REVIEW: Ocean Kills by Jade Hart

Title: Ocean Kills
Author: Jade Hart
Series: Ocean Breeze #1
Pages: 404
Publisher: Self-Published
Date Published: December 8, 2012
Format: eBook
Source: Received from Author for Honest Review

Goodreads ~ Amazon

Around the world, murderers and rapists pick off the innocent. Killing loved ones, separating families, and ruining lives.

As an eight-year-old girl, Ocean witnessed her family’s massacre and something altered inside her. Twisting her genetic code… unlocking an ability to teleport.

Ocean Breeze was never destined to be normal, especially having been named after air-freshener. She’s a shadow, a ghost—a dark saviour of the innocent. Armed with a switchblade in her bra, and a box-cutter in her pocket, she hunts the filth of the world.

Callan Bliss is a Sydney police officer whose skill-set is far above that of a normal cop. All his fellow officers see is a hard worker who loves to catch perpetrators and surf, but that’s because they don’t know about his past. When Callan arrests a suspicious-looking prostitute, he comes face-to-face with a self-confessed vigilante, and suddenly, his secrets aren’t so easy to keep silent.

Ocean hates the police with a passion, and has no intention of being held captive by a cop, even if he is sexy as hell. Teleporting from under his nose, Ocean hunts her next target—a man responsible for the largest sex ring in South Africa—and now he’s about to die. But she doesn’t count on Callan giving chase, nor the body-quaking lust that consumes them. However, Ocean's dark hobbies take precedence over what her heart wants—her thirst for murdering is killing her too, and not even Callan can save her.

When Ocean Breeze (yes, that is her real name!) was eight years old she witnessed the extremely brutal murder of her family.  Something about the torment and torture she endured altered something inside of her.  The ability to teleport was unlocked in her.  Since then she has worked to keep the type of people that killed her family off the streets.  She stalks and kills the men that murder and rape and then teleports out of the scene.  But killing comes with a price.  With every life she takes she becomes less herself.  She becomes cold and uncaring.  Ocean knows that killing these men will eventually kill her very soul, but she feels she owes it to the would-be victims of these monsters, and she's unwilling to stop.

What I Liked:

*  I love Ocean's character.  She truly believes in what she does.  She's ruthless and angry, but she does what she does to save people.  Although she doesn't always make the right choices, her heart is in the right place.

*  Callan Bliss...Aussie.  Blonde.  Surfer.  Cop.  Do I really need to go on? 

*  The chemistry between Ocean and Callan...holy smokes!  Hot!

*  Maurice Green is like a father to Ocean.  He found her on the street and took her in.  He has some secrets still left untold, but it's obvious how much he adores Ocean.  He supports her decision to hunt and kill monsters, but he doesn't necessarily agree with her.  I love how supportive he is even though it breaks his heart.

*  The story:  I love the story!  Victim turned vigilante killer goes after sex trafficing ring...action, adventure and revenge.  It's a great plot.

What I Disliked:

*  Ocean Kills is a long book! I usually like a good long story, but with this one I felt like a lot of it dragged a bit.  Several times I found myself saying, "What?!  Where did that come from?"  Big sections of the book had no significance to the full story and could have been cut.  It would have helped with the overall flow.

*  Way too many quirky cliched sayings!   

Overall: 

Ocean Kills was a very enjoyable read.  It kept me up until the early morning hours, and that is the evidence of a great story for me.  I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Title:  Tiger's Curse
Author:  Colleen Houck
Narrator:  Annika Boras, Sanjiv Jahveri
Series:  Tiger Saga (#1)
Length:  15 hours, 45 minutes
Publisher:  Sterling Publishing
Date Published:  January 11, 2011
Format:  Audio
Source:  Bought
Buy It:  Amazon or B&N or Audible

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Passion. Fate. Loyalty. 

Would you risk it all to change your destiny?

The last thing Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever.

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Fave Quote:

“I don't want you to see only a tiger when you look at me. I want you to see me. The man.”

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This was a re-read for me, and I think I enjoyed it even more this time around!  This series is one of my absolute favorites, and when I was given the opportunity to read the ARC of Tiger's Destiny (my review)  I knew I was going to have to go back and revisit the entire series.  I'm so glad I did.

Story:
In Tiger's Curse Kelsey Hayes has just graduated from high school and she's gotten a temp job working at a circus for the summer before she goes off to college. When she meets the white tiger, Dhiren, who she lovingly nicknames Ren, she's immediately dawn to him. She finds herself spending all of her free time outside the tiger's cage, talking and reading books and poetry to him. She becomes saddened when she thinks about how lonely he must be pent up in a cage for most of his life, and she wishes he could be free. Little does she know the series of events she sets into motion with that wish. The next day a rich man from India, Mr. Kadam, comes to the circus and buys the beautiful white tiger that she's come to think of as "her tiger". He tells her that Ren will be taken to a preserve and released. When Mr. Kadam asks her to accompany Ren to India it doesn't take much persuasion for her to agree.  Along the way Mr. Kadam tells Kelsey the story of two Indian princes, brothers Dhiren and Kishan, who were betrayed by an evil man named Lokesh, and cursed to live their lives as tigers. Kelsey enjoys the story, but it isn't until Ren escapes from his cage, drags her into the jungle and turns into a gorgeous Indian man, that she realizes the story is true. Ren tells her that he is the man from the story and that he only gets 24 minutes a day as a man. And, he needs her help to break the curse. Of course, Kelsey agrees to do whatever it takes to help him, even help him track down Kishan, the brother he hasn't seen in 300 years. 

I love absolutely everything about this book.  First of all I have to comment on the cover!  It is absolutely amazing!!  Everything from the white tiger to the blue hue is full of significance.  It's beautiful!  On to the story... Colleen Houck has an amazing ability to describe every single element of  a story in great detail, but it never feels drawn out or overdone.  It's apparent that she did a ton of research when she created the worlds in which our characters travel.  Her story telling is superb!  All of the characters have very distinct and colorful personalities and are so richly written.  I love the Indian culture, mythology and mystery surrounding the curse.  There are so many little details that I didn't pick up the first time I read Tiger's Curse, and re-reading it made me see so many things differently.  Our villain, Lokesh, is one of the most evil villains I've ever been introduced to.  Not only is he the reason for the curse, but it's immediately clear that he has other plans, too.  He is a bad, bad man, and his dialogue gives me chills!  Mr. Kadam is one of my favorite characters.  He is like a grandfather to Kelsey, and his honor and devotion to the tigers is amazing.  He puts everything he has into helping them break the curse.  Kelsey comes to depend on him in so many ways.  The romance in this book has the ability to make you crazy!  Sometimes it's in a good way...sometimes it's not.  I love the chemistry between Ren and Kelsey!  Ren is the ultimate sweetheart, and he is a romantic at heart.  Kelsey, bless her stupid heart, she can't imagine that someone as wonderful as Ren would actually love her.  There were several times when I wanted to shake her and yell, "Wake up stupid girl!"  Kelsey is an easy character to love, though.  Her self sacrifice alone makes her worthy of my appreciation.  And let's not forget Kishan!  My first reaction to Kishan was very negative.  His back story leaves a lot to be desired.  But when you really get to know him you realize he has tortured himself for over 300 years because of his guilt.  He is very outgoing and flirtatious by nature, and he's easy to fall for.  Yes, a set of swoon-worthy brothers!!  Can't ask for more than that!   This is an absolutely wonderful series, and if you haven't already tried them I highly suggest you do!

Narration:
Annika Boras is our major narrator for this audiobook, and she does a great job!  Not only does she do Kelsey with her American accent, she also does our Indian men and women and also even a side character that is Chinese!  Each and every character has their own unique voice and they are all done extremely well.  She also puts a lot of emotion into her reading.  This is a great audiobook!

5 * * * * *

REVIEW: Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent

Title: Never to Sleep
Author:   Rachel Vincent
Series:  Soul Screamers Novella (#5.5)
Pages:  56
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Format:  eBook
Source:  Bought

Don't Close Your Eyes.  Sophie Cavanaugh is not going to let her freak of a cousin's strange psychiatric condition ruin high school for them both. Not after all the work she's put into cultivating the right look, and friends, and reputation. But then, Sophie sees something so frightening she lets out a blood-curdling scream—and finds herself stuck in a bizarre parallel world where nothing is safe and deadly creatures lurk just out of sight, waiting for her to close her eyes and sleep...forever.  Could this world be real? Or does insanity run in the family...?

Favorite Quote:

"You want me to walk into a dark hole in the wall, where some horrible Netherworld creature is probably waiting to eat me alive.  Obviously you've mistaken me for Lora Croft."

"Apologies, Your Highness, I meant to mistake you for someone who wants to survive."

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As a huge fan of the Soul Screamers Series I was excited to see another novella released.  Since I knew a short story would only make me crave more I put off reading it until Before I Wake was released.  I love how Rachel Vincent uses her novellas to tell a story from a different character's point-of-view.  In Never to Sleep we get to see a little more of the person Sofie really is.  I've always wondered if she really was as vapid and hateful as Kaylee sees her to be, and this novella shows us that a lot of her personality may just be a front.  When Sophie sees a soulless Reaper in the school hallway she runs away screaming and ends up in the Netherworld with the new guy at school, Luca.  At first she thinks she's gone crazy like Kaylee, but Luca finally convinces her that everything she sees is real...and they are real danger.  This was a really great addition to the Soul Screamers Series.  Sophie is definitely a character that is hard to like, but in Never to Sleep we get to see that she's not necessarily as hard as she makes herself out to be.  I really like Luca!  He takes Sophie's snark in stride and even bounces it back to her.  This novella sets up what I hope will be Sophie's introduction to her family heritage in Before I Wake.  I recommend this story to any and all Soul Screamers fans, but be sure you don't read it before If I Die or you'll have some serious spoilers.

5 Stars * * * * *

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost

Title: Once Burned
Author:  Jeaniene Frost
Narrator:  Tavia Gilbert
Series:  Night Prince (Spin-Off of Night Huntress Series)
Length: 8 hours, 30 min
Format:  Audio
Source:  Bought

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She's a mortal with dark powers...

After a tragic accident scarred her body and destroyed her dreams, Leila never imagined that the worst was still to come: terrifying powers that let her channel electricity and learn a person's darkest secrets through a single touch. Leila is doomed to a life of solitude...until creatures of the night kidnap her, forcing her to reach out with a telepathic distress call to the world's most infamous vampire...

He's the Prince of Night...

Vlad Tepesh inspired the greatest vampire legend of all—but whatever you do, don't call him Dracula. Vlad's ability to control fire makes him one of the most feared vampires in existence, but his enemies have found a new weapon against him—a beautiful mortal with powers to match his own. When Vlad and Leila meet, however, passion ignites between them, threatening to consume them both. It will take everything that they are to stop an enemy intent on bringing them down in flames.

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The Story:

I am a huge fan of Jeaniene Frost's Night Huntress Series, so my excitement over the release of Once Burned was over the top!  Vlad Tepesh is one of my favorite characters.  He is, very literally, smoldering hot!  Thankfully, Once Burned did NOT disappoint.  This book was an amazing addition to the Night Huntress world.  I love Leila's character, and she is beyond perfect for Vlad.  She doesn't put up with his arrogance and puts him in  his place really quick.  Vlad is an extremely powerful vampire, but Leila has a few tricks at hand.  Once Burned is loaded with the violence and action  that you expect from Frost's novels, and the romance scenes mingled throughout are...hot.  For fans of the Night Huntress Series, think Chapter 32!  The ending leaves you at a great cliffhanger, and when it was over I was already craving more.  I cannot wait to find out what happens next for Vlad and Leila.  I would love to see this series drawn out as long as Night Huntress. 

The Narration:

Tavia Gilbert does the narration for all of the Night Huntress and Night World books, and they are all wonderfully done, so I was thrilled to see she was back to narrate Once Burned.  Her accents are beautifully done, as usual.  She is one of the most emotionally powerful narrators I've listened to.  During some scenes she had me blushing and I can't help but wonder how in the world she manages it with a straight face.  Tavia Gilbert is a narrator that takes what would otherwise be a great book and makes it truly amazing.

5 Stars * * * * *

Be sure to check out the Freedom to Read Giveaway Hop!  I am giving away 2 copies of Once Burned!

Deadlocked

Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris



**Deadlocked is #12 in the Sookie Stackhouse series.**

Growing up with telepathic abilities, Sookie Stackhouse realized early on that there are things she'd rather not know. An now that she's an adult, she also realizes that some things she knows about, she'd rather not see--like Eric Northman feeding off another woman. A younger one.

There's a thing or two she'd like to say about that, but she has to keep quiet--Felipe de Castro, the vampire king of Louisiana (and Arkansas and Nevada), is in town. It's the worst possible time for a human body to show up in Eric's front yard--especially the body of the woman whose blood he just drank.

Now it's up to Sookie and Bill, the official Area Five investigator, to solve the murder. Sookie thinks that, at least this time, the dead girl's fate has nothing to do with her. But she is wrong. She has an enemy, one far more devious than she would ever suspect, who's set out to make Sookie's world come crashing down.

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I have been a fan of this series almost from the very beginning, and I always anxiously wait for releases and then devour the new books so fast they leave my head spinning.  This one was no different.  I read the entire book in less than 24 hours!  I couldn't put it down.  This series has been getting a lot of criticism lately, and I agree that some of the last few books haven't been amazing like I've come to expect.  But Deadlocked seems to have picked back up some of the thrill I love so much.  Of course, we get the mystery we've come to expect from Sookie.  There's lots of betrayal, jealous lovers, and rifts that probably won't ever be repaired.  It's obvious that the series is winding down.  Many loose ends were tied up, and the stage has been set for what I hope will be Sookie's happily-ever-after in the very last book of the series, Dead Ever After.  I'll be sad to see an end to a series that I have loved so much, but I think all fans will agree that it's time for Sookie to be happy.  Really and truly happy! 

4 Stars ****

Lover Reborn

Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward



Lover Reborn is Book #10 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series

Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment is a heartbroken shadow of the vampire leader he once was. Brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel, he fights again with ruthless vengeance- and is unprepared for a new tragedy. Seeing his beloved in dreams—trapped in a cold, desolate netherworld—he turns to the angel to save his former mate, only to despair at the path he himself must take to set her free. As war with the lessers rages, and a new clan of vampires vies for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between an unforgettable past, and a future that he doesn’t know he can live with… but can’t seem to turn away from.

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As a devoted follower of The Black Dagger Brotherhood series I anxiously awaited Lover Reborn's release.  Thankfully, J.R. Ward didn't disappoint with the 10th novel in this series.  I won't go into the background, but if you are a lover of vampire and paranormal romance and you haven't taken the time to read this series you should definitely put it at the top of your to-be-read list!  It is one of my very favorites.

Lover Reborn is Tohrment's story of saving himself and his beloved shellan, Wellsie, who was killed by the enemy.  Tohr realizes that Wellise hasn't moved on into the Fade like he thinks.  Instead she is stuck in a horrible place called the In Between.  She can't move on until he lets her go and learns to love again.  The problem is he doesn't WANT to love again!  This is where No'One enters the picture.  She is heartbroken watching Tohr and resolves to do whatever she can to help the warrior that helped her so long ago.  Unfortunately her disturbing past makes it difficult for her to trust. 

The journey these two take in helping to heal each other is beautiful.  Although I loved Wellise and it's heartbreaking to know Tohr must let her go, I was so happy that he gets someone to love again.  And No'One (or Autumn as she's known by the end of the book) has been through so much in her life.  It's wonderful to see her finally begin to put her past behind her and live again. 

We also got to see a lot of John Matthew and Xhex in this book.  Things are very stressed between these two and they spend much of the book apart.  The healing that goes on with Tohr and Autumn goes a long way towards strengthening the bond between John Matthew and Tohr and Autumn and Xhex.  This is good because they are going to need them to figure out where their future with each other lies.  John Matthew and Xhex are my favorite couple so I loved getting so much time with them!

I don't want to give away any of the story, but we get to see a lot of changes going on with the Quinn/Layla/Blay/Saxton drama!

All in all I really enjoyed this book and absolutely cannot wait until the next one comes out!  I love where Ward is taking this story and I know things are just going to get better.

Most definitely 5 stars!

Naked Werewolf Series by Maggie Harper

Book #1

How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf by Maggie Harper

Even in Grundy, Alaska, it’s unusual to find a naked guy with a bear trap clamped to his ankle on your porch. But when said guy turns into a wolf, recent southern transplant Mo Wenstein has no difficulty identifying the problem. Her surly neighbor Cooper Graham—who has been openly critical of Mo’s ability to adapt to life in Alaska—has trouble of his own. Werewolf trouble. For Cooper, an Alpha in self-imposed exile from his dysfunctional pack, it’s love at first sniff when it comes to Mo. But Cooper has an even more pressing concern on his mind. Several people around Grundy have been the victims of wolf attacks, and since Cooper has no memory of what he gets up to while in werewolf form, he’s worried that he might be the violent canine in question. If a wolf cries wolf, it makes sense to listen, yet Mo is convinced that Cooper is not the culprit. Except if he’s not responsible, then who is? And when a werewolf falls head over haunches in love with you, what are you supposed to do anyway? The rules of dating just got a whole lot more complicated.

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This book was laugh out loud funny!

Trying to make her own way in the world and escape from her nutty, organic only, always interfering, hippie parents, Mo Wenstein moves to the remote town of Grundy, Alaska.  She's prepared for being all alone and the new girl in town.  She's even prepared for the frozen Alaska winters.  What she's not prepared for is falling for the town werewolf!  Oh, the comedy and catastrophe that follow.  You can't help but love Mo, and although Cooper is very standoffish in the beginning you grow to love him as well.  This book is Stephanie Plum meets Sookie Stackhouse, and what could be better than that!

I gave How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf 4 stars, and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys werewolves and a good laugh!

*I listened to the audiobook of How to Flirt with a Naked Werewolf.

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Book #2

The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf by Maggie Harper

Generations of werewolves have been secretly residing in a secluded valley a stone’s throw from Grundy, Alaska. So when a snooping Outsider comes to Grundy to investigate rumors of lycanthropic shenanigans in the area, the valley’s pack alpha, Maggie Graham, resolves to chase him away, even if doing so takes a quick bite on the butt. What a pity that researcher Nick Thatcher turns out to be so drool-worthy, and that his kisses make Maggie want to sit up and beg. Maggie just can’t seem to convince Nick to leave . . . and even worse, she can’t convince herself to stay away from him. Cross-species dating is problem enough for a harried alpha female, but on top of that, a rival group of werewolves is trying to move into the valley. With interpack war threatening, Maggie can’t afford to be distracted. Combining romance and a career can be tough for anyone; for a werewolf in love with a human, it may be disastrous.

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I wasn't sure I would enjoy Book 2 as well as I did Book 1 because it wasn't focused on Mo and Cooper, but on Cooper's sister Maggie, but I did!  In fact, it was just as laugh out loud funny and I found I really liked Maggie. 

Maggie has taken over as Alpha of the pack, so she's expected to marry a nice werewolf and have lots of little pups.  That's always been her intention...until Nick Thatcher comes to town.  Nick immediately becomes a thorn in Maggie's paw.  Not only is he in town working on research to prove the existence of werewolves, but she's falling for the accident prone human and feels an overwhelming need to protect him.  And the more she tries to push Nick away so she can date a werewolf the more determined he is to seduce her...with pie.  Come on, who doesn't love pie!?

This was a very cute story and I look forward to Ms. Harper continuing this series!  I gave it 4 stars also.

*I listened to the audiobook of The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf.