Schuyler’s hunt for the Gates is becoming more intense as the vampire world is beginning to show cracks. The New York Coven’s ancient lore and the desires of young vampires keep coming into dangerous conflict that could have repercussions worldwide. The course of forbidden love never did run smooth…

I’ve had this book on my ‘to read’ pile for a little while so when the urge to read something ‘paranormal’ came on last week, I went straight to my favourite vampire series. This is the sixth novel in the Blue Bloods series and the penultimate; the final book The Gates of Paradise will be releasd in January next year. Although I love this series, I’m pleased it is coming to an end; I enjoyed Lost in Time but not as much as some of the earlier novels in the series and at times I felt like the plot and mysteries were just going round in circles with very little being reveled that moved the story on.

As I’ve said in previous reviews, it’s hard to comment in depth on a particular installment of the series without giving away spoilers to those who haven’t read the earlier books so I’ll keep my comments short and please don’t read on if you are planning to read the other books in the Blue Bloods saga first.

Lost in Time is actually three separate stories which interconnect but involve separate groupings of characters. The first story is that of Schuyler as she hunts for the Gate of Promise. This part of her quest takes her to Egypt and also tells the next part in the tale of Schuyler and Jack’s relationship. For me, this was the least gripping of the three plots in Lost in Time and at times I got quite confused as to who was who and what had happened before.

The second strand to the story is led by Mimi and Oliver. Regular readers will know that Oliver has always been one of my favourite characters in the Blue Bloods novels so I was really pleased to see that he had a significant presence in this book. I’m still hoping that Oliver will get a happy ending! Mimi’s character has undergone a dramatic change as the series has progressed and I think her true character really comes out as she descends into the depths of Hell in Lost in Time to search for Kingsley Martin. I’m always surprised by the amount of humour Mimi brings to the plot and this novel was no exception.

The final storyline was the one that had me most intrigued and gripped as I was reading, telling the story of Schuyler’s mother Allegra and her relationship with Schuyler’s father. The beginning of this story was told in the Bloody Valentine novella and I was so pleased to see that the full story has now been told – it filled in a lot of gaps for me and finally answered some of the questions I had!

As with all of the novels in this series, Lost in Time ends on a cliffhanger which left me wishing I had the seventh book to read right now. I’m already looking forward to reading the final installment and can’t wait to find out how the series ends. Lost in Time reminded me how much I enjoy Melissa de la Cruz’s books – I always read them quickly and I love the worlds she creates so I’ll be turing my attention to her new adult series The Witches of the East, which takes place in the same world as the Blue Bloods, while I wait.

4/5

You can find out more about Melissa de la Cruz and her novels at: http://www.melissa-delacruz.com/

The lovely Choc Lit gang revealed the cover for Jane Lovering’s next novel Vampire State of Mind over on their Facebook page the other day. Isn’t it gorgeous? And such a fab title too. Described as “Choc Lit’s version of Buffy”, I can’t wait to read this one. Vampire State of Mind is out in August – perfect timing for your beach reading list!

Check out One More Page’s Facebook page for more book news and gossip!

As you probably know by now, A Discovery of Witches was one of my favourite books of 2011 and along with many of you I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the sequel Shadow of the Night in July. I was very excited to see that the cover for Shadow of the Night has been revealed on the official Discovery of Witches website!

So what do you think? I’m loving the blue! There is also a tiny peek at what’s to come with an extract from the new book. Check it out at: http://www.adiscoveryofwitches.co.uk/news.html

Penniless and 34th in line to the throne, Georgiana Rannoch finds herself in a truly draining state of affairs. To escape her hateful brother, Georgie accepts an invitation from the Queen to represent the royals at a wedding in Transylvania. But at the macabre-looking castle, Georgie finds the bride with blood running down her chin and a wedding guest poisoned. Now it’s up to Georgie to save the festivities before the couple’s vows become ‘to love and to cherish, till undeath do we part’.

One of my many New Year reading resolutions is to try to vary my reading and try some new genres so I was pleased when this book came my way. Royal Blood is the fourth book in the Royal Spyness Mystery Series and combines two of my favourite genres (historical fiction and romance) with something new for me; crime and mystery and I found it a very enjoyable read.

The story is told in the first person from the point of view of Lady Georgiana, cousin to the King of Engand and 34th in line to the throne. I liked Georgiana immediately; she’s lighthearted and fun and I loved her take on both her situation and the people around her. Georgiana is twenty-two; her family are desperate for her to marry and make a good match and she’s a lovely mix of slightly scatty, confidence and occasional bursts of insight.

I loved the 1930′s setting and I was surprised how little of the story actually focussed on the murder which doesn’t actually happen until around half way through the book. Royal Blood is as much about Georgiana and her life as it is about her attendance at a royal wedding in Transylvania. The story starts in depression-era London and moves on to a remote and spooky castle in Romania. Lady Georgiana finds herself faced with a host of strange goings on at the spooky castle and the vampire references added a fun twist to the story.

As this is the fourth book in the series I was a little concerned that I wouldn’t be able to pick up the story but it reads perfectly well as a standalone novel. I would like to go back and read the rest of the series now though as I’d love to get to know Georgiana, her friends and family better, particularly Georgiana’s love interest, the mysterious Darcy O’Mara. I also love the gorgeous illustrated covers for this series and think the whole collection would look lovely on my bookshelf!

I’m not normally one for murder mysteries but there was plenty in this novel to hold my attention and the book is much more than I would have imagined a murder mystey to be! At just over 300 pages, Royal Blood is a quick read and from what I’ve seen, this is the ideal mystery series for chick lit fans as Lady Georgiana makes a fun and amusing heroine as she tries to find the right man and escape her overbearing relatives. I liked the glam 1930′s setting and the humour and I will definitely read more of the series.

3/5

Royal Blood is published on 5th January by Prime Crime and I’d like to thank Ellie at Turnaround for sending me a review copy.

This year I read 76 books  – that’s two more than last year! To end the year, I’ve chosen my ten favourite books that were published in 2011 and have provided links to my reviews where possible. I found it really hard to narrow my choice down to just ten books this year and even more impossible to pick an absolute favourite as I enjoyed different novels at different times for very different reasons. This year I’ve expanded on the top ten with some ‘favourites’ categories and a ‘readers’ choice’ section for the most popular (most visited) reviews this year. So without further ado, my books of the year, in release date order are:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (published in January by Headline)

Vampires, witches and daemons; a magical manuscript, rich historical detail and fascinating characters. This was a brilliant paranormal romance to start the year with and  I can’t wait for the follow up Shadow of the Night to be released in July 2012.

The Taker by Alma Katsu (published by Century in April)

A dark and gripping paranormal romance with no vampires! The Taker is a very original take on the immortal love story with the driving force behind most of the action being unrequited love. I’m eagerly awaiting the sequel The Reckoning in June.

The Beauty Chorus by Kate Lord-Brown (published by Corvus in April)

I love the title for this book which was the nickname given by fighter pilots to the women who volunteered to fly planes like Spitfires from factories to British airfields during World War Two. In The Beauty Chorus Kate Lord Brown skillfully combines the true historical facts (166 women joined the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) risking their lives to ferry planes across the country) with the fictional story of three very different women to create a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking novel.

From London With Love by Jemma Forte (published by Penguin in July)

A fun summer chick lit read that had me gripped and one of my favourite covers of the year too. The Bond theme adds a touch of A-list glamour to the story and as Jessica ties herself in knots trying to keep her identity a secret, From London with Love has a great message about not judging a book by its over and being who you really are.

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (published by Harper in July)

Jenny Wingfield’s debut is one of those books that stays with you long after you’ve read it and 11 year old Swan Lake is one of my favourite characters of the year. Set in 1950′s Arkansas, the story is heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measures and beautifully written following the trials and tribulations of the wonderful Moses clan. My full review will be coming in January.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline ( published in August by Century)

A suprise hit for me! Ernest Cline has created a brilliantly thought out and detailed future dystopian world; combined it with a fantastic virtual reality treasure hunt based on music, film and gaming nostalgia from the 1980′s and underlined it all with (the biggest surprise for me as I read) a really sweet coming of age love story.

Netherwood by Jane Sanderson (published in September by Sphere)

Netherwood is a thoroughly enjoyable historical saga and a fantastic debut from Jane Sanderson. I was completely drawn in to the world that Jane has created, loving both the historical detail and the variety and depth of characters that populate this book.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (published by Harvill Secker in September)

A gorgeous book and an amazing debut from Erin Morgenstern. I loved the story of the mysterious black and white Circus which only opens at night. The book is packed with magic and intrigue. I’ve only just finished reading this one but it shot straight into my top ten!

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris (published in October by Simon and Schuster)

Another of my favourite covers of the year. A classy story filled with vintage glamour. Miracle on Regent Street is Ali Harris’s debut novel and what a debut. Heartfelt, warm, romantic and a lovely Christmassy story too.

It Started with a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson (published by Avon in November)

Last but by no means least, Miranda Dickinson’s third novel is Chick lit perfection from the sparkly pink cover to the brilliantly romantic ending and I thoroughly enjoyed every page in between as Romily Parker goes on a year long search for the handsome hero who kissed her and vanished!

2011 Favourites …

The whole package: The Night Circus

Although I love my Kindle, it will never replace physical books for me and books like this are the reason why. I splashed out on the gorgeous hard back when it was published and I love the book design as much as the story!

Cover love: Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris

The cover for this book is really striking and picks up the tone of the book perfectly.

Heroine: Gracie Flowers from (Un)like a Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes

Gracie had me smiling from the first page with her wry observations on her job, her boyfriend, friends and family and she’s one of my favourite leading chick it ladies of all time!

Hero: Prince Richard from To Marry a Prince by Sophie Page

I thought this book was a real gem of a romantic comedy and I loved Prince Richard who comes across as a fab leading man – by no means perfect, he has some brilliantly funny and romantic scenes but never seems over the top.

Support: Uncle Dudley and Auntie Mags from It Started With a Kiss by Miranda Dickinson

Dispensers of love, wisdom and support from their narrow-boat home to Romily as she undertakes her quest. They are instrumental in keeping Romily going but are also responsible for much of the book’s warm humour and I loved Aunty Mags’ ‘Cake Therapy’!

The perfect ending: Breakfast At Darcy’s by Ali McNamara

Ali McNamara retains her crown for queen of the romantic ending with a beautiful finale to her latest novel that left me with a big smile on my face.

Readers’ choice: Top five most read reviews of 2011

1. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

2. To the Moon and Back by Jill Mansell

3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

4. The Taker by Alma Katsu

5. Beautiful Creatures by Lulu Taylor

So that’s my year in books; are your favourites on the list? I’m looking forward to sharing many more reviews with you during 2012 and wish you all a very happy and bookish New Year! x

Today I’m giving away a copy of possibly my favourite book of the year (I say possibly because there are still a few weeks of the year left and you never know!)  I read this book way back in January and loved it straight away. You can read my review here.

I’ve been lucky enough to end up with two copies of the book so I’m offering one lucky reader the chance to win a copy of the paperback edition which was released at the end of September. A Discovery of Witches was a Sunday Times bestseller and Warner Bros has acquired the film rights. The sequel Shadow of the Night will be out in July 2012 so enter now to find out what all the fuss is about!

It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it’s an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she’s kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana’s discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels…

To enter just leave a ‘pick me’ comment in the box below and I’ll draw a winner using random.org after the closing date.

UK entries only please. Entries will close at midnight on Monday 5th December. Good luck!

September has to be the quickest month to pass of the year so far. It was all a bit of a blur of sleepless nights and nappy changes for me but I did find time to read six books and post the odd review I also took part in Talli Roland’s If I Could Be Anyone, I’d Be…’ online launch party! and ran three giveaways!

The books I read were:

Book of the Month September

Star Struck by Jane Lovering

Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes by Sue Watson

Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

(Un)like A Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes

Persuade Me by Juliet Archer

Netherwood by Jane Sanderson

My book of the month for September is (Un)like a Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes because I absolutely loved lead character Gracie Flowers and her story left me with a big smile on my face!

The three most popular reviews in September were:

(Un)like A Virgin by Lucy-Anne Holmes, Fat Girls and Fairy Cakes by Sue Watson, Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

Searches bringing most people to One More Page were for Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance, From Notting Hill With Love …Actually by Ali McNamara and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness which came out in paperback this month.

October is already flying by and I have a brilliant pile of books lined up to be read and reviewed including the latest and penultimate installment in the Blue Bloods series, Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz; the highly anticipated new novel from Jeffrey Eugenides The Marriage Plot and two gorgeous Christmas stories; The Night Before Christmas by debut author Scarlett Bailey and Wrapped up in You by Carole Matthews. I’m really excited to be taking part in the blog tour for Wrapped Up In You at the end of the month so look out for that!

Though it’s only October, I’m also starting to plan posts for my Countdown to Christmas which is my book blogger version of an advent calendar with a Christmas-themed post every day from December 1st to 24th. I did the countdown last year and it was great fun but I’m hoping to make it bigger and better this year. As well as reviews of Christmassy books I’ll have book-inspired gift suggestions, Christmas-themed interviews, giveaways and guest posts. I’m looking for contributors so if you are an author, publisher or fellow blogger and you’d like to take part, drop me an email at: onemorepageamanda@gmail.com

Happy autumn reading!

Some sequel news for this week’s book news:

A Discovery of Witches – the movie and the sequel!

I loved A Discovery of Witches when I read it earlier this year and have been eagerly awaiting news on the second book in the series which should be out next year. On Thursday Deborah Harkness made two big announcements on her Facebook page; the first, that the sequel will be called Shadow of Night and the second that Warner Brothers has acquired the rights to develop A Discovery of Witches as a series of films. You can find out the full details of the possible films on Deborah’s Facebook Page. The casting stage is still a long way off but feel free to leave your thoughts on who should play Diana and Matthew on the big screen in the comments box below!

For those of you who haven’t read A Discovery of Witches yet, the paperback is out in September with this lovely cover showing some of my favourite Oxford buildings.

Lindsey Kelk Hearts …

… Vegas! I’m so excited about this one – the next novel in Lindsey Kelk’s ‘I Heart…’ series will be I Heart Vegas and the book will be out just in time for Christmas with a release date of December 8th. I can’t wait to find out what happens to Angela next and I love the fact that the book will be set at Christmas too!

Angela Clark loves her life in New York. She loves her job, her friends and her gorgeous musician boyfriend, Alex, who is finally ready to move in with her and start planning their future together. Everything is perfect.

But, after Angela loses her job, her world starts to crumble around her – her visa is revoked and she’s given the disastrous news that she must leave New York and her life behind and go back to London.

Confused, heartbroken and desperate to stay, the last thing Angela needs is a girls’ trip to Vegas just before Christmas – especially when Manhattan at Christmas is so perfect that she never wants to go home…

This week’s book news has taken on a paranormal theme …

New covers from Meg Cabot

I’m a big fan of Meg Cabot and was very excited when she announced she was writing an adult paranormal series last year. Meg announced the new covers for the series on her blog recently and the title of the sequel to Insatiable! Overbite will be released in the US on 5th July. I’ve had Insatiable on my ‘to read’ pile since my birthday in January so I’d better get reading.

Blue Bloods news from Melissa de la Cruz

Atom has done it again with a fab cover for the UK release of Lost in Time, the sixth book in the Blue Bloods series which is released in October this year. This is my favourite vampire series and I’m equally excited about the adult spin off series Witches of the East released later this month. Melissa has also announced that book seven in the Blue Bloods series will be the last in the series. You can find out more about Melissa and her books at: http://melissa-delacruz.com/index.php/site/

New Series from Carol Goodman

I enjoyed Black Swan Rising By Carol Goodman and her husband Lee Slonimsk when it came out last year so I was excited to see a new series by Carol launching next month. Incubus is released on July 21st:

‘This is where all stories start, on the edge of a dark wood…’

Dr. Callie McFay’s travels to the small college town of Fairwick in New York State for a job interview. Despite it being her second choice she finds herself talked into accepting a job offer from the Folklore Department to teach a class on demons and vampires. She also finds herself drawn to an old house in the woods where Gothic novelist Dahlia LaMotte used to live and buys it on a whim, despite the seeming reluctance of the estate agent to sell it to her.

But on the night of her job interview, she had a very vivid erotic dream about a man made out of shadows and moonlight, and this dream becomes a regular occurrence when she moves into her new home. Callie starts to feel like a heroine in one of the gothic novels she teaches as slowly it dawns on her that things at the college – and in her home – are not what they seem. She learns that her house is supposed to be haunted by LaMotte’s former lover and her new – and rather strange – colleagues tell her an unfamiliar fairy tale about an incubus-demon with a human past who was enchanted by a fairy queen…

Merry meet, fledgling.  I trust this guide will serve you well…

Every vampyre fledgling who arrives at the House of Night receives a copy of The Fledgling Handbook 101, and now, fans can have one, too.

Inside you’ll find original stories, the complete vampyre history, inside info into rituals, vamp biology, and the Change, and much more.

As somone who is new to the House of Night series, I really enjoyed this book. So far,  I’ve read the first two books in the series and The Fledgling Handbook provides a deeper insight into the mythology and history of the House of Night and its vampyre occupants.

Beautifully illustrated, The Fledgling Handbook includes sections covering the class emblems worn by House of Night pupils and their history; Vampyre biology covering the process of being marked and becoming a vampyre; rituals, elementology and Vampyre history. The Fledgling Handbook is given to all new entrants to the House of Night and there are sections to make your own notes and for the reader to fill in – great fun!

I think this is a book that will appeal to readers at any stage of the series and is a beautiful acompanyment to the novels. It is quite short at only 157 pages and I wonder if those who have read all of the books released so far (eight in total to date) may find that it doesn’t add much detail to the plot but I’d say it is a must read for fans and readers like me who are just discovering the series.

4/5

You can find out more about the House of Night at: http://www.houseofnightseries.co.uk/

Giveaway!

I have a shiny new copy of the first book in the House of Night series, Marked to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, just leave a comment in the box below and I’ll draw a name using random.org after the closing date. This giveaway is UK only and will close at midnight on Sunday 3rd April. Good luck!

When sixteen-year-old Zoey gets Marked as a fledgling vampire she must join the House of Night school where she will train to become an adult vampire. That is, if she makes it through the Change. But Zoe is no ordinary fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the Goddess Nyx and discovers her amazing new power to conjure the elements: earth, air, fire, water and spirit. When Zoey discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school’s most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look within herself to embrace her destiny – with a little help from her new vampire friends.