Tell Me Something Tuesday - Favorite Heroine

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a fun weekly meme hosted by Cambria @ CambriaHebert.com.

Each week there will be a new question to answer and share.  This is a great way for bloggers to get to know one another.

This week's question:

Who is your favorite heroine (in a book)?

1.  Lina from Between Shades of Gray by by Ruta Sepetys.

Lina is a fifteen year old Lithuanian girl living during the time of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States (at the same time as the Holocaust).  While the Holocaust is a time that most everyone knows about, The occupation of the Baltic States is just as tragic, but very few people know about this devastating event.  Lina survives her horrific ordeal to later go on a build a future and have children.

2.  Katerina from The Gathering Storm (Katerina Trilogy #1) by Robin Bridges.

Katerina learns she is a Necromancer - she can raise the dead.  What a huge secret to live with!!  She not only learns to accept her fate, but is able to use it in a positive way.

3.  Nikki from Halflings (Halflings #1) by Heather Burch.

Nikki is unknowingly targeted by some evil force. She has to face attacks around every corner, but luckily she finds herself in the company of some very handsome "hot" protectors called Halflings.  In the end she has to make some very difficult choices that could have an impact on  the survival of the human race!!!!

4.  Genevieve from Ties To The Blood Moon by Robin P. Waldrop.

The book begins with Gen losing her mother in a tragic house fire.  So she moves in with her aunt.  Soon after moving in with her aunt, Gen learns of a huge family secret and the life she is dealt.  She must go on a very dangerous journey in order to save the life of those she loves.

5.  Marissa from Undertow by Callie Kingston.

Marissa has had a very hard life - problems with her mother and her ex, Drake, both of which have betrayed her.  She goes to the beach to escape and almost dies at the hands of a rogue wave.  She is rescued by a gorgeous creature.  She becomes obsessed in finding her savior to the point of almost losing herself.  

I'd love to hear about your favorite heroines!  

Share your link or heroine in the comments below

Book Review: The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Publishing Date:  January 10, 2012
ISBN: 9780385740227
Genre: YA, historical, paranormal, fantasy, romance
Author page:  http://www.robinbridges.com/




Summary:  St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue. 


An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn. 


The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?


Review:  Robin Bridges created a wonderful story with fully fleshed-out characters with a setting that was so inviting to the reader.  How often can you say that about a paranormal or fantasy novel?  While I really enjoy paranormal and fantasy genres, I cannot say that I have ever been this head-over-heels drawn to a story-line.  


I found the historical aspects of the novel very intriguing.  I am a huge lover of historical fiction, and although this is not a true historical fiction, it has many of the same aspects.  Learning about this time period of Russia could not have been more entertaining.  While keeping to the setting of 1888 St. Petersburg, Russia, the author cleverly wove in the paranormal features and romantic touches that made the story what it is.  


I recently ran across a quote from Jo Ann Ferguson that I thought really portrayed the feel of this novel.  She was asked for her definition of paranormal: "A story that has an element of the impossible which makes everything in the story possible."  Does that not say so much?


 I must admit that this is my favorite of all the books I have read so far in 2012 (I think that I stated that in another post about this book).  I was wrapped up in the characters & setting from page one.  I still feel tied to the book, running scenes through my mind every so often.  I honestly did not want the book to end.  The good news is that it is only the first in the trilogy (The Katerina Trilogy, Vol. 1) - I have more to look forward to.

W...W...W... Wednesday (2)

W....W....W.... Wednesdays is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.  To take part in this feature, you answer 3 questions in a blog post:



To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…


• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?




What are you currently reading?  I have just started reading Running Wide Open by Lisa Nowak.  I am a big NASCAR fan, so this title and book cover caught my attention.  I am not that far into it, but like what I have read so far.














  What did you recently finish reading?  I just finished The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges.  I must say that this is by far my favorite book so far in 2012.  There is so much wrapped up into this book that my mind is still spinning & needing more.  I am anxiously waiting for book 2.  














What do you think you'll read next?  Good question.  I think I will read Candlewax by C. Bailey Sims.  This is another one that the cover attracted my attention, and then the summary caught me.  The first part of the summary of Goodreads:  An Ancient Prophecy. A Powerful Relic. An Insatiable Evil. When all three converge, the fate of every living thing will be in peril.