Title: Wanted
Series: No
Author: Annika James
Published: January 2013, MuseItUp
Format: Ebook provided by Sizzling PR for review
Attacked as a young witch and left for dead, Ashlinn is deathly afraid of being bitten again. Having survived until she’s almost eighteen without donating blood to any of her vamp friends, Ashlinn figures she’ll continue to live bite-free. After her crush reveals how powerful she is, however, the Vampire Council declares she be claimed as a familiar, which requires biting. Ashlinn doesn’t want to be owned, even by hot vamp, Conor. Luckily, her best friend, Matt, volunteers for the job. She is given one week to choose her protector, and the list of willing biters keeps growing. Will she go with best friend Matt, hot vamp Conor, or someone else to protect her? Will she be able to get her power under control by then? Will she overcome her phobia of being bitten? And who says she needs to be protected, anyhow?
Wanted is the story of Ashlinn, who is a teenage witch. She’s just about to come into her powers, and she’s experiencing these power surges that she can’t quite control just yet. In Wanted’s world, the paranormal live alongside the human. I love when books do this, I think it would be just awesome to have it like that out in the real world. Also, in this world that Annika James created, when a witch is that powerful the vampires are drawn to her. A vampire can claim a witch to be his familiar. This was an interesting concept that I hadn’t heard of before. Basically, they exchange blood for the rest of their lives. The witch gives the vampire power, and the vampire gives the witch immortality. To me, this sounds awesome. Especially when you meet the vampires Ashlinn gets to choose from – and according to the Vampire Council, she HAS to pick someone, or they will do it for her.
Ashlinn herself was a pretty ok character. I wasn’t too far on either side of the fence about her. She seemed a bit preoccupied with her fear of getting bit due to something that happened when she was a young child. At times her fears just felt a bit overwhelming, but that was the basis of the story, so I get it.
Then she has a vampire best friend, Matt. Matt is the all American boy next door, who has recently become a super hottie. I found him to be genuine and sweet and I enjoyed him through the story. He was a true friend in that he was willing to make sacrifices for his best friend’s happiness and well being.
And then there is Conor. Conor is the vampire who wants to claim her, and she’s had a crush on him forever. Picture tall dark and sexy. Well, as sexy as an eighteen year old vampire can get. At times I found him to be a bit too secretive, but overall I really enjoyed his character the most. I felt he was infinitely patient and I think he was sincere. And if I were Ashlinn, I would have definitely picked him. Team Conor!
Overall I enjoyed the story. I did feel it read a bit young for my tastes, even though I do enjoy some YA. It went quickly and flowed well. I do think there was some great tension at certain points, but I felt the ending kind of took the easy way out. If you are looking for a quick and easy read, I’d definitely put Wanted on your radar.
***Excerpt***
I
could tell he was still looking down at me. His hand rested on the shelf next
to my
head and his other hand came up on the other side, trapping me between his arms.
I looked up shyly. How many times had I pictured being alone with Conor? It was
like a dream, and I was frozen, unsure of what to do, unsure of what he wanted
from me. What was he playing at?
He
leaned toward me, holding my gaze with his. I forgot how to breathe, how
to
think. Then his lips touched mine, electricity exploding up and down my body.
Soft
and gentle, they probed, tasting, testing. I didn’t move to touch him, just
remained
frozen. There was only the kiss. His mouth moved to my jaw, kissing his
way
down to my neck. His teeth grazed my skin.
I
unfroze and found my voice. “No!” I felt a surge of power push through me.
Conor
flew backward across the room. He crashed into a bookcase, sending an
avalanche
of books over him as he fell to the floor. He slumped there, holding his head,
dazed. He looked up in confusion, mouth opened ready to speak. At that moment,
my muscles remembered how to move and I ran for the door. It opened in front of
me, not of my power, and Matt appeared. He’d probably felt my surge of power. I
hadn’t meant to throw Conor. Panic had overtaken me and I had lost control for
an instant.
I
flew into Matt’s arms and he embraced me. Matt was my rock. His presence
calmed
me, it always did. He was like a protective big brother. I knew he
understood
the whole scene in the seconds before I’d found his arms. I buried my
face
in the T-shirt pulled tight across his strong chest, and breathed in his scent,
a
mix
of fabric softener and cologne. It was familiarity, it was home, and it helped
to center me. I peeked out at Conor. He stepped out of the pile of books and
straightened
his clothing.
Author’s Bio:Annika James lives in small-town Wisconsin with her husband and two beautiful kiddos. She spends her days working to pay the bills and her nights dreaming of more fun ways to do so. Her passions include writing, reading, music and traveling with her family. She dreams of a world where vampires and powerful witches really exist, because life would be so much more interesting.
