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January 24th, 2012
I feel like I should change the name of this blog to Find the Time to Review, instead of Find the Time to Read. Seriously, I keep reading and reading but haven’t churned out any reviews or anything. It’s not because I don’t want too but more so because I find myself wanting to get lost in the stories I’m reading more than anything else.
That being said I’m going to put forth more of an effort to get back to blogging because frankly I miss it. I miss the connections I formed with other bloggers, and I miss having a more detailed list of books I have read. So with all that being said (er written) I will be dusting off the old blog and trying to get back into the swing of things 
-Jess
December 16th, 2011
 Darker Angles (Black Suns Daughter #2)
Author: M.L.N Hanover
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Pocket (September 29, 2009)
Full Disclosure: Received from Publisher
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
In the battle between good and evil, there’s no such thing as a fair fight.
When Jayné Heller’s uncle Eric died, she inherited a fortune beyond all her expectations — and a dangerous mission in a world she never knew existed. Reining in demons and supernatural foes is a formidable task, but thankfully Jayné has vast resources and loyal allies to rely on. She’ll need both to tackle a bodyswitching serial killer who’s taken up residence in New Orleans, a city rich in voodoo lore and dark magic.
Working alongside Karen Black, a highly confident and enigmatic ex-FBI agent, Jayné races to track down the demon’s next intended host. But the closer she gets, the more convinced she becomes that nothing in this beautiful, wounded city is exactly as it seems. When shocking secrets come to light, and jealousy and betrayal turn trusted friends into adversaries, Jayné will soon come face-to-face with an enemy that knows her all too well, and won’t rest until it has destroyed everything she loves most….
What I Thought: I felt that Darker Angels moved faster than Unclean Spirits which is a good thing because at the beginning I wasn’t too sure if I could deal with another book with Jayné acting like a love struck and rebellious teenager. Add the action to the fact that this book was set in a post-Katrina New Orleans and deals with Voodoo and you have a book that I was able to read with little problems.
I like how Darker Angels addressed the fact that some of the Riders might actually be necessary, and I think that it was a major hint as to what is going to happen with the rest of the series.
Another thing that I really liked about Darker Angels is that with the introduction of Karen, Jayné really grew as a character. Karen seems to be everything that Jayné feels she isn’t. Beautiful, graceful, confident and fierce. I really like how it shocked Jayné out of her woe is me attitude and forced her to not only grow up but to also figure out why she was so jealous of Karen.
There were a couple of things that I didn’t like. I was able to figure out who the bad guy was right away, and felt that it was almost alarmingly obvious. The other was how easily Ex walked away from Jayné. I have high hopes for Ex and Jayné and really just want Aubry to crawl back into his hole and stay there. (Honestly I cannot figure out for the life of me why Aubry bothers me so much.)
On another note having gone to New Orleans this past summer it was really fun for me to be able to read a book set there and to be able to say “I went there” or “I know what she’s talking about.” Sadly, that’s about all I could do because my trip to New Orleans didn’t involve me fighting ancient Voodoo spirits.
Do I Recommend: Sure do. While I didn’t go into this book with high hopes I ended with them, and since I’ve already finished the 4th book in the series and I know how they all tie together, I feel it’s kind of important to read this one as well. HOWEVER it could work as a stand alone as well, since everything is explained nicely in the first few chapters.
Other Books in this Series:
Unclean Spirits
Darker Angels
Vicious Grace
Killing Rites
November 29th, 2011
I had such a hard time deciding who would win and who had the craziest story about what they’ve done to get a Christmas present. Honestly, not a lot of people have done crazy things to get a present but have had parents or friends do really crazy things when giving them their presents.
The winner is:
Tynga
Whose mom really should have won because that’s awesome!
I’ve never really done anything crazy, but when I was about 13, my mom wrapped one of my gifts in a bra package and I was super shy because I really thought she was giving me a bra. My face is bright red and she took pictures -.-
My family has a tradition where we give my little brother a pair of silk boxers or some kind of nice boxers, and when he opens them we all yell UNDERWEAR! I’m not sure when it started but he used to get really embarrassed now he tries to figure out which present has them in it.
I’ve sent your information onto the Publisher Tynga. Please let me know when you get your package!
November 28th, 2011
 Unclean Spirits (Black Suns Daughter #1)
Author: M.L.N Hanover
Paperback: 357 pages
Publisher: Pocket (December 2, 2008)
Full Disclosure: Received from Publisher
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can’t always play by the rules.
Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn’t quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it’s all hers — and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric’s heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means — magical or mundane — so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions — Aubrey, Eric’s devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities — Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she’ll have to learn the new rules fast — or break them completely…
What I Thought: At first I wasn’t too sure where this story was going. Jayné (pronounced Zah-Nay) is a college drop out who doesn’t get along with anyone in her family, except for her Uncle Eric, who as luck would have it is dead. When she finds out that Eric has left his estate to her, she figures it’s just a house and a car. Little did she know it was several houses, and more money than she’d know what to do with. However, everything good comes with something bad and it turns out that he’s also left her smack dab in the middle of a magical mess. She has to fight against a group called the Invisible College and their leader, Randolph Cain, who may or may not have a demon riding inside of him.
Armed with only her knowledge of riders and a rag tag crew, Jayné has to put aside everything she knows as fact and try to expand the way she sees the world.
Honestly, there were several times I was tempted to put down Unclean Spirits. I found Jayné to be so bland that I couldn’t really connect with her. For me the saving grace was Midian, the 200-year old man who had been cursed by Cain. He was the perfect blend of witty and even though the reader can’t be sure of where his allegiance lies, mentor.
The other guys that Jayné ends up working with were pretty wonderful as well. Aubry who was not only Eric’s assistant, but a hunky scientist. Ex, who is an ex-Jesuit priest who knows an awful lot about weaponry. Chogyi Jake, a Buddhist with some magical powers and who honestly reminded me a lot of Mr. Miyagi, because he never gives straight answers.
Of course there is a bit of a love triangle brewing in the group. Jayné and Aubry end up hooking up but it’s easy to tell that Ex might have a thing for her too. Although she doesn’t see it that way. Personally, I’m rooting for Ex, Aubry just seems skeezy to me and I can’t really put my finger on why.
Do I Recommend: While it starts out slow, I would recommend. I’ve already finished the 3rd book in the series so I know what happens, and reading Unclean Spirits kind of sets up everything else very nicely.
Other Books in the Series:
Unclean Spirits
Darker Angels
Vicious Grace
Killing Rites
November 25th, 2011
Today is the day after Thanksgiving, and is known as Black Friday. Well I figured that since there are tons of people who were out early this morning or late last night fighting for gifts for other people, I’d give the readers of Find the Time to Read a gift of their own. Thanks to Melissa at Simon & Schuster I have the a set of the Black Suns Daughter series to give away.
This set includes the 4 books of the series:
Unclean Spirits
Darker Angels
Vicious Grace
Killing Rites
Here’s the catch though, in order to win I want you to tell me the craziest thing you’ve done or seen done to get that hot Christmas item. Did you beat down in the Barbie aisle? Did you camp out for 3 days straight? I want to hear about it. Contest ends on Tuesday November 29th, and is being mailed out from the publisher so US and Canada only and no P.O boxes.
**CONTEST CLOSED**
November 8th, 2011
 Utterly Charming
Author: Kristine Grayson
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (Ocotber 1, 2011)
Full Disclosure: Received from Publisher for reivew
What’s it About According to GoodReads:
This time when Sleeping Beauty wakes up, she wants nothing to do with the man who kissed her. Consoling Alex Blackstone, the rejected suitor who is a brilliant magician but inept when it comes to women, falls to modern career woman and lawyer, Nora Barr. Nora now has to deal with Beauty’s evil stepmother, and the discovery that Alex just might be her own personal Prince Charming…
What I Thought: I liked Utterly Charming so much more than Wickedly Charming it’s not even funny. To me Utterly Charming made up for the confusion that I felt while reading Wickedly Charming, and is what’s going to make me pick up the next book in this series. Although I’m hesitant to call this a series because the characters don’t actually interact. It’s more like … a neighborhood of books.
Nora Barr is a no nonsense lawyer. She does everything by the books and while her life is far from perfect it kind of works for her … kind of. See the thing that Nora really doesn’t let on is that her law firm is barely holding on, and if she doesn’t figure something out soon she’s going to have to shut her doors for good.
So when she the short man, Sancho, and his tall, good looking friend, Alex, skulking around the parking garage of her building offer to hire her, she’s skeptical. She would rather not be an accessory to … whatever it is these two are up too.
Eventually she agrees to watch over Sancho’s VW Mini-Bus and only go near it 10 years to the day. 10 years later life is much different for Nora, the wolves are no longer at her door, but she refuses to break a contract. So she goes to the storage facility where she had stored the bus 10 years prior. Opening the back door she finds a glass coffin, much to her surprise.
From there on out it is one wild ride. Emma, also known as Sleeping Beauty who was enclosed in the coffin wants nothing to do with Alex, Sancho or even Nora. Although at the end it falls on Nora’s shoulders to keep her safe. Constantly dodging the Emma’s evil step-mother, it leads Nora on an adventure that shows her maybe fairy-tales and happy endings do exist.
Do I Recommend: I do. I think this would be the pefect book to cuddle up with in front of a fire. There’s elements of magic and love and adventure. It worked really well for me.
Other Books in this Series:
Wickedly Charming
Utterly Charming
October 19th, 2011
 As fall settles in around the Panhandle of Texas, I’m getting excited about THE COMFORTS OF HOME coming out Tuesday, Nov 1, 2011. My favorite time of year is fall with the cool nights and sometimes rainy days. The perfect weather to curl up with a book.
Since the idea of a small town of Harmony first began to form in my mind, I wanted to write about not only the ‘important’ people in a place who make the community run, but also about the quiet people who live their lives and get lost in their dreams. COMFORTS is a book full of possibilities in love and life. Read it on a cool winter day and I promise it’ll warm your heart.
I love writing and plan to do it as long as stories come. Writing is hard work and I often think the story will never be as bright at it is in my mind. Then I remember that someone asked Mark Twain about his wonderful stories and he said, “You should have seen it in my head.”
So, order, or borrow, or download my story, cuddle up in your favorite chair and come along with me on a journey that will make you feel at home in Harmony.
Jodi Thomas
www.jodithomas.com
www.facebook.com/JodiThomasAuthor
October 18th, 2011
 Wickedly Charming
Author: Kristine Grayson
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (May 1, 2011)
Full Disclosure: Received from Publisher at ALA
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
Cinderella’s Prince Charming is divorced and at a dead-end in his career, so he opens a bookstore and travels the land ordering books and discovering new authors. Still handsome and still charming, he has given up on women, royalty, and anything that smacks of a future.
Mellie is sick and tired of being called the Evil Stepmother. She did her best by her stepdaughter Snow White, but the girl resented her to no end and made all kinds of false accusations.
Neither of them believes in happily ever after anymore, but both of them believe in happily for the moment…
What I Thought: Okay, so I had to re-read the first chapter several times to get an idea of what was going on. It took me a while to realize that the setting was modern times, and that the main character Mellie was a magical being. Once I was able to get past that the story just flew by.
Prince Charming has divorced Cinderella and now lives in the mortal world as a bookseller. I loved that the first time we meet him he’s at a book convention. And hearing him talk about the pains of carrying all the books and swag that one tends to get from those type of conventions really struck home with me, since I’ve been there and all that.
Mellie is a step-mother and she’s trying to stand up for her rights and show that not all of the step-mothers are bad. I really liked that she was a flawed character. She was very temperamental, and once she realized she had feelings for Charming it seemed that it got even worse. She wasn’t an evil character as she has been portrayed in the fairy tales, and I have to say I really really liked that about her.
There wasn’t much in the way of “bad” guys here. Cinderella was kind of a bitch, but than again I’ve always thought that of her not gonna lie. And I liked how the author blended the past fairy tale aspects with modern day aspects. The story was also very clean, there were no steamy scenes, and I think that it worked out better that way. This book was very tame.
Do I Recommend: I do. I think that if you like retellings or new twists on old favorites than Wickedly Charming will work out well for you.
September 22nd, 2011
 Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires #1)
Author: Chloe Neill
Paperback: 341 pages
Publisher: NAL Trade (April 7, 2009)
Full Disclosure: Bought
Whats it About According to GoodReads:
Sure, the life of a graduate student wasn’t exactly glamorous, but it was Merit’s. She was doing fine until a rogue vampire attacked her. But he only got a sip before he was scared away by another bloodsucker-and this one decided the best way to save her life was to make her the walking undead.
Turns out her savior was the master vampire of Cadogan House. Now she’s traded sweating over her thesis for learning to fit in at a Hyde Park mansion full of vamps loyal to Ethan “Lord o’ the Manor” Sullivan. Of course, as a tall, green-eyed, four-hundred- year-old vampire, he has centuries’ worth of charm, but unfortunately he expects her gratitude- and servitude. But an inconvenient sunlight allergy and Ethan’s attitude are the least of her concerns. Someone’s still out to get her. Her initiation into Chicago’s nightlife may be the first skirmish in a war-and there will be blood.
What I Thought: Being from Chicago, I was told I had to pick up Some Girls Bite. I hemmed and hawed about it, mainly because honestly ANOTHER vampire book? I have to say I’m glad I did.
I found the way that Neill wrote very refreshing. Her heroine was spunky, sassy and didn’t take crap from no one. Except maybe her family, but that’s a whole different story. There were parts that were laugh out loud funny, and parts where I was left scratching my head. The main character Merit isn’t much older than I am, so I was relieved to find that her thought pattern and the way she spoke was at least similar to the way people our age would.
I really liked how the Vampire houses were set up, kind of like the Hogwarts houses, but mixed a little bit more like Frats. I have to say I’m also a big fan of the fact that while there was a little bit of chemistry between Merit and the head of Cadogan, Ethan, it wasn’t the primary focus. It was more so the side-story to the real story, and that was a very refreshing change from the way most urban fantasy books have been for me lately.
Overall I found Some Girls Bite to be a quick read that absorbed my attention. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and see what’s going to happen next.
Do I Recommend: Yes. Some Girls Bite is something I think that anyone who is a lover of urban fantasy, or vampires in general would enjoy. It puts a fresh spin on something we’ve all see a thousand times or more.
Other Books in the Series:
Some Girls Bite
Friday Nighte Bites
Twice Bitten
Hard Bitten
Drink Deep
Biting Cold
September 17th, 2011
It’s really hard to believe that on September 11th Find the Time to Read turned 3. I know I said it last year, but it really does feel like yesterday that I started running Find the Time to Read.
There have been many changes both in my personal and blogging life, and I have to say that for awhile I was thinking of giving up the blog. I was overwhelmed with reviews and just unhappy as a whole. But after giving it some thought I realized that I had let my blog become something that I had never wanted, a second job. I spent almost every waking moment tweeting, and networking, and worrying that my stats weren’t up there with some of the other bloggers. I had lost sight of what had made me open Find the Time to Read in the first place, my love of reading.
I didn’t start blogging for the perks, as some people call them. I started blogging for ME. I started blogging because I have read so many great books that I wanted to be able to keep track of what I read, and what I thought of the books. I wanted to be able to share my blog link with my family and friends and say “HEY! If you’re looking for a great read, than check out this book. Here’s what I thought about it.”
But I had lost sight of that. I got wrapped up in the blogger world, both the good and the bad. I have made some amazing friends through blogging, and I’ve found out about some great books!
I’ve stepped back and am focusing more on how I want my blog to be run, not how other people run their blogs. No longer am I constantly worrying about my stats, or about how my reviews measure up to other bloggers.
So here’s to Find the Time to Read being another year older, and a lot more wiser. I can’t wait to see what will happen when we hit 4!
-Jess
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Reading Challenge
Jess has
read 10 books toward her goal of 150 books.
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