Cover Reveal: Frigid by Jennifer L. Armentrout writing as J. Lynn

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love.

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have.

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Frigid will be available in digital formats on July 30^th 2013

Print release of Frigid will be November 5^th 2012

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J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is a # 1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author. She lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russel Loki.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.

She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

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Book Review: Imposter by Jill Hathaway

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  What if a killer took control of you?

Vee Bell’s gift (or curse) of “sliding”—slipping into the mind of another person and experiencing life, briefly, through his or her eyes—has been somewhat under control since she unwillingly witnessed the horrific deaths of her classmates six months ago.

But just as things are getting back to normal, Vee has a very bizarre experience: she loses consciousness and finds herself in a deserted area, at the edge of a cliff, with the broken body of the boy who took advantage of her on the rocks below.

As Vee finds herself in stranger and stranger situations with no memory of getting there, she begins to suspect that someone she knows has the ability to slide—and that this “slider” is using Vee to exact revenge on his or her enemies.

 

My Thoughts:  

 I liked this book and thought it was pretty fast paced and it definitely kept me guessing but it probably won't be on my Top Ten of 2013.  

 

Vee can "slide" into other people's minds.  As far as she knows, she is the only person who can do this.  Until one day, she has a strange experience and she discovers that someone may be sliding into her mind.  

 

After seeing her former best friend, Samantha, hurt by the same boy her assaulted her the year before, Vee comes up with a plan.  However, it is a plan that goes horribly wrong and when someone slides into Vee's mind at the wrong moment, she is left wondering what really happened that night and just exactly what she is responsible for.  

 

To give Vee even more to worry about, she has finally decided that she does want to move forward with her friend, Rollins.  She just isn't sure if he feels the same way after he gets a job at the local radio station and ends up working with a very pretty girl from school who shares a lot of his interests.  When Vee's aunt shows up after running away years ago, Vee's world is just turned upside down.  She must figure out who is sliding into her mind, what exactly happened that night with Scotch, what her aunt really wants and for that matter, who her aunt really is and if Rollins is really in love with her like he said at the end of Slide or if he is more interested in Anna.

 

I like Vee but I did get annoyed with her over the whole Scotch thing.  I can't say a whole lot since I don't want to give anything away but the running away and then thinking she must call the cops and then being dumb enough to do it from the school just annoyed me.  I also thought she acted a bit childish with her aunt.  Not that I would have totally accepted her aunt with open arms either but she seemed to be a little over the top about it.  

 

Rollins is still awesome but a little dense in this book.  He claims he loves Vee and yet he brings Anna to their "date" and talks to Anna all the time and let's Anna hang on him.  Of course Vee is going to be jealous.  She is just starting this relationship and there is this pretty, curvy girl who is obviously crushing on Rollins and he doesn't seem to notice at all.  I would have been very irritated if I were Vee.

 

I liked that Vee and Samantha mended their broken friendship.  Even when things got tough, they stood beside each other.  I feel sorry for Samantha because her parents never seem to be around.  She seemed a little insecure to me, especially after the bonfire night.

 

I didn't really get the role Diane played in the whole story.  It added a little to the mystery and possibly could have thrown in another suspect (although I never suspected her at all).  She just didn't fit to me, even at the end when it was explained who she was.  It seemed like she was an unnecessary  character.

 

This book was a pretty fast and easy read.  It will keep you guessing until the end and you will be surprised at the end of the book. 

 

 

Book Review: The Rules for Disappearing by Ashley Elston

 **I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My Thoughts:  Imagine living in 6 different places in less than a year.  Imagine having 6 different identities in less than a year.  That is what Meg Jones has had to deal with.  The worse part of it is that Meg doesn't even know why her family has been put in the Witness Protection Program.  She assumes that it is something that her father has done and has vowed to found out what he did.  

Meg has 4 rules as she starts her new school.  She will not make friends, she will not join any clubs, she will not have any boyfriends and she will spend her time figuring out why she is in the position she is in.  Her plan goes out the window on her first day at school when she meets Ethan Landry.  Ethan is sweet, funny and very persistent.   He won't leave Meg alone and Meg cannot find it in her to push him away.  

Meg finds herself enjoying the small Louisiana town that her family has been placed in and actually feeling like she belongs.  She gets a job at a pizza place and even starts to make friends.  Even Meg's sister, Mary, starts to open back up.  Mary is eleven and had shut almost completely down by this move.  Thanks to Ethan and Pearl (the owner of the pizza place that Meg works), Mary opens up and starts to become her old self.  The only things that are putting a damper on things are Meg's mother's alcoholism and her constant wondering what happens.  

There are several creepy moments in this book that I really enjoyed and that left me wondering what was going on.  Some of the moments (like the laundry room scene) seem to really have no reason to happen but were still creepy.  The only thing that really bugged me was that Meg is only 17 and Ethan is 18.  For some reason, Meg thought that, once she knew what placed them in the Witness Protection Program, she could outsmart the FBI/US Marshalls.  It irritates me when the main character is so young and yet so incredibly stupid.  She has no gun, no training in how to stay safe, no real plan and yet she takes off and tries to fix the problem with no help from the professionals.  The fact that she didn't get herself killed surprised the heck out of me (although that wouldn't have made for a great ending).  I also guessed the "bad" guy right away.  It didn't really make the story any slower once I knew but it definitely wasn't unpredictable. 

Despite my few problems with the book, it was a such a good read that I finished it in one day.  It was fast paced and definitely kept your interest.  It had enough mystery and romance to keep you happy and there were those creepy moments as well.  The cliffhanger at the end will leave you wondering what in the world is going to happen next!

Book Review: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
Sixteen-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare.

Literally.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy, is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder.

Then Eli’s dream comes true.

Now Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

My Thoughts:  Dusty is a nightmare who feeds on fictus, the stuff dreams are made of.  She has a set schedule on when to feed so she doesn't get too strong in her magic.  One night, she finds herself in the bedroom of Eli, a hot boy from her previous school.  As she feeds on his dream, she realizes that this dream is different from others.  It's more vivid, more real and dealing with murder of someone she knows who is another magickind.  When Eli kicks Dusty out of his dream, not only is she mortified but she finds herself being picked up by the magickind police (who happen to be werewolves) and taken to the exact scene of the dream.  That's when Dusty finds out that she is a dream seer.  What's worse is that Eli is her partner and even though he isn't magickind, he has to transfer to Arkwell Academy, a school for magic.

Dusty is a very likeable character.  She is funny and gets herself into all sorts of trouble.  She also has to deal with her mother's reputation as a rule breaker.  Her mom left her (human) father and Dusty when Dusty was young and visits only occasionally.  Dusty is not happy to find that her mother has showed up at the school to forbid Dusty to have any part in this investigation.  

Eli is your typical popular, hot guy that everyone swoons over.  At first, he isn't impressed with Dusty or her dream seeing skills.  He really wants no part of it but as they continue to help in the investigation, Eli warms up to Dusty and becomes sweet and protective.  He and Dusty have a chemistry but since they are both dating other people, they don't ever officially date.

I thought this book moved at a pretty fast pace and really had fun reading it.  I did, however, figure out who the "bad" guy(s) are/were before the end.  In fact, as soon as one particular character was introduced, I knew that he/she had to play a major part in the mystery.  It wasn't shocking when I found out I was right and I am sure that you will figure it out as well.  The other person involved in the mystery was a little more unpredictable for me.  

I loved the fact that this story was about a nightmare, something I had never read about.  It was a fun and fast paced story that kept me entertained throughout.  

Book Review: Apollyon (Covenant #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

**I received this book from the publisher for an honest review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

My Thoughts:  Every time I have finished a Covenant book,  I think that the next book can't possibly get better.  Yet every time a new one comes out, it is indeed better than the last.  Apollyon is no exception to that rule.  Jennifer Armentrout has done it again!

If you haven't read the first three, this review WILL contain spoilers of all three of them.  Please, go get the first three books and devour them (as I ddid) and then come back to read the review!

At the end of Diety, Alex had awakened.  She was hidden away with her uncle, Marcus, her lover, Aiden and friends, Solos, Lea, Olivia, Deacon and Luke.  They were all trying to make sure that she stayed as far away from Seth as she could be.

At the beginning of this book, Alex has indeed awakened and Seth is constantly in her head.  She has been locked in a room that has been reinforced by Hephaestus.  She is horribly mean, especially to Aiden, who refuses to leave her for long.  

When Alex finally breaks the bond from Seth, she has to figure out how to stop Seth from finding her and draining her of her power.  Seth is still under the influence of Lucian but we find out that a God is helping them.  After a quick jaunt to the Underworld, Alex has her answers....now she just has to figure out how to get close enough to Seth without him draining her.  

Things take a turn for the worse when the group decides to travel to one of the Covenants that is suppose to be safe.  Lives are lost, relationships tested and heartbreak is inevitable.  

I love Alex!  She totally kicks butt...unless she is under Seth's influence.  Oh my, for the first few chapters I was sickened by her.  She continued to refer to Seth as "my Seth" and wouldn't listen to reason at all.  Of course, with Seth's voice constantly in her head, can you blame her?  I was so glad when she was finally rid of him.  

I love how Alex's relationship with Marcus is becoming stronger.  I hated Marcus in the first two books but actually really liked him in this book.  Of course, I also love Aiden, Olivia, Deacon, Luke and even Lea.  While Lea and Alex still aren't besties, they work well together.

The ending blew me away!  Seriously!  I can't believe Jennifer would leave us like that...all the questions left and no ARCs of the last book in the series being sent out.  It is going to be a VERY long time until December!

I received this book and read it in 2 days.  I postponed my kids' school (they loved that) and stayed up late to read.  It is THAT amazing!  This series is amazing and I honestly think each book gets better than the last! 

Book Review: Golden by Jessi Kirby

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Seventeen-year-old Parker Frost may be a distant relative of Robert Frost, but she has never taken the road less traveled. Valedictorian and quintessential good girl, she’s about to graduate high school without ever having kissed her crush or broken the rules. So when fate drops a mystery in her lap—one that might be the key to uncovering the truth behind a town tragedy, she decides to take a chance.

 

My Thoughts: Parker is a goody-two-shoes.  She listens to what her mom says, she studies her butt off so she can get scholarships, she never ditches school, never parties and is just pretty much not living life.  

 

Parker is a TA for one of her favorite teachers.  She is helping him with his annual project, which, by the way, I think is an awesome project!  The teacher gives the senior students a composition notebook and one question that was posed by the poet Mary Oliver:  "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?".  The teacher doesn't read them but boxes them up and ten years later, sends them to the former students so they can see what they dreamed about as a senior.  Parker is going through the box and addressing all the journals to send back to the former students when she finds one from a girl who went missing (and was presumed dead) on graduation night, ten years ago.  Juliana was part of a golden couple and her and her boyfriend got in a car crash on graduation.  No one every found them and assumed that their bodies were lost in the lake.  

Parker finds Juliana's journal and on a whim she takes it and reads it.  What she finds in the journal that was never intended for anyone else's eyes surprises her and sets her off on a mission to discover the truth.

I loved Parker's best friend, Kat.  She was fun and quirky and a perfect fit for Parker.  I also really liked Trevor.  He was so funny and yet you could tell he really liked Parker.  I got annoyed with Parker and her mom.  Parker just did what her mom said with no arguments and it got annoying.  Her mom was clearly trying to take charge of Parker's life.  I just really wanted Parker to stand up to her mom and tell her off!  She does get better towards the end though so that redeemed her character for me.  

This book had mystery, romance and some great life lessons in it.  In fact, I quoted one of the quotes by Robert Frost that was in the book on my Facebook page today because it was just perfect for where I am in my life.  It was a very fast read and I highly suggest picking it up when it hits the shelves!

Book Review: Pretty Girl 13 by Liz Coley

**I received this book from Around the World ARC Tours for review**

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Reminiscent of the Elizabeth Smart case, Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological mystery about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity.

Angie Chapman was thirteen years old when she ventured into the woods alone on a Girl Scouts camping trip. Now she's returned home…only to find that it's three years later and she's sixteen-or at least that's what everyone tells her.

What happened to the past three years of her life?

Angie doesn't know.

But there are people who do—people who could tell Angie every detail of her forgotten time, if only they weren't locked inside her mind. With a tremendous amount of courage, Angie embarks on a journey to discover the fragments of her personality, otherwise known as her "alters." As she unearths more and more about her past, she discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: When you remember things you wish you could forget, do you destroy the parts of yourself that are responsible?

My Thoughts:  This book deals with some very uncomfortable, brutal subjects.  That being said, it was a very compelling, emotional story.

Imagine being 13 and being with your best friend at Girl Scout Camp.  Everything is going great for you.  You have had your first kiss by the guy you like just a few days before, school is great, your friends are awesome.  Now imagine the next thing you know, you are walking home in clothes you don't remember, no recollection of how you got where you are and when you open the door to greet your parents, they are shocked and emotional to see you.  Not to mention that they keep telling you that you are now 16 and three years have passed. 

That is what happened to Angie.  She has no clue what happened to those three lost years.  Angie sees a shrink to help her and they diagnose her with Dissociative Identity Disorder.  From there, we are taken back in time to relive those three missing years through Angie's alters.

I don't know a lot about DID.  We did some research into in in college but yeah, that was awhile ago for me.  I found it absolutely amazing how the body protects one from the traumatic things happening to them. In this book, the reader gets to live alongside Angie as she figures out how to communicate with her alters and how to merge them into one person...herself.  

This book is absolutely heartbreaking!  There are no words to describe the horrors that this child is made to endure.  While the book isn't graphic in it's details of what happened to Angie, it is brutally honest and doesn't sugarcoat what happened to her in any way either.  It left me with nightmares at night of this happening to my own daughter.  It is every single parent's worst nightmare.  

There were a couple things that I didn't like about the book.  Mostly in the beginning though.  When Angie walks through her door, her parents are obviously surprised to see her and they call the detective who has been working on the case.  He comes over and speaks with her  at length with no tape recorder, no other detectives or officers, she doesn't go to the hospital right away to check for injuries (although she does goes...just not right away).  I have been a victim of a crime and while it was no where near to this extent (thank goodness!!), I have a little bit of understanding how things work.  I was never, ever interviewed alone with no cameras or tape recorders going.  It seems like a small thing and as you get more into the book, it really was a small thing but it was just one of those things that didn't seem realistic to me.  

Also, what happened to Angie as a younger child, before being kidnapped, was off a little.  I mean, what happened to her wasn't off but how it was dealt with was not right.  The shrink is a mandatory reporter and would have had to have reported this separate incident.  The police/detectives would have HAD to have done an investigation.  Whether you, as a 16 year old, want to press charges or not, in this case, there would have been absolutely no choice.  Again, I've been there, done that.  

Other than those two things, I found this story riveting and emotional.  It was most definitely NOT a feel good book but it was one that I am glad I read.  It was fascinating and held my interest from the very first paragraph.  

Book Review: Things I Can't Forget by Miranda Kenneally

 

Synopsis(from Goodreads):  Companion to Catching Jordan and Stealing Parker.

Kate has always been the good girl. Too good, according to some people at school—although they have no idea the guilty secret she carries. But this summer, everything is different…

This summer she’s a counselor at Cumberland Creek summer camp, and she wants to put the past behind her. This summer Matt is back as a counselor too. He’s the first guy she ever kissed, and he’s gone from a geeky songwriter who loved The Hardy Boys to a buff lifeguard who loves to flirt…with her.

Kate used to think the world was black and white, right and wrong. Turns out, life isn’t that easy…

 

My Thoughts:  One word...LOVE! That is how I felt about this book.  It was just so....real.  This is the third book in the Hundred Oak series but you don't have to read the other two first. I didn't.  I have the first two but haven't read them yet (yeah, guess what is next on my Nook now?).  

 

Kate is the perfect daughter.  She is the perfect student, the perfect Christian.  At first, that bothered me a lot.  Don't get me wrong here...I am 110% Christian.  I believe in my God and I try to live my life by His word.  However, I am also human though and I sin and for awhile there, I was feeling like Kate was a little too perfect, with no sinning or mistakes.  Kate helped her friend Emily do something that was a sin.  Kate could not get over this at all.  In fact, it even ruined her relationship with Emily. 

 

Kate is a camp counselor at the camp she went to when she was younger.  She meets up with Matt again and it is an instant connection.  They were so sweet and fun together.  They made me miss that all consuming, first love feeling.  You know...that "can't get enough of you and want to eat, sleep and breathe you" love.  They had their struggles as Matt had been hurt in the past and again, Kate is still dealing with what she helped Emily do.  

 

Here was the thing that drove me absolutely nuts about Kate...she worried WAY too much about her every action being a sin.  I was ready to bang my head against the wall a few times but Kate was struggling.  I think her church brainwashed her and she was been taught that believing in God was the only way and she could only have friends who shared who exact beliefs.  She was so upset that Matt was in a fraternity because those kids drank and hooked up and those were sins.  She couldn't sleep in the same room as boys because that was a sin.  I've never read in the Bible where sleeping in a room with boys (and other girls) was a sin.  Those were the things that just annoyed me.  

 

As the weeks go on, Kate has to struggle her boss just being plain mean for no reason, feelings and wants that she has never experienced before and becoming friends with others who "sin". I loved watching her transition and I love the way the author dealt with some serious issues here (premarital sex, teen pregnancy, drinking, etc.).  During this time is when I felt that Kate finally became a "real" person.  

 

I loved Matt as well!  He was funny, caring, sweet and the perfect guy.  He didn't conform to any church and he was a human being that made mistakes but made it clear what his relationship with God was.  He respects Kate and I really appreciated that.   I liked Parker and how she just came out and told Kate how judgmental Kate had been.  It opened Kate's eyes and also helped develop a friendship between the two of them.  

Okay one other thing that bothered me how Matt's family is portrayed.  Now, maybe I'm just jealous because my sibling and I absolutely DO NOT get along but Matt has several brothers and sisters.  Kate goes over to meet his family and everyone is all lovey dovey.  Matt is super attentive to all his siblings and it was just unrealistic too me.  It seemed fake and like his family was almost putting on a show.  Again....could just be because of how my own family works but everything there was just a little to happy and and fake for me.  Maybe I'm just jealous :)

So, now I must go read the first two in this series because I am absolutely in love the Kenneally's characters.  This was an amazing book that dealt with many hard subjects but dealt with them in a way, that as a mom of a daughter, that I would approve of my daughter reading this (well, when she becomes a teen).  

Book Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

My Thoughts:  What can I say about this book that hasn't been said already?  Probably nothing but I will reiterate how amazing this book and this whole series is anyways.

Katniss wakes up in a hospital in District 13 after being rescued by a group of rebels, many of them being people who you will be surprised to find out are rebels.  District 12 has been burned to the ground and only a few lucky families were able to escape to 13.  Now the president of 13 wants Katniss to be the "Mockingjay", the face of the rebellion.  She only agrees after she is assured that Peeta, who has been captured by the Capitol, along with the other victors who were captured, will have immunity.  

Now she has to put on a brave face and help the other districts fight the war against the Capitol.  The only thing keeping her going is the chance to save Peeta and kill Snow.  She trains hard, refuses to listen to reason and does whatever she wants. She is still the same Katniss as she was in the other two books...amazing!

This book is even darker and more sad than the last two.  People who you love will die.  People who you hate will die but there will also be those you hate that live.  Things aren't fair in this book.  I think that is why I like it so much...no unrealistic happy endings.  While I like happy endings, once in awhile I like a book that isn't the "fairytale ending".  

This book had twists and turns that I never expected.  The ending was so unpredictable that I almost had to read it twice to fully understand it.  It was a great way to end an incredible series.  

So, with all that being said, if you haven't read this series, you must go out and get it!  I am even making my husband and dad read it.  It is really that good!

Time for a Winner....

I am so glad to be back blogging again and love doing giveaways!  Rafflecopter has picked the winner for my Clear the Shelf giveaway and the winner is...

Joana Arteaga!

Congratulations Joana!  You have 48 hours to email me your address.  I will mail out the hardback copy of Girl of Nightmares as soon as I get your email.

Thanks to all who entered and to all my new followers, welcome!  Stay tuned as I am going to be doing a lot more giveaways soon! 

Clear Your Shelf Giveaway Hop!

This giveaway hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.  It's that time of year where you want to clean out all your old stuff, right?  I don't know about you but I got a lot of new books on my Nook so I need to get rid of some of my old hard copy books.  Since most of them are packed up, my giveaway will be for Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake!  My review of this book is here!

All you have to do it fill out the rafflecopter below.  Winner will be chosen on January 11th and notified by email.  If winner doesn't respond within 48 hours I will pick a new winner.  Sorry but this is US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 
Sparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge.

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

My Thoughts:  I am sure that I am the last person to read this book!  I read the first one and LOVED it and then got swamped with ARC reviews.  With all that is going on with my life I have quit doing ARC reviews for a little bit and I have finally found some time to catch up on some of the books I haven't read yet.  This book was so amazing that I really wish I would have read it right after Hunger Games but hey....better late than never right?

Katniss and Peeta are back home in District 12 after winning the Hunger Games.  They are getting ready to go on the Victory Tour and have to remember that they are madly in love.  For Peeta this is not hard but Katniss finds it difficult, especially with her feelings for Gale.  When President Snow makes a surprise visit to Katniss' house before the tour, Katniss knows that she must put on the show of a lifetime.  

While touring, Katniss and Peeta find out that there are a few districts that are unhappy with the Capitol. In fact, it appears that there are uprisings happening in at least one district, if not more.  Once home from the tour, Peeta and Katniss must decide if they should run or if they should help with the uprisings.  

Then the Quarter Quell happens.  This happens every 25 years of the Games.  The Capitol throws in some surprise to make the Games more interesting.  This year, it is a doozy!  I won't tell you what happens because if there happens to be someone out there who hasn't read this yet, I don't want to spoil it.  

I loved the characters in this book!  Katniss and Peeta are still amazing and I loved Haymitch!  I really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced and how they played into the ending.  The ending was completely unexpected and very surprising for me.  I loved it but at the same time it was a little sad.  

If you haven't read this series, it is a must read for sure!  Like Hunger Games, Catching Fire keeps your interest the entire book and  you will find it extremely hard to put down, even for a minute!

Merry Christmas!

 

Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and it's filled with lots of love and laughter!  I will be back after Christmas with my review of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and maybe even of Mockingjay if I'm lucky :)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Books I've Read in 2012

Top 10 Tuesdays

Topic: Top Ten Books I read in 2012

This meme is created by The Broke and the Bookish, anyone can participle telling about their top 10 topic items are.

Here are my Top Ten Books read in 2012 (in no order...title linked to my review):

10.  Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

9.  Diety by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

8.  The Diviners by Libba Bray 

7.  My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick 

6.  Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys 

5.  The Selection by Kiera Cass 

4.  Belles by Jen Calonita 

3.  Something Like Normal by Trish Doller 

2.  The Innocents by Lili Peloquin 

1.  Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout 

So, what are your top ten books you read this year? 

 

Teaser Tuesday: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.  I read Hunger Games ages ago and loved it and then got busy reading ARCs and never got around to the other two.  So, now I'm finishing the series....better late than never right?

 "This isn't old Cray, though.  This is a tall, muscular man with sharp creases in his pants.  The pieces of the picture do not quite come together until I see his arm raise the whip."  ~pg. 75 on my Nook.

What are you reading? 

2013 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Well friends, it is that time of year again...the time of year where we sign up for challenges!  This year I am signing up for the 2013 TBR pile challenge, hosted by Evie over at Bookish.  I have SO many books I need to read (for example, I read Hunger Games way back when and am just now reading Catching Fire....sad huh?)...so here are the rules:

Challenge Guidelines:

1. This challenge will run from Jan 1, 2013 - Dec 31, 2013.
2. Anyone can enter! You don't have to be a blogger, as long as you review the book you've read! (On your blog, Amazon or Goodreads/Shelfari!)
3. Any genre, length or format of book counts, as long as it is a book that's been sitting on your shelf for some time now. Only books released in 2012 and earlier! NO  2013 ARCs and 2013 fresh-off-the-press releases allowed!
4. You can list your books in advance or just put them in a wrap-up post. If you list them, feel free to change them as the mood takes you.
5. When you sign up in the linky, put the direct link to your post about joining the 2013 TBR PILE Reading Challenge. (If you don't have a blog, post about it on Facebook or Tweet!)
6. You can move up levels, but no moving down.
7. Sign-ups will be open until Dec 15, 2013, so feel free to join at any time throughout the year.
8. On the 20th of each month one of the hosts will post a wrap-up. Every wrap-up will have it's unique theme, a mini-challenge, a giveaway and place for you to link up your reviews from this month. For each review you link up, you will get one entry in a drawing of one book of choice from Book Depository. It's open to INTERNATIONALS. The giveaway will be open until the next wrap up post goes up! (i.e. the entire month)
9. If you miss a wrap-up post + giveaway, you can link up your reviews next month. Do not, however, try to link up one review twice - we will be checking ;) 
10. December is a wrap-up for the whole year. All the book reviews you linked up January-November + the ones you'll link up in December will be entered into a HUGE giveaway - a box of books. 
11. You don't have to follow all the hosts to join the challenge, but you do have to follow all of us to be entered in giveaways!

Levels:
(how many books you're planning to read for this challenge in 2013)

1-10 - A Firm Handshake
11-20 - A Friendly Hug
21-30 - A Sweet Kiss
31-40 - Love At First Sight
41-50 - Married With Children

Schedule:

January 20th: Evie @Bookish (www.evie-bookish.blogspot.com)

February 20th: Rachel @Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com)

March 20th: Justin @Justin's Book Blog (http://www.justinsbookblog.com/)

April 20th: Tiffany @Escaping.. One Book At A Time (http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/)

May 20th: Bonnie @Words At Home (www.wordsathome.ca/)

June 20th: Justin @Justin's Book Blog (http://www.justinsbookblog.com/)

July 20th: Emily @Doodle's Book Blog (doodlesbookblog.blogspot.com/)

August 20th: Tiffany @Escaping One Book At A Time (http://escapingonebookatatime.blogspot.com/)

September 20th: Rachel @Fiktshun (http://www.fiktshun.com)

October 20th: Emily @Doodle's Book Blog (doodlesbookblog.blogspot.com/)

November 20th: Bonnie @Words At Home (www.wordsathome.ca/)

December 20th: This one will be posted on all the blogs. There will also be a huge BOX OF BOOKS giveaway and this time you can link up ALL YOUR TBR Pile REVIEWS you wrote for the entire year!

I am going to try for A Sweet Kiss (21-30).  Here are some of the books I will finally be able to check off my TBR list:

1. A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young
2.  Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen
3.  Endlessly by Kiersten White
4.  Wither by Lauren DeStefano
5.  Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
6.  Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard 
7.  Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
8.  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
9.  Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
10.  Enchanted by Alethea Kontiss
11.  Angelina's Secret by Lisa Rogers
12.  Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
13.  The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
14.  Hereafter by Tara Hudson
15.  I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
16.  Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
17.   Save Me by Lisa Scottoline
18.  The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
19.  The Lux by Anna Godbersen
20.  The Witness by Nora Roberts
21.  Unearthly by Cynthia Hand


and MANY more!  So go sign up and join us in the fun! 

Book Review: Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  It's been months since the ghost of Anna Korlov opened a door to Hell in her basement and disappeared into it, but ghost-hunter Cas Lowood can't move on.

His friends remind him that Anna sacrificed herself so that Cas could live—not walk around half dead. He knows they're right, but in Cas's eyes, no living girl he meets can compare to the dead girl he fell in love with.


Now he's seeing Anna everywhere: sometimes when he's asleep and sometimes in waking nightmares. But something is very wrong...these aren't just daydreams. Anna seems tortured, torn apart in new and ever more gruesome ways every time she appears.


Cas doesn't know what happened to Anna when she disappeared into Hell, but he knows she doesn't deserve whatever is happening to her now. Anna saved Cas more than once, and it's time for him to return the favor.

My Thoughts:  I loved Anna Dressed in Blood!  I mean, I loved it!  I waited eagerly for the sequel to come out and once I received a copy it was all I could do to wait to read it.  However, life happens and it took a little longer than I had anticipated to get to it.  Lucky for me, it was definitely worth the wait!!

This book did not quite have the "creepy" factor in it like Anna Dressed in Blood did but it was more sinister and evil.  It had some very dark moments in it but was funny too.  Cas has an amazing sense of humor that keeps you laughing throughout the book.  Thomas is loyal and sweet and oh so lovable!  Carmel I had some issues with...mainly her wishy-washy attitude.  She wants to go with Cas and Thomas and then she wants to be normal and then she's back.  It was just a tad bit annoying for me.  I love Jestine.  She was sarcastic and fun and even though she had different motives for the athame, she was still loyal to Cas.

Anna wasn't the main story in this book.  It was more about the history behind the athame and the Order of the Biodag Dubh (yeah, no idea how to pronounce that one).  Anna was still around though and haunting Cas for all she was worth!  

I loved the fact that the group went to England and Scotland!  It was fun to have them out of the States and exploring the history of the athame.  My absolute FAVORITE part was the Suicide Forest!  Talk about completely creepy but so perfect!  Definitely the scariest part of the book, in my opinion.

The ending was bittersweet and completely unexpected.  I loved how it ended but really....it was one of those scenes in a movie where it's so bittersweet you almost want to cry.   
  
I will be reading anything Kendare Blake writes!  She has an amazing talent to write incredibly creepy stories that will keep you up at night!  If you haven't read Anna Dressed in Blood then get yourself a copy and if you have, grab this one right away!  It's worth it!

I'm Baaaaack!

Yay!  I am finally getting back to blogging after a really LOOONG break!  As many of you know, we have had to move temporarily and our house is absolutely ruined!  It started back in September and since the insurance took so long to get us an answer, the roof has, by this time tonight, probably collapsed in since there is at least 8 inches of wet, heavy snow!  There is so much water damage from the rain storms and so the major loss guy came up on Friday and said the insurance did an "epic fail".  Seriously, those were his exact words.  So, the good news is that they will continue to pay our rent while we get a new house!  So, now that the stress is *mostly* gone, I have started reading again and will be posting reviews....lots and lots of them!

So, thanks for hanging around and get ready for reviews and giveaways coming up!  I'm glad to be back to reading and reviewing!

Book Review: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout

 

Synopsis (from Goodreads):  Dying sucks-- and high school senior Ember McWilliams knows firsthand. After a fatal car accident, her gifted little sister brought her back. Now anything Ember touches dies. And that, well, really blows.

Ember operates on a no-touch policy with all living things--including boys. When Hayden Cromwell shows up, quoting Oscar Wilde and claiming her curse is a gift, she thinks he's a crazed cutie. But when he tells her he can help control it, she's more than interested. There's just one catch: Ember has to trust Hayden's adopted father, a man she's sure has sinister reasons for collecting children whose abilities even weird her out.

However, she's willing to do anything to hold her sister's hand again. And hell, she'd also like to be able to kiss Hayden. Who wouldn't? But when Ember learns the accident that turned her into a freak may not have been an accident at all, she's not sure who to trust. Someone wanted her dead, and the closer she gets to the truth, the closer she is to losing not only her heart, but her life. For real this time.

My Thoughts:  It's no secret that Jennifer Armentrout is one of my absolute favorite authors.  I have been hooked on her books since Half-Blood and was thrilled to be able to read Cursed early.  Due to an unexpected move I had to put off reading it for a month but once I started, I couldn't stop.  Cursed was just as amazing as all of Armentrout's books!

Ember takes care of her little sister, Olivia and their mother.  Ember's father was killed two years ago in the very same car accident that killed Ember herself.  Yep, Ember died two years ago.  Her little sister has a "magic" touch however and brought Ember back to life.  Now Ember is known as a "freak" at her school and her mother has fallen into a deep depression, leaving Ember to take care of everything.  This is difficult on Ember not only because she is only a teen but because anything Ember touches dies.  

When someone touches Ember and dies one day, her own world gets turned upside down.  She comes home to find her little sister and her mom gone and a stranger in her house.  The only thing Ember remembers is the stranger apologizing and then waking up in someone else's house.  She meets Jonathan Cromwell who has adopted many "gifted" children.  She gets cozy with Jonathan's son, Hayden, and has to try to convince Jonathan and his other children that she is not a threat to them.  This proves difficult as everyone but Hayden makes it clear that they do not want Ember around.  To top it off, someone is trying to hurt Ember and she has to figure out if it is Cromwell or one of his kids or someone else.  

I loved Ember and Hayden!  Ember is strong for all that she has to go through but there are moments when she just irritated me.  She is a very easy to relate too and likable. Sometimes she pushes Cromwell's buttons just to be a pain. Hayden is sweet and a little mysterious.  I just really liked him and the tension between him and Ember.

I do have to say that I suspected the "bad guy" from the get go.  I didn't know why or how this person was even involved or knew about Ember so it kept up the mystery and kept me reading to find out why.  It was a great mystery throughout the whole book.

I am not sure if this book is going to be a start of a series but I sure hope so.  There are several questions left unanswered about Ember, Hayden, the Facility, etc. so I am really hoping this isn't a stand alone.  Plus, I just love Armentrout's books so another series by her would make me very happy!

Now I must go and find a book that captures my attention like this one did....