My New Years Resolution

Okay, I've been asked from a few people about my resolution. One person was Melissa from My World in Words and Pages (no, I wasn't talking to myself... lol). Her linky to her resolution page is HERE.

I've been kicking and screaming NOT to do a resolution post but everyone is doing one and I want on that bandwagon! Wait... is there really a bandwagon? Is there an actual band? What do they play? 

Huh? 

Oh right... well, I've been like this:

yep... dragging my.. ahem.. little butt about it.

ANYHOO...

*drumroll*

Here it is:

I resolve to not have any resolutions this year!

darn it...

I already broke it. 

*sigh*

Guess there is next year...

My Soul to Steal Trailer

Ah, I so want to read this series!



YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with
Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just
pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their
relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to
take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara,
the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft
them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she
survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to
death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON'T THINK SO.

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The official shelf date is Jan, 1 2011!

I'm Over At The Unread Reader!

I've been asked to blog at the:



Yep, my boring little life is over there so bring a pillow! ;) It's about things I do...

My Fair Succubi by Jill Myles

From Goodreads:

IT SUCKS TO BE HER.

Living as a succubus has a bit of a learning curve, but with sexy fallen angel Noah to scratch her sensual Itch, Jackie Brighton is finally starting to feel ahead of the game. She almost doesn’t miss her gorgeous vampire master Zane—or his sinful, teasing mouth. She’s trying to convince herself of that, anyway.

But Jackie’s past mistakes catch up with her, spinning her life out of control once more. Just as her friend Remy’s inner demon comes out to play, Noah and Jackie are arrested by the angelic Serim Council. When Jackie seizes the chance to escape, she falls right into Zane’s waiting arms. As she’s pulled into a game of cat and mouse between vampires and angels, she finds she must also choose between the two men in her life. Can she decide between Noah and Zane, or will she lose everything she’s ever wanted? Because there’s more at stake than just her heart. . .

 This is actually the third book in the succubi series by Jill Myles. Even if you haven't read the first two books like I haven't (yet) you still can follow this book and still feel as if you know what is going on. Granted, it makes you want to know more of the back story, but you aren't lost either. Jackie was turned into a succubus by both Noah and Zane who are now her immortal lovers and masters. And even though Jackie is a succubus who needs sex to survive every couple of days, she isn't a wanton woman. She wants to be faithful to her two masters and lovers.

As Jackie accepts her life as a succubus she finds that an old enemy has possessed her best friend and everyone from the Serim Council (which Noah follows), the archangel Gabriel, and the Vampire queen (Zane is her minion) wants her to collect the possessor in the form of a halo of great power. She has to figure out how to collect it without harming her friend. Jackie is also aided by a hulking nephilim who is a virgin warrior and protector sent by Noah and is SO not into the succubi lifestyle. She also finds herself working with Zane and another vampire to collect this power. Of course, things in Jackie's life never go as planned. She bumbles her way through the problems that foil all her plans while she finds the truth of why she was turned as well as the reason Noah and Zane hate each other. Does she win? Does she have to chose between the two men? Can she? Can you get through this book without laughing? Okay, I'll answer that last one... No. ;) The other questions you will just have to find out for yourself by reading this book.

This book is full of fun, sexy-time, and an interesting adventure. The personalities in this book make it interesting and Jackie herself keeps it sweet. I give this book 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone looking for a bit of lol'ing with their reading. I can't wait to get the other 2 previous to this book and read the next one in this series! This book was published on the 28th... so go out and get it! Go! Now!

I received this book from the publisher and was not compensated for my review.

Earl of Darkness by Alix Rickloff Blog Tour

From Goodreads:

The magic she tries to hide . . .

Born a lady, but reduced to surviving in the slums of Dublin, Catriona O’Connell has been hired to steal a mysterious book from Aidan Douglas, Earl of Kilronan. But Cat is secretly Other, an age-old mixture of Fey and human—something Aidan recognizes immediately when he surprises the lovely young burglar in his library, about to steal a magical diary.

. . . is the magic he desperately wants.

From the moment Aidan sees her, Cat’s spirited beauty enchants him, but her uncanny abilities are what he truly needs, for Cat can understand the mystical language in the diary he inherited from his murdered father. So Aidan makes an offer: translate the book or be thrown in prison as a thief. And as Cat slowly deciphers each page, she and Aidan are drawn together by passion . . . and into the violence of the Other world that is the Kilronan legacy. Can they defeat those who seek the book, or are their lives in even greater danger than their hearts?

In this book being "Other" (mix of fae and human) is the persecuted group. They hide their magical abilities and become the target of fear when strange things happen. Cat is one of the Others but her fall from grace was more mundane than anything magical. She was young, fell in love and had a child out of wedlock. In the 1800s that was akin to calling the devil himself in society. So, shunned and after the death of her infant son she was ousted from her childhood home and found a place with an elf who treats her like family. He teaches her the thieving trade and this is how she meets Aidan. He's an Earl and an other who is exploring  his family history which is hidden from him in a language he cannot understand. Cat's gift helps her to read Aidan's diary his father left him. Instead of turning her in for trying to steal the diary he decides to employ her. Their adventure and friendship grows from this mystery Aidan's father has laid before them. Plus, they also have to figure out who else knows and wants this diary so bad he is willing to raise an abomination which is unstoppable and kill everyone and everything in his way.

I have to say I loved Cat in this book. Despite the problems she has had in her life she faces life with bravery and a will to survive. She imparts this upon Aidan who is slow on the uptake of this gift. And although there is a great sizzle and lots of sexy time in this book, I had a hard time liking Aidan. Cat was the braver of the two and Aidan kept hanging on to his aristocratic ways. In fact, I really didn't warm up to him until he was finally honest with himself and with Cat as to what he was willing to face with the choices that have been left to him.

I give this book 3 stars. I really enjoyed Cat and the sexy-time was pretty hot. I will say that I would have enjoyed a bit more world building and the ending was left with too many questions left unanswered. It wasn't a cliffhanger, but you know you have to keep reading this series to find out who the heck they are up against.

The Scent of Jasmine by Jude Deveraux Blog Tour

From Goodreads:

Would you risk your life—on the love of a lifetime?

Charleston, 1799: A daughter of Southern gentility and a gifted painter, Catherine Edilean Harcourt has no lack of suitors at home in Virginia, waiting to fulfill her dream of marriage and family. But Cay’s adventurous spirit, fostered by growing up with her three brothers, is piqued while visiting her godfather in South Carolina. Bedridden with a broken leg, he asks Cay to fill in for him on an urgent task: on her way to a fancy dress ball, she must deliver a packed horse to an old friend’s son—who also happens to be an escaped convict charged with murdering his wife! Cay agrees to the plan, which doesn’t go at all as planned . . . whereupon she finds herself fleeing Alexander McDowell’s captors, riding blind into the night with the fugitive Scotsman. Though she should fear him, Cay finds herself overwhelmingly attracted to Alex, and drawn into his tale of misguided justice and his innocence as they seek refuge in the steamy Florida everglades. Will trusting him be the worst mistake of her life? Or will falling in love be the salvation both of them have been looking for?

A painter and a mysterious Scotsman? Oh yea, had to say yes to this book and I'm so glad I did! Cay is a woman who has several brothers who toughened her up a bit in her childhood and taught her to ride, however, she still lives the pampered rich girl life. She is asked to go in place of her uncle to deliver a horse and money to help an escaped prisoner, Alex. Cay goes and as things go wrong, she has to flee with the convict with the law on their trail. As they travel to the destination Cay's uncle had in mind, the two get to know each other. Cay's infectious personality has Alex laughing when he thought he would never laugh again. Alex also infects Cay with his adventurous spirit.

This isn't just a story of two people looking into each others eyes and falling so quickly the world spins. Yes, there is love. Yes, there is sexy-time, but it is one based on getting to know each other and becoming friends before they became lovers. I really enjoyed their friendship and banter. You will also enjoy finding out how the title in this book came about. No, *evil laugh* I'm not telling! :D

I give this book 4 1/2 stars and recommend it for those that love a fun story and historical romance.
Jude Deveraux Website

A Stitch Before Dying by Anne Canadeo

From Goodreads:

Stitching it together . . .

The Black Sheep Knitters: a fivesome with a knack for knitting—and for solving crimes.

When Maggie Messina, owner of the Black Sheep Knitting Shop, is invited to give knitting workshops at a Berkshires spa resort, she manages to negotiate a cottage that fits all five of the Black Sheep for what promises to be a weekend of knitting bliss. But while the friends are expert at counting stitches, they haven’t counted on murder.

Guests and staff at the Crystal Lake Inn are as varied as a mixed bag of yarn, but most colorful is certainly the owner, charismatic self-help guru and former psychiatrist Dr. Max Flemming. The doctor may have told all in a revealing autobiography, but from his ex-wife to the widow of his former business partner—both employees at the inn—Max seems mired in shad­ows from his past. And when a killer strikes during a mountaintop retreat, the Black Sheep wonder what the good doctor might be hiding.

The police seem to be following the wrong thread. But while Maggie’s workshops have given the knitters a unique view of the tensions at the little inn, can they make sense of a crime that is as complexly stranded as a Fair Isle sweater? When the killer murders a second time, the Black Sheep won­der if they’ve dropped a stitch and put themselves in mortal danger. . . .

 I have not read these cozy mysteries that seem so popular, but I admit I was curious. So, when I had the opportunity to review on of these books, I readily accepted. Within this knitting group are 5 female members, all with a backstory of their own. In fact, the beginning of the book gives you a short run down so, if like me, you haven't read the Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series before. Maggie, who is the owner of the local knitting shop gets an opportunity to teach at an exclusive and expensive spa for the weekend. She is able to get a large cottage and take her friends and knitting group with her. On one of the spa hiking trips, a man is found murdered in his hut. The group is quite curious about his death and, with the help of one of the people working there, they find lots of clues to put together. As it seems that a suspect is found, the ladies aren't satisfied with the answer until one clue finds it's way into their hands. The clues start to knit themselves together (sorry, couldn't resist) and they help the police find the true murderer.

As interesting as the clues and the ending was (it wasn't what or who I thought it would have been), I wasn't totally sold on this tale. Most of their clues came from gossip. And even if they were adept at weeding out the truth from the fiction, I still didn't like the whole vision of women just mired in gossip. I'm not a gossip girl (not talking about the tv show I never watched... lol). I did like the women themselves and found them very smart and capable even if they did indulge in gossip.

I give this book 3 stars. I think those who love cozy mysteries will love this book. I did enjoy the ending which I didn't see coming but should have. :) It also made me want to learn how to knit. I only crochet (yes, you can say it... I'm a bit of a hooker... Hey! Stop looking at me in that tone of voice! lol).

This book will be published on Dec. 28th. I received this book from the publisher and no compensation for my review was given.

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Whatever you celebrate this season I hope it was a safe, happy and joyous one! Since most of us reading paranormals usually like our joy macabre, thought I'd give you this for the season:

The Nightmare Before Christmas Poem

by Tim Burton

narrated by Christopher Lee

It's about 11 minutes long and the basis for the movie. Enjoy!





What's This? by Fall Out Boy

Trying to Survive the Holidays!

For those trying to just survive the holidays... I found this PSA just for you...

Winners!

First is the winners of my puppy's b-day giveaway!

For the Kitty prize:
Alyce! (confirmed)

For the Puppy prize:
Jen from I Read Banned Books! (confirmed)

Congrats!

Now for the winner of the BOB ebook gift certificate:

Dark Bloody Vamp! (your g/c has already been sent)

The winners of the kitty and puppy prizes have 48 hours to get back to me or another person will be chosen. The gift certificate winner has already been e-mailed the prize.

Random Acts of Senseless Kindness by Grame Parke Author Guest Post

         "Sadly, my socks are like snowflakes;
               no two are exactly alike."-- Gomez


Blog entry: Arrived at the store late, found a homeless guy sleeping in the doorway. Hicks was already inside but gave no indication he’d noticed. I nudged the homeless guy and asked him, “How are you doing down there, fellow? You okay?”
      The homeless guy grumbled something in his sleep.
      “It’s getting pretty cold,” I said. “Don’t you want to come inside?”
      “Inside?” He coughed and opened his eyes.
      I pointed out the store, not convinced he’d actually noticed where he’d crashed the night before. “This is my antiques store,” I told him. “We’ve got the heating on inside, shame to waste it on just two people. And it looks like it might start to snow soon.”
      The homeless guy gave me a suspicious look. “You want me to come inside? With you?”
      “Sure, if you’d like.”
      “Is that because you think that if I come inside with you, I’ll let you touch me?”
      “What? No!”
      “Okay, because I can tell you right now, that’s not gonna happen.”
      “Well, I suppose it is good to get those kinds of things clear beforehand. But no, I was just thinking you might enjoy the warmth, maybe a cup of coco.”
      “A cup of coco you say…” He scratched his stubble. “And you’ll be charging me for this cup of coco?”
      “No, the coco is free.”
      “I see. So, are you operating under the assumption that if I come inside with you, and I drink your free coco, that I will touch you?”
      “What? No!”
      “Okay, because I can tell you right now, that’s not gonna happen either. Just because a guy is down on his luck, that doesn’t mean he goes around touching people in exchange for cups of coco.”
      “I understand completely. And thanks again for pointing that out. But no, my friend and I noticed that you were sleeping in our doorway and, well, we’d like to invite you inside.”
      The homeless guy turned and peered through the window in the door. He made eye-contact with Hicks, who panicked and went looking for his broom. “That your friend?”
      I followed his gaze. “Yeah, that’s Hicks. He’s a bit peculiar, but he’s okay.”
      “I see.” The homeless guy pulled on his collar. “And this friend of yours, will he be drinking coco also?”
      “I suppose. I’m not entirely sure, but it seems likely.”
      “I see.” The homeless guy considered this. “So,” he said, after a long moment, “will this friend of yours be expecting me to touch him?”
      “No! There is no touching involved in any of this!”
      “Okay, calm down,” the homeless guy said. “There’s no need to get all homophobic!”
      “I wasn’t!”
      “You sounded homophobic to me.”
      “Me? You’re the one who can’t stop talking about touching people!”
      I noticed people stopping in the street to stare at us. This made me very uncomfortable.

Continued here.

The Secret History of Elizabeth Tudor, Vampire Slayer as told by Lucy Weston Blog Tour

From Goodreads:

Sovereign Power. Eternal Pleasure.

Revealed at last in this new vampire saga for the ages: the true, untold story of the “Virgin Queen” and her secret war against the Vampire King of England. . . .

On the eve of her coronation, Elizabeth Tudor is summoned to the tomb of her mother, Anne Boleyn, to learn the truth about her bloodline—and her destiny as a Slayer. Born to battle the bloodsucking fiends who ravage the night, and sworn to defend her beloved realm against all enemies, Elizabeth soon finds herself stalked by the most dangerous and seductive vampire of all.

He is Mordred, bastard son of King Arthur, who sold his soul to destroy his father. After centuries in hiding, he has arisen determined to claim the young Elizabeth as his Queen. Luring her into his world of eternal night, Mordred tempts Elizabeth with the promise of everlasting youth and beauty, and vows to protect her from all enemies. Together, they will rule over a golden age for vampires in which humans will exist only to be fed upon. Horrified by his intentions, Elizabeth embraces her powers as a Slayer even as she realizes that the greatest danger comes from her own secret desire to yield to Mordred . . . to bare her throat in ecstasy and allow the vampire king to drink deeply of her royal blood.

As told by Lucy Weston, the vampire prey immortalized in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, this spellbinding account will capture your heart and soul—forever.

The "history" in this story really starts in King Author's court. In this telling, Mordred is the son of King Arthur, and Morgaine was not the rival of Merlin but the lover of Mordred. This historical part plays nicely as it is interesting but does not overshadow Elizabeth Tudor's story. In fact, all but Mordred are either relegated to story, myth, or spiritual helper. Mordred plays a more important role as he is the vampire trying to seduce Elizabeth into joining him and ruling England together as an unstoppable force. Elizabeth later understands that it's not just her crown he is interested in, but her power as a slayer she inherited through Anne, her mother.

As Elizabeth considers his offer she must also weigh the dangers and responsibilities to her people and the court. She must also consider what her mother has sacrificed as well as her attraction to Mordred. Not just as a handsome man, but also to the power he promises to give her to save her people and make England a dominant country.

The language was, I admit, a bit hard to get through as it is quite flowery but told in the proper language of Elizabeth's court. After a bit, you do get used to it and it starts to flow much easier. In fact, toward the middle of the book I quite enjoyed the language. I did find Elizabeth's slayer power to be a bit odd and it just felt a bit out of place. I also didn't completely enjoy her consort, Robin, and found him, at times, annoying. However, he did make complete sense in this book as being her big weakness. You also don't get a complete ending, but it's not really a cliffhanger either. It's just not an ending that gives complete closure and answers all questions. To explain further might give too much away, so you'll just have to shake your fist at me for making you wonder. Lucy Weston really only comes around in the end to explain how this story came into her hands. I suspect Lucy will be telling more historical vampire tales in further books.

Here is an excerpt of Elizabeth considering Mordred and one of my more favorite passages:

I reach out, taking the hand he offers. His touch is warm, almost comforting, and entirely pleasant. I sense neither evil nor danger. Indeed I feel as safe as I did when I soared in his arms on the night we first met. But beneath the void where fear should be lurks a faint awareness that I see him as I do because he wills it, and that, should his desires change, so shall my experience of him. This genial manner is only one more mask among the uncountable others that he, I, and all of us wear.

I give this book 4 stars. I think if you like historical fiction with a paranomal twist you will enjoy this book.

Book's Website

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop

I thought I'd give away a $10 GC from Books on Board (ebooks).

That way you get it right away and I can easily make this giveaway 

INTERNATIONAL!

Just for your FYI for International folk:

Some books have regional restrictions. Basically all that means is if you can't yet get it in your country, try the UK BOB site. They don't guarantee it, but you have a better chance there. ;) Otherwise, if you can get the ebook in your country, no problem!

To enter, all you have to do is fill out the form below:

Giveaway is now closed. Thanks for playing!

The blog you should have come from is Colloquium (US)

The next person on the list is Princess Reviews (US)

For the complete list go HERE!

Lookie What I Got!

Heh... should this be my new meme when I get excited? :D

Anyhoo... a while ago Bare Knuckles, directed by Eric Etebari and staring Marin Kove (Karate Kid) held a fun "contest" on showing a picture of you with the movie at Blockbuster (or at least the movie at the store). Well, I get the movies by mail and plus, I'm a lazy a-- uh just didn't get to the store. Actually I kept forgetting to take my camera, but eh, the other excuse is viable. Especially since I knew *I* wasn't going to put myself in the picture. ;)

So, here was my submission:

Yep, I have no problems pimping my boy out for a prize or two. *evil laugh* Anyway to make a short story longer... I was picked with a lot of other people to receive a prize. So... (here comes the title)

Lookie What I got!

Yep, I got the movie signed by Eric Etebari and Martin Kove, 3 postcards and a button. How fun is that? I have seen the movie and this is my review:

From Bare Knuckles website:

Women will go to extreme lengths for those they love and single mother Samantha Rogers (Jeanette Roxborough) is no exception. Along with her young daughter, Milla, Sam struggles to make ends meet, taking her licks as a stunt double by day and cocktail waitressing at a rowdy bar at night. 

When Sam uses her skills to end a bar fight between two drunk women, down and out fight promoter Sonny Cool (Martin Kove-Karate kid) sees an opportunity to get back into the game. He tells Sam all about the "show," a high class, underground illegal all female bare knuckle fight tournament, where brutality and elegance mix with high stakes and deception. 

Is the price too much for her...? Bare Knuckles..... a knockout punch of strength and determination, inspired by a true story.

Directed by Eric Etebari, Written by Robert Redlin, Starring Jeanette Roxborough, Martin Kove, Louis Mandylor, Bridgett "baby doll" Riley and Chris Mulkey. 

Produced by Eric Etebari, Moe Grunberg, Frederic J. Holzberger, Jeff Quinlan, Cynthia L Grow, Alison Richards 

Runtime: 97min Certification PG-13

As the above states, this is about a single mom who lost her husband and now stuggles to make ends meet. Her young daughter is deaf and has a few motor skill problems. She is sweet in this movie and is actually the real life daughter of the actress, Jeanette Roxborough. This part, of course brings the heart and the motivation for Sam to accept Sonny's proposition to fight bare knuckles style for money. As she wins and surprises others in this underground fighting ring, she is invited to the huge high stakes tournament for rich men. Perhaps the ending is predictable (even though I'm not telling you what happens, specifically... I'm just evil like that) but I really wouldn't have it any other way. Without my HEA I would be upset.


I do have to mention the character played by Spice Williams-Crosby. She really doesn't have much of a part, but for me, it is memorable. She is just one of those characters you would love to meet and never get on the bad side. :) 


Independent films do tend to be hit and miss with me, but I enjoyed this one. Probably because I do love the addition of the little girl. I also love the kick ass woman who is determined to find her way in this world and make it better for her daughter. I do admit, however to hiding my eyes from time to time when punches landed and cringing when they were hurt. Yea, yea... so I'm a baby. At least I wasn't watching in the theater where people could laugh at me for hiding my face during a punch. :P





Also, check out the vid on the Behind the Ropes segment of the website. You get some insight as to how the movie came to be made.

Last, but not least at all, I also got a sweet Christmas card from Melissa of My World, in Words and Pages. She is having a interview and giveaway from author, Margaret Ronald. Go HERE and check it out! After all, she does have an awesome first name! ;D

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

From Goodreads:

A love out of time. A spaceship built of secrets and murder. 

Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules. 

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone--one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship--tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next. 

Now Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

 This book is a dystopian sci-fi YA book. In this book, Amy is frozen to go to another planet to help build another earth for humans to live on. Her parents are important to the project so she is allowed as non-essential personel to travel with them. Even though she is frozen she still has consciousness but without a sense of true time. As she is awakened by consequence of another's foul action, she finds herself in a strange monoethnic and dull society. It's not just strange to Amy, but disturbing as well. As the book progresses, she finds a few friends among the "insane". One even being the future leader of the ship.

I really found this an interesting concept for a book. My main criticism is that I thought Amy was too easily lead by her feelings for Elder. Of course, you often get that feeling of a love too easily given in a YA book but, putting that aside, I found the world in this book very dark and foreboding place. Being on a small ship, you understand the need for tighter control than you would have on a whole planet, but the control is taken to the extreme and becomes a world you could have seen someone like Hitler aspiring toward. I wonder where the author could have taken this book if it was written for adults? As dark as it was, I could see this spiraling off into something even darker still. I really would love to read that book.

As a whole, I give this book 3 1/2 stars. I loved the world building on this novel. I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program and Razorbill and was not compensated for my review.

On My Wishlist...

Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Tugeon
to be published 3/1/2011
From Goodreads:

The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart... It is a cold day at the end of the world when a young woman, a princess in hiding, looks out across a Northern sea and sees something she could not have seen. It looks...it can't be. It looks like a mermaid's tail. And, as she looks more closely, she sees that the mermaid is dragging a drowning sailor in her arms. Because, only hours before, another princess, the daughter of the sea queen, has decided to risk everything and take a look at the world above the sea: the world of mortals. And there she finds a storm, a shipwreck, a sailor, and sets in train events which will change both women's worlds forever.

Okay, I have to say I love the cover so that really won me over. :)

I've seen this one around the blogosphere and I'm curious...

 Wildfire by Karsten Knight
to be published 7/26/2011
From Goodreads:
Ashline Wilde never received an instruction manual on how to be a 16-year-old Polynesian volcano goddess. If she had, it might have contained helpful warnings such as: 

• Dreaming about your (thankfully) mortal boyfriend may cause your bed to spontaneously combust 

• Oven mitts should be worn at all times during heavy make-out sessions 

Instead, Ash has to learn these life lessons the hard way as her dormant powers erupt at the most awkward times. In the wake of a hometown tragedy, Ash transfers to Blackwood Academy, a boarding school nestled in California’s redwoods, where a group of fellow gods-on-earth have mysteriously convened. As if sophomore year couldn’t get any worse, her storm goddess older sister, the wild and unpredictable Eve, resurfaces to haunt Ashline. With a war between the gods looming over Blackwood, Ash must master the fire smoldering within her before she clashes with her sister one final time, which leads us to life-lesson #3: 

• When warm and cold fronts collide, there’s guaranteed to be a storm. 

So... what is on your wishlist this week?

Goodnight Tweetheart by Teresa Mederios Blog Tour

From Goodreads:
Abigail Donovan has a lot of stuff she should be doing. Namely writing her next novel. A bestselling author who is still recovering from a near Pulitzer Prize win and the heady success that follows Oprah’s stamp of approval, she is stuck at Chapter Five and losing confidence daily. But when her publicist signs her up for a Twitter account, she’s intrigued. What’s all the fuss?

 Taken under the wing of one of her Twitter followers, “Mark Baynard"—a quick witted, quick-typing professor on sabbatical—Abby finds it easy to put words out into the world 140 characters at a time. And once she gets a handle on tweets, retweets, direct messages, hashtags, and trends, she starts to feel unblocked in writing and in life. After all, why should she be spending hours in her apartment staring at her TweetDeck and fretting about her stalled career when Mark is out there traveling the world and living?

Or is he?

 Told almost entirely in tweets and DMs, Goodnight Tweetheart is a truly modern take on a classic tale of love and loss—a Griffin and Sabine for the Twitter generation.

 Okay... let me try this in 140 characters...

A former bestselling author joins twitter and meets former prof for fun and snark. Lies told, truth descovered. Will love be in final chpt?

Heh. Did it. :) So, is it true, if you can't say it in 140 characters it's not worth saying? Well, not exactly, but I still think the concept is innovative and fun. And while I enjoyed the quick banter I wondered why they stayed in DMs on twitter. I mean, most would have moved to Skype which does not have the limit of characters that has the added security of a private conversation. Might be an idea for another book. ;) The story moves in a good clip, and my only criticism is that the transition of friend to love isn't quite as smooth as most books in this genre. However, bringing it to a new format might be what threw me a bit as a reader. Still, it didn't distract from the enjoyment of the novel.

I give this book 3 1/2 stars. It was a fun and enjoyable book with a bit of bittersweet toward the last fourth of the book. So, if you are curious as to reading a chick lit book that is innovative, you might enjoy Goodnight Tweetheart.

Go HERE to see a deleted scene of tweets and some of the pictures they give each other in the book. It also gives you an idea of how the snarkiness flies with each other. There is also a place to send ecards. :)
Teresa Mederios:
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Choker by Elizabeth Woods

From Goodreads:

What if the only friend you could trust turned out to be dangerous? A new thriller from debut author Elizabeth Woods!

Well, this is my first official DNF review. Usually I can get into a dark psychological book and find it interesting with lots of twists and turns. This one starts out, for me, as a girl filled with low self-esteem and teenage angst with a lot of drama queens. As Cara finds her old friend from childhood needing a place to stay, she is thrilled and starts to find her place within a crowd at school. She even finds herself gaining confidence and captures the attention and friendship of a boy she had been crushing on since freshman year. As the book goes on she remembers one very disturbing incident. One that had me questioning reading further. As I was about 1/2 through the book I decided to keep reading. After the second graphic incident, I decided I couldn't read further. I did, however, look up the ending and quite frankly it was one I suspected when the first tragic incident happened in the book. So, for me, this book was disturbing without much reason and the ending was very predictable. Not many twists and turns for me. I don't want to say specifically what really turned me off to the book as I know some people enjoyed this story. I, unfortunately, was not among them.

I received this ebook from the publisher for my honest review and I was not compensated in any way.

Freebie! Woo!

Like Clockwork by Bonnie Dee
From Goodreads:
Victoria's work with automatons has gained her renown and changed the face of London. But her concern that the clockworks are taking too many jobs away from humans, creating social unrest, is ignored. Given the ugly mood of the underclass, she fears more outbreaks of violence similar to the murder spree of the notorious Southwark Slasher.

Dash, unemployed thanks to the clockworks, has pledged fealty to The Brotherhood, a group determined to bring about the downfall of the automatons by any means necessary. His plan to kidnap Victoria goes awry when the unorthodox scientist pledges her assistance to their cause.

Despite their opposite social classes, a bond grows between them, and Victoria begins to feel emotions she never expected for the passionate Dash. But when the Slasher strikes close to home, Dash and Victoria realize that the boundaries of polite society are far from the only threat to their happiness...

If you goto the Carina website and enter the coupon: CLOCKWORKFREE you get this ebook for the grand total of $0. Thought those interested in Steampunk might be interested. It looks like it's been getting mixed reviews on Goodreads. 

Lookie What I Got!

Isn't it pretty? Chastity from Lovin' and Livin' Life Reviews made this beautiful mass paperback bj (as she would say, lol). It just came and I love it! The inside is a pretty purple with glitter fabric. I had to show both sides because the fabric is so unique.

Thank you so much!

And to everyone else... if you haven't visited her blog, please go and read her wonderful reviews. She has adult, YA and children's reviews on her blog.

Color Me Grey by J.C. Phelps

From Goodreads:

Meet Alexis Stanton, a 5' 4" petite young woman with a yen for adventure. She grew up as a tomboy wishing she could have all the adventures boys could have. She has since decided that being a boy instead of a girl has its advantages, but being a woman is much better. Raised in a family with money, she was able to pick and choose her education. She had been schooled in everything from being a lady to courses with Special Forces instructors. Her desire for adventure and her boredom with her current employment and a strange 'Help Wanted' ad causes her to quit. She finds that job she could 'just die for'... and it looks like she just might!

This book is told entirely from Alexis's POV. And I have to admit at first it actually buffered me from the character of Alex. As she interacted with her friend (namely Colin) and started her adventure with a new possible job, the buffer disappeared. That's when I really got into the character of Alex. I then was able to enjoy the kick-ass stance of a 5'4"(1.62 meters) woman who is as tough as the boys and sometimes even better. She has a lot to learn, but shows that she is up to the task no matter what is thrown at her. It also makes sense as to why Alex loves adventure. Both her parents love it too. Even if her mother does not go adventuring anymore, she still is a mother that craved for it once but is having fun exploring other areas of life.

This book is a fast paced adventure and I think you hardly get much of a breather once the adventure truly starts. My only complaint other than the buffer (which can happen with a strictly first person POV) is a few editing errors that also occurred at the beginning of the book. They were minor and can quickly and easily be fixed. I will also say, on a total personal level, I had problems with the hunting scene (but I'm such a softie for Bambi's dad) but getting myself out of the way, I think it was told well. With those minor complaints aside, this is one fun adventure. I give this book 3 1/2  stars and I think that the next two adventures in this series are going to get even better and more fun filled than it's introduction.

The ebook Color Me Grey (Book One of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles) is only $.99 at Amazon! The next books are:
Shades of Grey (Book Two of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles) and
Reflections of Grey (Book Three of the Alexis Stanton Chronicles) both ebooks for $2.99
You can also find them on smashwords.com

I was given this book by the author and no compensation for my review was given.