The Shadow Revolution by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com

Book: The Shadow Revolution: Crown and Key

Author: Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith

Summary: They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.

 
As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.
 
After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined.

Release Date: 06/02/15

Rating: 2/5

Maniac Monday #1

Today is all about plotting. Starting on July 1st, I will be going through the amazing journey that is Camp NaNoWriMo. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a month long goal to try and write 50,000 words which equates to about 1,667 words a day! It's a lot of fun and has helped me to get my ideas flowing and the words onto paper. 

There are two different ways that people generally go about it, plotting or pantsing. I have found over the past few years that I have participated in NaNo that I tend to do much better when I plot ahead of time rather than pantsing or mostly pantsing the month. The only problem with this, is that camp starts in less than 2 days time and I am still plotless. I guess I have really vague general ideas for my story but the gaps of unknown are vast. So that is why today is going to be spent plotting out my novel. I am determined to fill in these vast areas of unknown and pull together a plot to work on for the month of July. 

As for what you can expect out of me for the rest of this week, tomorrow I will discuss Those Secrets We Keep, Wednesday we look at the novel im most excited for, Soundless. On Thursday, I'll count down my top ten books I'm looking forward to being released later this year. Friday will cover my favorite place to read. And on Saturday, I will discuss some cool book related merchandise, although I'm still deciding what that will be. You can also keep your eyes on the look out for at least 2 new book review posts this week, The Shadow Revolution, and Wicked Charms!

So there you have it, my week laid out for you. But before you go, I have a few questions for you!

Are you going to participate in Camp NaNo? If so what are you hoping to accomplish in July? 

What are you most looking forward to on my blog this week? 

Also don't forget to help me pick out the next book series I should begin reading. To do so, either comment here or on my top ten series list! 

And I'm still looking for cool book related merchandise so if you know of any awesome etsy shops, or you make stuff and would like to be featured, email me at escapeunderthecover@outlook.com. Thank you for reading!

Series Sunday #1

Welcome to my first Series Sunday post! Today, I want to discuss a series that is very near and dear to me, one that has recently had some exciting news come about. What series might that be? It is the wonderful, magical, series of Harry Potter!

Now I know that pretty much everyone who doesn't live under a rock knows at least a little bit about this series but either way, I thought that this would be a wonderful series to cover for my first Series Sunday. Why do I think this will be a good series to cover?

Theme Days!

Theme Days!

So I've been thinking a bit about some fun different things that I can do with my blog. I mean I will of course still be doing the book reviewing and (hopefully soon) some giveaways. But I want to make this blog as fun for you guys as it is for me. So I decided, why not do a different theme each day to keep things interesting and allow me to get to know you guys and you guys to get to know me better. 

Below you will find a list of each day of the week, and what exactly that theme will mean. 

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

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*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com

Book: Wicked Business

Author: Janet Evanovich

Summary: Lizzy Tucker's once normal life as a pastry chef in Salem, Massachusetts, turns upside down as she battles both sinister forces and an inconvenient attraction to her unnaturally talented but off-limits partner, Diesel.

When Harvard University English professor and dyed-in-the-wool romantic Gilbert Reedy is mysteriously murdered and thrown off his fourth-floor balcony, Lizzy and Diesel take up his twenty-year quest for the Luxuria Stone, an ancient relic believed by some to be infused with the power of lust. Following clues contained in a cryptic nineteenth-century book of sonnets, Lizzy and Diesel tear through Boston catacombs, government buildings, and multimillion-dollar residences. On their way they'll leave behind a trail of robbed graves, public disturbances, and general mayhem.

Diesel's black sheep cousin, Gerwulf Grimoire, also wants the Stone. His motives are far from pure, and what he plans on doing with the treasure, no one knows...but Lizzy Tucker fears she's in his crosshairs. Never far and always watching, Grimoire has a growing, vested interest in the cupcake-baker-turned-finder-of-lost-things. As does another dangerous and dark opponent in the hunt - a devotee of lawlessness and chaos, known only as Anarchy.

Treasures will be sought, and the power of lust will be unmistakable as Lizzy and Diesel attempt to stay ahead of Anarchy, Grimoire, and his medieval minion, Hatchet, in this ancient game of twisted riddles and high-stakes hide-and-seek.

Release Date: 06/19/12 by Bantam

Rating: 3.5/5

Wicked Business is the second book in the Lizzy and Diesel series.

Ten Book Series You Should Read If You Haven't Already

Ten Book Series You Should Read If You Haven't Already

Are you looking for a new series to dive into but don't know where to start? Below, I've compiled a list of 10 (actually 14) different series that I believe you should try if you haven't already.

So lets get started!

My Favorite Pairings

My Favorite Pairings

We all have them, the pairings that we hope for and fall head over heels in love with. The ones that we yell at our books in frustration when they just can't see how good they would be together. And yet we squeal (or at least I do) in delight when they finally get together. Here is a list of my top ten favorite book pairings. 

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com

Book: Scarlet

Author: Marissa Meyer

Summary: Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. 

Release Date: 2/05/13

Rating: 5/5

I have to admit, I was slightly nervous to read Scarlet. We were saying good bye to having Cinder as our main character and gaining a new one, and I just wasn't sure how I would feel about the lack of Cinder in the book. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself quickly enjoying our new main character, Scarlet, and barely noticed the length of time we went without sight of Cinder.

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com

Book: Wicked Appetite

Author: Janet Evanovich

Summary: For centuries, treasure hunters have been eager to possess the stones, undeterred by their corrupting nature. The list is long — Genghis Khan, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, to name a few. Now the Stones have found their way to Salem, Massachusetts, and so has Gerwulf Grimoire, adding himself to this rogues’ gallery of power seekers. He’s an uncommonly dangerous man, with a hunger for the forbidden, and a set of abilities that are way beyond ordinary. Abilities that he feels entitle him to possess anything he might desire.

That would include Elizabeth Tucker, the woman he needs to find the Stones. She’s freshly transplanted from New York City to Boston’s North Shore. With a new job as pastry chef at Dazzle’s bakery and an old house inherited from her Aunt Ophelia, her life is pretty much on track …until it’s suddenly derailed by a guy named Diesel, a rude monkey, and a ninja cat.

Lizzy can handle the monkey and the cat. She’s not sure about Diesel. He’s offering up his own set of unusual talents, promising to protect her from Grimoire. The kind of protection that Lizzy suspects might involve guarding her body day and night.

The Seven Deadly Sins are pride, greed, lust, envy wrath, sloth and gluttony. That pretty much covers everything that is wicked. Diesel thinks it also pretty much covers everything that’s fun. And Lizzy thinks Diesel and the Seven Deadly Sins cover everything her mother warned her about.

Release Date: 09/14/10 by St. Martin's Press (first published 09/14/09)

Rating: 3.5/5

To celebrate the upcoming release of Wicked Charms (book 3), I will be reviewing all three books over the next few weeks! 

This book is one that I've had sitting on my shelf for quite a while now, and with the upcoming release of the third book in this series (Wicked Charms), I felt that it was time to finally sit down and read it. I am no stranger to the works of Janet Evanovich, I'm a sucker for the Stephanie Plum series (and even enjoyed the movie), so I was very much looking forward to starting a new series by her. 

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

*Image and Summary taken from goodreads.com

Book: Cinder

Author: Marissa Meyer

Summary: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Release Date: 1/03/12

Rating: 5/5

For years, I have gone by the book section at Target, or gone through Barnes and Noble and have come across this book, but for reasons unknown to me, I had continued on my way, leaving this book behind. Then I began to hear things about this book. Small whisperings at first but then I began to hear things from my friends. I heard of how great this book was and how it was easily among some of their favorite books. So about a week ago, I was going down the book aisle at Target and saw this book once more, and decided why not give it a try. 

And boy am I glad that I did! (and a little mad that I didn't read it sooner)