Entice is the third book in the Need series, which also include the books Need and Captivate.
Spoiler alerts for the review and I warn you, this is a series that should be read in order.

Zara White is adjusting to her new life as a pixie queen, Astley is moving heaven and earth to help her find the way to get to Valhalla to save Nick, the love of Zara’s life, and kids in Bedford are going missing at an alarming rate as the evil pixies are doing what they do best.

After reading the first two books in a flurry last year I was really looking forward to Entice. I found myself really excited to see Zara’s journey to achieve her goal and bring Nick home. I’m still not sure what to think of Astley. My spidey senses are flying off the scale. In this book he’s a perfect gentleman, but I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Zara’s friends seem to miss a couple of the large action scenes this time around and though I know dwelling on the death count would make the pace lag, it left me a little cold when the only person to have a meltdown was Issie. The action is well paced and is starting a huge build up to future books.

You’ll have to read for yourself to find out anything more about the storylines.

Rest assured Carrie has written another riveting instalment to her Need series. Entice is just as enthralling as the other two and you’ll be itching for more come the final page. Alas, it looks like the next book won’t be out until 2012.
Entice — Carrie Jones

Published 01/01/11 by Bloomsbury

Paperback, 272 pages

ISBN: 9781408810446

Belinda follows up her written review of this book with her first video mini. It’s a lot more fun when you can see your reviewer isn’t it? Stand by for more from Bel and Jamie.

The Ghoul Next Door is the second instalment in the Monster High series, following the RAD’s (Regular Attribute Dodgers)  of Merston High School, and their struggle with fitting in with normal society and trying to be themselves at the same time.

In this novel we’re following Frankie and her friends as the fallout from book one becomes the nail biting storyline for book two. There is no stopping evil Bekka’s plans to get Brett back and the RAD’s want to go public, safely. Cleo is busting a gut to become the next big thing in Teen Vogue, but what on earth are they all going to do when all hell breaks loose?

There was just as much shameless product placement in this book as there was in last one. However with the release of the merchandise, almost in sync with the book this time, I feel we have faces to add to the names in the book.  (This is, for those of us who haven’t watched episodes of the Monster High cartoons on Pay TV or on the ‘net)
I still feel that Lisi Harrison has added positive messages in the book. The importance of loyalty, how nasty peer pressure is, and being true to yourself, is just the beginning. If we scratch a little deeper there is also not making judgments on your first impressions of someone and trusting your gut instincts.

The parents took a large step back in this instalment and I’m glad. They weren’t there to totally screw up the plot and although it did seem a little weird that they went from super protective in book one, to extremely laid back in this one, it felt like perhaps they were feeling a little silly for being such butt heads previously.

This is not an intellectual’s book… only read it if you’re in the mood for fun and a few giggles. The story moves quickly and had me hooked enough to want to read through a headache.  It was worth the squinting.

Bring on book 3, Where There’s A Wolf There’s A Way, out later in 2011.
The Ghoul Next Door — Lisi Harrison

Published 1st April 2011 by Little Brown Book Group

Paperback, 256 pages

The hook in lines of; “Peer pressure sucks. So do Vampires.” really sum up the contents of the book. Rachel Caine is an international bestseller with her Morganville Vampires series, and after mauling through book one in under 24 hours, I can totally see how this has come about.

Claire moves to Morganville for University and is having her life made into a living nightmare by Monica and her minions. Between having her laundry thrown down the garbage chute, and being pushed down the stairs, it comes down to either moving away or dying right there in the dormitory.

Glass House becomes her savior. Michael Glass and his other housemates, Shane and Eve, form a quick bond with Claire and they work together to keep each other safe from the bullies and the other dirty little secret of Morganville… Vampires.

I could not believe how quickly this book flew. Everything happened at breakneck speed and though some parts, the violence in particular, had me wincing in sympathy, I found myself at the last page quicker than I wanted to be.
I wonder what situations Caine lived through to make Monica so solidly psychotic? The research for that character alone would have been enough to give me nightmares.

As for the Vampires, they’re mobster-like organization was rather typical of so many vampire books these days. They’re all untrustworthy and, though there were still a few surprises to be found in Morganville, I don’t know how Rachel is going to keep the rest of her books from slipping into the stereotypical corruption that comes with a Vampire community like that.

I am going to be looking for the second book in the Morganville Vampire series The Dead Girl’s Dance, as soon as I can.

I’ve been bitten by the Morganville bug, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Glass Houses—Rachel Caine

Published 04/01/11 by Penguin Books Australia

Paperback, 372 Pages

Ever wondered what it would be like to find an employee of the business you’re doing work experience for lying dead on his office floor? Unfortunately for Alexandra Thaler, that’s exactly what happened on her second day with Simulcorp’s marketing division.

Simulcorp is ahead of the game with state of the art virtual reality technologies that allow employees from all over the world to work in the one virtual office space. So when the head of the marketing division is murdered in his virt room across town, things get rather complicated and suspicious fingers automatically start pointing at local employees as possible culprits. Employees like Alex.

It falls to Alex and her friends to clear her name, keep her safe from a stalker, and catch the real murderer. But hey, that’s what friends are for.

Nansi had me in the palm of her hand right till the last page, and it was to the point where I was considering writing out a suspect list myself to figure out who did the deed.

I liked that her teenagers are intelligent; aren’t hung up on teen angst, and are not ruled by peer pressure to be cardboard cut-outs of one another. They are individuals and, if anything, it enhanced their friendships. The slight touch of romance wasn’t enough to lose male audiences and the guys were friendly enough to keep female audiences interested.

I didn’t realize how much I enjoy a well written mystery, and how much fun it is to follow the clues to see if it really was Miss Plum in the library with the candle stick, just as I suspected all along. Dangerously Placed is the perfect read for those excruciating days that seem to drag on forever. I promise it’ll speed things up with its fast pace, intrigue, mystery, and humor.

Thanks for reintroducing me to the mystery genre, Nansi. I appreciate it.

Dangerously Placed–Nansi Kunze

1 March, 2011, by Random House, Australia

Paperback, 275 Pages

ISBN: 9781864718829