My 2009 Reads

Wow, this year was great for me in the reading department. I discovered many new to me authors and the wonderful world of book blogging. Fell in love with both. I really enjoyed the time I spent on  other blogs and on twitter and I'm happy and thankful that I met so many new great people in the interwebs.

My top 10 reads of 2009(in no special order- links to my reviews):
These all get the extra special Portal cake from me! A great honor in my opinion!
- Laid Bare by Lauren Dane
- Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
- On The Edge by Ilona Andrews
- Magic in the Shadows by Devon Monk
- Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward
- Marked Series by S.J. Day
- Butterfly Tatoo by Deidre Knight
- Seduce the Darkness by Gena Showalter
- Dear Sir, I'm Yours by Joely Sue Burkhart
- Red-Headed Stepchild by Jaye Wells


Least favorite books of 2009:
- Covet by J.R. Ward
- Skinwalker by Faith Hunter
- Out of Control by Shannon McKenna
- The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton


I read many book this year but I started counting a bit late so I have only a list starting on April, 1st. Here it is:

91. Crux (Southern Arcana #1) - Moira Rogers
90. Riding Wild (Wild Riders #1) - Jaci Burton
89. Glory In Death (In Death #2) - J. D. Robb
88. Savage Possession (Temple of Luna #1) - Moira Rogers
87. Holiday Seduction - Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton 
86. Adored - Tina Donahue
85. Full Moon Rising (Riley Jenson Guardian #1) - Keri Arthur
84. Naked In Death (In Death #1) - J. D. Robb
83. Holiday Heat - Lauren Dane, Jaci Burton
82. Tempt Me With Darkness (Doomsday Brethren #1) - Shayla Black
81. Blaze of Memory (Psy Changeling #7) - Nalini Singh
80. Mia's Return (Destiny's Trinities, #2) - Teal Ceagh
79. Blaze of Memory(Psy-Changeling, #7) - Nalini Singh
78. Gobsmacked (Men of Smithfield, #1) - L.B. Gregg
77. Deep Kiss of Winter(IAD #8;Alien Huntress #5) - K. Cole, G.Showalter
76. Beth's Acceptance (Destiny's Trinities, #1) - Teal Ceagh
75. Hunter's Need (Hunters, #10) - Shiloh Walker
74. Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson, #7) - Keri Arthur
73. Magic in he Shadows(Alli Beckstrom, #3) - Devon Monk
72. Skin Game (Skin Series, #1) - Ava Gray
71. Indiscreet - Carolyn Jewel
70. Beloved Vampire (Vampire Queen, #4) - Joey W, Hill
69. Wanderlust (Sirantha Jax, #2) - Ann Aguirre
68. Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, #1) - Ann Aguirre
67. Sweet Restraint - Beth Kerry
66. Must Love Hellhounds - Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Meljean Brook,Charlaine Harris
65. On The Edge (The Edge, #1) - Ilona Andrews
64. Covet (fallen Angels, #1) - J.R. Ward
63. Fade To Black (Black CATS, #1) - Leslie Parrish
62. Doomsday Can Wait (Phoenix Chronicles, #2) - Lori Handeland
61. Survive My Fire - Burkhart, Joely Sue
60. Deeper - Hart, Megan
59.Skinwalker: A Jane Yellowrock Novel - Hunter, Faith
58. Hard and Fast (Fast Track, #2) - McCarthy, Erin
57. Sweet Seduction (Sweet Series, #3) - Banks, Maya
56. Sweet Persuasion (Sweet Series, #2) - Banks, Maya
55. Start Me Up (Tumble Creek, #2) - Dahl, Victoria
54. Sweet Surrender (Sweet Series, #1) - Banks, Maya
53. Laid Bare - Dane, Lauren
52. Demon Inside (Megan Chase, #2) - Kane, Stacia
51. Eve of Chaos (Marked, #3) - Day, S.J.
50. Eve of Destruction (Marked, #2) - Day, S.J.
49. Eve of Darkness (Marked, #1) - Day, S.J.
48. Red Kiss (Gods of Midnight, #2) - Knight, Deidre
47. Red Fire (Gods of Midnight, #1) - Knight, Deidre
46. Thorn Queen (Dark Swan, #2) - Mead, Richelle
45. Leader of the Pack (Urban Werewolf, #3) - MacInerney, Karen
44. Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley #4) - Black, Jenna
43. Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress, #4) - Frost, J.
42. Dear Sir, I'm Yours - Burkhart, Joely Sue
41. One Wrong Step - Griffin, Laura
40. Enforcer (Cascadia Wolves, #1) - Dane, Lauren
39. Talk Me Down (Tumble Creek, #1) - Dahl, Victoria
38. City of Souls (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 4) - Pettersson, Vicki
37. Branded by Fire (Psy-Changeling, #8) - Singh, Nalini
36. Seduce the Darkness (Alien Huntress, #4) - Showalter, Gena
35. Midnight's Master (Midnight, #3) - Eden, Cynthia
34. A Girl's Guide to Vampires (Dark Ones, #1) - MacAlister, Katie
33. Prey (Shifters, #4) - Vincent, Rachel
32. Ashes of Midnight (Midnight Breed, #6) - Adrian, Lara
31. Undercover - Dane, Lauren
30. To Die For (Blair Mallory, #1) - Howard, Linda
29. Out Of Control (McClouds & Friends, #3) - McKenna, Shannon
28. Standing In The Shadows (McClouds & Friends,#2) - McKenna, S.
27. Street Magic (Black London, #1) - Kittredge, Caitlin
26. Behind Closed Doors (McClouds & Friends, #1) - McKenna, S.
25. Drop Dead Gorgeous (Blair Mallory, #2) - Howard, Linda
24. Black and White (Icarus Project, #1) - Kessler, J. /Kittredge, C.
23. Pride (Shifters, #3) - Vincent, Rachel
22. Rogue (Shifters, #2) - Vincent, Rachel
21. Stray (Shifters, #1) - Vincent, Rachel
20. Succubus Heat (Georgina Kincaid, #4) - Mead, Richelle
19. Storm Born (Dark Swan, #1) - Mead, Richelle
18. Personal Demons (Megan Chase, #1) - Kane, Stacia
17. Silent Blade - Andrews, Ilona
16. Magic In the Blood (Allie Beckstrom, Book 2) - Monk, Devon
15. Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom, Book 1) - Monk, Devon
14. Red-Headed Stepchild (Sabina Kane, #1) - Wells, Jaye
13. Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, #1) - Vaughn, Carrie
12. Red (Dead World, #1) - Summers, Jordan
11. Midnight Sins (Midnight, #2) - Eden, Cynthia
10. Hotter After Midnight (Midnight, #1) - Eden, Cynthia
9. Bitten & Smitten (Immortality Bites, #1) - Rowen, Michelle
8. Fanged & Fabulous (Immortality Bites, #2) - Rowen, Michelle
7. Second Skin (Nocturne City, #3) - Kittredge, Caitlin
6. The Laughing Corpse (Anita Blake, #2) - Hamilton, Laurell K.
5. Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, #1) - Hamilton, L.K.
4. Thunder Moon (Nightcreature, #8) - Handeland, Lori
3. Flat-Out Sexy (Fast Track, #1) - McCarthy, Erin
2. The Host - Meyer, Stephenie
1. Magic Strikes (Kate Daniels, #3) - Andrews, Ilona

So that was my year in reading!
Hope yours was great too!
Have a great New Year celebration and Guten Rutsch(as we say here in Germany).

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Review: Eve of Chaos by S.J. Day

Today’s the last day of my Marked Marathon and it’s also the hardest. It’s very hard to review this book without spoiling the last. I thought about it for a while and I think I have to give a few facts away otherwise the whole review would say nothing. So if you haven’t read the first two be warned!!! I’ll try to make as few as possible.








Description:
How do you tell Satan that you ran over his hellhound? Evangeline Hollis has no idea and she doesn't want to find out. Living with the Mark of Cain -- and the two sexy brothers who come with it -- is trouble enough. She doesn't need to borrow more. Too bad Satan is too pissed to oblige her. Incensed at the loss of his pet, Satan has put a bounty on Eve's head, and Hell's denizens are converging en masse. The proliferation of Infernals is complicating Eve's hunts and creating chaos in her once orderly life. They've also brought her to the attention of an overzealous reverend who is certain she's Jezebel reincarnate.
How can a Mark drafted by God strike a bargain with the Devil? Eve's about to find out... (by goodreads.com)



Review:

This book is definitely my favorite one so far. I read it in only 12 hours- in one session. Yep, it’s so good.

Eve is a real magnet for trouble these days. After accomplishing full Mark status she now has so much to do that she really doesn’t need the Devil to go after her as well.

Since Alec got promoted to Archangel he has to fight his inner demons. He can’t shut the voices and his anger up. He knows something is wrong but he has no idea to whom he should go for help. He needs someone who won’t betray him? He needs help badly before ruins the relationship to Eve completely or perhaps it’s already to late for this.
Reed sees his opportunity in this development between our lovebirds. He tries everything to get in Eve’s pants but he didn’t foresee that he’s also getting in her heart.
Eve is as torn between the brother as never before. What if she make’s the wrong decision? Which one is the better choice?

The story and characters are so deep and wonderful described, there’s no way to don’t like them. The story is thrilling and passionate and full of surprises. The end of this book is so mean but in positive way! If you call it a cliffhanger it would be a understatement. Can’t wait to get my fingers on the next one.

It’s now officially one of my favorite series.





To learn more about S.J. Day visit her website here.


The Marked Series:

1. Eve of Darkness: Reviews @goodreads; buy @amazon

2. Eve of Destruction: Reviews @goodreads; buy @amazon

3. Eve of Chaos: Reviews @goodreads; buy @amazon

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Review: Eve of Destruction by S.J. Day

Description:
Class is in, but Evangeline Hollis is struggling to get through the requisite training to be a full-fledged Mark. When her class goes on a field trip to an abandoned military base, passing the course isn’t just a matter of pride…it’s a matter of life and death. There’s a demon hidden among them, killing off Eve’s classmates one by one.
As the body count mounts, a ragtag team of cable TV ghost hunters unwittingly stumbles into the carnage. Now keeping the Mark system secret competes with the need to keep the “paranormal researchers” alive. With Cain on assignment and Abel on an investigation, Eve must fly solo on her hunt to stop a killer before he strikes again.(by amazon.com)


Review:

This book starts exactly where the first ended. Eve faces new problems- not only the bad boys are on her trail also her fellow Marks aren’t as friendly as they should be. She's confronted with a bunch of new wannabe Marks, each of them struggling with his/her new obligation. Eve becomes the underdog and she doesn’t know who to break free of this position. There seem to be too many prejudices regarding her connection to the brothers. When the killing starts she is obsessed with finding the killer and making him pay.
Alec is on a different mission. He has to find the Alpha who threatens his and Eve’s life. His mission separates him from Eve and he’s not very happy about this. He sees the possibility Reed could gain out of this. Many unexpected things happen and he has to adjust his priorities. Things only get more complicated for him.
Reed is on a mission to investigate the strange murder of Marks all over the world and has to find a way to solve this problem while watching over Eve and her ability to attract chaos and other complications. His attraction for her only grows but he’s stubborn enough to not push her into something she would regret.


In this book our heroes have to stand for themselves without forgetting the others. The relationship between the three is slightly altering and brings new aspects and possibilities into the story. Things we took for granted change drastically.
The story is a good mix of thrill and action but in my opinion a little passion is missing. I enjoyed reading the book and had to start the next one after reading the last sentence.




To learn more about S.J. Day visit her website here.

Other reviews @goodreads; buy this book @amazon



Watch out for tomorrow: Review of the third book in this series.

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Review: Eve of Darkness by S.J. Day

I eyed this series for a long time. I thought about buying it when the first book was released but I was strong and waited till all 3 of them were released. No need to torture yourself! My attention was caught because of the great cover art and of course all the great reviews the books got. So last week I couldn’t wait any longer and the bank account said it was ok, so I bought them all and surprise: I read them all in only 3 days.







Description:

Cursed by God, hunted by demons, desired by Cain and Abel...
All in a day's work.


For Evangeline Hollis, a long ago fling with a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks just became a disaster of biblical proportions. One night with a leather-clad man of mystery has led to a divine punishment: the Mark of Cain.
Thrust into a world where sinners are drafted into service to kill demons, Eve's learning curve is short. A longtime agnostic, she begrudgingly maneuvers through a celestial bureaucracy where she is a valuable but ill-treated pawn. She's also become the latest point of contention in the oldest case of sibling rivalry in history...
But she'll worry about all that later. Right now she's more concerned with learning to kill while staying alive. And saving the soul she'd never believed she had.(by goodreads.com)

Review:

As I started the book the first thing I thought: Oh I grabbed the wrong book. *Susi goes to bookshelf and looks for the #1 book in the series* Yeah, OK reminder for me: Finish the first chapter before judging! Very cool thing to start a book with the end. I was a little confused but after that I wanted to know how Eve got herself in this situation and my addiction started.
The story is very straight forward and pulled me right in this world full of biblical creatures and “stars”. I thought that would be a little problem because I’m not so well informed in this field. But luckily it’s also the first thing Eve and I have in common, being agnostic that is, so I had no problem to follow the story.
The characters are great developed. Eve is exactly my kind of girl: she stands with both feed on the ground, works for herself and has quite an attitude. She’s thrown in the middle of two fighting brothers and a whole bunch of Infernals which would love to harm the brothers through her. She has no real time to adjust to the circumstance but she handles everything quite good. I love her witty comments and that she allows no-one to shut her up.
Cain and Abel are some guys. Both have their pro and cons but two things they have in common: they are unnaturally yummy and they want Eve.
Alec Cain is love with Eve. This is a given from the start. He left her because he knew they can’t stay together forever, they are too different in their expectations for the future. But as soon as he heard of her Marking he tried to make it as good as possible for her. He wants to free her only because he knows that’s the thing she wants. Adorable isn’t he? But he also has his own ambitions…
Reed Abel was ordered to mark Eve and wasn’t prepared to be drawn to her like that. Reed’s attraction for Eve seems to be more physical than Alec’s. And sometimes it feels like this “I take what my brother loves” thing they have. But he cares about Eve nonetheless.

The story jumps from one incident into the next and never takes the edge away. The interactions between the three are great described, you can see how they influence each other- intended or not. I loved the way her dialogues work, you can see the jealousy between the brothers. The whole concept for this book is great!

So summed up a great book with nothing to criticize!




To learn more about S.J. Day visit her website here.
Other Reviews @goodreads; buy this book @amazon

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