In My Mailbox (66)

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:

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini (Thanks to Simon Pulse)

Experience the afterlife in this lyrical, paranormal debut novel that will send your heart soaring.When Elliot finds herself dead for the third time, she knows she must have messed up, big-time. She doesn’t remember how she landed in the afterlife again, but she knows this is her last chance to get things right.

     Elliot just wants to move on, but first she will be forced to face her past and delve into the painful memories she’d rather keep buried. Memories of people she’s hurt, people she’s betrayed…and people she’s killed.

     As she pieces together the secrets and mistakes of her past, Elliot must find a way to earn the forgiveness of the person she’s hurt most, and reveal the truth about herself to the two boys she loves…even if it means losing them both forever.

The Selection (The Selection, #1) by Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself--and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt (Thanks to St. Martin's Press)

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

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

Stolen Nights (Vampire Queen, #2) by Rebecca Maizel (Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin)

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human—and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss. 

With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead...

Countdown: January 2013 (3)

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

Countdown Pick #1: Summerset Abbey by T.J. Brown (01/15/2013)

Reminiscent of Downton Abbey, this first novel in a new series follows two sisters and their maid as they are suddenly separated by the rigid class divisions within a sprawling aristocratic estate and thrust into an uncertain world on the brink of WWI...Rowena and Victoria, daughters to the second son of the Earl of Summerset, have always treated their governess’s daughter, Prudence, like a sister. But when their father dies and they move in with their uncle’s family in a much more traditional household, Prudence is relegated to the maids’ quarters, much to the girls’ shock and dismay. The impending war offers each girl hope for a more modern future, but the ever-present specter of class expectations makes it difficult for Prudence to maintain a foot in both worlds.

Vividly evoking both time and place and filled with authentic dialogue and richly detailed atmosphere, Summerset Abbey is a charming and timeless historical debut.

I've never been a huge fan of historical titles and you certainly won't find them overflowing on my bookshelves at home, but I try to never close a door on something completely. Never say never and all that. So when I came across this title, a part of me just got excited about the idea and the fact that it sounded a lot like one of my favorite television shows, as mentioned in the book's description. Here's hoping it's just as entertaining and will make a new addition on my bookshelf that I'll be passing along to others as a recommendation.

Countdown Pick #2: Paper Valentine by Brenna Yovanoff (01/22/2013)


A girl does a macabre dance with death in this eerie new novel from New York Times bestselling author Brenna Yovanoff.

The city of Ludlow is gripped by the hottest July on record. The asphalt is melting, the birds are dying, petty crime is on the rise, and someone in Hannah Wagnor’s peaceful suburban community is killing girls.

For Hannah, the summer is a complicated one. Her best friend Lillian died six months ago, and Hannah just wants her life to go back to normal. But how can things be normal when Lillian’s ghost is haunting her bedroom, pushing her to investigate the mysterious string of murders? Hannah’s just trying to understand why her friend self-destructed, and where she fits now that Lillian isn’t there to save her a place among the social elite. And she must stop thinking about Finny Boone, the big, enigmatic delinquent whose main hobbies seem to include petty larceny and surprising acts of kindness.

With the entire city in a panic, Hannah soon finds herself drawn into a world of ghost girls and horrifying secrets. She realizes that only by confronting the Valentine Killer will she be able move on with her life—and it’s up to her to put together the pieces before he strikes again.

Paper Valentine is a hauntingly poetic tale of love and death by the New York Times bestselling author of The Replacement and The Space Between.

Yovanoff does not write stories for the meek and easily scared. She writes deep and irresistible novels that leave readers reeling and wanting more, wondering what she could possibly come up with next for her fans. So with a new mystery involving the murder for teenage girls, ghost hauntings that beg the living to avenge their deaths, and rough and tumble loners that have romantic potential...yep I'm signing up here and now.

Countdown Pick #3: Nobody by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (01/22/2013)

There are people in this world who are Nobody. No one sees them. No one notices them. They live their lives under the radar, forgotten as soon as you turn away.

That’s why they make the perfect assassins.

The Institute finds these people when they’re young and takes them away for training. But an untrained Nobody is a threat to their organization. And threats must be eliminated.

Sixteen-year-old Claire has been invisible her whole life, missed by the Institute’s monitoring. But now they’ve ID’ed her and sent seventeen-year-old Nix to remove her. Yet the moment he lays eyes on her, he can’t make the hit. It’s as if Claire and Nix are the only people in the world for each other. And they are—because no one else ever notices them.

I am beyond intrigued. This is one of those books that I have to read, there's no choice in the matter. Now that its on my radar, there's no going back. I've always been a fan of Barnes' writing and her Raised by Wolves series. She grips you right off the bat and her characters are so relatable that it's hard not to think of them as your friends instead of just characters on a page. I'm anxious to root for this duo and cross my fingers that the institute and the big bad evil that runs it don't stand in their way or succeed in bringing them down.

Countdown Pick #4: The Winter King by C.L. Wilson (01/29/2013)

When the heir of Summerlea stole Wynter Atrialan's bride and murdered his brother, the Winter King swore vengeance on the neighboring southern kingdom. Now, after three years of merciless war, Summerlea is crushed, and the conquering Wynter aims a final blow at his enemy's heart by demanding one of the Summer King's beloved daughters in marriage.

But the Summer King has a fourth daughter...one of whom he is not so fond. And she is no sweet, helpless princess-in-a-tower. She is a fiercely passionate creature, with a nature as volatile as the dangerous forces of her weathergift, the power of storms.

How sad is that? A girl shipped off and forced to be a bride to a stranger who has just conquered her family's kingdom, and all because she's her father's least favorite daughter? I'm already feeling for this girl. But she doesn't sound like the type of heroine that readers will have to pity for long...she sounds like Wilson is going to make her a character for others to recon with. I'm curious to learn more about this Winter King and what his story is all about outside of his goals of destruction and revenge.  As soon as I get wind of the cover art I'll be sure to update the post, can't wait to see what it'll look like!

Countdown Pick #5: Stolen Nights (The Vampire Queen, #2) by Rebecca Maizel (01/29/2013)

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human—and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss.

With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead...

I love, love, love this series! I can't say enough good things about Maizel's writing and this series, and can't count the number of times I've recommended this series to friends and family. It's absolutely addicting and hard or near impossible to put down once you've started. So if Maizel's second installment in the Vampire Queen series is anything like her series opener, it's going to be fantastic and just as addicting! I'm more than excited and can only hope the countdown for this title fly by.

Countdown Pick #6: The Disappeared by C.J. Harper (01/31/2013)

In a future where children are segregated into institutions that range from comfortable “Learning Communities” to prison-like “Local Academies”, seventeen-year-old Jackson is an academic high flyer, living in a top Learning Community and destined for a position in the Leadership. But when he is sent with his best friend Wilson to deliver a package to a factory block, the two boys are attacked, leaving Jackson badly beaten and Wilson dead.

Confused and upset, Jackson returns to his Learning Community only to be dismissed by his teachers who claim not to know him. Sent to an Academy, an institute set up to train factory workers, Jackson finds himself immersed in a world that couldn’t be further removed than the comfortable life he’s used to; a harsh, violent, semi-articulate society where the students have created their own hierarchy based on fighting ability.

Using his wits to survive, Jackson starts to realise that his whole life has been based on half-truths. And in order to survive he needs to expose the lies that surround the Academy and find out the truth about who he really is. As he builds alliances and begins to educate those closest to him, a plan for rebellion and escape gradually comes into shape...

Fast-paced, page-turning, moving, yet with a streak of dark humour, The Disappeared is a very British dystopia, with shades of Orwell and Huxley.

I know I normally keep it to five titles per countdown but I just couldn't leave this one out. You guys know that over time I've started to become a huge dystopian fan and this one is sure to be added as a title among those favorites. I like that there isn't a lot of detail in the description for this book. I like the amount of mystery that surrounds this title and I can't wait to get into this title so that I can start unraveling the secrets and see the action that's sure to go hand in hand with this story and these characters. And can we also talk about how great the type of praise it is to compare this title to the likes of Orwell and Huxley? I mean come on, if it's anywhere close to the likes of those two....readers are sure to be able to look forward to an amazing read and I for one am very excited!

Review: Infinite Days (Vampire Queen, #1) by Rebecca Maizel

"Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one."

Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode.


But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.


I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

What a great start to what looks to be a very exciting series! Maizel had me from the very start. I couldn't believe I was only a few pages in and already completely invested in her characters. It rarely happens, but when the writing is this good, and the emotions are front and center on the page, it's hard to avoid being swept up in everything that's going on. And there was a lot going on from the very beginning. Each and every one of Maizel's characters brought something unique and wonderful to the table. Added that extra spark or much needed element of intrigue to the storyline.

Rhode....wow! This is a character that stays with you. Despite his dark past he had a way with words that can be described as nothing but lyrical. He swept me up right along with Lenah, and I was a goner. I thought Maizel's way of having Lenah wake up in a new world and a new time period was perfect for her readers. As Lenah was busy trying to find her way around in order to survive and adapt, readers were able to stay right there with her while having the chance to work on our predictions on what would come next. While Lenah was constantly watching the clocking and counting down her days, I couldn't help but notice my anxiety rose right along with hers.

It was a fun read, and one that I think sets the stage for an exciting series. I'm relieved that I waited a bit before picking this title up, because now I won't have to countdown for the second installment in the series, Stolen Nights to be released, because it'll be on the shelves as of June 12...I definitely think I'll be able to hold out a few more weeks.

I gave Infinite Days (Vampire Queen, #1) 4 shamrocks!!!!

Countdown: Fave Authors, Sequels and great Series' Edition

I don't know about you but when I find myself falling in love with a book or an author's writing I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel, the next installment, or any other work that the author's written. So in 2011 here are just a few that fit into that category.

Countdown Pick #1: Shadowspell (Fairiewalker #2) by Jenna Black (1/4/2011)

On top of spending most of her time in a bunkerlike safe house and having her dates hijacked by a formidable Fae bodyguard, Faeriewalker Dana Hathaway is in for some more bad news: the Erlking and his pack of murderous minions known as the Wild Hunt have descended upon Avalon. With his homicidal appetite and immortal powers, the Erlking has long been the nightmare of the Fae realm. 

A fragile treaty with the Faerie Queen, sealed with a mysterious spell, is the one thing that keeps him from hunting unchecked in Avalon, the only place on Earth where humans and Fae live together. Which means Dana’s in trouble, since it’s common knowledge that the Faerie Queen wants her – and her rare Faeriewalker powers – dead. The smoldering, sexy Erlking’s got his sights set on Dana, but does he only seek to kill her, or does he have something much darker in mind?


Glimmerglass became an instant favorite of mine and all I want to do is get my hands on a copy of this book, the second installment in the Fairiewalker series, and curl up in a comfy chair with a hot posset (I was lucky enough to get the actual recipe from Black) and not get up until I've finished it...unless of course I need to make a second hot posset. Our favorite girl, Dana now knows she's special and she's working on getting a handle on her new status among the fey and all of Avalon. With the Erlking making an entrance in this book and setting his sights on Dana (of course) I can't wait to see what his angle is and what he's really after? Does he just want to use Dana for his possibly nefarious purposes or could there be more to it? Knowing Black's creativity, readers are sure to be in a for a wild ride.

Countdown Pick #2: Lemniscate (Angel Star #2) by Jennifer Murgia (3/21/2011)

For Teagan, these last few months have been heaven on earth - especially now that Garreth, her boyfriend and guardian angel, is earthbound. But perhaps Garreth is becoming a little more human than either of them expected.
Now, Teagan must realize that her world is once again about to shift, as she questions the faith she held in others against those once considered enemies.


In this continuation of Angel Star, Lemniscate will draw you even deeper into the world of dark and light as Teagan realizes the angel who could possibly save them all is the one angel she feared the most.

The second book in the Angel Star series made the countdown, why you ask? Two reasons. One, I adore all things Jennifer Murgia. I've had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with her and she couldn't be nicer, not to mention the fact that she's a fantastic writer. And two, because I simply fell in love with her characters in Angel Star and can't wait to see what happens to them all next! Muria had be rooting for Teagan, swooning over Garreth, and kind of scared of everything they had working against them. I'm anxious to see how Teagan and Garreth's relationship is going, I'm crossing my fingers for bliss...but I'm not going to hold my breath. I'm sure there are lots of obstacles ahead, bumps in the road and plenty of bad heading their way in the form of a familiar dark angel. Don't break my heart Jennifer!

Countdown Pick #3: Starstruck by Cyn Balog (7/12/2011)

Gwendolyn "Dough" X doesn't think she has much going for her—she carries a few extra pounds, her family struggles with their small bakery in a town full of millionaires, and the other kids at her New Jersey high school don't seem to know that she exists. Thank the stars for her longtime boyfriend, Philip P. Wishman—or "Wish." He moved away to California three years ago, when they were 13, but then professed his love for her via e-mail, and he's been her long-distance BF ever since. 

At the beginning of her junior year, though, Wish e-mails that he's moving back to Jersey. Great, right? Well, except that Dough has gained about 70 pounds since the last time Wish saw her, while Wish—according to his Facebook photos—has morphed into a blonde god. Convinced that she'll be headed for Dumpsville the minute Wish lays eyes on her, Dough delays their meeting as long as she possibly can.

But when she sees Wish at school, something amazing happens. He looks at Dough like she's just as gorgeous as he is. But Wish is acting a little weird, obsessed with the sun and freaked out by rain. And the creepy new guy working at the bakery, Christian, is convinced that there's more to Wish's good looks than just healthy eating and lots of sun. He tells Dough that a mark on Wish's neck marks him as a member of the Luminati—an ancient cult of astrologers who can manipulate the stars to improve their lives. Is Wish and Dough's love meant to be—or are they star-crossed?

This made the countdown because I am definitely a member of the Cyn Balog fan club. She's a ton of fun to hang out with, her stories catch you, hook, line and sinker. Not to mention each of her books always keep me wanting more, more, more. So when I heard about this one, there was no hesitation, I couldn't wait to put it on my wish list. It sounds like a coming of age story about a girl who slowly learns who she is and what is really important. Cyn has a way of taking common story lines and drastically turning them upside down and inside out in the most wonderful ways. Just when you think you know what will happen or what to expect around the next curve, she throws you for a loop and surprises you with an outcome that leaves you reeling. In her previous books, like Fairy Tale, and Sleepless, I always thought I knew how I wanted them to end (but I was never right) and then Cyn would write the ending in a way that I never would have expected and of course it was ten times better than I dared to hope for.

Countdown Pick #4: Fins Are Forever (Fins #2) by Tera Lynn Childs (6/28/2011)

On Lily Sanderson’s eighteenth birthday she’ll become just a girl—still a mergirl, true, but signing the renunciation will ink Princess Waterlily of Thalassinia out of existence. That leaves plain old Lily living on land, dating the boy she loves, and trying to master this being-human thing once and for all.

Now that Lily and Quince are together, mer bond or not, she’s almost content to give up her place in the royal succession of Thalassinia. But just when she thinks she has everything figured out, the waves start to get rough. Lily’s father sends a certain whirlpool-stirring cousin to stay with her on land. What did Doe do to get herself exiled from Thalassinia and stuck in terraped form, when everyone knows how much she hates humans? And why why why is she batting her eyelashes at Lily’s former crush, Brody?

The seafoam on the raging surf comes when a merboy from Lily’s past shows up—Tellin asks Lily for something that clouds her view of the horizon. There’s a future with Quince on land, her loyalty to the kingdom in the sea, and Lily tossing on the waves in the middle. Will she find a way to reconcile her love, her duty, and her own dreams?

TLC's series' are fun, light reads. I flew through her Oh.My.Gods. series and the first installment in the Fins series, Forgive My Fins, and I'm really looking forward to her quick pace and fun plots. Plus, who doesn't love mermaids? There aren't too many series out on the shelves at the moment that feature this particular paranormal/fantastical creature, and a change is nice every once in a while. There sounds like there's going to be a lot going on in this one and I don't think anyone will want to miss a moment of it. Lily and Quince are together but lots will be thrown in their path, but will they be able to power through? Will it be too much for these two new love birds, and end up tearing the two of them apart? I hope not, Lily put Quince through so much the last time around that I'd hate to see him get hurt all over again, especially after the two of them finally got what they wanted...or did they? I'm sure planning on devouring this one the first chance I get to find out for myself if true love conquers all.

Countdown Pick #5: Stolen Nights (Vampire Queen #2) by Rebecca Maizel (3/15/2011)

Lenah Beaudonte should be dead. But having sacrificed herself to save another, she finds herself awakening with strange powers that are neither vampire nor human - and a new enemy on her trail. In her vampire life, Lenah had thought that being human was all she ever wanted; but the human heart suffers pain, heartbreak and loss. With her new powers growing and the dark force of the Nex after her soul, Lenah faces a choice: between the mortal love of gorgeous Justin, whose passion fed her human soul, and taking a different path to become the mistress of her own destiny, wherever that may lead ...

While I love a good change, I've always been a sucker for a good vampire story and this trilogy pulled me right in. Maizel sold me after I found myself heartbroken after only the first two chapters in her first installment in the Vampire Queen series, Infinite Days. The way I see it...any author who has me so invested in the characters before I even get a good way into the book that I'm having an emotional overload by chapter two is a great one in my eyes. I'll probably be in tears by page two this time around. Here's hoping it lives up to the fabulous first installment. Maizel and the publishing house aren't giving out too many details about this one but I can only imagine greatness is in store. So as much as I'm itching to hear where this one will take readers, I'm even more excited to get my hands on the actual thing!

Countdown Pick #6: Rage (The Horsemen of the Apocalypse #2) by Jackie Morse Kessler (4/18/2011)

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different. That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control. A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation,Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world. 

Jackie's first book in the Horsemen of the Apocalypse series, and her YA debut, Hunger really gave me pause. She talks about real issues, topics that usually are avoided or are just not as common among young adult literature, and subjects that scare me, but at the same time she does an amazing job bringing these issues to every reader's attention. I'm looking forward to what she brings next. Hunger was all about finding balance in yourself, in life and in everything around you. This time Jackie has readers learning the value of control. After the major affect she had on me with her first installment in the series, I can only imagine how powerful this second installment is sure to be for me, and for all her readers.

Stay tuned for another edition of the countdown and more fantastic reads to look forward to in 2011!