Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #1
Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult

Rating: 4/5

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He’s never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry’s room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn’t had a birthday party in ten years.
But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that’s been waiting for him… if Harry can survive the encounter.

Review:

I feel like one of the last people in the world who hasn’t read the Harry Potter series. When it first came out I just didn’t think it would fit my reading personality. Then when I ventured into the Book Blogging world EVERYONE seemed to have read this series and LOVED it. So I held off because I didn’t want to read it and have it NOT live up to the high expectations I had for it. I’m glad that I finally came to my senses and I’m FINALLY taking the time to read this series.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone starts off when Harry is a baby, shortly after You-Know-Who has murdered Harry’s parents. Then the next time we see Harry he’s a young adult living a miserable existence with the Dursley’s his emotionally abusive Muggle aunt, uncle and cousin. The older Harry is getting the more weird things are happening and he doesn’t know why. See he’s been led to believe that his parent’s were killed in a car accident which is NOT true at all. See young Harry is a wizard, he just doesn’t know it yet.

Then the letter from Hogwarts arrives and things start to get a little clearer for Harry.

This is also the point in the book where I really started to get into it. At the beginning of the book I was really lukewarm on what I was reading. I thought that the characters up to that point were pretty alright and well-developed, I was just not enjoying the slow pace of the beginning of the book. But when the letters from Hogwarts start arriving and Uncle Vernon goes a little whack-a-doo that is when I became really invested in the book. This is also the point where a whole host of new characters are introduced to us. My personal favorite is Hagrid. He’s this big loveable “giant” that is sent to make sure that Harry makes it to Hogwarts on time.

Once Harry is at Hogwarts there’s a whole bunch of new characters that keep the pace of the story chugging along and kept me interested. George and Fred Weasley are AWESOME and are good for a giggle here and there. Ron and Hermione become Harry’s constant companions and then there is Draco Malfoy….I just want to punch that kid in the face! I have a love/hate relationship with him. In that I LOVE to HATE him. The teachers at Hogwarts are pretty great too. Even evil Professor Snape.
The most interesting part of the second half of the book was the introduction of Quidditch. Which is the favorite game of the magic world. I thought that the Quidditch was well described and the training and games were well written in the book.

Then there is the twist at the end. I NEVER saw that coming at all. Just when I thought I knew who the bad guy was this twist is thrown in just to say “nope you’re wrong.”

Overall, I’m pleasantly surprised by this first book in the series. I wish the beginning of the book had moved a long a little faster than it did but it didn’t prevent me from liking the book any less. I thought that characters in this book were well-developed and well written too. There wasn’t a TON of action in this book but it’s also the first book in the series and the author is building up EVERYTHING that is Harry Potter for later books so I’m letting it slide this time.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2) by J.K. Rowling

Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #2
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade

Rating: 4/5

Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature who says that if Harry returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike.

And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor and a spirit who haunts the girl's bathroom. But then the real trouble begins - something is attacking Hogwarts students, turning them into stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past reveals dark secrets? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects ... Harry Potter himself!
 

Review:

I was worried that The Chamber of Secrets was going to suffer from "second book syndrome."  I was pleasantly surprised that I was entirely wrong.  I think that even though this book started off a little bit slow, just like book one, that it progressed at a pretty decent speed as well.  There was a TON more action in this book than there was in book one!

Harry has just spent a MISERABLE summer with the Dursley's and is ITCHING to go back to Hogwarts.  Counting down the days! He's worried about his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, he hasn't heard from them all summer.  While on his summer vacation we are introduced to Dobby the house elf.  Dobby delivers some disturbing news to Harry but that doesn't deter Harry from going back to school.

There are several new characters that are introduced in this book, one of which is Ron's little sister Ginny.  Then there is Gilderoy Lockhart, who I have a love/hate relationship with...in that I LOVE to Hate him.  He's such a miserable character and once the truth is known about him I disliked him even more!

What I really enjoyed about this book was that NOTHING was set in stone.  Just when you thought you had it figured out there was a twist delivered that totally derailed your thought process.  When "stuff" hits the fan and things get so interesting that I literally could not put this book down it was an AWESOME feeling. Even HARRY is accused of all the bad things that are happening at the school!  Once the final twist is dealt and we've figured out where the Chamber of Secrets is at I could not wait to see what happened next.  I was quite surprised to see who the actual bad guy was in this book and how he was dealt with.  Great stuff ladies and gents!

Overall, I can honestly say that though not my favorite Harry Potter book so far, it was definately good.  I can only see this series getting better as Harry ages and becomes a more experienced wizard!

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3) by J.K. Rowling

Title:  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #3
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade

Rating: 4.75/5

Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has already survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. But his hopes for a quiet term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It's assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it a coincidence that he can feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney's ghoulish predictions seriously?

Review:

NOTE TO SELF: Write reviews right away NOT 3 days later after you've managed to lose your notes! So this review will be a complete and total "wing it" review.

 This series is really starting to grow on me a lot.  I have no idea why it has taken  me so long to get to reading it!  To bad he's British or I would be all "Harry for President!"

This book starts off with a bang, when Sirius Black a bat crap crazy mass murderer, has escaped from the Azkaban prison.  After that this book only picks up speed.  The relationship between Harry and the Dursley's becomes even more tested in this book.

Once Harry gets to Hogwart's life gets really interesting.  With the escape of Black the Ministry of Magic has stationed these soul-sucking creatures called Dementors at Hogwarts to protect the staff and students.  Harry and crew try to keep things normal but with Black on the loose and after Harry it becomes difficult. After overhearing some disturbing information about Black Harry decides he wants revenge.  See Harry thinks that Black is responsible for Voldemort killing Harry's parents.

There is a wicked twist at the end of this book that I really didn't see coming. There is a host of new characters, including a new Dark Magic teacher, who is not what he appears either.  Harry and the gang keep Hagrid, Snape and the whole staff of Hogwarts on there toes pretty much through out the whole book.  Just like with the Chamber of Secrets there is a TON of action and I was really sad to see this book end.  Of the three books in this series that I've read, this one is my favorite so far.

Prophecy (The Dragon King Chronicles #1) by Ellen Oh

Title: Prophecy
Author: Ellen Oh
Series: The Dragon King Chronicles #1
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Paranormal

Rating: 2/5

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms... is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope...

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.

Review:

A friend of mine who was book blogging about the time this book was announced it was being said I needed to read this book because there was a lot of positive feedback behind it.  So when it was released I downloaded it onto my Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet.  Then I went about my merry way for a couple of days.  I started reading this book yesterday when I got home from work and while I really wanted to like it, it was only 'meh' for me.

Kira is the only female in her king's army and the prince's bodyguard.  She also has another thing going for her, she can sense demons. Which in the long run was quite helpful but it wasn't really a focus when "stuff" hit the fan.  I would have liked to see the author spend a little more time on this but it just didn't happen.

When "stuff" hit the fan and things should have been memorable, I've got nothing.  If you read the blurb the last sentence says "Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy."  Well to be honest, I feel that there was a TON of ancient lore, a TON of action but the rest Prophecy came up short on.

I just didn't connect with really any of the characters either. Kira for me was too wishy washy for me.  Once second she's on the highest high the next she's on the lowest low and it started to drive me banana's.  I did like the prince though.  He gets a pretty big burden placed on his tiny 12 year old shoulders.  He could have run away with his tail between his legs but he stepped up to the plate big time.  There were several characters that I felt were just "filler material," I didn't really understand why they were there at all.

I will give the author some major props for writing Prophecy in a "real" way.  There is war in this book and people die.  Many families are destroyed.  There is a bunch of political stuff too that I'm not even going to try to process right now.  It's not all "unicorns that poop sunshine" in Prophecy.  Since this is a debut for this author I'm not going to quit this series yet.  For all the negatives I found with this book it was a page turner and I finished it in about a grand total of 3.5 hours.  To quote Brokeback Mountain..."I can't quit you!"

Tempting the Player (The Gamble Brothers #2) by J.Lynn

Title: Tempting the Player
Author: J. Lynn
Series: The Gamble Brothers #2
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Rating: 3/5

Chad Gamble, all-star pitcher for the Nationals, is one of the best players on—and off—the field. And right now, the notorious bad boy wants Bridget Rodgers. But with her lush curves and snappy comebacks, the feisty redhead is the kind of woman a man wants to settle down with…and that’s the last thing Chad needs.

When the paparazzi catch them in a compromising position, Chad’s manager issues an ultimatum: clean up his act or kiss his multi-million dollar contract goodbye. To save his career, his meddling publicist says he'll have to convince everyone Bridget isn’t just his flavor of the week, but his girlfriend.

Being blackmailed into a fake relationship with Chad Gamble isn’t easy, especially when the sizzling physical attraction between them is undeniable. With a month to go on their arranged pretense, it's going to take every ounce of willpower they have not to fall into bed together...or in love.
 

Review:

I downloaded this book onto my Nook ages ago and forgot about it until yesterday.  I needed something a little different than what I had been reading up to that point - mostly paranormal and fantasy - so clicked on this one.  It's a bad-boy meets good-girl story that I enjoyed.

Chad Gamble is a star pitcher for the Nationals and he's also a wicked bad boy.  Then he meets Bridget Rodgers the ultimate good girl in a bar that caters to Dom's, Sub's and Swingers called Leather and Lace. And things happen, very delicious things.

Because of Chad's reputation an image consultant is brought in to clean up Chad's act or he will be cut by the Nationals.  This is also the time that Bridget comes back into Chad's life and they are caught in a compromising position.  Enter fake relationship stage left.

What I liked about this book was that the characters are real and genuine.  You feel like you could be friends with these people if they weren't fictional characters.  Chad's got a bad reputation but he loves his brothers and his extended family very much.  Bridget is much the same way, minus the bad reputation.  I really enjoyed the secondary characters as well.  They added a lot of humor and dimension to this story.  I can hardly wait to read there stories!  The love scene's in this book were incredible too.

What I didn't really care for was the way the love scene's were written.  It comes out early in the book that Chad is a Dom when it comes to the sexual stuff.  Yet when you get to the love scene's he's written as a pretty girly-man Dom. That bothered me a little bit.  What also bothered me, which is entirely my fault, was that I started with the second book in the series.  Not the smartest thing I've done recently, especially sense references are made to the first book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.  I wish I had started with the first book instead of the second but hey, what's done is done.  I have the first book on my Nook as well and I can hardly wait for June to get here so I can read Chandler's story!

Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin #1) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Spider's Bite
Author: Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance

Rating: 5/5

My name is Gin and I kill people.

They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South — when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.
Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way — good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this cold hearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

Review:

I had been hearing a lot of really great things about this series all over the book blogging community.  It seems that so many bloggers love this series.  I had downloaded this first book onto my Nook on a whim one day because it sounded really interesting.  The first sentence in the synopsis pretty much had me hooked.

What I really liked about this book?  Well I really liked pretty much everything about this book.  I was sucked into Gin's world from the first line of the book.  "My name is Gin and I kill people."  Come on that's catchy right there and it gets the reader excited to see what's going to happen next.  Gin is a very like able character with a VERY despicable job.  She has a wicked sense of humor too. Gin doesn't have a real family anymore but the host of secondary character's make up a pretty functional dysfunctional family for Gin.  Fletcher, Finn, Sophia, Jo Jo and the rest all bring a little something extra to the story.

The relationship between Donovan Caine and Gin is very "opposites attract."  Caine is a straight lace cop in a police force that is on Mab Monroe's payroll, who makes a great villain for this book.  Gin did something that has Caine unknowingly gunning for her.  When he finds out the truth it makes the relationship between him and Gin very confusing at times.

The action in this book is pretty freaking AMAZING!  It starts in the first couple of pages and keeps up through out the whole book.  I'm not a fan of roller coasters but this one roller coaster that I enjoyed immensely.  I really loved that fact that the actual bad guy in this book wasn't completely obvious.  I really dislike when the bad guy is so obvious.

The only thing that I didn't really care for was that at times when Gin is doing her "thing" there was a little bit to much information.  That was really the only fault that I could find with Spider's Bite.  It wasn't very often but it did happen so I thought I should bring it up.  Overall, I'm really happy with Spider's Bite.  My only regret is that I waited so long to start reading this series!

Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders #13) by Lorelei James

Title: Kissin' Tell
Author: Lorelei James
Genre: Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Series: Rough Riders #13
Source: Personal E-Book Purchase

Rating: 3.75/5


She once led him around by a string. Now he’s the one holding the reins.

Georgia Hotchkiss swore wild horses couldn’t drag her back to Sundance, Wyoming. So it’s ironic she’s forced to take a rodeo PR job in her former hometown—right before her ten-year class reunion. The only thing worse than facing her cheating ex-husband and his pregnant wife? Showing up to the reunion without a date. Fate smiles on her when she runs into her former classmate and current cowboy hottie Tell McKay. With his infectious smile and fun-loving ways—not to mention his banging body—he’s the perfect solution to her problem.

Tell McKay had it so bad for Hot Lips Hotchkiss during high school that he let her run roughshod over him. But he is no longer that easily manipulated boy—these days he’s earned a reputation with the ladies that lives up to the McKay last name. He agrees to escort her to the reunion with one stipulation; that Georgia proves she has left behind the goody-goody cheerleader of the past—by sharing his bed.

Their sexual chemistry flashes so bright, they barely notice that the reunion has come and gone, and now they’re tangled up in another dreaded “R” word—relationship. But if Tell wants to get the girl this go-around, he’ll have to come up with a whole new set of knots to tie up her heartstrings.

Warning: Contains a sweet talkin’ wild cowboy with a wagon load of crazy-hot sex fantasies and the mad bedroom skills to back up his claims.

Review:

This is one of my favorite series that I've come across recently. My mom turned me onto the McKay's and I haven't stopped reading since. Those McKay men sure are something. Though I will be honest...This is not my most favorite book in the series. I'm not saying it's a bad book because it's not at all...It just didn't live up to some of the expectations that I had going into this book.

I really liked our main character's Tell McKay and Georgia Hotchkiss as individuals. As a couple I was pretty lukewarm on them. As you can read from the synopsis, Tell and Georgia have history...history that they aren't afraid to use against each other. There were times when I felt that some of their issues were dealt with in a pretty juvenile manner as well. Though I will admit that once Tell figured out he was playing for keeps their were a fair amount of really sweet moments between the two.

There are plenty of cameo appearances by the majority of the McKay men, which always makes me a happy girl. Even when they are doing dumb things, which they are pretty good at. Then there is the addition of family drama on both sides, which makes things interesting for sure. Then there are the misconceptions...Not everyone is the same person they were in High School and sometimes people forget that.

Overall, this was, in my opinion anyway, a decent installment of this series. I'll definitely be continuing to read the rest of the Rough Riders series that's for sure. It's hard to imagine that there are only 2 McKay's left. If you haven't read this series I highly recommend it. It's unbelievably HOT and I'm not just talking about the guys either.