In My Books - The Hunted by Kristy Berridge

In my books – (pun intended ha-ha) the only author more impressive then Nicholas Sparks, is “The Hunted’”s creator Kristy Berridge.  She has a gifted way with words that are equally relatable and effortlessly imagined.  With the exception of The Twilight Series, the supernatural fiction genre is not generally my cup of tea, so I was genuinely surprised by how much I cherished every minute of this 572 paged novel.  There is nothing you won't find among these pages. It has something for everyone to enjoy.  There is magic, vampires, werewolves, kick butt action, witty humor and above all romance.  Better yet, it is not your typical supernatural fiction and is nothing at all like anything you have already read or seen.  Berridge makes the effort and takes the time to establish the characters and their back stories in the chapters of book one in a series of five. Berridge also manages to bring new life to the fictional world of vampires and werewolves inventing new rules within the genre. This makes it unpredictable and builds curiosity the further in you get, making it difficult to put down.  

ABOUT THE BOOK

Elena Manory is by no means an ordinary teenage girl. Being born with the ability to heal herself from any injury, and with the knowledge that on her eighteenth birthday she will become a vampire, Elena is aware that she is more than a little different from other girls her age. It isn’t until she meets William Granville, an alluring and impossibly handsome vampire, that she begins to question her destiny and what secrets the Institute of Magical Intervention and her adopted family have withheld—secrets that could change the fates of not only her own life, but of the lives of all the immortals. As events spiral out of control, William may be the only person Elena can place her trust in. He, and Elena’s magical family, must fight to save her, joining forces to defeat a common, deadly foe. For William, it is his chance to save the girl that he has searched eternity to find.

The heroine in this highly-imaginative Aussie-based tale is a vampire—but she is something more. This is a fast-paced, intelligent and highly-entertaining novel … The final chapters are climatic, desperate, chilling. For a first novel, Berridge ticks all the boxes. She has the makings of a career author. To attempt what is now a well-worn theme and produce something fresh, vital and entertaining is the mark of an enterprising and crafted writer. —Wendy O’Hanlon, Acres Australia

This is a debut novel from a bright and bubbly young author. It is entertaining, quirky and has some wry touches of humour … an adventurous lightly romantic read that will appeal to teenagers and other devotees of the vampire horror genre. — John Morrow’s Pick of the Week

Furthermore, take a look at the original book trailer here.  

I am no expert book reviewer so I will keep this short, but here are my reasons “The Hunted” should be on everyone’s must read list.  Every teenager has a little bit of the main character Elena within him/her; even if it’s merely similar mocking thoughts expressed or even unspoken.  Her sarcasm and witty temperament alone makes for a good read.  The most appealing element to this novel for me would have to be the relationship between Elena and William.  The feelings between these characters are intense to say the least and Berridge realistically explores a connection between these two paranormal beings.  My romanticism aside, “The Hunted” follows a well written heroine in her effort to contend with typical teenage hormones all the while having the extra baggage of being born of the supernatural world. The climactic ending to the first book in the series leaves you anticipating what comes next in Elena's world.  It is hands down the best book I read last year.  If i had read it this year then I am quite confident it would have taken that trophy instead...   

“The Hunted” is already available on Amazon in paperback and kindle form.  As you may already know you can become a fan of this spectacularly written book on Facebook.  For all those existing fans, you may benefit to know that you do not have to wait till the release of book number two “The Damned” (expected in July 2012) to read the humorous words of Kristy Berridge.  Kristy has her own worldly popular Blogger page with over 18,000 views to date. WARNING: It is an addiction waiting to happen!  For this reason, I would hate to keep it a secret.  Nothing wrong with a healthy addiction of LAUGHTER!  Follow this link to start your obsession today!  Book number two “The Damned” is so close to release you can almost touch it.  But for the time being there's also the book trailer here to keep us on our toes.  


So why don't you join me in reading (well re-reading in my case) before "The Damned"'s pages are acting out in your imagination.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Perth, Western Australia in 1982, Kristy Berridge was ushered into the world in a decade of bad hair, parachute pants, and blue eye shadow. Fortunately, she managed to avoid all three influences by immersing herself in the business of growing up, and hitched a ride with her fun-loving, and adventure-filled parents to the sunny state of Queensland. Here she completed most of her education. Besides learning that boys don’t have cooties, and that algebra wouldn’t kill her, she pointedly set the path of her high school career towards success in Art and English-based subjects, and won numerous awards for her efforts. After high school she went on to study Graphic Design and Illustration at James Cook University, and then furthered her studies at the local TAFE college with an Interior Design course. With this knowledge under her belt, she also decided to undertake a three year Design course at Rhodec International in London, to complete her education and propel her towards the successful career she now enjoys.  She currently resides in Cairns with her husband Navaro, who is her biggest support and a constant source of motivation to finish the next novel. 

Think Red for Valentine's Day

With the countdown to Valentine's Day 2012, here at Confidence Is Key Lingerie we have a few designs that would be perfect for your night romancing your Valentine. Browse through the below styles for something that would make your night complete. I have chosen the theme red in true Valentine's Day fashion.

Delicate Sexy Corset Set

The Delicate Sexy Corset Set is available in M and L. This set is a red and black delicate corset set with matching g-string, complete with spaghetti straps and suspenders. View this product.

Bustier Corset with Panty

This 3 piece mesh embroidered corset is bound to impress your Valentine in more ways than one. It is available in M, L and XL. View this product.

Oriental Collared Corset

This 2 piece Asian inspired collared corset features soft boning and a front zipper. It is available in M, L and XL and comes with a matching g-string. View this product.

Sexy Red and Black Babydoll

If you are looking for something on the raunchier side, this sexy red and black babydoll set is perfect for you. It comes with a matching g-string and in size M only. View this product.

Black and Red Kiss Babydoll

This sweetly cut black and red babydoll is a very romantically styled babydoll with matching g-string. It is available in M and L. View this product.

If you are looking for something in particular to show off to your partner this Valentine's, you can find many more to suit your fantasies.

Visit www.confidenceiskeylingerie.com.au and plan your evenings under garments.

Valentine’s Day on a Budget

Valentine’s Day falls soon after the greatly expensive Christmas period and due to this reason, a lot of couples choose not to celebrate this day of love. Here are a few ideas to make your next Valentine's Day one to remember.

Second to waking up next to your partner on Valentine’s Day there is breakfast in bed. If you don’t have the luxury of having the day off to celebrate, straightforward pancakes are inexpensive and quick to whip up. Heart shaped silicone rings can be inexpensively brought and stashed for further use for Anniversaries and future Valentine’s Days, not to mention any time you just want to spoil the one you love.

Instead of going out to an expensive and almost certainly crowded restaurant, surprise your partner with his/her favourite meal. This will allow you both to feel more comfortable and if truth be told, focus solely on one another.

Take a stroll on the beach or pier and take along desert and a blanket with you. This could be something you handmade yourself. Find a secluded spot and enjoy your sweets while watching the water.

While your partner is relaxing in a bubble bath that you have run, spread rose petals on the bed in the shape of a heart. This can be an expensive gesture, but you can make it affordable from buying artificial rose petals instead of tearing them from real roses.

Candles are also good to set the mood – just be sure to put them in a place that is impossible for the hot wax to drip down on places it shouldn’t. Unless it is something you have chosen to do. It can be quite a mood killer to unexpectedly have wax dripping on you.

Instead of going to the movies hire love themed DVD’s from the video shop, or choose a few of your partners’ favourites that you already have at home to save some money. You could also consider re-watching the movie you saw on your first date, could also be sentimental.

Inexpensive Gift Ideas

The acknowledgement of Valentine’s Day is more about commemorating your love then it is about buying or receiving expensive gifts. But if you like to spoil your partner here are a few ideas that will not break the budget.

Give your Valentine a Valentine’s Day Card. Not everyone is comfortable writing their feelings down therefore this is a guarantee that your partner will appreciate it all the more. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be a Romeo incarnate to achieve this with success. It can be easy to neglect the little things when you have been with someone for a long time so a card with a mere Happy Valentine’s Day message is worth a thousand words. It may be a cliché but remember there is nothing more powerful then saying “I LOVE YOU.” Try making your own card to give it that extra meaning and save some money. You could also try leaving romantic messages around the house or anywhere your Valentine will be that day on heart shaped post-it notes or cut outs.

Although tradition/media leads us to believe that a dozen red roses is the way to go for such an occasion, a single flower can be just as effective. A sure winner would be your Valentines favourite flower – not always typically a rose.

A box of chocolates – it is a rarity that anyone can resist the incredibly delicious taste of this creamy milky goodness. You can easily dress up the packaging with a ribbon around the house.

When it comes down to it, the only thing that matters on Valentine’s Day is enjoying the company of the person you love and showing them just how much you care. Because whether you are an overly sentimental person or you don’t have a romantic bone in your body, it is how you feel when you are with your Valentine that you are both going to remember.