14 in 2014

Hey y'all,

I found out that I made some pretty lofty goals last year for my 13 in 13 goals but that's ok since I got close for some of them.Let's do a quick re-cap:

1. Grow in my faith and my relationship with God. 
2. Read 113 books. I changed my goal to 100 and I ended up reading 94 books so I think that is completely fine since only 8% of adult Americans on average read more than 50 books.
3. Try 113 new recipes. This was very lofty goal. I did challenge myself to try new recipes this year but 113 did not happen even with pinterest and checking out some cookbooks from the library.
4. Run a half marathon. I did run/walk a 5K this summer with my roommate but I haven't had the urge to begin training again. I have a half marathon on my 30 by 30 list so I think this will be on the back burner for a while. 
5. Lose 13lbs. Also something that didn't happen this year as I adjusted to living by myself I have since moved in with a roommate and got more active, I even have a dietitian but this is happening in 2014
6. Craft 13 things. 
7. Meet 13 new people.  Joining in with my church's young professional group, becoming a sorority advisor and new people at work I have extended my circle of friends in my postgrad life.
8. Keep a prayer journal for the entire year. Something I think of as a continuous goal, while I did not keep my goal for this year I did spend some time journaling my prayers but it was not throughout the entire year.
9. Buy a car.  You can read all about my car buying experience here and here.
10. Finish decorating my place. I have moved since last year but I have since begun decorating my current place and I am almost done decorating my room and the living spaces.
11. Go two months without unnecessary spending. I did limit some spending during the spring before getting my car but I have a friend who is currently not spending money on clothes for two years (except for gift cards) and she is helping me to challenge myself this year to cut off excess spending and focus on my financial savings. YAY for budgeting.
12. Send out cards.  While I didn't send out birthday cards to everyone I did send out my first year of Christmas cards. This next year though I have a handful of weddings, my baby sis graduates and more occasions for cute cards.
13. Have adventures. From beach trips, interesting times in downtown Raleigh, and many more I have tried to be open to saying yes to various adventures, which is hard for me since I love to be in 
    control. 

Now let's get onto my 14 goals for 2014:

1. Read the entire Bible. I have read a lot of the word of God but I really want to dig deep and read the entire thing.

2. Read 114 books. I know I fell short of my goal last year but I really think I will be able to accomplish this one.

3. Pay off 2 of my student loans. I have a couple small loans left that if I focus on saving and eliminating I will be able to pay off by the end of the year. It is just one more step towards becoming debt free by 28.

4. Blog at least 3 times a week. Work and life get crazy but I have already made a blog calendar for the month and I would love to focus some of my free time here to grow my little community.

5. Find joy in my job. I love my job but sometime you get so frustrated or bored you forget your blessings and all the great things you have going for you so I want to remain grateful and find joy in the little things especially my job.

6. Work on my health by reaching my happy weight. I have a particular BMI range I want to make it to an by working on the habits I began at the end of 2013 and sticking to my goal I hope to be confident, happy and feel beautiful in my body.

7.Keep up a daily devotional all year. I tend to have a short attention span with devotionals but this year I picked up Jesus Calling and plan to stick to it all year. So far so good.

8.Workout at least 3 times a week. This goes with the reaching my happy weight but I genuinely feel so much better after a great workout. To start the new year off I am participating in Tone It Up's Love Your Body challenge.

9. Cook at least 52 new recipes. This is one a week and I love pouring through cookbooks so I hope I can continue to use Pinterest and cookbooks to spice up my dinners.

10. Participate in the 52 Weeks savings plan. I know a lot of you have seen this on Pinterest but I need to focus my finances on saving not spending and this is an easy tool to save a lot of cash without feeling like all your money is going into savings.

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11. Break from technology. I think we all in this day and age have a problem leaving social media and the rest of the internet but I want to remind myself to be present when with friends and unplug every night.
12. Run 2 5Ks. I want to challenge myself and a half-marathon is a lofty goal so let's start small.
13. No clothes shopping unless it's a necessity. After organizing my closet on New Year's I was reminded of all the blessings I have. I really do not need any more clothes and I will survive until I am at my happy weight when I am sure I will need a pantervention.

14. Remember to love fully, live simply and laugh often.

I think this song is my theme for the new year:

What are your goals/resolutions for this year?

WILW & OHP: July 10

Hey y'all,

The whole day off in the middle of the week last week has thrown me completely off. So, today is Wednesday and I will hopefully be back to the swing of blogging. This week I am loving....

...Despicable Me 2. On the 4th, I spent time with friends going to see it and then a fun cookout. It was the perfect way to spend the day (I even got to sleep in).

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If you love Minions I think you should read this Buzz Feed article on 15 Reasons We Wish We Had Minions. Or this pin that helps showcase the various Minions.

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So now you all know that I love Despicable Me/Minions and yes I am excited that next December the Minion movie comes out!

...I have another planner now in the mix for decisions. I found the 2013 & 2014 Planners by PlumPaperDesigns and I think I will end up with them in the great Lilly/Erin Condren planner debate. The Plum Paper planners have the option of format similar to the EC Life Planner but they have lines! I am one of those people who loves to write on the line. They are also personalized and only $30! Less than the Luxe Lilly I was eyeing or the Life Planner.

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...the countdown to move in day is 24 days! I am still slowly packing but I visit my parent's next weekend to grab some more boxes (and see Max the cat) and really get in packing mode. It is so strange to think that I move so soon!

...speaking of packing, I have been watching my Gilmore Girls season DVDs and I am almost done with season 5! I really hope I can stretch them to move in day but they are great to put on and watch while cleaning/packing. I just finished the episode where Luke & Lorelei break up and the ribbons are around the town. It is also Logan time now which I don't love.

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...making my Christmas list. Y'all might think it is strange, but when you have relatives on both coasts, you get used to making your Christmas list early so that it can be sent to them and the gifts shipped. We used to draw names in July so I am used to having the list made by August. I will share the list soon!

...reading. I am back on the reading bug bad, and good considering according to Goodreads with my goal of 113 books I am about 8 books behind. However, thanks to NetGalley I have found some really great books and so far this week I have already read two books and I am half way done with two others!

...If you didn't watch Jami's episode of Extreme Weight Loss last night I highly recommend it! Jami's story had me crying and I recently found that she started a blog.

...these pinterest finds:

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What are you loving?

Book Club Friday

Hey y'all,

So if you are new around here welcome, and if not you might notice that this little blog had a face-lift yesterday afternoon thanks to the wonderful, Shannon Page Designs. Shannon was so lovely to work with and I am obsessed with the result. What do you think?

Well, it has been forever since I posted a book club Friday but that is mainly because I have been crazy busy  so reading has not been my my go-to.I mean this week so far I have had something to do every night of the week so I have been getting home late. So this is going to be a hybrid review/to-read list. As always you can follow along on my Goodreads account as well. So let's get to it:

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Described as: "From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting.

Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.

Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.

As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one."

I liked this ending of the sisterhood but be prepared with a box of tissues. It is not my favorite of the series but it was the end of the sisterhood.I would recommend it to anyone that loved the series but it is not a stand alone book in my opinion.

 

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Described as "The second in the incredible new Rules of Scoundrels series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah MacLean.
Lady Philippa Marbury is odd. The bespectacled, brilliant fourth daughter of the Marquess of Needham and Dolby cares more for books than balls, flora than fashion and science than the season. Nearly engaged to Lord Castleton, Pippa wants to explore the scandalous parts of London she's never seen before marriage. And she knows just who to ask: the tall, charming, quick-witted bookkeeper of The Fallen Angel, London's most notorious and coveted gaming hell, known only as Cross.
 Like any good scientist, Pippa's done her research and Cross's reputation makes him perfect for her scheme. She wants science without emotion—the experience of ruination without the repercussions of ruination. And who better to provide her with the experience than this legendary man? But when this odd, unexpected female propositions Cross, it's more than tempting . . . and it will take everything he has to resist following his instincts—and giving the lady precisely what she wants."

I love this series and can't wait for the next book. They are really quick reads and are very humorous. I think I might like this book a smidge more than the first since I relate more to Philippa than Penelope. If you like historical romances about reformed rakes this series is for you.

Upcoming Reads

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What are you reading?

Book Club Friday/Literary Junkies volume 6

Hey y'all,

So it has been a while since I wrote a Book Club Friday post and it is the sixth edition of Literary Junkies link-up so I thought I would just create a large post all about books. Up first a late Book Club Friday. I know it has been a while but I read this Young Adult series and had to share. The series is based on Biblical stories and are great uplifting teen novels for us Christian girls. These were really quick reads (I read one one Sunday afternoon/evening) and while they could all stand alone as novels the characters are all connected.

Up first:

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The last thing Addy Davidson wants is to be on a reality TV show where the prize is a prom date with the President's son.

She's focused on her schoolwork so she can get a scholarship to an Ivy League college, uncomfortable in the spotlight, never been on a date, and didn't even audition for it.

But she got selected anyway.

So she does her best to get eliminated on the very first show. Right before she realizes that the President's son is possibly the most attractive guy she has ever seen in person, surprisingly nice, and seemingly unimpressed by the 99 other girls who are throwing themselves at him.

Addy's totally out of her comfort zone but that may be right where God can show her all that she was meant to be.

Based on the story of Esther which is one of my favorite books of the Bible, this story really discusses the fact that God's plans are greater than our own and He might surprise you by placing you in a situation to do His work rather than what you expect to do.

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Kara McKormick is told she's auditioning to star in a new teen variety show. But it's what she isn't told that could change her life.

The feisty New Yorker moves to sunny Orlando to participate in a month-long audition, where she'll live with nine other contestants and an eccentric housemother. Kara knows that the show already has a big-time celebrity lined up for the co-host, but she doesn't know who it is.

Chad Beacon quickly rose to fame after winning America's Next Star, but he doesn't want his entire career to be about singing. There is so much more he wants to do-like act. The new variety show sounds like the perfect next step for him, but his parents want him to have a co-star who shares his faith since they'll be spending so much time together.

Acting is high on Kara's priority list. But a relationship with God? Not so much. In fact, she's tried to stay away from anything religious. But God is after Kara's heart and He's put people in her life who are showing her there's far more to Christianity than rules and judgment.

And just when it seems that Kara's going to have to give up her acting dream, God reveals that she may have a starring role after all-in a story so big only He could write it.

You meet Kara as Addy's roommate in First Date and this story is her journey to finding Christ which is very powerful. The book also focuses on Chad Beacon and the discussion of dating a Christian as a foundation of beliefs and the influence others have on you. I thought this was great considering my church is currently doing a series on relationships.

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How do you find your place in the world? 

Tired of watching her father flit from one wife to another and having formed a true bond with her most recent stepmother, Natalia decides to move with her from Spain to Florida when the divorce papers are finalized.

There are a couple things Natalia knows for sure: 1) She's being groomed to take over her father's international business. Success is expected. 2) There is no such thing as true love. Just look at her father. 3) Her stepmother's faith is real. And Natalia wants more of it.

Being in a new place, though, has a way of challenging one's preconceived notions. Natalia is still searching but before it's over, she hopes to discover right where she belongs.

The last book in the series has connections to the story of Ruth and knowing that God knows the plan for your life and to truly trust in Him as he shapes you bringing you to the perfect place to learn and grow and find out His plan for your life not the plan of others like your parents or societal expectations. 

If you know of any Christian teen girls that love to read I would highly recommend the series.

Now on to some literary junkies questions:

What are you currently reading? Tell us about it!

I am in a weird place where I am not really loving the books I grabbed from the library last so I am heading to the library this afternoon for hopefully some better luck at this library tonight. I am though reading not a fan. The book talks about not being a fan of Christ but rather a follower. It is described as a Define the Relationship talk to have you consider the demands and rewards of being a true disciple of Christ.

Now onto my reading habits:

Amazon or brick and mortar? Both. I tend to find books from browsing online places like Goodreads or Amazon but I tend to buy from a brick and mortar place or go to the library.

Locally owned bookshop or big name chain store?

This is hard I love to support the local stores but I haven't found one I really like so I tend to frequent the big name stores. I mainly though go to the library and the friends of the library discard sales. 

Bookmark or dog-ear?

BOOKMARK!!!! I was raised by a librarian and dog-eared pages to me think I am hurting the book. I also hate to make a crease on paper-backed books. I am all for the least damage to the physical pages.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
hahaha, so I alphabetize my DVD collection but in no way is my book shelf alphabetized. Well, I take that back since my classics shelf is alphabetized by author since those are all books I gained while getting my B.A. in English but my personal shelf is organized by genre or type (paperback vs hardcover) and then by series in order, so completely random but I understand it.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
I only tend to buy books I know I will love or those that look interesting at discard sales. I never throw away a book unless it is damaged beyond repair the rest I tend to donate or sell.

Keep dust jacket or toss it?
Keep!

Read with dust jacket or remove it?
I tend to read with it unless it moves a lot and then it is removed until finished.

Short story or novel?
Novel. Who only wants 100 pages when you can have 300+

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Collection. If an author wants to enlighten you on a few minor charachter's stories I am all for it. I hate having to find multiple anthologies for the same series just for that one story in each.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Chapter breaks usually.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”?
Both.

Buy or borrow?
Borrow. I only buy books if they are from a series I am in love with.

New or used?
new. I have some used books but I mainly buy new.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
All of the above. I tend to browse but I love to look out for recommendations and book reviews. I think that is one reason I love Goodreads.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
If it is the end of a series or a stand alone novel: tidy ending if not I am all for a cliffhanger, just don't make me wait two years for the next book.

Morning, afternoon or nighttime reading?
ALL! I seriously have a book or my nook in my purse at all times. I read during my lunch break, Saturdays as soon as I wake up and I could read for hours snuggled up in bed at night.

Single volume or series?
SERIES! I love a good series and I think that is why I love romance novels since they never really end. I have a few series I read that I am on the 20th book and more are in the works. I love it!

Favorite series?
This is really hard so I will just write one I adore:

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?

Anything by MaryJanice Davidson. I love her Undead series as well as all the others.

Link up here with Taylor and Lesley!

BlogLovin & Literary Junkies Link-Up

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Hey y'all,

Since the lovely Google Reader is disappearing, I thought I should join the world of Bloglovin. For those of you who don't use a blog reader, carry on with this post/link-up with the Literary Junkies!

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.

I am currently reading a few books....

Cocktails for Three

Described by GoodReads:

Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover -- a married man
Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with -- motherhood
Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes -- until a ghost from her past turns up
At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London's swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what's new at The Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work, and everything else that's going on in their lives. Or almost everything. Beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has a secret. And when a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, each one will find their biggest secret revealed.
In Cocktails for Three, Madeleine Wickham combines her trademark humor with remarkable insight to create an edgy, romantic tale of secrets, strangers, and a splash of scandal.

I am only about halfway through the book. It is interesting but not my favorite of Madeleine Wickham's. I will finish but I'm not sure if I would reccommend it.

The Fallen Star

GoodReads Description:

For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death

I am currently at the beginning of this book. It is on my nook as my book to read when I go to the gym but this past week I have been doing a lot of exercises at home so I have yet to pick this one back up.

2. Recommend a book that has changed your perspective on life.

I read this book as part of a Bible Study and it will change your mind and your heart as you realize your perspective on the world and how it relates to your relationship with God. We all need some strategies against the Battlefield of the Mind.
3. What book do you recommend the most to people?
I read so much that it is always so hard to reccomend just one book. I tend to reccommend authors or series I enjoy and it really depends on the person I am reccommending to, but I tend to reccommend Jane Austen, MaryJanice Davidson's Undead series, ANYTHING by Sherrilyn Kenyon, as well as the Argenau series by Lynsay Sands & Imortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole.

4. What are the top 3 books on your "to-read" list?
I just went to the local library yesterday and picked up the following:
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
First Date by Krista McGee
Right Where I Belong by Krista McGee
Jessica's Guide to Datine on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

5. What do you "do" while reading? (i.e. listen to music, eat) Any weird reading habits?
I tend to read while listening to music but I can really read everywhere.

Join on in with the link-up!

Book Club Friday....

Hey y'all,

It's official, I am the proud owner of a nook Simple Touch. I am so happy and grateful that my parent's gave me a big birthday gift so early and if you are looking for just an e-reader I highly reccomend it. It is the perfect size and allows you to add memory if you ever fill it up, not to mention it has a 2 month battery supply!!!!

So since I received my nook on Saturday afternoon, I have already read one book on it and downloaded a few more. I am very lucky to have access to the North Carolina Digital Library. It allows you to download ebooks and check them out for a various amount of time. Most of the books I have downloaded are issued for a week and then they disappear from your device. Much like a library though there are a limited amount of copies of any given book so you sometimes have to sit on a waitlist to enjoy your book but free is a whole lot better than spending your own money.

I read:

Kady Cross' The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2)

In New York City, 1897, life has never been more thrilling - or dangerous.
Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade-the dangerous device Jasper stole from him...for the life of the girl Jasper loves.
One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens.

I actually reviewed the first book here. I loved that the book continues right where the first novel stops and loved the relationship between Finely and Griffin's development along with learning more about the character of Jasper.


I am also almost finished reading Kindred Spirits and Definitely Not Mr. Darcy (nook book) but with being gone all weekend, a dinner in Raleigh with friends, coffee with another friend and crazy weather here I have yet to sit down and finish them off. I also tried to start The Casual Vacancy but after about 50 pages I was not enticed....

What are you reading right now?

Peace and Blessings,
jDl

Book Club Friday!

Hey y'all,

I hope that your weeks have all been well! I have already read 2 books toward my goal of 113, three if you are like Goodreads and count Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible. So here we go:

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Born of Shadows

 This is the 4th of the League Series. I actually re-read Born of Ice on New Year's Day as a refresher. The book is described as:

In a world where the League and its assassins rule, where betrayal and treachery are everywhere . . . the only survivors are those ones who are . . .

BORN OF SHADOWS

For Caillen Dagan, a defiant soldier of fortune, survival isn't a right, it's a brutal daily battle. Moving through the Ichidaian universe like a wraith, his brushes with the law and death are legendary. But when an act of rare heroism reveals his hidden birthright, he's forced into a world much more dangerous and cold-hearted than the bloody streets where he was raised-one of obscene wealth and lethal politics.

Ferocious and determined, Desideria serves as an official bodyguard for her queen. Born of questionable genetics, she will do anything to prove herself worthy of the weapons she carries and the position she's won by combat. But when she uncovers a ruthless plot to assassinate the queen and overthrow her country's government, Desideria is caught in the crosshairs.

With assassination contracts out on both of them, Caillen and Desideria must learn to fight together or die alone. And if they fail, their governments will fall into the hands of an unimaginable evil.

My Thoughts:

I loved the story behind Caillen especially after meeting his family members in the other books. However, I did not love the jump back in time. This story takes place a few years after the first two books, Born of Night and Born of Fire. Born of Ice jumps forward in time so I feel that this book should truly be labeled as the third book in the series. I did love the story though and thought it was great.

Carrie Jones' Captivate

 

The second in the Need series described as:

 

He smiles. It's a wicked smile. Kind but not kind. Handsome but dangerous. Feral almost. I can see why Nick nearly killed him, Nick...
I ask again, "Why were you in the road?"
"I was waiting for you."

Zara and her friends thought they'd solved the pixie problem. And they did - sort of. The pixie's are all locked away, deep in the woods. But the king's needs grow stronger each day that he is in captivity, while his control over his people weakens. And it's enough to draw a new king into town. Astley claims he is different. He claims there are pixies who can live peacefully with humans, that it doesn't have to be all violence and nastiness all the time. Zara wants to believe him...until Astley also claims that she is fated to be his queen.

There is no way Zara would ever turn pixie. And she's got good friends who will make sure of that. Besides, she and Nick are so in love they're practically inseparable. But when they very thing Zara wants to protect most is exactly what's at risk, she is forced to make choices she never imagined....

 

My Thoughts:

I actually enjoyed this book much more than Need. The story picks up roughly at the same point Need ends and continues the journey and discovery of what pixies are in connection to Zara (a half-human half-pixie highschooler).

 

 

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is up next!

 

What have you been reading so far this year?

 

Peace and Blessings,

jDl

Book Club Friday...

Hey y'all,

Some exciting news arrived Wednesday morning and I can't wait to share more with you but it might take a few days until all the details are worked out so in the mean time, lets delve into what I have been reading lately and the few books that are next on my list to read. I haven't read a lot recently so please excuse this bookworm.

The Chronicles of Nick Series. If you read the Sherrilyn Kenyon novels of the Dark Hunter series, this is a teen spin off that focuses on the character of Nick Gautier. Sherrilyn has stated that this series in its conception will eventually link back up with the Dark Hunter series, so of course I had to start this and learn about Nick's past.

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Infinity.
The first book in the Chronicles of Nick is described according to GoodReads as "At fourteen, Nick Gautier thinks he knows everything about the world around him. Streetwise, tough and savvy, his quick sarcasm is the stuff of legends. . .until the night when his best friends try to kill him. Saved by a mysterious warrior who has more fighting skills than Chuck Norris, Nick is sucked into the realm of the Dark-Hunters: immortal vampire slayers who risk everything to save humanity.

Nick quickly learns that the human world is only a veil for a much larger and more dangerous one: a world where the captain of the football team is a werewolf and the girl he has a crush on goes out at night to stake the undead.

But before he can even learn the rules of this new world, his fellow students are turning into flesh eating zombies. And he's next on the menu.

As if starting high school isn't hard enough. . .now Nick has to hide his new friends from his mom, his chainsaw from the principal, and keep the zombies and the demon Simi from eating his brains, all without getting grounded or suspended. How in the world is he supposed to do that?"
It is interesting to see Nick meet Acheron and Kyrian from the Dark Hunter series as a young child and learn about his past and some of his own personal struggles. Nick while a character that appears in most of the Dark Hunter novels and has a story has yet to have a lot of light shone on him as Acheron did in his own novel. It is very enlightening and has you wanting to know more about the Malachai and the darkness that surrounds the young Nick.

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Invincible.
The second book "Nick Gautier’s day just keeps getting better and better. Yeah, he survived the zombie attacks, only to wake up and find himself enslaved to a world of shapeshifters and demons out to claim his soul.

His new principal thinks he’s even more of a hoodlum than the last one, his coach is trying to recruit him to things he can’t even mention and the girl he’s not seeing, but is, has secrets that terrify him.
                                    
But more than that, he’s being groomed by the darkest of powers and if he doesn’t learn how to raise the dead by the end of the week, he will become one of them..."
The second book in the series continues right after the first one and continues to elaborate on the relationships of the young Nick with Grim(yes, as in Death) as his personal tutor of the forces of evil and learning the price individuals will go in order to gain fame and immortality. 

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Infamous (currently reading...well, almost done)
The third book in the series: "Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That’s the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn’t the average teenager. He’s a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He’s learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive and keep a girlfriend so dang hard? But that isn’t the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known, or he’ll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he’ll lose everyone he cares about. Even himself."
Beginning 6 months after the second book, this book has a lot of unexpected twists. I still have about 150pgs left as I type this and I have been shocked multiple times. The beginning arrives with the revelation of Ambrose's true identity and the secrets continue to unravel as Nick tries to balance a life in high school, working for the Dark Hunters, finding a bully, and discovering more about his powers, his family and the job of the Malachai. 

The fourth book, Inferno comes out in March.

now here are some reads that are next on my list:

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What are you currently reading? Link up with Heather here.