Book Nerds Across America

Goodreads description:


Somedays, Jena Crowe just can’t get a break. Work at her diner never ends, her two boys are bundles of energy, and she’s pretty sure her oldest is about to shift into something furry or feathery. Added to that, changes seem to be coming to the tiny town of Cambio Springs, big changes that not everyone in the isolated town of shapeshifters is thrilled about.

Caleb Gilbert was looking for change, and the quiet desert town seemed just the ticket for a more peaceful life. He never counted on violence finding him, nor could he have predicted just how crazy his new life would become.

When murder rocks their small community, Caleb and Jena will have to work together. And when the new Chief of Police isn’t put off by any of her usual defenses, Jena may be faced with the most frightening change of all: lowering the defenses around her carefully guarded heart.

Shifting Dreams is the first novel in Cambio Springs, the new paranormal romance series from Elizabeth Hunter, author of the best-selling Elemental Mysteries.

Mary's Review:

I was very lucky to read an ARC of Elizabeth Hunter's new series.  I am a HUGE FAN of Elizabeth Hunter's Elemental Mysteries Series and was very excited to read this.

Best Part of the Book:  This book was a real page turner!  I was captivated in Jena's world!  Actually, I loved all the characters and town!  Jena is widowed, has two boys and runs the local diner.  One night while she was helping out at the local bar a stranger comes in, Caleb!  *insert swoon here*  Caleb, who comes with his own baggage, is the town's new police chief.  But, he doesn't know the town secret.  Also, he can't enough of Jena.  Through twist and turns of a GREAT story (and a murder) Caleb becomes more like the towns people then he bargained for!  I loved it all!!!

Not so great about the book:  Actually, the book was great.  I was interested throughout the whole book! I loved the characters and story! Also, Elizabeth Hunter leaves you wanting more at the end and gives you a little peek of the second book. Can't wait for that!

What?!?! February is over?!?!? Man, that was fast! Well, that is okay.

I did not get to read as much as I wanted in February as I wanted but I did read some good ones!

Here they are:

5. How It Rolls by Lila Felix

I loved ALL of Elizabeth Hunter's Elemental Mysteries and so excited about her soon to be release Building From Ashes (Elemental World). This book is set to be release on October 23rd, 2012.

Wondering about what the book is about:


Synopsis:

For a thousand years, powerful earth vampire Carwyn ap Bryn has served others. God. His family. His friends. But tragedy and loss disrupt his peaceful existence, causing him to question everything he has committed his eternity to.
Brigid Connor has known about vampires since they rescued her from a painful childhood. But not even their vast elemental power can save her from the demons that torment her.
As loyalties are tested and new paths are forged, a lurking danger slowly grows in the Elemental World. Carwyn and Brigid will learn that even secrets revealed can come back to haunt you when you least expect it.

Without further ado the cover of Building From Ashes:


Along with that amazing, beautiful and stunning cover Elizabeth Hunter has attached a Excerpt.


Excerpt:

She focused on the flames as the dog’s excited barks grew. Soon, he was circling a rise in the hill, jumping and dancing in the moonlight.
“Madoc?” What was he on about? He never reacted like this when Tavish was approaching. “What is it, you mad beast?”
The fire drifted away, and Brigid’s heart began to pick up a slow beat as she saw the ground shift under Madoc’s feet. What the—
The ground burst open with a shout as Madoc pounced. Brigid ran over, her arms lit, ready to burn whatever had attacked her dog. She immediately halted when she heard the familiar laugh and the loud voice.
“I heard you barking from twenty feet below, you mad hound! Haven’t you ever heard of the element of surprise? I’ll not be taking you on any missions of stealth, you can be sure of that.”
His dark red hair was flaked with dirt, and his skin was black with mud, but when Carwyn turned to her, there was no mistaking his vivid blue eyes. She broke into a smile just as he rose to his feet. She started toward him, but he only held up a finger.
“One moment,” he said with a grin. Then he stripped off his shirt, tossed it onto grass and dove into the water with glee. Madoc barked along the edge of the lake, waiting for his master to emerge.
He was back.
Her heart was racing now. Did he remember it had been a year? Did he come back for her?
She banished the thought from her mind. Of course he didn’t come back for her. Not like that. He was watching out for her. Like… a priest. Or a friend. Which he was. A priest. A friendly priest.
Then he rose from the lake, the water scattering from his arms as he pushed back his unruly wet hair. Rivulets ran over the dark freckles on his shoulders and down his torso. Thick muscles flexed as the cool moon reflected off the solid planes of his chest. Dark red hair ran in a line down his flat stomach and into dripping wet trousers that covered his hips and muscular legs. Brigid was struck again by his size. Carwyn was enormous. Tall as a small tree and solid as the earth he controlled. He should have been intimidating. But he wasn’t.
He was back.
Damn it. 
Priest! Her mind yelled. But Father Jacob didn’t look anything like that. Had Carwyn always had so many muscles? There seemed to be more than the last time she had seen him. Did that happen with vampires? Had he been… working out? He strode toward her with a smile. 
“Surprised to see me? Despite this mutt’s warning?”
“Um…” Wasn’t there some rule that priests had to be thin and academic?
“Brigid?”
Or fat and jolly? Safe and approachable?
Carwyn was standing in front of her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m… fine!” she squeaked.
“Are you sure? Sorry I gave you a start.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. Father Carwyn ap Bryn was approachable, all right, but not for any reasons the pope would approve of.

Cannot wait for the release of this book!!

Goodreads Summary:


“No secret stays hidden forever.”


Still grieving from their loss in the far East, Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo discover that for them, all roads really do lead to Rome. But nothing is quite as it seems in the Eternal City. Joined by Carwyn and Tenzin, unexpected clashes greet them almost immediately, and rivalries churn beneath the glittering facade of the old Roman court. They quickly realize that allies might be enemies, and ancient rivals could hold the key to a deadly secret.


Giovanni and Beatrice will be forced to call on old alliances, ancient power, and fierce cunning to survive for the eternity they both desire. Sometimes, finding the end means going back to the beginning. Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water finally meet with devastating results in the conclusion of the Elemental Mysteries




MARY'S REVIEW:


Elizabeth Hunter's imagination must be out of this world.  How do I know this?  I know this because of this amazing series that she has wrote!

I am a vampire-lover.  Yes, Edward Cullen was always my favorite but I can honestly say this statement:

Move over Edward, Gio stole my heart!


There is no one like Gio and Beatrice is his perfect mate.  I cannot imagine a more perfect pair.  You can honestly feel their love and need for each other.

This part of the story was mainly centered around Gio.  I say that because we learn a lot of back story with Gio and Lorenzo (which I enjoyed a lot).  The fights between the vampires were so detailed that Elizabeth really wanted you to be there fighting with them.  The one character that I wanted to see more of was Ben, who is Gio and Beatrice "nephew".  He is funny, smart, and very protective of his family.  I hoping that in the future there might be a book of Ben's point-of-view.

I was very sad to see this story end =*(  it has become one of more favorites stories.  However, Elizabeth has announced that she will be doing a story in Carwyn's point-of-view (I CANNOT WAIT).

Good Read Description:

How far would you go to protect the ones you love?

What would you sacrifice to kill the one you hate?

Join Giovanni Vecchio and Beatrice De Novo as they travel to a hidden island on the far edge of China to seek the help of an ancient immortal court. Can they weave their way through the tangled web of centuries-old alliances and ruthless feuds to find what they’ve been looking for? Friends will be revealed, enemies will find them, and a dangerous secret will come to light.

The third book in the Elemental Mysteries series will see Giovanni and Beatrice joined by a group of unlikely allies as they explore the history and myth of the far East. Many have been stolen, but only one holds the key.

The Force of Wind is the third book in the four-part Elemental Mysteries series. It is the sequel to This Same Earth and is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers.


REVIEW:

Good Reads Description:


Beatrice De Novo thought she had left the supernatural world behind…for the most part. But when the past becomes the present, will she leave her quiet life in Los Angeles to follow a mystery she thought had abandoned her? Where has Giovanni Vecchio been, and why has he returned? Giovanni has his own questions, and he’s looking to her for answers.

The sequel to A Hidden Fire will reunite Beatrice and Giovanni to continue their search through the past while both wrestle with the future. When the world as you knew it has changed forever, is there any way you can turn back?

This Same Earth is the second book in the Elemental Mysteries series. It is a paranormal romance/mystery for adult readers.


REVIEW:

Good Reads description:

"No secret stays hidden forever."

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mystery he'd abandoned years before. He never expected a young librarian could hold the key to the search, nor could he have expected the danger she would attract. Now he and Beatrice De Novo will follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, through the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation they never could have predicted.

A Hidden Fire is a paranormal mystery/romance for adult readers. It is the first book in the Elemental Mysteries Series.


REVIEW:


This is Book 1 of the Elemental Mysteries Series.  This book was recommended to me by @JennNun.  


Here is a little back story on me.....I love History.  A LOT! I even hold a master's degree in History because I loved taking the classes so much.  I love every subject matter of History, whether it would be European, Asian, or American.   To be honest, I was a little bit unsure of this book when I first started.  It was a little slow.  However, I was intrigued by the very intelligent (and good-looking) Dr. Giovanni Vecchio and why he would not get into an elevator?  When this book really got into the depth of the subject behind the mystery of Beatrice I was sucked into the book.


Beatrice is a remarkable character in this book.  I love her determination and stubbornness with Gio and the other characters in this book, just to solve this mystery.  But nonetheless, there were parts that I could just feel that Beatrice was just drained and you could not help but feel sorry for her.