Review: The Darkest Craving

THE DARKEST CRAVING
Lords of the Underworld #10
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Romance
472 pages
Harlequin
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Having endured weeks of torture in the bowels of hell, Kane wants nothing to do with his beautiful rescuer, Josephina Aisling. The half-Fae female threatens to awaken the demon of Disaster inside him—a beast he’s determined to kill, no matter the price.

Josephina is hunted by a brutal enemy—her royal family—and Kane is her only source of protection. He’s also the only male to ever set her aflame, and even he succumbs to the heat. But as they navigate the treacherous world of the Fae, they are forced to make a choice: live apart…or die together.

MY THOUGHTS
The Lords of the Underworld series is one that never disappoints, always delighting with a sinful combination of sexual tension and humor on the way to happily ever after. The Darkest Craving is another quick read despite its length, the darkness of what Kane endured in hell tempered by an adorable heroine in Josephina as well as the complete absurdity of series favorite, William, as he accompanies Kane to the land of the Fae.

While each of the Lords is in the unenviable position of housing one of the various demons released when they opened Pandora's Box, a handful of them have particularly brutal demonic companions that earn them a special place in our hearts long before we're given their story in full. Kane is one such Lord, his presence in previous books always one that garnered a wince or two in sympathy as his demon, Disaster, wreaked havoc time and again. When we meet up with him once again he's finally escaped hell and its endless torture thanks to Josephina's help, and we find him much changed as a result of his time there. He's plagued by nightmares and memories of both physical and sexual abuse, and we can't help but want to reach out and hug him despite the fact that he would recoil from our touch. He wastes no time pitying himself however, and once he sets his sights on Josephina we get to see the warrior in him on fully delicious display.

Though Kane's recent past is dark and we get fleeting glimpses of unimaginable brutality thanks to his flashbacks and nightmares, Ms. Showalter ensures our time with him isn't overwhelmingly heavy thanks to Josephina. Despite being a blood slave for her miserable excuse for a sister (meaning for every misstep her sister takes, Josephina receives the punishment) and seeking out Kane in order for him to kill her as her only means of escape, she's still a source of light in this story. She doesn't take herself too seriously, giving herself compliments here and there because she never receives them from anyone else, and standing up to those she can–without being suitably punished–using her quick wit and smart mouth.

Another source of lightness in this tale comes from the Fae themselves, a race so fascinated by the Lords that they've spied on their lives for hundreds of years, detailing their battles, antics, and sexual escapades in pieces of fiction read by Fae everywhere. The result is various Fae fan clubs dedicated to each Lord, and when Kane finds himself in the Fae realm, it's nothing short of hilarious to watch them get starstruck in his presence. 

Overall, The Darkest Craving is everything there is to love about this series, and is highly recommended for Showalter fans everywhere.

Rating: 4/5

Find Gena:

 

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

The Lords of the Underworld are going on tour! Well, the books are anyway. Be sure to follow along for more reviews and spotlights!

• Monday, March 28th: Read Love Blog – Series spotlight
• Tuesday, March 29th: Supernatural Snark **The Darkest Craving
• Tuesday, March 29th: Booked on a Feeling **The Darkest Night & The Darkest Kiss
• Thursday, March 31st: Bewitched Bookworms – spotlight, The Darkest Passion
• Friday, April 1st: Reading Reality **The Darkest Touch
• Monday, April 4th: Reader Girls **The Darkest Lie
• Tuesday, April 5th: Bibliotica **The Darkest Secret
• Wednesday, April 6th: Romancing the Book **The Darkest Seduction and The Darkest Craving
• Thursday, April 7th: From the TBR Pile **The Darkest Night
• Monday, April 11th: Lovely Reads  **The Darkest Whisper
• Monday, April 11th: Books that Hook **The Darkest Touch
• Tuesday, April 12th: Stranded in Chaos  **The Darkest Night, The Darkest Kiss, The Darkest Pleasure
• Wednesday, April 13th: Romancing the Readers **The Darkest Seduction
• Friday, April 15th: Bibliophilia, Please ** The Darkest Night

Review: Firstlife

FIRSTLIFE
Everlife #1
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Young Adult
480 pages
Harlequin Teen
Available Now
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
ONE CHOICE.
TWO REALMS.
NO SECOND CHANCE.

Tenley “Ten” Lockwood is an average seventeen-year-old girl…who has spent the past thirteen months locked inside the Prynne Asylum. The reason? Not her obsession with numbers, but her refusal to let her parents choose where she’ll live—after she dies.

There is an eternal truth most of the world has come to accept: Firstlife is merely a dress rehearsal, and real life begins after death.

In the Everlife, two realms are in power: Troika and Myriad, longtime enemies and deadly rivals. Both will do anything to recruit Ten, including sending their top Laborers to lure her to their side. Soon, Ten finds herself on the run, caught in a wild tug-of-war between the two realms who will do anything to win the right to her soul. Who can she trust? And what if the realm she’s drawn to isn’t home to the boy she’s falling for? She just has to stay alive long enough to make a decision…

MY THOUGHTS
Firstlife is a dark start to this new series, introducing us to Ten in the asylum of which she's a temporary resident, and we're quickly submerged in the horrors of her day to day life. Ms. Showalter doesn't pull many punches in the opening third of this tale, the physical and emotional torture (as her parents are the one ordering her "treatment") ensuring we grow attached to Ten quickly and easily if for no other reason than to be a silent support system and witness to her abuse. Ms. Showalter doesn't leave us in complete darkness however, her trademark sense of humor providing much needed moments of levity in the form of two new inmates to Prynne Asylum, and we grab hold of those fleeting moments with all our strength before Ten's capacity for pain endurance is tested once again.

The aforementioned inmates turn out to be two young men, one from Troika and one from Myriad, sent to convince Ten to sign her Everlife (or life after human death) over to their realm, and while the mention of two guys in Ten's life might send many a reader running for the hills, no love triangle forms. Archer, the representative from Troika, initially comes to Ten in the form of her female roommate in the asylum, and their bond, even when he returns to his naturally glorious male form, remains firmly in the friendship zone until it gradually deepens and becomes one that exists between family. Her romantic feelings are for Killian exclusively, though the romance between them remains in the background of the epic battle between Troika and Myriad to recruit Ten, and is deliciously slow in forming due to her understandable trust issues.

Firstlife is a thrill ride from beginning to end, the callousness with which one of the realms in particular treats a person's human life something that makes our blood boil and our loyalty shift to its enemy with far less deliberation than Ten undertakes. Her inability to pick a side is completely understandable within the context of her circumstances however, and before it becomes a source of frustration she makes it clear to us as readers who she favors, but she must continue to avoid a firm decision in order to play the political game she's unwillingly drawn into.

Overall, this first installment is a fast, enthralling read despite its length, Ten's story both brutal and uplifting as she's forced to learn what family and friendship truly mean in the most painful way possible.

Rating: 4/5

Find Gena:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

 

Review: The Harder You Fall

THE HARDER YOU FALL
Original Heartbreakers #3
Gena Showalter
Contemporary Romance
384 pages
Harlequin
Available Now
Source: Bought

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Millionaire video-game creator Lincoln West has a dark and tragic past. The sought-after bachelor lives by a rigid schedule and a single rule—one relationship per year, lasting no more than two months. No exceptions. He moved to small town Strawberry Valley, Oklahoma, with his brothers-by-circumstance hoping to escape the worst of his memories—until a brash beauty dredges up long-buried emotions.

A reformed party girl, Jessie Kay Dillon is determined to walk the straight and narrow. But her love-hate sizzle with West is just too irresistible. They can't be near each other without tearing off their clothes, but the last thing she needs is to be his next two-month dump. Can she be the one exception? Because as any former girl-gone-wild knows: rules are made to be broken.

MY THOUGHTS
The synopsis for The Harder You Fall leads us to believe we'll crack the spine of this book and find a hate-sex fueled relationship that eventually turns into so much more, and while that would have undoubtedly been entertaining, what we uncover instead is a slow burn romance full of delightful banter to offset the baggage both Jessie Kay and West carry.

Jessie Kay has a past she's not entirely proud of, labeled a sure thing by the men in her small town and therefore burdened with their suggestive comments and wandering hands whenever in public, and though she wishes she had made different choices here and there, she's not overly self-pitying or convinced she's deserving of such treatment. She's instead determined to find a man who's willing to give and take with her in equal measure, and while West tests that resolve through the majority of the book, she sticks to her guns and gives herself the respect she's so long overdue. She and West fully admit to their mutual attraction early on (once they take the animosity down a level that is), and what follows is two people taking baby steps toward a future that's not limited by the sins of their respective pasts.

It takes West a little while to recognize how low Jessie Kay's self-esteem truly is, distracted as he is by her ability to make light of any situation, but once it becomes clear that her self-worth is linked to her reputation he does everything in his power to show her who he sees when he looks at her. He knows his offer of a 2-month relationship (which stems from the aforementioned baggage) isn't good enough for her, and he's both frustrated and proud in turn when when she tells him she wants and deserves more. They both push each other at just the right moments, never asking for more than the other person can give and content to wait until they're both emotionally ready to be all in, and the journey they take to get there plasters a smile to our faces throughout.

The intensity of their feelings for one another is over the top at times, but the two of them are just so much fun together it's hard to be too bothered by their boldly possessive declarations. Overall, The Harder You Fall is the perfect read for those (like myself) who love tension and banter in their romances, the chemistry between Jessie Kay and West off the charts from page one as they push each other's buttons, and it only builds as their enmity shifts to lust and finally love.

Rating: 4/5

Find Gena:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

Cover Reveal: A Mad Zombie Party

Today is a very exciting day my friends! One of the greatest things ever for a book lover (for this book lover anyway) is when you think a beloved series is over and you're going to be forced to move on and then BAM! There's an announcement that another book is in the works. *spastic flail* I'm an enormous fan of Gena Showalter's White Rabbit Chronicles, and even though I thoroughly enjoyed the way things came to a close last year in The Queen of Zombie Hearts, I was loath to let Cole, my book boyfriend extraordinaire, leave me forever. Now, though. NOW HE IS MINE ONCE AGAIN (even if the focus is now on his friend Frosty)!

This September Cole (and Frosty!) will be in my grabby little hands in A Mad Zombie Party, and I couldn't be happier today to be a part of the cover reveal for this newest installment. Before I get to the cover iteself though, HarlequinTEEN was so nice as to send me a few behind-the-scenes images from the photo shoot, so I hope you guys enjoy!

And now get ready for A MAD ZOMBIE PARTY!!!!

The battle rages on. 

Ali Bell and Cole Holland's crew of zombie slayers thought they'd won the war against Anima Industries, the evil company responsible for capturing and experimenting on zombies in an effort to discover the secret to immortality. In the last epic clash, the slayers lost many of their crew and closest friends. But Frosty, the ice man himself, has not recovered from one casualty in particular—the love of his life, Kat Parker.

On the path to self-annihilation, Frosty receives a message from beyond—Kat's spirit returns, insisting he partner with rogue slayer Camilla Marks. Frosty will do anything for Kat. Except that. Camilla is the one who betrayed them all, leading to Kat's death.

But when Anima rises from the grave to become a force the slayers may not have the strength to overcome, Frosty, Camilla and all the slayers will have to work together to survive. And one broken slayer will learn that sometimes, the line between hate and attraction is blurred…and the road to redemption isn't through revenge, but in letting go of the past and grabbing hold of the future.

Amazon • Goodreads

Hop Into the New Year: White Rabbit Chronicles Giveaway

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you've all had a warm, happy and healthy holiday season! I wanted to kick the new year off right (well the day after the new year anyway, I was too lazy to post yesterday), and I figured what could be more right than Cole Holland? Answer? Absolutely nothing. For those of your who have yet to meet Cole, you're missing out, Gena Showalter knows how to write some very, very sexy men. Even when when those men exist YA books and are therefore way too young for me. I just go to that place in my head that ages them by a decade and all my fantasies then resume ;-)

But I digress. Cole has that effect on me, forcing me to profess my undying love for him to the internet whenever the opportunity arises.

Thanks to the amazingly generous team at HarlequinTEEN, I have a very fun giveaway to share with you today. Up for grabs are 5 adorable white stuffed bunnies initialed by Gena Showalter, and one grand prize winner will also receive the White Rabbit Chronicles book of their choice. Want to meet (or be reunited with) Cole? Here's your chance!

To enter, fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway is open to US addresses only.

Find the White Rabbit Chronicles:

Alice in Zombieland

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

Through the Zombie Glass

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

 

The Queen of Zombie Hearts 

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: The Queen of Zombie Hearts

THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS
White Rabbit Chronicles #3
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Young Adult
464 pages
HarlequinTEEN
Available September 30th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

In the stunning conclusion to the wildly popular White Rabbit Chronicles, Alice "Ali" Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers…until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters…and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies…and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing—and turning—Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima—even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

MY THOUGHTS
The Queen of Zombie Hearts is a series of battles–physical and emotional–from first page to last, Ali and company barely getting a moment’s rest before Death is chasing them down once again. As a result, the 450+ pages of this final installment absolutely fly by, depositing us on the last page with a damaged heart, a wobbly smile, and a deep sense of denial that our time with these characters is actually over. Ms. Showalter is not afraid to raise the body count of both friend and foe in the final showdown between Ali and Anima Industries, but her books are always a beautiful combination of gravity and humor, ensuring we're never without a little light to see us through the darkness.

Ali is as strong as ever, in possession of zombie-destroying abilities no other slayers seem to wield much to our continued puzzlement. We get all the answers to our questions in this last book however, revelation after revelation ratcheting up the intensity to such a degree we seriously contemplate calling in sick to work the next day just so we don’t have to set her story aside for the night and sleep. She’s the type of young woman who abhors lies, so she’s always the first one to blurt out whatever is on her mind whether it be personal or zombie-related in nature, and we can’t help but want to hug her every time she uses her words instead of keeping them locked up tight.

Cole is much the same as well, delighting us with his alpha badassery and possessiveness even as we sometimes simply have to shake our heads at his posturing. Were he to exist in real life, his growling, smoldering, you’ll-do-things-my-way attitude would likely be extremely irritating, but because Ms. Showalter saw fit to give him a woman who snaps her spine straight instead of going weak in the knees under the force of his personality, all his alpha male characteristics take on that beautiful romantic shine that can only exist in fiction. He’s that enormously fun blend of hard and soft, all his pointed edges suddenly rounding in Ali’s presence, shifting him from attractively distant to charmingly approachable, and we can’t help but fall as hard for him as Ali does.

One of Ms. Showalter’s extraordinary strengths, whether she’s writing adult or young adult, has always been her ability to craft large casts of hugely well-developed secondary characters. While Ali and Cole shine brightest in this series, the crew of people surrounding them are every bit as vital to its overall success, their personalities distinct and layered, and we can only hope that maybe one day Ms. Showalter will give us the gift of revisiting them a few years down the line. Overall, The Queen of Zombie Hearts is the perfect end to this series, old friends lost and new friends found, and through it all stands a lead couple who just bring a smile to our faces.

Rating: 4/5

Find Gena:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Amazon

*If you haven't already, be sure to check out my interview with the charming and hilarious River and enter to win any book in the White Rabbit Chronicles!

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

The Queen of Zombie Hearts Blog Tour: Interview + Giveaway

I'm beyond excited today to be a part of the promotional tour for the third and final installment of Gena Showalter's fantastic White Rabbit Chronicles, The Queen of Zombie Hearts. I couldn't love this series more if I tried, Gena has a gift for writing incredibly strong female characters and to-die-for male characters, so if you haven't had the chance to pick this series up yet, I hope this interview sends you running to your nearest bookstore!

Speaking of to-die-for male characters, I have the pleasure of welcoming River to the blog to answer a few questions about his involvement in Ali and Cole's fight against Anima. It's possible I hit on him a little too. Don't judge me ;-)

You and Cole don’t always see eye to eye given the fact you’re both very much the take-charge type, but what’s one thing about him you can’t help but grudgingly admire? Your answer will, of course, never make its way to Cole’s ears ;-)

I admire the way he admires me. Feel free to tell him I said that.

Let’s say I was suddenly, and unfortunately, made aware of the zombie’s existence and wanted to join your crew to learn how to fight them. What’s the first thing you would teach me?

To obey my every command. Did your mind just go to the gutter, sweet? Well, get it out. Failure to obey me can get you killed. Not to mention me and my crew. So, if you can’t follow a simple set of orders, there’s no reason to teach you anything else.

Cole has found his perfect girl in Ali. What are a few personality traits the girl of your dreams would possess? If your answer happens to include snarky and paranormal book-loving, then all the better ;-)

I like my women with big…brains. And the snarky booklover. Yep. It’s like you were created in a catalogue just for me. Come over later?

*Jenny dies*

If Gena had written this book series from your point of view rather than Ali’s, what would the titles of all three books have been? 

Book one—See Zombies Die
Book two—See A Lot More Zombies Die
Book three—See Zombies Die BAD

Like Cole, Ali and all of your closest friends, you take some physical and emotional hits in the final battle with Anima. Once all the dust settles, what will you most look forward to with regard to your future and that of your crew’s?

A little R and R. Rest and Romance. See you at eight.

*YES YOU WILL, RIVER* *Beats all the rest of you away with a stick*

• • • • • • • • • • • 

THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.

Alice 'Ali' Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers; until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters; and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing and turning Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

THE WHITE RABBIT CHRONICLES

Find Through the Zombie Glass:

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

Find Alice in Zombieland:

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

• • • • • • • • • • • 

GENA SHOWALTER

GENA SHOWALTER is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the Intertwined novels and several other popular YA and adult series. Her stories have been featured on MTV and in Seventeen magazine and have been praised as unputdownable.” Growing up, she always had her nose buried in a book. When it came time to buckle down and get a job, she knew writing was it for her. Gena lives in Oklahoma with her family and three slobbery bulldogs. Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @GenaShowalter and visit her at genashowalter.com/young-adult/ and at HarlequinTEEN.com.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Harlequin Website

• • • • • • • • • • •

LOOK FOR THE WHITE RABBIT CONTEST

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the white rabbit will appear on a different blog and stay there for 48hrs. Once you have found the rabbit, click on it and you will be directed to a Rafflecopter entry form for the Grand Prize Giveaway! To enter, you must answer the daily question found at the tour stop (see below)!!!

Where could the rabbit appear? On all book blogger tour hosts and The Harlequin Paranormal Blog, so go now and hunt the rabbit. Will you find it?

And what do you win if you track this bad boy down you ask? A prize package of AWESOME:

One lucky grand prize winner will receive a $100 gift card and a complete set of the White Rabbit Chronicles. To enter for the grand prize, you MUST follow the tour each day, hunt down the white rabbit, and answer the daily question.

Want to win? Then find that rabbit!

TODAY'S QUESTION: If you could ask River one question, what would it be?

• • • • • • • • • • •

DAILY GIVEAWAY

In addition to the fabulous grand prize giveaway featured above for the White Rabbit Contest, I also have a copy of either Alice in Zombieland, Through the Zombie Glass OR The Queen of Zombie Hearts (winner's choice) to give away on the blog today! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form, and don't forget to check out all the participating blogs below for more unique content, interviews and chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, September 8th – Two Chicks on Books & Harlequin Paranormal Blog 
Wednesday, September 10th – The Book Swarm
Friday, September 12th – Supernatural Snark 

Monday, September 15th – Such a Novel Idea
Wednesday, September 17th – Bewitched Bookworms
Friday, September 19th – Katie’s Book Blog

Monday, September 22nd – The Y.A. Bookworm Blogger
Wednesday, September 24th – Adventures of a Book Junkie
Friday, September 26th – Book Rock Betty

Waiting on Wednesday: The Queen of Zombie Hearts

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine and is a fun way to see what books other bloggers just can't wait to get their hands on!

THE QUEEN OF ZOMBIE HEARTS

White Rabbit Chronicles #3

Gena Showalter

Releases September 30th from HarlequinTEEN

From Goodreads:

I have a plan.

We'll either destroy them for good, or they'll destroy us.

Either way, only one of us is walking away.
 
Alice 'Ali' Bell thinks the worst is behind her. She's ready to take the next step with boyfriend Cole Holland, the leader of the zombie slayers; until Anima Industries, the agency controlling the zombies, launches a sneak attack, killing four of her friends. It's then she realizes that humans can be more dangerous than monsters; and the worst has only begun.

As the surviving slayers prepare for war, Ali discovers she, too, can control the zombies and she isn't the girl she thought she was. She's connected to the woman responsible for killing–and turning– Cole's mother. How can their relationship endure? As secrets come to light, and more slayers are taken or killed, Ali will fight harder than ever to bring down Anima–even sacrificing her own life for those she loves.

Ummmmm Cole. That's really the only word that makes it out of my mouth when I think about series because, bless her, Gena Showalter knows how to write some very sexy men. Even when they're YA men. (But in my head Cole is at least 28 so I don't feel so creepy.) I've loved both books in this series, so I have some very high hopes going into this final installment. As long as Cole and Ali don't die (which seems to be an unfortunate trend of late and I admit to being slightly nervous thanks to the last line of the synopsis), I have no doubt I'll be in love with this one as well. Plus, Cole. That is all.

The Big Love Letter Event

Today I'm absurdly excited to announce an upcoming event taking place here on Supernatural Snark as well as over at Bewitched Bookworms. Danny and I are what some might called mildly obsessed with romance. Or hugely obsessed. Whichever. Given our let's-call-it-moderate love of all things romance-related we thought good times might be had by all if we tied that love in with a certain upcoming holiday.

In celebration of Valentine's Day (but really, more in celebration of how much Danny and I love to swoon over sexy bad boys and adorable good guys), we've asked some of our very favorite authors to write love letters that will appear on our blogs every Friday during the month of February. We proposed letters written from one character to another, from author to character, character to readers, or anything else the authors might be inspired to write that would help us honor our love of love, and the result is something truly fantastic.

Be sure and check both here and Bewitched Bookworms every Friday as we'll be featuring letters from different authors on each blog, and throughout the event we'll also be hosting a fabulous giveaway, so I hope you guys are as excited about this as we are!

I'm sure you would like a sneak peek at some of the authors who have so generously given their time and their beautiful words to help us put together what should be a really fun event. You can expect to hear from the following authors or their characters:

•      Wendy Higgins (Sweet Reckoning)

•      Katie McGarry (Crash Into You)

•      Kasie West (Split Second)

•      Sara B. Larson (Defy)

•      A.C. Gaughen (Lady Thief)

•      Tiffany Schmidt (Bright Before Sunrise)

•      Gena Showalter (The Queen of Zombie Hearts)

•      Nichole Chase (Recklessly Royal)

•      Lorraine Heath (When the Duke Was Wicked)

•      Lynne Matson (Nil)

Wendy Higgins will be kicking things off here next Friday the 7th with a VERY special something from one Kaidan Rowe, and I absolutely cannot wait to share what's he's put together. *fans self* Danny and I hope you guys will join us for lots of fun, flirting, maybe crying, and most definitely swooning!

Review: Through the Zombie Glass

THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS
The White Rabbit Chronicles #2
Gena Showalter
Paranormal Young Adult
480 pages
HarlequinTEEN
Available September 24th
Source: ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home. 

After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things. 

The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

MY THOUGHTS
Through the Zombie Glass is a pulse-pounding sequel, the heat and action dialed up to an extraordinary degree so that the cadence of our rapidly beating hearts turns into a repetitive soundtrack that accompanies the dark and light, the highs and lows, and the love and pain on the page. Though there are some familiar second book elements–such as the dissolution of the main romantic pairing–they never stay confined to their neatly labeled boxes, instead spilling out in grand fashion to fit this story specifically, forcing us to evaluate what happens within in the context of this narrative and leave all comparisons to other books at the door. This second installment is a challenging read in many ways, a darkly foreboding prologue from Ali letting us know that the coming pages will leave marks, shaping and changing our emotional topography until we emerge from the concluding chapters different than we were when we went into the beginning ones.

The catalyst for our change in this book is Cole himself, a young man who has fully embraced his bad boy status and driven it to new heights, but in this story the pleasant sheen of fiction that grants us the freedom to crush on someone dangerous is startlingly removed, leaving behind the rough surface of reality we didn’t quite see in book one, too distracted were we by the heat and intensity of his presence. Where he was seemingly infallible he is now humanly flawed, where he was previously invincible he is now vulnerable, and where he was before a protector he is now the hand that delivers a staggering emotional blow, the force of which not only hits us where it hurts but also temporarily knocks him right off the pedestal of swoon-worthiness on which we had previously placed him.

While his fall from grace, so to speak, is a bitter pill to swallow, it’s also one of the highlights of the book for the effect it has on Ali, allowing her to step fully into the shoes she was testing out in book one and become the badass of this series we had mistakenly thought Cole to be. When Cole seems intent on pushing her away, blowing hot and cold, Ali remains even keel, refusing to stoop to his level and instead waiting patiently for him to find the strength and courage to meet her on the high road she’s currently walking. She has a few understandable rough patches in which she allows herself to feel the sting of his rejection, but she always pulls herself back from the edge, turning her focus to the other not-insignificant problems with which she’s currently dealing. She never wavers in her feelings for him, even when a new temptation presents himself, and she admirably continues to protect her heart even as Cole begins to realize his mistake, respecting herself enough to say no to him when it would be so very easy to just say yes.

The romance is certainly a prominent element, as it is in any of Ms. Showalter’s fabulous books, but there are also some significant developments with both the enemy and within the team of slayers, relationships changing and strengthening as Anima lays a few of their more terrifying cards on the table. The only thing keeping this book from a higher rating is the speed with which the issues of Ali’s darker half are resolved at the end, and though we’re certainly grateful it’s not an aspect that’s going to be drawn out unnecessarily, for all the problems it caused throughout the resolution seems a touch easy. That being said however, this second installment will likely delight and torture fans of the series at the same time, causing as much pain as it does pleasure as Ali and Cole battle for life and love.

*It should be noted that Ms. Showalter’s books are always on the sexy side. Sex is spoken of easily and casually, with lots of banter and innuendo amidst the teenage group of slayers, and while it’s in my opinion handled well and realistically, this series is recommended for older YA readers.

Rating: 4.5/5

Find Gena:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Harlequin Website 

If you didn't get a chance yesterday, be sure and check out my 5 reasons why Cole is worthy of swooning over (even if he made me want to smack him while simultaneously drooling over him in this book), plus enter to win a copy of either Alice in Zombieland or Through the Zombie Glass!

This book was sent to me free of charge by the publisher for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Through the Zombie Glass Blog Tour: Why You Will Swoon Over Cole

Today I'm absurdly excited to be a part of the promotional blog tour for the second installment of Gena Showalter's White Rabbit Chronicles, Through the Zombie Glass. I read Alice in Zombieland last year and absolutely adored it, and I may or may not have fallen madly in love with romantic lead Cole. Okay, there's really no "may not" about it, I love him. Utterly. Completely. My job here today is to list 5 reasons why I harbor such intense feelings for him and, in doing so, hopefully show those of you who have yet to meet him the error of your ways ;-)

Before I thoroughly embarrass myself with my lovesick ramblings and general fangirling over Cole though, I want to mention that the girls of Kismet Book Touring have put together a phenomenal tour for this book with AMAZING grand prize and daily giveaways, so be sure and check the bottom of this post for full blog tour schedule as well as all the details on the giveaways.

And now, let's talk about Cole.

MY 5 REASONS WHY COLE IS SO SWOON-WORTHY

• The Hotness Factor - I'm starting with this one because it's the most obvious. Who doesn't enjoy crushing on someone who makes forming coherent sentences in their presence nearly impossible? Though I've of course never been in Cole's presence, I imagine if he were real my mouth would betray me by failing to form words at the most opportune of moments. Maybe he's attracted to drooling, sputtering women though? There's been no evidence of that in the books since Ali is strong and stunning and a fighter through and through, but I'm not giving up hope that he finds reduced mental faculties and severe social impediments to be turn-ons.

• Ink - Not everyone finds tattoos sexy, but I'm 100% in favor of them. Especially on someone like Cole who has an edge to him that lets you know in no uncertain terms that his life is an extremely rocky road, and the woman who wants to partner with him to walk it will have to be in possession of some serious skills and mental fortitude. *straps on hiking boots, packs bag and compass, and sets off to find Cole*

• Fighting Prowess - There's something inherently attractive about a man with the skill set to protect those who aren't able to do so themselves. Cole is more than proficient in hand to hand combat and is adept with numerous weapons, and though he can certainly be aggressive when the situation calls for it, he's not the type who seeks out a fight just for the sake of fighting. He trains to battle a very specific and terrifying enemy, never picking fights out of a need to stroke his ego or prove himself to be better than someone else.

• Intensity - Cole might be someone to whom many attach the label "bad boy", and while in many ways it's a fitting label as he can be dark and dangerous, I think intense is a better way to describe him. He's utterly focused on taking down his enemy and keeping those around him alive, and while he does have a history of being with girls and then abruptly moving on with little to no warning, he's not the type to play games of the heart.

• Loneliness - This probably seems like a weird attribute to put on this list, but there's something about a man who seems a bit apart from the rest of the world that I find appealing. I often suffer from the delusion of thinking I'll be the unique person who becomes the touchstone that grounds an alpha male like Cole or fills the void no one else before me has been able to fill,  and like a moth to the flame that loneliness and tiny hint of vulnerability sucks me in every time. Cole, despite being surrounded by people, is still so very separate, making me want to do nothing more than wrap him up in my arms and not let go. Lucky Ali that she gets to do so. *stares daggers at Ali*  ;-)

• • • • • • • • • •

THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS

Inspired by the childhood classic Alice in Wonderland, this harrowing and romantic story features teen zombie slayer Alice Bell who has lost so much—family, friends, her home.
 
After a strange new zombie attack, Alice fears she may be losing her mind as well. A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do wicked things.
 
The whispers of the dead assault her ears and mirrors seem to come frighteningly to life. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more—including her boyfriend, Cole—than she does now. But as Cole strangely withdraws and the zombies gain new strength, Ali knows one false step may doom them all.

Releases September 24th from HarlequinTEEN

Be sure and check out the White Rabbit Chronicles page for more details and Team Badges!

Goodreads • Amazon • B&N • IndieBound • Book Depository

• • • • • • • • • •

GENA SHOWALTER

GENA SHOWALTER is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of the Intertwined novels and several other popular YA and adult series. Her stories have been featured on MTV and in Seventeen magazine and have been praised as unputdownable.” Growing up, she always had her nose buried in a book. When it came time to buckle down and get a job, she knew writing was it for her. Gena lives in Oklahoma with her family and three slobbery bulldogs. Become a fan on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @GenaShowalter and visit her at genashowalter.com/young-adult/ and at HarlequinTEEN.com.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads • Harlequin Website

• • • • • • • • • •

LOOK FOR THE WHITE RABBIT CONTEST

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the white Rabbit will appear on a different blog and stays there for 48hrs. Once you have found the Rabbit, click on it and you will be directed to a Rafflecopter entry form for the Grand Prize Giveaway! To enter, you must answer the daily question found at the Tour Stop!!!

Where could the Rabbit appear?  On all Book Blogger Tour Hosts and The Harlequin Paranomal Blog, so now go and hunt the Rabbit. Will you find it?

Here's the awesomeness you'll have a chance to win if you track that rabbit down:

Go and see a scary movie, buy your favorite scary series or movie on DVD and make these days perfect with a pizza and some coffee to calm your nerves!

Today's Question: Let’s take a moment to swoon over Cole! Done? Jenny gave us tons of reasons why she loves Cole, now tell us what you think is most swoon worthy about him?

• • • • • • • • • • 

DAILY GIVEAWAY

In addition to the fabulous grand prize giveaway featured above for the White Rabbit Contest, I also have either a paperback copy of Alice in Zombieland or hardcover copy of Through the Zombie Glass (winner's choice) to give away on the blog today! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form, and don't forget to check out all the participating blogs below for more unique content and chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Monday, September 2nd – Harlequin Paranormal Blog - Tour Kick Off
Tuesday, September 3rd – Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, September 4th – Parajunkee
Thursday, September 5th – IB Blogging
Friday, September 6th – Julie Kagawa – Character Spotlight: Cole & Ali

Monday, September 9th – fiktshun
Tuesday, September 10th -Harlequin TEEN Facebook
Wednesday, September 11th – Katie McGarry – Frosty & Kat
Thursday, September 12th – Gena Showalter’s Website
Friday, September 13th – The Irish Banana

Monday, September 16th – Supernatural Snark
Tuesday, September 17th - Gena Showalter Facebook  and  Rachel Caine
Wednesday, September 18th – Reading Lark
Thursday, September 19th - Aimée Carter
Friday, September 20th – Tater’s Tall Tails

Super Six Sunday: Kick-Ass Heroines

Inspired by Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and The Bookish, Super Six Sunday, a new feature from the fabulous ladies at Bewitched Bookworms, has different book-related topics each week and asks participants to address each topic in the form of a list of six. Obviously.

This week's topic is kick-ass heroines, and there's nothing I love more (aside from romance, of course) than a girl who can take care of herself and fight side by side with the best of them. Most of the women I've picked have a supernatural ability to aid them in their general badassery, but what I love about all of them is the fact that even without their various gifts or abilities, every one of these ladies would place herself smack dab in the middle of a fight regardless, ready to protect those she loves with whatever of herself it's necessary to give in order to do so. If you haven't yet met any of the women below, I can't recommend their stories enough!

GIN BLANCO

The Elemental Assassin Series by Jennifer Estep • Adult Urban Fantasy

Spider's Bite •  Web of Lies • Venom •  Tangled Threads • Spider's Revenge • By A Thread • Widow's Web • Deadly Sting • Heart of Venom

I met Gin long before I started this blog, and while her cool calm as she wielded her knives and inflicted lethal damage as assassin The Spider was initially a bit of a challenge to see past in the first book, once I really settled into the series she quickly became a woman I couldn't help but adore. She's as selfless as they come (almost to a fault at times), always putting the physical safety and emotional happiness of everyone around her ahead of her own, thereby making her both someone you wouldn't want to meet on the street late at night and someone you can't help but want to hug.

DANI O'MALLEY

The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning • Adult Urban Fantasy

Darkfever • Bloodfever • Faefever • Dreamfever • Shadowfever • Iced

(Iced is technically book 6 in the Fever series, but it's the first that features Dani as a protagonist rather than a supporting character. I recommend starting with book one, Darkfever, though, as Iced contains major spoilers for books that come before it)

After my fangirl post a couple weeks back, I'm sure it's no surprise to most of you to see Dani's name on this list. Though she's only fourteen, Dani can quite literally run circles around anyone who tries to challenge her, including quite possibly the baddest supernatural alpha men in fiction, Barrons and Ryodan. Not only is she a force to be reckoned with, but she approaches the death she faces each and every day with a beautiful sense of humor, convinced if she's going to meet her end it's going to be with a smile on her face and laughter in the air.

DEUCE

The Razorland Series by Ann Aguirre • Post-Apocalyptic Young Adult

Enclave • Outpost • Horde

Deuce is the epitome of a fighter; as close to fearless as they come and completely capable of defending herself and others against the daily threat of the Freaks. She's also one of those young women who has no agenda and plays no games, her utter innocence and sweet naivete when it comes to her relationship with Fade making her a desirable combination of strength and vulnerability. I don't want to say too much more about her as I'll be gushing all over this series in a few weeks when I host Ann as part of the Authors Are Rockstars tour, but suffice to say Deuce is a personal favorite of mine.

ALICE BELL

The White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter • Paranormal Young Adult

Alice in Zombieland • Through the Zombie Glass

I'm a huge Gena Showalter fan in general, and her books always have a wonderful blend of action, romantic tension and laugh-out-loud humor. Ali is a young woman who has suffered unimaginable loss, but she possesses a fierce determination and a will to survive that simply won't let her wallow in the pit of despair she quite frankly deserves. She's not always the strongest fighter, but she's eager to learn and she holds her own against the the snark, the disdain, and the overwhelmingly strong personalities of her fellow zombie hunters.

ALINA STARKOV

The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo • Young Adult/Fantasy

Shadow and Bone • Siege and Storm

I think most people who've read this series would agree that Alina personifies everything we might consider to be badass. She has an ability that shocks and scares her with its power, and in the blink of an eye she finds herself trying to navigate a completely different world from everything she's known previously. People fear her, fawn all over her, love her and hate her, but she gracefully bears every burden laid across her young shoulders, becoming more gorgeously regal and awe-inspiring as the series continues.

ELISA

The Fire and Thorns Series by Rae Carson • Young Adult/Fantasy

The Girl of Fire and Thorns • The Crown of Embers • The Bitter Kingdom

Elisa and I got off to a rocky start. Book one, The Girl of Fire and Thorns, is split into three parts, and for nearly the entirety of the first part, I couldn't connect to Elisa at all. She's what could be described as pleasantly plump, and for the first third of book one she constantly bemoans her weight yet imbibes in all sorts of pastries and the like, and she hardly has any confidence as a result of her own negative self-image. As soon as part two hits however, Elisa starts to blossom, forced to toss aside all her weight issues and focus on surviving in a brutal world, and throughout the remainder of the series she continues to grow as both a woman and a leader until she's completely unrecognizable from the girl we first met. Like Ali above, she's not always the most skilled fighter in hand to hand combat, but her strength lies in her compassion and her decision-making, which more than compensate for any of her physical shortcomings in battle.

Those are just a handful of my favorite kick-ass heroines, who would top your list?