{REVIEW, GUEST POST and SERIES GIVEAWAY} BLOOD BOND (DIRTY BLOOD #3) by HEATHER HILDENBRAND

Series: Dirty Blood #3
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: Heather Hildenbrand
Publication Date: 8/31/12
Format: eARC
Pages:
Source: Received from author for review.

Hybrids.

If I had to choose one word to sum up all of my problems, this would be it.
Without hybrids, I wouldn’t have to watch my best friend slowly becoming a monster. Without hybrids, I could let go of the mentality “hunt or be hunted.” CHAS wouldn’t be scouring the Earth, intent on slaughtering and using Alex to do it. Without hybrids, I wouldn’t have to be on guard that losing my temper meant losing my shape. There would be no monster inside me, struggling to get out.

Then again, without hybrids, I wouldn’t have Wesley St. John.

 

Why I Read Blood Bond: Heather Hildenbrand is the first indie author whose work I read and loved. I've enjoyed the first two books in the series (Dirty Blood review/Cold Blood review) and was excited to take on book three.

Poor Tara Godfrey. It's hard being a teenage girl, but it's even harder when your world is consumed by Hunters, Werewolves and Hybrids. Tara has worked hard to keep her "normal" life back home away from her supernatural world, but that's now impossible. Oh, and there's this little issue of Tara's heart. It belongs to her boyfriend Wes, but Alex, her former trainer and friend, is always there at the edge of her thoughts. And we can't forget George, Tara's former boyfriend, now friend, who needs her more than ever. With the tension within the organization strengthening, and the threat of Hybrids looming, Tara and her friends are in more danger than ever. Not all of them will survive. All of them will be forever changed.

The Dirty Blood series is honestly one of my favorite Paranormal YA series. Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of Were-centric stories, so when I say that I really enjoy this series, I truly mean it. I could say that I enjoy it because I love the world Hildenbrand has built: her version of Shifters, the Hunters and Hybrids; or the characters, Tara, Wes, Alex, Cambria...they are all very well-developed and cool people that I've come to care about; and the action-filled plot, there is very little down-time in Blood Bond, the momentum is swift and gripping.

All of those reasons can fully justify my love for the series. But as much as anything else, I thoroughly enjoy Heather Hildenbrand's writing. Plain and simple. Blood Bond is the fifth of Hildenbrand's books that I've read, and at this point, I can say that her style suits me. Her stories are very well-developed, her writing is always flawless and easy to read.

Blood Bond is another great addition to the Dirty Blood series. Tara and the other characters continue to grow and become even more engaging. The story was crazy intense, and will have you swooning one moment, then holding your breath, and wondering what will happen next. And that ending? O.M.G.

Intense, engaging, and fun, Blood Bond is a book that is a book that will leaving you begging for more!


Favorite Quotes: Two favorites. One swoony, one funny!

  "I love you, Tara Godfrey. I love you so much that I walk around breathless from the exertion." (eARC, 2%)

  " 'I'm a Hunter,' he explained. 'It's my job to kill Werewolves, to protect humans like you. A butter knife isn't enough to stop me.'
   'Are you sure, because you screamed really loud when it went in,' she said."  (eARC, 80%)


You can purchase Blood Bond at:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository

I don’t listen to music often during the actual writing process but I do during editing. Music helps me then because during editing I’m checking to see if I captured the overall feeling in a scene that I was going for, and I am making sure it will translate to the reader the way I intended. The music helps me define the feeling each scene needs to have.

My playlist for Blood Bond was eclectic--as all of mine are. Here’s the list, along with an explanation about how/what that song inspired:

Always by Bon Jovi – if you’ve been with the series since the beginning, you know this is George’s and Tara’s song. He writes it in a love letter of sorts in Cold Blood and then in Blood Bond, it’s explained how it came to be special for them. They even sing it to each other. So cute!

Fix You & Spies by Coldplay – Fix You is a message from Tara to George. She will do anything to help him in Blood Bond. She knows there’s no way to stop him from turning, but she’s determined to keep him from becoming a monster in the process. I can’t tell you who Spies is for. You’ll just have to read the book and find out!

There are a couple of road trip songs: Postcards from Far Away by Coldplay and Roads Untravelled by Linkin Park. And yes, there is a road trip in Blood Bond.

Castle of Glass by Linkin Park – I love the line that says: “Wash the sorrow from off my skin and show me how to be whole again.” Yes, there is sorrow in Blood Bond. And grief. I can’t tell you why except to say we lose someone. It will rock the entire group and you see the mark of it in all of them.

You’ve Got The Love, Rabbit Heart, & Howl by Florence + The Machine – because I love their sound. And their lyrics are awesome. From Howl, I love the lines that say: “If you could only see the beast you’ve made of me. I held it in but now it seems you’ve set it running free.”

Hmmm, now who could it be talking about? *wink*

It goes on to talk about fingers on your skin, etc. and it makes me think of Tara and Wes. Then the song becomes kind of hot. *wink* which also makes me think of them. Just in a different way. *fans self* You’ll want to read those parts, trust me!

Train: Drive By & Meet Virginia made the list because I love their sound and how they made me feel. Meet Virginia describes a girl that’s stubborn and doesn’t care what others think of her. Sound like anyone from the series? Also great road trip music!

Howlin’ For You by The Black Keys – listen to it. It’s self-explanatory and perfect for my series. It was my favorite from this playlist. “Baby, I’m howlin’ for you.”

3 songs by Plain White T’s made the list: Rhythm of Love, Last Breath, and Killer. My favorite was Killer because it sums up how Tara felt throughout the book about what she was becoming. It also makes me think of Wes and Alex and how they wonder if/how Tara can love them or care for them despite who they are or what they’ve done. Rhythm of Love is great because it talks about only having a short time to express your feelings for the other (“we may only have tonight…”) and throughout the book, Wes and Tara only had short spurts to really be alone and “together.” Last Breath is about what a guy would do (pretty much anything, including die) to get away from a crazy girlfriend. It’s fun and doesn’t necessarily go with the storyline here but it’s about desperation and I liked the feeling for this book. At the end, he says: “what am I fighting for, if it ain’t you?” and I love that line.

That’s it for my playlist. If you’re wondering what I use to stream music while working, I used to use my MP3 (I still do for plotting with my white board) but for this book (at the computer), I used Spotify because I could look up songs and build the list quicker while still being in front of my computer screen. Plus, I can share my playlist with everyone via Facebook and you can see when I’m listening to which playlist. It was a way to show everyone that I was working on Blood Bond, because they saw that playlist streaming. Now, I love Spotify. I’ve already started using it to build my playlist for book 4.

I’m curious--what songs do you think work well for Blood Bond?

 

Heather Hildenbrand was born and raised in a small town in northern Virginia where she was homeschooled through high school. She now lives in coastal VA, a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, with her husband and two adorable children. She works from home, part time, as a property manager and when she's not furiously pounding at the keyboard, or staring off into space whilst plotting a new story, she's helping her husband with DIY projects in their home (he woodworks - she paints) or she's lying on the beach, soaking in those delicious, pre-cancerous rays.

Heather loves Mexican food, hates socks with sandals, and if her house was on fire, the one thing she'd grab is her DVR player.

You can find out more about her and her books at www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

Or stalk her here:

Facebook  |  FacebookFan Page  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Newsletter

Heather is a co-founder of Accendo Press, a publishing group she operates with fellow authors: Angeline Kace and Jennifer Sommersby. Accendo (a-CH-endo), A Latin word, means “to kindle, illuminate, inflame, or set fire.” This is something Accendo strives to do inside a reader’s imagination with every title released. For a complete list of titles and author bios, visit www.accendopress.com.

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COLD BLOOD Blog Tour ~ Excerpt and Review of COLD BLOOD by Heather Hildenbrand

Welcome to today's stop on the COLD BLOOD (Dirty Blood #2) Blog Tour!

I have a great excerpt from the book for you to enjoy, and my review of COLD BLOOD will follow.

Wood Point Academy is not at all what I expected. For one thing, it looks like a cross between military school and Buckingham Palace. Everyone stares, the floors shine so bright you can see your reflection in them from a mile away, and no one smiles. Unless they're kicking your butt in the process. Which happens more often than not for the freshman. Lucky for them, my presence has just stolen the spotlight, and they get a break from the daily joys of hazing. At least I've got plenty to take my mind off the fact that my psycho cousin, Miles De'Luca, keeps calling and declaring his love and promising to come for me just as soon as he's destroyed anyone standing in our way. Wes isn't going to like that idea. So between Miles, Wood Point's evil welcoming committee, and the drill sergeant hottie trainer from hell, I just keep asking myself, how did I end up here

Now for the excerpt:

The sound of Headmaster’s voice made me jump. I’d almost forgotten I wasn’t alone.

"If you'll wait in the lobby, your tutor will be along in a few minutes to show you to your class," said Headmaster Whitfield.

I nodded, and he disappeared back into his office.

I made my way back to the lobby and wandered along the wall, pretending to study the portraits I'd seen earlier. A few kids came and went; most of them didn't even bother to hide the fact that they were staring at me. I assumed they were trying to figure out who the new kid was, until I heard one of them whisper, "That's her," as they passed by.

“What a freak,” said the other one. Both of them looked at me like I was day old seafood.

I watched them walk away, feeling confused more than offended. I did a quick outfit check. I knew I didn’t look runway ready in my jeans and hoodie, but I hadn’t had time to change after the trip. And now, with my bags being sent to my room, I guess I wouldn’t. I ran a hand through my hair and used the tie on my wrist to pull it up into a quick ponytail. Maybe that would help.

A couple more students passed through the lobby, and I got funny looks again, but they weren’t close enough for me to hear what they were saying. I was getting paranoid. I wandered towards the wall where the polished plaques of dead alumni hung and used the reflective glass as a mirror. I pulled a lip gloss out of my backpack and slid some over my lips.

Someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned and found myself face to face with the same green eyed boy from the parking lot – and the warehouse.

"I know you," I blurted, finally managing words this time. He looked back at me with lifted brows. "I mean, I saw you. In the warehouse. You saved me. Thanks." My words were rushed partly because I was afraid he was going to bolt again and partly because my nerves were starting to get to me.

He shrugged like he wanted to be done with it, and when he spoke, his words were fast and clipped. "No biggie. I'm Alex.”

“I’m Tara.”

“You ready to go?"

"Go?" I blinked at him. "You're my tutor?"

"Apparently. Is that a problem?"

"Well, I mean, you're a kid. I guess I expected a teacher or something."

A hint of a smile appeared, but it was rough at the edges and sarcastic, like his words. "We'll make do." He gestured to the schedule I held. "Is that your class list?"

I nodded and handed it over. He skimmed it and handed it back.

"Defensive Maneuvers Two, huh? They must think you're capable enough. Hopefully they're right and training will be easier than I thought." He headed for the doors without waiting to see if I was following, or noticing that I was now glaring. "Coming?"

I rolled my eyes and followed him out.

To find out where you can read the next installment of Cold Blood, please visit www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com

My Review ~

I absolutely adore love Heather Hildenbrand's writing. Her book, Across the Galaxy, is one of the first self-published books that I read, and loved. I quickly moved on to Dirty Blood, which I also devoured. So, I have been patiently waiting for the follow-up to Dirty Blood, which is Cold Blood.

Did I love Cold Blood? You bet I did. It was everything I hoped it would be, and so much more. Hildenbrand really stepped it up in book two, upping the stakes in every way.

Starting with a new setting. Tara, the smart, tough and fierce main character of the series has been sent off to boarding school to learn how to be a true Hunter. The school is a hostile new world for Tara, who is constantly taunted because of her mixed heritage. Thank goodness, though, for a few new characters, Logan, Cambria and Alex, who help Tara along the way.

Logan and Cambria, Tara's new best friends are quick to take her in, show her around, help her survive. Logan is the cool guy friend we all want to have. Cambria is, well, awesome. She is snarky, tough, and maybe known to compel people to get her way. Great friends to have, for sure.

As for Alex, hmmm...I'm not sure where to start with him. My friend, Jess at Taking it One Book at a Time, and I had a "lively" discussion, actually a swoon-fest over Alex. Namely, how we love how he trusts Tara, and her decisions. A guy who thinks a girl can decide for herself? Not something you see a lot of in YA. Oh yeah, and he is super hot, if that's something that matters to you (because it sure does to me!).The chemistry between Alex and Tara is smoking hot. Each scene they had left me wondering if they were going to fist-fight or make out!

And Wes. I love Wes, and I missed him tremendously in this book. The reason for his absence is absolutely necessary, and allows for character growth for him, and Tara. But I missed him so and my heart did a happy dance every time he showed up in a scene.

Cold Blood was a terrific read, fun, fast-paced and suspenseful. And I have to say, I really don't know what Hildenbrand will throw at us in the third book. She really threw me for a few loops in Cold Blood; I honestly didn't know what was coming next.

If you're looking for a series with a strong, female lead; a cool, unique spin on werewolves; and a love triangle that's exhilerating, not exhausting, Cold Blood and Dirty Blood are the books for you!

Favorite Quote~

"Alex stepped closer and leaned down until his lips were only a breath away from mine. 'If I'd wanted 
 you to kiss me back, you would've.' "

You can purchase COLD BLOOD at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  | 

*I received a copy of Cold Blood from the author, in exchange for an honest review.*

In My Mailbox ~ The Idiot Edition]

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme created by Kristi at The Story Siren. It is a great way to put a spotlight on books received during the past week.

For Review:

Cold Blood (Dirty Blood #2) by Heather Hildenbrand

Purchased:

For a Few Demon's More (The Hollows #5) by Kim Harrison

The Outlaw Demon Wails (The Hollows #6)

White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows #7

Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door, by Stephanie Perkins

Jane, by April Lindner (two copies)

Incarceron (Incarceron #1), by Catherine Fisher

Leave me a link so I can come check out your mailbox. See you next week!





Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's WoW is...

Wood Point Academy is not at all what I expected. For one thing, it looks like a cross between military school and Buckingham Palace. Everyone stares, the floors shine so bright you can see your reflection in them from a mile away, and no one smiles. Unless they're kicking your butt in the process. Which happens more often than not for the freshman. Lucky for them, my presence has just stolen the spotlight, and they get a break from the daily joys of hazing.

At least I've got plenty to take my mind off the fact that my psycho cousin, Miles De'Luca, keeps calling and declaring his love and promising to come for me just as soon as he's destroyed anyone standing in our way. Wes isn't going to like that idea.

So between Miles, Wood Point's evil welcoming commitee, and the drill sergeant hottie trainer from hell, I just keep asking myself, how did I end up here?

Why I'm waiting:  I loved the first book in the series, Dirty Blood. Heather Hildenbrand is a fabulous

                                author and I can't wait to see what she has in store in Cold Blood!

Expected publication: November 2011

Find Cold Blood:

GoodReads  |  Heather's Blog

Cover Reveal! Cold Blood by Heather Hildenbrand

Synopsis

Wood Point Academy is not at all what I expected. For one thing, it looks like a cross between military school and Buckingham Palace. Everyone stares, the floors shine so bright you can see your reflection in them from a mile away, and no one smiles. Unless they're kicking your butt in the process. Which happens more often than not for the freshman. Lucky for them, my presence has just stolen the spotlight, and they get a break from the daily joys of hazing.

At least I've got plenty to take my mind off the fact that my psycho cousin, Miles De'Luca, keeps calling and declaring his love and promising to come for me just as soon as he's destroyed anyone standing in our way. Wes isn't going to like that idea.

So between Miles, Wood Point's evil welcoming commitee, and the drill sergeant hottie trainer from hell, I just keep asking myself, how did I end up here?

I am very excited about this one! I loved Dirty Blood and can't wait to see what Heather has in store for the characters. The synopsis has me so pumped up to read Cold Blood. And seriously, what a gorgeous cover!

Cold Blood, Book 2 in the Dirty Blood series, is due out Fall 2011. If you haven't already read Dirty Blood, you can download it for your Kindle for just .99!

In honor of the cover reveal, Heather is hosting a giveaway on her blog, where you can enter to win a signed PAPERBACK of Dirty Blood, fresh off the press with its own new cover art. The winner of this giveaway will be receiving the very FIRST paperback with the new cover art! Second prize is a set of bookmarks, one with a special wolf charm, and the other signed by Heather.

To enter, visit Heather's site at www.heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com