Sunday, September 30, 2012

In My Mailbox (63)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I
Linknever tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?
 

For Review:

Touch of Death (Touch of Death, #1) by Kelly Hashway (Thanks to Spencer Hill Press)

Jodi Marshall isn’t sure how she went from normal teenager to walking disaster. One minute she’s in her junior year of high school, spending time with her amazing boyfriend and her best friend. The next she’s being stalked by some guy no one seems to know.

After the stranger, Alex, reveals himself, Jodi learns he’s not a normal teenager and neither is she. With a kiss that kills and a touch that brings the dead back to life, Jodi discovers she’s part of a branch of necromancers born under the 13th sign of the zodiac, Ophiuchus. A branch of necromancers that are descendants of Medusa. A branch of necromancers with poisoned blood writhing in their veins.

Jodi’s deadly to the living and even more deadly to the deceased. She has to leave her old, normal life behind before she hurts the people she loves. As if that isn’t difficult enough, Jodi discovers she’s the chosen one who has to save the rest of her kind from perishing at the hands of Hades. If she can’t figure out how to control her power, history will repeat itself, and her race will become extinct.


And as a bonus I got a very special package in the mail.  I'll be posting more in regards to this and all the fun stuff that's involved....but for now here are a few pictures!!!



Reached (Matched, #3) by Ally Condie (Thanks to Penguin Young Readers Group)

Cassia faces the ultimate choices in the long-anticipated conclusion to the "New York Times" bestselling Matched Trilogy.  After leaving Society and desperately searching for the Rising--and each other--Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things shift once again. In this gripping conclusion to the #1 "New York Times" bestselling Matched Trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and honoring a love she cannot live without.


This is what my copy actually looks like.....

Pretty cool right?  Make sure to check back in with me in the next few days to see what lays ahead regarding this upcoming release and all the fun stuff Penguin has planned for the next two months leading up to this highly anticipated release in November.  You won't want to miss out I promise!



Friday, September 28, 2012

ARC Review: Ever (Ever, #1) by Jessa Russo

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.


Everyone must read this book!  I'm not kidding around here people...I mean business!  When I started this book I was unaware that it was a series, and thought I had picked up a standalone to read.  I was wrong.  After finishing the book (because that's how it always seems to work) I realized that this was just the first installment in a series and the cliffhanger Russo leaves her readers with at the end of this book was enough to make me want to jump up and scream while tearing my hair out.

I can't believe this happened to me again, but there's nothing I can do about it now.  It's only happened a handful of times before and each one of those was equally frustrating.  Russo sucked me into this book so quickly that I didn't even realize it until I'd glance at the clock and see how much time had gone by and that I needed to find a breaking point so I could get some sleep....only there was no good breaking point.  It was one revelation after another, more mystery and suspense than I expected for sure, and it was addicting to a dangerous degree.

So be full warned that this is NOT a standalone and trust me when I say that being frustrated with the cliffhanger is an understatement of epic proportions.  I haven't heard anything about a second book (please let there be a book two contracted already) so I'm crossing my fingers that one is already in the works, but on the off chance that nothing is finalized yet we've got to get more people reading this book so that book two becomes a reality.  I can't stand the idea of not knowing what will happen next for Ever and the rest of the gang!

So do yourself a favor and HUGE one for me and pick up this book when it hits the shelves on October 1st!

I gave Ever (Ever, #1) 4 shamrocks!!!!


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Countdown: January 2013

January is one of my very months out of the year.  It always feels like a fresh start.  The crazy holiday season has drawn to a close, it's possible (depending on where you live) that the weather is still holding steady and not causing too many problems for those of us a with a commute to work, and there's just something about curling up with a good book during this month that makes me very happy.  I've usually got a few titles to choose from during this month due to my wonderful friends and family gifting me with something they know I love and hold dear to my heart.  The hardest part is usually deciding what to read first and how to stop myself from trying to read them all at once!  So with all these great titles coming out in this January I think us readers will have our work cut out for us.  How we'll find the time to get through all of these amazing titles is beyond me, but I'm certainly going to do my best!

Countdown Pick #1:  Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt (01/15/2013)

Anna remembers a time before boys, when she was little and everything made sense. When she and her mom were a family, just the two of them against the world. But now her mom is gone most of the time, chasing the next marriage, bringing home the next stepfather. Anna is left on her own—until she discovers that she can make boys her family. From Desmond to Joey, Todd to Sam, Anna learns that if you give boys what they want, you can get what you need. But the price is high—the other kids make fun of her; the girls call her a slut. Anna's new friend, Toy, seems to have found a way around the loneliness, but Toy has her own secrets that even Anna can't know.

Then comes Sam. When Anna actually meets a boy who is more than just useful, whose family eats dinner together, laughs, and tells stories, the truth about love becomes clear. And she finally learns how it feels to have something to lose—and something to offer. Real, shocking, uplifting, and stunningly lyrical, Uses for Boys is a story of breaking down and growing up.


I simply cannot wait for this title to come out.  It sounds like it could be a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride but in a good way.  The kind of read that at the end you feel like the characters have cleansed themselves of their emotional baggage so to speak and truly learned something along the way.  Some lessons maybe that readers themselves can take something away from.

Countdown Pick #2:  Crash (Visions, #1) by Lisa McMann (01/08/2013)

If what you see is what you get, Jules is in serious trouble. The suspenseful first of four books from the New York Timesbestselling author of the Wake trilogy.

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the vision. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode... and nine body bags in the snow.

She has no idea why this is happening to her or if she’s going crazy. It hardly matters, because the visions are everywhere--on billboards, television screens, windows--and she’s the only one who can see them.

But it’s not until the vision starts coming more frequently, and revealing more clues, that Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows. Someone she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

In this riveting start to a gripping series from New York Times bestselling author Lisa McMann, Jules has to act—and act fast—to keep her vision from becoming reality.


There is a reason McMann is among the New York Times bestselling authors.  Her writing speaks for itself and this series opener sounds like it has all the makings to be yet another phenomenal series that readers won't be able to get enough of.  Goodreads is hosting a giveaway right now for your chance to win one of ten ARCs that are up for grabs, so head on over and enter for your chance to win now!

Countdown Pick #3:  Broken by A.E. Rought (01/08/2013)

Imagine a modern spin on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein where a young couple's undying love and the grief of a father pushed beyond sanity could spell the destruction of them all. 

A string of suspicious deaths near a small Michigan town ends with a fall that claims the life of Emma Gentry's boyfriend, Daniel. Emma is broken, a hollow shell mechanically moving through her days. She and Daniel had been made for each other, complete only when they were together. Now she restlessly wanders the town in the late Fall gloom, haunting the cemetery and its white-marbled tombs, feeling Daniel everywhere, his spectre in the moonlight and the fog.

When she encounters newcomer Alex Franks, only son of a renowned widowed surgeon, she's intrigued despite herself. He's an enigma, melting into shadows, preferring to keep to himself. But he is as drawn to her as she is to him. He is strangely... familiar. From the way he knows how to open her locker when it sticks, to the nickname she shared only with Daniel, even his hazel eyes with brown flecks are just like Daniel's.

The closer they become, though, the more something inside her screams there's something very wrong with Alex Franks. And when Emma stumbles across a grotesque and terrifying menagerie of mangled but living animals within the walls of the Franks' estate, creatures she surely knows must have died from their injuries, she knows.


The cover might have initially drawn me in, but the fact that is is a retelling of Frankenstein had me hooked.  Again this is not one of my all time favorite classics that I often reread throughout the year, but it's still one that I've always considered to be worth of it's classic status.  I'm curious to see how Rought will twist this tale and make it her own.

Countdown Pick #4:  Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum (01/08/2013)

Twenty years ago, the robots designed to fight our wars abandoned the battlefields. Then they turned their weapons on us.

Only a few escaped the robot revolution of 2071. Kevin, Nick, and Cass are lucky —they live with their parents in a secret human community in the woods. Then their village is detected and wiped out. Hopeful that other survivors have been captured by bots, the teens risk everything to save the only people they have left in the world—by infiltrating a city controlled by their greatest enemies.

Revolution 19 is a cinematic thriller unlike anything else. With a dynamic cast of characters, this surefire blockbuster has everything teen readers want—action, drama, mystery, and romance. Written by debut novelist Gregg Rosenblum, this gripping story shouldn’t be missed.


Who doesn't love checking out debut authors?  I'm always on the lookout for new reads but also new authors that I can hopefully add to my list of favorites and then follow them along in the future.  Rosenblum shows a lot of promise.  Not only does this read sound incredible but he's always working closely with Howard Gordon and writer-director James Wong on a sci-fi project titled 2084 which Harper Collins has picked up as a three tome series.  So while this title has me excited, there is much to look forward to as far as Rosenblum's writing it concerned.

Countdown Pick #5:  Shadowlands by Kate Brian (01/08/2013)

Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived… and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye. 

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?


Best known for her Private series, Brian sounds to me like she's got a winner on her hands.  I've never gotten around to checking our her previous series' but I've heard good things.  Her writing seems to be the type readers flock towards and by the sounds of this book's description, I'm already on the edge of my seat.  It's got a premise that scares me, but at the same time has me wanting answers.  I'm sure to have major anxiety over this one but I'm thinking it could also be well worth it.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Countdown: Winter Wishlist (2)

Now that I've gotten myself back on track regarding the blog, I can't seem to stop myself from searching high and low for more titles that will be releasing in the future.  Let's face it...this is a regular obsession of mine that I don't think will ever go away.  So now that I've marked my calendar for all the fall titles that I've come across that I've wanted to add to my TBR list I went searching for any books that would hit the stores' shelves in the month of December.  It's always a good idea for me to create a Winter Wishlist for my friends and family so that when the holidays come around and anyone may need some ideas or inspiration in the gift department they're all set.  It also helps me out when it comes to my friends and family.  I of course like to get people gifts that I know they will love, and while I might try to keep that person's wish lists in the back of my mind, I usually like to throw a book in as a gift as well.  It never hurts to help someone increase their library and with so many wonderful titles to choose from, no one can possibly hope to get all of them on their shelves on their own right?  So I've found some great titles that I'll be counting down towards to make sure are added to my lists for myself and for possible gifts I'll be giving out!

Countdown Pick #1:  Blood-Kissed Sky (Darkness Before Dawn, #2) by J.A. London (12/26/2012)

So here's the downside to including this title on my countdown...there's no description for the book as of right now.  Or at least none that I could find on line.  This mother son team, that Rachel Hawthorn and Alex London have created is dynamite!  They're first installment in this series, Darkness Before Dawn quickly became one of my favorites, and had me eagerly anticipating the next two installments in the trilogy.  While this book won't be out in time for the holidays, I without a doubt, will be picking myself up a copy the day of it's release!  I can't wait to see what happens next for Dawn and the other characters this writing team has created, in this fabulous new supernatural world.  And while the book's description might not be out yet (as soon as I find one I'll be sure to update the blog) in the meantime we can all admire the cover art and get excited all over again for this fabulous future read!

Countdown Pick #2:  Scattered Ashes by Maria Rachel Hooley (12/30/2012)

Twenty-two-year-old Jordan Carroway has a plan--marry his best friend, Alyssa and start a family. A month before the wedding, he meets Nicole O'Roarke during a physical education class. Nicole--the woman who tips his canoe, steps on a cactus, and makes him laugh. They fall madly in love, though neither confess it as they both feel the weight of responsibility. Jordan ultimately keeps his promise and marries Alyssa. Nicole also returns to her life, not realizing that love left its mark, and it's not through with either of them.

Doesn't this one sound intriguing?  I wonder what all is in store for these characters.  I'm also liking the fact that it won't focus soley on a female protagonist but on a male lead instead.  It's always nice to have a new change of pace don't you think?  After visiting Hooley's site I found a quote she posted, saying "You can't just sit around and compare every guy to Jordan.  Your date will lose every time to somebody you can't have."  After reading that quote, all I can think about is how great this character must be and how amazing the writing must be by Hooley for someone to make such a statement.

Countdown Pick #3:  Black and White by Tiffany Madison (December 2012)

Despite being jaded and disillusioned by the horrors of war, Jason Keller is profoundly grateful to be alive. After being gravely injured in the city of Ramadi, Iraq under circumstances he cannot fully remember, he is discharged from the United States Marine Corps with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. 
Upon leaving the military hospital, Jason isolates himself in his ancestral home in Pandora, Tennessee. Far from family and friends, he undertakes recovery on his own, wanting nothing more than to be worthy of the life he has retained, working to “get right” by living a regimented routine. But his methods aren’t working, and the best he can seem to achieve is a state of numbness. 

Enter Ava Taylor, a Vanderbilt college student on summer break. Born the oldest daughter to a Southern Baptist minister, she was raised in a strict religious household. Away from the academic life and close family she loves, Ava is humbly enjoying her independence. In her own way, Ava is as isolated as Jason, living as she does through her studies, with few real-life friends around. 

But Pandora is a small town, and it isn’t long before Ava and Jason meet. Despite his initial attraction to her, he is determined to remain alone, and forces himself to stay away from her. She cannot stop thinking about him, but her shyness and inexperience keep her from doing anything more than that. Thrown together once more under dangerous circumstances, Jason helps Ava, to the detriment of his own resolve. She is different from anyone he has ever known and he can no longer resist or avoid her. The tentative friendship they form eases their mutual loneliness, and soon they are spending most of their free time together. 

Wanting to protect Ava from the darker aspects of his past and his PTSD, Jason still keeps her at a distance; especially once he knows that what he feels for her surpasses mere friendship. Their relationship begins a path that both must equally decide to follow.


I think this book's description says it all.  While the description may not be short, I almost wanted it to tell me more.  I want to dive right into this one and see how these two characters evolve and hopefully work through everything together.

Countdown Pick #4:  Adapting Eden (Save the Pearls, #2) by Victoria Foyt (01/25/2013)

In the sequel to the award-winning, dystopian novel, Revealing Eden, Eden Newman must adapt into a hybrid human beast if she hopes to become Ronson Bramford’s mate. She has no choice but to undergo her father’s adaptation experiment at his makeshift laboratory in the last patch of rainforest. But when the past rears its ugly head, Eden and Bramford must abandon camp along with their family and friends. Luckily, an Aztec tribe that has survived with the aid of a healing plant provides them with sanctuary—or is it? Too late, Eden realizes she is at the center of an epic spiritual battle between love and war. To survive, she must face her deepest fears or lose everything, including the beastly man she loves.

As we get into the new year there will be a ton of great titles hitting the shelves, and hopefully a lot of them will be series continuations.  After reading the first installment in the Save the Pearls series, I was truly curious to see what would happen next for Foyt's characters.  She created a world and packed it full of characters that have multiple layers and mysteries attached to them.  It was a wonderful start to a series that I'm sure will have equally interesting follow ups.

Countdown Pick #5:  Catherine by April Lindner (01/02/2013)

A forbidden romance. A modern mystery. Wuthering Heights as you've never seen it before.

Catherine is tired of struggling musicians befriending her just so they can get a gig at her Dad's famous Manhattan club, The Underground. Then she meets mysterious Hence, an unbelievably passionate and talented musician on the brink of success. As their relationship grows, both are swept away in a fiery romance. But when their love is tested by a cruel whim of fate, will pride keep them apart?
Chelsea has always believed that her mom died of a sudden illness, until she finds a letter her dad has kept from her for years -- a letter from her mom, Catherine, who didn't die: She disappeared. Driven by unanswered questions, Chelsea sets out to look for her -- starting with the return address on the letter: The Underground.

Told in two voices, twenty years apart, Catherine interweaves a timeless forbidden romance with a compelling modern mystery.


I'm one of those people that love a good retelling.  It can be one that stays close to the storyline, a crazy off beat title that only uses similar character names and traits, etc...  Either way, for me when it comes to a story where the author has taken a classic book and used their own spin on it to make it new and different I'm likely to want to check it out.  While Wuthering Heights was not one of my all time favorite classics, I appreciate the writing and style that goes hand in hand with this piece of literature.  I'm curious to see where Lindner will take this story and how everything will turn out in her version.

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Second Annual #allychat!


I thought I'd send you guys all a friendly reminder that tonight is the second annual chat with Ally Condie on Twitter!

If you guys are even half as excited as I am about the upcoming release of her third and final installment in her Matched series, Reached than I know, like me you're waiting anxiously and counting down the days until you can get your own copy of the book in hand and start devouring it.  But while we all wait patiently for it to hit the shelves (or at least we try to be as patient as possible) we'll take what we can get right?  And tonight readers, bloggers, and anybody who wants to stop by can get the chance to ask Ally all the questions you have or can think of at the time!  Isn't that great?  I've always been a huge fan of book signings and author readings, and just about any type of event where you get to meet one of your favorite authors and possibly the chance to get to know them a little bit better.  So here's your chance!

Ally will be taking questions on Twitter from 8-9 PM Eastern/5-6 PM Pacific and will be giving away Matched Trilogy swag to people who use the #allychat hashtag during that time.  So spread the word wherever and however you can and tune in to see and hear just how fabulous Ally really is!  As if we didn't know that already right?  I cannot wait and I hope to see you guys all there!

Review: Prince of Wolves (The Grey Wolves, #1) by Quinn Loftis

Jaque Pierce was just an ordinary 17 year old girl getting ready to start her senior year in high school in Coldspring, Texas. When a mysterious foreign exchange student from Romania moves in across the street, Jacque and her two best friends, Sally and Jen, don't realize the last two weeks of their summer was going to get a lot more interesting. From the moment Jacque sets eyes on Fane she feels an instant connection, a pull like a moth to a flame. Little does she know that the flame she is drawn to is actually a Canis lupis, werewolf, and she just happens to be his mate; the other half of his soul. The problem is Fane is not the only wolf in Coldspring, Texas. Just as Fane and Jacque are getting to know each other, another wolf steps out to try and claim Jacque as his mate. Fane will now have to fight for the right to complete the mating bond, something that is his right by birth but is being denied him by a crazed Alpha. Will the love Fane has for Jacque be enough to give him the strength to defeat his enemy, will Jacque accept that she is Fane's mate and complete the bond between them?

I have to say right off the bat that I'm torn on this one.  It was creative, and interesting I can't say that I'll plan on following up on the series.  It could be a reading funk that I'm in or the fact that lately I've been lucky enough to come across some great reads that I simply can't get enough of and because of this the bar has been raised.  Either way the dialogue was really what threw me off on this title.  I never felt like I was apart of the story.  It might not make complete sense, but when I'm reading a book that I love it feels as if I'm right there with the characters on the pages, I forget that I'm reading a book and lose myself in the story line and scenes that are unfolding.

The conversations that took place in this book felt too forced to me.  Too many quips thrown in that made it feel unrealistic.  I can't figure out a way to really describe it on paper, but everyone knows there's a difference in how people speak and write.  If you recorded your conversations and transcribed them to paper they'd be chaotic and all over the place nine times out of ten.  In this book I just had a hard time getting past the fact that everything felt forced.  I wish I was articulate enough to be able to nail down what it is exactly but all I can say is while this book will surely be enjoyed by many readers, it won't be a series that will make it to the top of my list for one reason or another.  I'm not sorry I read it but I'm not sure it can compete with some of the other titles I've immersed myself in lately.

I gave Prince of Wolves (The Grey Wolves, #1) 2 shamrocks!!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Countdown: Winter Wishlist (1)

Now that I've gotten myself back on track regarding the blog, I can't seem to stop myself from searching high and low for more titles that will be releasing in the future.  Let's face it...this is a regular obsession of mine that I don't think will ever go away.  So now that I've marked my calendar for all the fall titles that I've come across that I've wanted to add to my TBR list I went searching for any books that would hit the stores' shelves in the month of December.  It's always a good idea for me to create a Winter Wishlist for my friends and family so that when the holidays come around and anyone may need some ideas or inspiration in the gift department they're all set.  It also helps me out when it comes to my friends and family.  I of course like to get people gifts that I know they will love, and while I might try to keep that person's wish lists in the back of my mind, I usually like to throw a book in as a gift as well.  It never hurts to help someone increase their library and with so many wonderful titles to choose from, no one can possibly hope to get all of them on their shelves on their own right?  So I've found some great titles that I'll be counting down towards to make sure are added to my lists for myself and for possible gifts I'll be giving out!

Countdown Pick #1:  The Farm by Emily McKay (12/04/2012)


Life was different in the Before: before vampires began devouring humans in a swarm across America; before the surviving young people were rounded up and quarantined. These days, we know what those quarantines are—holding pens where human blood is turned into more food for the undead monsters, known as Ticks. Surrounded by electrical fences, most kids try to survive the Farms by turning on each other…
And when trust is a thing of the past, escape is nearly impossible.
Lily and her twin sister Mel have a plan. Though Mel can barely communicate, her autism helps her notice things no one else notices—like the portion of electrical fence that gets turned off every night. Getting across won’t be easy, but as Lily gathers what they need to escape, a familiar face appears out of nowhere, offering to help…
Carter was a schoolmate of Lily’s in the Before. Managing to evade capture until now, he has valuable knowledge of the outside world. But like everyone on the Farm, Carter has his own agenda, and he knows that behind the Ticks is an even more dangerous threat to the human race...

I'm not sure how I feel about ticks being the big bad in this one.  Bugs creep me out in general and I get itchy just thinking about them, but I'm going to try to power through so that I can give this one a shot.  I'm also curious to see how McKay transitions from a romance novelist to YA literature, and a title that doesn't scream romance, right?

Countdown Pick #2:  Never Seen (Shadows, #1) by Matthew Leeth (12/01/2012)

YA supernatural thriller.

How far would you go... to save the ones you love?

Kelly knows something is wrong in her house, is it a haunting? Her mother knows more than she's telling her. Jason is acting weirder than ever. Kelly investigates, she thinks it's ghosts. Or is it something much worse? They are after her family. They want them all dead. Why? What will Kelly have to do to save her family?


We've got a goodreads giveaway for this title!  Head on over here and enter for your chance to win one of two copies up for grabs.  I'm always a little hesitant to read thrillers or anything with an overload of suspense because it's terrible for my sanity.  I end up either freaking myself out, or my anxiety level goes through the roof and I refuse to sleep or eat, etc...in the hopes that I can finish the book and end the torture of not know what's going to happen next. So once again I'm going to try to psych myself up for this one and hope for the best!

Countdown Pick #3:  The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress (12/06/2012)

An action-packed tale of gowns, guys, guns--and the heroines who use them all

Set in Edwardian London, The Friday Society follows the stories of three very intelligent and talented young women, all of whom are assistants to powerful men: Cora, lab assistant; Michiko, Japanese fight assistant; and Nellie, magician's assistant. The three young women's lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.

It's up to these three, in their own charming but bold way, to solve the murder--and the crimes they believe may be connected to it--without calling too much attention to themselves.

Told with Adrienne Kress's sharp wit and a great deal of irreverence, this Steampunk whodunit introduces three unforgettable and very ladylike--well, relatively ladylike--heroines poised for more dangerous adventures.


As much fun as this title sounds, I've got to say the author's blog sold me even further.  I highly recommend checking out her blog post here where she talks about how this book came to be.  It's always interesting (in my opinion) where the authors get their ideas, and how they managed to get their books on the shelves.

Countdown Pick #4:  All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen (12/11/2012)

What if your life wasn’t your own?

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?


I'm so excited to see where this one goes!  I love a good mystery, especially when there's a possibly romance to go along with it, don't you?  I've never read anything by Madsen, so I'm anxious to see what kind of writing style she has, and what her characters will be like.  It's always fun to check out new authors and see what you think, hopefully this will be one that I add to my favorites and look out for in the future.

Countdown Pick #5:  Soul Awakened (Reincarnation, #1) by J.D. Stroube (12/12/2012)

Imagine being born at the first breath of mankind. What would it be like to live as a witch among men? Would life be less cherished if you were destined to become an old soul; one who must succumb to death only to be reborn repeatedly?

Faye is a mortal with an immortal soul. She is destined to die at the hands of another immortal during the peak of her life, only to be reborn again. In each life she has a new name, face, and destiny. However, her soul remains constant.

She has no memories of her past lives, but that is about to change...

After a horrifying accident, she loses everything dear to her, moves halfway across the world, and begins having visions of a man with no face; a man who kills her, over and over again. Each life is ended before it truly begins.

Memories of her past lives have been unlocked and along with them, she discovers an affinity for magic. Can she master her abilities quick enough to face her demon head on? Will the memories of her past lives reveal weapons to change her fate? Will she be aware of her faceless death, when he comes for her? Or could her executioner be closer than she thought?


And rounding out this first Winter Wishlist countdown we've got a first installment in a series that I think has amazing potential.  I'm always curious to read titles having to do with reincarnation.  I'm not really a true believer but it doesn't make it any less entertaining or interesting to me.  I'm curious to see how Stroube's characters will take shape and what kind of action readers can look forward to with this title.  Like I said, it's got all the elements and makings of a great series' opener, don't you think?

Sunday, September 23, 2012

In My Mailbox (62)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I
Linknever tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?
 


For Review:

Splintered by A.G. Howard (Thanks to Amulet Books)

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence. Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse and the whispers grow too strong to bear, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.

Unless she fixes the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, Wonderland will have her head.


Providence (Providence, #1) by Jamie McGuire

In the old world shadows of Providence, Rhode Island, Nina Grey finds herself the center of a war between Hell and Earth.

Struggling with her father’s recent death, Nina meets Jared Ryel by chance…or so she believes. Although his stunning good looks and mysterious talents are a welcome distraction, it soon becomes clear that Jared knows more about Nina than even her friends at Brown University. When questions outnumber answers, Jared risks everything to keep the woman he was born to save—by sharing the secret he was sworn to protect.

When her father’s former associates begin following her in the dark, Nina learns that her father is not the man she thought he was, but a thief who stole from demons. Searching for the truth behind her father’s death, Nina stumbles upon something she never expected—something Hell wants—and only she holds the key.


Requiem (Providence, #2) by Jamie McGuire

Dreaming of the dead might mean a restless night for anyone, but for Nina Grey, it was a warning. Still healing from her last run-in with Hell, Nina struggles with not only her life as a Brown University student, but also as an intern at Titan Shipping, her father's company. Recurring nightmares about her father's violent death have become a nightly event, but being overwhelmed with guilt from Ryan's unexpected departure to the Armed Forces, and heart ache over Claire being across the ocean to protect him, Nina believes her sleepless nights are the least of her problems—but she's wrong. 

Worried about Nina's declining health, Jared must steal back Shax's book for answers. Fighting new enemies with the help of old friends, Jared's worst fear comes to fruition. Desperate, he is faced with a choice: Fight Hell alone, or start a war with Heaven.

Eden (Providence, #3) by Jamie McGuire

She had seen the unspeakable.
She would learn the unknowable.
Now, she would fight the invincible.

In the third and final installment of the Providence series, Nina Grey will marry the wrong man, carry the child that was never supposed to be born, and fight a war she can't win.

Faced with the impossible task of protecting his new wife and unborn child against the throes of Hell, Jared Ryel is allowed no mistakes. Pressured to return the Naissance de Demoniac to Jerusalem, he revisits St. Ann's to learn the answers were in front of him all along. 

Together, they must survive long enough to let their child save them - and the world.


All the Broken Pieces by Cindi Madsen (Thanks to Entangled Publishing, LLC)

What if your life wasn’t your own?

Liv comes out of a coma with no memory of her past and two distinct, warring voices inside her head. Nothing, not even her reflection, seems familiar. As she stumbles through her junior year, the voices get louder, insisting she please the popular group while simultaneously despising them. But when Liv starts hanging around with Spencer, whose own mysterious past also has him on the fringe, life feels complete for the first time in, well, as long as she can remember.

Liv knows the details of the car accident that put her in the coma, but as the voices invade her dreams, and her dreams start feeling like memories, she and Spencer seek out answers. Yet the deeper they dig, the less things make sense. Can Liv rebuild the pieces of her broken past, when it means questioning not just who she is, but what she is?




Friday, September 21, 2012

Countdown: Fall Titles

With Summer drawing to a close and Fall right around the corner I couldn't be more excited.  As much as I enjoyed my Summer, the Fall months are really my favorite.  It's such a great time of year, with the leaves changing, the temperatures just perfect, the great clothes, and oh so many fun activities to get into....I just love it.  Along with all the great stuff going on outside during this season, there's also always a huge amount of great titles that hit the shelves at the bookstores, and have me making way too many trips to my local branches so that I can get my hands on my own copies to fill up my bookshelves with.  This year I might need to invest in another bookcase for my apartment if my countdown posts are any indication.  I'm sure to run out of space on the ones I have at the moment.  It's a problem I'm more than happy to have to say the least.  Here are a few titles that I'm looking forward to checking out, which ones have caught your eye?  Any I should be marking down on my calendar?

Countdown Pick #1:  Wolf Pact (Wolf Pact, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz (09/25/2012)

From the bestselling author of Blue Bloods, comes a series that will reinvent the myth of the werewolf in the same way that Blue Bloods did with vampires—with style and NYC flair!

Lawson and his brothers escaped from the underworld and now lead desperate, dangerous lives. They’re pursued by the Hounds of Hell from one town to the next, never calling any place home. But when the hounds finally catch up with them and capture the girl Lawson loves, the hunters become the hunted. Lawson will stop at nothing to track down the hounds, even if the chances of saving Tala are slim...

The only hope he has lies in Bliss Llewellyn. Bliss, too, has lost someone to the beasts and will do anything to get them back—even if it means joining forces with the insolent, dangerously good-looking boy with a wolf’s soul.


I'm not sure what this title will have in store of readers everywhere, but as a fan of Cruz's previous works, I can't wait to find out.   And I'm also hoping with my fingers crossed that this will be a series equal in length to her Blue Bloods series, because you guys know I'm a sucker for a good series, and never like to say goodbye to characters that I've just fallen in love with.  I like their stories to stretch out and develop over a few installments when it's done right.  And Cruz is an expert at keeping her readers craving more.

Countdown Pick #2:  And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host (October 2012)

Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.


Without any previous experience reading Host's work I had to rely on the book's description alone.  And boy did it ever pull me in right off the bat.  I'm not even quite sure what is going on overall but I can't wait to find out.  There is no set release date in October for this title yet, but I'll keep looking and report back if I find anything.  Likewise, if you get a date, please let me know, I want to narrow it down on the calendar.  Host has a free first two chapter preview of the book and I'm heading over there pronto to check it out.  And if that isn't enough incentive, goodreads has a giveaway going on right now with five copies up for grabs to five lucky readers.  I've entered of course and I think you should too!

Countdown Pick #3:  After Dark (The 19th Year, #1) by Emi Gayle (10/31/2012)

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists—which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.


Doesn't this sound like a perfect read for Halloween?  I think it's a perfect fit and one I've got marked down to read right around that time after it's release.  I of course like that it's a first installment of a series, but also that it's got a new twist.  While it might deal with supernaturals, we're talking about changelings and their birthrights.  Totally new playing field from the usual paranormal reads I've got on my shelves.  Really looking forward to adding this one to my collection.

Countdown Pick #4:  Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows, #1) by Yelena Black (11/27/2012)

Vanessa Adler isn’t so sure she really belongs at the School of American Ballet. But dance runs in her family. It’s been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother and mother were prima ballerinas, and her older sister Margaret was, too. That is, until Margaret mysteriously disappeared from school three years ago. Vanessa is heir to the family’s gift and the only person who can fulfill her sister’s destiny. She has no choice.

But she never could have guessed how dangerous the school is. The infamous choreographer, Josef, isn’t just ruthless with his pupils, he guards a sinister secret, one in which the school’s dancers—prized for their beauty, grace, and discipline—become pawns in a world of dark, deadly demons.


There's no way I could pass this one up.  There's something about ballet and ballerinas that mesmerize me.  Ballets literally take my breath away.  The intensity, the sheer willpower and work that these dancers have and the dedication that goes hand in hand are worthy of nothing but praise.  And for someone who could never even dream of having a talent like theirs, I simply enjoy watching, or even reading about their technique, the work that goes into preparing for this sort of life, etc...

Countdown Pick #5:  Ever by Jessa Russo (10/01/2012)

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.


I love these kinds of books.  I'm already wondering what this book will be all about.  I love a good love triangle and with the added mystery and dangerous elements thrown in, I have no doubt that I'll find myself hooked once the first page has been read.  I can't wait to start reading!

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