{A Kristin A Review} Covet by Melissa Darnell

Sorry my review is late guys, but this book is made of everything awesome, from witches to vampires to keepers!

Title: Covet

Series: The Clann Series #2

Author: Melissa Darnell

Publisher: HarlequinTeen

Publication Date: September 25, 2012

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Synopsis:

Dangerous to be together. Painful to be apart.Savannah Colbert knows she broke up with Tristan Coleman for the right reasons. Most of all, to keep from killing him with her new vampire abilities. But try telling her heart. Now, lost in a sea of hostile Clann faces, Sav tries to come to terms with what she's becoming and what that means for her future. And that someone is doing their best to bully her into making a terrible mistake.

Tristan can't believe Sav won't even talk to him. If being apart is her decision, fine. Just don't expect him to honor it. But even as he prepares to fight for the girl he loves, forces beyond their control take them both in directions neither could have foreseen or prepared for.

A reckoning is coming…and not everyone will survive.

So, I haven't read Crave, book 1 in The Clann Series, but I seriously loved Covet! Every page was filled with twists and turns, love and friendship, allies and enemies. Some of my intuitions were right, others were completely out of this universe.

I want to start by saying, Ms. Darnell created a group of multifaceted characters, both primary and secondary. Anne is one of the strongest female characters I've read about in a long time. She's a true friend to Savannah and the girl knows how to keep a secret. Ron is a protector and stands by Sav's side, regardless of his relationship mishaps with Anne. I'm interested to find out more of what happens to Emily in book 3, until then, I'll have to settle for knowing she holds some intrigue to her.

My first opinion of this book is that it is filled with parents trying too hard to protect their children from the truth while simultaneously pushing them into danger because they do not possess the knowledge, skills, or facts to protect themselves. The conclusion of the book did not alter my opinion one smidgen. 

Tristan's family and the Clann refuse to allow him to see Savannah with "because we said so" as their reasoning. Okay, so Sav's half-vampire and Tristan knows it, what neither understand is why they're still being forced to abide by laws which are, quite literally, centuries old. 

The vampire counsel tells Sav she must stay away from Tristan, but it's not until horrific events come to pass that she finds out exactly why. Luckily for her, she has her dad to help guide and protect her. Sav's father seems to be the only adult in the entire book who has half a clue. Her mother isn't too terrible, but best I can tell, she's spent nearly 17 years keeping Savannah from her destiny only to be completely blindsided by before mentioned horrific events.

I truly enjoyed the first half of the book, but when I reached the 50% mark, I was enthralled. It was a battle for me to put down the book and shut my eyes both nights. I loved Sav and her spunky attitude. She refused to skip school and let the Clann win. She embraced her vampire side, eventually, then she became empowered by her witchiness. Dylan and the Brat Twins became little more than annoying little flees to Sav, even without Tristan by her side. 

Ms. Darnell certainly knows how to keep her readers' attention and throws more WTH moments than teenagers reading Shakespeare. Come on...everyone knows you don't appreciate the classics until you're much older. The pace picks up nicely toward the middle of the book, making it near impossible to put down. Tristan's and Savannah's thoughts are portrayed nicely through alternating first-person POVs. I always love seeing both sides of a story. Leaves less guessing on my part.

And, hey, if you want a small glimpse into what to expect from Consume, book #3, run by HERE and read my interview with Melissa Darnell and enter to win a prize package from HarlequinTeen.

I obtained Covet from NetGalley and HarlequinTeen in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual blog tour.

{Blog Tour and #Giveaway} Covet by Melissa Darnell - Author Interview

(Review to be posted later today)

Interview with Melissa Darnell

1.Why did you decided to write about Vampires?  Some say Vampires are getting old, some say Vampire themed books never get old.

I started writing about vampires back in 2008 when the vamp trend was really starting to take off. Since then, I’ll admit there are a LOT more vamp stories out there. However, Tristan and Savannah’s story is about much more than just vamps, and this particular species of vamps is different from your typical vampire. For instance, because I wanted my vamps to be different, I gave them unique origins—their creator is Lilith, the rumored first wife of Adam, which makes them more a demon/vampire hybrid that can drain energy with a bite or a kiss. They can only be killed by a stake to the heart, fire, or decapitation. And because their vampirism is more like a disease, they retain their souls, so no religious items, buildings, or sacred ground has any adverse affects on them. If these vampires go to Hell after death, it is only due to their choices and actions and not what they are.

The Clann Series also features several other paranormal, otherworldly groups besides just vamps. Another major player in the series is the Clann, a group of families who come from Irish druid ancestors with magic abilities that are dependent on their individual energy levels as well as energy they can pull from or give back to the earth. The Clann is the natural-born enemies of the vampires due to their ability to kill vampires with nothing more than a thought or a flick of the wrist. But their powerful, energy-laced blood is also the biggest temptation for vampires.

Mix the two groups’ abilities, and you get our heroine Savannah, a teen who, thanks to her rule-breaking parents, now has to learn how to handle not one but two sets of crazy abilities and issues while being a hated and feared outcast of the Clann. Throw in Tristan, our hero from the Clann and its expected future leader, and you’ve got a strong Romeo and Juliet story grounded in very dangerous circumstances outside the lovers’ control with a whole lot of obstacles they have to face both individually as well as together as a couple. With each book in the Clann Series, these obstacles get bigger and bigger, extending way beyond just Tristan and Savannah to affect not only all the vamps and Clann descendants worldwide, but even the humans who have no knowledge of either the vamps or the Clann.

The Clann Series also revolves around things way deeper than just vamps and witches. It’s about love...for your family, your friends, your soulmate, and yourself. It’s about figuring out what’s most important in your life, and how to juggle those priorities. It’s about having dreams and sometimes, deciding whether to let go of them. It’s about dealing with constant temptation, learning to recognize what is truly right from wrong, and how to successfully walk that line between them. It’s about learning how to deal with the consequences of the choices we make, and how to forgive ourselves when we mess up. Beyond anything paranormal, these issues are things that every one of us face every day of our lives, and I think readers of the Clann Series are going to be able to look beyond the otherworldly elements to the very human and relatable challenges this series’ characters face.

2. How do you go about research for your books. Did you just make up the lore of the Crave series by yourself, or do you base them on some old lore? 

I based my Clann Series vampires on old legends of Lilith, and the Clann on old Irish druid lore and legend.

3. What is the allure of writing about forbidden love for you? 

Everyone thinks you should go after true love. Why wouldn’t you? We all dream of not only finding but also instinctively recognizing that soulmate when we meet them. But once that person becomes off limits to you because being with them could mean life or death for a lot of people you care about, it’s not such a simple matter anymore. Would you have the strength to walk away from a love like that?

To me, forbidden love is one of the most solid obstacles for true love. When you find someone who seems to be your soulmate, who you enjoy talking with as well as dancing with and kissing, when that person is your friend as well as your boyfriend or girlfriend, you have to have some serious reasons why you shouldn’t be together. Forbidden love does that and then some, because it pits your romantic love against the love and respect you have for your family. It makes you question whether that romance is selfish, especially if the consequences of that relationship could cause actual harm to the people you care about. It takes a lot of strength and personal sacrifice to walk away from true love.

4. What is your favorite character to write, and which one is the most complicated for you?

To me, writing about Savannah is easier, but not because she’s a female. It’s because she’s self sacrificing. She understands the bigger picture and intrinsically cares about the feelings of others, maybe too much! If she had been raised to be more selfish and strong willed, it would be so much easier for her to go after only what she wants regardless of whether it means breaking the rules and jeopardizing her loved ones. But she wasn’t raised to be like that. She loves her family, and they love her, and she was taught from birth to have strong values and morals. And because of that background and familial love, she really tries to resist Tristan, whereas others might not even try. She also faces letting go of a dream, which I can also imminently relate to because I’ve faced the same issue (as have so many of us probably).

Tristan is harder for me to write, and yet equally as fun, because he has a lot of traits I wish I had. One of those is his hardcore romantic sensibilities. After bowing down to his parents’ wishes for years, his love for Savannah proves to be his breaking point. He tries to resist his feelings for her at first, but eventually he realizes that he values the love he and Savannah share more than anything else on the planet. And that includes his family. To him, it seems that if his parents really loved him, they would want him to be happy. He thinks Savannah should never have been made off limits to him in the first place, and those kinds of rules need to be changed. His “bigger picture” is all about changing the world if it doesn’t make sense or doesn’t work. But he doesn’t always immediately see how his idea of what is right or wrong is based on his personal needs and desires instead of what is better for the greater good of others. He doesn’t care if being with Savannah is dangerous to him or the peace treaty between the Clann and the vamps. He will risk everything to be with her, even his own life. Her love is everything, and nothing else matters. That takes a whole lot of willpower and a certain kind of narrowed vision that is harder for me to relate to, but I think also appeals to the hardcore romantics out there (including me!).

5. Could you tease us with what we can expect in book 3 of the Crave series? 

The obstacles Tristan and Savannah have to face in Consume are going to be bigger and crazier than anything they’ve ever had to deal with before. This time, it’s no longer about just their love, though of course that will also be tested right down to its very foundation. In Consume, it’s also going to be about the entire world as they know it falling apart. No one will be in control of their lives anymore. Dreams will be shattered. Some forms of love will be tested and lost, while others will be redefined and saved. Every character in this book will have to face their worst fears and redefine who they are individually as well as the relationships they have with each of their loved ones. And no one will be safe in this book (and I mean absolutely no one!).

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TBR Intervention Week 2

Well, it's the second week of the TBR Intervention and I managed to read both books I committed to. Yippee.

I absolutely loved this book. It was one of the most moving books I have read in a very long time. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great romance intertwined with a lot of heartache thrown in on the side.

Read my review HERE!

I also finished this wonderful book. It was my adult read for the week. I enjoyed it immensely. I haven't had a chance to review it yet, but I will sometime this week. I think my favorite character was Adrian, even though he didn't play a huge part. He just seems like my type of guy. I have a thing for fallen angels...is that a bad thing? 

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This weeks commitment...

In Waterfall, American teenager Gabi Betarrini accidently finds herself in Fourteenth-Century Italy . . . Knights. Swords. Horses. Armor. And Italian hotties. Most American teens want an Italian vacation, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives there with their archaeologist parents. Stuck on yet another hot, dusty dig, they are bored out of their minds... until they place their hands atop handprints in an ancient tomb and find themselves catapulted into the Fourteenth Century and in the middle of a fierce battle between knights bent on killing one another.

Reason - I got this book when it was free at Barnes & Noble and haven't had a chance to read it yet. This is a great time to do it...

Mandy is a quiet teenager who just wants to blend in with the crowd rather than stand out as anything or anybody. Mandy's pretty successful at this until her parents decide it's time to move from Boston to the quiet seaside town of York Beach, Maine, to "be closer to Nana". Although Mandy has been vacationing in York every summer since she was a child, she has no desire to live there and is worried about fitting in and finding friends during her senior year of high school.


Nana owns a flower shop in town and while working alongside her, Mandy makes a few friends and observes the oddities of the little town and its inhabitants. When she finds some old and cryptic correspondance hidden inside an antique trunk handed down from her Nana, the "oddities" turn into full fledged mysteries. As she unravels the forgotten and hidden history of the town, she simultaneously unravels her own family's past and current secrets while writing her future. With bits of romance and paranormal along the way, she is able to figure out the puzzle of the correspondance, the magic she never realized was surrounding her, and visions of the past and future. Will she walk away from her personal history and her future or will she realize it's ok to be somebody, even if that somebody is nothing like everybody else?

Reason...I am scheduled for a blog tour and really need to read this book. I keep putting it off so now I have to read it...Right?

TBR Intervention Challenge

TBR Intervention is a weekly challenge hosted by Dani@RefractedLight , Ayanami@Whatever you Can Still Betray,  and April@Books4Juliet

The goal of this challenge is to help each other (fellow readers and bloggers) manage our enormous and constantly growing TBR (To-Be-Read) List. The rules are simple and everyone is encouraged to participate. It does not force you to commit to more than what you can manage to read in a week or so, but participants are encouraged to read at least one book within a week. You are free to choose the book you want to read and commit to this challenge. You may post your entry every Saturday, at the frequency of your choice--EVERY WEEK or EVERY TWO WEEKS. However, we will sponsor this event regularly every Saturday.

Here are the rules:

1. Post the book(s) you committed to read in your last TBR Intervention post and tell us something about it. Did you finish it? Did you enjoy it or not? Post the link to your review (if you have one). 

2. Post a book that you want to read and already own. Pick something that has been sitting on your shelf for too long now (6 months or longer). Commit to read the book in the next couple of days or week.

3. Grab the TBR Intervention Button and post it on your blog sidebar so you will be constantly reminded of the challenge, making it easier for you to commit. This will also encourage other readers/bloggers/visitors to join the challenge.

4. Add the link to your post in the Linky below and make sure to visit the other blogs. Comment, encourage, and spread the love to our fellow readers. 

So, this is our first post. I sincerely hope to dwindle my TBR pile a little bit. Chances are I will just end up adding to it, though. 

The book from my TBR pile I commit to read is...

Redemption isn't a word Jim Heron knows much about-his specialty is revenge, and to him, sin is all relative. But everything changes when he becomes a fallen angel and is charge with saving the souls of seven people from the seven deadly sins. And failure is not an option. Vin DiPietro long ago sold his soul to his business, and he's good with that-until fate intervenes in the form of a tough- talking, Harley-riding, self-professed savior. But then he meets a woman who will make him question his destiny, his sanity, and his heart-and he has to work with a fallen angel to win her over and redeem his own soul. 

Reason - I have many of J.R. Ward's books on my TBR pile and keep hearing all kinds of wonderfully amazing stuff about her. Another blogger mentioned her Fallen Angel series so I figured I would start there. 

My problem with books I already own, is I read them immediately. Well most of them at least. I do have a couple I haven't read yet, but they aren't that old. Might as well get them knocked off my list anyway!

My first choice is...

Love ties them together. Death can't tear them apart.
Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan's band playing a critical gig and Aura's plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend's life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan's sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He's gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and hear ghosts. This mysterious ability has always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan's violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn't help that Aura's new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura's relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura's heart...and clues to the secret of the Shift.

Reason...

Everyone is raving about these books and when I initially saw them...I thought - nah...not interested. However, the more reviews I read, the more I knew I had to read them. I think the covers are amazing and decided to buy both Shade and Shift in hardcover. I've had them for about two weeks (and yeah, they are the books I have owned the longest without reading) so now is as good of a time as any to start them.