Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Ganymede by Cherie Priest

Ganymede by Cherie Priest
Publisher:  Tor Books
Release Daet:  September 27, 2011
ISBN:  978-0765329462
Pages:  352


The gist of the story is that there's a submarine that the confederate supporters need to get out of New Orleans - this is an alternate universe story.  Josephine, owner of a bordello, recruits an old flame to pilot it out.  There's Texans, Voodoo Queens, Zombies and Pirates. 

With all that going on, why did I get so bored?  It wasn't the writing, Ms. Priest is descriptive and her writing flows easily.  It was mostly the characters.

I couldn't bring myself to care about Josephine.  I wanted to, she's a strong single woman running a bordello in New Orleans, dealing with all the mean Texans and helping the Confederates - what's not to like?  But Josephine just came across as a cold fish.  If Josephine and her old flame, Andan Cly, had such a big love affair, why isn't there more tension between them?  I mean, we actually hear more about their relationship through Cly's thoughts than through Josephine.

There's also very little conflict between the characters - the mainly African-American rebels didn't bat an eye when Josephine brought a mainly White group into their hideout.  Seriously?  Then, when one character turns out to be transsexual, it is presented in a awkward way and then just put aside as if to say 'Oh. I see. Well, carry on.'  I was confused as to why the character had to be outed at all.  I mean, did GANYMEDE need some LGBT-ness?  What was up with that?  It made no sense to the story.

The Voodoo Queen seemed as if she were simply a delivery tool.  There was no way to get from A to B, so she was tucked in to be a bridge.

Overall, the storyline was good, the writing is fabulous, but the characters left much to be desired.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Books Out This Week: January 30 - February 5, 2012

Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Release Date:  January 31, 2012

From Goodreads: 
All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.

 Destiny and Deception (13 to Life #4) by Shannon Delaney
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads:  The sensational fourth novel in the 13 to Life series sees Jessica and the Rusakuvas fighting to overcome one of their biggest challenges yet--the possibility of a cure for lycanthropy.   With the threat of the mafia seemingly gone and the company's headquarters in Junction destroyed, Pietr Rusakova is adjusting to being a normal teen and Jess is realizing normalcy may not be what she wanted after all. But both Jess and Cat know the truth--that normal can't be taken for granted. Their precious cure isn't permanent--and when a new danger stalks into their small town, Alexi decides he must overcome his issues with the mother who abandoned him to be raised by wolves and make a brand new deal to save his adopted family.

 The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads:  Michael Vyner recalls a terrible story, one that happened to him. One that would be unbelievable if it weren't true! Michael's parents are dead and he imagines that he will stay with the kindly lawyer, executor of his parents' will ...Until he is invited to spend Christmas with his guardian in a large and desolate country house. His arrival on the first night suggests something is not quite right when he sees a woman out in the frozen mists, standing alone in the marshes. But little can prepare him for the solitude of the house itself as he is kept from his guardian and finds himself spending the Christmas holiday wandering the silent corridors of the house seeking distraction. But lonely doesn't mean alone, as Michael soon realises that the house and its grounds harbour many secrets, dead and alive, and Michael is set the task of unravelling some of the darkest secrets of all.

 New Girl by Paige Harbison
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads:  They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

 Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads: 
NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

 Tangled (Torn #2) by Erica O'Rourke
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads:  Constance started to keen as the air around us began to thrash and twist, the caustic scent of ozone burning my nose. As I watched, her dark gold hair began to lift and kink into knots.

“I’m here. It’ll be okay.” It was the last thing I said before my best friend’s little sister went supernova in the second-floor girls’ bathroom, taking me with her.

A month ago, Mo Fitzgerald risked her life to stop an ancient prophecy and avenge her best friend's murder. Now, she only wants to keep her loved ones safe. But the magic—and the Chicago Mob—have other plans.

Mysterious, green-eyed Luc is back, asking for help—and a second chance. Colin, her strongest protector, is hiding a shocking secret. And inside Constance, the magic is about to go terribly wrong. Tangled in a web of love and betrayal, Mo must choose between the life she's dreamed of and the one she's destined for.

 Sadie Walker is Stranded: The Dead are Closing in by Madeleine Roux
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads:  MONTHS AGO THE WORLD ENDED…

…when an unknown virus spread throughout North America and then the world, killing millions of people. However, that is where the horror only started. The dead began to rise and when they rose they had an insatiable appetite for the living. A new hell had been unleashed on earth and the fight for survival had just begun.

Sadie Walker is one of the survivors in this new world. Living in north Seattle behind barrier that keep the living in and the dead out, she trying to get back to a normal life, while raising her eight-year-old nephew, if anyone even knows what “normal” is anymore. Then everything goes sideways when Shane is kidnapped by a group of black market thieves and they bring down a crucial barrier in the city while trying to escape, and flood the city with the walking dead. After rescuing her nephew, Sadie and Shane escape Seattle on the last remaining boat, along with other survivors. However, now they must face the complete chaos of a world filled with flesh eating zombies and humans who are playing with a whole new rule book when it comes to survival in their journey to find a new place that they can call home.

 Lenobia's Vow (House of Night Novellas #2) by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Release Date: January 31, 2012


From Goodreads:  The second of the House of Night Novellas brings us Lenobia, the strong, beautiful horseback riding instructor, who guides Zoey through some of her darkest hours, and has a dark secret buried in her own past...
In a small southern town at the turn of the century, young Lenobia is developing into a beautiful young woman with ideas of her own. But when she is Marked as a fledgling vampyre, her world turns upside down, and she is drawn to the musical streets of New Orleans. There, she learns of the city’s dark underbelly, ruled by powerful black magic. As Lenobia experiences her first love – and loss – and discovers a passion for horses to sustain her, she must come face-to-face with Darkness itself. And she may not escape without scars.

 Article 5 (Article 5 #1) by Kristen Simmonds
Release Date:  January 31, 2012


From Goodreads: 
New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., have been abandoned.

The Bill of Rights has been revoked, and replaced with the Moral Statutes.

There are no more police—instead, there are soldiers. There are no more fines for bad behavior—instead, there are arrests, trials, and maybe worse. People who get arrested usually don't come back.

Seventeen-year-old Ember Miller is old enough to remember that things weren’t always this way. Living with her rebellious single mother, it’s hard for her to forget that people weren’t always arrested for reading the wrong books or staying out after dark. It’s hard to forget that life in the United States used to be different.

Ember has perfected the art of keeping a low profile. She knows how to get the things she needs, like food stamps and hand-me-down clothes, and how to pass the random home inspections by the military. Her life is as close to peaceful as circumstances allow.

That is, until her mother is arrested for noncompliance with Article 5 of the Moral Statutes. And one of the arresting officers is none other than Chase Jennings…the only boy Ember has ever loved.

 Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton
Release Date: January 31, 2012

From Goodreads: 
Life as the Preliator is harder than Ellie ever imagined.
Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven’s warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And now that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell’s strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She’s been warned.
Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian’s new plan to destroy Ellie’s soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian’s schemes , the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything—including herself.

She’ll be betrayed.
Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

 The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark
Release Date:  January 31, 2012

From Goodreads:  A few “sexy” bullet points about Jay: • He is in love with a cheerleader named Cameo “Appearance” Parnell • He is forever losing “Love-15” to tennis-playing goddess Caroline Richardson • He rocks a touché array of pop-culture references, jokes, and puns • His family-life cookie is about to crumble. Live vicariously through Jay as he faces off against his mortal enemy, gets awkward around his dream girl(s), loses his marbles in a Bermudian love triangle, watches his parents’ relationship implode, and, finally, learns to get real and be himself(ish).

 The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin
Release Date:  February 1, 2012

From Goodreads:  CUT meets HATCHET in this lacerating debut about girls, knives, and redemption.The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area stretches across two million acres in northern Idaho. In its heart sits the Alice Marshall School, where fifty teenage girls come to escape their histories and themselves.Lida Wallace has tried to negate herself in every way possible. At Alice Marshall, she meets Elsa Boone, a fierce native Idahoan; Jules, who seems too healthy to belong at the school; and Gia Longchamps, whose glamour entrances the entire camp. As the girls prepare for a wilderness trek, Lida is both thrilled and terrified to be chosen as Gia's friend. But everyone has their secrets--their "Things" they try to protect; and when those come out, the knives do as well.

 Angelina's Secret by Lisa J. Rogers
Release Date:  February 1, 2012

From Goodreads:  As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all.

Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.  When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.

 Susanna Loves London by Mary Hogan
Release Date:  February 1, 2012

From Goodreads:  After covering New York's Fashion Week, Susanna says goodbye to hometown NYC and hello, London in attempt to makenot Francesca, her snooty arch-nemesis, not her crush on the boy in the local deli, and definitely not the fact that the bright lights of the city seem very far away from the small Kent village where she's staying. Hilarious, heart-warming, and totally fabulous, Susanna is in London and loving it!


 The Other Life by Susanna Winnacker
Release Date:  February 1, 2012

From Goodreads:  3 years, 1 month, 1 week and 6 days since I’d seen daylight. One-fifth of my life. 98,409,602 seconds since the heavy, steel door had fallen shut and sealed us off from the world

Sherry has lived with her family in a sealed bunker since things went wrong up above. But when they run out of food, Sherry and her dad must venture outside. There they find a world of devastation, desolation...and the Weepers: savage, mutant killers.

When Sherry's dad is snatched, she joins forces with gorgeous but troubled Joshua - an Avenger, determined to destroy the Weepers.

But can Sherry keep her family and Joshua safe, when his desire for vengeance threatens them all?

 Hollow Pike by James Dawson
Release Date:  February 2, 2012

From Goodreads:  Something wicked this way comes... She thought she'd be safe in the country, but you can't escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her. Lis thinks she's being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn't believe in the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn't believe that anything bad will really happen to her. You never do, do you? Not until you're alone in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps... Hollow Pike - where witchcraft never sleeps.


 Harbinger by Sara Etienne
Release Date:  February 2, 2012

From Goodreads:  When sixteen-year-old Faye arrives at Holbrook Academy, she doesn't expect to find herself exactly where she needs to be. After years of strange waking visions and nightmares, her only comfort the bones of dead animals, Faye is afraid she's going crazy. Fast.
But her first night at Holbrook, she feels strangely connected to the school and the island it sits on, like she's come home. She's even made her first real friends, but odd things keep happening to them. Every morning they wake on the floors of their dorm rooms with their hands stained red.
Faye knows she's the reason, but what does it all mean? The handsome Kel tries to help her unravel the mystery, but Faye is certain she can't trust him; in fact, he may be trying to kill her - and the rest of the world too.

 Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson
Release Date:  February 2, 2012


From Goodreads:  Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past.
When T-Boom introduces Laurel to meth, she immediately falls under its spell, loving the way it erases, even if only briefly, her past. But as she becomes alienated from her friends and family, she becomes a shell of her former self, and longs to be whole again. With help from an artist named Moses and her friend Kaylee, she’s able to begin to rewrite her story and start to move on from her addiction.

 This One Time with Julia by David Lampson
Release Date:  February 2, 2012

From Goodreads:  After Joe’s parents died, he stopped growing up. He doesn’t know where his money comes from. His diet consists primarily of cheeseburgers from McDonald’s. He plays basketball on the level of
a pro, but he has only ever played on the streets.
Then his brother disappears, and Julia shows up. Joe falls in love with Julia as quickly as his twin brother, Alvin, did. And like Alvin did before him, he runs away with Julia to her parents’ hotel. There, he’s so blinded by her seductive, dysfunctional family that he can’t see the truth of his brother’s disappearance
… until he accidentally stumbles upon Alvin’s killer.

 Advent by James Treadwell
Release Date:  February 2, 2012

From Goodreads: 
For centuries it has been locked away Lost beneath the sea Warded from earth, air, water, fire, spirits, thought and sight. But now magic is rising to the world once more. And a boy called Gavin, who thinks only that he is a city kid with parents who hate him, and knows only that he sees things no one else will believe, is boarding a train, alone, to Cornwall. When he arrives, there is no one there to meet him.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Do you see what I see?

Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices #2) - Cassandra Clare




Thursday, January 26, 2012

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Publisher:  Harcourt Children's Books
Date:  February 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0547259406  
Pages:  368


I stumbled upon this book when I was just browsing and I'm so glad I did!

Quick Summary:  Jessica was adopted, she's always known that.  But to find out she's really a vampire princess?!  Jessica won't even entertain the thought that there are real vampires, much less royalty.  When her betrothed shows up, it gets interesting.

Jessica is practical, she lives on a farm, is in 4H for horses and her parents are vegan.  Oh yeah, she's a mathlete.  When a gorgeous (but creepy) guy shows up at her bus stop, then her school, then her house...she's freaked out.  The foreign exchange student, Lucius, claims to be a vampire prince and he's come to claim his betrothed - Antanasia Dragomir.  Or as she's known now...Jessica Packwood. 

Lucius seems snobby and duty-driven and I was unsure about liking him at all, but Ms. Fantaskey solves that issue by having Lucius write letters to his uncle.  Those letters show hints of the boy under the self-assured exterior.  Lucius learns to embrace American customs and being a teenager instead of royalty.

The minor characters are very well-developed.  The love interests of both Jessica and Lucius seem very real and have their own voices, as do some of the characters that only show up once or twice.  Ms. Fantaskey has spent a lot of time at developing characters.

This isn't just a cute novel about a girl and a vampire.  It's about identity and self-discovery.  You see, Jessica doesn't just fall head-over-heels for Lucius, in fact, she doesn't like him at all - even though everyone else does.  You watch Jessica and Lucius both go through a series of small changes over a long period of time.

And the title of the book?  Well, Lucius gives Jessica a book to assist her in maturing and becoming a vampire - it's called Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health and Emotions.  It was awesome! 



 

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (Penguin)
Date: March 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0399254239
Pages:  288

I received this book from the Public Relations person in exchange for an honest review.


Quick Summary:  Kelsey Finkelstein lives in NYC (well, actually Brooklyn) with her parents and little sister.  She's decided to 'make her mark' in freshman year.  She has three bff's: Em (quiet one), Cass (theatrical one) and JoJo (wild one). 

This story is like watching actual high school!  I think we've all experienced some of the exact things Kelsey goes through.  I know I did.  I actually laughed out loud at times. 

Kelsey tries everything to make her mark - sports, theater, clothes, you name it.  She feels like she's failing miserably at every turn.  It's hard to see yourself clearly at fourteen and that shows up in this book.  You get to see what she's doing, the results and how Kelsey sees the results.  The resulting effect is hilarious.

Kelsey has her sights set on Jordan, a gorgeous upperclassman.  Jordan's girlfriend moved over the summer, so he's fair game.  Unfortunately, that means to everyone, even her bff's.  Boys can cause more trouble between friends than anything else in the world.

Add in a mysterious photographer who keeps putting Kelsey in the school paper in various unflattering pictures; Ben, a cute guy that works at the school paper that Kelsey is sure is messing with her; the possibility that one of her bff's is a lesbian and a mother that refuses to shop at anywhere but Loehman's and you've got a fabulous story.  This is a must read for not just the YA group, but their mom's as well.

Monday, January 23, 2012

Books Out This Week: January 23 - 29, 2012

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Release Date:  January 24, 2012

From Goodreads:  It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in.

And then you're dead.
When a deadly virus begins to sweep through sixteen-year-old Kaelyn’s community, the government quarantines her island—no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.  Because how will she go on if there isn't?

 Life Eternal (Dead Beautiful #2) by Yvonne Woon
Release Date:  January 24, 2012

From Goodreads:  Renée Winters has changed. When she looks in the mirror, a beautiful girl with an older, sadder face stares back. Her condition has doctors mystified, but Renée can never reveal the truth: she died last May, and was brought back to life by the kiss of her Undead soul mate, Dante Berlin.

Now, her separation from Dante becomes almost unbearable. His second life is close to an end, and each passing day means one less that she will spend with the boy who shares her soul.
Just when Renée has almost given up hope, she learns of the Nine Sisters—brilliant scholars who, according to legend, found a way to cheat death. She can’t shake the feeling that they are somehow connected to her dreams, strange visions that hint at a discovery so powerful, and so dangerous, that some will stop at nothing to protect it.
Renée thought she knew the truth about life and death. But there is a secret woven through history that holds the only hope for Dante and Renée. Unless they find answers soon, their time together is doomed to be cut short.

 There is no Dog by Meg Rosoff
Release Date:  January 24, 2012

From Goodreads: 
Meet your unforgettable protagonist: God, who, as it turns out, is a 19-year-old boy living in the present-day and sharing an apartment with his long-suffering fifty-something personal assistant. Unfortunately for the planet, God is lazy and, frankly, hopeless. He created all of the world's species in six days because he couldn't summon the energy to work for longer. He gets Africa and America mixed up. And his beleagured assistant has his work cut out for him when God creates a near-apolcalyptic flood, having fallen asleep without turning the bath off. 

Forbidden by Syrie James and Ryan M. James
Release Date:  January 24, 2012
From Goodreads:  She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she’s desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there’s no way she’s going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she’s been having or the creepy warnings that she’s in danger.
Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch and, when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn’t factored Claire into his plans. . . .
Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alec has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire’s unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

 Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald
Release Date:  January 24, 2012

From Goodreads: 
Can a twelve-step program help Sadie kick her unrequited crush for good?
Seventeen-year-old Sadie is in love: epic, heartfelt, and utterly onesided. The object of her obsession - ahem, affection - is her best friend, Garrett Delaney, who has been oblivious to Sadie's
feelings ever since he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust (not to mention his deep-blue eyes). For two long, painful years, Sadie has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything from tragic Russian literature to art films to '80s indie rock
- all to no avail. But when Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder - until he calls to say he's fallen in love. With some other girl! A
heartbroken Sadie realizes that she's finally had enough. It's time for total Garrett detox! Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends (including the hunky chef, Josh), and a customized selfhelp
guide, Sadie embarks on a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter, mortifying meltdowns, and a double shot of love.

 Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Release Date:  January 24, 2012

From Goodreads: 
The girl in the mirror wasn’t who I wanted to be, and her life wasn’t the one I wanted to have.
Despite how much Louise insists, no one will call her Weetzie. It’s her dad’s nickname for her, but it won’t stay put. Neither will her dad. Charlie left Louise and her mom and he took everything with him: her family, her home—and her understanding of who she’s meant to be.
But Los Angeles is a city full of strange angels, and Louise embarks on a journey to sift through the smog of her heartbreak, to grow her own wings, to become Weetzie.

 Fallen in Love (Fallen #3.5) by Lauren Kate
Release Date:  January 24, 2012

From Goodreads:  What makes your heart race a little faster? Just in time for Valentine's Day, it's FALLEN IN LOVE, four wholly original new stories collected in a new novel set in the Middle Ages by Lauren Kate. FALLEN IN LOVE gives fans the much-talked about but never-revealed stories of FALLEN characters as they intertwine with the epic love story of Luce and Daniel. The stories include: Love Where You Least Expect It: The Valentine of Shelby and Miles , Love Lessons: The Valentine of Roland; Burning Love: The Valentine of Arriane; and Endless Love: The Valentine of Daniel and Lucinda.