The Bookshelf Sophisticate

Review Tour: Devotion (Soul Savers, #3) by Kristie Cook

2012-02-13T10:00:00.015-05:00

I can't even begin to tell you guys how excited I am to be a part of Kristie Cook's blog tour for Devotion. I've been craving the third installment in her Soul Savers series since I finished the last page in her series' sequel, Purpose. Her writing is beyond addicting, her characters are heartfelt and her plot twists and turns will leave you reeling. So when I first learned I'd get the chance to be a part of this tour, I couldn't contain my excitement. All I can say is that she once again did not disappoint!

So without further ado....check out my review and a very exciting announcement below...

With powerful abilities gained from the Ang'dora and Tristan back by her side, Alexis thinks she's ready for the next challenge - protecting her son from what appears to be the inevitable. But she has so much to learn about her powers, her new world and the people in it. Nothing is what it seems to be on the surface, including the Amadis.

Power-hungry politicians comprise the council and make impossible demands. A traitor lurks among them all, inciting trouble that could destroy the Amadis and, ultimately, humanity. The Daemoni wreak havoc in the human world, with the ultimatum that they'll continue attacking innocents until Alexis and Tristan are expelled from the Amadis' protection. The couple's own society begins to shut them out. But that's not all.

Someone's keeping a secret. A big one. Faith and hope in Alexis and Tristan will be restored if she can uncover the truth in time.

But the search for answers leads only to the discovery of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test - devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people and to her beliefs - leaving her to question whom she's fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won't fight...who will?

Kristie Cook quickly became one of my favorite authors with her Soul Savers' first installment, Promise, and after her sequel, Purpose came out quickly on it's heels I couldn't have turned back if I wanted to. I knew without a doubt that this third installment in the series would be wonderful, exciting and just as magical as the previous two, but I still feel like I didn't give it enough credit ahead of time. Every time I think an author couldn't possibly surpass their previous great works, I should be ashamed. Cook obviously has plenty more in the tank and hopefully that won't change in the near future. Her writing is too hard to resist, and who would even want to really?

Alexis and Tristan have already been through so much, but it seems that Cook is not the type of author to be content to leave her characters in romantic bliss. While the idea of Alexis, Tristan, and now their son Dorian living happily ever may have a nice ring to it, Cook seems to still want them to work a little harder for their much deserved happy ending. A shocking turn of events leaves Alexis and Tristan on their own so to speak. They still have some friends they can count on, but their numbers have certainly dwindled when it comes to who they can trust and who they have suspicions towards. Every time I went to write this review I ended up backtracking and editing, because I didn't want even a chance of one spoiler to leak through onto these pages. It's tough, but I know how intense and exciting each and every turn of the page was for me, and no reader deserves any less.

Bottom line, if you thought these two love birds had been through their obstacles before and proved that nothing could possibly threaten their peace of mind and the world they envisioned for their family, you can think again. Not even the Amadis could be counted on this time around to have all the answers and backup necessary to defeat their current foe(s). Cook's once again penned a very exciting roller coaster ride for her readers, and when I saw she'll put you through the ringer of all emotions, I'm not being dramatic. I laughed, cried and cringed on more than one occasion and can only hope that Cook puts us all out of our misery soon and gives me a series wrap up that I imagine for these wonderful characters. But at the same time, while I do want that, I also can't imagine this series coming to an end...I so don't want to think about that right now!

So check out this third installment and if you haven't come across Cook's work before, go pick up all three books in her Soul Savers series, you'll be doing yourself a very big favor!

I gave Devotion (Soul Savers, #3) 5 shamrocks!!!!!

And if anyone needs even more incentive to get a jump start on this series or to continue on in the journey, Kristie Cook has been kind enough to offer up a giveaway of an eBook of Devotion to one lucky winner!

The first person to comment on this post that leaves their name and email address will receive their very own eBook of Devotion, to devour immediately...how exciting, right? So get to it and happy reading!

Be sure to connect with Kristie and check out all the fun and exciting stuff she's got coming up!

Connect with Kristie Cook:

Email: kristie@kristiecook.com

Author's Website & Blog: http://www.KristieCook.com

Series Website: http://www.SoulSaversSeries.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKristieCook

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/kristiecookauth

Tumbler: http://www.tumblr.com/tumblelog/kristiecook

Google+: https://plus.google.com/102746226001674797330/posts

New Finds (6)

2012-02-06T10:00:00.005-05:00

Yep I'm back with another round of new finds. I couldn't possibly have kept it at one post this week. There were just too many that I've come across lately that I'm still shocked to have missed right when they first hit the shelves. There are always going to be fabulous books that are slated to come out in the future, but as I'm sure I'm not alone, readers are also always going to miss books as they come out because they're either too overloaded with other books on their TBR lists, or just overloaded with life in general.

So regardless of the reason, you're not alone and I'm going ot do my part to make sure these great reads aren't missed just because life keeps readers too busy to catch every detail. So whenever I come across titles that I've somehow missed the release date of, I make a note and get excited about them all over again. Sometimes it's even better than counting down to a title that will be released in the next year or so because when I get worked up over these titles I can go right to the store to pick up my own copy or download one to my kindle. No waiting or pining for the book to hit the shelves.

New Find #1: Settling (Solid, #2) by Shelley Workinger (07/04/2011)

At the beginning of the summer, Clio Kaid was one of a hundred teens brought to a secret Army installation. But it was no ordinary camp and they weren't ordinary kids...

Picking up where "Solid" left off, Clio and her friends realize that they aren't ready to go home; they're determined to stay on campus and continue their journey of self-discovery. But someone doesn't feel the same way and will do anything to drive them away - even kill.

Friendships will be tested, abilities will evolve, and more secrets will come out as the teens race to stop the killer before he sets his sights on one of them...

Solid was a great start to what I think has the potential to be a really interesting series. Workinger was an unknown when I was approached to read and review her series opener and I'm so glad I had the opportunity. It was a neat idea, and one that kept me turning the pages to find out what exactly was going on and what was to be the end result for this cast of characters. This one had already been released before I started in on the series, but I haven't yet been able to go out and pick myself up a copy so that I can find out what happens next. If you're looking for a series to get into, and one that might stear a little off course from the mainstream paranormal titles that are being picked up left and right, I'd recomend giving this one a chance. Workinger managed to turn me into a cheerleader; her characters are instantly ones that you'll want to make it out of any situation on top of, and will be crossing your fingers without even realizing you're doing it.

New Find #2: Between (Between, #1) by Cyndi Tefft (04/21/2011)

It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water's life isn't alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent. After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates. Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven's siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.

I can't say I've heard of any other book quite like this one, have you? I mean sure, you get the unrequited love stories, or even the love stories involving characters so out of each other's leagues but a grim reaper with dimples would be a first for me. I'm not sure I've even ever come across a love story of any kind involving the grim reaper, so already I'm liking the unique and new sound that Tefft has going on here. I will say that after reading this synopsis, as nice as this all sounds, I can already see myself rooting for these two to be together and I've yet to read even one page of this book. I hate that I get this way, but I'm a sucker for almost any kind of romance, and sadly the harder it is for two characters to be together, the more elated I am when they finally do get together...but they have to actually end that way or I'm devestated. So by the sounds of this one, who's to say that Aidan finds the one in Lindsey, only to have the two of them be pulled apart for some other reason, right? I'm on the edge of my seat and want to see what this book's all about!

New Find #3: First Date by Krista McGee (01/10/2012)

The last thing Addy Davidson wants is to be on a reality TV show where the prize is a prom date with the President's son.

She's focused on her schoolwork so she can get a scholarship to an Ivy League college, uncomfortable in the spotlight, never been on a date, and didn't even audition for it.

But she got selected anyway.

So she does her best to get eliminated on the very first show. Right before she realizes that the President's son is possibly the most attractive guy she has ever seen in person, surprisingly nice, and seemingly unimpressed by the 99 other girls who are throwing themselves at him.

Addy's totally out of her comfort zone but that may be right where God can show her al that she was meant to be.

This one just struck me as a such a sweet story line. Who doesn't love a little bit of good old reality TV, right? I'm a big fan, even of the bad stuff, I just seem to get stuck watching it and have to be peeled away from the couch, or have the TV shut off for me in order for me to be able to walk away. I have no idea why, and I realize that makes me a crazy person, but it is what it is I suppose. But I guess that after I read the short snippets the book provides, I tried to picture this happening in real life...didn't quite get there. I think it's a neat idea and sounds to me like the makings of a very cute and possibly romantic and heartfelt story....we shall see. And if you're interested, there are currently ten copies being given away in a contest over at Goodreads, check it out for yourselves and enter soon, because it's ends on February 6th.

New Find #4: Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh, #1) by Samantha Young (07/11/2011)

Eden is a Soul Eater. While that doesn't mean much to her right now, she's pretty sure that any minute now, she's going to go all Carrie on her eleventh grade class.

Noah is an Ankh. As an immortal Warrior, his purpose in life is to hunt down and kill Soul Eaters.

Eden is Noah's next assignment. Problem is...this is an assignment with a difference. Eden's not your average run of the mill, Soul Eater. Noah's job? To test Eden for possible redemption.

It's a risky business.

Especially if Noah awakens Eden's inner monster.

It would be kind of hard for Eden to list to the angel on her shoulder when the devil's telling her, her new best friend is a lying, scheming, immortal enemy...

...betrayal is such a bitch.

So is Eden when you get on her bad side.

I think this one would be a good addition to my list in order to mix things up. While it's still got the paranormal edge that I normally tend to sway towards, I've never come across a book about Soul Eaters and Ankh warriors before. Have I missed that section at the book store? I didn't think so. This one sounds trick, but yet also maybe a nice change of pace. I normally have to force myself to go completely out of my reading comfort zone, but with something like this title, a kind of middle ground title so to speak, maybe I can ease into trying some more new genres and titles in the future. And Goodreads is also having a contest for this title, and is offering the chance to win two signed copies for two very lucky readers...I signed up, how about you?

New Finds #5: Dark Seeker (Seeker, #1) by Taryn Browning (10/04/2011)

She's the Seeker. He's the hunted. What's at stake could kill them both...

For 17-year-old Seeker, Janie Grey, ridding the Baltimore streets of the undead is an inherited duty passed down from her Cherokee ancestors. Seeker Training Lesson #1: Never trust the undead. After her father’s tragic death, Janie creates her own life lesson: Love isn’t worth the risk. Both lessons are easy to follow until she encounters the flawed Kai Sterdam. At first, she believes he is the hybrid she is trained to hunt. But, when he has human traits, she determines she doesn’t know what he is. As Janie’s intrigue over who Kai is pushes her deeper into his mysterious past, she discovers a shocking truth that is even more harrowing than the evil they are up against. It’s a secret Kai wants to keep hidden, especially from Janie.

Yet another great sounding read that's got a contest/giveaway to go with it. Goodreads has a giveaway for a reader's chance to win a copy of this recently released title for their very own. It's like extra incentive to check this book out, don't you think? I'm always up for another paranormal title and this one comes with it's very own spin on what sounds like a warrior fighting for the good side. Not sure what types of secrets will be revealed, but they don't sound like small white lies, these have the makings to be catastrophic and total game changers. I can't even believe when I've missed a title like this one that sounds like it's right up my alley, but that's why I love these posts. It really gives me the excuse to go back and look through some sites to see what I've missed out on, and quickly rectify thost mistakes.

In My Mailbox (40)

2012-02-05T10:00:00.022-05:00

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 never 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:

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins (Thanks to Harper Teen)

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

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

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

Forbidden by Syries James & Ryan M. James (Thanks to Harper Teen)

She should not exist.

He should not love her.

Claire Brennan has been attending Emerson Academy for two years now (the longest she and her mom have remained anywhere) and she's desperate to stay put for the rest of high school. So there's no way she's going to tell her mom about the psychic visions she's been having or the creepy warnings that she's in danger.

Alec MacKenzie is fed up with his duties to watch, and when necessary, eliminate the descendants of his angelic forefathers. He chose Emerson as the ideal hiding place where he could be normal for once. He hadn't factored Claire into his plans... Their love is forbidden, going against everything Alex has been taught to believe. But when the reason behind Claire's unusual powers is revealed and the threat to her life becomes clear, how far will Alec go to protect her?

Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath, #1) by Anne Greenwood Brown (Thanks Delacourte Books for Young Readers)

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Clader and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough - especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily - just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire (Thanks to Delacourte Books for Young Readers)

When plain and unpopular Annie Nutters gets zapped by one of her dad's whacked-out inventions, she lands in a parallel universe where her life becomes picture-perfect. Now she's Ayla Monroe, daughter of the same mother but a different father - and she's the gorgeous, rich queen bee of her high school.

In this universe, Ayla lives in glitzy Miami instead of dreary Pittsburgh and has beaucoup bucks, courtesy of her billioniare - if usually absent - father. Her friends hit the clubs, party backstage at concerts, and take risks that are exhilirating...and illegal. Here she's got a date to lose her V-card with the hottest guy she's ever seen.

But on the inside, Ayla is still Annie.

So when she's offered the chance to leave the dream life and head home to Pittsburgh, will she take it?

The choice isn't as simple as you think.

Rivals (The Ivy, #3) by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur (Thanks to Greenwillow Books)

Decisions, decisions...

You've survived your first semester and captured the interest of not one but two of the hottest guys on campus.

Now who are you going to choose?

Callie Andrews returns for her second semester at Harvard determined to do better than the previous fall, where those Bs on her report card seemed pretty good compared to the sate of her extracurriculars (F, as in if at first you don't succeed, you should probably stop trying,) friendships (C-minus, since she and formed BFF Vanessa are still on thin ice), and love life (D, as in don't even go there). But various campus rivalries soon threathen to thwart Callie's resolve. Will Callie ever be a match for -

Grace Lee
the take-no-prisoners managing editor

Alessandra
the gorgeous transfer student

Clint
the guy who might just be too perfect

and Gregory
the guy who may never be perfect enough.

Callie will face some of the toughest choices imaginable: in friendships, in loyalties, and in love. The pressure to pick a side - and a suitor - has never been higher. But will she and her friends choose well?

New Finds (5)

2012-02-02T10:00:00.018-05:00

So regardless of the reason, you're not alone and I'm going ot do my part to make sure these great reads aren't missed just because life keeps readers too busy to catch every detail. So whenever I come across titles that I've somehow missed the release date of, I make a note and get excited about them all over again. Sometimes it's even better than counting down to a title that will be released in the next year or so because when I get worked up over these titles I can go right to the store to pick up my own copy or download one to my kindle. No waiting or pining for the book to hit the shelves.

New Find #1: Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire, #2) by Courtney Allison Moulton (1/31/2012)

Life as the Preliateor is harder than Ellie ever imagined. Balancing real life with the responsibility of being Heaven's warrior is a challenge for Ellie. Her relationship with Will has become all business, though they both long for each other. And no that the secret of who she really is has come out, so have Hell's strongest reapers. Grown bold and more vicious, the demonic threaten her in the light of day and stalk her in the night.

She's been warned. Cadan, a demonic reaper, comes to her with information about Bastian's new plan to destroy Ellie's soul and use an ancient relic to wake all the souls of the damned and unleash them upon humanity. As she fights to stay ahead of Bastian's schemes, the revelations about those closest to her awaken a dark power within Ellie that threatens to destroy everything - including herself.

She'll be betrayed. Treachery comes even from those whom she loves, and Ellie is broken by the deaths of those who stood beside her in this Heavenly war. Still, she must find a way to save the world, herself, and her love for Will. If she fails, there will be hell to pay.

Oh lord. I am not liking the sound of this synopsis. After the ending and cliffhanger that Moulton left her readers with in her series opener, Angelfire I was hoping that Ellie and Will would at least get a little reprieve in the beginning of book two. But to be honest, that sounds like there's no way that scenario is going to work out. Ellie's obstacles sound like they've doubled if not more, and with her and Will pining for each other and struggle to stay professional, I'm thinking she doesn't need any added stress....like say a possible apocalypse right? If this sequel caught your interest, don't forget to enter the Goodreads giveaway hosted by Harper Teen that ends February 7th.

New Find #2: The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LeZebnik (09/10/2008)

When Ava Nickerson was a child, her mother jokingly betrothed her to a friend's son, and the contract the parents made has stayed safely buried for years. Now that still-single Ava is closing in on thirty, no one even remembers she was once "engaged" to the Markowitz boy. But when their mother is diagnosed with cancer, Ava's prodigal little sister Lauren comes home to Los Angeles where she stumbles across the decades-old document.

Frustrated and embarrassed by Ava's constant lectures about financial responsibility (all because she's in a little debt. Okay, a lot of debt), Lauren decides to do some sisterly interfering of her own and tracks down her sister's childhood fiance. When she finds him, the highly inappropriate, twice-divorced, but incredibly charming Russell Markowitz is all too happy to re-enter the Nickerson sisters' lives, and always-accountable Ava is forced to consider just how binding a contract really is...

While this might not be considered a young adult novel, I couldn't resist adding it to my new finds list. LaZebnik caught my attention and won my heart with her retelling of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Epic Fail, and ever since I've been anxious for her to release a new young adult novel. Since that hasn't happened yet, I thought I would check out her previous works and see what I'd find. Well, this one might be a little off the YA mark, but it sure sounds like a winner to me. So I've marked this one on my list and I plan on hitting the store with this title in mind as soon as possible.

New Find #3: The Shattering by Karen Healey (09/05/2011)

Seventeen-year-old Keri likes to plan for every possibility. She knows what to do if you break an arm, or get caught in an earthquake or fire. But she wasn't prepared for her brother's suicide, and his death has left her shattered with grief. When her childhood friend Janna tells her it was murder, not suicide, Keri wants to believe her. After all, Janna's brother died under similar circumstances years ago, and Janna insists a visiting tourist, Sione, who also lost a brother to apparent suicide that year, has helped her find some answers. As the three dig deeper, disturbing facts begin to pile up: one boy killed every year; all older brothers; all spent New Year's Even in the idyllic town of Summerton. But when their search for the serial killer takes an unexpected turn, suspicion is cast on those they trust the most. As secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?

After reading Healey's debut YA novel, Guardian of the Dead, I was looking forward to future works from her and somehow seems to miss this one when it came out a few months back. While this title doesn't seem to have much in common with her debut title, there's still that element of a mystery and the suspense that inevitably follows close behind. Healey managed to spin her folklore in a way no history teacher ever did for me in college, she had me excited, anxious to learn more, and crossing my fingers that I'd be able to solve the mystery before it was actually revealed to readers. So if her style stays on the same path, I'm thinking this mystery could be one I'd enjoy.

New Find #4: Supernaturally (Paranormalcy, #2) by Kiersten White (07/26/2011)

Evie finally has the normal life she's always longed for. But she's shocked to discover that being ordinary can be...kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she's given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie's faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there's a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

I really enjoyed all the fun adventures White had offered up in her first Paranormalcy series installment, and I've been looking forward to seeing what else this series has to offer. Once again I'm not sure who I missed out on this summer release date but either way I plan to make up for that by getting my hands on this sequel very quickly. Evie was a fun character to follow and all the different creatures and obstacles White threw her way made for an interesting and addicting read. Hopefully this installment turns out to be no different.

New Find #5: Dark Descendant (Nikki Glass, #1) by Jenna Black (04/26/2011)

From the acclaimed author of the Morgan Kinglsey, Exorcist books comes the gripping first novel in a new series about a private eye who discovers, to her surprise, that she's an immortal huntress.

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can't die...

Crazy as it sounds, Nikki's manhunting skills are literally god-given. She's a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki's new "friends" include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she's a spy.

But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal batter of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she'll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy...

Yet another author that I can't get enough of. Jenna Black made me a fan with her Faeriewalker series and I was very sad to see it end. Don't get me wrong, her series ending was fantastic but I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye for good to all those characters she had created and I had come to love. But while I still miss that series, I'm shocked that I hadn't heard about this one until after it's release date. I'm very far behind on keeping track with some of my favorite authors, but now that I'm trying to correct my errors, I've marked this one down and definitely don't want to miss out. While her world of fae was wonderful, I'm sure her world containing Olympians and their descendants will be just as good, if not better.

Review: Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls, #1) by Victoria Foyt

2012-01-31T10:00:00.009-05:00

Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she'll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she's cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden's coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she'll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation. Her co-worker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of a storm and thrown into the last area of rain forest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity's last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her "adopted aunt" Emily Dickinson.

How to describe this read? With a post-apocalyptic world as the backdrop for this new series, readers are introduced to a world not so far off of what ours used to be with a slight twist here and there. The people of this world are judged and ranked based on their skin tone, among other traits. But Eden hopes for a better life for herself, her father and her fellow "pearls" that she thinks will be accomplished if only she can find a mate. But her ideas of what kind of mate would be the most ideal are as racist and biased as her current counterparts. Only time and a series of Herculean obstacles will show her the error of her ways.

What started out as a simple enough scenario and plot surprised me with its twists and unexpected surprises. Mistakes are made by both Eden as well as others around her, and what better way for Eden to learn than from her mistakes, right? Foyt created a series that may not be like most others out on the shelves today, but I'll admit that while that is true, it's also one of the reasons why this book appealed to me and had me sticking with it right up to the very end. I'll admit that at times it was slightly difficult to relate to Eden or the other main characters, but when it came down to it, I'm not sure anyone can really relate to what these people are going through. Many have described this story as a modern day beauty and the beast retelling, but I think it's more than that.

Far from a plain old retelling, this story takes ideas from others and makes them unique and new all over again. Bramford, Eden, the FFP, the coals and the pearls. They all have something to learn, and we as readers have the chance to experience it all right along with them. Take a chance on this series opener and you may be surprised to discover a new world that will take you on a wonderful journey and have you wondering long after the final page has been turned what will come next for Foyt's characters.

Details for Foyt's second installment in the Save the Pearls series have not been released yet. While we wait for more of that information, be sure to check out the Save the Pearls site and all the fun information that can be found.

I gave Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls, #1) 3 shamrocks!!!

In My Mailbox (39)

2012-01-29T10:00:00.015-05:00

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

For Review:

New Girl by Paige Harbison (Thanks to HarlequinTeen)
They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy. And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

Halflings (Halflings, #1) by Heather Burch (Thanks to Zondervan Publishing)

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world.

The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal (Thanks to Whitman, Albert & Company)

It's an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family's splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her free-spirited aunt, it's a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with him. Pilot. He's the lifeguard with shamanic skills. He both saves her and makes her feel lost at sea. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers his mysterious - almost magical - gifts.

Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls, #1) by Victoria Foyt (Thanks to Sand Dollar Press Inc.)

Eden Newman must mate before her 18th birthday in six months or she'll be left outside to die in a burning world. But who will pick up her mate-option when she's cursed with white skin and a tragically low mate-rate of 15%? In a post-apocalyptic, totalitarian, underground world where class and beauty are defined by resistance to an overheated environment, Eden's coloring brands her as a member of the lowest class, a weak and ugly Pearl. If only she can mate with a dark-skinned Coal from the ruling class, she'll be safe. Just maybe one Coal sees the Real Eden and will be her salvation her coworker Jamal has begun secretly dating her. But when Eden unwittingly compromises her father's secret biological experiment, she finds herself in the eye of the storm and thrown into the last area of rainforest, a strange and dangerous land. Eden must fight to save her father, who may be humanity's last hope, while standing up to a powerful beast-man she believes is her enemy, despite her overwhelming attraction. Eden must change to survive but only if she can redefine her ideas of beauty and of love, along with a little help from her "adopted aunt" Emily Dickinson.

Scent of a White Rose Blog Tour and Treasure Hunt

2012-01-27T10:05:00.024-05:00

A little while back I was lucky enough to get the chance to speak with author Tish Thawer and she was kind enough to include me as a stop on her Scent of a White Rose blog tour! So today I have a special treat for you guys....and interview with Tish (awesome right?), a chance to enter yourselves in her treasure hunt, and a review of Scent of a White Rose. If you haven't picked up this book yet I strongly suggest you get on it!

If you're not super familiar with Tish, here's a little background before we start the interview...

Before becoming a writer I worked as a computer consultant, a photographer, and a graphic designer. I also operate a custom glass etching business, in addition to being a wife and mother of 3 wonderful children.

I've been a fan of the paranormal for as long as I can remember. Anything to do with superpowers, myth and magic has always held a special place in my heart. From my first paranormal cartoon, Isis, to the phenomenon that is Twilight, this genre has always been a part of my life. Thanks for joining me on this magical journey.

A common FAQ: "How do you pronounce your last name?"
Answer: Think "Bower" or "Thow-er". It's Persian!

Now let's get to the good stuff....on with the interview!

Katelyn: The paranormal genre has always been pretty popular and lately any book with vampires and werewolves seems to be flying off the shelves. How did you make yours different from the other vampire books out there? What drew you to write about them?

Tish: The first thing that sets my vampires apart is that they experience drifting. Drifting is the action of a vampire's appearance changing from light to dark in correspondence with their impulses and emotions. Also, my vampires are not inherently bad or evil. And, the third thing that sets my vampires apart is that the sire's are the only ones who can create or kill other vampires.

Katelyn: I know from personal experience that when I start to read a book, attachments to certain characters inevitably follow. Do you have a favorite or two among your cast of characters? If so, can you tell us who and what it is about them specifically that made the decision for you?

Tish: This is such a hard question for me because I have definitely developed a connection with quite a few of my characters. But to pick my favorite two...I would say Christian and Evangeline.

Christian because he's loyal, heroic, sensitive, and sexy.

Evangeline because she's motherly, caring, strong, and fierce when she needs to be.

Katelyn: Favorite author/book?

Tish: Again with the hard questions. I would say that one of my favorite author's is Gena Showalter. And as of this past year, my favorite book was A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

Katelyn: With your second book in the trilogy, Blood of a Red Rose coming out in May, can you tell us a little bit about it? Any juicy details you want to give us? :)

Tish: Oh my! Well, let's just say that Rose is faced with some heavy decisions that she doesn't handle very well. And Christian struggles to understand some of her actions. Evangeline starts the hunt for the woman who infected Terrance and let's just say - that woman becomes a major pain in the ass in book two.

Katelyn: Are you working on any other books at the moment? Can we expect another new series after you've finished with the Rose trilogy? ( I hope so!)

Tish: Actually yes! I'm just finishing up Rose and Christian's short story - Rose & Thorns. It will be released March 6th in eBook format only. After that will come the Ovialell Trilogy and then the Towers of the Mist series. You can find more details about each of those on my blog under the "Coming Soon" tab.

Katelyn: And finally, just for fun....if you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and what three things would you bring along with you?

Tish: I would go see Stonehenge and then travel to Ireland. I would bring: my family, my laptop, and my cell phone. (Yes, I'm dependent on technology, but I would make the hubby pack the essentials like clothes and money.)

Katelyn: Tish, thank you so much again for stopping by and answering a few questions for us. I can only say how much I enjoyed the first installment in your Rose trilogy and look forward to the upcoming installments and future work from you!

Treasure Hunt

So before we get to my review...Tish has come up with a fun treasure hunt for everyone to participate in. On each blog stop there will be a graphic of a smoking white rose. You'll need to find the white roses and take note of how many you find and where you are at the time. Click on the smoking white rose image and to link to Tish's page. Once you're there, leave her a comment and tell her how many white roses you found and where you found them. (i.e. "Today I found three smoking roses at The Book Addict.")

This comment will qualify you for the giveaway...and trust me, you want a chance to win this fantastic giveaway Tish is hosting!

On January 28th Tish will be posting a questionnaire at her blog. The first person to answer all the questions correctly, and has already qualified by finding all the roses wins!

So here's my graphic:

Thanks again to Tish for including me on your tour, and to all the readers who stopped by today. Take a look below for my review of Scent of a White Rose and like I said before, do yourselves a favor and pick a copy up for yourselves today!

Review: Scent of a White Rose (The Rose Trilogy, #1) by Tish Thawer

2012-01-27T10:00:00.004-05:00

A vampire's love...

An innocent's guilt...

A secret no one could've imagined...

A paranormal romance that entices with a heroine that isn't quite what she seems, a vampire whose love story is filled with dark surprises, and a vampire clan whose Sire has lost the ability to inflict "the change".

~ ROSE ~
I'm Rose Reynolds. I have recently lost my Mom in a "freak accident".
Now everyone sees me as an innocent girl.... a “white Rose”.
But I have a secret that no one can imagine.
I'm not as innocent as everyone thinks…

~ CHRISTIAN ~
I'm Christian and I’m in love with Rose. I also have a secret as old as time.
I’m a vampire.
No, she doesn’t know…yet.
But when our new Sire is revealed, I'll petition them to change her.
Because truly, I can't live without her...

Here was yet another book that took me by surprise. It's been happening a lot lately and I couldn't be more excited about that fact. It's looking like 2012 will be chalk full of fantastic reads. Usually I read a synopsis and have already made judgements, we all do it and it's almost unavoidable no matter how hard we try to go into each and every read with an open mind. I'm not sure why, but although I thought this book sounded entertaining and it definitely piqued my interest, I'm not sure I was expecting to like it as much as I did. Thawer's writing keeps a steady pace that I personally enjoyed, and her characters have you relating to them as if they were your friends. She gave me background and got me involved but didn't let that slow down her plot in my opinion.

While Rose became a character I was rooting for, I'll admit to liking Christian and his "family" much more. Their stories and history were exciting and touching all at the same time. I would have liked more details into each of his "family" members but I'm optimistic that with this being the first book, the later installments will provide the information I'm looking for. And in the meantime I've found myself invested in their futures, so to speak. Thawer managed what I thought was an impossible feat. She was able to put yet another new spin on the age old vampire tale. With so many different vampire young adult books on the shelves these days I'm not sure where the creativity stems from, but her world was definitely not one I'd call a carbon copy of the others I've read and become familiar with. She made it her own and in turn made me an instant fan.

Rose and Christian and all their friends and family are faced with a unique situation that had me tense, anxious, and gripping my seat until the very last page. I'll admit that while the ending wasn't entirely predictable, I was hoping for one that was slightly different. She left her readers with a cliffhanger of course, what else would she do with two more books in the trilogy scheduled to come out, but my nerves and the romantic side of me was still crossing my fingers that a few of the loose ends would have been tied up. Oh well, I'm the reader, not the author so I'll just have to wait until the second installment, Blood of a Red Rose comes out in May 2012. That makes for a long countdown but I'm hoping a few teasers might come out in the meantime to keep my nerves in check.

I gave Scent of a White Rose 4 shamrocks!!!

Countdown: 2012 Releases (5)

2012-01-24T10:00:00.022-05:00

As big of a reader as I am, I can never seem to get caught up on all the books I've decided to add to my collection. No matter what I do, there just always seems to be more titles that get added to my list and more authors that become favorites that I constantly find myself following up on. Don't get me wrong, this is not a problem that I'm complaining about, but at some point my organizational skills only go so far when it comes down to making sure these titles I've added to my "list" don't fall through the cracks. So most of you know by now that I've come to be a big advocate of the countdown posts. It's the only way that I've been able to manage my ever growing TBR lists. And on top of all that, it's gets me excited all over again each time I do further research on certain titles and authors, or get another look at exceptional covers that act as more than that, they become works of art that are ingrained in my head. So here's another round of books that I've been or will be counting down towards their releases dates.

Countdown Pick #1: Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (05/08/2012)

It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

Doesn't this sound adorable? I've always been a fan of fairy tales from the start. Reading them as a little girl was inspiring and had me brimming with hope that I'd find my own white knight in the future, and even now I can't help but adore them. If not just for their optimistic outlooks on impossible situations, but also because who doesn't enjoy a happy ending? We don't always get a lot of those in real life, and with reality not always been the most fun or inspiring, books like these often give me just the break I need in order to get past some of the obstacles we all face on a daily basis. Now I'll admit that there is no guarantee that Kontis will deliver a happy ending with her version of this tale, but regardless she can count me on board for this one and I'll be rooting for Sunday to find her white knight and live happily ever after.

And as an extra bonus, if you're planning on adding this title to your lists of countdowns, take a minute and check out the giveaway for your very own copy on goodreads!

Countdown Pick #2: Swift by R.J. Anderson (03/01/2012)

Ivy sensed the stone hurtling towards her and rolled - too late. Heat scored across her back in a blaze of dazzling pain. The ground spiralled to meet her, and she knew it would only be seconds before she hit...

Ivy is a determined young faery, living in an abandoned tin mine with her clan. In a cruel twist of fate she was born without wings, and she longs to fly like the others. When she meets an enigmatic stranger, he seems to offer an answer. But there is more to him than meets the eye...

I'm a supporter of the paranormal genre and all the creatures that come with it. Fairies are one of the branches in the genre that although are popular and definitely are featured in more than their share of titles, haven't been overdone in my opinion. Every once in a while no matter how much I love a good vampire and werewolf story, deviations and unique qualities can be hard to find. While I'm sure the same can be said about fairies depending on who you're asking, I'm still at the point where every once in a while they're able to provide a refreshing change of pace and scenery for me. So when I came across Anderson's story and heard a little bit more about the main character Ivy, I added the title to my list and am looking forward to it's release in March. I'm hoping the girl gets her wings and doesn't get into too much trouble along the way...or maybe I'm hoping for the opposite...a little bit of trouble makes things exciting and never seems to hurt right?

Countdown Pick #3: The Falconer by Elizabeth May (2013)

Humans will be the hunted. Love will be tested. Vengeance will be had.

The Falconer begins in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1844. We meet 18-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, who was destined to live a life carefully planned around Edinburgh’s social events — until a faery killed her mother.

Now, between the seeming endless parties and boring dances, Aileana has a new hobby: she secretly slaughters the fae who prey on humans in the city’s dark alleyways, and is determined to track down the faery who murdered her mother.

Vengeance has become Aileana's life . . . so she never anticipated her growing attraction to the magnetic Kiaran MacKay, the faery who trained her to kill his own kind. Or that there was a world beyond hers, filled with secrets which affect her past and have the potential to destroy her present.

But when her own world is about revenge, and when she holds Kiaran’s fate in her hands, how far is Aileana prepared to go to avenge her mother’s murder?

Romance potential? I think so. While I'm a fan of fairies as I just mentioned with my second countdown pick, these fairies don't seem to be in the same boat. With May's spin on this branch of the paranormal genre, it looks like we're going to be rooting for the humans and not so much for the fairies. I'm looking forward to seeing how May is going to spin this one, and it sounds to me like it won't end up being so cut and dry if we have our main character being trained and helped by a fae in order to eliminate the rest of his race. I'm hoping for a little romance in this tale, as I usually am, but only time will tell. Hopefully the official covert art will come out soon, but in the meantime we'll have to draw from our imaginations...I'm already picturing what these characters will look like.

Countdown Pick #4: Devotion (Soul Savers, #3) by Kristie Cook (02/12/2012)

With powerful abilities gained from the Ang’dora and Tristan back by her side, Alexis thinks she’s ready for the next challenge—protecting her son from what appears to be the inevitable. But she has so much to learn about her powers, her new world and the people in it. Nothing is what it seems to be on the surface, including the Amadis. Having believed the secret society to be definitively good and righteous, she discovers she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Power-hungry politicians comprise the council and make impossible demands. A traitor lurks among them all, inciting trouble that could destroy the Amadis and, ultimately, humanity. The Daemoni wreak havoc in the human world, with the ultimatum that they’ll continue attacking innocents until Alexis and Tristan are expelled from the Amadis’ protection. The couple’s own society begins to shut them out. But that’s not all.

There’s a secret. A big one. And faith and hope in Alexis and Tristan will be restored if she can uncover the truth in time.

But the search for answers leads only to the discovery of more betrayals by those closest to Alexis. Her devotion is put to the test—devotion to her husband, to her family, to her people and to her beliefs—leaving her to question whom she’s fighting for and why she should even bother. But if she won’t fight … who will?

Oh this series has put me through the ringer. I don't think it's possible for me to be a bigger fan of Kristie Cook and her Soul Savers series. I just love everything about it. Her writing is fantastic, her characters are endearing, and her storyline is addicting. The world she has created within this series is magical and worthy of infinite praise. While she keeps her readers on the edges of their seats and often times has them laughing, crying, screaming, and sometimes all at once. Cook has the ability to draw her readers in and get them so invested that they take each part of the story personally. If a positive outcome is the result, readers end up feeling like they've gotten lucky, if something happens to one of the characters on the other end of the spectrum, we end up feeling the loss or injustice as if it's been done to us an not a fictional set of characters. So as the days are dwindling down to the release of this third series installment, I'm preparing myself for yet another wild and action packed ride.

Review: Falling Under (Falling Under, #1) by Gwen Hayes

2012-01-23T10:00:00.008-05:00

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she's seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia's not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

What a dark horse in the running this one turned out to be. The synopsis had me interested but I had no idea what I'd really get into within the pages of Hayes' new series. Haden was what kept me interested in this one. While there wasn't anything that stands out for me that I didn't like about Theia...she just wasn't one of those characters that goes up there on my list of top favorite heroines. It may have had something to do with the way Hayes describes her upbringing, but her personality was just a little too docile for me to relate to I guess. Not sure what that says about me, I've never needed an extremely aggressive female lead character in order to find myself rooting for her, but I just found it strange that I was more interested in Hayden and his story, than I was about Theia's background.

Now with that being said, it was one of the only complaints that I found to have with this book. All in all I thought it was an interesting story and for the most part I didn't want to break from reading or to have it end at all. The surprises and revelations were just that....and I enjoyed not knowing what to expect at every turn of the page. So I've downloaded the sequel, Dreaming Awake to my kindle and I'm looking forward to seeing how Hayes is going to pick things up where she left off. This series opener came with an interesting cliffhanger, and I'm anxious to see how life for these two pans out. No idea where this sequel will take me but I'm about to find out.

I gave Falling Under (Falling Under, #1) 3 shamrocks!!!

Review: The Secret of the Keepers: Kailmeyra's Strength (Kailmeyra, #2) by Elizabeth Isaacs

2012-01-20T10:00:00.005-05:00

The Kailmeyra Chronicles: Book Two--

Life for Nora couldn't be better; she has married the man of her dreams and loves living in the pristine land of Kailmeyra.

That is, until the darkness threatens her perfect world.

Now war is upon the land. She and Gavin must strengthen their clan and prepare to fight. But the enemy has an ally—one that not only wields power, but holds knowledge of the ancients' secrets. Secrets that could destroy creation itself.

As the darkness grows, doubt seeps in ... protectiveness hinders progress ... and the unthinkable comes to pass.

Bewildered and alone, Nora shoulders the responsibility of leading an entire race to war. As she struggles with decisions that seem impossible to make, she is haunted by one choice.

"No one has ever doubted that you would die for those you love. The question then becomes ... would you live?"

Elizbaeth Isaacs is one of those authors that in my experience have this uncanny ability to sneak up on you and take you by complete surprise. When I came across her first book after it was recommend to me I'll admit it sounded interesting but I never would have guessed just how much I'd come to appreciate Isaacs' writing and the world in which she created. Even knowing how much I enjoy her writing style and the characters I was introduced to in her series opener, The Light of Asteria, when it came time to finally get the chance to check out her sequel I was once again surprised by my enthusiasm. The further I got into the book, the more intense the plot became and the more invested I realized I'd become.

Her characters, her writing, her world, and just about everything that went into this second installment was even better the second time around. Everything I loved about her first book, I came to love all the more, and everything she set her readers up to be angry about or the characters I was originally hoping wouldn't prevail...those feelings only got more amped up. She's got talent and her stories are the only evidence needed to back that statement up. This time around, there is still background given for readers with any new characters that are introduced, and a little more history on Asteria is also available, but other than that, the plot flies by without getting too hampered down with an overload of useless details. No sluggish moments in this novel, that I will say is a fact.

This sequel was so chalk full of big events that I'm afraid to reveal anything for fear of giving away some of the best twists and turns Isaacs could come up with. So all I can really say is that while I was admittedly surprised by how much I enjoyed Isaacs' writing and the world she has created for this series, it was without a doubt a very pleasant surprise at that. So like I always say, do yourself a favor and pick this series up if you haven't already done so, and if you have gotten the chance to read her opener, you're going to really love the continuation of this story.

I gave The Secret of the Keepers: Kailmeyra's Strength 4 shamrocks!!!!

Review: Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1) by Amanda Hocking

2012-01-19T10:00:00.004-05:00

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

It's not very common, but sometimes readers get very lucky and manage to find an author that just captures their attention and refuses to let go. I've come to realize that Amanda Hocking is one of those authors for me. Her previous series, My Blood Approves gripped me from the very beginning and four books later, I still couldn't get enough of her writing, her characters, or the massively unique and creative worlds she designed. I was worried that her Trylle series would not live up to my expectations (because they were already so high) but I should have known better. Once again Hocking got her hooks into me and once again when I finished her last page, I was far from content. I needed more. More of her writing, more of her characters and more of this new and fascinating world. How does she do that?

I know people talk and rave about her being an overnight self-published success, but she claims that her accomplishments stem from years of hard work, and who wouldn't believe that? Readers instantly can appreciate the details that go into her writing and plot lines. She allows her readers to use their imagination for some things while filling our heads with creations I had never believed possible. It's addicting and I'm not silly enough to believe that she's anywhere close to reaching her pique. It's a gift (her writing ability) and she's on a roll.

If someone would have told me that I would enjoy a book revolving around trolls I would have rolled my eyes and paid them no mind. But I was once again proven wrong and couldn't be happier about that fact. Hocking takes trolls and gives them a makeover like no other. We're not talking about horrible green, gigantic monsters that could crush you on site. They're not helpless by any means (or at least most of them aren't) but they're vastly different from the tales I grew up with. And that's one of main reasons I'm drawn to Hocking's writing. She takes age old stigmas and twists them around until she's created something entirely her own. Vampires received her own twist of detail in her My Blood Approves series, and this time around, the Trylle trilogy helps the trolls be seen in a new light.

If you've never taken the time to check out Hocking's work, correct this mistake immediately and pick up both her My Blood Approves series (the fifth book will be out soon) and then grab a copy of Switched....you won't regret it!

I gave Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1) 4 shamrocks!!!!

Countdown: 2012 Releases (4)

2012-01-18T10:00:00.019-05:00

You guys know the drill by now...I'm always on the lookout for new finds and exciting new reads and below are just a few that I've come across this week. With how busy everyone gets if I don't write the titles down immediately I'll never be able to remember them later when I'm ready to download a new book to my kindle, or pick one up in the store wondering which shelf to look through first. So by posting these countdowns I give myself one more place to look when I need to be reminded of the titles I've been looking forward to.

And as always if you guys hear of any that you haven't seen me post let me know. Like I said, I only have so much time to search for future reads on my own, and to be honest, the marjority of my favorite titles I owe to friends/bloggers/author recommendations. So leave a comment, shoot me an email, etc...if there are any books or authors you think I should have on my radar.

Countdown Pick #1: City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments, #5) by Cassandra Clare ( 5/8/2012)

The New York Times bestselling Mortal Instruments series continues - and so do the thrills and danger for Jace, Clary, and Simon. Can the lost be reclaimed? What price is too high to pay for love? Who can be trusted when sin and salvation collide? Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge. Darkness threatens to claim the shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.

I just adore Clare's writing and her Mortal Instruments series had me hooked right from the beginning of book one, and four books later, she's got me counting down and craving book five, just so I can find out what happens next to Clary and the rest of the shadowhunter gang.

I'm still not sure how she does or how she manages to continuously come up with new plot lines and twists that leave readers reeling, but regardless I'm grateful. She's one of those authors that has the gift of an addicting voice, writing that flows so fluidly that you don't even realizing your reading a book, rather you feel like you've been transported into the pages of her world and are interacting with the characters themselves.

Countdown Pick #2: The Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices, #3) by Cassandra Clare (11/1/2012)

In Clockwork Princess, Tessa and her companions travel all over the world as they race to stop the clockwork army before it's too late. As Jem's health worsens alarmingly and his friends search desperately for a cure, can Tessa choose between the two boys she loves - even if it means never seeing the other one again?

Sticking with the Cassandra Clare bandwagon on this one, if you're a fan of her Mortal Instruments series, than I'm sure if you've discovered her Infernal Devices series, the same can be said. It's impossible to stay clear of Clare's writing once you've gotten a taste. I was skeptical as to whether her Infernal Devices series could stand up to the clearly awesome Mortal Instruments series, but it does just that. And to be honest, as much as I love Clary, Jace and Simon, along with everyone else in her other series, there's something about this series that trumped it for me. When I figure out what that something is, I'll be sure to spread the word, but in the meantime, I just want Clare to continue to churn these masterpieces out as quickly as she can manage, because I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to get enough.

Countdown Pick #3: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green (1/10/2012)

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs...for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Now if there's anyone out there reading this synopsis and isn't already feeling protective about Hazel, I'm not sure how you did it. One read through of this description and I was invested. I've yet to read anything of John Green's but everyone I talk to seems to say the same thing; he's a genious! His writing seems to speak to people on a level unlike what we're all used to or have come to expect. This story might not be a laugh out loud kind of read, but if you can prepare yourself for an emotional and probably difficult to get through kind of read, than to be honest this one sounds like it would be well worth it. No need to countdown on this find since it came out earlier this month, but I couldn't resist adding it to the list so that I'd be able to remind myself not to let this one slip through the cracks.

Countdown Pick #4: Cinder (Lunar Chronicles, #1) by Marissa Meyer (1/3/2012)

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

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

I wasn't sure how I felt about this one originally. I had gotten wind of it a while back but moved on quickly for what reason I don't know. I've always been a fan a remakes and retellings, but it might be because while I enjoyed Cinderella as a kid, it was never my absolute favorite fairy tale. So I didn't give this take a fair chance. So when I came across the title again this week on several blogs and was hearing positive feedback, I figured I should probably look into it one more time. Now that I've got a more open frame of mind, I think this one sounds kind of cool. Retellings can always go in any number of directions, but I really think this spin that Meyer's is working with sounds more unique than most. So if you've had the chance to get into this one, let me know what you thought, and in the meantime, I think it's about time I got myself a copy of my own.

Countdown Pick #5: The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (1/2/2012)

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. She's stuck at JFK, late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon to be step-mother that Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's in seat 18C. Hadley's in 18A.

Twists of fate and quirks of timing play out in this thoughtful novel about family connections, second changes and first loves. Set over a 24-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

I'm already picturing major romance here and the excitement is building. How could I have missed this one? I'm not familiar with the author, but I will be soon. This read sounds like one of those stories that no matter what happens with the main characters, you can't help but walk away feeling a little bit more optimistic than when you first started. Sounds crazy right? Regardless of what transpires between Hadley and Oliver, just as the synopsis says, just the idea of true love find everyone when they're not expecting it, possibly not even believing in it, well how can anyone not think that sounds like a winner? So it's been added to the list, and I think I might just need to turn my kindle on a.s.a.p. and have this one beamed over to me right away, because who doesn't need an excuse to feel a little bit more optimistic on a daily basis?

Review: Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) by Tahereh Mafi

2012-01-17T10:00:00.006-05:00

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days. The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old-girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Dystopian novels are an acquired taste...and they've started to climb to the top of my must read lists. Each new dystopian world I come in contact with I seem to love even more than the last. Tahereh Mafi proves this once again with Juliette and the rest of the characters found in the pages of Shatter Me. Her writing speaks to readers. Her way of voicing Juliette's character has you empathizing with her before the first chapter is even complete. That's not an easy task and one that I won't forget. While the story of the world suffering in one way or another in our eerily near future has been told before (most dystopian novels set a familiar fear within their plots) it wasn't the focus for me in this case. Here Mafi takes her scene and expands it to have readers paying more attention to what's happening with her main character, than what is going on in the world itself. At times I found myself forgetting this was a dystopian novel at all. I was so focused on Juliette's fate that it didn't matter to me what her surroundings were like.

I was engrossed with this story, there's really no other way to describe my feelings. Each page brought new heartache or tension that had my heart racing with anticipation and anxiety. It was a roller coaster of emotions and her characters refused to fall to the background. It's irresistible and honestly why would you want anything else from a book. You wouldn't, and sadly with work like this, it will be hard to accept just an average piece of writing in the future. Mafi sets the bar very high and I've no doubt that her work with the rest of the series will only continue to raise the stakes.

On a side note, Variety reported that Fox has bought the film rights for this book and is planning on making a movie adaptation out of Mafi's work. How great is that? I am always thrilled when a great piece of writing is turned into film, because it means we have that much more to look forward to, and that much longer of a time frame before we must say goodbye to these characters. At least until we decide to re-read the book again, right?

I gave Shatter Me (Shatter Me, #1) 4 shamrocks!!!!

Review: Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1) by Leigh Fallon

2012-01-16T10:00:00.006-05:00

From the moment she sets foot at her new school in Ireland, Megan is inexplicably drawn to the darkly handsome Adam DeRis. But Megan soon discovers that her feelings for Adam are tied to a supernatural fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that unites them could be their ultimate destruction.

This electrifying debut novel was first discovered on inkpop.com. the online community for aspiring writers. THE CARRIER OF THE MARK sizzles with unbridled romance, a unique supernatural hook, and a breathtaking Irish setting, and will entice fans of the Need series by Carrie Jones and the House of Night series by P. C. and Kristin Cast.

With a beautiful cover like this one, who wouldn't be drawn to this book like a moth to a flame? It's gorgeous and totally fits the writing and story line hidden within it's pages. A breathtaking backdrop like Ireland is the only area I can imagine this book taking place. From the fog covered town, to the mists taking over the green pastures, this book's mood was set right from the beginning.

Megan has recently moved to a small town in Ireland thanks to her father's job and with her starting out in a new place, foreign to her birthplace, readers begin this journey of understanding right along with her. It was fun learning everything with Megan at her pace, it helped draw me in and had me empathizing with everything Megan, and eventually her new friends had to deal with. The story line swept me up in it's excitement and once again I'm loving the originality of it all. The use of the ancient lore surrounding Ireland, as well as the elements and their creations....it's all very romantic in nature and I enjoyed the story the whole way through.

While this was my first experience with Fallon's writing, I think she'll be an author I come back to in the future. Most definitely to see how the rest of this trilogy turns out but also if she decides to try her hand again after the last installment with Megan and her gang has been completed.

Her pages weren't bogged down with too many details, but I'll admit that I was hoping the pace picked up speed a few times throughout the book. Mostly I enjoyed her pace and plot, but there were times where I thought certain elements could have been left out or skipped altogether. It was just a small adjustment I had to make and honestly I was enjoying the story line so much that it didn't take anything away from the experience for me. Hopefully book two in the trilogy, Dawn of the Knights, scheduled to be published sometime this year will follow in it's predecessors wake with yet another memorable addition to Fallon's work.

I gave Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1) 3 shamrocks!!!

In My Mailbox (38)

2012-01-15T10:00:00.015-05:00

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board.

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

Bought:

Under the Never Sky (Under the Never Sky, #1) by Veronica Rossi

Aria is a teenager in the enclosed city of Reverie. Like all Dwellers, she spends her time with friends in virtual environments, called Realms, accessed through an eyepiece called a Smarteye. Aria enjoys the Realms and the easy life in Reverie. When she is forced out of the pod for a crime she did not commit, she believes her death is imminent. The outside world is known as The Death Shop, with danger in every direction.

As an Outsider, Perry has always known hunger, vicious predators, and violent energy storms from the swirling electrified atmosphere called the Aether. A bit of an outcast even among his hunting tribe, Perry withstands these daily tests with his exceptional abilities, as he is gifted with powerful senses that enable him to scent danger, food and even human emotions.

They come together reluctantly, for Aria must depend on Perry, whom she considers a barbarian, to help her get back to Reverie, while Perry needs Aria to help unravel the mystery of his beloved nephew’s abduction by the Dwellers. Together they embark on a journey challenged as much by their prejudices as by encounters with cannibals and wolves. But to their surprise, Aria and Perry forge an unlikely love - one that will forever change the fate of all who live UNDER THE NEVER SKY.

Dreaming Awake (Falling Under, #2) by Gwen Hayes

She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.

Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own.

And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start…

Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1) by Amanda Hocking

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

Touch of Power (Healer, #1) by Maria V. Snyder

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan absorbs their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Fifteen Realms, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader, an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own, is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince—leader of a campaign against her people. As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for. Because the price of peace may well be her life...

Touch of Power (Healer, #1) by Maria V. Snyder

2012-01-13T10:00:00.007-05:00

Laying hands upon the injured and dying, Avry of Kazan assumes their wounds and diseases into herself. But rather than being honored for her skills, she is hunted. Healers like Avry are accused of spreading the plague that has decimated the Territories, leaving the survivors in a state of chaos.

Maria V. Snyder has done it again! To be honest, I'm no longer surprised to find that each of her new books is better than the last. Every time I pick one of her novels up I get this thrill of excitement because I know it's a winner even before I've cracked the cover. Her Poison Study series captured my attention as well as my heart as a reader, and ever since she just keeps on putting her touch of pure magic into her writing. Where do authors come up with these story lines? Magic and healing may have been done before, but no one comes close to touching on Snyder's Healer series. Anyone who tries...well good luck with that, but don't be shocked when you come up short. There's no matching her ability to draw readers in and capture them to the point where they'll start to believe that her worlds actually exist.

I couldn't have been happier to meet Avry and discover yet another literary heroine to add to my list of favorites. She's hard to resist and after a while you won't even know why you tried. Her band of rescuers (so to speak) are just as impossible not to love. But I will say this. After knowing how many ups and downs Snyder can put her readers through by making her characters go through all their paces and insurmountable obstacles, this series by far put me through the ringer. I laughed (a lot) and cried (even more) but really I just couldn't believe how attached I got to these characters. And after only a few pages...I was relating and empathizing with their tales as if they truly were real and my very own friends and family. Ridiculous some may say, but those individuals have never experienced Snyder's magic. And that's the real shame.

Readers who know and love Snyder, won't find this review hard to believe or far fetched in any way, but what they might find shocking is that Snyder managed to having me falling for a character even more than the immortal Valek. I myself did not think that would ever be possible, but she's done it! I won't go into anymore detail because everyone should really experience this one for themselves, without knowing too much going into it. But trust that you won't be disappointed. Now can we please get book two, Scent of Magic, like immediately!

I gave Touch of Power (Healer, #1) 5 shamrocks!!!!!

Healed by Fire (Artemis Lupine, #3) by Catherine Banks

2012-01-12T10:00:00.004-05:00

“The dark approaches. Fire will consume and restore, happiness and pain must be experienced collectively. Death for three will be the end.”

Her memory taken and her whereabouts unknown Artemis is taken in by a coven of witches who give her the name Chandra. After an intense interaction with the Beta of the Werewolves, whom she can’t deny a connection to, Chandra learns that there are people who know her true identity and that she’s not the only halfbreed werewolf alive. Is he really her mate? Just who was she in this previous life? Does she even want to find out the truth? And can she decipher the meaning of her death prophecy before it’s too late?

How can you not love Catherine Banks' Artemis Lupine series? The answer is you can't! It's fascinating and too hard to put down. When I picked up this book I knew full well that I had better put everything else on the back burner until this book had been read in it's entirety because that's how much Banks' writing will consume you. I read all three of these books in her series back to back and despite loving them each so much I was worried I would grow tired of the characters and plot lines by the third book since I was reading them all so close together, but that wasn't the case. I needed more information, craved knowing what was going to happen next with my favorite characters, and after the crazy, unexpected cliffhanger that Banks leaves her readers with in Kiss of a Star, there was no way I would have been able to handle not finding out Artemis' fate along with the rest of her friends and family.

Banks did not disappoint. While I was left devastated in book two with Artemis' turn of fate, Banks kept me on the edge of my seat until about half way through this installment. From there it turned into a manageable tension level. While still bitting my nails and ratcheting up my heart rate, I was able to function without snapping at everyone who dared to interupt my reading. And once again her ending left me reeling. I have no idea how she does it, and honestly it doesn't matter. Her unique writing, the way she wraps her readers up in all the intense situations and outcomes is mind blowing and at the end of the day I don't need to know how she makes that happen. I just need to know that she won't stop any time soon. Her fourth installment in the Artemis Lupine series, Taming Darkness is scheduled to come out in 2013 and to be honest that's just far to long of a wait. I'm not sure how I'll contain my curiosity and craziness but I'm going to do my best!

Go out and check this series out for yourselves and do it quickly!

I gave Healed by Fire (Artemis Lupine, #3) 4 shamrocks!!!!

Kiss of a Star (Artemis Lupine, #2) by Catherine Banks

2012-01-11T10:00:00.008-05:00

Artemis’ life completely changed when she met Ares and learned of her true genetics. Achilles comes to her and her life is changed yet again as she learns more about herself and Ares’ past. Now nothing is simple and life is anything but calm. As she adjusts to her new life she learns that shedding a little blood is more than necessary and that she must do whatever she can to stay with her pack and her mate. Can she figure out a way to protect her pack and stand against the man hunting her? Or will treachery and deceit separate her from the first family she’s ever had?

OK so we've covered the fact that these covers are not my favorite. I'm starting to think it's the cartoon like qualities that turn me off, but that's just a guess. Either way, if there was ever a situation where you should NOT judge a book by it's cover, this series would be one of those times. Banks' books might not have covers to covet but the writing she puts behind those covers more than makes up for it. After the cliffhanger Banks left her readers with in Song of the Moon, I could not get this second installment open fast enough.

After meeting Achilles for all of five seconds in book one, though it might seem ridiculous, I instantly disliked him. I can't help it but I'd already decided that if a love triangle was created, that I was firmly on Team Ares. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Achilles was not getting my vote. Artemis and Ares went through so much in Song of the Moon, that I began to wonder how this second installment would live up to all that excitement. But live up to and surpass it, it surely did. While the love triangle added an interesting twist of events, it was everything else that was happening in Artemis' new world that really took center stage. While the werewolves and their pack laws were gripping in book one, adding the sidhe characters and world only upped the ante left readers dying to know what Banks would come up with next. Most of you know Greek mythology has always had a special place in my heart, and Banks managed to hit this one on the head.

Like I said before, Banks draws her readers in and without even realizing how she's done it not to mention how quickly she manages it, but you become addicted. To the series, her characters and where she's going to take them and what all she's got planned to put them through. Kidnappings, fights and battles, bondings, murder attempts, pack hierarchies, royalty struggles...you name it and Banks is putting it on the table. Her characters do not rest and yet she never left me feeling overwhelmed with all that was going on, or even rolling my eyes and saying that enough is enough. Artemis and the rest of the gang are pushed to their limits, but it's always bordering the line of just enough, yet never crossing over. I simply can't get enough of Banks' writing and her series has me craving more!

I gave Kiss of a Star (Artemis Lupine, #2) 4 shamrocks!!!!

Review: Song of the Moon (Artemis Lupine, #1) by Catherine Banks

2012-01-10T10:00:00.009-05:00

What if you found out that there was another world inside your own? What if all of the things you thought made you weird, actually made you powerful?

Artemis's life is changed forever when the mysterious man from her dreams, Ares, comes to claim her as his mate. The seventeen year old girl must find a way to adapt to her true life and accept her fate or run from it. She must overcome her fears and human ideals to give her self to the dangerous world, and man, that is her destiny.

Can I please just tell you that I still cannot believe how quickly Banks had me hooked to her Artemis Lupine series. I'm honestly still in shock! I took one look at this cover (I'm ashamed to say) and almost put the book right back down. I can't quite put my finger on what it is that bothered me so much but I immediately felt like relating to these characters, let alone coming to enjoy myself in Banks' world would be nearly impossible. I can't stress enough how wrong I was. Banks had me hooked I think after the second or third chapter, and at that point I was doing everything I could to fly through the pages as quickly as possible.

Don't even get me started on how excited I was to find that the second and third installments in the series were already out and available for me right away, or how depressed I was to find out that the fourth book had not yet been released. Finding that out was a bad day to say the least. Artemis, Ares, Koda, and the rest of the gang had me invested from the first moment they entered the pages, and I'm still wishing I could find out more about them. Artemis was hard not to feel for and so I became a cheerleader for whatever decisions she made...with the exception of the moments she was doing her best to resist Ares. I can't be alone when I say that he was beyond adorable and everything a girl would want if they were Artemis, right? Banks had me sympathetic to Artemis' situation with the people she grew up with and the less than welcoming vibe they always put out when she was around. Brent was the exception, but that's a whole different story, and one that frankly I'm still trying to figure out.

So after Artemis won my heart as far as heroine's go, Ares and his pack were next in line. They had me drooling, laughing, tearing up and rooting for them all each and every step of the way. If you haven't had the chance to come across this series, do yourself a favor and pick up all three installments immediately....you won't regret buying them, but you might regret not buying them all in advance when you finish book one and wish book two was right there to crack open.

I gave Song of the Moon (Artemis Lupine, #1) 5 shamrocks!!!!!

Reivew: Solid (Solid, #1) by Shelley Workinger

2012-01-06T10:00:00.010-05:00

Teens who discover they were secretly genetically altered before birth are brought together at a classified site where they forge new friendships, find love, develop "super-abilities," and even unearth a conspiracy.

Fantastic premise, lovable characters, and writing that will grab hold of you and refuse to let go until the very last page. And to be honest, even after I finished the very last sentence I was wishing it wasn't over. I only wanted more, to know what would happen next and to see where things would go from there. That to me is the definition of a great read. If you can close the book with the feeling of excitement and anxiety over not knowing what will happen next for the characters you've fallen in love with, than you've got yourself a winner.

Workinger surprised me to say the least. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book with such a short synopsis and no previous experience with the author to date, but all it took was the first chapter to have me hooked on her writing. Her characters had just enough depth and background to get your interested but without overwhelming you right out of the gate, and they came with an instant likability factor. You couldn't help but become invested in their future and current plight. Their situation was unique and yet not so unbelievable that I was rolling my eyes from the get go.

Clio and her friends have a lot of work ahead of them in order to find out what's really going on and how they can handle their current situation and future problems, but they're not alone. After they band together with a common goal in mind, the fun really starts. There was tension, romance, mystery and excitement. This really became one of those sleeper novels that through me for a loop. I didn't really come into this read with any expectations but ended up calling it one of my favorites. Workinger has made herself an instant fan, and I honestly don't think I'm the only one. So if you're on the lookout for a new read and haven't checked this one out yet, do yourself a favor and pick up today. It will leave you wanting more, but you're in luck, the second in her Solid series, Settling, is already on the shelves and waiting for you to continue the journey. I can't wait to see what's in store for my favorites characters next!

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

Review: Awake At Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2) by C.C. Hunter

2011-12-01T10:00:00.012-05:00

Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold.

To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away. When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point. Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...

Hunter you are killing me! Just like with the series opener, this second installment kept me on my toes and loving every minute of this series. Kylie and her friends experience a little more problematic issues this time around, and while Kylie is still trying to narrow down what exactly she "is" there's also more that's been put on her plate. For starters, Lucas is back and Derek is being kind of a jerk if you ask me. I'm still rooting for him but I just wish Kylie would be a little more assertive/aggressive when it concerns him and that he would get his head on straight and realize that they have a good thing going now, don't let Lucas get in the way of that. But for all of you team Lucas fans, well I'm sorry. I still really like him and can totally see the two of them together, but today I'm leaning a little more on the Team Derek side. It could totally change with the next book of course.

So Fredericka is back and causing all sorts of havoc, Daniel's big reveal was huge in book one, and unfortunately he isn't around as much this time, which I was sad about, but she's got some investigating to do where he's concerned so I'm hoping he's not gone for good. I enjoyed the further detail into Kylie and her parents' relationships, although when you guys get into this one and you see what happens at one of the parents visitation days, if you react like I did, you won't know whether to laugh out loud, or cringe for Kylie...I did a bit of both admittedly.

But like I said, this book veered away from introductions and focused more on the new dangers and stressful situations Kylie and her fellow campers have gotten themselves involved with. Burnett and Holiday were part of some of my favorites scenes and I'm really hoping the two of them can work something out, or that we'll at least get to see more of them in the future. They're adorable and Burnett really grew on me, I was surprised to realize.

So my main point is that I'm still thinking this series is super cute, super fun and I'm super excited to get the chance to read more about Kylie and her friends in the third installment, Taken At Dusk, which hits the shelves April, 04, 2012. I can't wait!

I gave Awake At Dawn 4 shamrocks!!!!

Review: Born At Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter

2011-11-30T10:00:00.006-05:00

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

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

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

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

I've really become a fan of this series. The opener was fun, creative and just a really easy, enjoyable read. There was suspense, plenty of questions constantly buzzing around as the readers watches our main character Kylie go through this transition period in her life. What she thought she was turned out to be a fantasy and what she really is a very large mystery. The camp had plenty of mystique and mystery surrounding the grounds and fellow campers, and it was tempting to flip to the end to see how it all turned out.

Hunter has created and introduced her readers to a wonderful and very eclectic group of characters and I'm looking forward to getting to know them much better in her future installments. But let's face it...the love/crush triangle she concocted was what had me reeling. Kylie is immediately thrown in between two very different but equally tempting guys that she's met at camp. While she originally met one of the boys (Lucas) when she was younger, it's not until she gets to know him all over again that she really understands who he is and what was really going on when they were younger as far as their deeper connection goes. And Derek, my gosh what a sweetheart! He's your average all American guy, super sweet and nice, and right away he places himself as Kylie's protector and all around good influence. But the bad boys are hard to resist and Lucas fills out those shoes quite nicely.

I've of course got my favorite but it's changed a little here and there I'll admit. While I might favor one over the other for Kylie's perfect match, I must say that Hunter has done an excellent job at making that conclusion as hard as possible. Hunter claims on her website that she loves both guys equally and since they both care for Kylie a great deal, she says she's not sure who she'll end up with in the conclusion of the series. I've got my fingers crossed, but who knows what my opinions will be once I get into the other installments. I've already got my copy of the second installment, Awake At Dawn, and I can't wait to see what happens next for Kylie and her friends.

I gave Born At Midnight 4 shamrocks!!!!

Countdown: 2012 Releases (9)

2011-11-29T10:00:00.013-05:00

You guys know the drill by now...I'm always on the lookout for new finds and exciting new reads and below are just a few that I've come across lately. With how busy everyone gets if I don't write the titles down immediately I'll never be able to remember them later when I'm ready to download a new book to my kindle, or in the store wondering which shelf to look through first. So by posting these countdowns I give myself one more place to look when I need to be reminded of the titles I'm looking forward to.

And as always if you guys hear of any that you haven't seen me post let me know. Like I said, I only have so much time to search for future reads on my own, and to be honest, the majority of my favorite titles I owe to friends/bloggers/author recommendations. So leave a comment, shoot me an email, etc... if there are any books or authors you think I should have on my radar.

Countdown Pick #1: Immortal City by Scott Speer (04/03/2012)

L.A. Candy meets the mystery and romance of Fallen in this sensational debut

Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He’s days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone’s obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect—everyone except for Madison Montgomery.

Maddy’s the one girl in Angel City who doesn’t breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn’t recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love.

Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson’s scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi—and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels’ wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat ... and this time it’s up to Maddy to save Jackson.

This one sounds like so much fun! I was drawn to it by the cover admittedly and anything with Angels is usually a pretty big temptation that is almost impossible to resist but check it out...Angels are among us and apparently more famous than celebrities. Not sure how Speer will paint this completely crazy and yet alluring picture, but I'm anxious to see what he's got in mind. The idea that Angels are followed around like movie stars and people compete and go to crazy lengths to get the more popular Angel to watch over them sounds ridiculous but also wildly creative and sure to be an enjoyable ride. So hopefully Maddy can pull this one off and manage to save Jackson because this one sounds like too much fun to miss out on.

Countdown Pick #2: Keep Holding on by Susane Colasanti (06/14/2012)

Chew.
Swallow.
Chew.
Swallow.
Don't look up.

Lunch is the worst, but there's no safe place at school for Noelle. Keeping her mortifying home life a secret and trying to ignore the kids who make her life miserable are Noelle's survival strategies. Her emotionally distant boyfriend, Matt, isn't the one she really wants to be with. But there's no way she could ever be with Julian Porter.

When Julian starts talking to her, Noelle is terrified. It seems safer to stay with Matt than risk a broken heart. But when the bullying of a friend goes too far, Noelle realizes it's time to stand up for herself - and for everything that makes her keep holding on.

This one sounds like a tough but very moving read if you ask me. Everyone has either been picked on themselves growing up or seen it happen. It's awful and unfortunately something that will likely never go away. So while this might not be a very upbeat sort of story, hopefully it will be a moving one with a message to take away after the final pages are read. Although we're not read into what kind of family situation Noelle is dealing with, it obviously doesn't sound good and the idea that she has that to deal with on top of everything else is a tough pill to swallow. I can only hope that she gets a happy ending well deserved.

Countdown Pick #3: Once (Eve, #2) by Anna Carey (07/03/2012)

Sixteen years have passed since a deadly virus wiped out most of the Earth’s population. After learning of the terrifying part she and her classmates were fated to play in the rebuilding of New America, eighteen-year-old Eve fled to the wilds and Califia, a haven for women determined to live outside the oppressive rule of the king of New America. However, her freedom came at a price: she was forced to leave Caleb, the boy she loves, wounded and alone at the city gates. Eve quickly learns that Califia may not be as safe as it seems and soon finds herself in the City of Sand and the palace of the king. There she uncovers the real reason he was so intent on her capture, and the unbelievable role he intends her to fill. When she is finally reunited with Caleb, they will enact a plan as daring as it is dangerous. But will Eve once again risk everything—her freedom, her life—for love?

Brimming with danger and star-crossed romance, and featuring a vivid dystopian landscape, this electrifying follow-up to Eve, which bestselling author Lauren Kate called “a gripping, unforgettable adventure—and a fresh look at what it means to love” is sure to appeal to fans who crave the high-stakes adventure of The Hunger Games and the irresistible love story of Romeo and Juliet.

I can't even describe how much I wish I had this upcoming release in my hands this very second! When I finished Eve, I couldn't believe the way Carey decided to end it and I was crushed! It literally pained me that I wouldn't know what happened next until the second installment came out and I wasn't sure when that was going to be. But even now, July is so far away and all I want is to know what's going to happen with Eve and Caleb and if they'll be able to be together, and find their much deserved happily ever after. And I must say this synopsis has shocked me, I can't believe after all that work Eve is going to end up in the City of Sand after all! How that's going to work out I have no clue but it is sure to be a crazy adventure in the making and once again I can already see myself on the edge of my seat dying to know what happens next!

Countdown Pick #4: The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols ( 12/06/2011)

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

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

OK OK, I know this isn't a 2012 release but I love Echols' writing so much that I couldn't resist, and it's not out until December so technically it's countdown worthy, but not a 2012 release. So please excuse the sneak in on my part, but who isn't excited about this one huh? Another Echols release and of course romance is involved. This one sounds a bit tricky but Echols has a way of writing so that her readers are with her every step of the way and so invested in her characters that if things don't work out well we're all devastated. So fingers crossed Gemma gets her act together and figures this whole sticky situation out so everyone gets their wish. Obviously that's a lot easier said than done but I'm hoping Echols works her magic and makes it happen for us.

Countdown Pick #5: Wake (Watersong, #1) by Amanda Hocking (08/21/2012)

Lose yourself in the magic of Watersong, an unforgettable new series about two sisters who nearly lose their lives - and their loves - when they fall under the spell of three beautiful but deadly sirens.

First in a four-book paranormal romance YA series from bestselling author, Amanda Hocking.

I can only say that 2012 is really starting to look up for me in the reading department. I can't believe how many releases are coming out from my favorite authors. Of course I'm excited to read some debuts and books by authors that are previously unknown to me, but there's something special about future releases coming out by an author you already know you love and can't get enough of. So when I saw that Amanda Hocking is not only coming out with one new series in the new year, but TWO, I was beyond ecstatic! I can't believe my luck. Once again I can only hope that her new releases and series' will be just as good and loved as much as her My Blood Approves series, but I can't see it turning out any other way. So jump on the bandwagon with me and get excited because Hocking is sure going to deliver in 2012.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (8)

2011-11-28T10:00:00.016-05:00

Perhaps it's his Shakespearean witticisms that reel Blythe in despite her better judgment . . . or maybe she just craves the thrill of the game. But as the hunt progresses, their relationship heats up. Soon their madcap mischief spirals out of control. Blythe is faced with arrest and expulsion, among other catastrophes - until Luke shows her what the Scramble (and love) is really about.

Walker won me over big time with A Match Made In High School, so the second I saw this brightly colored cover, I had a feeling she was coming out with a new release. A Match had me laughing out loud without being able to stop, and I'm anxious to see if she can keep the comedy up this time around. Her stories are light reads and perfect when you've hit that reading slump and nothing sounds really great to you. So instead of taking a break from reading (that would be crazy!) pick up a Walker novel and see if she's able to help you bounce back. She hit my funny bone without a doubt and I'm hoping for a repeat performance.

Countdown Pick #4: New Girl by Paige Harbison (01/31/2012)

They call me 'New Girl'...

Ever since I arrived at exclusive, prestigious Manderly Academy, that’s who I am. New girl. Unknown. But not unnoticed—because of her.

Becca Normandy—that’s the name on everyone’s lips. The girl whose picture I see everywhere. The girl
I can’t compare to. I mean, her going missing is the only reason a spot opened up for me at the academy.
And everyone stares at me like it’s my fault.

Except for Max Holloway—the boy whose name shouldn’t be spoken. At least, not by me. Everyone thinks of him as Becca’s boyfriend…but she’s gone, and here I am, replacing her. I wish it were that easy. Sometimes, when I think of Max, I can imagine how Becca’s life was so much better than mine could ever be.

And maybe she’s still out there, waiting to take it back.

Sounds pretty harsh to me, right? How is it that kids/teens can be so cruel? It's one thing when you're adult and you can almost rationalize certain people's behavior because of the stresses of life, love, etc...it doesn't make it right, but it certainly is more expected than when a younger person is downright cruel. So for new girl (and I'm just realizing they haven't even told us her real name) is seems like she's got a really rough road ahead of her at this new school of hers. I was very lucky growing up that my parents stopped the moving once I got into school so I never had to be the "new kid" at school, but I'm not sure I would have liked it very much, but I guess, who does really? Hopefully we'll learn the name of our main character and she if we'll find out what happened to Becca and what's in store of the rest of the students?

Countdown Pick #5: Transcendence by C.J. Omololu (06/05/2012)

Love isn’t the only emotion to survive death . . .

When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.

As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?

I'll admit I have a small fascination regarding past lives. I think the idea is kind of romantic. Not in the sense that I only find myself intrigued if there is a romance going on between people who have experienced reincarnation but I think the whole thing is romantic in the sense that we can right the wrongs we've done in past lives, make better or different choices the second or third time around, and I love the idea that you would be able to meet new people and experience new places in a new life, but at the same time still remember your old friends and family and places of interest. So when I came across this future read I couldn't resist putting it on my wish list. Without too many details about Cole and Griffon I don't have much to go on but it sounds great so far.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (7)

2011-11-25T10:00:00.025-05:00

I hope you guys all enjoyed your Thanksgiving feasts...I know I did and my slightly tight fitting jeans are proof positive that my family's cooking was just as wonderful this year as it's always been. I'm not sure if I'll be able to even think about eating left overs today, I'm still full from yesterday's multiple courses. So I'm hoping you guys haven't gotten completely sick to death of my countdown posts lately, because I just can't seem to stop. There are just way too many good books coming out in the New Year and I don't want to leave even one of them that are on my TBR list off of my posts. Crazy yes, and if you're getting tired of them I'm sorry, but hopefully these lists will end soon, because if not I've got no chance of ever finishing this many books and I don't know where I'd even begin to pick and choose which to read and which to hold off on. So here are a few more new reads that will be hitting the shelves next year that I think you need to be adding to your wish lists if you haven't already.

Countdown Pick #1: Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) by R.L. LaFevers (03/07/2012)

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae's most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I love the sound of this one. Not only with there be some major girl power but there will also be romance and intrigue. Court life is always a fun backdrop in any book, just like boarding school scenes or campfires, ya know? So for this one to see the training of an assassin and what it all entails has my curiosity piqued but I can already see myself getting attached to her would-be target. I'm always a sucker for unrequited love stories and theirs will surely be the ultimate test for our main character. Who doesn't want to pick up this read come March? I mean come on, assassinations, romance, sneaking around and deciphering lies and manipulations? Yep, I'm definitely on board and I don't think I'll be the only one with this title under my arm as I make my way to the registers.

Countdown Pick #2: When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen (02/28/2012)

After seventeen-year-old Felicita’s dearest friend Ilven kills herself to escape an arranged marriage, Felicita chooses freedom over privilege. She fakes her own death and leaves her sheltered life as one of Pelimburg’s magical elite behind. Living in the slums, scrubbing dishes for a living, she falls for charismatic Dash while also becoming fascinated with vampire Jannik. Then something shocking washes up on the beach: Ilven's death has called out of the sea a dangerous wild magic. Felicita must decide whether her loyalties lie with the family she abandoned . . . or with those who would twist this dark power to destroy Pelimburg's caste system, and the whole city along with it.

So while there is a description for this book and it's not just a one line teaser, I'll admit I'm still a little lost. Obviously we're in a fictional place and one where I'm assuming there are still arranged marriages common enough for our main character to begin to panic. But I wish there was a little bit more of a background snippet for what kind of world these characters live in, does that make sense? Am I alone in this? Well either way and despite the lack of a background on this synopsis, I'm still excited. The cover alone looks pretty ominous and the idea of a love triangle has me intrigued. Which guy will we be rooting for Felicita to choose? What other choices will she have to make, all in good time.

Countdown Pick #3: Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis (04/17/2012)

What if you forgot your identity and had to rely on other people to tell you who you were?

And what if to discover your true self, you first had to unravel a mystery so big and terrifying you were not sure you’d survive solving it?

When Marshall and Elyse wake up in each other’s arms with zero memory of how they got there or who they are, it’s the start of a long journey through their separate pasts and shared future.

Terrified by their amnesia, the two make a pact to work together to find the answers that could jog their missing memories. As they piece together clues, they discover they’re in the idyllic mountain resort town of Summer Falls, where everyone seems mysteriously happy, but as Marshall and Elyse quickly learn, darkness lurks beneath the town’s perfect facade. Not only is the town haunted by sinister ghosts, but none of its living inhabitants retain bad memories of anything—not the death of Marshall’s mom, not the hidden shame in Elyse’s family, not even the day-to-day anguish of high school.

Lonely in this world of happy zombies, Marsh and Elyse fall into an intense relationship...but the secrets they uncover could be the death of this growing love—and the death of everyone, and everything, they love in Summer Falls.

Can you imagine what it would be like to wake up with no memory of who you are or anything else for that matter? I'm not sure I'm strong enough to deal with something like that and to be honest I hope I never find out if I'm right or wrong. It sounds just awful and Marsh and Eylse, despite having each other to lean on sound like they're in a very bad spot. Zombie like townspeople? No thank you. I'm all for forgetting all the bad that's happened in our lives but at what cost, right? Too much pressure if you ask me is on their shoulders and I'm hoping that they make it through and with a happy ending for them both please. What could they possibly find out though after digging around that could mean the death of everyone around them? Scary stuff right? I'm not familiar with Kitanidis' work but I'm looking forward to checking it out for myself and seeing if she can live up to this fabulous sneak peek.

Countdown Pick #4: Arcadia Awakens (Arkadien, #1) by Kai Meyer (02/14/2012)

To Rosa Alcantara, the exotic world of Sicily, with its network of Mafia families and its reputation for murder and intrigue, is just that—exotic and wholly unknown. But when her life in Brooklyn begins to fall apart, she must travel there, to her family’s ancestral home, where centuries of family secrets await her. Once there, Rosa falls head over heels for Alessandro Carnevare, the son of a Sicilian Mafia family, whose handsome looks and savage grace both fascinate and unsettle her. But their families are sworn enemies, and her aunt and sister believe Alessandro is only using Rosa to infiltrate the Alcantara clan. And when Rosa encounters a tiger one night—a tiger with very familiar eyes—she can no longer deny that neither the Carnevares nor the Alcantaras are what they seem. Hidden caves, dangerous beasts roaming the hills, and a history of familial bloodlust mean that Rosa can’t trust anyone. Torn between loyalty to her family and love for their mortal enemy, Rosa must make the hardest decision of her life: stay in Sicily with her new love…or run as far and as fast as she can.

Hello modern day twisted Romeo and Juliet! It sounds like we might have a shape shifting, mafia, star crossed lovers scenario in the works readers. How exciting! These two characters come from complicated families with even more complicated mysteries and pasts. It seems like Rosa is going to have to adapt and think fast because otherwise I'm sure she won't last very long under these circumstances. And the cover has me even more confused and yet excited as well. If her guy could possibly be the tiger (or at least that's the way I was thinking) does the cover indicate she might a snake charmer or the snake itself? Questions, questions and no answers until February. What do you guys think about this one? I know I'm excited but did you guys pick up anything from the snippet that you think gave away some more clues? I might have missed them so feel free to share! There's a contest to win yourself a free copy of this one over at Goodreads, so be sure to enter for your chance if you haven't already!

Countdown Pick #5: Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg (04/01/2012)

From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

Anything by Eulberg is pure gold in my book. The Lonely Hearts Club won my heart and Prom and Prejudice is still my favorite retelling of my all time favorite classic. So when I came across her next release I just about jumped up and down in my seat. I could barely contain my enthusiasm and only wish I didn't have to wait until April to add this baby to my own personal bookshelf. Her writing is realistic and refreshing and always fast paced but un-rushed. Her humor hits my funny bone every time and I always find myself laughing, sometimes crying and always always always invested in the characters she has created. I love the idea of this one and anyone who's been a fan of Fame or Raise Your Voice I think would agree that there's something about these types of stories that pump you up and refuse to let you go until the very end. Eulberg's been a favorite of mine since I found her writing and after meeting her at a book fair my opinion of her only went higher. I'm so happy for her and her accomplishments and thankful that she's produced another read for everyone to enjoy!

Countdown: 2012 Releases (6)

2011-11-24T10:00:00.020-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!! I hope you're all enjoying your day off (I know I'm anxious for a break from the daily grind of work) and spending it exactly the way you wanted. I'm hoping for a chance to catch up with my family and friends and eat all the delicious food my family has in store for our spread. After dinner while I want to make sure to catch the football games, I'm also hoping to squeeze in some time to curl up with a good book or two and catch up on some much needed quite time. So while I'm making my way through the usual festivities, here's another round of 2012 countdowns....

You guys know the drill by now...I'm always on the lookout for new finds and exciting new reads and below are just a few that I've come across lately. With how busy everyone gets if I don't write the titles down immediately I'll never be able to remember them later when I'm ready to download a new book to my kindle, or in the store wondering which shelf to look through first. So by posting these countdowns I give myself one more place to look when I need to be reminded of the titles I'm looking forward to.

And as always if you guys hear of any that you haven't seen me post let me know. Like I said, I only have so much time to search for future reads on my own, and to be honest, the majority of my favorite titles I owe to friends/bloggers/author recommendations. So leave a comment, shoot me an email, etc... if there are any books or authors you think I should have on my radar.

Countdown Pick #1: Stolen Away by Alexandra Harvey (01/17/2012)

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devin, she must forge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric—who may or may not betray them.

Harvey certainly knows how to make light of the paranormal genre and keep me entertained throughout her pages so when I saw this new release I had to add it to the list. And who doesn't think this sounds like a good time? I mean come on, there's fairies and battles, love and mystery...it has the full package wouldn't you agree? So while this title might not skyrocket to the top of my TBR list, it's definitely going to be kept in mind for when I need a light read and a good laugh...when I'm avoiding seriously stressful and anxiety ridden titles.

Countdown Pick #2: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard (07/24/2012)

There’s something strange and deadly loose in Philadelphia…

Eleanor Fitt has a lot to worry about. Her brother has gone missing, her family has fallen on hard times, and her mother is determined to marry her off to any rich young man who walks by. But this is nothing compared to what she’s just read in the newspaper—

The Dead are rising in Philadelphia.

And then, in a frightening attack, a zombie delivers a letter to Eleanor…from her brother.

Whoever is controlling the Dead army has taken her brother as well. If Eleanor is going to find him, she’ll have to venture into the lab of the notorious Spirit-Hunters, who protect the city from supernatural forces. But as Eleanor spends more time with the Spirit-Hunters, including their maddeningly stubborn yet handsome inventor, Daniel, the situation becomes dire. And now, not only is her reputation on the line, but her very life may hang in the balance.

I've said it before and I'll say it again....I'm not and never have been a fan of anything zombie related. But with that being said I'm going to give it a shot. This cover was hard to resist. So once I took a look at it I wanted to know more about the story behind this striking girl. When I read the word zombie I almost clicked away from the browser I was on but didn't. I continued to read on and I'll admit that I was a little curious and now I'm willing to try it out. So I'm hoping that maybe Dennard can change my mind when it comes to these freaky creatures and make me a fan. Or at the very least maybe not as anti-zombie as I am currently. So let's hope that romance blossoms or something at least intrigues me in Eleanor's plight to rescue her brother and save the world from the zombies, otherwise I might not be willing to take another chance on zombies in the future.

Countdown Pick #3: Dark Companion by Marta Acosta (June 2012)

When foster teen Jane Williams is invited to attend elite Birch Grove Academy for Girls and escape her violent urban neighborhood, she thinks the offer is too good to be true. She's even offered her own living quarters, the groundskeeper's cottage in the center of the birch grove.

Something's not quite right about the school -- or is it Jane? She thinks she sees things in the birch grove at night. She's also beginning to suspect that the elegant headmistress and her sons are hiding secrets. Lucky is the gorgeous, golden son who is especially attentive to Jane, and Jack is the sardonic puzzling brother.

The school with its talented teachers and bright students is a dream for a science and math geek like Jane. She also loves her new friends, including hilarious poetry-spouting rich girl, Mary Violet. But the longer Jane stays at Birch Grove, the more questions she has about the disappearance of another scholarship girl and a missing faculty member.

Jane discovers one secret about Birch Grove, which only leads to more mysteries. What is she willing to sacrifice in order to stay at this school...and be bound to Birch Grove forever?

I know I'm not alone when I say that any story revolving around a boarding school backdrop just adds a little more temptation to get your hands on it don't you think? With Jane going to a boarding school and thinking it's too good to be true, it probably is and she's probably in for a world of crazy and dangerous adventures. But the mention of these brothers who of course have to be incredibly good looking and are probably either dark and mysterious and come with a pull that Jane can't resist or they're going to be blond haired and blue eyed and overflowing in the charm department. Either way....danger Will Robinson....danger! Jane's in for what sounds like a wild ride and I can't wait to dig into these mysterious school grounds and secrets aplenty right alongside.

Countdown Pick #4: The Vanishing Game by Kate Kae Myers (02/14/2012)

Jocelyn's twin brother Jack was the only family she had growing up in a world of foster homes-and now he's dead, and she has nothing. Then she gets a cryptic letter from "Jason December"-the code name her brother used to use when they were children at Seale House, a terrifying foster home that they believed had dark powers. Only one other person knows about Jason December: Noah, Jocelyn's childhood crush and their only real friend among the troubled children at Seale House.

But when Jocelyn returns to Seale House and the city where she last saw Noah, she gets more than she bargained for. Turns out the house's powers weren't just a figment of a childish imagination. And someone is following Jocelyn. Is Jack still alive? And if he is, what kind of trouble is he in? The answer is revealed in a shocking twist that turns this story on its head and will send readers straight back to page 1 to read the book in a whole new light.

So this one kind of makes me feel like a kid again. The picture of the house itself on the cover has given me goosebumps and whoever that figure is in the window...creepy! So there's kind of a Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys feel with this one and I'm eager to see if there's a track of breadcrumbs or clues for the readers to follow along with the main character during this read. I'm intrigued by the idea that the house and all that goes on there gave the children the idea that they were being overly imaginative when it came to what was going on only to find out that it might not have been just their imagination but actual goings on taking place. This doesn't feel like a typical Valentine's day book release but maybe getting away from the romantic stuff this year around this time will be a refreshing change of pace and hopefully a highly intensive mystery to solve on top of that....we shall see.

Countdown Pick #5: Pretty Crooked by Elisa Ludwig (03/13/2012)

Willa’s secret plan seems all too simple: take from the rich kids at Valley Prep and give to the poor ones. Yet Willa’s turn as Robin Hood at her ultra-exclusive high school is anything but. Bilking her “friends”—known to everyone as the Glitterati—without them suspecting a thing is far from easy. Learning how to pick pockets and break into lockers is as difficult as she’d thought it’d be. Delivering care packages to the scholarship girls, who are ostracized just for being from the “wrong” side of town, is way more fun than she’d expected.

The complication Willa didn’t expect, though, is Aidan Murphy, Valley Prep’s most notorious (and gorgeous) ace-degenerate. His mere existence is distracting Willa from what matters most to her: evening the social playing field between the haves and have-nots. There’s no time for crushes and flirting with boys, especially conceited and obnoxious trust-funders like Aidan.

But when the cops start investigating the string of thefts at Valley Prep and the Glitterati begin to seek revenge, could Aidan wind up being the person that Willa trusts most?

I'll admit that this one sounded a little hocky to me at first glance but once I got to the part where they introduced Aidan into the mix and I was slightly intrigued. I've always been a fan of Robin Hood and if a girl wants to take a crack at the job and see what she can do for the more unfortunate students at her school, well...it could be fun to watch...or read in our case as she makes her attempt. And it is a cute spin on the age old story, robbing the rich and giving to the poor or less rich remains the same but using a high school as the backdrop is pretty neat if you ask me. So whether or not Willa gets busted for her compassionate crimes or not, I'm thinking I almost judged this one too quickly and I'm eager to check it out and prove myself wrong.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (5)

2011-11-23T10:00:00.015-05:00

When the sixteen-year-old runaway Chap is mistaken for a missing boy named Cassiel, his life changes dramatically. Chap takes on Cassiel’s identity, gaining the family and friends he’s always dreamed of having. But becoming someone else isn’t as easy as he hoped—and Chap isn’t the only one hiding a secret. As he teeters on the brink of discovery and begins to unravel the mystery behind Cassiel’s disappearance, Chap realizes that he’s in much deeper danger than he could have imagined.

After all, you can’t just steal a life and expect to get away with it.

Award-winning author Jenny Valentine delivers an explosive mystery where dark secrets, betrayal, and loss pave the way for one teen’s chance at redemption.

How creepy does this scenario sound? I'm practically on the edge of my seat and that's after only reading this tiny little teaser. I'm not sure what kind of trouble this little boy has gotten himself into or what major trouble the real boy Cassiel got into, but either way I'm freaking out over here. It kind of started to remind me of the Angelina Jolie movie, Changeling, and I can only imagine the crazy kind of scenarios that Valentine will come up with in her 2012 release. Luckily it'll be out in February and we don't have to wait too much longer. I'm not usually a mystery addict but every once in a while I get a hankering for a good puzzle and I like seeing if I'll be able to figure it all out before it's actually revealed, or if I'll be completely blindsided and have no idea what the heck is going on. It's usually the latter and I'm hoping eventually I can outsmart the authors...or at least just once!

Countdown Pick #5: Glimpse by Claire Merle (June 2012)

In a near future mental illness has skyrocketed out of control, and society is divided by genetic testing into those who will become ill—the Crazies—and those who won’t—the Pures.

Seventeen-year-old Ana Barber has been mistakenly raised in the community with the Pures. Really she’s a Sleeper which means one day she’ll go psycho, or schizo, or suicidal like her mum. When the authorities discover the truth, there’s only one thing standing between her and banishment to the city and that’s her romance with Jasper Taurell. Jasper, a rich boy from an influential family, wants to be with her despite her genetic defects. If she joins with him before she turns eighteen, she’ll be allowed to stay with the Pures until her illness manifests. But four weeks before their big day, Jasper disappears.

A heart-pounding thriller.

Uh oh. It sounds like someone is out to sabotage Ana's chances at staying with the pures until her illness develops. As most of you know I'm a recent dystopian convert and can't seem to get enough of these kinds of titles lately. This one sounds unique and I'm all for finding out more about this mysterious illness that Merle has us set up for in the future and what society will be like. I've already got a soft spot for Ana and Jasper, especially since he seems like such a sweetheart and that's from like only a few sentences of a description. He's willing to stand up for the girl he loves despite the consequences...and his disappearance is one big consequence, don't you think? It's possibly another dystopian novel to add to my favorites list, and another mystery that hopefully I'll enjoy trying my hand at solving. Anyone else have their interests sparked by this one?

Countdown: 2012 Releases (4)

2011-11-22T10:00:00.015-05:00

After spending six hundred years on earth, Seraphina Ames has seen it all. Eternal life provides her with the world’s riches, but at a very high price: innocent lives. Centuries ago, her boyfriend, Cyrus, discovered a method of alchemy that allows them to swap bodies with other humans, jumping from one vessel to the next, taking the human’s life in the process. No longer able to bear the guilt of what she’s done, Sera escapes from Cyrus and vows to never kill again.

Then sixteen-year-old Kailey Morgan gets into a horrific car accident right in front of her, and Sera accidentally takes over her body. For the first time, Sera finds herself enjoying the life of the person she’s inhabiting—and falls for the human boy who lives next door. But Cyrus will stop at nothing until she’s his again, and every moment she stays, she’s putting herself and the people she’s grown to care for in great danger. Will Sera have to give up the one thing that’s eluded her for centuries: true love?

What a synopsis! Whoever was in charge of that write up gets a gold star. I'm not sure who could resist that compelling teaser, I had no chance. True love, lives lost, infinite possibilities, and an evil and nefarious villain hunting down the main character is sure to keep readers on the edges of their seats and burning the so-called midnight oil in order to see what happens next. Thank goodness we don't have to wait too long, this sounds like a great start to the new year, don't you think?

Countdown Pick #5: The Story of Us by Deb Caletti (04/24/2012)

Cricket’s on a self-imposed break from her longtime boyfriend—but she’s picked a bad week to sort out her love life. For one thing, her mother’s romance is taking center stage: After jilting two previous fiancés, her mom is finally marrying Dan Jax, whom Cricket loves. But as wedding attendees arrive for a week of festivities at a guesthouse whose hippie owners have a sweet, sexy son—Ash—complications arise:

Cricket’s future stepsisters make it clear they’re not happy about the marriage. An old friend decides this is the week to declare his love for Cricket. Grandpa chooses to reveal a big secret at a family gathering. Dan’s ex-wife shows up. And even the dogs—Cricket’s old, ill Jupiter and Dan’s young, lively Cruiser—seem to be declaring war.

While Cricket fears that Dan is in danger of becoming ditched husband-to-be number three, she’s also alarmed by her own desires. Because even though her boyfriend looms large in her mind, Ash is right in front of her....

I haven't had the chance to read any of Caletti's works, but I've heard good things. So along with some great sounding reviews of her previous books, this book's write up had me marking this one down on the countdown and adding it to my very long and ever increasing TBR pile. I'm liking the idea of everyone being at odds. Sounds terrible I know but also strangely entertaining, I mean even the main characters' dogs don't like each other. So while it sounds like this book might have a lot going on and possibly at times too much going on, I want to give it a shot. I'm curious to see what Cricket will do with this new boy Ash being in the picture. I will however have to come to terms with the fact that her name is Cricket...not sure how I feel about that quite yet. We'll see if it grows on me once I crack open the book's cover and get to know her a little better.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (3)

2011-11-21T10:00:00.016-05:00

As she takes us through her transformation from invisible girl to on-trend Girl Who Dates Billy Nash (aka Most Desirable Boy Ever), she is left wondering: Why is Billy suddenly distancing himself from her? What do her classmates know that Gabby herself does not? Who exactly was in the car that night? And why is Gabby left alone to take the fall?

Putting the pieces together will take every ounce of Gabby's strength. As she peels back the layers of her life, she begins to realize that her climb up the status ladder has been as intoxicating as it has been morally complex...and that nothing about her life is what she has imagined it to be.

I'm having some deja vu moments with this one because it sounds similar to Simone Ekeles' Leaving Paradise, but yet different at the same time. Sounds weird and makes no sense, but deja vu normally doesn't right? Regardless, Stampler has me really wanting to solve this puzzle as soon as possible. I want answers and I haven't even cracked the book yet, not a good sign with there still being several months until it's release.

Countdown Pick #3: Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard (01/19/2012)

A dark and provocative novel from the author of The Secret Year

Ryan spends most of his time alone at the local waterfall because it’s the only thing that makes him feel alive. He’s sixteen, post-suicidal, and trying to figure out what to do with himself after a stint in a mental hospital. Then Nicki barges into his world, brimming with life and energy, and asking questions about Ryan’s depression that no one else has ever been brave enough—or cared enough—to ask. Ryan isn’t sure why he trusts Nicki with his darkest secrets, but that trust turns out to be the catalyst that he desperately needs to start living again.

Jennifer R. Hubbard has created a riveting story about a difficult but important subject.

With such a serious and emotional topic being the focus of this novel, I'm not imagining this release to be a fun and easy going read. But it does sound like it's got the potential to be a great story nonetheless. While I'm sure it will be difficult at times to get through, Hubbard is a wonderful writer and surely will work her magic again this time around. I can only imagine how moving a story like this in her words will turn out to be.

Countdown Pick #4: Honalee (Witches of Honalee, #1) by Amanda Hocking (2012)

In the small Midwestern town of Honalee, Hazel Panning and her best friend Molly Novak are determined to get through her sophomore year in one piece, despite the vicious cheerleaders and Hazel's ridiculous crush on Landon Hooper.

Life gets more complicated when Hazel realizes that she has a penchant for sorcery, like her aunt. Her plans to stay under the radar take a detour when she and Molly stand up for themselves, and Hazel gets the courage to act on her feelings for Landon.

Hazel discovers that the sleepy town of Honalee isn't so sleepy, and magic doesn't make high school easier.

As a big fan of Hocking's My Blood Approves series, I'm crossing my fingers this series opener lives up to her hype. I couldn't get into her other series, the Trylle Trilogy, so I'm figuring that I've got a 50/50 shot here of loving this one as well. I'm not sure how she did it, but she has this ability to pull her readers in and have them invested in her characters before they even realize its happened. So here's hoping that witches are just as much second nature for her to write about as vampires were in her previous series.
Countdown Pick #5: Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout (09/18/2012)

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.

Now this sounds like a reason to look a gift horse in the mouth if you ask me. While Ember sounds like she's got a second chance, she certainly has paid the price for just it, as I'm sure most of you would agree. But with this boy's help maybe she has a chance at a remedy of sorts? This seems like one giant mystery and it's one I'm eager to start trying my hand at solving. Who's with me?

Countdown: 2012 Releases (2)

2011-11-18T10:00:00.020-05:00

You guys know the drill by now...I'm always on the lookout for new finds and exciting new reads and below are just a few that I've come across lately. With how busy everyone gets if I don't write the titles down immediately I'll never be able to remember them later when I'm ready to download a new book to my kindle, or in the store wondering which shelf to look through first. So by posting these countdowns I give myself one more place to look when I need to be reminded of the titles I'm looking forward to.

And as always if you guys hear of any that you haven't seen me post let me know. Like I said, I only have so much time to search for future reads on my own, and to be honest, the majority of my favorite titles I owe to friends/bloggers/author recommendations. So leave a comment, shoot me an email, etc... if there are any books or authors you think I should have on my radar.

Countdown Pick #1: Bewitching (Kendra Chronicles) by Alex Flinn (02/14/2012)

It is the story of Kendra and her first 300 or so years of life. In Bewitching, Kendra ponders whether to help out a modern day plain-looking stepsister, while also reflecting on her experiences in the 1666 British plague, the court of Louis XV, and on the Titanic.

I know I was wishing for a little more of Kendra in Beastly and was disappointed when I didn't get my way. But now that Flinn has created a series for her alone I'm on board and no longer pouting. She's a dark and mysterious girl and her past seems riddled with fairy tales she can contribute to. So Flinn has got me counting down to hear more about his spin on what sounds like Cinderella maybe? And that's not even to mention finding out her involvement with the Titanic and all the other momentous and often catastrophic events that she was around and involved in.

Countdown Pick #2: Blue Sky Days by Marie Landry (January 2012)

A year after graduating from high school, nineteen-year-old Emma Ward feels lost. She has spent most of her life trying to please her frigid, miserable mother - studying hard, getting good grades, avoiding the whole teenage rebellion thing - and now she feels she has no identity beyond that. Because she spent so many years working hard and planning every moment of her life, she doesn't have any friends, has never had a boyfriend, and basically doesn't know who she is or what she really wants from life. Working two part-time jobs to save money for college hasn't helped her make decisions about her future, so she decides it's time for a change. She leaves home to live with her free-spirited, slightly eccentric Aunt Daisy in a small town that makes Emma feel like she's stepped back in time.

When Emma meets Nicholas Shaw, everything changes - he's unlike anyone she's ever met before, the kind of man she didn't even know existed in the 21st century. Carefree and spirited like Daisy, Nicholas teaches Emma to appreciate life, the beauty around her, and to just let go and live. Between Daisy and Nicholas, Emma feels like she belongs somewhere for the first time in her life, and realizes that you don't always need a plan - sometimes life steers you where you're meant to be.

Life is wonderful, an endless string of blue sky days, until Nicholas is diagnosed with cancer, and life changes once again for Emma in ways she never thought possible. Now it's time for her to help Nicholas the way he's helped her. Emma will have to use her new-found strength, and discover along the way if love really is enough to get you through.

While I'm putting this title down on my countdown, I might wait a little while before actually picking it up. It sounds like one of those great stories of love and discovery, but then reality is slammed into all of us by giving one of the characters a terminal disease and destroying the idyllic picture readers have created. I'm not sure if I can handle such a realistic work and endure the roller coaster of emotions that is sure to come with such heavy topics. Only time will tell if I can handle it.

Countdown Pick # 3: Such A Rush by Jennifer Echols (07/10/2012)

The wildly popular author of Going Too Far, Forget You, and Love Story returns with a sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business--until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers--and the consequences could be deadly.

She has quickly become one of my favorite and most reliable authors out there. Every book she writes I can't seem to get through fast enough and I love them all to death. They're always romantic, deep and poignant, but also good for a few laughs too. I'm not sure how she does it but I only want her write more, more, more! And this next release sounds like it could be her best yet! Now I just wish there was a cover to go with this awesome write up.

Countdown Pick #4: Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay (12/27/2012)

My wish
is to fall
cranium over Converse
in dizzy, daydream-worthy
love.

When her parents split, Marcie is dragged from Idaho to a family summerhouse in New Hampshire. She leaves behind her friends, a group of freaks and geeks called the Leftovers, including her emo-rocker boyfriend, and her father.

By the time Labor Day rolls around, Marcie suspects this "vacation" has become permanent. She starts at a new school where a cute boy brings her breakfast and a new romance heats up. But understanding love, especially when you've watched your parents' affections end, is elusive. What does it feel like, really? can you even know it until you've lost it?

Love and Leftovers is a beautifully written story of one girl’s journey navigating family, friends, and love, and a compelling and sexy read that teens will gobble up whole.

Tregay sounds like she's going to deliver a story that is sweet as much as it is refreshing. We all wonder what love will really feel like when it happens to us before we've gone through it ourselves. And while I'm sure that it's different for everyone, it sounds like Tregay's got a great story in the works. I'm anxious to see what her characters must go through and what they discover about themselves and with each other along the way.

Countdown Pick #5: Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (06/19/2012)

A powerful debut novel about a young Marine's return home from Afghanistan and the new life and love he finds while fending off the ghosts of war.

When Travis Stephenson returns home from Afghanistan, his parents are on the brink of divorce, his brother has stolen his girlfriend and his car, and nightmares of his best friend getting killed keep him completely spooked. But when he runs into Harper Gray, a girl who despises him for trashing her reputation with a middle school lie, life actually starts looking up. As Travis and Harper see more of each other, he starts falling for her and the way through the family meltdown, the post-traumatic stress, and the possibility of an interesting future begins to emerge.

His sense of humor, sense of his own strength, and incredible sense of honor make Travis an irresistible and eminently lovable hero in this fantastic and timely debut novel.

I think this is another one that may take me some time before I can work up the nerve to read it. I have a very good friend who is currently serving in the military and so this hits pretty close to home. With what I know, and all that I don't know (and I know that far outweighs the other) I'm sure this will make for a very difficult read. However it does sound like Doller may give us a version of a happy ending so I'm adding it to my list and I'll work on getting up my nerve to read this one for myself.

Countdown: 2012 Releases (1)

2011-11-17T10:00:00.017-05:00

You guys know the drill by now...I'm always on the lookout for new finds and exciting new reads and below are just a few that I've come across lately. With how busy everyone gets if I don't write the titles down immediately I'll never be able to remember them later when I'm ready to download a new book to my kindle, or in the store wondering which shelf to look through first. So by posting these countdowns I give myself one more place to look when I need to be reminded of the titles I'm looking forward to.

And as always if you guys hear of any that you haven't seen me post let me know. Like I said, I only have so much time to search for future reads on my own, and to be honest, the majority of my favorite titles I owe to friends/bloggers/author recommendations. So leave a comment, shoot me an email, etc... if there are any books or authors you think I should have on my radar.

Countdown Pick #1: The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden, #1) by Julie Kagawa (04/24/2012)

You will kill. The only question is when.

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship—not even for love.

Who doesn't love Kagawa's books? I mean come on, The Iron Fey series was chalk full of fantastic writing, interesting characters, suspense, humor and of course romance. So now that Kagawa is branching away from the Fae, and moving on to vampires, I can't wait to see where this series will go and what kind of crazy ride she takes us on this time. I know I'm not the only reader with this title on their countdown radar and TBR lists. And while this is just a teaser cover, I'll be on the lookout for the real deal in the future and will post the announcement as soon as I get wind of the reveal.

Countdown Pick #2: Dead To You by Lisa McMann (02/07/2012)

Ethan was abducted from his front yard when he was just seven years old. Now, at sixteen, he has returned to his family. It's a miracle... at first. Then the tensions start to build. His reintroduction to his old life isn't going smoothly, and his family is tearing apart all over again. If only Ethan could remember something, anything, about his life before, he'd be able to put the pieces back together. But there's something that's keeping his memory blocked. Something unspeakable...

While this one grabbed my attention it scares me even more. The whole idea around this book and it's characters is sad, terrifying and almost impossible to imagine or even try to begin to comprehend. I'm not sure how much fun this one will be to read, but I value McMann's writing and her attempt at such a serious and devastating situation is sure to be done with the utmost talent and consideration. It's sure to be emotional and hard to get through at times, but I can only say that with McMann's ability to speak to her readers, this could be a story that everyone should read.

Countdown Pick #3: Starling (Starling, #1) by Lesley Livingston (2012)

Warring powerful New York City crime families, all with ties to the supernatural, vie for control of the fate of mankind. "...reminiscent of The Bourne Identity and 'blend Norse, Egyptian, and Greek mythologies with paranormal elements."

Not too much to go on with this one huh? But I do know that the Bourne series rocked and I love paranormal elements. So these are two very promising starting points as far as teasers go. I'm also going to admit that any movie or book revolving around crime families are ones that I'm always tempted to see and read and usually end up loving. You name it, The Godfather trilogy (obviously), Goodfellas, Donnie Brasco, loved them all. They're scary, violent, and tension always runs high, but I can't ever get enough of them.

Countdown Pick #4: Slide by Jill Hathaway (03/27/2012)

Vee Bell is certain of one irrefutable truth—her sister’s friend Sophie didn’t kill herself. She was murdered.

Vee knows this because she was there. Everyone believes Vee is narcoleptic, but she doesn’t actually fall asleep during these episodes: When she passes out, she slides into somebody else’s mind and experiences the world through that person’s eyes. She’s slid into her sister as she cheated on a math test, into a teacher sneaking a drink before class. She learned the worst about a supposed “friend” when she slid into her during a school dance. But nothing could have prepared Vee for what happens one October night when she slides into the mind of someone holding a bloody knife, standing over Sophie’s slashed body.

Vee desperately wishes she could share her secret, but who would believe her? It sounds so crazy that she can’t bring herself to tell her best friend, Rollins, let alone the police. Even if she could confide in Rollins, he has been acting off lately, more distant, especially now that she’s been spending more time with Zane.

Enmeshed in a terrifying web of secrets, lies, and danger and with no one to turn to, Vee must find a way to unmask the killer before he or she strikes again.

What a cool idea, right? Someone with the ability to dip into other people's minds while everyone is none the wiser? I get that it might be just as much of a curse as it could be considered a gift given the nature of this book's plot, but I still think it sounds like a really neat idea. I can't imagine how Hathaway is going to play this one out, but it sure sounds like it'll be an exciting journey to see how it unfolds.

Countdown Pick #5: Above by Leah Bobet (04/01/2012)

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee's wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above--like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.

But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe's history and the shadows' attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home--not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

This one's got me totally excited! It sounds like X-Men don't you think? I'll admit that while my dad I'm sure was hoping for a boy and instead got two daughters, decided to pawn some of his guy hobbies off on me. For example: comics. So I did collect and read my fair share, and my favorite quickly became the X-Men series and all spin offs related. Yep, I'm a dork and I'm ok with that. So while I was younger I always seemed to gravitate and still do it would seem, to the same elements. Bobet's characters and their super powers sound like fun to me. The world of Above, however, does not. I'll be rooting for these characters as soon as it hits the shelves.

New Finds (4)

2011-11-16T10:00:00.014-05:00

Rather than a countdown post today I decided to go with another addition of new finds. There are always going to be fabulous books that are slated to come out in the future, but as I'm sure I'm not alone, readers are also always going to miss books as they come out because they're either too overloaded with other books on their TBR lists, or just overloaded with life in general.

So regardless of the reason, you're not alone and I'm going to do my part to make sure these great reads aren't missed just because life keeps readers too busy to catch every detail. So whenever I come across titles that I've somehow missed the release date of, I make a note and get excited about them all over again. Sometimes it's even better than counting down to a title that will be released in the next year or so because when I get worked up over these titles I can go right to the store to pick up my own copy or download one to my kindle. No waiting or pining for the book to hit the shelves.

New Find #1: Carrier of the Mark (Carrier Trilogy, #1) by Leigh Fallon (10/04/2011)

From the moment she sets foot at her new school in Ireland, Megan is inexplicably drawn to the darkly handsome Adam DeRis. But Megan soon discovers that her feelings for Adam are tied to a supernatural fate that was sealed long ago—and that the passion and power that unites them could be their ultimate destruction. This electrifying debut novel was first discovered on inkpop.com. the online community for aspiring writers. THE CARRIER OF THE MARK sizzles with unbridled romance, a unique supernatural hook, and a breathtaking Irish setting, and will entice fans of the Need series by Carrie Jones and the House of Night series by P. C. and Kristin Cast.

The cover caught my eye and the Irish setting took care of the rest. I love all things Irish and Ireland related and until I get there myself I will read anything and everything that has anything to do with either. So if Megan is going to school in Ireland, I'm already intrigued. And as you know I'm a sucker for a good romance and can't stay away from one that may in fact be resisted by the characters themselves. Sign me up Fallon, let's see what you've got for us!

New Find #2: Ashfall (Ashfall, #1) by Mike Mullin (10/11/2011)

Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.

Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.

Hello new adventures! This one reminds me a little bit of the movie, Dante's Peak with the volcano and attempts to reach loved ones that are a far distance away. Not to mention that with a guy's point of view not being very common, I try to jump at every chance I get to read them whenever I can. I've been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoy the guy's POV in certain books and have even ended up craving more just like them in the past. So here's hoping that my track record holds true this time around and Mullin wins his readers over.

New Find #3: Born At Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1) by C.C. Hunter (03/29/2011)

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

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

I'm not sure how I missed this one but I'm angry that I did. This book sounds like it has everything I love; romance, paranormal creatures ranging from witches to werewolves, and the Fae as well. I'm not familiar with Hunter's writing, but I can't wait to check it out. And the only reason I found this read was because of my next pick...

New Find #4: Awake At Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2) by C.C. Hunter (10/11/2011)

Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold.

So like I said above, I saw this book and began looking into it only to realize it's the second installment in a series I'd never heard about before. So I instantly stopped reading the synopsis and tried desperately to forget what I had already read so that nothing of the first would be ruined for me before I'd had the chance to read it for myself. So now that I've found them I'm excited to get started. I guess it's a plus that now both books are out on the shelves and I don't have to wait for their releases...but I'm sure after I'd gotten through these two that the third in the series, will have me counting down it's release as well.

New Find #5: The Glass Man (Lila Gray, #1) by Jocelyn Adams (10/15/2011)

Lila Gray is just a human—at least that’s her mantra when she accidentally topples a building or bends a paranoid local's gun into modern art. That she can sense and control the minds around her doesn’t prove anything, either. Unwilling to put others at risk, she hides in the wilderness from the beautiful creature who hunts her, one who sees her as his ultimate prize.

Alone, the egocentric Glass Man can kill with a thought. Mated with Lila, he's a supernatural weapon prepared to annihilate the humans he loathes.

Caught in the Glass Man’s latest scheme, Lila is plunged into a hidden Fae realm, faced with a secret birthright and a forbidden romance.

With the Glass Man threatening everyone she loves, can Lila accept who she is in time to end his bloody reign? Or will she succumb to his dark power and become the vehicle of destruction for the human race?

As ridiculous as it sounds, I'm kind of already hooked. The synopsis sucked me in and I'm wishing that I had this book in my hands right now. Adams sounds like she's laid out a stressful and highly intense plot filled with unexplainable powers, mythical creatures and forbidden romance! You see what I mean? The draws don't get much better than this in my opinion. I'm getting my copy immediately!

Crossed (Matched Trilogy, #2) by Ally Condie

2011-11-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

Well after waiting for what felt like forever for this sequel to come out, I must say that I was pleased with how it turned out. I always want to blame myself when sequels do not live up to all the hype because I know that it's always partly my fault as the reader. When you've been so anxious to read something and work yourself up to such a level that it's almost always impossible for the book to be able to meet the standards you've set for the author, the writing and the series itself. But Condie prevailed and delivered a sequel worth reading and once again has me counting down to the next and final installment in the Matched trilogy.

There were of course things I would have liked to have seen come to fruition that didn't but I'm not the author and have no control over those details. However, Condie might not have included certain things that I was hoping for, but the elements that she did throw in were wonderful. The characters were put the the test (several times) all over again and once again the stress and anxiety that I felt for the characters during their challenges and hardships was at an all time high. I couldn't believe all they had to go through and accomplish to get where they wanted to go.

Now did the book leave us with another cliffhanger like last time? Of course! But it was one that I was OK with, if that makes any sense. I appreciated Condie's writing and the way in which she brought the characters to the points they reached. I had a few moments of pouting on my part because I wasn't getting my way, but I remembered that this wasn't my book and I had to exhibit some patience. Condie also had me a tearing up at a few points, I wonder if I was the only one reacting this way or if she managed to have all her readers attached the way I was.

So if you enjoyed the series opener, Matched, I highly recommend Crossed as an equal sequel and one that is absolutely worth reading. Now if only the third and final installment was coming out right away I could be a completely happy camper.

I gave Crossed (Matched, #2) 4 shamrocks!!!!

New Finds (3)

2011-11-10T10:00:00.007-05:00

For years, Tristan has been forbidden to even speak to Savannah Colbert. Then Savannah disappears from school for a week and comes back…different, and suddenly he can't stay away. Boys seem intoxicated just from looking at her. His own family becomes stricter than ever. And Tristan has to fight his own urge to protect her, to be near her no matter the consequences….

I have become the biggest fan of Goodreads suggested readings lately because they find me jewels like this Darnell release. I can only do so much exploring on the Internet for new books so I appreciate all the help I can get. And I hate to admit it but I'm not sure I'd have found this one without the help. This series opener sounds like my cup of tea with the mystery and forbidden attractions. Thanks again Goodreads!

New Find #2: The Juliet Spell by Douglas Rees (9/27/2011)

I wanted the role of Juliet more than anything. I studied hard. I gave a great reading for it—even with Bobby checking me out the whole time. I deserved the part.

I didn't get it. So I decided to level the playing field, though I actually might have leveled the whole play. You see, since there aren't any Success in Getting to Be Juliet in Your High School Play spells, I thought I'd cast the next best—a Fame spell. Good idea, right?

Yeah. Instead of bringing me a little fame, it brought me someone a little famous. Shakespeare. Well, Edmund Shakespeare. William's younger brother.

Good thing he's sweet and enthusiastic about helping me with the play...and—ahem—maybe a little bit hot. But he's from the past. Way past. Cars amaze him—cars! And cell phones? Ugh.

Still, there's something about him that's making my eyes go star-crossed....

This one sounds beyond cute, don't you think? I think the whole premise sounds like an adorable idea and I can't wait to see how this blast from the past turns out. Shakespeare's younger brother roaming the halls of a 2011 high school...classic! Sure to be good for a few laughs, I'm looking forward to hearing more about Edmund and the aspiring Juliet's attraction works out.

New Pick #3: Eve (Eve, #1) by Anna Carey (10/04/2011)

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I know I'm going to like this one. It might just be a feeling, but there's nothing I've heard or read about it so far that leads me to believe otherwise. They synopsis alone was gripping and I find myself already rooting for Eve and Caleb's relationship, and I've yet to read one page. I'm a goner. But all I keep reading are positive reviews that describe a fast pace, intriguing dialogue, unique and creative plot points, etc...what's not to love? The list of compliments for this book are glowing. So I'm ready to jump on the band wagon and enjoy the ride as well.

New Pick #4: Scored by Lauren McLaughlin (10/25/2011)

Set in the future when teenagers are monitored via camera and their recorded actions and confessions plugged into a computer program that determines their ability to succeed. All kids given a "score" that determines their future potential. This score has the ability to get kids into colleges, grant scholarships, or destroy all hope for the above. Scored's reluctant heroine is Imani, a girl whose high score is brought down when her best friend's score plummets. Where do you draw the line between doing what feels morally right and what can mean your future? Friendship, romance, loyalty, family, human connection and human value: all are questioned in this fresh and compelling dystopian novel set in the scarily forseeable future.

Sounds like a future I want no part of. "Big brother" watching and recording my every move...no thank you. And just the idea of having almost no control over your own fate and future gives me a sick feeling. That's not a situation I'd wish on anyone. Imani and the rest of the kids are not living the good life and I'm eager to see if they can change their world. McLaughlin sure has me curious.

Review: Eve (Eve, #1) by Anna Carey

2011-11-09T10:00:00.027-05:00

The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. The night before eighteen-year-old Eve’s graduation from her all-girls school she discovers what really happens to new graduates, and the horrifying fate that awaits her.

Fleeing the only home she’s ever known, Eve sets off on a long, treacherous journey, searching for a place she can survive. Along the way she encounters Caleb, a rough, rebellious boy living in the wild. Separated from men her whole life, Eve has been taught to fear them, but Caleb slowly wins her trust...and her heart. He promises to protect her, but when soldiers begin hunting them, Eve must choose between true love and her life.

I came away with mixed feelings after reading this one. I'll give Carey this, she puts readers on a roller coaster ride of emotions. There were moments when I just couldn't take anymore of the stress and anxiety she was dishing out. And she made me cry...twice!

The world Eve and the others have been thrust into is entirely too realistic for my liking. Normally with dystopian novels I can't for the life of me imagine our current world one day evolving into the various scenarios that authors create. In this case it was the opposite. It just hit a little too close to home and frankly it creeped me out.

Eve was a survivor without a doubt. No girl can go through what she does and come away unaffected, but she bore each situation with grit. I'm not sure how feasible that would be in real life but I appreciate her character growth nonetheless. And as for Caleb and the dugout boys...they were a surprise. They reminded me a little of the Lost Boys and I melted at times.

But I just have to say it, what was up with that ending? I didn't see it coming and it shifted my opinion overall of the book to be honest. I know it probably shouldn't but it was unavoidable. Even now while I write this review and I'm trying to rethink how I feel about it I keep coming back to the end and I can't seem to escape it. So while I'm looking forward to the next installment in the series, I'm not going to be as naive this time around.

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

Countdown: A Mix (3)

2011-11-08T10:00:00.023-05:00

Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1) by Laini Taylor

2011-11-07T10:00:00.003-05:00

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

So once again I've found a book that was getting rave reviews that lived up to all it's hype. More times than not I feel like even if the book turns out to be great like everyone said it would, because I've built it up so much before even sitting down to read it that I've already doomed it to not possibly being able to live up to those standards. Not so in this case. Taylor created a vivid and unique world for her characters to thrive. I'll admit that the ending took me by surprise. I really thought I had most of it worked out, but the VERY end threw me for a loop and left me wishing the sequel was already out on the shelves.

Karou was wonderful. Her attitude, poise and stamina for everything happening around her was inspiring and entertaining to witness. Akiva was one of those characters that you couldn't help but empathize with because there was a sadness to him that can only come after devastating loss and hurt. But still he powered on and the Karou and Akiva team were hard to resist. When they were fighting I wasn't sure who I was rooting for and why? When they were working together I was overjoyed and crossing my fingers that things would work out for them. And in the back of my mind I was sure a wrench would be thrown into their plans time and time again. I wish I was wrong.

Such a creative and inventive world with more possibilities than any I've come across in a book in a long time, if ever there was a comparison to rival Taylor's work. Her writing was fresh and her fast paced action had me unable to turn the pages quick enough. I've got a happy ending all worked out in my head for book two but I'm not thinking things will go my way, or at least not entirely. Taylor left me on the edge of my seat, biting my nails until the bitter end. And it most certainly was bitter. What's to come of these characters? Only Taylor knows and until book two hits the shelves I'm sure she's not telling.

I gave Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone, #1) 4 shamrocks!!!!