Review: The Last Girl by Kitty Thomas

Publication Date: Febuary 14th, 2011
Finished Date: April 19th, 2012
Publisher: Burlesque Press
Format: eBook for Review
My Rating: 3.5/5

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Blurb from Goodreads:
Six years ago strangers broke into Juliette’s house; she was home alone and only thirteen. She kept her eyes closed, praying that if she didn’t see anything, she wouldn’t be killed. No one harmed her. In fact, one of the thieves protected her. Now Juliette’s dreams are haunted by him.

Christian has waited to take her, resisting the urge each night. It always ends badly with human pets. They’re too fragile. The longer he can wait, the better, because the moment he takes her, the clock on her life starts ticking down.

Then she’ll be gone forever.

Warning: This book is dark erotica meant for a mature audience only.

My Review

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the cover? My first thoughts were: Surreally mysterious and darkly sensual. I'm a girl who likes a dark erotica once in awhile and am entitled to my occassional guilty pleasures, and I think my erotica side was more dominating at the time, so after reading the synopsis, I was hell-bent on getting a copy of THE LAST GIRL. I went straight to Thomas' website, found her contact list and requested a copy. She generously gave one to me, and after that, I signed up for THE LAST GIRL's tour when the sign ups were up.

THE LAST GIRL holds a certain similarity to COMFORT FOOD, Thomas' very first novella and another dark erotica. Both were deeply disturbing and highly, well, stimulating, but I have to say that THE LAST GIRL captivated me more.

My Summary (a.k.a. SPOILERS!)
The story's almost exactly as the synopsis portrays it to be - Julia was thirteen years old when her house was broken into. Her parents were out, and Julia was home alone. She hid in her cupboard and hoped that the burglars would steal what they would and just leave her alone. Unharmed. Unscathed. Unseen. But what she didn't expect was for those very burglars be able to smell and sense her out. The cupboard door opens but she doesn't open her eyes. She pleads for her life, saying that she hadn't seen them, and she wouldn't rat them out if they would just let her live. One of them, a male, spares her. Something about him calms her. And after some time, they left.

Julia has been living with the same nightmare where the male burglar would somehow come back for her six years after the incident. And of course come back he did.

Christian has been alive since before the 14th century. He's taken many women as pets, but he ends up killing all of them in the process. Or they end up killing themselves. Either way. He's been abstaining from getting another one, but this one's too hard to resist. Since the time he saw her, eyes shut tight and compliant, he couldn't stop thinking about taking her. But the time is not right yet. He will bid his time until the moment she is ripe and for the reaping to come to make his presence in front of her again.

He's determined to keep this one alive, but how can he? When he is the lion and she the lamb? When his blood lust keeps trying to take control?

My Thoughts
I thought that the romance and plot of the book moved a little too fast that it bordered on impracticality sometimes, but most of the other times, I thought it was good and comfortable. It got confusing sometimes too, but Thomas seemed to have address those few points in the book. For example, Christian was lost in his blood lust once and was killing Julia when all of a sudden, he snapped out of it and says, "I think I love you." And I went, "okayyyy". Julia went on to reminisce about the time when she read Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, feeling cynical about the possibilities of true love developing over only a short time, and that now she finally gets it. Only those who went through the torturous yet wonderful process will understand its magic and complexity. Well, that's one way to solve the problem. Even though it wasn't as much of an explanation, she did tie up all the loose ends in this book, and for that I thought that it was a job well done.

Also because TLG is a novella, the originally goody-two-shoes Julia had her inhibitions about "public displays" stripped away rather quickly. It happened in this club that catered to patrons with more extreme sexual needs (think BDSM), where hypnotic, erotic electronica plays in the background that soothes away your fears and throbs and "envelopes [her] like a primal scream as [they, meaning Julia and Christian] step into manufactured fog". I've never heard of music that could turn people horny, but I'll keep a lookout for that and give Julia the benefit of the doubt in the mean time. But anyway, the other patrons there are enough to give the sexually-charged atmosphere, so it was pretty, well, lascivious.

I loved the vivid descriptions that Thomas wrote. She has this way of writing that can paint a clear scene in my head.

Christian was a damn fine hero-villain to the story, mostly. He was the dark, mysterious, powerful, ancient, handsome, commanding (maybe a little too commanding sometimes) vampire that I prefer, it was just sometimes he wasn't as brooding and person-of-little-words as was my personal ideal. But still, I still liked the way he was with Julia - caring and tender at times, and domineering and sexy in others.

I think that all of Thomas' books have their own specialty and unique feature about them. In COMFORT FOOD it was the psychological play that she did on the readers and heroine's mind, in this it was the haunting past that connected her to a vampire obsessed with her. Someone who had so much power over her, and someone who stalked her and knew everything about her for years. Someone who was as much looking out for her as preventing her from being touched by other males.

It did get boring at one part where I almost stopped reading the book, but after that the pace picked up, and I couldn't stop reading it. I'd recommend this to fans of dark erotica and BDSM.

P.S. One thing I don't like - American slang!! What's 101 mean if it's written in a note? I didn't get it, and I assume it's an American thing. :( Lol.

Update on P.S: I talked to Kitty some time ago, and she cleared up my confusion regarding the 101 note. Apparently, I was too dense to get it while I was reading TLG. My bad. :P

My Rating

Pure Blog Tour: Character Interview with Alex & Aiden + Giveaway Deets #PureTourJLA

Introducing...


Jennifer L. Armentrout!

About Jennifer

Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren't true. When she's not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories....which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is the author of the COVENANT Series (Spencer Hill Press), the LUX Series (Entangled Publishing), and the upcoming YA contemporary mystery/thrillers DON'T LOOK BACK (Disney/Hyperion Fall 2013) and yet untitled book (Disney/Hyperion tentative Fall 2014). --Cited from Jennifer's Blog

Author Website | Blog | Goodreads | Twitter

And the wonderful sequel to Half-Blood and Daimon...

Pure!
Covenant series #2

The Blurb

There is need. And then there is Fate...

Being destined to become some kind of supernatural electrical outlet isn't exactly awesome--especially when Alexandria's "other half" is everywhere she goes. Seth's in her training room, outside her classes, and keeps showing up in her bedroom--so not cool. Their connection does have some benefits, like staving off her nightmares of the tragic showdown with her mother, but it has no effect on what Alex feels for the forbidden, pure-blooded Aiden. Or what he will do--and sacrifice--for her.

When daimons infiltrate the Covenants and attack students, the gods send furies--lesser gods determined to eradicate any threat to the Covenants and to the gods, and that includes the Apollyon... and Alex. And if that and hordes of aether-sucking monsters didn't blow bad enough, a mysterious threat seems willing to do anything to neutralize Seth, even if that means forcing Alex into servitude... or killing her.

When the gods are involved, some decisions can never, ever be undone.

Goodreads | Facebook | Amazon | Book Depository | B&N

Don't you just bloody love that cover too?? :D

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An Interview with Alex & Aiden

CYP: Hey, you two! Thanks for coming along for the interview!

Alex sits first, followed by Aiden who keeps a discreet distance on the couch. She waves. "Hi there!"
Aiden nods.


CYP: So, how's everything so far? You two doing great? Going great? *waggles brows*

Alex's eyes shoot wide, but Aiden only arches a brow. "Training is going well."


CYP: Haha, OK, for starters, let's do a simple introduction. Alex, what's the Covenant like?

Alex glances at Aiden before answering. "It's okay. I mean, there isn't much to do other than training and going to class. So nothing too exciting. I'm still on lockdown, so I pretty much only see the walls of my dorm."


CYP: Hm, not the usual "hub-bub". You must be bored to death. ;P Anyway, what about your powers? I've heard Aiden, you're quite the "hot stuff" around? Hehe. (Excuse the lame-ness)

"I can control the fire element, if that is what you're referencing." He cocks his head to the side. "Though I don't like to use it unless necessary. It can be a very destructive ability."


CYP: Destructive or not, it is a rather cool ability. Most Pures have control over air only right? So fire must be a really cool power to have. Alex, when you're training, what do you enjoy doing?

Alex grins. "I like the more physical stuff. Think takedowns on mats."
"Why doesn't that surprise me," Aiden murmurs.


CYP: Well, girls who like action are kickass, so that should be a good thing. Aiden's been your *looks at Alex* Kung Fu teacher for quite some time now, how's he as a teacher? And Aiden, how's Alex for a student? How do you compare her with the others?

"Aiden is great." She slides him a sly look. "He's patient. Most of the time."
A small grin appears on Aiden's lips. "I've never taught a student before. I'm not an Instructor, so I really have no one to compare Alex to."
"That's because there's no one you can compare me to."
Aiden's smile spreads and one dimple appears. "That is probably the truest thing you have said."


CYP: *Looks back and forth between interviewees, amused* What were your first impressions of each other? It happened way before Alex left the Covenant three years back right? How did you two meet? Was there any immediate spark or something? (Hey, I'm a romantic :P)

Alex starts staring at the ceiling, lips pursed.
"Next question." Aiden says.


CYP: :( Lol, okaaaaay. I hear that there's a third in this little party. Tell me about Seth. I wanna hear both of your views.

"Seth is... well, he's Seth," Alex says. "He's kind of different. Most of the time I don't know if he's being serious, joking, or if he's just plan psychotic."
Aiden stiffens. "I don't want to talk about him."


CYP: Hmm, do both of you have any most embarrassing memories to share?

Alex laughs. "Do I have to pick just one? Gods, they are so many."
Beside her, Aiden laughs. "Most embarrassing moment for me? Probably walking in on my brother doing things he shouldn't be doing."


CYP: OH damn, that sounds...awkward. But I am intrigued. :P Deacon seems to have a knack for foing some of the most random and unique stuff. Haha, ok now we'll be moving on to the rapid fire questions!


1. Favourite food?
Alex's eyes lite up. "Red meat of any kind."
"Chicken," Aiden answers.


2. Favourite movie?
Aiden shakes his head. "I don't get to watch a lot of movies. I think the last one I saw was a James Bond flick."
"I really liked Talladega Nights. Cracks me up everything I watch it."


3. Favourite season/weather?
"Summer," both of them answer.

(CYP: Aww, cute. :P)

4. Favourite color?
"Gray," Alex answers, then blushes as if she hadn't meant to say that.
Aiden grins, but doesn't answer.


5. Favourite person in the world? (Please refrain from cheesiness. >:|)

"Caleb." She rolls her eyes. "Who did you think I'd say?"
Aiden laughs. "I'd have to say Deacon."


CYP: Well, you never know...Teenagers nowadays. *Shrugs*


CYP:  Okok, any parting words?

"I think I should be able to sleep in on Saturdays," Alex says.
Aiden chuckles. "Nice try."

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What I have to say about Pure:

I'm still doing up my review for PURE, but I've read it a few days ago, and I really liked it! I'm rating it a 4/5 stars, and I must say, it really is deserving of every one of them. The stars, I mean. It was GREAT. More action, more tragedies, more romance, more deceptions, more everything! I can't, can't, can't wait for DEITY to be out! Stay tuned for my full review!

See anything that caught your eye? If so, you can find out more about Ms Armentrout and her novels at the following sites:

Author Website | Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Book Depository | B&N

Or see the full schedule for the tour HERE.

Giveaway Details!

There are two tour long giveaway's going on - one at StuckInBooks and one at A Cupcake and a Latte's blog.

To gain an entry in either/both of the tour giveaways for Pure, leave a comment here about

1) If you've read either Daimon, Half-blood, or Pure, what do you think about the series so far? Which are your favourite scenes?
2) If you haven't read any of the books yet, then what do you think of the series?

and then go to StuckInBooks and/or A Cupcake and a Latte with this link to complete your entry.

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This tour is hosted by

Thanks for stopping by!

Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Astarte's Wrath by Trisha Wolfe

Astarte’s Wrath
A Kythan Guardians Novella
Prequel to Destiny’s Fire
By Trisha Wolfe
Expected publication: July 2012

The Blurb

Two thousand years before Dez Harkly developed her secret powers, Kythan Astarte vowed to free the Kythans from the binds that enslaved them to the Egyptian pharaohs and sorcerers. Discover the prophecy that originated from a very different time, and spans generations to link two very different girls...This is the beginning.

Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Actium, in the city of Alexandria, Star struggles with her guardian duties as her feelings for the newly named pharaoh of Egypt grow deeper. Not only is Caesarian her duty, he’s the son of Cleopatra, and he’s…human. All of which makes their love forbidden.

But when a conspiracy linked to Caesar, Caesarian’s own father, creeps its ways into Alexandria, Star must choose between helping her fellow Kythans free themselves of their servitude, or protecting her charge—the last pharaoh—while Egypt burns around her.

Author Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

About Trisha: I'm the author of the YA Steampunk/Paranormal Romance DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific 2012). My published short stories have appeared in YA literary journals, Fantasy magazines, and anthologies. I'’ve written four books in the past two years, and I’m currently working on the sequel to DF and a Sci-fi project.

I’m the creator of YA Bound, a promotional blog for the Young Adult genre. Also a proud member of YALITCHAT.ORG, SCWW, and The Apocalypsies.

I'm represented by the fabulously talented Lauren Hammond of ADA Management. And I’m also a business owner, partnered with my partner, my husband. When I’m not busy doing all of the above, I’m a wife. . . and the mother of a gorgeous boy who's the sounding board for my male characters.

--Cited from Her Website

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An Excerpt from Astarte's Wrath

Whenever the sky bleeds, covering the once-blue pallet with crimson, and the bright ball of fire burns through billowy puffs of white, staining them and the earth in hues of red-orange and amber…and ash floats on a non-existent breeze, I know the Narcolym Guardians are waging a battle.

            Shuttering my window, I unloose the hemp thread, and a sheer curtain veils the sand-covered horizon from my vision. My fingers trail the cream fabric, the tips tracing the darkening clouds against the light material as my other hand curls into a fist by my thigh, dousing the swirling vortex rising up at the charge in the air.

            “Star…?”

            Astarte, I correct inwardly, but pinch my lips closed. “Yes, Habi?”

            Habi’s footsteps echo throughout the mud-brick room as he approaches. “It’s time…”

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My Thoughts

Do I see Ancient Egypt and Rome???? AHHH, MY THING!! Haha, and look at those Ankhs of Life around the title of the book! I'm definitely on the look out for this one in July. Are you? :)

See anything that caught your eye? Connect with Trisha at:

Author Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

Indie Authors Spotlight (6) + Giveaway

Indie Authors Spotlight is a weekly meme that will be held every SATURDAY. It is hosted by Beckie @ Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @ A Bookalicious Story. The idea of this meme is to promote indie authors and to help them and their books get recognized. This will be a great way for book bloggers to take part in helping these authors be spotlighted for their hard work. Below you will find a list of rules to follow to be able to take part in this meme.

Since no new authors have signed up, I will be featuring the one author for this month's IAS:

Mimi Jean Pamfiloff!

About Mimi

Before taking up a permanent residence in the San Francisco Bay Area, Mimi spent time living near NYC (became a shopaholic), in Mexico City (developed a taste for very spicy food), and Arizona (now hates jumping chollas, but pines for sherbet sunsets). Her love of pre-Hispanic culture, big cities, and romance inspires her to write when she’s not busy with kids, work, and life…or getting sucked into a juicy novel.

She hopes that someday leather pants for men will make a big comeback and that her writing might make you laugh when you need it most.


Connect with Mimi: Her Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter


And her novels...


Accidentally in Love with...A God?

The Blurb

Twenty-two-year-old Emma Keane has a secret friend. He’s powerful, mysterious, and devastatingly handsome. In her dreams, anyway.

In real life, he’s an enigma. Maybe just a teensie jealous. Definitely overbearing. He’s also a voice only she can hear.

So who or what is he? He won’t say. But if she wants to be free, to be normal, Emma will have to trek to the jungles once ruled by the Mayans and find the forgotten ruin holding the answers.

However, the ruthless deity she’s about to unknowingly unleash on the modern world, might not be so easily extracted from her life. Bottom line, he’s got enemies, and now, so does she.

Available at $0.99!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Diesel | iTunes | Smashwords

I love, love, love Greek stuff with a vengeance, and damn, this book sounds so good!:D

Accidentally Married to...A Vampire?

The Blurb

“If you love her, set her free. If she comes back, she’s yours. If she doesn’t…Christ! Stubborn woman! Hunt her down, and bring her the hell back; she’s still yours according to vampire law.”
- Niccolo DiConti, General of the Vampire Queen’s Army

THE DETERMINED VAMPIRE: Niccolo DiConti has faithfully served as leader of Her Majesty’s army for over a millennium, but he’d rather sunbathe in the Sahara than spend another grueling day under his demented queen’s command. However, no one has ever left her side and lived to tell. So when a powerful goddess prophesies he will meet his salvation—a human woman he must turn into a vampire with her consent—he eagerly rises to the challenge. After all, how hard could it be to seduce a human female into taking the immortal plunge? Harder than he thinks. Because his mate won’t be born for another three centuries, and when he wakes up in the goddess’ tomb, not only is his life a mess, but his destined female isn’t about to settle for a coldhearted vampire. Can he win her over before it’s too late? Not if his enemies have anything to do with it.

AN UNWILLING BRIDE: On the night Helena Strauss meets the fierce, devastatingly handsome vampire who saves her life in the jungles of Mexico, she knows her world will be forever changed. Because an attraction this mind blowing only comes along once in a lifetime—or existence. And when he claims she is his one true mate, destined to be his for all eternity, it’s a fairytale come true. So what if her knight in shining armor is a vampire? Nobody’s perfect. But discovering the powerful, overbearing immortal doesn’t “do love”? Deal breaker. Helena will flee and set out to accomplish the impossible…sever the otherworldly bond between them. And it turns out, Helena is just the leverage Niccolo’s enemies need to break the mighty warrior and wipe out his people.

Available at $0.99!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords

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Giveaway Time!

Mimi is so kindly giving away 2 ecopies of Accidentally in Love with...A God? and Accidentally Married to...A Vampire? each! There will be two winners, each receiving an ecopy of both books. Just fill in the Rafflecopter form below, and you're good to go! Giveaway is international and will last for two weeks and will end on April 14th, 2012.