Follow Friday #1

This is the first Follow Friday post for Cotton Candy Reviews. Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkee. This meme is to help all us bloggers out there get to know one another. There is also a weekly featured blogger and this week is Mickey from I'm a Book Shark.

Q. In light of the Summer Solstice, also known as Midsummer...let's talk about fairies. What is your favorite fairy tale or story that revolves around the fae?

I have three. Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, Barrons is just so yummy. I also love her Highlander series, and that's how I got into her Fever series. Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey, I love how it has characters based losely on Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely. Her books are just that little bit darker.

Waiting on Wednesday 4

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

Tiger's Voyage (Tiger Saga #3) by Colleen Houck

Publication Date: November 2011

In the third installment of the Tiger series, Kelsey Hayes pushes through the pain of lost love and strengthens her friendship with Kishan. Despite his strong feelings for her, Kishan has agreed to be her ally in helping her reunite with the man she still loves. Together, they seek to help Ren regain his memory and begin the search for the third magical gift—an object of power that will help break the curse that causes them to live part of their lives as tigers.

They board a luxury yacht and seek Durga's aid once again, who supplies them with her golden weapons. With Nilima, Mr. Kadam, Ren, and Kishan at her side, she soon learns that the task ahead will be even more difficult than the others. Confronting a dark magician, multiple dragons, and terrifying denizens of the deep seems easy when compared to facing the daunting task of stitching up her heart. Just when she thinks she's ready to set her feet on a new path, she is yanked back with a jolt to the one she's determined to leave behind.

The jarring tug-of-war that ensues for Kelsey's heart leaves her anxious and confused. Combined with the stress of almost being killed every other day, it would appear that saving the tigers is almost more than she can handle. Still, she presses on, knowing that a choice is looming on the horizon. One she cannot put off making for long.

Tiger's Voyage is an irresistible romance with a barrage of action on the high seas, where a reader will find a treasure chest full of dragons, sea monsters, knights in shining armor, fabled weapons, and enduring love. The tropic waters of India create the backdrop for the latest installment in the tiger series. This novel, a multicultural take on the classic Beauty and the Beast tale, delves into the complex emotional turmoil and pressure associated with not only making the best choice for a nation but also the best choice for yourself.

I'm going a little crazy for this series at the moment.  It's not a complete cover but, I can not wait until this is released! What are you waiting on?

Review: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck

Title: Tiger's Curse - The Tiger Saga #1
Author: Colleen Houck 
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: January 11th 2011
Publishers: Hodder
Available from: Amazon
Amazon UK
The Book Depository
The Nile

Passion. Fate. Loyalty. 

Would you risk it all to change your destiny? 

The last thing 17-year old Kelsey Hayes thought she’d be doing this summer was trying to break a 300-year-old Indian curse. With a mysterious white tiger named Ren. Halfway around the world. But that’s exactly what happened. Face-to-face with dark forces, spellbinding magic, and mystical worlds where nothing is what it seems, Kelsey risks everything to piece together an ancient prophecy that could break the curse forever. 

Tiger’s Curse is the exciting first volume in an epic fantasy-romance that will leave you breathless and yearning for more.

********

I had heard a few people discussing this books for several months and I decided to finally get a copy. I am so glad I did. Tiger's Curse is a wonderful story that features a young woman who is swept into an epic story featuring two dark, gorgeous brothers and a curse that has kept them as tigers for over 300 years. Colleen Houck has created an enchanting tale that had me glued to the pages. Kelsey is the young heroine who has been in foster care since her junior year after the death of her parents. She's a character that is easy to relate to. I have to say she is one of the better YA female leads that I have read in a long time. She's humble, quite self conscious and is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of girl. Ren is an Indian prince cursed to walk the earth as a tiger, after his brother betrayed him.. To say he's good-looking would be a gross understatement. Cobalt blue eyes, dark golden skin and black hair. I fell in love with him. He's warm, honest, caring, compassionate, noble and admirable. Then there's his brother Kishan. He's the darker of the two and brings humour to the story. He's sarcastic, and likes pushing Ren's buttons. I love the tension between the brothers. It adds a little extra to the story. Who doesn't have a soft spot for the bad boy? Damon, anyone? They're both fiercely protective of Kelsey, and it makes me feel all warm and mushy. I think I better stop now or I'm going to ramble on and on. 

I love the history and mythology that Colleen Houck has woven into this book. Fraught with danger, adventure and a breathtaking love story, Tiger's Curse is definitely one book you have to pick up this year. 

I have to share one quote from Kelsey: "Falling for him would be like cliff diving. It would be either the most exhilarating thing that ever happened to me or the stupidest mistake I’d ever make."  

4.5/5

In My Mailbox #2

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

 I went to the shops yesterday and bought these:

-Silvermay by James Moloney

-Tiger's Quest by Colleen Huock

-The Haunted by Jessica Verday

-Divergent by Veronica Wroth

-The Girl in the Steel Corset

-Forgotten by Cat Adams

-Almost Final Curtain by Tate Hallaway

I won these books from the wonderful Kristi @ The Book Faery

-Kiss of Snow by Nalini Singh

-Among Thieves by Douglas Hulick

-Blood of the Wicked by Karina Cooper

-Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

I ordered these from Amazon UK because they have free shipping to Aus & NZ when you spend over 25 pounds:

-Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

-Firelight by Sophie Jordan

-A Mortal Touch by Leah Clifford

-Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

And for review I received:

-Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner from Random House Aus.

I think I got quite a nice haul this week. Lol. What about you?

Review: Passion by Lauren Kate

Title: Passion - Fallen Book 3
Author: Lauren Kate 
Age Group: Young Adult
Release Date: June 14th 2011
Publishers: Delacorte Books
Available from: Amazon
The Book Depository
Amazon UK

"Every single lifetime, I'll choose you. Just as you have chosen me. Forever." 

Luce would die for Daniel. And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . . 

Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last. 

Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history. 

Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever. 

*****
In Passion, we follow Luce as she tries to find the origins of her and Daniels curse. I found Passion to be a little different than the two previous books, and I really enjoyed it. I liked learning more about Luce and Daniel and their centuries of story. It gave me a better understanding of them as a couple.  I think I felt more for Luce in this book. She seemed a little more real to me and I really felt for her. She goes through so much to see if what her and Daniel have is real or just a by product of their curse. Daniel always seemed so perfect and wonderful and in Passion, you get to see a different side of him. He has a pretty tragic time, having to watch Luce die over and over. His suffering is so raw and made me feel crying a few times. 
There's a lot going on but it doesn't take away from the story as it is the story. We get to visit war torn Russia, Victorian England and the ancient Maya as Luce travels through the announcers. Lauren Kate brings these past times to life, even though Luce's time in these periods is brief.  I can't really say to much as I don't want to give too much away. But there is a funny little side character that has a massive secret that I didn't see coming. Passion is probably the best in the Fallen series. It's a sweeping tale of a love that last centuries, and two characters that dare to defy a fate that was handed down to them. If you haven't picked up Passion, or it's predecessors Fallen and  Torment you are missing out.
4/5

Waiting on Wednesday 3

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton

Publication Date: September 27th 2011

From Goodreads:

The year is 1871, and Tiki has been making a home for herself and her family of orphans in a deserted hideaway adjoining Charing Cross Station in central London. Their only means of survival is by picking pockets. One December night, Tiki steals a ring, and sets off a chain of events that could lead to all-out war with the Fey. For the ring belongs to Queen Victoria, and it binds the rulers of England and the realm of Faerie to peace. With the ring missing, a rebel group of faeries hopes to break the treaty with dark magic and blood—Tiki’s blood.

Unbeknownst to Tiki, she is being watched—and protected—by Rieker, a fellow thief who suspects she is involved in the disappearance of the ring. Rieker has secrets of his own, and Tiki is not all that she appears to be. Her very existence haunts Prince Leopold, the Queen’s son, who is driven to know more about the mysterious mark that encircles her wrist.

Prince, pauper, and thief—all must work together to secure the treaty…

I really like this cover and have been hearing so many great things about The Faerie Ring, that I had to do a WoW on it. I am hoping it will be published in Australia because it's one I'm eagerly awaiting, that's for sure. What are you waiting on?

In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox was started by Kristi @ The Story Siren.

This week for review I received:

* Tallow & Votive by Karen Brooks from Random House

*Passion by Lauren Kate from Random House

* Faerie Winter by Janni Lee Simner from Random House

* Winter's Shadow by M.J Hearle from Pan Macmillan

I'm so happy I got Passion and Winter's Shadow. These are two books I have been dying to read.
Thank you to Louise McClean from Random House Australia and Louise Cornege from Pan Macmillan for these books.

This week I bought:

* Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck (so many people are raving about this book I just had to grab it)

*Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready

What did you get? Have you got any of these?