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Thursday, April 28, 2011

Green Eyed Demon - A Review

Green Eyed Demon - Jaye Wells

Overview -

Green-Eyed Demon (Sabina Kane Series #3)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: March 2011
  • Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
  • Format: Mass Market Paperback , 400pp
  • Sales Rank: 30,313

Synopsis

Things to do:

1. Rescue sister.
2. Murder grandmother.
3. Don't upset the voodoo priestess.

The clock is ticking for Sabina Kane. Her sister has been kidnapped by her grandmother, the Dark Races are on the brink of war, and a mysterious order is manipulating everyone behind the scenes.

Working on information provided by an unlikely ally, Sabina and her trusty sidekicks—a sexy mage named Adam Lazarus and Giguhl, a Mischief demon—head to New Orleans to begin the hunt for her sister. Once there, they must contend with belligerent werewolves, magic-wielding vampires and—perhaps most frightening of all—humans.

But as much as Sabina is focused on surviving the present, the past won't be ignored. Before she can save those she cares about most, she must save herself from the ghosts of her past.

My Thoughts:

What can I say that I haven't already said in my reviews of the first two books. I just LOVE this series. Sabina is fantastic and growing nicely as a character. She's becoming more aware of others around her and learning to let go. Adam is all sorts of hunky and wonderful. He makes my heart go pitter patter. All the supporting characters are great Rhea is strong and I'm liking her more and more. The jury is still out on Orpheus but I'm leaning towards liking him. Zen got on my nerves a bit but in the end came through. PW is a hoot and an incredibly strong character. Lets not forget Giguhl. I can't say enough about my love for this character. He's just plain awesome and full of demonish good fun!

Author's Website: Jaye Wells

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown - A Review

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown - Olivia deBelle Byrd (Author for tour)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: May 2010
  • Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
  • Format: Paperback , 176pp
  • Sales Rank: 188,212

Synopsis

With storytelling written in the finest Southern tradition from the soap operas of Chandler Street in the quaint town of Gainesville, Georgia, to a country store on the Alabama state line, Olivia deBelle Byrd delves with wit and amusement into the world of the Deep South with all its unique idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms.

The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt Lottie Mae, who is as “old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long,” to Mrs. Brewton, who calls everyone “dahling” whether they are darling or not, to Isabella with her penchant for mint juleps and drama.

Humorous anecdotes from a Christmas coffee, where one can converse with a lady who has Christmas trees with blinking lights dangling from her ears, to Sunday church, where a mink coat is mistaken for possum, will delight Southerners and baffle many a non-Southerner. There is the proverbial Southern beauty pageant, where even a six-month-old can win a tiara, to a funeral faux pas of the iron clad Southern rule-one never wears white after Labor Day and, dear gussy, most certainly not to a funeral.

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown-Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is guaranteed to provide an afternoon of laugh-out-loud reading and hilarious enjoyment.

My Thoughts:

I'm going to keep this short and succinct just like the book. I had a lot of fun reading this book. Miss Byrd's anecdotes were short and sweet and at times had me laughing out loud making my family wonder what I was reading.

The book is only156 pages long, but it will fill your afternoon with laughter and relaxation. If you are looking for a quick, fun read, this book is the perfect fit. Just sit back with a cup a tea and this book and I swear when you're done, you will almost smell the magnolias.

Author's Website:
Olivia deBelle Byrd

Monday, April 25, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

We left at dawn. Time enough for me to catch maybe two hours of sleep on the lumpy ground, and say my last goodbyes to Puck. He was still sleeping, deep within the tree, when I woke up in the still hours before sunrise.

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa pg. 283

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading


Mailbox Monday was originally hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, but is now a meme that travels to a new blog every month.This is a weekly meme is being hosted by Passages to the Past for the month of April. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!


My Mailbox was empty this week.





It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the last week:

Green Eyed Demon - Jaye Wells

Books I am reading this week:


This Is Gonna Hurt - Nikki Sixx
The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare



Books to finish this week:

City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare
The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
This is Gonna Hurt - Nikki Sixx

Happy Easter!


I hope everyone has a great Easter!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Witch and Wizard Audiobook - A Review

Witch and Wizard - James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet Audio book (own)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: December 2009
  • Publisher: Hachette Audio
  • Format: MP3 Book
  • Sales Rank: 14,205
  • Age Range: Young Adult
  • Series: Witch and Wizard , #1
  • Duration: 5 hours, 41 minutes (equivalent to 5 audio CDs)
  • File Size: 156.53 MB
  • ISBN-13: 9781600247736
  • ISBN: 1600247733
  • Edition Description: Unabridged

Synopsis

EVERYTHING. CHANGES. NOW.

Imagine you wake up and the world around you-life as you know it-has changed in an instant. That's what has happened to Whit Allgood and his sister, Whisty. They went to sleep as normal teenagers, and woke up as wanted criminals. Accused of holding incredible powers they'd never dreamed possible. And now, just how different they are-special, even-if just beginning to be revealed in a strange new world.

It begins...now.

My Thoughts:

This has been on my TBR pile for a long time now and this past weekend, the perfect opportunity presented itself to listen to it. I have to say I loved this book and part of the reason was the narrators for it. Elijah Wood and Spencer Locke were amazing! Audio books with multi readers are some of my favorites to listen to.

The story is a bit far fetched but that's okay that's what fantasy and imagination is all about. A typical good vs evil type scenario is the theme of the book. You have this new order taking over and making things the way they deem appropriate. Putting anyone they want to death and or in prison if they are kids until they are of an age where they can be put to death. It's crazy world that sort of reminds me of the move Pleasantville after the new order takes over. Everyone and everything is perfect and in it's place. Kind of creepy heh.

All in all I enjoyed this audio book and have put the second one on hold at my local library to listen too. Thankfully book 2 has the same cast of readers which already is a plus in my book.

Author's website: James Patterson & Gabrielle Charbonnet Fantastic Fiction

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

My Jane Austen Summer - TLC Blog Tour April 19, 2011

My Jane Austen Summer - Cindy Jones (TLC Tours)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: March 2011
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Format: Paperback , 352pp
  • Sales Rank: 83,044


Synopsis

Lily has squeezed herself into undersized relationships all her life, hoping one might grow as large as those found in the Jane Austen novels she loves. But lately her world is running out of places for her to fit. So when her bookish friend invites her to spend the summer at a Jane Austen literary festival in England, she jumps at the chance to reinvent herself.

There, among the rich, promising world of Mansfield Park reenactments, Lily finds people whose longing to live in a novel equals her own. But real-life problems have a way of following you wherever you go, and Lily's accompany her to England. Unless she can change her ways, she could face the fate of so many of Miss Austen's characters, destined to repeat the same mistakes over and over again.

My Jane Austen Summer explores how we fall in love, how we come to know ourselves better, and how it might be possible to change and be happier in the real world.

My Thoughts:

This book was almost a miss for me. The main character and I got off on a seriously wrong foot. Instead of feeling sympathy for her grief, I found myself thinking she should grow up. So I put the book down for a few days and then tried again.

I still didn't care much for Lily to be honest. She's so much of a doormat in the first half of the book, but as time went on and her character began to grow a bit, I found my distaste for her waning.

The location of the book was amazing and I wish I could of bee n there. I think spending a summer in England literary festival, as an onlooker of course lol, would be fantastic.

So while Lily and I didn't get along well, the story itself tugged at me and kept me reading.

Author's website: Cindy Jones

Other Participating Tour sites:

Tuesday, March 29th: Books Like Breathing

Wednesday, March 30th: Unputdownables

Thursday, March 31st: Book Reviews by Molly

Friday, April 1st: My Reading Room

Monday, April 4th: It’s All About Books

Tuesday, April 5th: Bookfoolery and Babble

Wednesday, April 6th: Calico Critic

Thursday, April 7th: Colloquium

Tuesday, April 12th: Life in the Thumb

Wednesday, April 13th: Tina’s Book Reviews

Thursday, April 14th: Diary of an Eccentric

Monday, April 18th: A Bookish Way of Life

Tuesday, April 19th: My Life in Not So Many Words

Wednesday, April 209th: Stephanie’s Written Word

Thursday, April 21st: MariReads


Monday, April 18, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

"Idiot, do not look at me!" he spat, and I quickly glanced away. The cat growled, tugging on one of the bars. "Goblins are not very smart, but even they will notice if you start talking to nobody.

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa pg. 100

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

Mailbox Monday was originally hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, but is now a meme that travels to a new blog every month.This is a weekly meme is being hosted by Passages to the Past for the month of April. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

I got a couple of books this week:







What is Real - Karen Rivers (Library Thing Early Reviewer)
















This is Gonna Hurt - Nikki Sixx (bought)














It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the last week:

The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter
My Jane Austen Summer - Cindy Jones (blog tour April 19, 2011)

Books I am reading this week:


This Is Gonna Hurt - Nikki Sixx
The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare (audiobook)

Books to finish this week:

The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
This is Gonna Hurt - Nikki Sixx

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

The Goddess Test - A Review

The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter (Netgalley)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: April 2011
  • Publisher: Harlequin
  • Format: Paperback , 304pp
  • Sales Rank: 100,777
  • Age Range: Young Adult


Synopsis

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.


My Thoughts:


I wasn't sure what to think of this book at first but I have to admit I was sucked right in. Kate's world is falling apart and she's spent the better part of 3 years taking care of her dying mom and fearing the day she would have to let go. Her mom moves them out to Eden and then the mysterious things begin to happen. She meets Henry and to help a near total stranger, makes a deal that she see as completely crazy. Or is it?

She has to live at Eden Manor 6 months out of every year and become his bride/goddess, but she also has to pass these tests as well. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I wanted to know what was coming next. The characters were all interesting if a bit strange and otherworldly. Henry made me fall for his charm and selflessness as well. I have to admit I found myself cheering for Kate to pass these tests.

The whole Greek God Mythology was entertaining and It made me want to look up and study a few of them. Always a good thing when a book makes you want to know more on a subject I think.

All in all a great start to a new series and I can't wait to find out what happens next in Eden and with Kate and Henry and the whole council of gods.

Author's Website: Aimee Carter

Monday, April 11, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

Simon Lewis couldn't blame her; she'd probably been hoping for a better tip than the one she was going to get on a single cup of coffee. But it wasn't his fault vampires didn't eat.

City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare pg. 1

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

Mailbox Monday was originally hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, but is now a meme that travels to a new blog every month.This is a weekly meme is being hosted by Passages to the Past for the month of April. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!


I got one book last week:





Never Knowing - Chevy Stevens (publisher)

















It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the last week:

Why I love Singlehood - Elisa Lorello & Sarah Girrell

Books I am reading this week:


The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter
My Jane Austen Summer - Cindy Jones




Books to finish this week:

My Jane Austen Summer - Cindy Jones
The Goddess Test - Aimee Carter

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Why I love Singlehood - A Review

Why I love Singlehood - Elisa Lorello & Sarah Girrell (Amazon Vine)

Product Description

Eva Perino is single and proud of it. Owner of The Grounds, a coffee shop nestled in the heart of a college town, thirtysomething Eva cherishes her comfortable life filled with quirky friends, a fun job, and no significant other. In fact, she’s so content to be on her own that she started a blog about it: “Why I Love Singlehood.” Yet when she hears the news of her ex-boyfriend’s engagement, her confidence in her single status takes a surprisingly hard hit.

So begins Eva’s clumsy (and occasionally uproarious) search for love as she secretly joins an online dating site, tries her hand at speed-dating, and breaks her own rule by getting involved with one of The Grounds’ regulars. Soon Eva is forced to figure out exactly who—or what—is the true love of her life. Sparkling with warmth and wit, Why I Love Singlehood is a charming and insightful must-read for anyone—single or otherwise—who has ever been stymied by love.

My Thoughts:

This book had me from the first sentence. How can you go wrong with baked goodies and coffee. I often thought it would be great to find a place just like The Grounds. Someplace where you go just for a warm drink and pastry and end up finding a family of friends in the process.

This isn't a book with a single plot line, it's more of just a story unfolding. Yes there is a main theme going on but in reality it was more like watching a movie. I found myself drawn to all of the characters and their lives and not just to Eva's. Though I do think through the coffee shop and it's patrons, Eva learned a lot about life, love, family and friends.

If you're looking for a feel good story that will leave you hungry for pastries, this is a great place to start.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading and it asks us to...



  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Here's my teaser this week:

She said that she needed help. I told her that Facebook chat was not the way to contact someone like me. (It was a dummy account, but still.)

Nickel Plated - Aric Davis pg. 1

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Mailbox Monday & What Are You Reading

Mailbox Monday was originally hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page, but is now a meme that travels to a new blog every month.This is a weekly meme is being hosted by Passages to the Past for the month of April. Join the fun and post what you got in your mailbox last week!

I got two books last week both from The Vine program:






Why I love Singlehood - Elisa Lorello & Sarah Girrell (Vine program)


















Nickel Plated - Aric Davis (Vine program)



















It's Monday What are you reading this week? Hosted by Sheila at One Person's Journey Through A World of Books. This is a meme to list the books completed last week, the books currently being read, and the books to be finished this week.

Books I finished in the last week:

Boyfriends With Girlfriends - Alex Sanchez
Stay - Deb Caletti
Miss Hildreth Wore Brown - Olive deBelle Byrd
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Books I am reading this week:


Why I love Singlehood - Elisa Lorello & Sarah Girrell
My Jane Austen Summer - Cindy Jones

Books to finish this week:

Why I love Singlehood - Elisa Lorello & Sarah Girrell
and hopefully My Jane Austen Summer - Cindy Jones

Friday, April 1, 2011

Stay - A Review

Stay - Deb Caletti (S&S Egalley)

Product Details

  • Pub. Date: April 2011
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
  • Format: Hardcover , 320pp
  • Sales Rank: 87,934
  • Age Range: Young Adult
  • ISBN-13: 9781442403734
  • ISBN: 144240373X



Synopsis

Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is—and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.

Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....


My Thoughts:

Wow! I'm having a hard time putting my thoughts into words on this one. Deb has incredible writing talent. She had me from page one and didn't let go. I could feel something sinister lurking below the pages as I read. You know it's there lurking, waiting to jump out at you. You just don't know when or where, but you know it is coming. This was written with such force that I admit a time or two, I looked over my own shoulder.

My heart ached for Clara and yes at times I found myself thinking how did she not see what I could see so plainly on the pages and then I stopped myself and realized how easy it would be not to see it. How easy it could be to convince yourself it's love. Christian creeped me out and rightfully so. Finn's character was my favorite. Clara's dad is a nice enough fellow but I admit a couple places in the book he had me reeling with anger. Annabelle was fantastic and Sylvia is someone I wish I had more background on.

I like Deb's writing style. The little footnotes added that little bit extra. She made this book feel so real, I could almost smell the crisp ocean air and hear the crashing of the waves. I loved the location of this book. Being from the Pacific Northwest, I love it when I find out a book takes place in my neck of the woods. It gives it that extra bit of familiarity. I've never been to Whidbey Island yet, but I got to see the San Juan's for the first time last year and fell in love with them, so this book made me long to go back again.

Author's Website: Deb Caletti