WWW Wednesdays is a weekly book meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. If you'd like to play along, just answer three simple questions...

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

Here's mine...

What are you currently reading?

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I'm really enjoy it, but I've not had much time to read of late as it's the last week of the semester. I have both work (as a GA/Tutor) and class stuff to take care of. As soon as things die down a little bit, I intend to finish it. My last final for the semester's tonight, so tomorrow should be a better day!

What did you recently finish reading?

The Vampire Narcise by Colleen Gleason. I could not have loved this book more. Truly, I couldn't have. My biggest regret is that I'm done with it and that it's the last book in a trilogy, which could easily have been a series. I loved the characters, the story, the whole thing was fantastic. I highly recommend it. If you're interested in reading more, check out my review.

What do you think you'll read next?

With any luck, I'll be reading The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross next. I am dying to read it for several reasons. The first, I'm a sucker for a good cover and this one's the best!  I adore it!!  The second, I love steampunk. I requested it on NetGalley and if they approve my request, it's up next. If not, I'll be reading the next book in the Hunger Games trilogy, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

So there you have it!!  If you're stopping by, please take a moment to say hello. I always enjoy meeting new people. I look forward to seeing everyone elses!

Author: Colleen Gleason {site}
Genre: Supernatural, Dark Fantasy, Historical Romance
Format: Adobe Digital Editions
Published: 24 May 2011
Disclosure: Received for review via NetGalley

Synopsis: {via amazon

Skilled in the seduction of men, both mortal and immortal, Narcise Moldavi is the greatest weapon in her twisted brother's war among the Dracule. Until she falls for Giordan Cale.

Her first searing encounter with Giordan brands them with a passionate love. But Giordan's vow to help Narcise escape her brother's rule is followed by a betrayal more agonizing than sunlight.

Wounded but determined, Narcise ensnares vampire hunter Chas Woodmore in her quest for revenge and to reclaim her life. He wants her, worships her, will kill for her. And the Dracule never forget a wrong – nor do they forgive.

Review:

Full disclosure, just right off, I loved this book!  By the end, I loved it almost as much as I'd loved The Vampire Dimitri... almost. It's well written, better than the other two, I'd say, and the story is well developed. Considering, that their story is partly told, from other points of view, before the book even begins because it's a trilogy, it could not have been better. I would say, however, that even if you've not read the first two books, you could read this one (or any of them, really) as stand alones, and you wouldn't be confused. You would miss the beauty of seeing it from other perspectives, and you would certainly miss the well-roundedness of the whole saga, but you would understand what was going on.

As for the characters, I began this book somewhat skeptical. Narcise, Cale, and Chas are all somewhat marginal characters in the other books. They're there, they're mentioned, they even make appearances, but I wasn't certain I'd care about them one way or the other. Now that I've read it, I freely admit that I could not have been more wrong. I love them all. First Narcise, despite having the whole "she's the most beautiful woman on the planet" stereotype going on, she's remarkably strong.  She also has flaws, which is important because she could so easily have fallen into the Mary Sue category. As is, she's a great character and I really liked her.

I liked Giordan Cale better than Chas Woodmore, but I felt bad for both of them to varying degrees throughout. This isn't to say that I didn't like Chas, I did, but I loved Cale!  Cale is so remarkable, he's strong and handsome, he has a heart.  The men in this story are the kind of men women want in a historical paranormal romance. They're perfect. They're not Dimitri (who is near the top of my fictional boyfriend list!!), but I loved Giordan Cale nearly as much, and that's saying something.

By the end of the story, I was happy that I had the whole story, but sad that it was over. I now when I really, really enjoyed a book because when it's over, I instantly mourn for having gotten to the end. That's how I felt about this book, but it might also be that it's the last book in the trilogy. It's the last one, there're no more, which I really regret. She could easily have made this a whole series and I'd have read every one of them.  Pretty strong end for a trilogy that began with a book I didn't initially enjoy.

Rating:




Check out my Review for the other two novels in the series:

• The Vampire Voss
• The Vampire Dimitri

Hi there. This is my first Follow Friday (hosted by the awesome, Parajunkee!) and I've been waiting all week for it to get here! I'm having a good time clicking around, seeing other people's blogs and, most of all, their answers to the weekly question. So, with that said, here goes:

First things first, this week's featured blogger is Al from Magnet 4 Books. Her blog is really neat, so go check her out and don't forget to follow her blog!


What character in a book would you most like to be, what character in a book would you most like to date?

For me, this answer is twofold, so here goes...

On any given day, I would most like to be Elizabeth Bennett from my favorite book of all time, Pride and Prejudice. She's smart, strong, and full of sass! It stands to reason, then, that I would most like to date Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy!  Truly, he's a good portion of the reason I'd want to be her!!

Right now, I would also love to be Narcise Moldavi from The Vampire Narcise and date the amazingly hot Giordan Cale! I'm enjoying the book more than I thought I would, so they're my current fictional crush. I adore them!

So there you have it! Happy Follow Friday to everyone.  If you've stopped by, say hello. I love to meet new people and would love to make new book blog friends!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

If you enjoy historical, romance, and vampire novels you'll likely enjoy this series. I highly recommend it! Enjoy!

Author: Colleen Gleason {site}
Genre: Supernatural, Dark Fantasy, Historical Romance
Format: Adobe Digital Editions
Published: 26 April 2011
Disclosure: Received for review via NetGalley

Synopsis: {via amazon}

Dimitri, also known as the Earl of Corvindale, should be delighted that the headstrong Maia Woodmore is getting married. His mortal ward and houseguest has annoyed—and bewitched—the Dracule nobleman too long, and denying his animal cravings grows more excruciating by the day.


Miss Woodmore's family has a rather…complicated history with the immortals and she herself possesses a keen sensibility far beyond mere women's intuition. Marriage will give her safety, respectability and everything else a proper young lady could wish for. Everything, that is, except passion.


In the looming battle between Dracule factions, all pretenses will shatter as Maia and Dimitri come together in an unholy union of danger, desperation and fiercest desire.

Review:

I could literally go on and on, gushing about how much I loved this book. I read The Vampire Voss in February, I even ended up enjoying it (thought I didn’t initially), but The Vampire Dimitri is so much better than it’s predecessor. Dimitri and Maia are much more likable characters than Voss and Angelica — truly it was Dimitri’s character that kept me reading Voss, I’d likely have quit at the start were it not for him. Truly, I have a thing for dark, brooding characters. Quick witted, rakish character’s are okay, but I enjoy the dark ones so much more. Dimitri is just that, he’s dark and self loathing, and one cannot help but love him for it.

I also love Maia, who unlike her sister Angelica, is not a giggling daisy of a girl. Rather, she is strong willed, opinionated, and has strength of conviction. She and Dimitri make a perfect couple. They’re both cerebral and love one another a little bit too much for their own good. I did enjoy the cameo’s by both Voss and Angelica in this novel, however.  I also enjoyed seeing Chas (the Woodmore brother) and Narcise, his vampire lover.  It made a nice set up for the final book in the trilogy, The Vampire Narcise — which I have recently gotten from NetGalley!!

This book was so good, in fact, that I read the entire thing in one night. I rarely do that, I’m entirely too busy to keep glued to a book for more than a few hours at a time, but this book swallowed me up whole and refused to let me go until it was finished, likely a reaction to my anticipation. So, if you love historical fiction, vampire stories, and romance novels, this book is an absolute must! This series is an absolute must. It’s certainly takes a new spin on an old formula.

Available for {paperback | kindle}


Rating: