Entries Tagged 'Werewolf' ↓
March 16th, 2010 — 3 Stars, Book Review, Clumsy Heroine, Contemporary, Love Triangle, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, United States of America, Vampire, Virgin Hero, Virgin Heroine, Werewolf, Young Adult

The second book in the Twilight saga is entitled New Moon and if the first book was about finding true love, then this book is about losing true love. I am not particularly fond of this book. It is because it contains so little Edward. We are introduced to the other paranormal group just up the road however. We meet those that live La Push Reservation, home to the Quileute Tribe. Some we've been introduced to before, like Jacob Black. Others are new.
If you couldn't wait for the library to hand you this next book in the series, you read the beginning chapter that was at the end of Twilight. A teaser that leaves you wondering what happens to Bella when she cuts herself at the Cullens house. Her blood makes them thirsty, none more so than Jasper who has the least control. Edward gets Bella to safety but the damage is done.
The next few days he becomes more and more distant to Bella. She's desperate to break through to Edward when suddenly he starts to talk to her again. Only she wished he wouldn't. I wished he hadn't too. He breaks it off with her at the edge of the forest. It is better than the sewers Angel dumped Buffy in, but I was heartbroken and Bella more so. Here it is, I thought, the end of a good story (but just you wait... keep reading).
So deep is her grief over losing Edward she loses herself and becomes a walking shell. It isn't until half a year later that she can even stick her head above the water. She does it only because Charlie is running scared and pulling ultimatums about going to Florida to live with her mother. Bella can't do that. Doing that means leaving the magic of Forks behind and relegating Edward to a memory and not a reality. So she asks a friend to the movies... anything without romance. She couldn't handle that. It's after the movies that the story gains interest again. She hears Edwards voice... in her head. His voice is a beautiful hallucination warning her of the danger ahead.
What follows next is a series of stupid reckless moves as Bella fights to hear his voice. She turns to Jacob Black to help her fix motorcycles, thinking the danger in riding them would provide her with Edward's voice. She becomes Jacob's friend, and over the hundreds of pages left he becomes the sun to warm the desolation of her life. I don't like Jacob. He keeps pushing the friend boundary, so certain of Bella turning to him and forgetting about Edward despite her repeated warnings that she'll never love anyone but Edward.
But then the story changes again and it's like sweet music playing in your mind because you just know Edward's coming back into the picture. And like Bella, you fear you are going to miss him, lose him again. The book ends on the sweetest note imaginable and you close this sad book feeling ridiculously happy. The ending is four and a half stars.
Rating: 3 Stars
Originally posted 2008-11-19 04:13:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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March 13th, 2010 — 3.5 Stars, 4 Stars, ARC, Blackmail, Counts, Marquis, Viscounts, Georgian, Gothic, Great Britain, Paranormal, Revenge, S-U, Spinster, Survival, Suspense/Thriller, Werewolf

I have a funny story with this book and by story I mean an epic fail. I was returning some books back to the library and somehow Lady Anne sneaked back with them. When I realized what I’d done it was as if I’d been amputated! So painful. Of course I returned the books on a Sunday; the only day in the week the library isn’t open until late in the afternoon or early in the day.
After a pretty good freak out, I waited until I could call. Ended hanging up once because I was on hold for five minutes and called back. Then I had to wait on the phone for twenty plus minutes before somebody from circulation got to me. They either forgot me or they were busy. I told them about the book and the person I talked with probably never got a call like this before because I was given a hard time.
Finally, I managed to convince them that the book was mine and not a library book. I don’t understand how this was so difficult as 1) it is not stamped with the library name nor was it 2) tagged with a detector strip or that pocket thing and 3) clearly says advance review copy on the cover! This is why I write in books to identify and claim them.
In the end they put the book on hold for me and now it was a matter of getting back over there. The library where I dropped the books off while on errands was all the way across town. I really didn’t make this easy on myself. Luckily I got there, but it was close! One more red light and it would have been better luck next time. Needless to say I was very, very pleased to get this book back and finish it… which I did later that night.
What I liked best about Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark was its tribute to Gothic romance, followed swiftly by a capable intelligent heroine. The hero liked that best about her too so how could you not fall in love with him? Lady Anne is very plain and a spinster to boot, which are some of my very favorite things to read in romance.
Simpson writes in a witty and engaging voice. I loved Lady Anne. She was such a treat. Her musings on Lord Darkefell are particularly fabulous:
It was either that or go back to pondering the feel of Lord Darkefell’s too-perfect lips pressed against hers. And his too-perfect body against hers. He was entirely too perfect—if there was such a concept as overabundant perfection—in a physical sense and entirely too maddeningly imperfect in every other way.
Without giving anything else away I will say this: if you like mystery, intrigue, werewolves, and Gothic you will love this book! Oh and chances are you're going to jump to conclusions about the mystery and be totally wrong - I was!
Rating: 3.5-4 Stars
Buy: Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark
Originally posted 2009-03-29 05:55:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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March 13th, 2010 — Music and Video, News, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, Vampire, Werewolf
March 11th, 2010 — Music and Video, News, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, Vampire, Werewolf
March 10th, 2010 — Music and Video, News, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, Vampire, Werewolf
February 22nd, 2010 — 4 Stars, Book Review, Clumsy Heroine, Contemporary, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, United States of America, Vampire, Virgin Hero, Virgin Heroine, Werewolf, Young Adult

The first book in the Twilight saga as said by the author in the Amazon interview is about finding true love and is conveniently entitled Twilight. Stephenie Meyer was partial to calling it Forks, the name of the little town Bella goes to live. Her name was chosen because Stephenie Meyer would have named her daughter that if she had one. It fit so nicely with Edward. Bella's full name is Isabella Swan.
Isabella goes to live in Forks, a little town that really does exist on the map on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Forks is full of rain. It never stops raining. It rains so much you never dry out. Isabella is horrified at the idea of returning to her childhood home to live with her father, Charlie, but she is going to go through with it. Bella is like that. Once she has made up her mind she won't change it. The agonizing and worrying and doubting happens during the decision making process only.
Bella moves to Forks so her mother Renee can move around from place to place with her second (new) husband Phil and not feel guilty. She wants her mother to be happy and by going to Forks she'll make Charlie happy. She's going to miss the sunshine and heat of Arizona. But most of all, Bella is going to miss how easily she blended despite her pale skin into the crowds of her large high school. Forks is small and can not hold a secret. Bella is afraid of her first day of sophomore year. She doesn't want to stick out like the clumsy sore thumb she is but knows she will.
At school things were going like she predicted and in ways she wasn't expecting. Boys were paying attention to her, she was the center of attention, and at lunch the most beautiful kids were staring at her. Who were they? Why did suddenly, the most handsome look up and glare at her? At the table sat the Cullens. Each was adopted by Dr. Carlisle and his wife Esme. They didn't hang out with anybody in school. Bella was told they thought themselves better than the rest.
But this did not explain the youngest Cullens' behavior. Why did he act like he couldn't stand her when she had done nothing to him? Why did he try to change out of biology before the school day was over? Why did he skip so much school? Was it to avoid her? Edward Cullens mystified Isabella Swan. That was until she found out he was a vampire. Then it made sense.
The Cullens are different from other vampires. The first of which I can't say since it is fun to hear of it in the third book. The second is because they are in their own terms, ‘vegetarians.' They choose to drink animal blood over human. You can tell when vampires shy from human blood because their irises are gold and not blood red. Bella can tell when Edward is thirsty or mad simply by the color of his irises. At first he is surprised, but then he relaxes. After all she was observant enough to notice he was a vampire when others simply ignored all the signs.
The sentence structure of Twilight is a little choppy and hard to get into. The story picks up, right where the author first dreamed about it. Stephenie Meyer wrote the scene in the meadow first and finished the story before returning to write the beginning. Beginnings are hard, and if you can push past the first one hundred to one-hundred-and-fifty pages then it gets good. That is when the story becomes captivating and hard to put down. Edward and Bella is a classic that only gets better.
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
Originally posted 2008-12-01 01:36:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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January 29th, 2010 — News, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, Vampire, Werewolf

The official countdown for June 30th has begun. That means it’s time to get ready for your Eclipse party. Every Twilight themed party needs games. Below are some of the games you can entertain your party with while waiting in line or at home before/after the movie:
Eclipse Movie and Breaking Dawn
Forks Yearbook:
You will need paper, pencils, and a timer.
How to Play: Players have one minute to name all the characters, actors, and places in the Twilight Saga that start with any given letter of the alphabet.
Who Wins: The person with the most names listed or with the most unique names listed (derived by crosschecking everyone’s lists) wins.

Twilight Charades:
Divide the group into Team Jacob/Werewolves and Team Edward/Vampires. Evenly. If there’s an odd number, have the person who sits out designate what the others will act out and keep time.
How to Play: Every member of the Jacob/Werewolves Team will impersonate a vampire or human character. It’s up to Team Edward/Vampires to figure out who they are as quick as they can. Afterwards it’s time to switch and the Edward/Vampire Team will impersonate a werewolf or human character (preferably different humans than already depicted) with the Jacob/Werewolf Team guessing.
Who Wins: The team with the shortest time wins!

Alice’s Visions:
(Game Name taken from Twilight Scene-It.) You will need paper and pencils or a chalkboard/dry erase board and chalk/markers.
How to Play: Players will try to stump the group by drawing scenes from the Twilight and New Moon movies. Each drawing is given three minutes. How many turns taken depends entirely on the amount of players participating, if necessary divide group into teams again. For every drawing guessed correctly, the guesser/team will get a point. In team play, if at the end of three minutes the scene is still unknown the team of the drawer will get one minute to guess. If they get it right the team earns two points.
Who Wins: Team with most points.

Eclipse Jeopardy:
If a small party, play as individuals. If a large party divide into teams.
Set up: You will need index cards, pencils, and tape. Come up with 5 questions to fit 6 categories for a total of 30 questions. Put the questions and answers on one side of the index card and the value amount for the question on the other side. Create a board from the index cards by taping them up on a wall or window.
How to Play: A player or team will pick a category and dollar amount. Someone will take the index card down and read the question on the back. A correct response earns the dollar value of the clue. If the response is incorrect, reveal the answer and no points are distributed.
Category ideas include: Individual Actors, Entire Cast, Movies, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Vampires, Werewolves, Humans, and Stephenie Meyer.
Who Wins: The person or team with most money at the end of the game.

Newborn Hunt:
Play in backyard, at a local park, or soccer field. You will need a flashlight and perhaps a pair of extra batteries.
How to Play: This is a mix of hide and seek and tag. Players try to hide from the seeker who guards the jail or safety zone depending on rules. If it is the jail, then all players hit with the light must go to the jail and wait. If it's the safety zone, players will try to get there while avoiding the seeker.
Additional Ideas for Game Play:
- Have players form pairs or teams. Any untagged pair or team member can release a caught person from jail.
- If teams are formed and there's no jail, just a safety zone, you can play by points. Team with the most safe people at the end of two rounds wins.
- Play starts with just the seeker, no teams, as the seeker tags other players, these players join in the hunt. The winner is the last man standing. If a new round begins, the last player tagged is now the seeker.
Who Wins: No real winner. Game is ongoing as the seeker position is handed over, usually to first person tagged.

Standard Games:
Eclipse Game Prizes and Party Favors:
If you’re interested, here are some ideas for party prizes and favors.
Got other party ideas? Share them below!
Adapt New Moon Party ideas to your Eclipse Party: New Moon Bash: Party Ideas!; More New Moon Movie Party Ideas
Twilight and Eclipse Party Favors:
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January 26th, 2010 — 4.5 Stars, ARC, Contemporary, Detective, Guest Reviews, Paranormal, Police, S-U, Science, Survival, Suspense/Thriller, United States of America, Werewolf

by Susan S., guest reviewer
Spear’s latest novel is bursting with romance, suspense, and heart-pounding excitement!
Legend of the White Wolf is the fourth book in Terry Spear’s werewolf series.
Does it stand alone? Yes.
Recommendations: This novel will appeal to readers who enjoy both paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.
The heroine (Faith O’Malley) is a forensic scientist working with the police dept. in Portland, Oregon. She’s also a woman on a mission. Faith is traveling from Oregon to Maine, in search of her soon-to-be, ex-boyfriend Hilson. Apparently, he just stole her father’s research.
Meet Cameron MacPherson, a sandy haired, blue-eyed gorgeous hero. He’s a physically fit private investigator, and former police officer. Cameron has a mission of his own, to find his missing partners, Owen and David.
But, when Faith and Cameron stumble onto a murder scene, their plans are not only sidetracked, but they are now persons of interest in a murder-mystery.
Will they find the person(s) responsible, or will they become the next targets?
More importantly, can two jilted people learn to love and trust their hearts again? Read Legend of the White Wolf to find out.
Here are some things I enjoyed: There’s a scene, where Cameron runs a towel over Faith’s wet hair. I thought it was both simple and utterly romantic. The author’s description of an Aurora Borealis was also beautifully written.
What will you enjoy? Hunky- wolfish men shedding their clothes, wolf bites, hotel clerk’s key mix-ups, and the reference to the Sleeping Beauty trio.
Legend of the White Wolf will leave you howling for more! Don’t worry, Terry Spear promises to feed our wolf addiction with books five and six, set to release by fall of 2010. Both novels will be published by Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca-titled Seduced by the Wolf and Wolf Fever.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Buy: Legend of the White Wolf
Paranormal Romance, ARC, Series, Sourcebooks, Inc., Casablanca, February 2010, Mass Market Paperback, Print Pages, 367. ISBN-13# 978-1-4022-1905-4.
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January 12th, 2010 — About, Contemporary, Poll, Stephenie Meyer, United States of America, Vampire, Werewolf, Young Adult

Boy Type: Aloof Artist
Edward Cullen is the gorgeous aloof boy who sits with a select group of people at lunch. He keeps to himself and has a fantastic brooding expression that simply makes the girls drool. He's into music: listening to it, playing it, and creating it. On top of all that he's a vampire and that gives him the bad boy edge. Can we say swoon?
- Jacob Black
Boy Type: Mr. Fix-It
Jacob Black is the ultimate handyman. The place you're likely to find him is the family garage as he loves cars and spends all his time, efforts, and money fixing them up. In fact, Bella's truck is just one of his pet projects. Jacob is good at fixing more than just cars-- he can fix problems and people too. Must be his warm and fuzzy nature. His friendship with Bella is what brings her out of the dark in New Moon.

Boy Type: Guy Next Door
Mike Newton is the boy next door. His life is pretty easy. He has good friends, a good family, a good entry level job, and good looks. He can be pretty bright too and make smart observations. He wishes Bella would give him the time of day. He's persistent to a point and yields defeat when it's apparent things won't be changing.
Boy Type: Sweet Nerd
Eric Yorkie is on the school newspaper, part of the yearbook staff, and on prom committee. He's active and smartly dressed, a little dorky, but that's all part of his charm. He's not used to asking girls out and misses his chance more than once. Perhaps all he needs is a little nerd girl loving!

Boy Type: Popular Jock
Tyler Crowley is the popular jock. He's definitely into something athletic like basketball or football. Like Mike Newton, it's not hard for him to find a date, unless it's expecting that date to be Bella. Tyler is a flirt and very outgoing. If it isn't his muscles flashing, it's his shiny car as it comes toward you.

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Originally posted 2009-05-15 05:19:28. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 23rd, 2009 — Defining the Genre, Paranormal, Time Travel, United States of America, Vampire, Werewolf

What is paranormal romance?
Well we can easily define paranormal romance as subgenre of romance. But what is it really? Paranormal romance combines the supernatural world with that of the real, the natural, the plain. One lover is sure to be something special and the other lover is special because they are so plain; something is found in their ordinariness that strikes a cord with the extraordinary lover.
More than not these stories take place in America, especially when dealing with vampires, but it's not a requirement for the genre. Paranormal romance usually blends mystery, thriller, or suspense as part and parcel of its tale. You could consider these novels to be more than a bit Gothic in theme. Anita Blake Vampire Hunter and the Twilight Saga are two such series that can be found within the category of paranormal romance.
Why do people like it so much?
The sales of paranormal romance have risen over the years. It is not uncommon to find several titles of paranormal fiction in romance aisles. Why is that? As I said when discussing Edward and Bella in the Twilight books, I believe it is because we are all craving that extraordinary romance.
As with time travel romances, paranormal romances that involve vampires have that glorious advantage of a love out of time. One person waits, separate from the time stream of the normal world with all its stresses and hectic schedules just for you. Waters run deep in the one that has been waiting, he (or she) knows just what it is like to live a small eternity in loneliness and now that you've been found, you won't be let go. He (or she) will love you forever.
Besides vampires what fits into this category?
Magic users, lycanthropes (like werewolves), selkies, fairies, ghosts, superhuman capabilities (like flying), gods and goddesses, and angels and demons are all perfectly acceptable.
If you have more on the subject of paranormal romance feel free to add!
Originally posted 2008-07-01 08:32:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 18th, 2009 — Author Interviews, Georgian, Gothic, Paranormal, S-U, Suspense/Thriller, Werewolf

Q - I had so much fun reading Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark; what was your inspiration for the book? Do you have any photos you worked from for the imposing castle and grounds?
A - Thank you, Keira... I appreciate the kind words! I am a rational person, and so is Lady Anne. When she hears a werewolf has been spotted, she thinks, 'big dog on the loose'. Once I saw that, and put it together with the Georgian era, when there was a lot of superstition (not that there isn't that now!) the rest flowed from there. As for photos of the castle... what actually inspired Darkefell Castle is a pen, ink and watercolor picture I bought at a rummage sale; it is of an old castle with a modern (Georgian modern, probably mid-1700s) addition, and it is exactly Darkefell Castle! I've searched and searched online, but I can't find the original that the artist worked from.
Q - What was the hardest part of writing your book?
Thinking up the plot.
Outlining.
Writing it.
Editing final drafts.
Depends upon what stage I'm at working, what I would answer to that question. Right now I would say, final editing is agonizing, because you know that after it's gone, sent off to your editor, you will likely not have any opportunity to substantially change the course of the book again. You have to be sure of it!
Q - How did Sourcebooks find out about your novel?
I have a great agent with his nose to the ground, looking for intriguing new opportunities. When we were looking about for a publisher for the Lady Anne series, he included Sourcebooks Casablanca among the recipients, as he found their recent acquisitions interesting. We took it from there, sending it to the acquisitions editor, Deb Werksman, and she like it!
Q - How much time do you spend writing each day (or each week, if you prefer)?
It depends on a) what I'm writing and b) what else is on my plate. If I have a book due, it's full-time days writing. If I have a book being released, then promotion takes over. But most days, overall, I tend to write about five hours a day.
Q - What do you think is the greatest creative risk you've taken?
Blending mystery and romance so thoroughly in the Lady Anne series. I adore romances with mystery elements and love mysteries with a strong thread of romance, and I hope readers do, too. I mean, both romance and mystery are parts of life, why can't they co-exist in a novel genre?
Q - What are some plot devices you like? Can't stand?
I don't know so much if they are plot devices, but I despise emotionally manipulative writers, the ones who set you up to have certain expectations, then dash them. I think they believe that it's more 'literary' to put characters (and readers) through pain than to give them a happy ending. Not necessarily.
Also, I hatehatehate (I feel so strongly about this I had to repeat it three times!) writers who aren't true to their characters. When I close a book, I want to know, even if the end is sad, that it makes sense, that how the characters acted was true to their soul as the writer created them, and not some behavior that feels superimposed by the author because he or she had a certain ending in mind.
As for plot devices I like, all I ask of a writer is that they are true to their characters, and I'll go with almost anything!
Q - Could you provide a picture of your bookshelf?
I don't have just one bookshelf! They're kind of scattered all over the house!
Q - Share some of your favorite books!
Favorite books... ah, the list is endless! A Flaw in the Blood
, by Stephanie Barron blew me away... such a great writer. People know her from her fabulous Jane Austen as a detective series, but she's good at everything she writes. I like classics, of course. Who hasn't been inspired by Pride & Prejudice? But for day-to-day reading, I love mystery novels! Anne Perry, Victoria Thompson, many others!
Q - What do you do to relax and get away from writing? Is there something that really gets you away from it all?
Mostly, just ordinary stuff. I love to read; I can't imagine there's an author alive who wouldn't say that! Reading is such a great escape, and that's what I try to write for my readers, a great escape from care and worry. I do have a few hobbies - including karaoke - and hanging out with friends on the weekend. That is about it. I'm a very simple gal. A good book on the patio and a glass of wine or cup of tea is about the perfect end of a day.
Q - I have a spoiler question... Will there be a sequel so that Darkefell can win over Lady Anne? Oh please say yes!
Okay, I'm not one to release spoilers, but I will say this much, in Lady Anne and the Ghost's Revenge
(August 2009) things heat up considerably between Darkefell and Anne, and in Lady Anne and the Gypsy Curse (November 2009) the passion reaches bonfire proportions on the heat scale! Some do like it hot!
Q - How do you define love?
Love: wow, definitions are tough, but my idea of love is caring so much about another person, that you put them first in your thoughts. You know their faults and don't give a damn. You would make any sacrifice to make them happy.
Q - Is there anything else you'd like to share with us?
I had a great time with these characters; they often did quite unexpected things! And I hope readers enjoy them as much as I did writing about their adventures.
Visit me at http://www.donnaleasimpson.com for more information on the Lady Anne series, and if you'd like to learn more about the Georgian era, in which they are set!
Originally posted 2009-04-04 05:11:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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December 5th, 2009 — Alien, Demon, Dragon, Fey / Fae, Ghost, Lycanthrope, Magic Users, Merman/Mermaid, Necromancer, Paranormal, Super Hero, Supernatural, Vampire, Werewolf

Truth or another whiny complaint from males about our reading material? Does paranormal romance hopelessly increase our expectations in a man? Let’s examine the paranormal hero to find out:
- He isn’t human. The paranormal hero is vampire, lycanthrope, demon, shapeshifter, angel, or other. Can a normal man get that irresistible dangerous edge? Yes, and he needn't even have a romantic suspense hero occupation. Role play and grab that Halloween cop uniform! Practice your growl. We love it when men growl their excitement!
- He has otherworldly powers. The paranormal hero is powerful in many aspects from his body to his personality, from his wealth to his influence and even to the impossible. Just because the paranormal hero can enter our minds, doesn't mean a real man can't guess what's in ours. Hint: A glass of wine, and a backrub will give any man superhuman powers.
- He’s ridiculously good looking. It’s our fantasy! Besides have you never heard of a gym? You expect us to be perfectly coiffed, made up with shaved legs, I think a few hours in a gym is not asking too much. Quit complaining and give me twenty! Or two hundred as twenty a six pack does not make.
- He’s an out of this world lover. The paranormal hero is a skilled lover. He’s sex walking and a giver of multiple orgasms. Nervous? Don’t worry. Real men can be phenomenal lovers too. It’s all about the E^E equation: Experimentation ^ Experience = Amazing in Bed.
- He’s too perfect. Not all the time! If the paranormal hero didn’t screw up sometime he wouldn’t be so perfect now would he? Flaws create the perfect character. Real men have flaws too.
Conclusion: Paranormal men sparkle. Real men can sparkle too.
Photo Credits: http://weheartit.com/
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November 30th, 2009 — 5 Stars, Book Review, Clumsy Heroine, Contemporary, Love Triangle, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, United States of America, Vampire, Virgin Hero, Virgin Heroine, Werewolf, Young Adult

Book three in the Twilight saga is by far my favorite of those books published. (Breaking Dawn, book 4, is coming out in August)
Eclipse is simply beautiful. It’s longer than the other two books but does not contain chapter one of the next book (darnit!). In Twilight, true love was found. In New Moon, true love was lost. In Eclipse true love is a choice.
Eclipse is all about Jacob and Edward and their love for Bella. Edward hates Bella’s attachment to Jacob, but he feels he should not get between. Why? Simply put, because Edward feels he should suffer the consequences of his actions last year. That having to deal with Jacob is part of the price he has to pay for his foolish decision to leave Bella.
Victoria, the vampire out to get Bella from the last book is still at large. It is Bella who puts all the clues together and comes up with the answer. Edward and Jacob and the rest of the Cullens and Werewolves have to work together to protect her. Are the dogs and bloodsuckers really going to work together? Hmm… you could say trouble is in the air.
I have three favorite scenes in this book. The first is the night Bella goes over to the Cullens for her weekend abduction (this is part of the plan with the werewolves and the vampires) and stays with Edward alone. I won’t say exactly why I like this scene, but if you could probably guess if you have read the other books by this point. I loved it. It is hands down the best scene out of all three books. I laughed out loud quite a few times because of Bella's remarks.
The second is Bella’s quasi dream where she overhears Edward and Jacob talking in the tent. Jacob asks that Edward speak plainly since he can’t hear his thoughts like Edward can hear Jacob. They talk about Bella and Edward is so noble in this scene you just want to find him and cuddle him to death. Pun intended. Their truce ends at daylight.
And lastly I loved the ending scenes from the time Bella stops crying to the very end. They feel like one big scene, culminating once again in Edward and Bella’s meadow. It is here he’s determined to be the selfless he’s ever been. He’s been watching her and it seems she’s doing everything everybody else wants, making them happy at her own expense. So he puts his wants aside and lets Bella choose how to best make herself happy. She’s happy right where she is and the other pain will fade in time… she hopes.
The point of view changes from there to Jacob’s and as I read it I was feeling vindictive. Not a very nice thing to begrudge a fictional character, but I was glad for his pain. I still am. It’s just another sign in my opinion at Stephenie Meyer’s skill at writing her own characters. We don’t get that wrapped up in the story too often. It is very rare, last seen in Harry Potter, the story of the boy wizard. I hope you will pick up this saga and find yourself as riveted by this compelling love story as I was.
Rating: 5 Stars
Happy Readings!
P.S. What book four will be about I can not begin to guess. True love is able to heal all wounds? What do you think? Leave a comment and tell me!
Originally posted 2008-11-27 10:05:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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November 28th, 2009 — 2.5 Stars, A-C, Australia/New Zealand, Book Review, Crime and Protection, Erotica, Estranged, Kidnapping, Mystery, Paranormal, Rape/Abuse, Supernatural, Survival, Travel, Vampire, Werewolf

The second book in the Riley Jenson series is a continuance of the first. It’s very important to read Full Moon Rising before starting this one because they are extremely tied in and you will be left confused if you don’t.
The urban futuristic world is expanded and more players are introduced. The plot thickens as Misha reveals clues to who is really behind everything. We find out more about the limbs of the organization while the head tries to save itself. The head is a mystery and is not resolved in Kissing Sin.
Keri Arthur is very good at staging fights, which is a good thing as there are a ton of them! The last stand off at the end is extremely creepy as in horror movie creepy. I’d give more details but I’m trying not to spoil anyone.
The things that bothered me in the last novel are back only this time without the excuse of a full moon inciting the werewolf lusties. Again it’s not the amount of sex in the novel, it is who the sex is with and how Riley reflects on her sexuality. Two new guys enter her sex circle: We meet Kade Williams, the horse-shifter (not a lycanthrope – his shifting is not tied to the moon) and Kellen an alpha male werewolf Riley can feel is important to her future. I didn’t mind Kade or Kellen or Quinn, who’s back in this book.
I did mind Riley sleeping with the enemy for information sake. In addition it read very bad when Riley grumbled mentally that she didn't like being forced to fuck a guy (which if she becomes a Guardian is a sure thing) even though she's positive the sex will be good. I guess what’s good for the gander isn’t sauce for the goose in my case. It’s sexy on James Bond and not so much with her. I also minded the raping of Riley which happened again in flashbacks as she’s trying to recall the week that’s missing. She doesn’t really deal with it and it’s excused because sex is practically nothing to a werewolf.
Quinn is back in part because he wants to solve the mystery and in part because he can’t leave Riley alone. She invades his dreams. The two go back and forth and Riley gives him an ultimatum: accept her sexcapades as a part of her werewolf charm or get the hell out of her life. Quinn agrees to a compromise of exclusivity when he’s in town, but makes it very clear he’s possessive and territorial when it comes to her.
I find I am Quinn in this series. I can’t accept Riley’s blasé attitude toward sex. It must be the human in me as Keri Arthur repeatedly says in the books it’s the werewolf way of life and it’s the problem of the humans, who are too prudish and morally uptight to really understand. And I don’t! I don’t understand walking into a club and having sex in public on the dance floor. I don’t understand going to a party with a guy you had sex with on the way there and then slipping off to fuck another guy – even if he’s a werewolf hottie you slept with the night before. It’s seedy and tacky.
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Buy: Kissing Sin (Riley Jensen, Guardian, Book 2)
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November 20th, 2009 — 4 Stars, Contemporary, Italy, Movie Reviews, Paranormal, Stephenie Meyer, United States of America, Vampire, Werewolf

I saw this movie opening night with seats at a premium even with every theater devoted to the midnight showing. Talk about a rush! Unofficial reports are claiming New Moon topped Dark Knight and other movies in opening midnight showing sales. Despite the big bucks and the glory of a fanbase it really is unsurprising that New Moon tanked in critic ratings. Every critical review I’ve come across so far has been written by a guy. Maybe I’m biased – okay I am, but the point is still valid and if their reviews are valid then so is my review.
On the whole I believe the acting was infinitely better in New Moon than in Twilight. Yes, some of the dialogue is cheesy, but it is good cheesy. Much of the mushy stuff was in the book or modified from the book. I like mushy. If for nothing else, give the actors credit for saying it all with a straight face.
My guilty pleasure for New Moon is reading the beginning breakup scene and the ending sequence over and over again. Edward/Bella angst = yum. Therefore it is easy to see why I did not mind the “moping” scenes with Kristen Stewart. Critics are saying she’s completely expressionless and sucking the life out of the movie, but they don’t understand that the movie is about losing true love.
A new moon is the absence of the moon and is a metaphor for the absence of Edward. The moping is done for a reason. I think Kristen did a great job and had a lot of nuances in her face to express pain and depression. Her nightmare scenes reflected her acting skills from being bitten in the ballet studio. While I think the nightmares could have been toned down by say one maybe two in the middle part it wasn't terrible. They were a great way to show Charlies care and love for his daughter.
Robert Pattinson impressed me with his ability to look like he wants to cry and can’t! He has really improved as a actor.
Twilight Lexicon with Alphie’s review of New Moon
To that I say ditto. I understood Edward was supposed to be wholly against leaving Bella but I hadn’t quite understood Rob’s expressions were meant to be expressions of tearless crying. When I got that (during the actual breakup scene) it was so much better for me.

She [Bella] never crosses a line from friendship with Jacob, but it is easy to see how he would read her signals differently. Stupid girl, to court disaster on more than one front.
Karin at Review New Moon (movie)
I was prepared to hate this movie because of the majority being spent in focus of Jacob, but Taylor Lautner truly surprised me and in a good way. He did a phenomenal job and I especially enjoyed the scenes at Bella’s house. When Jacob and Bella hug, he embraces her like a lover, but she clasps her hands behind his back in a manner that screams friendship. Their almost kiss by the phone and when he begs her not to leave by Alice’s car are very charged.
There were some beautiful shots in this film. The scene in Italy with all the people dressed in red and Bella running through the crowds is the one that stands out the most. There were lots of fluid scene splices though some of the cutting between scenes bugged me. The ones that did made the movie feel HP5 rushed in a way that if you hadn’t read the book would make you think they left something out (though nothing really is).
My favorite trick I must say is camera rotation around Bella while showing three months passing by.
Cydia Matos at REVIEW: Twilight Saga’s New Moon Lives Up to Novel.
I agree! It was absolutely perfect. Loved the seasons and the activities shown that others were doing outside.

In addition, I really liked the CGI in this film; it’s easily 100x better than Twilight which is a good thing too! The werewolf shifting, ghost Edward, the vampire fights, the cracking on Edward’s face is fantastic! Yes, even the sparkle is better.
The vampire eyes looked really fake to me, and too perfect if that makes sense. Even though vampires are suppose to look perfect like that, and have golden eyes I still didn’t like them. People still have color changes in their eye, even if the overall affect is brown … or in this case red or yellow gold. The eye color is very flat.
Captain Yarr at Movie Review: New Moon directed by Chris Weitz
The eyes did look very strange and I think Captain Yarr hit the nail on the head. They’re strange because they’re flat. Without the minute changes in color you’d see in a real eyes the overall effect is blank, static, and solid color contact looking.

Alice didn’t look like a fashionista either. Her outfits were pretty strange. Rosalie and Jasper’s hairstyles changed to make them look older, but Rosalie didn’t really look like herself and Jasper’s hair just looked sloppy.
The Volturi were awesome! Loved them and Jane and Alec even. As I said earlier the fighting here was well done. A good job by everyone (cast and crew) all around!
I will definitely get this on DVD as soon as possible.
Oh and if you thought there was something wrong with Robert Pattinson's chest in Volterra, Italy you would not be wrong: ROBsessed Nip-vestigates Robward's "Wonky" Mipple aka Left Mipple Gate.
Edit: After second viewing, I have add by saying Kristen Stewart does an amazing panic run. It's truly a panic mode and not something cheesy. Kudos to her!
What did you think of the film?
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Two-Disc Special Edition)
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