Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Time Mends by Tammy Blackwell


Time Mends:
After a tragic accident leaves her battered, heartbroken, and alone, Scout Donovan would rather hide in dreams than face reality. But things are changing quickly in Scout's life. Soon she's pulled back into the world of Shifters and Seers, with her best friend's fate depending on Scout's ability to protect her. Can Scout pull it together in time to save Talley, or is the past too much to overcome?










This was an incredible, action-packed and emotional sequel to the first in the Timber Wolves Trilogy: Destiny Binds. Tammy Blackwell introduced us to some interesting and well-developed characters, and in this book we learn more about the Shifter lore as Scout is pushed deeper into their world. Time Mends picks up directly where Destiny Binds left off, and there was a lot that happened at the end of that book! This book is filled with new intriguing problems for Scout and her friends; new relationships are formed and betrayal comes from an unlikely source. A lot of this book focuses on forgiveness, I felt it was handled wonderfully by the characters, and it was something each of them had to work for; Tammy did not make it easy for anyone. Scout has changed in more ways than are imaginable since the accident, and her whole world has been turned completely upside down. Pulse-racing danger surrounds Scout and her loved ones, twists and turns keep you constantly guessing and the ending...the ending will leave you howling for more! What a cliff-hanger!






Future Favorites (67)


Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released and that I can't wait to read!





The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long
Release Date: August 16, 2012 by Dial Books

The trees swallowed her brother whole. And Jenny was there to see it. Years later, when she returns to the woods where Tom was taken to say good-bye at last, she finds herself lured into a world where stunning beauty masks the most treacherous of evils, and strange and dangerous creatures await—creatures who seem to consider her the threat. Among them is Jack, mercurial and magnetic, with allegiances that shift as much as his moods. Determined to find her brother, with or without Jack’s help, Jenny struggles to navigate a faerie world where nothing is what it seems, no one is who they say, and she’s faced with a choice between salvation or sacrifice—and not just her own.

Monday, January 30, 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (86)


This is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.



Books I read last week:
Somnium by Keri Lake
Time Mends by Tammy Blackwell


The book I’m reading now:
Lucky Penny:
To support her orphaned niece, impoverished Brianna O'Keefe accepts work with a Colorado rancher. To guard herself from unwanted attention, she resorts to a harmless little lie: that she's married to a Denver gold miner named David Paxton. When her boss forces her to write to her "husband," hoping he'll take Brianna off his hands, she can only pray that there is no real David Paxton who can expose her.

When Colorado marshal David Paxton gets a letter from a stranger claiming to be his wife and pleading with him to come for her and his daughter, he dutifully sets out to find this woman and the child he may have sired. What stuns Brianna is that Davis is convinced the young girl is, in fact, his. As David and Brianna's wary attraction blossoms into deeper desire, David warms to the idea of a ready-made family. But can his dream survive Brianna's lingering distrust--and his own secrets.



Books that spark my interest this week:
Unleashed by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie
If You Hear Her by Shiloh Walker
Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep



Guest Post: Natasha of Wicked Little Pixie

Put down your bags, pull up a chair and tell me a story!


So I had this whole guest post written for Amy when I realized, it sucked. It was boring, there was no snark, and it wasn’t ME. Then I went to refill my cup of coffee and tried to think of what else I could possibly talk to you all about. I’m actually sick of hearing myself talk. I talk on my website, I talk on my work website and I talk ALL DAY on my works FB page. So what’s a little bite more about me?

I went to college to become a police officer. Surprised? Prior to that and for the next eight or so years, I worked in the court system. I held a variety of jobs in two different court houses, from preparing cases for court, to actually being the court clerk/monitor aka the speaker of the court. I took the later job because I had always had public speaking issues to the point of massive panic attacks. I no longer have panic attacks about public speaking. You’re too busy to panic in that position.

For two years I trained to become a cop, I studied theory of policing, forensics and every single horrible Monday morning at 8:00 am, I had police fitness class. Yes, 8:00am on a Monday after a weekend of partying in my first year. 8:00 am Monday’s my second year, after working Friday-Sunday, 9:00pm to 2:00am at night clubs as security. Did I mention I am 5’4?

After all that drama, I quit my jobs and decided police and law was not my bag. I ended up working for a huge entertainment company directly for the managers of the Food & Beverage department. I did all the celebrity tour riders (one wanted a $1500.00 bottle of alcohol that she didn’t drink but took with her anyway) I made the interview calls, scheduled the staff and prepped the green rooms. I loved my job and my bosses, this is also around the time I started reading again. Two years into that job, the economy crashed and I was let go.

That gave me time to start up my blog and you know how that turned out. In 2010, I received a weird email asking if I wanted to working remotely from home for a publishing company. Honestly, I thought it was a spam email but replied anyways. Turns out, the two bosses had found me via Twitter and offered me a job. Who knew? If you’ve seen me on Twitter, you should know I don’t hold back, so imagine my surprise that someone wanted me to work for them because of my Tweets and blog?!

You never know when an opportunity is going to come from something you love.

My love for books has made me some of my best friends, people I wouldn’t have met on my own. Some of them are just like family. It’s introduced me to amazing books that I probably wouldn’t have picked out and the ability to discuss it with people worldwide. But most of all, it has given me one of the best jobs I have ever held.

Now excuse me, I have a TBR pile that is screaming for attention.







Thank you for stopping by today, Nat!

Sunday, January 29, 2012

In My Mailbox (91)


In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.




Lucky Penny by Catherine Anderson
Spirit Bound by Christine Feehan
All Unquiet things by Anna Jarzab
Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter
Diabolical by Cynthia Leitich Smith
My Beating Teenage Heart by C. K. Kelly Martin


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Somnium by Keri Lake


HALOS
Somnium:

A work assignment in Kittery, Maine should be routine for Allie Lynch; nothing more than to prove herself as a brilliant engineer. Instead she finds herself torn between two men: a gorgeous military guard, Colton Briggs, and her devilishly handsome colleague, Drew Costa. To resist temptation, Allie does the only thing she can: she throws herself into her work.

But fate has other plans for Allie. Women are going missing all around her, Allie is struck with a series of life-threatening mishaps, and she becomes the obsession of a local deranged psychopath.

Thrust into a dark world that she can hardly fathom, Allie must fight for her very survival, open her mind to new realities – and open her heart to the possibility of love. Because both of these men are trouble – but one is a greater danger than she could ever imagine …



Keri Lake wrote an intriguing story that kept my interest, but unfortunately it was a very slow paced book. The main character, Allie, fell really flat for me and I felt she was really superficial. Almost every time she meets a male character she judges him by his looks rather than his personality. And without more than a few smouldering looks on her part, directed at Colton, she is suddenly in love with him. There was little information given about just who and what Colton is, he's not human--that's about all I know. There were times of intense danger but it was rushed, and most often than not the solution came much to easily. The book ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, in the sense that we still have to find out what's going to happen next, and although Somnium was a story that kept me reading, at this time I'm not entirely sure that I want to continue with this series.






I've Been Quoted!

This has never happened to me before, I'm incredibly grateful and completely blown away to see my "name" on not only one but TWO different books!


The first is from my review of Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell:





And the second is from my early review of Half Moon by Jordan Deen:











On My Wishlist (87)


On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It's where we list all the books we desperately want but haven't actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It's also an event that you can join in with too - a linky is always at the ready for you to link your own 'On My Wishlist' post. If you want to know more click here.




Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter:
One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…



Possess by Gretchen McNeil:
Rule #1: Do not show fear.
Rule #2: Do not show pity.
Rule #3: Do not engage.
Rule #4: Do not let your guard down.
Rule #5: They lie.

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her mom, by the cute son of a local police sergeant, and by the eerie voices she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Unfortunately for Bridget, it turns out the voices are demons – and Bridget has the rare ability to banish them back to whatever hell they came from.

Terrified to tell people about her new power, Bridget confides in a local priest who enlists her help in increasingly dangerous cases of demonic possession. But just as she is starting to come to terms with her new power, Bridget receives a startling message from one of the demons. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the demons' plan before someone close to her winds up dead – or worse, the human vessel of a demon king.



The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols:
Gemma can’t believe her luck when the star football player starts flirting with her. Max is totally swoon-worthy, and even gets her quirky sense of humor. So when he asks out her so-called best friend Addison, Gemma’s heartbroken.

Then Addison pressures Gemma to join the date with one of Max’s friends. But the more time they all spend together, the harder Gemma falls for Max. She can’t help thinking that Max likes her back—it’s just too bad he’s already dating Addison. How can Gemma get the guy she wants without going after her best friend’s boyfriend?







Friday, January 27, 2012

Love That Line (26)

Love That Line is hosted by Jessica Rabbit's Corner, it's a little thing where we post a favorite quote or two from a book we have enjoyed.



Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein


Magic

Sandra's seen a leprechaun,
Eddie touched a trill.
Laurie danced with witches once,
Charlie found some goblin's gold.
Donald heard a mermaid sing,
Suzy spied an elf,
But all the magic I have known
I've had to make myself.











Thursday, January 26, 2012

Theme Thursday (46)

Theme Thursdays

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event hosted by Reading Between Pages that will be open from one Thursday to the next. Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:
  • A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
  • Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
  • Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
  • It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word)
    Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”

This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors.


This week's theme is - VERY

We raced away from our tattered camp, armed with my mother's spell book, Serena's books and very little provisions.

Half Moon by Jordan Deen





Wednesday, January 25, 2012

My Book Boyfriend (52)


My Book Boyfriend is a weekly meme hosted by Missie of The Unread Reader, in which we swoon over boys in books!
(I--as in me, Amy--don't like to use commercial photos, I like to use the authors' descriptions and my imagination.)




David Lawson
Book: Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Series: Wings

He's a bit of a science geek, lean and muscular, his eyes are a bright blue that contrast with the olive tone of his skin, and he has slightly wavy, light-brown hair that is on the longish side that slips across his forehead in a soft arc. He's sweet and honest, and can keep a secret when asked to. He's also protective of those he cares about and will fight for them if need be.








Quotes:

He was pushing a lawn mower through the thick grass, wearing only a pair of jeans and old tennis shoes. His chest and arms were long and wiry but corded with lean muscle--his skin was tanned from the sun and glistened with a light sheen of sweat as he moved almost gracefully in the gentle morning sunlight.


David blushed now and shrugged. "If I had to pick one person who I thought reminded me of a faerie, it would be you."


Laurel hesitated, and David stepped a little closer. "It's your call," he said softly, "but whatever you decide, I'll help you." He placed a soft, warm hand at the back of her neck and Laurel's breath caught in her chest. "Whatever you need, I'll be. If you need the science geek to give you answers from a textbook, I'm your guy; if you just want a friend to sit by you in bio and help you feel better when you're sad, I'm still your guy." His thumb slowly stroked across her earlobe and down her cheek. "And if you need someone to hold you and protect you from anyone in the world who might want to hurt you, then I'm definitely your guy." His pale-blue eyes bore into hers, and for a second she couldn't breathe. "But it's all up to you," he whispered.




Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Renegade Cover Reveal & Giveaway



Since the age of three, sixteen-year-old Evelyn Winters has trained to be Daughter of the People in the underwater utopia known as Elysium. Selected from hundreds of children for her ideal genes, all her life she's believed that everything is perfect. Her world. Her people. The law.

But when Gavin Hunter, a Surface Dweller, accidentally stumbles into Elysium's secluded little world, Evelyn comes to a startling realization: Everything she knows is a lie.

Her memories have been altered.

Her mind and body aren't under her own control. And the person she knows as Mother is a monster.

Together with Gavin she plans her escape, only to learn that her own mind is a ticking time bomb...and Mother has one last secret that will destroy them all.


J.A. Souders was born in the heartland with an overactive imagination and an over abundance of curiosity that was always getting her into trouble. She first began writing at the age of 13, when she moved to Florida and not only befriended the monsters under the bed, but created worlds for them to play together.

Because she never grew up, she decided she’d put her imaginary friends to work and started writing. She still lives in the land of sunshine and palm trees with her husband and their two children and is an active member of the RWA, YARWA, SFWA, and SCBWI.

She is represented by Natalie Lakosil of the Bradford Literary Agency. Her debut book, RENEGADE, surfaces Fall 2012 from Tor Teen.

Giveaway:
Win an ARC of Renegade and one YA book from the Book Depository.

Collect the secret words and enter to win:

Woven Strands
Writer's Ally
The Oasis
Fire and Ice
Confessions of a Bookaholic
Jessie Harrell-The Daily Harrell

The FORM below is the same for each blog, so no matter where you enter you only have to enter once!




Future Favorites (66)


Future Favorites is an awesome blog feature over at Electrifying Reviews. I post about a book that is yet-to-be-released and that I can't wait to read!





Endure by Carrie Jones
Release Date: May 8, 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.




Monday, January 23, 2012

It's Monday, What Are You Reading? (85)


This is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.



Books I read last week:
Switched by Amanda Hocking
Within the Flames by Marjorie M
Loss by Jackie Morse Kessler


The book I’m reading now:
Somnium:
A work assignment in Kittery, Maine should be routine for Allie Lynch; nothing more than to prove herself as a brilliant engineer. Instead she finds herself torn between two men: a gorgeous military guard, Colton Briggs, and her devilishly handsome colleague, Drew Costa. To resist temptation, Allie does the only thing she can: she throws herself into her work.

But fate has other plans for Allie. Women are going missing all around her, Allie is struck with a series of life-threatening mishaps, and she becomes the obsession of a local deranged psychopath.

Thrust into a dark world that she can hardly fathom, Allie must fight for her very survival, open her mind to new realities – and open her heart to the possibility of love. Because both of these men are trouble – but one is a greater danger than she could ever imagine …



Books that spark my interest this week:
Time Mends by Tammy Blackwell
The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab
Sweetly by Jackson Pearce


Sunday, January 22, 2012

Switched by Amanda Hocking


Switched:
When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She's not the person she's always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel--all because of Finn Holmes.

Fin is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken...though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she'd ever admit. But it isn't long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth--and he's come to take her home.

Now Wendy's about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that's both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she's meant to be...



Wow...just WOW! Amanda Hocking completely blew me away with her ingenious twist on the story of changelings. The characters were extremely likeable and I believe that is what I enjoyed most about this book. The plot does seem to follow alongside some other popular young adult titles; a girl falling for the mysterious guy, secrets abound and then there is another guy on the sidelines showing affection for the girl as well. But, you know what?...I really didn't care. And despite a few issues that I disliked within the story, I was hooked from beginning to end. Amanda's characters were unique and they kept me turning pages. The story is quick to get started and moves along nicely at a quick pace, I was always looking forward to what was going to happen next. Wendy came across as a pretty strong character, despite the complete upheaval of her life. There is more mystery surrounding her than we are first led to believe, and I can't wait to read the rest of this series.