekend.  Prizes, giveaways, fun to be had...

Details can be found here.

 

Happy Writing!

Lips of Velvet gets 5 Stars!!

Have I mentioned that I love reviewers? If I haven't, I do. Especially the lovely person over at Night Owl Reviews who just posted the first review to come back for Lips of Velvet, my March Rebel Ink Press release.

5 Stars!! And a Night Owl Reviews Top Pick!!

I'm over the moon happy!

Some of what was said:

Wow. I honestly mean, wow!

...this author took the story to the extremes. By that, I mean that she developed a great connection to her readers and by the end of page one I was hooked! ...This book reminds readers that love is unexpected, random, and yet it is a beautiful thing. Also, that it comes in many shapes, sizes, and that love is NOT gender discriminatory. This book has got me very excited to read more of her work in the future, especially if it’s as fun as this one was!

Read the whole review here!!

Sleeping Garden reviewed by Coffee Time Romance

I don't even have words for how thrilled I was to receive this review of my YA Paranormal, Sleeping Garden!!! (Sleeping Garden was by me, writing as Virginia Ashley)

It was only out for about a week (due to the closing of SBP) but...
THIS REVIEW IS AWESOME!!!

"Ms. Ashley explains that The Secret Garden was one of her all-time favorite novels as a child and she really gives the original work credit when writing this tale. Sleeping Garden takes the original fairytale further as the characters explore a world of paranormal beings, mystical curse and new friendships that blossom into more. The overwhelming emotional boundaries hit upon in this book have the reader feeling as if they have been punched right in the gut, leaving you breathless. The details throughout this novel are extremely rich and vivid, and I found the words painted bold pictures in my mind as I read. This is an amazing tale by a very gifted author that will leave you wanting another taste of Virginia Ashley’s work."

Read the whole review here. And thanks to Coffee Time Romance Reviewer Danielle for making my year!!

Holiday Extraaaavaganza!

The holidays are upon us. A time to gather family near and remember why you hid from them for a whole year...

No, seriously, the holidays are probably my favorite time of year. I used to put up seven trees. I have since lowered my cheer expectations considerably but I still love the smell of turkey roasting in the oven, the glitter of lights on fragile glass balls, the crisp whiteness of snow covering my yard...

To celebrate, Sapphire Blue Publishing has put all of my titles on sale. (Clothing Optional is now less than a dollar!) If you haven't read them yet, now is a super cheap time to do so.

I also had two books coming out this season. Writing as Virginia Ashley (My YA persona), I released Sleeping Garden (A modern paranormal retelling of the Secret Garden) in November. In early December, I have an adult title releasing (The Accidental Pirate). Pirate is a sexy story of love, the open seas and the kind of bumbling and dialogue I think my readers have come to expect from me.

But wait... There's more!!

I have wanted to say that since I saw my first infomercial. Sorry.

But there actually is more!! For the holidays, I am gonna treat you, my lovely blog fans, to a couple months of fun.

To start, I am going to do a week of reviews. I know, I have been remiss and neglectful of your book review needs. So I am going to play catch up. Some books you can look forward to?
Spells, Slots and Sirens (Anthology)
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce
Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine
And more!!

Aside from all that awesomeness, expect a week of blogs from the authors of the (coming soon) "Ladies of the Jolly Roger: Buccaneer Women" anthology from Sapphire Blue Publishing!

Exciting stuff, right?
Stay tuned...

When You Reach Me-Review

When You Reach Me

Rebecca Stead

ISBN 9870375850868

$6.99

Buy it here.

A good friend of mine suggested I would love this book because I love Madeline L'Engle and a Wrinkle in Time.

She was right.

When You Reach Me tells the story of Miranda, who did strangely remind me of Meg from Wrinkle. Both had brown, plain hair. Neither were terribly popular. Both had lost something and were searching for it.

But where Meg searched for her lost father and attacked the world for hurting her... Miranda wasn't sure what she was missing, only that it was gone. Mysterious notes lead her down a path to understanding time and the people around her in a whole new way.

I think that was what captured me (and still holds me, to be honest) about L'Engle's writing. All of the characters had that feeling... that nothing is quite as it seems and what it is, isn't quite as it should be. I have always felt that way... I think everyone can identify with that sense of notrightness.

Time and science fascinate me, so when an author takes them, bends the rules as to what we know and explains why this should be logical, I am in heaven. Stead does this masterfully with her description of 'the veil' and trying to explain the time space continum through the eyes of a child.

Fantastic, fantastic read and for that friend of mine who loaned it... Not only did I treat it gently but I am also very grateful for the loan :)

New Release by an author friend...

THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF OLYMPUS
Saranna DeWylde

Get your copy here.

"Ambrosia Lane meets Wisteria Lane in this snarky romp. "

What I thought:

Picture Stephanie Plum multiplied by goddess level powers with the addition of familiar characters made unfamiliar due to their snark and sass and you have Saranna DeWylde's newest masterpiece, The Real Housewives of Olympus.

Since it was by Saranna, I expected amazon level dialogue and female characters full of fun and attitude. What I didn't expect was the absolute level of control with which she wrangled some of my favorite characters to do her bidding.

First off, you have Hera, left on the shelf by her cheating skeezeball of a husband for a few millenia. She decides that she is going to try to get into Hades pants, since we all know that Persephone has left him high and dry.

Then you have Hera's bff, Nyx, strong and maternal... and willing to smite if the situation calls for it. Add the new kid to the block, Abstinence, who has caught the eye of the King of the Gods, and all hell is bound to break loose.

But the storyline- in this action-packed, comedic work of genius- that really caught me was the one revolving around Persephone herself. Having grown up on Greek Myths (and loving that Percy Jackson brought those stories to life for my kids) I had some pretty strong feelings when it came to Persephone and Hades. Having life breathed into these characters, those strong feelings multiplied. Add to all that the fact that DeWylde made Hades a simply lush specimen of a man, and I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to see happen.

And the author managed to surprise me on every turn. Giving me what I wanted before I knew I really wanted it... Badly.

Altogether, one of the funnest reads I have had the pleasure of losing time to, The Real Housewives of Olympus was a feast for the senses. Sex scenes, written with an ambrosia laden pen, swept me away with this story and its cast of intertwining- but clearly independent- characters.

Clothing Optional was reviewed by Night Owl Reviews!!!

"Clothing Optional, by Virginia Nelson, tells the tale of Brie, Andy and Murphy. Andy, an open bisexual, is attracted to Brie but is living with Andy. Andy and Brie have been best friends for ages. He has been attracted to Brie but never acted on that attraction, because he just doesn’t swing that way. When the trio head to Florida for some much needed R&R, the attraction between the trio explodes. With that attraction, feelings of jealousy, inadequacy, and fear abound. Since this is a shorter tale, I appreciated that Nelson created a friends-first concept. The sexual components wouldn’t have worked for me otherwise. I did enjoy the realistic approach that was used by Nelson to create a relationship between the three."

To read more of this review, check out their site here.
To get your copy today, go here.

Clothing Optional Reviewed by CoffeeTime Romance!!

Clothing Optional got reviewed by Coffee Time Romance!!!!
Four Cups of like!!!
*Woot*
While I am off doing a happy dance, here is the review!


"The groaning and moaning inside Brie’s head is as much desire as it is frustration. She is in serious lust with her best friend…and heaven help her, his boyfriend!

There is no way Murphy wants to endanger his relationship with Brie, but he cannot deny that Andy is right. The feelings they are having for Brie are so not platonic, and if they screw this up, all of them will suffer.

Vacationing with her best friend and his boyfriend is the perfect way for Brie to get it into her head once and for all that Andy and Murphy are made exclusively for each other. She can see the desire in their eyes when they look at each other, but when those eyes turn on her, a shiver runs straight to her core. Murphy and Andy must make a choice, because Brie is just too precious to let slip through their fingers.

Like that first spoonful of rich velvety ice cream, these three are entirely too luscious to stop at one bite. There is real concern and caring among Brie and the boys, and that comes pouring through with every action. They are friends first and foremost, and that is such a delicious way to start something this wonderful. I just wanted it to keep going and going and going."

You can view the review here.

Best of 2010!

Check it out!!

Odd Stuff got listed as one of the most recommended books of 2010 on Happily Ever After Reviews!!

So exciting and soooo flattered!! Check it out here.

Review of Marked Series

So, I listen to audiobooks on the way back and forth to work. Usually if I pick up part of a series, I will try to find another book of the series, if I can, whenever.

A few authors get my loyalty and have me running to the bookstore or eseller to pick up the next book after then next of their series. Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison, Robin McKinley... it doesn't matter what they write, I pick it up because I know it is good stuff.

So when I started hearing through websites, friends and through my loops, I was leery...For one, I have to admit although I had read all of the Stephanie Meyer books, I was frustrated with them. And they had gotten the kind of hype I was hearing about Marked.

I was so leery, I didn't fork out the money for Marked the first book of the series. I borrowed it from the Ohio Ebook project, an online library.

That was all it took.

Zoey Redbird is an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. That is until she is Marked to make the Change to Vampyre. Now she has to fight everything from those she trusts to the very powers of darkness. Not really a problem when she is given the power to control all four elements. Now, if she can get her boy issues under control, life is good.

Lines like, "I can't save the world. I'm seventeen! I can't even parallel park."
and, "His kiss was a gentle question mark and I answered it with an enthusiastic exclamation mark of my own," will leave the reader smiling. Zoey is charmingly seventeen however wise and likable. Her moral fiber, unlike another recent YA heroine, is in excellent condition. Now, that's not to say Zoey doesn't ever make bad choices but she tries, honestly tries to do the right thing for not just herself but for the people she cares about. She, unlike that other heroine, has lots of people (and I mean lots) that she could be dating or sleeping with but (unlike that other one who spent a large portion of three books trying to get in his pants) she tries to control her desires even though they are rooted in her bloodlust.

Neat stuff. Creative plotting. Clever dialogue.

Really, the series has it all.

I am eating through the series like a fat kid in a candy store with a handful of giftcards. I am currently on Hunted, the fifth book of the series and am close to the end. Soon I will jump to book six. My kids are trailing behind me, all of them on book one.

The series goes as follows:
House of Night

1. Marked, 2. Betrayed, 3. Chosen, 4. Untamed, 5. Hunted, 6. Tempted, 7. Burned, 8. Awakened

I admit I have cheated and read the blurbs of the remaining books. I have a feeling that really sad things are a comin' for Zoey and her pals.

But you can buy the books and merchandise at the authors' website here.