Runaway (Element Preservers, #2) Publication Date

Hi, I just came to tell you that now I have the exact date when Runaway, the second book in Element Preservers series, will be published. So, you can mark your calendars! It's August 17! I hope everything will go fine with formatting and that the book will be available very soon at various retailers. :D You can't even imagine how excited I am about this!

Some Book Recommendations

I'm very busy preparing Runaway for publishing, but I still manage to find some time to read. Since I didn't have time to write and post reviews for books I've read recently, I'm going to do a short post now. I'm sure not all books will fit, but hey, these are some of the books I liked:

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Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress #4) by Jeaniene Frost 

Hopes for a perfect Paris holiday are dashed when half-vampire Cat Crawfield begins having visions of a vampire named Gregor who's more powerful than Cat's undead lover, Bones, and has ties to her past that even Cat herself doesn't know about. Original.

I really liked this book, but not as much as I liked the first three. The relationship between Cat and Bones was a bit weird and they both drove me crazy at times. However, I really, really, REALLY, love Vlad! And yeah, I want to run off and read Once Burned, but I promised myself I'd finish most of the books on my currently reading list before starting another one. *pouts* 

Born of Ice (The League #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

In the Ichidian Universe, the League and its ruthless assassins continue to keep rule. But at what cost? Welcome back to the future...and a whole new world.

He is an outlaw who offers no quarter.
Devyn Kell spent his life in service to the League until he learned of the double dealing and backstabbing that was costing innocent people their lives. Refusing to play those polit...moreIn the Ichidian Universe, the League and its ruthless assassins continue to keep rule. But at what cost? Welcome back to the future...and a whole new world. He is an outlaw who offers no quarter. Devyn Kell spent his life in service to the League until he learned of the double dealing and backstabbing that was costing innocent people their lives. Refusing to play those politics, he became a Runner - someone who makes sure planets get the weapons, medicine and supplies they need to survive. May the gods have mercy on any who get in his way, because he definitely won't. She is on the run from her past that could end her life.
Alix Garran is a woman on the run from a past she can't escape. Signing on to work for Devyn as a Systems Engineer, she finds a cause she can fight for - and a man she can respect. But as Alix's past catches up to her, and Devyn's old enemies turn lethal, they have to fight together...or fall alone.

The only reason I hadn't devoured this book sooner is that I wanted to have something awesome to read after reading books that I didn't enjoy as much. I'm not sure how Sherrilyn Kenyon does it, but I absolutely adore every book she writes. If she wrote hundreds of books, I'd read them all. I'm not sure I can explain it coherently, but her style and her characters are the best thing ever. :D

Dark Companion by Marta Acosta

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in t...moreWhen foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove. Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother. The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member. Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

This book was weird, but positively weird. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but I enjoyed the book. I think it is very unique and creative, and I really liked the ending. I read it in a few hours, so yeah, really awesome book, even though I'm not always sure what to think of it. XD

Kiss the Dead (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #21) by Laurell K. Hamilton

When a fifteen-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her. And when she does, she’s faced with something she’s never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary group of people—kids, grandparents, soccer moms—all recently turned and willing to die to avoid serving a master. And where there’s one martyr, there will be more…

But even vamp...moreWhen a fifteen-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her. And when she does, she’s faced with something she’s never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary group of people—kids, grandparents, soccer moms—all recently turned and willing to die to avoid serving a master. And where there’s one martyr, there will be more…

But even vampires have monsters that they’re afraid of. And Anita is one of them…

I love Anita Blake series, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten to the 21st book, I suppose. This one wasn't as good as the last one, but it was an enjoyable read. I know a lot of people think there's too much sex and that Anita is too perfect, but I don't mind her having tons of hot men around her who don't mind sharing. Come on, isn't that every woman's fantasy? XD Besides, her life is not easy at all, so let her enjoy. I might like it more when there are crime investigations and Edward included, but there are so many books in this series, so I suppose there's something for everyone. 

The Taming by Teresa Toten, Eric Walters

Katie likes to believe she's invisible. It seems much safer than being exposed as she is--shy, poor, awkward. So getting up on stage in the school production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: "My head exploded. I loved it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I lov...moreKatie likes to believe she's invisible. It seems much safer than being exposed as she is--shy, poor, awkward. So getting up on stage in the school production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: "My head exploded. I loved it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I loved, loved, loved it! . . . Invisible Katie became visible Katharina." Evan Cooper is, as they say, another story. He knows just what it takes to get noticed, and he uses every one of the skills he's honed after years of being the new kid. Like tossing the keys to his father's high-end Audi to a kid he's never met, first day of school. "I have insurance for car theft," he explains to a shocked Danny. "And there's a full tank." An abuse of the power that comes with privilege and money? Sure. But more dangerously, is his romance with Katie another version of the same thing? Or is it the real thing?

I really liked this book, although I wasn't sure about it until the end. This is basically how I wanted Fifty Shades series to end. The characters are absolutely infuriating sometimes, but I usually don't mind that when the story is good and I know there's a reason for it. I wish there were more insights in some things, but the book was good nevertheless. I finished it in a few hours because I just couldn't stop reading.Loved that there were two point of views.

La ciudad y los perros by Mario Vargas Llosa

Translated to over 30 languages, this is perhaps Vargas Llosa s most violent book. Set in a military school in Lima, where an unwritten code of survival of the fittest is imposed. Here, he focuses on the brutality of military life and the strong pyramidal hierarchy that mirrors Peruvian society, where violence, exploitation and human degradation guarantee that each layer o...moreTranslated to over 30 languages, this is perhaps Vargas Llosa s most violent book. Set in a military school in Lima, where an unwritten code of survival of the fittest is imposed. Here, he focuses on the brutality of military life and the strong pyramidal hierarchy that mirrors Peruvian society, where violence, exploitation and human degradation guarantee that each layer of the social pyramid maintains its place. All the conflicts of Peruvian society arise with rage and impotence in this testimonial novel in which Vargas Llosa paints a social and political picture.

I must say I was surprised how much I liked this book. It's definitely not something I usually read, but I like changes from time to time. My first thought about this book was that everyone is crazy, but I got to like some characters so much that I wanted more when I finished reading. I love books that so nicely paint the whole social picture. Changing points of view can get really confusing, but you have to be patient because in the end it's easy to figure it out who said what. I'm thinking about rereading this now that I know some things, but I'm not sure I'll find the time. And I usually don't reread books, so yeah, you can see this one is special. :D

I've read more books, but I don't have time to mention them all. If you want to see what else I have read, check my Goodreads page. :D And now I should go back to editing. See you soon! I'm doing my best to make Runaway available as soon as possible, so maybe you won't have to wait the second half of August to read it!

Human 50% off on Smashwords and a Small Update

Why is it that I always post on the first of the month? Maybe because of this:

Anyway, the first thing I want to say is that I enrolled Human in Smashword's Summer/Winter site-wide promotion, so if you enter the code SSW50 at checkout, you'll get 50% off! Here is the link to the book: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/120164 The promotion lasts until July 31 and it's only for Smashwords, so if you haven't gotten your copy yet, this is your chance!

Now let's get to more interesting things. It is very likely that the books in Element Preservers series will get new covers. Yes, I know, that's very exciting. I love my cover for Runaway a lot, but I think the new one will be a lot more awesome. At least I hope it will be. :D What else I wanted to say? Ah, yes. I'm trying to decide when exactly I will publish Runaway, the second book in Element Preservers series, and right now I think it will be somewhere between August 23 and August 29. I'm really sorry that you have to wait a bit longer. I was hoping I'd be able to publish it at the beginning of August, but I've been really busy and I'm still editing. I really hope I'll manage to get everything ready, the new book and new covers, by August 23. If I finish earlier, you'll be notified, don't worry.

Does anyone know for how long I've been saying I'm going to improve my webpage and blog? XD Well, maybe I'll finally do it this summer. Maybe. Ok, I think I said everything I wanted to. Now I must go back to editing.