The 12 Days of Christmas Have Come to an End...

And you know what that means...

I want to thank everyone that stopped by throughout my 12 Days of Christmas Event! It was also my Blogoversary on December 31st!! And to celebrate I'm giving away things!

There will be THREE winners! One will be a mystery SWAG pack that I finally received from The Crossroads Tour and two will have their choice of any one of the books I featured during The 12 Days of Christmas. Books will be shipped from The Book Depository!

So, in the Comments:
Tell me what you enjoyed most about my 12 Days of Christmas posts. What books would have made your list? Do you think I should do it again this year?

Then:
Fill out the FORMS below to win!

The Rules:
- Both giveaways end January 13, 2012 12AM EST.

- The book giveaways are international (wherever The Book Depository ships) and I will pay up to $15 USD per book.

-The swag pack giveaway is Canadian and US only (sorry, shipping can be expensive).

- Answer my questions in the comments section.

- Make sure you fill out the FORMS, entries will not be counted otherwise.

On the First Day of Christmas... & Giveaway

My Book of the Year

If I Die by Rachel Vincent:
The entire school's talking about the gorgeous new math teacher, Mr. Beck. Everyone except Kaylee Cavanaugh. After all, Kaylee's no ordinary high-school junior. She's a banshee—she screams when someone dies.

But the next scream might be for Kaylee.

Yeah—it's a shock to her, too. So to distract herself, Kaylee's going to save every girl in school. Because that hot new teacher is really an incubus who feeds on the desire of unsuspecting students. The only girls immune to his lure are Kaylee and Sabine, her boyfriend's needy ex-girlfriend. Now the unlikely allies have to get rid of Mr. Beck…before he discovers they aren't quite human, either.

But Kaylee's borrowed lifeline is nearing its end. And those who care about her will do anything to save her life.

Anything.



Giveaway:
I bought myself a signed copy of the book so I have an extra copy that I would like to share with one lucky person!

Rules For Entry:
- US and Canadian mailing addresses ONLY.
- Contest ends: January 12, 2012 12AM EST.
- Fill out the FORM below to enter.

Broods of Fenrir by Coral Moore

Broods of Fenrir:
Shapeshifter Brand Geirson was raised to rule the Broods of Fenrir, but he refused his birthright. Instead, he killed their brutal leader–his own father–and walked away.

For hundreds of years he’s avoided brood society, until a werewolf kills an innocent human woman and Brand finds himself dragged back into the violent politics of the shapeshifters. When the two brood women who mean the most to him come under threat, he must take up the throne and risk becoming the kind of vicious bastard his father was, or let the broods descend further into chaos–taking the friend he swore to protect and his lover with them.

Coral Moore immediately grabbed my attention from the very first page, and the action continued throughout this book until the very end. There were times that made me sniffle and times when I wanted to shout at the book. Coral's werewolves are a violent bunch, but they can also show sides of compassion and tenderness. There is a lot of sexual tension that fills the pages, and the romance between the characters was strong and immediate. Coral's male characters constantly struggle with their wolves, the violence within them could only be tempered by their mates. There is also a great deal of abuse that occurs against the female wolves that the males believe is within their right, until Brand begins to change things. He believes that the women deserve equal rights and will use his power of authority to reach that goal. Dagny, Brand's mate, finds it hard to trust after her terrible past, but she quickly learns that Brand is very different from other male wolves.

On the Second Day of Christmas...

2 Favorite Reviews of 2011

Fall For Anything by Courtney Summers

Deeper Than Midnight by Lara Adrian

Switched Giveaway!

St. Martin's Press has provided one copy for me to giveaway!

Rules For Entry:

- US and Canadian mailing addresses ONLY.
- Contest ends: January 9, 2012 12AM EST.
- Fill out the FORM below to enter.

On the Third Day of Christmas...

3 Debut Authors I Want To Read in 2012

Cinder by Marissa Meyer:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf:
Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins:
What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences? This is life for sons and daughters of fallen angels in Sweet Evil.

Anna, a tender-hearted southern girl, was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but it isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage, and her will-power is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

A cross-country trip forces Anna and Kai to face the reality that hope and love are not options for their kind. When it's time for Anna to confront her demons, will she choose to embrace her halo or her horns?

Rage by Jackie Morse Kessler

Rage:
Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.

That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.

A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

This is the second book in the Four Horses of the Apocalypse series by Jackie Morse Kessler, and this was even harder to read than the first of the series, Hunger. This book was absolutely riddled with anger and violence, and it was so hard to watch Missy suffer. Kessler has a unique way of approaching difficult subjects and she does not let her characters take the easy way out. This entire book is a struggle for both the readers and the characters; creating an emotional, stimulating journey. I must admit that the very first sentence was a little off-putting, and then I kept picturing Missy as being this cruel, heartless person; but that is not who she is at all. Missy is a kind and caring person, despite the cruelty she has endured at the hands of her peers. As Missy fights her need to self-harm and learns her role as War, she loses something important to her but in doing so she gains something much more important: hope.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...

4 Favorite Characters of 2011

Kaylee Cavanaugh
Series: Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent
Quotes: My Soul to Steal

Long brown wavy hair, blue eyes with an average figure. She is a bean sidhe (banshee) and this means she can sense when someone is about to die, and her wail (a scream to average ears, but a beautiful song to male bean sidhes) helps the souls of the dead to pass over. Kaylee can be considered too brave for her own good sometimes, she always puts others before herself and is willing to do the right thing even if that means putting herself at risk.

I nodded and poured milk into my bowl. That's what I was hoping he'd say. And now that I'd been expressly forbidden from investigating the massively coincidental teacher deaths, I should have felt free from the compulsion to do just that. Right? So why was it so hard to get Mrs. Bennigan out of my head? Why did the soft rise and fall of her back haunt my memory?

Funny how "teenage hero" translates to "teenage delinquent" on my permanent record.

"Oh. Well, thanks, but I'm more than capable of sneaking around the Netherworld on my own for a few minutes." Even if I almost got devoured by man-eating plants and carnivorous kindergarteners... "So you can go polish your shining armor for someone else to admire."

Edgar Hideaki
Series: Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
Quotes: Reckoning

His eyes are an odd pale green, with threads of brown and gold, half-Asian, with a mop of wavy dark hair. He was just your average teenage guy; tall and skinny, until a chance encounter with a werewulf turned him into a Loup-Garou. Now he is dominant, muscular and fit, and won't take crap from anybody, his protective personality is one of his best features, he will fight to keep those closest to him safe, especially if someone is out to hurt the girl that he loves. He's vulnerable but strong enough not to hide his true feelings when it counts.

"Look." He finished rolling up the sleeping bag, snapped the elastic loops over it, and glared up at me. I know I'm just a loup-garou, all right? I know. I'm just the deadweight holding you down. You dragged me along and I'm glad about that. I'm even glad I got bit by that thing up there. I handled everything they threw at me, and told him to go fuck himself more than once. Sergej." He all bit spat the name, and his face twisted up, bitterly. "So quit treating me like a little kid, Dru. I ain't been a little kid for years. I'm not as Billy Badass as some of those stuck-up djamphir, but I'm learning and I'll be hell on wheels when I'm done. You won't ever have to worry again."

"The only one," he murmured. His chin dipped a little bit. "You know that, Dru? You're the only person who's ever believed in me. You know what that'll do to a guy?" What? "I--" "It makes him want to live up to it." A sarcastic, bitter little half-laugh, just like the Goth Boy I used to know. The birdlike one who was a little ugly, sure, until you got to know him and saw what had been under the ugly all along. The true beauty.

"Listen," he said into my hair. "I'm only gonna say this once, so listen good." I nodded, breathing him in, my face in his chest. Squeezed my eyes shut. His breath was a warm spot in my wet hair. The breeze swirled around us, full of the green growing of summer and cut grass. "I'm coming back. But I got to fix myself. The wulfen, they'll help. But here's the thing, Dru. I'm not worth you." He took a deep breath, and the way his arms tightened made the protest die in my throat. "But I'm gonna be. I told you before, but you didn't understand. Hell, you might not understand now. But you've got to trust me on this one." His arms tightened. "You have got to let me go. Can you do that?"

Jillian Conrad
Series: Nightshade Duology by Michelle Rowen
Quotes: Bloodlust

She was once blond and blue eyed, but now her hair and eyes are black due to the Nightshade serum she was injected with. The silky locks fall long and straight to the middle of her back and she is considered very attractive. The Nightshade has made her blood deadly and irresistible to vampires, one taste and they die immediately. She's just your average woman put into an extraordinary situation, she learned pretty quickly to roll with the punches, and she fights for what she believes in and those she cares for.

I wanted to argue with him. One of the reasons I'd had a hard time keeping a job back in my regular life was that I was allegedly "difficult to manage." I liked to do my own thing even if it didn't follow the rules to the letter. This didn't go over too well with management--any management. I guess I just had a very specific way of thinking that didn't jive with most other people. When I got an idea into my head, it was nearly impossible for me to ignore it. Even if it was a shitty idea.

"For the record? I don't think you're ugly. Or a brute." He blinked. "Then what am I?" I leaned forward to whisper in his ear. "Hot as hell." Laughter rumbled in his chest. "Yeah, right. And I fit so well into your life." "Maybe not my old life. But screw that. Right now this is the only place I want to be. Here. With you."

He scrubbed a hand over his scalp. "You're his soul mate now because of your bond. He's a king, he's powerful, he's--" "Rich and superhot," I finished for him. "That song and dance is getting old, vampire. Get in the car." He studied me for a long moment. "Yes, ma'am."

Valek
Series: Study Series by Maria V. Snyder
Quotes: Poison Study

Large and muscular, with an athletic body, sapphire blue eyes, black hair. The Commander's personal security chief and leader of the vast intelligence network for the Territory of Ixia. His stride is graceful, balanced and athletic, and light as a snow cat traversing thin ice. A strong angular face that softens when he smiles. He has a hidden talent for carving life-like statues out of stone. He believes in doing what is right and although he shows the world a stoic, unemotional attitude, he has a hidden compassion for those unable to defend themselves.

Valek was liquid motion. As I watched him, one word came to mind: beautiful. His movements had the speed and cadence of a complex dance performance. In comparison, his adversary resembled a newborn colt, lurching and jerking his arms and legs as if it were his first time on his feet. Valek's smooth lunges and graceful parries disarmed his opponent in no time.

Valek released my hands and stood. I sat, watching him with surprise as he swooped down to lift me from the couch. Wordless, he carried me to my room and laid me on the bed. "Get some sleep, Yelena," Valek said softly as he left the room.

"Wait, Yelena, there's one more thing." Valek's manner and tone were strangely stiff and formal. "I want you to have this." He extended his hand. On his palm sat the beautiful butterfly he had carved. Silver spots on the wings glinted in the sunlight, and a silver chain hung from a small hole drilled into its body. Valek looped the necklace around my neck. "When I carved this statue, I was thinking about you. Delicate in appearance, but with a strength unnoticed at first glance." His eyes met mine.

Month In Review: December

Books I read and their "Dragon Hearts of Love" rating:
(For reviews, please go to "Books Read in 2011")

1. Darling Enemy by Diana Palmer 3
I have read this same story-line by Diana before, the young female character is a model and the hero thinks she has loose morals. The romance was sweet though.

2. My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody 4
A cute story, filled with humor and cute romance. There are also some real-life issues that Jessica touched upon and they were handled wonderfully.

3. Bloodlust by Michelle Rowen 5
The second in this two-book series, and it finished just as powerfully as it began. I loved the characters and enjoyed this thrill-ride from beginning to end.

4. Juniper Crescent by Tony Graff 3
An interesting take on the wonders of medical science. I really only enjoyed the main character, Oksanya, the rest felt like they were just there to take up space.

5. True Blue by Diana Palmer 3
Filled with a lot of information not really relevant to the story, but if you can get past all that, the hero and heroine were a perfect match and the romantic tension was hot.

6. Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden 4
This book caught me completely by surprise, I really enjoyed each and every character and am looking forward to reading more from this author.

7. September Morning by Diana Palmer 3
This might have gotten a higher rating from me if not for the initial love-making scenes. The 'hero' blames the heroine for making him all hot-and-bothered, when she is obviously an innocent virgin who has no understanding of men.

8. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl 4
Although there were times that I was utterly bored, I really did enjoy this story and the characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series.

9. Mad About the Boy by Suzan Battah 4
My final book of 2011! It was a real down-to-earth romance with realistic problems and a guy that is so swoon-worthy he almost makes me jealous of the heroine.

Author Visit:
J.A. Saare

On the Fifth Day of Christmas...

5 Blog Tours I Was A Member Of in 2011

Genesis Release Tour

The Crossroads Tour

Overprotected Blog Tour

Vampire Crush Blog Tour

MAX-imum Exposure Tour