Book Review: Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Title: Intertwined (Amazon)
Series: Intertwined, #1
Author: Gena Showalter
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Source: bought
Published: September 2009 by Harlequin

There’s something about the new guy at Crossroads High…

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time travel.
One can raise the dead.
One can possess another human.
One can tell the future.

Everyone thinks he’s crazy, which is why he’s spent his entire life shuffled between mental institutions and juvie. All of that is about to change, however. For months Aden has been having visions of a beautiful girl—a girl who carries centuries-old secrets. A girl who will either save him or destroy him.

Together they’ll enter a dark world of intrigue and danger... but not everyone will come out alive.

Teaser Tuesday: Intertwined

Only a few minutes passed before he reappeared in human form. He wore a wrinkled shirt and pair of slacks, both obviously pulled on hastily.

p. 364, Intertwined by Gena Showalter







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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Leave a comment with the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post.

REVIEW: Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

A fresh, urban twist on the classic tale of star-crossed lovers. When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more.

In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.

Title: Perfect Chemistry
Author: Simone Elkeles
Format: ARC, 357 pages
Genre: young adult
Source: I won this book from Mandy at Edge of Seventeen
Published: January 2008 by Walker Books for Young Readers
Buy the book: The Book Depository | Amazon
Find the author online: website | twitter | facebook 

My Thoughts:
The story is told by both Brittany and Alex, in alternating chapters. I really like the dialogue used for each character. It really sets the tone and gives each character depth that makes the story realistic.

Brittany is a popular white girl who puts on a facade of having the perfect life. She's captain of the pom squad. Her boyfriend is the most popular guy in school. Her family is rich and she just got a BMW. A girl who has it all, or so you think. Her home life is not so great. She has a sister with special needs, whom she loves dearly, but causes a stress-filled environment.

Alex is a Hispanic gangster. He just broke up with his sultry gansta girlfriend. He has dreams of going to college and making something out of himself but his gansta life is holding him back. His number one priority is his family. Since his father's murder, he is the man of the house and looks after his mom and two younger brothers.

Brittany and Alex come from opposite sides of the tracks; they are very different on the outside, yet very similar in the core. They have everything going against them yet there's something that can't keep them away from each other. Their chemistry is undeniable.

There is so much sexual tension between Brittany and Alex; the anticipation will keep you turning the page to find out if they will give in. Will they be able to break down the barrier that keeps their worlds separated? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out; which I highly recommend you do! 

The Book Vixen’s Rating:

Teaser Tuesday: Perfect Chemistry

If I didn't know her any better, I'd think she was flirting with me. I think she likes this game we have going on.

p. 158, Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles








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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 
Leave a comment with the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post.

Book Review: Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Title: Hush, Hush
Series: Hush, Hush, Book 1
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Source: personal shelf
Published: October 13, 2009 by Simon & Schuster

A SACRED OATH
A FALLEN ANGEL
A FORBIDDEN LOVE

Romance was not part of Nora Grey's plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.

CLOSED: 50 Followers - Contest Time!

Woo Hoo!!! I've reached 50 followers! Let's have a contest to celebrate, shall we? I have an extra copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, so that is what I will be giving away to ONE lucky winner!

RULES:

• You must be a follower to enter. Not a follower? Just click on the FOLLOW button located on the right sidebar --->
  
• Leave a comment on this post to enter.
• You must leave your email in your comment. No email, no entry. I must have a way to contact the winner. If your email is not in your profile, please leave it in your comment entry. If you feel uncomfortable leaving it in your comment, then send me an email with all your entries to me at thebookvixen [at] gmail [dot] com
  
• Winner must have an US mailing address (No PO boxes).
• Contest ends 8pm PST on November 13, 2009. 
  

EXTRA ENTRIES:

+3 for being one of my first 50 followers.
+2 for linking (twitter, sidebar, blog post, etc.). Must leave link(s). Up to 3 links (6 extra entries!).
+3 for following me on Twitter. My updates are private so I will have to approve you. Must leave your @name.
+5 for adding my blog button to your blog. Must leave link.

***List ALL entries in ONE comment please.***

Contest will end at 8pm PST on November 13, 2009. Winner will be emailed shortly after. Winner has 3 days to reply to email with an US mailing address, or a new winner will be chosen. Good luck to all who enter!

Book Review: Covet by J.R. Ward

Title: Covet (Amazon)
Series: The Fallen Angels, #1
Author: J.R. Ward 
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Source: bought
Published: October 2009 by Signet

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul.

Teaser Tuesdays: Covet

Vin wiped his mouth and stared down at the man’s big, capable hands.”Would you believe me…if I told you I had a dream about Devina-one where she was like something out of 28 Days, all rotted and fucked up?”

p. 308, Covet by J.R. Ward





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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Leave a comment with the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post.

Review: The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks

Title: The Rescue
Author: Nicholas Sparks 
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: bought
Published: January 2000

When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks to save lives. But there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make: he can't fall in love. For all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as their crisis is over and the relationship starts to become truly intimate. When a raging storm hits his small Southern town, single mother Denise Holton’s car skids off the road. The young mom is with her four-year-old son Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities and for whom she has sacrificed everything. Taylor McAden finds her unconscious and bleeding, but does not find Kyle. When Denise wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them: Kyle is gone. During the search for Kyle, the connection between Taylor and Denise takes root. Taylor doesn't know that this rescue will be different from all the others, demanding far more than raw physical courage. It will lead him to the possibility of his own rescue from a life lived without love and will require him to open doors to his past that were slammed shut by pain. This rescue will dare him to live life to the fullest by daring to love.

Teaser Tuesdays: The Darkest Night

"Every night death came, slowly, painfully, and every morning Maddox awoke in bed, knowing he'd have to die again later. That was his greatest curse and his eternal punishment."

p. 9, The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter






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 and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Leave a comment with the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post.