Mother's Day Giveaway!

Courtesy of Hachette Book Group, I am happy to announce a wonderful Mother's Day Giveaway!

There will be 5 (five) winners of this lovely pack of 5 (five) books. That's right! Each winner will receive a copy of each of the below books!

Here is what you'll receive if you win!

Miracles of Motherhood by June Cotner ISBN: 1931722927 $16.99
From Amazon.com:

A heartwarming and inspirational collection of poems, prayers, and blessings for new mothers from bestselling author June Cotner. Popular author and speaker June Cotner serves up another generous helping of the uplifting inspiration that readers have come to love and cherish in her previous anthologies. She offers sustenance for a young mother's soul with carefully arranged prayers, spiritual poetry, and reflections to bring them comfort, inspiration, and joy. It is the perfect gift book for mothers as they contemplate the meaning of motherhood and celebrate one of the most important rites of passage for women--a life-altering, incomparable experience that presents both tremendous challenges and rewards. MIRACLES OF MOTHERHOOD offers encouragement and support for mothers where they need it most--the heart.

Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter ISBN: 0446699233 $13.99
From Amazon.com (Booklist):

Marta Zinsser is not your typical suburban mom. Single, strong, and confident, she wears camouflage pants and chunky boots and rides a motorcycle. When her New York advertising firm asks her to open a branch in Seattle, she agrees to return to her hometown, mostly because of her mother's ill health. Now she's running her own firm out of her house, while her nine-year-old daughter is trying and failing to fit in at her new school. Eva is heartbroken, but Marta, who has never felt the need to be part of the pack, is at a loss as to how to help. Eva's subsequent attempts to change Marta into a normal mom and her sudden, not-so-subtle hints that Marta should get married and create a regular family are funny and poignant. With the increasing demands of her daughter, her ailing mother, and work, Marta's life begins to spiral out of control in a way most women will all-too-readily recognize. Porter's tale of a mother and daughter's journey to "normalcy" is keenly emotional and truly uplifting. Hatton, Maria

Mommy Grace: Erasing Your Mommy Guilt by Sheila Schuller Coleman ISBN: 0446545414 $14.99
From Amazon.com:

Universally, mothers tend to feel they are not good enough at parenting and fear they are harming their children by not being perfect. In Mommy Grace: Erasing Mommy Guilt, Sheila Schuller Coleman offers overwhelmed moms short but emotive stories of authentic motherhood from her own and others' experiences-foibles and all-and offers comfort by showing how God makes up for human weakness with His own strength.
Because Sheila shares lessons learned the hard way by real moms rather than giving difficult instructions for better mothering, readers will leave the book feeling encouraged rather than lectured.
For every mom who feels she's not quite up to the colossal job of parenting, MOMMY GRACE is full of hope and compassion.

Beginner's Greek by James Collins ISBN: 0316021563 $14.99
From Hachette:

Is love at first sight possible or just an old-fashioned romantic idea? And what if, to further complicate things, you meet the love of your life and then lose her phone number? Then what if, after the impossible happens and you find her again, she's now about to marry a roguish lothario who is also your best friend? The complications don't end there for Peter Russell, the winning hero of James Collins' charming, generous, and romantic first novel. Part modern-day Jane Austen, part Tom Wolfe, Beginner's Greek is a romantic comedy of the highest order, with characters who are perfectly, charmingly real as they swerve and stumble from fairy tale to social satire and back again.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain ISBN: 0316002623 $14.99 May 21, 2009
From Hachette:

In the wake of factory closings and his beloved wife's death, Lev makes his way from Eastern Europe to London, seeking work to support his mother and his little daughter. After a spell of homelessness, he finds a job in the kitchen of a posh restaurant and a room in the house of an appealing Irishman who has already lost his family. Never mind that Lev must sleep in a bunk bed surrounded by plastic toys--he has found a friend and shelter. However constricted his life in England remains, he compensates by daydreaming of home, by having an affair with a younger restaurant worker, and by trading gossip and ambitions via cell phone with his hilarious friend Rudi, who, dreaming of the wealthy West, lives largely for his battered Chevrolet.

Homesickness dogs Lev, not only for nostalgic reasons, but because he doesn't belong, body or soul, to his new country--but can he really go home again? Rose Tremain's prodigious talents as a prose writer are on full display in THE ROAD HOME, and her novel never loses sight of what is truly important in the lives we lead.

What lovely books! The last two have really caught my eye!

How to enter:

IMPORTANT! Each entry MUST be a separate comment! Otherwise you forfeit your additional entries! I will be using a random number generator to pick the winners!

1. Post a comment! Any comment will do!
2. Follow my blog! Already follow? Awesome! Let me know!
3. Post this giveaway on your blog and post the link back here! Sidebars are fine.
4. Visit Hachette's site and report to me any book, or even an author, that you would love to read!

That's 4 (four) entries available!

Entries will be accepted until midnight, May 31, Eastern Standard Time.
Entries are open to US and Canadian residents. Sorry, no P.O. Boxes.
Winners will be randomly selected and announced June 1st.
Winners will be required to contact me via the "Contact" link at the top of my blog within 3 days of the winner announcements.
The winner's mailing address will be sent to Hachette Books who will send out the giveaways.

Thanks for visiting and Good Luck!

Continue Reading...

Waiting on Wednesday!

I love a good series. And a good series is the Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning.
This series is a Balls Worthy series. It's totally kick ass!

So, today, Wednesday, I'm waiting for the next release! Dreamfever (Fever Series, Book 4)!

The other books of this series are:
Darkfever (Book 1)
Bloodfever (Book 2)
Faefever (Book 3)

They are chronological and should be read in order.

Aren't these covers cool too?!

Visit Karen's site to get more detailed info on her books! There are excerpts for the books. However, after just visiting I see that it hasn't been updated too recently because she doesn't even have the cover art for Dreamfever up yet. What's up with that?!

She does have an April contest going though, for an audio book of Faefever. She also has a newsletter that you can sign up for.

Dreamfever (Book 4) is scheduled to release August 25, 2009! I wish she would release these 6 months apart instead of 12 - 13 months! Drives me crazy to have to wait sooooo long for the next book in a series!

You can pre-order Dreamfever now or order the other books from this series! I promise you won't be disappointed! Click on the cover images above to go to Amazon.com!

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Blog Awards!

I've received a few blog awards over the past couple of months.

A big thank you to you guys!

I received the Sisterhood Award from Ravenous Reader! Thanks!

I received the Proximidade Award from A Book Dork and Kiss My Book too! Thanks!

I received the One Lovely Blog Award from Bites and from Silvia Pi's YA Books and again from Romance Sap. Thanks!

The Lets Be Friends Award comes from Aye Captain. Thanks!

Thanks again for the love and acknowledgment! I try to do my best with my blog and I'm happy to see that you are enjoying it!

Maybe one day I can sit down and pick some award winners to give these away to. They seem to have made their rounds.

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Contests: Updated!

Here's a list of the many contests I stumble upon from visiting my fellow bloggers!

The only thing that I ask is that you please let them know that I sent you to their contest!

Also, I will continuously update this post with new contests, so feel free to bookmark it or return often to the home page and click "Contests" in the top menu bar!

Thanks and Good Luck!

Currently Running:

Shooting Stars Mag: May Party (5/1 - 5/21)

NEW! Author Spotlight: Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbot (5/4)

NEW! So Many Books, So Little Time: Follow Me by Joanna Scott (5/4)

 

The Story Siren: Fade by Lisa McMann (5/5)

 

The Compulsive Reader: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot (5/5)

NEW! Reviewer X: Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (5/6)

 

Skrishnas Books: Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center (5/6)

 

Wondrous Reads: Stolen by Lucy Christopher (5/7)

NEW! Author Spotlight: Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (5/8)

NEW! Fantastic Book Review: 6 Books! (5/8)

NEW! Today's Adventure: Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer (5/8)

NEW! In Search of Giants: The Lost Hours by Karen White (5/10)

NEW! Frenetic Reader: 4 SIGNED books! (5/10)

NEW! Sarah's Random Musings: Red Glass by Laura Resau (5/10)

 NEW! The Story Siren: Waiting for You by Susane Colasanti (5/14)

NEW! Shooting Star Mag: Initiation by Susan Fine (5/15)

NEW! A Journey of Books: Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris (5/15)

 

Book Luver-Carol: Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels) by R.J. Anderson (5/15)

NEW! Book Luver-Carol: Graceling by Kristin Cashore (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: Swoon by Nina Malkin (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel (5/15)

NEW! Book Luver-Carol: Death by Denim by Linda Gerber (5/15)

NEW! Book Luver-Carol: 3 Jennifer Echols books (5/15)

NEW! Unmainstream Mom Reads: One Deadly Sin by Annie Solomon (5/16)

Writing it Out: Massive Cleaning Up Giveaway (5/16)

NEW! Presenting Lenore: No One You Know by Michelle Richmond (5/19)

NEW! Book Reviews by Jess: Mother's Day Giveaway (5/31)

I Heart Monster: Emily the Strange Blackmail Stationary (6/2)

Cindy Pon: Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon, Brush Painting, or $100 GC! (6/8)

NEW! Brooke Reviews: Pride (Werecats, Book 3) by Rachel Vincent and At Grave's End (Night Huntress, Book 3) by Jeaniene Frost (6/22)

Good Reads (ongoing)

Recently Expired:
Ravenous Reader: Wings by Aprilynne Pike (5/3)

Hello Ello: Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon (5/2)

Insert Book Title: 2 ARCS! Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev & GhostGirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley (5/2)

Putting Pen to Paper: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5/1)

Book Room Reviews: Toys! (5/1)

I Heart Monster: Pretty Face by Mary Hogan (4/30)
Reverie Book Reviews: Evermore by Alyson Noel and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (4/30)
I Heart Monster: Book Plates (4/30)
Bitten by Books: Doomsday Can Wait (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 2) by Lori Handeland (4/29)
A Journey of Books: Spell Hunter (Rebel Angels) by R.J. Anderson (4/28)
Book Worm Book: The Beef Princess of Practical County by Michelle Houts (4/27)
Bree Despain: New Site Launch Treasure Hunt! (4/26)
Gena Showalter: Ghost Huntress: The Awakening by Marley Gibson (4/26)

Patricia's Vampire Notes: Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe (4/24)
Author Kelly Moran's Blog: How to Score by Robin Wells (4/25 - noonish)
Juiciliciousss Reviews: 100 Followers! (4/25)

Patricia's Vampire Notes: Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe (4/24)
I Heart Monster: Eyes Like Stars (ASAP)
Katie's Bookshelf: Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel (4/23)
In Search of Giants: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
I Don't Want to Wait...: The 21st Century Courtesan by Eden Bradley



Contests I've won:
Putting Pen to Paper: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5/1)

Patricia's Vampire Notes: Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe (4/24)

Author Kelly Moran's Blog: How to Score by Robin Wells (4/25 - noonish)

I Heart Monster: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (ASAP)

Lisa Klepas Smooth Talking Stranger "Save the Contemporary"

I Do Not Want to Wait: Ghostland by Jory Strong

Continue Reading...

Mother's Day!

Don't forget to get her something nice! Some great deal's at Amazon.com this year!

Any traditions for you and your family?

My husband and daughter do the usual breakfast for mom. Not usually in bed. I'm not a fan of breakfast in bed. I'd rather get up.
Hopefully it'll be a day of resting and reading!

I usually get my Mom something simple. It's harder to get gifts for the older people. Not that my Mom's terribly old but it's still not that easy. It's much easier when you know them really well, which is easier when it comes to Mom's. :)

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Contests: Updated As Needed!

Here's a list of the many contests I stumble upon from visiting my fellow bloggers!

The only thing that I ask is that you please let them know that I sent you to their contest!

Also, I will continuously update this post with new contests, so feel free to bookmark it or return often to the home page and click "Contests" in the top menu bar!

Thanks and Good Luck!

Currently Running:


Bree Despain: New Site Launch Treasure Hunt! (4/26)

Gena Showalter: Ghost Huntress: The Awakening by Marley Gibson (4/26)

I Heart Monster: Book Plates (4/30)

 

Book Worm Book: The Beef Princess of Practical County by Michelle Houts (4/27)

 

A Journey of Books: Spell Hunter (Rebel Angels) by R.J. Anderson (4/28)

NEW* Bitten by Books: Doomsday Can Wait (The Phoenix Chronicles, Book 2) by Lori Handeland (4/29)

 

Reverie Book Reviews: Evermore by Alyson Noel and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (4/30)

 

I Heart Monster: Pretty Face by Mary Hogan (4/30)

Book Room Reviews: Toys! (5/1)

 

Putting Pen to Paper: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (5/1)

 

Insert Book Title: 2 ARCS! Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev & GhostGirl: Homecoming by Tonya Hurley (5/2)

 

The Story Siren: Fade by Lisa McMann (5/5)

 

The Compulsive Reader: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot (5/5)

 

Skrishnas Books: Everyone is Beautiful by Katherine Center (5/6)

 

Wondrous Reads: Stolen by Lucy Christopher (5/7)

NEW* Fantastic Book Review: 6 Books! (5/8)

NEW* Today's Adventure: Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer (5/8)

 

Book Luver-Carol: Spell Hunter (Faery Rebels) by R.J. Anderson (5/15)

NEW! Book Luver-Carol: Graceling by Kristin Cashore (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: How to Hook a Hottie by Tina Ferraro (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: Lament by Maggie Stiefvater (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: Swoon by Nina Malkin (5/15)

Book Luver-Carol: Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel (5/15)

Writing it Out: Massive Cleaning Up Giveaway (5/16)

I Heart Monster: Emily the Strange Blackmail Stationary (6/2)

Good Reads (ongoing)

Recently Expired:

 

Patricia's Vampire Notes: Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe (4/24)

 

Author Kelly Moran's Blog: How to Score by Robin Wells (4/25 - noonish)

Juiciliciousss Reviews: 100 Followers! (4/25)

I won! I Heart Monster: Eyes Like Stars (ASAP)
Katie's Bookshelf: Mackenzie, Lost and Found by Deborah Kerbel (4/23)
In Search of Giants: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
I Don't Want to Wait...: The 21st Century Courtesan by Eden Bradley

Contests I've won:

 

Author Kelly Moran's Blog: How to Score by Robin Wells (4/25 - noonish)

I Heart Monster: Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev (ASAP)
Lisa Klepas Smooth Talking Stranger "Save the Contemporary"
I Do Not Want to Wait: Ghostland by Jory Strong

Continue Reading...

Harlequin Teen! Sneak Peeks!

As previously mentioned Harlequin is starting a new division!
Harlequin Teen!

The first two books to be released are two of my favorite authors:
Gena Showalter and Rachel Vincent!

There's a new site for the Harlequin Teen division and I'm so excited to share it! Why? Because there are sneek peeks inside each book!

They both have the first 14 pages available to read. How cool is that!? I know it's kind of a tease to only get 14 pages but at least it's something!

My Soul to Take (Soul Screamer, Book 1) by Rachel Vincent

My Soul to Take is set to release on August 1, 2009.

Pre-order it from Amazon.com!

Visit Rachel's blog!


Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Visit Gena's blog!

Intertwined is due to release Sept. 1, 2009.

Pre-order it from Amazon.com!

Enjoy the sneek peeks!

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In My Mailbox Wednesday?! I won!

OMG! I was notified the other day by Jane from Dear Author that I won the GRAND PRIZE to the Lisa Klepas Smooth Talking Stranger "Save the Contemporary" Contest! How cool is that?! My prize was to be:

a grand prize package of 20 titles from SMP’s backlist (Lora Leigh, Jennifer Crusie, Cheyenne McCray, and the like) to a random entrant.

So, when I saw a large package on the porch today what did I do? I ignored it! I totally thought it was the shoes we ordered for my hubby. He carried in the large package when he arrived home. And I was like, "Is that heavy?", he replied, "Yup." "OH, I thought it was your shoes!", "Nope. Too heavy for shoes." I stopped stuffing my face with Subway and proceeded to tear the box open. What was inside?

BOOKS! LOTS and LOTS of BOOKS! 32 books to be exact!

I'd like to thank Jane of Dear Author and Sarah of Smart Bitches, Trashy Books for the amazing contest. I never thought I'd win the GRAND PRIZE! I'm kinda sad that 10 out of 32 books are of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series. I've read nearly all of them on my Kindle, a few I skipped because they weren't available on the Kindle, so that's cool that I can go back and fill in the gaps. BUT they'll also look great on a book shelf. Now, where do I put another book shelf? I'm afraid these books will be returning to the box that they arrived in until I can find them a proper home!

If you're not already following Dear Author and or Smart Bitches, Trashy Books you should!

Now....what to read....I kid, I kid!

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Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake Sneek Peek!

I reviewed Dayhunter yesterday!

However, I didn't realize that the first 5 chapters (!) are available on the HarperCollins site!

So, if you've read Nightwalker and want to get a head start on Dayhunter go there now!

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Contest: Sloane Sisters by Anna Carey

The Story Siren is holding a contest for Sloane Sisters by Anna Carey.
Head over and enter!

Drop a note to let her know I sent you!

Continue Reading...

Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2) by Jocelynn Drake

Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2) by Jocelynn Drake
Eos (April 28, 2009)
368 pages (my copy was 356)
$7.99 Mass Market Paperback from Amazon.com
No Kindle listing

Originality: 19/20
Characters: 19/20
Writing: 20/20
Setting: 10/10
Plot: 19/20
Passion: 8/10
Cover: 4/5 (bonus pts)
Grade: 99/100 = A+

Originality:
Mira is continuing her journey of running from the naturi along with her love/hate relationship with Danaus. The story line, characters and setting make this a true original work of art.

Characters:
Mira and Danaus are the main characters. Mira is vampire and Danaus is unknown until later in the book when he finally tells Mira what he is or rather Mira figures out exactly what he is but doesn't tell him she knows a bit more about his heritage than he does. The other characters in the book help build the story line and add much conflict. There's only a few other characters that actually help Mira and Danaus but they aren't all good at heart. I'm super excited to find out that the sequel, Dawnbreaker, will be released September 29, 2009! There's also a prequel to be released in an anthology titled Unbound, which releases August 29, 2009.

Writing:
Jocelynn is amazing. The flow and the pace of this book is awesome. I have, like, nothing bad to say about it. I knew going in that it would pick up exactly where Nightwalker left off, because it did finish on a slight cliffhanger, and I knew that it would follow the current issue at hand until it was handled brillantly by Mira with the assistance of smoking hot Danaus, and would ultimately finish with an ending that isn't quite an ending but enough to provide closure until the next book.

Setting:
Most of this story takes place in Venice. What a lovely place to escape to! I keep meaning to ask Jocelynn if she's been to Venice before. I'm assuming she has as she did an amazing job taking me there. I loved the little river ways and the secret islands and the historical sections of the town. Very cool. And there wasn't any non-English thrown in to confuse or to make it seem any more realistic. Jocelynn was able to do that without the foreign languages!

Plot:
Excellent plot. Mira is summoned to appear in front of the Coven because she annihilated a whole bunch of naturi, in the first book, Nightwalker, that was publicly displayed and hence forbidden by the Coven. She does a shit load of trash talking to the Elders, kicks some major ass, steals ownership of another vamp from an Elder and commences to kick her ass too. Mira, to say the least, is an extremely strong, ass kicking female lead character. She doesn't do all this without remorse though. She was torn up about killing so many souls. She never wants to do anything like that again. The relationship between Mira and Danaus continues to grow.

Passion:
As just stated the relationship between Mira and Danaus is growing. They are trusting each other more. They are telling each other more. They are sharing a much stronger connection. They, however, are not acting on the vibes they are feeling towards each other. I think their resolve to keep those feelings under check are soon going to dissolve and I hope to see that in the next book. There was also another male character that revved up Mira in this book. I was kinda sad to see that happen but it actually did have a god reason to happen. This is mostly an urban fantasy but it now borders on the romance a bit more.

Cover:
I got a manually bound version of this book to read and review before release. It included a cover flat of the book. It's actually very cool. I just looked at it up close and I totally didn't see the face in the clouds! How cool is that!? The graveyard is very fitting and the blade is total kick ass. It's also very red. Nighwalker had a bit more color to it, which is nice, but this cover is just fine.

Overall:
I can't wait for the next book! Loved it! Mira is an amazing strong, ass kicking female lead and I can't wait to see what she as in store for us in Dawnbreaker!

---

Pre-order Dayhunter now from Amazon!

Read an excerpt of Dayhunter.

Didn't read Nightwalker? Check out the excerpt and then order it!

Check out Jocelynn's sites:
Blog
Website
MySpace

Continue Reading...

Last Minute Contest! Wicked Lovely!

Just saw this posted on a blog I follow but the deadline is today!

Enter NOW to win a copy of Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr from A Journey of Books blog!


Go enter now before it's too late!

Continue Reading...

Blue Diablo (A Corine Solomon Novel) by Ann Aguirre

Blue Diablo (A Corine Solomon Novel) by Ann Aguirre

Roc (April 7, 2009)
336 pages (I read the Kindle version)
$6.99 paperback
$4.79 Kindle

Originality: 18/20
Characters: 16/20
Writing: 17/20
Setting: 8/10
Plot: 15/20
Passion: 4/10
Cover: 2/5 (bonus pts)
Grade: 80/100 = B-

Originality:
Corine has a special gift of being able to touch objects and "read" them. Some objects hold a charge that Corine can see. This was about the only cool thing in this book.

Characters:
Corine Solomon: special gifted woman, running from ex-boyfriend Chance because they used to work together and she nearly got killed so she blames him. She was living in Mexico City until Chance found her. He needed help. She's a very weak character, literally. Her only good thing is the crack of her tongue and her gift of touching objects. Other than that she's kind of bland.

Chance: He's the hot, dark skinned, asian mixed male character. His "gift" is that he can influence situations with his "Chance" gift. He's totally in love with Corine but he doesn't do much to win her back. I mean come on! If you want a girl you don't let her run away and not track her down after 18 months until you need her "gift". Lame.

Chuch & Eva: Married couple that helps Chance and Corine. He's a super cool dude and his wife is a kick ass woman. They would have made better lead characters.

There are a few other minor characters that were important to the story line but they weren't great characters.

Writing:
This was my first book by Ann Aguirre. I most likely will not read any other books by her. The writing wasn't terrible. I blame the characters. I didn't like the characters. There wasn't much to laugh at, there was little to no passion, and I just didn't click with the story or the characters.

Setting:
Most of the story took place in or incredibly near Mexico. There was a lot of Spanish in the book. Some of it was translated word for word but there were some times that I don't think it was translated word for word and it left me questioning exactly what was said. I think it's okay to use foreign speech in a book but only if it's common knowledge. There were quite a few times I didn't know what the hell was being said and I took three years of high school Spanish! The setting didn't help the story what so ever. If anything, I think it made it worse for me.

Plot:
Now this is probably where it all went wrong for me. The plot centers around the disappearence of Chance's mom Min. They work together to find her. It's not entirely interesting to find out what happened to her. The characters we meet along the way are lacking. The fued between Chance and Corine is just overdone and old by the end of the book that I almost hope they don't get back together.

Passion:
It's there but like so not there. Chance is a hottie that likes a nottie. Corine does not impress me whatsoever and honestly I think I hate her. She's totally screwed up and fighting her own self esteem or selfishness on the whole ordeal with taking back Chance. Blah.

Cover:
And last but not least. The Cover. The Title. WTF? Blue Diablo? I thought the title was cool. I thought that this book was going to be amazing. The title is from Corine's favorite alcoholic beverage. A blue diablo. It has nothing to do with the story. It's like the author or publisher was like, "What do we call it?". It doesn't have anything catching so they called it the drink of choice and gave it the "Corine Solomon Novels" series name. The cover it's self isn't that great but the drink does look kinda cool.

Overall:
Not a fan. I'm really surprised that I even finished it. I guess I was still clinging to a last hope that Corine and Chance would make up but I don't know why I even gave it a second thought. I probably will not read any follow ups because I don't like being pulled around by my heartstrings by characters or authors. Chance deserves better. I know I sound bitter but I can't help it.

Excerpt is available on Ann Aguirre's website.

---

Did you read this one? Did you enjoy it? How is my review different than yours? Did you love or hate Corine?

Continue Reading...

Book Updates.....

I haven't posted a review in a while and just wanted to update so you don't think I'm slacking!

Last night I finished two books.

Blue Diablo (A Corine Solomon Novel) by Ann Aguirre, released April 7, and Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2) by Jocelynn Drake, releasing April 28.

I'll be posting the reviews tonight or tomorrow night. :)

I just started Marked (House of Night, Book 1) by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast late last night. So far, so good. I've been wanting to read this series forever it seems but it was never available for the Kindle and now it is!!! Woohoo!

I still need to go back and finish Watersmeet but that will probably wait a while. I'm feeling like I need a "fix" and I'm not having any luck getting that from some of the books I've read recently.

Dayhunter was amazing and I refused to complete it for at least a week with only 10 pages left to read. I finished it last night and now I'm hating myself because it was just too good and I sooo want more!!! Look for my review and if you haven't read this series I highly recommend it. It's a true urban fantasy and the main character kicks ass.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Continue Reading...

FREE Kindle Book! The Bounty by Beth Williamson

Who doesn't like free books!?!

The Bounty: The Malloy Family Book 1
Available for the Kindle!

What happens when a bounty hunter finds his prey only to discover she-s his mate?
Book 1 of the Malloy family series.
Nicky Malloy is on the run-from guilt, fear, and a murder charge. After three years, the notorious bounty hunter Tyler Calhoun catches up with the elusive lady outlaw. The intensity of their dislike for each other is only matched by the growing passion they cannot seem to control.
A loner by nature, a cold hard hunter by choice, Tyler fights his feelings for his prisoner the only way he knows how-by denying them. He-s not prepared for how deeply his feelings will run, or how hard it will be to hold her life in his hands.
Pursued by two hapless cowboys bent on taking Nicky in themselves, Nicky and Tyler are forced to turn to each other for aid, trust, and comfort as their journey progresses on its rocky road. Caught in a web of lies and murder, they hold on to each other as they travel to Wyoming to confront the man that brought them together. Tyler has to decide if his love for her is worth more than the bounty he was sent to find.
This book has been previously published, but substantially revised and reedited.

Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex, graphic language, some violence.<---- LOL.
Looks like there's a total of 7 books to this series.

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Waiting on Wednesday! YA Books Galore!

Two of my most favorite adult romance authors are branching out and releasing some YA books! Gena Showalter has previously written YA books but Rachel Vincent is a noobie! Her adult books can easily be enjoyed by YA readers as they aren't too steamy on the sex scenes but they are very graphic in other areas.

Rachel Vincent's upcoming YA release is My Soul to Take (Soul Screamer, Book 1)which is a series already written and ready to release with a total of three books I think .

The back cover flap:

Something is wrong with Kaylee Cavanaugh. She doesn't see dead people, but....

She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee know who'll be next....

This sounds very interesting. And it sounds so different than what Rachel as written in the past. I can't wait to read it!

And isn't that cover just gorgeous!? Love the cover.

Visit Rachel's blog!

My Soul to Take is set to release on August 1, 2009.

Pre-order it from Amazon.com!



Gena Showalter's upcoming title is Intertwined.

Back cover flap:

Aden's image was burned into her mind.
He had black hair with inch-long blond roots. A face as perfect as the Grecian statues she'd seen in her world history textbook, even with the grime. For the briefest of moments, when a beam of sunlight had hit him, she could have sworn his eyes were striped with green, brown, blue and gold. But then the ray had disappeared and the colors melted into each other, leaving only an intense black.

The colors didn't matter, though. Those eyes were feral, wild, and she'd felt that undeniable shock that had ended as quickly as it had befun, for one second seeming to hook her to a generator, jolting her, unnerving her.

Even hurting her.
And here he was again...

How amazing does that sound!?! The cover is kinda freaky but I'm guessing the whole book might be that way too!

Visit Gena's blog!

Intertwined is due to release Sept. 1, 2009.

Pre-order it from Amazon.com!

Will you be joining me with these books? Have you read either author before? Let me know!

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Happy Birthday to Me!

Today's my birthday!
I was born April 14th, 1983, which makes me 26!

I have to work today so that's kinda sad but I had yesterday off visiting family over the weekend in Prospect Hill, NC. It was loads of fun but I'm happy to be back.

Speaking of back....my back is killing me! I'm sure it's a combo of the bed we slept on and the 6 hour drive down and back again. I took a hot shower before bed last night hoping that would help (I'm writing this on Saturday night so I don't know if it has helped yet or not...).

Today I plan to leave work on time, which I never do. I hope to have Sloppy Joe's with potato chips for dinner. I know my sister is going to stop by tonight to see me so that's cool. I don't really enjoy cake so I won't be sad if there isn't one for me. And we'll be going to a dinner this weekend, Saturday I believe, to a lovely restaurant with family style (Pennsylvania Dutch) cooking and serving. We'll be leaving our daughter with a grandparent as it's not too kid friendly because it tends to be super quite and if the kid isn't cooperating the entire restaurant knows about it.

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Finally! Stargazer Contest Results!

Okay, I sat down tonight and worked my magic to get the winner of Stargazer by Claudia Gray. Thank you to everyone who entered and I hope to have another contest soon!

The lucky winner is...........

books-a-lishous!!!!

Please contact me by email (junklekennedyATgmailDOTcom) with your mailing address.

The winner was picked using BuzzMyBlog.com's Contest Winner Picker.
If you missed my review catch it here!

Thanks again and if you haven't won or bought Stargazer yet do so!

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Waiting on Wednesday: Fallen Angels Series by J.R. Ward!

Thanks to Ravenous Reader sharing with me a link to Katiebabs blog I'm sharing with you the amazing cover of J.R. Ward's new series of Fallen Angels!!

Covet: A Novel of the Fallen AngelsJ.R. Ward is set to release Sept.29. I didn't even know she was writing a new series!

I'm also thrilled about the next Black Dagger Brotherhood book, Lover Avenged (Book 7)that is releasing on April 28th! That's two weeks after my birthday and actually my Mom's birthday. This book also has a great cover and an awaited story of a character I've been waiting to get to know and I can't wait to find out about all the back stories that go on in this series.

If you haven't read J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood seriesyou should! It's totally and completely kick ass. The "brothers" are strong and amazing characters. You get to know each one more and more and I love that each book is basically "their" book but each book continues with a few back stories, which is a huge reason that I love this  series. It's complex and incredibly entertaining. I hope she decides to keep writing this series and I look forward to the new series!

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Anya Bast Month Long Contest: What Happens in Vegas...After Dark!

Grand Prize: $100 GC to Amazon.com
Runner Up: $25 GC to B&N and a box of surprise paperbacks and other goodies (like chocolate, bath goodies, ect). This is going to be a NICE prize!
Runner Up: $25 GC to B&N and a box of surprise paperbacks and other goodies. (same as above)

Plus chances to win books (almost) every day for a month!

Go to www.anyabast/blog.com for details on how to enter.

Let her know I sent you!!!

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Stargazer Contest Results......

Will be announced soon! I promise!!
Hopefully I'll have time tomorrow night to do my magic and pick the winner.

Sorry for the wait!

I'm off to bed with my book.

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Books & Reading Preferences

I saw this posted on S. Krishna's Books and thought it was interesting. So here are my thoughts!

Hardback, trade paperback or mass market paperback? I prefer paperback over hardback if I must have a physical book. Otherwise I'm all about the Kindle version.

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Well since there aren't any Barnes & Nobles in my area I'll go with Borders! However, I also enjoy an independent bookstore every now and again.

Bookmarks or dog-ear? I cannot and will not dog-ear a book! Kevin, the guy who's lending me Graceling, had a page in Graceling bent and I nearly had a stroke! It hurts me if I hurt my books. Even though I'm all about having books on my Kindle I still have a love and connection with physical books. So, yes, I use bookmarks! Which is usually the nearest piece of something flat.

Amazon or brick-and-mortar? Amazon all the way! I buy a lot of things from Amazon, not just books. I have the Amazon Prime membership so shipping costs are not an issue and I get the products in a timely fashion. Plus, I really enjoy receiving packages in the mail. :)

Alphabetize by author, or alphabetize by title, or random? The bookcase that I have now has my most favorite books on it by author, by series, with the largest size books first. So, the Twilight series is first and so on. My TBR pile is sorted by size of the book and then by author if applicable.

Keep, throw away, or sell? I have a ton of books in Rubbermaid containers in my attic. Some are books that I love and really want to keep but I gave up trying to fit them all on a bookcase. Basically, I need a library where I can proudly display my favorite books. I really don't have that many but it would still require at least two or three floor to ceiling 3-4 feet wide book cases. Maybe some day we'll own a larger house to do just that. I haven't sold many books though. Maybe a few at a yard sale once. I never throw any away.

Keep dust jacket or remove it? I keep them. This doesn't apply to my daughters books. I throw those away when we get them home! Otherwise, she'll have them torn to pieces for me to clean up!

Read with dust jacket or remove it? I remove them while I'm reading so I don't damage it but it goes back on when I'm done.

Short story or novel? I've read a few anthologies but I prefer full novels. I've found that a lot of short stories are actually prequels or follow ups to previously published books. It's cool to read them.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Neither? I haven't read a Harry Potter or a Lemony Snicket. I've seen both in a movie and enjoyed them but I'm just not hurting to read the books.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I usually stop at a chapter break but sometimes I just keep falling asleep and I end up forgetting what I've read anyhow. So at that point I must put the book down. This usually happens when I'm reading in bed at 1:30 am or so.

"It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"? I'm definitely all about the "dark and stormy" but I also enjoy a good fairy tale. Put them together and I'm good to go!

Buy or borrow? I usually buy but hey, if someone, like Kevin, wants to share their love of a book with me I'm not going to stop them. It sucks that most of the books I buy are on the Kindle and I can't "share" them with friends or family. But I do a good job to let others know when I'm really liking a book so they might buy it for themselves.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendations, or browse? I do a bit of all three of these. I do not leave a store without visiting the book section. Just last weekend I was in Target and bought a book while browsing. Usually I buy because of a recommendation.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? I despise cliffhangers! Honestly, a small cliffy is fine but a huge whooping one is not cool in my book. It really just pisses me off. By the time the follow up is released I do end up forgetting how upset I was but really, it's not cool to do that to a reader.

Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading? I do most of my reading late at night. Usually between 8 pm and 2:00 am. I'd love to be able to read more during the day but time just doesn't allow it. If I take a lunch break I do try to read a chapter or two in thirty minutes while scarfing down a sandwich and soda.

Stand-alone or series? I prefer series. I like "knowing" a character and learning more and more about them. I also like a lot of the authors and their writing style. It's a great comfort zone and that's what I enjoy the most about series. They are safe.

Favorite series? I have a lot. J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson, Gena Showalter's Atlantis, Alien Huntress, and her Lords of the Underworld series, Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark and her MacCarrick Brothers series, which I haven't finished either of these yet. I also love Rachel Vincent's Werecats series. And lastly Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse series. I'm sure I'm missing a few more but these are # 1 in my book!

Favorite children's book? I'd have to say The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop is one of my most favorite kids chapter books, ages 9-12.

Favorite YA book? The Giver by Lois Lowry. This was an amazing book that I will forever remember as being one of the best fantasy and futuristic books I've ever read.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? That would be The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt. I read this in the 4th or 5th grade. It was the most touching book I'd ever read. Probably the first book that made me cry.

Favorite books read last year? Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. What an amazing book. I've read a ton of great books but this is probably the most touching book that will follow me forever. The rest were just great reads that provided tons of entertainment.

Favorite books of all time? Besides the few I've previously mentioned I'd add Cane River by Lalita Tademy.All of Lois Lowry's novels and Matilda by Roald Dahl.

What are you reading right now? Well I'm reading Dayhunter (Dark Days, Book 2) by Jocelynn Drake but I put Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott aside to read it.

What are you reading next? I'll most likely finish Watersmeet but I'm also expecting an ARC of Prey (Werecats, Book 4) by Rachel Vincent from another blogger! I can't wait to read that!

Favorite book to recommend to an 11-year-old? Any of my previously mentioned books would work well. I'd honestly recommend James and the Giant Peach! :) That was a fun read!

Favorite book to re-read? That would be The Giver by Lois Lowry, again, it's the best book ever and it's short and easy to read but the message is deep and heavy.

Do you ever smell books? Sure! I don't make it a must do thing but I do sometimes smell a book.

Do you ever read primary source documents like letters or diaries? Not on purpose no. If they are included in the novel then yes.

Wow, that was a lot of questions and a lot of answering! I hope you learned a little more about me. I'm all about reading the "good stuff" but I also look for books that have depth and meaning, of which I will grasph on to and take with me forever.

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Another Kindle 2 Contest!

Go to this site and enter!
It's super easy (ha!). Just answer the South Park related questions and you can qualify for an Amazon Kindle 2!

Good luck!

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In My Mailbox!

So, not much going on this week. BUT! It was a fabulous week. Why? Because I got a non-ARC, a self bound copy, of Dayhunter by Jocelynn Drake!

I was soo thrilled when she told me she was sending me a copy. I've been reading it for the past few days and I'm sad to be almost done with it!

Dayhunter is set to release on April 28.

You must read the first book of the Dark Days series, Nightwalker.

You can read my review of Nightwalker here. Vist her cool site and her blog!
You can even read the first chapter of Dayhunter on her forum!

I also borrowed Graceling by Kristin Cashore from my friend Kevin. He just launched a brand new blog, with my husband, called Man Sandwich. Visit at your own risk! It most likely will not cover anything to do with books, I'm afraid. Very afraid.

I have several reviews to do:
The Vampire's Bride (Atlantis, Book 4) by Gena Showalter
The Amazon's Curse by Gena Showalter (an e-book special follow up to The Vampire's Bride)

And one book to finish reading: Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott, which was released on April 1! It's a good read. It reminds me of The Lord of the Rings, only it stars a yound female adventurer and a necklace instead of a ring! I'm sad because I did put it aside to read Dayhunter. Sorry Ellen Jensen Abbott! I will resume reading this very soon!

What did you get? Already read the books I have?

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Another Kindle 2 Contest!

Book Gasm is hosting a contest partnered with HaperCollins and their author Andrew Gross and his new thriller Don't Look Twice.

Enter by going to this site for the rules!

Good luck!

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Win a Kindle 2! GetGlue!

It's a very cool contest!
This contest is sponsored by Glue. What's Glue you ask? I didn't know what it was either until I saw it posted by Kiss My Book today.

Visit GetGlue for all it's cool features such as:

Glue works automatically as you browse popular sitesabout books, music, movies, wines, restaurants, gadgets, stocks, actors, tv shows and other everyday things around the web. The Glue bar appears right on your current page to show you friends who looked at the same things and what they thought!

Visit the Glue blog for the rules!
Don't forget to come back here and let me know your Glue user name. The user name is case sensitive so don't forget that!

Don't forget to pass it on! You might even get the lucky drawing and win your self the Kindle 2!

You'll need Twitter to enter the contest. You can Twitter me with your info or just leave a comment here. Or email me if you'd prefer: junklekennedyATgmailDOTcom. My Twitter is: http://twitter.com/junklekennedy

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Win a Kindle 2! GetGlue!

It's a very cool contest!
This contest is sponsored by Glue. What's Glue you ask? I didn't know what it was either until I saw it posted by Kiss My Book today.

Visit GetGlue for all it's cool features such as:

Glue works automatically as you browse popular sitesabout books, music, movies, wines, restaurants, gadgets, stocks, actors, tv shows and other everyday things around the web. The Glue bar appears right on your current page to show you friends who looked at the same things and what they thought!

Visit the Glue blog for the rules!
Don't forget to come back here and let me know your Glue user name. The user name is case sensitive so don't forget that!

Don't forget to pass it on! You might even get the lucky drawing and win your self the Kindle 2!

You'll need Twitter to enter the contest. You can Twitter me with your info or just leave a comment here. Or email me if you'd prefer: junklekennedyATgmailDOTcom. My Twitter is: http://twitter.com/junklekennedy

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