Grace by Elizabeth Scott

Grace is an Angel. To the People, Angels are used to bring justice to their world. By taking out government officials. By suicide bombs.

It's an honor to be chosen. Or so Grace and her fellow Angels have been taught to believe. Grace can't accept they were chosen for death. She doesn't want death. So when her chance arrives, she leaves the bomb and walks away before setting it off. She shames her father and the man she was promised to by this act alone.

Shunned from her people, Grace must escape before the government finds her. She is given a traveling companion--Kerr--and a story to get them across the border. What she doesn't realize or even suspect is Kerr is one of the men she's been taught to fear, hate, and kill her entire life.

Sometimes things aren't always what they seem.

Told from Grace's point of view, the story jumps from present day, to the past, and back again. You get the full story in bits and pieces. Grace is a likable character, even if she struggles to understand everything going on around her and where she fits. There are a few plot skips, but the perspective is interesting--what goes on in the mind of a suicide bomber (a young one) and are they ever given a choice.

Vampire Rising: Alex Van Helsing by Jason Henderson

I believe this is the first book in the Alex Van Helsing series.

Alex has been sent to yet another boarding school after an incident at the last one. As he's walking through the woods one night (yeah, he breaks the rules sometimes), he hears a scream. He finds a dead body and what appears to be a vampire. Not sure how, he stakes her and watches as she turns to dust. Convinced he was hallucinating, he returns to school and what he hopes is his sanity.

No such luck. Alex starts to wonder if the stories about Van Helsing are true. And if there really are vampires, is he destined to fight them? His friends are kidnapped and he knows he has no choice in the matter. He must charge into the lair of the vampires to save his friends.

An interesting premise and story. The story does waiver a little, but the action is solid and pretty believable. No romance here, just vampire hunting and plenty of it!

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Ty has been watching Gemma for the past six years. He's watched over her, left her gifts, and kept his eye on everything around her. But Gemma doesn't know that. Not until it's too late.

Gemma wakes up to find she's no longer at the Bangkok airport where she met Ty, but the middle of the outback in Australia. And Ty has no intention of ever letting her go. Escape seems impossible, especially since there are no signs of civilization any where. And that's only the beginning. What can she do but go along with what Ty wants? At least until she can figure out a way to escape.

I really enjoyed reading this story. It's told from Gemma's point of view, but she's writing to Ty, explaining to him how she felt about being abducted and held hostage. The ending does come with a little twist, and I ended up actually liking Ty. There are a few inconsistencies with the story, but on the whole, it was interesting. There's not a lot of action--but some--but the story is written well enough to hold your attention.

Possessed by Kate Cann

Rayne lives with her mom and younger brother in London. Their apartment is oppressive, as is their neighborhood. So oppressive all Rayne can think of is escape. She wants to get away from people, from all the noise.

She can't believe her luck when she finds a job posting for a tea room in a remote country estate far from London. A chance to get away.

Morton's Keep isn't exactly what she was expecting when she arrived for the interview or to start her job. The house itself is full of history, anger, rage, and malice. That history is not at all pleasant, as Rayne learns some of the murders, executions, and torture that happened within the manor's walls. Her new group of friends are fascinated with the place, especially Sir John. Rayne is more than a little disturbed by their interest and with other things she sees around the grounds and surrounding forest. She's determined to figure out what's happening before anything else happens.

The story itself reminds me of Marion Zimmer Bradley's Witchlight and The Inheritor, although not quite as creepy or dark. The setting is vivid and characters believable. There were a few moments where I had to suspend disbelief, but other than that, I enjoyed the story.

Numbers by Rachel Ward

Jem has a secret--one that makes her avoid getting too close to anyone. When she looks someone in the eye, she can see the date of their death. It's been that way for as long as she can remember, even with her mom's death.

As must as she tries to avoid him, Spider, a guy at her school, gets through her defenses and somehow they become friends. Then one day they're at the London Eye, and everyone Jem sees has the same death date--that day. She runs, Spider chases, minutes before a bomb goes off.

Now the two are on the run--they're suspects. And Jem knows time is running out--Spider's date is looming closer and closer.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The author's from England, and some of the slang is hard to follow. However, the story itself is entertaining and well-written. There is some foreshadowing that hints at what will happen in the end.