Aug 24, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday

                     I hate waiting...
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

The noise between Patch and Nora is gone. They've overcome the secrets riddled in Patch's dark past...bridged two irreconcilable worlds...faced heart-wrenching tests of betrayal, loyalty and trust...and all for a love that will transcend the boundary between heaven and earth. Armed with nothing but their absolute faith in one another, Patch and Nora enter a desperate fight to stop a villain who holds the power to shatter everything they've worked for—and their love—forever.

I sooooooo can't wait to read this one! Had started this series this year--I think--and totally fell in love with it. Granted the last book was kind of "meh", but still this I believe is the conclusion to Patch and Nora's story and I hope it ends happily! Can't remember if I did this as a WoW already since I stopped going in order. Need to make a list next time of what my WoWs were or find a better way to keep track! Regardless I so can't wait to read this one!

TITLE: Silence
AUTHOR: Becca Fitzpatrick
GENRE:
Paranormal YA
RELEASE DATE:
October 4, 2011

Aug 23, 2011

Review--Blood Secrets by Jeannie Holmes

WHEN ALEXANDRA SABIAN SINKS HER TEETH INTO AN INVESTIGATION, SHE DOESN’T LET GO.

Alex allowed a case involving murdered vamps to get personal and is suspended from the Federal Bureau of Preternatural Investigation. Now she’s facing an official inquiry but has a chance to redeem herself. The catch: She must once again work with Varik Baudelaire, her former mentor and ex-fiancĂ©, as he spearheads a search for a missing college student. But Varik has been keeping secrets from Alex, and his mysterious past is on a collision course with his present.

When Alex and Varik discover a carefully handcrafted doll at a crime scene, neither of them can see how close the danger really is or that a killer known as the Dollmaker has made Alex the object of his horrific desire. Now the only way out of the Dollmaker’s lair is through the twilight realm of the Shadowlands, where all secrets—for better or worse—will be revealed.

Jeannie Holmes's Blood Secrets was freaking incredible!! I loved it from beginning to end! I don't even know where to start on this review, just that it was so awesome and I don't want to spoil it as I gabber. Let's give this a try though! ;)
So things are still intense for Alex after her last case. Alex is still trying to figure out what her father was up to before he died. Also, she and Varik are still trying to work on their relationship along with readjusting to their reinstated blood bond created by Alex. But their relationship woes get put on hold when a serial killer pops up. One that Varik has followed in the past but he always alluded him (Varik). Now he's back in town and there's a girl missing--one who happens to have red hair.

Fear not, it's not Alex! But Alex becomes deeply involved in the case for reasons she doesn't realize. The Dollmaker, as he is known by for his creepy doll collection, has an infatuation with Alex. He's one seriously creepy dude! When reading scenes from his perspective (it's all third person p.o.v, but there are multiple p.o.v.s) I was weirded out! His character development was done supremely well. We love to love our heroes and heroines and even hate our villains, but being totally creeped out by the villains takes talent and Jeannie's got it!

This novel looks into Alex's past and she goes through an emotional train-wreck of sorts throughout the book due to certain events. Complications arise between her and Varik as well when secrets from his past are revealed. This book reveals tons of secrets too by the way! Some that were quite shocking!

It's hard to get into everything since so much happened in the book with all the different characters and how events that happened to one person may effect another! While it sounds complicated, it really isn't! There's also another dangerous vampire out there that ties into the Dollmaker's case as well that led to other interesting developments!

I do have to admit that I LOVED the cameo appearance of one Ms. Vicki Pettersson when she arrived around page 206! And she was still a Vegas resident too!! Thought it to be very clever!

The story was very gripping and engaging, as the bulk of it occurs in 2 days time, but with the different p.o.v.s it literally flies by! And the ending leads to more shocking surprises and revelations. The next Alexandra Sabian Novel is going to be awesome! I just know it! It is possible that it will look more at Alex's upcoming trial as that didn't occur this time around, but the ball is rolling into place for more outstanding revelations!

Overall rating 5/5 stars

Thanks again goes to Jeannie for sending me a copy! I totally loved it! Can't wait for the next one!!

Release Day--Blood Bound

Today is the day! Yay!! Rachel Vincent's newest release, Blood Bound is out today! Or should be. Hopefully. I haven't gone out yet to search. The official release date isn't til September 1--today is the shelf date.

Anyway, you all know by now how crazy I am about anything Rachel writes and I just wanted to post this info again to let you know!

By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood.

Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one.

But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her.

Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…

And here's the video trailer Rachel and #1 put together:


ARC Review--Damned by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie

There is a fine line between love and sacrifice….

Antonio would do anything for his beloved fighting partner Jenn. He protects her, even suppresses his vampire cravings to be with her. Together, they defend humanity against the Cursed Ones. But tensions threaten to fracture their hunting team and his loyalty—his love—is called into question.

Jenn, the newly appointed Hunter, aches for revenge against the Cursed One who converted her sister. And with an even more sinister power on the rise, she must overcome her personal vendettas to lead her team into battle.

Antonio and Jenn need each other to survive, but evil lurks at every turn. With humanity’s fate hanging in the balance, they must face down the darkness…or die trying.

I received this e-ARC courtesy of Simon & Schuster Galley Grab for review

The duo team Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie once again write another spectacular book together! Damned is the second in their new trilogy. Wasn't too impressed with the cover change, but what can you do? I guess seeing people on the covers is better than gates!

The battle between the Cursed Ones and Jenn and her team of hunters is growing more dangerous. And tension runs thick between team members as they each try to deal with their own problems and overcome their personal battles, while trying to remain a team.

I love getting into each of their heads and learning more and more about them and their pasts. And we do get to see that with them! We learn a little more about each of their backgrounds and what led them to the Academy.

There are also two new characters who come into the picture when Jenn and her team go to Russia to assist in retrieving their team member. While Father Juan and Antonio remain behind to look after Heather, Jenn's sister who is newly turned. They want her to be like Antonio. Antonio though can't stay away from Jenn and goes to her. And one of them is very attractive! At least Jenn thought so, there is a kind of pull between the two. So enter the love triangle again! Yet this one is going to be pretty interesting to see!

There's a lot of chaos in the book, a lot a lot a lot! Sometimes it was hard to keep the villains straight since we get to see their p.o.v. as well and trying to maintain what their goal is. For they each seem to have their own in mind, yet there is some sort of connection with the plan.

Can't get into too many details, but a lot of action happens. A lot of surprises. Like wayyyy shocking surprises! I have examples from other books that make them relatable, but can't say what they are for spoiler reasons! But there was a particular book that came to mind when reading that had a similar plot element.

And the ending? Pretty surprising. Action to the last minute! It's going to be a long wait til the final conclusion and I sooo can't wait to see how it all ends!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

Damned releases August 30, 2011

Teaser Tuesday

Here are the rules:
1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"The shadow detached from the wall and moved toward her.

"Alex sat up quickly and aimed her pistol at the shadow as it launched itself onto the bed. Her finger found the trigger."     p 6














TITLE: Blood Secrets
AUTHOR: Jeannie Holmes
GENRE:
Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE:
July 7, 2011

Aug 22, 2011

WINNERS!!

All righty I have the winners from my 400 followers contest! I just want to thank everyone for entering and following my blog! I love that I have so many followers and friends! ;)

Anyway, onto the winners!

The winner of their choice of 1 book up to $10 (US) from Book Depository is...

And the winner of a copy of Demon in my View--the book that started my paranormal obsession is...

Kelsey D.

Congrats ladies! I have sent you an email and you have 48 hours to respond or else a new winner will be chosen!

Thanks again guys! Be sure to stick around, I'm planning on having another giveaway for Halloween with some super cool stuff! Just have to buy some more super cool stuff though!!

It's Monday! What are you Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:


Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler (5 stars)
Working Stiff by Rachel Caine (4.5 stars)
(ARC) Legend of Witchtrot Road by E.J. Stevens *Review to be posted at a later date
Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding (4 stars)

Reviews that were Posted:
Beyond the Grave by Mara Purnhagen (4.5 stars)
Nocturne by Christine Johnson (2 stars)

Currently Reading:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting (ARC)

What I Plan to Read this Week:

Blood Secrets by Jeannie Holmes
Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Other Posts of Interest:

Aug 21, 2011

Movie News--Underworld: Awakening

Oh yeah!! Just saw the first trailer for Underworld 4! Underworld: Awakening! Time has definitely passed since Evolution for things aren't picking up exactly where we left off. It's a new world!!
No sign of Michael or Scott Speedman in the credit list so far. Not sure if he's replaced or if he's not there. In the trailer clip Selene does shout "Where's Michael?" but obviously we didn't get an answer.


Couldn't get the code to embed the video here in my blog post, nothing was cooperating with me and I'm not too tech savvy as you know! But the link will just take you to IMDB.com--the place to get info on any and every movie ever! And it'll play there! I so can't wait to see this one! Been a long wait since it originally was going to release later this year.

Underworld: Awakening releases January 31, 2012

Contest Alert

Jennifer's having another contest this week at her blog! You get to read 6 sentences from Half-Blood again and a boatload of swag prizes! One of the ultimate prizes includes a copy of Half-Blood, be it ARC or first edition copy--your choice!!

Click here for details

Review--Another Kind of Dead by Kelly Meding

She can heal her own wounds. She can nail a monster to a wall. But there’s one danger Evangeline Stone never saw coming.

Been there. Done that. Evy Stone is a former Dreg Bounty Hunter who died and came back to life with some extraordinary powers. Now all but five people in the world think she is dead again, this time for good—immolated in a factory fire set specifically for her. Evy and Wyatt, her partner/lover/friend, can no longer trust their former allies, or even the highest echelons of the Triads—the army of fighters holding back from an unsuspecting public a tide of quarreling, otherworldly creatures—they can trust only each other. Because when the Triads raided a macabre, monster-filled lab of science experiments and hauled away the remnants, they failed to capture their creator: a brilliant, vampire-obsessed scientist with a wealth of powerful, anti-Dreg weaponry to trade for what he desires most of all—Evy Stone: alive and well, and the key to his ultimate experiment in mad science.

Kelly Meding's Another Kind of Dead picks up where we left off with Evy and Wyatt and while it's been three years worth of books, it's only been a few weeks for Evy! Makes it hard to recall certain details of what happened in the past, but I managed!

This time around Evy is duking it out with a mad scientist--seriously! He wants to study Evy to help him with his cause. Evy is determined not to let that happen but when a friend's life is at stake, all bets are off. It took me longer to read this since I started it towards the weekend and have been battling a headache since Thursday afternoon, so it was slow going for me to be able to read. But it wasn't the book's fault.

I love Meding's writing! It flows so easily together and it has that urban edge to it you expect from urban fantasy. Descriptions of buildings, places, and people--especially the monstrous kind--are described remarkably well. It really sets up the scene!

The action was well paced, this time around there isn't a distinct deadline to get the job done, so there's no deep sense of urgency, yet there are still pressing matters at hand that give off the sense of urgency. Of course the mad scientist is still dastardly and time is of the essence to end him, but he's a slipperly SOB.

Things are still sparking between Evy and Wyatt and I have to admit that I truly love their romance. It's so deep and pure, not the carnal romance you sometimes see with fictional couples. They are still learning about one another in a sense since Evy's "rebirth". And I love how they take their time with one another, and yet still have strong emotions about the other.

The ending, while satisfying still leaves enough hanging that will continue in the next book, Wrong Side of Dead, which actually releases January 31! So not a real long wait.

One thing I can't seem to comprehend is that the cover model is always different on the covers. I thought it made sense at one point, but now I can't remember why. The cover model of the next novel is even different, I have yet to recall or figure out why that was. Oh well! The writing and storyline is still wicked awesome, so no complainants from me!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly blog post hosted by Kirsti over at The Story Siren and inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie.

Well it was a pretty slow week for book buying, not that I'm complaining or anything since my TBR pile is huge! But it was still eventful!

First I got a SIGNED copy of Blood Secrets by Jeannie Holmes that I can't wait to read:

Thanks again, Jeannie!

Then I bought:

Nocturne by Syrie James

Then in a contest I won:

Kitty's Big Trouble by Carrie Vaughn

Which I do already have so I might save this for another contest or trade if anyone's interested. Not sure what I'll do just yet!

Then from S&S Galley Grab I finally got:

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

I love her Body Finder series so I decided to give this one a go!

Then while not a book I also got some totally awesome stuff from Target in their dollar section:

Which I did buy some extras which I plan on giving away in October for a super cool Halloween prize package! So stick around for that come October and Halloween time!!

And that's my mailbox this week, what did you get?

And don't forget today is the LAST day to enter my 400 followers contest! Click here for details!

Aug 20, 2011

Top 5 Sundays

Top 5 Sundays is a weekly blog meme created by Larissa at Larissa's Bookish Life.

Here's a little info about the meme taken from Larissa's blog:

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:
1 - Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.
2 - Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.
3 - Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)
4 - After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.
5 – If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week's topic is: FAVORITE URBAN LEGENDS!

*in no particular order

This one was super hard! Took a lot of searching for me!

Bride & Seek

“BACK IN '75 a young couple, both 18, decided to get married right after high school. The father of the bride lived in Palm Beach in a mansion and was able to afford a big wedding for them. To make a long story short, they got married and the wedding was beautiful.

After the wedding they had a big reception in an old building and everyone got pretty drunk. When there were only about 20 people left, the groom decided that they should play hide-and-seek. Everyone agreed and the groom was "it." They all went and hid and the game went on.

After about 20 minutes everyone had been found except the bride. Everyone looked everywhere and tore the whole place apart looking for her. After a few hours the groom was furious, thinking the bride was playing a terrible trick. Eventually, everyone went home.

A few weeks later the groom, having placed a missing persons report, gave up looking for her. Heartbroken, he tried to go on with his life.

Three years later a little old woman was cleaning the place up. She happened to be in the attic and saw an old trunk. She dusted it off, and, out of curiosity, opened it. She screamed at the top of her lungs, ran out of the building and called the police.

Apparently, the bride had decided to hide in the trunk for the game of hide-and-seek. When she sat down, the lid fell, knocking her unconscious and locking her inside. She suffocated after a day or so. When the woman found her, she was rotting, her mouth in the shape of a scream.”

**borrowed this one from Larissa, remembered it from when I was a kid and how it scared the crap out of me!

The Babysitter and the Man Upstairs
A married couple were going out for the evening and called in a teenage babysitter to take care of their three children. When she arrived they told her they probably wouldn't be back until late, and that the kids were already asleep so she needn't disturb them.

The babysitter starts doing her homework while awaiting a call from her boyfriend. After awhile the phone rings. She answers it, but hears no one on the other end — just silence, then whoever it is hangs up. After a few more minutes the phone rings again. She answers, and this time there's a man on the line who says, in a chilling voice, "Have you checked the children?"

Click.

At first she thinks it might have been the father calling to check up and he got interrupted, so she decides to ignore it. She goes back to her homework, then the phone rings again. "Have you checked the children?" says the creepy voice on the other end.

"Mr. Murphy?" she asks, but the caller hangs up again.

She decides to phone the restaurant where the parents said they'd be dining, but when she asks for Mr. Murphy she is told that he and his wife had left the restaurant 45 minutes earlier. So she calls the police and reports that a stranger has been calling her and hanging up. "Has he threatened you?" the dispatcher asks. No, she says. "Well, there's nothing we can really do about it. You could try reporting the prank caller to the phone company."

A few minutes go by and she gets another call. "Why haven't you checked the children?" the voice says.

"Who is this?" she asks, but he hangs up again. She dials 911 again and says, "I'm scared. I know he's out there, he's watching me."

"Have you seen him?" the dispatcher asks. She says no. "Well, there isn't much we can do about it," the dispatcher says. The babysitter goes into panic mode and pleads with him to help her. "Now, now, it'll be okay," he says. "Give me your number and street address, and if you can keep this guy on the phone for at least a minute we'll try to trace the call. What was your name again?"

"Linda."

"Okay, Linda, if he calls back we'll do our best to trace the call, but just keep calm. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes," she says, and hangs up.

She decides to turn the lights down so she can see if anyone's outside, and that's when she gets another call. "It's me," the familiar voice says. "Why did you turn the lights down?"

"Can you see me?" she asks, panicking.

"Yes," he says after a long pause.

"Look, you've scared me," she says. "I'm shaking. Are you happy? Is that what you wanted?"

"No."

"Then what do you want?" she asks.

Another long pause.

"Your blood. All over me."

She slams the phone down, terrified. Almost immediately it rings again.

"Leave me alone!" she screams, but it's the dispatcher calling back. His voice is urgent.

"Linda, we've traced that call. It's coming from another room inside the house. Get out of there! Now!!!"

She tears to the front door, attempting to unlock it and dash outside, only to find the chain at the top still latched. In the time it takes her to unhook it she sees a door open at the top of the stairs. Light streams from the children's bedroom, revealing the profile of a man standing just inside.

She finally gets the door open and bursts outside, only to find a cop standing on the doorstep with his gun drawn. At this point she's safe, of course, but when they capture the intruder and drag him downstairs in handcuffs, she sees he is covered in blood. Come to find out, all three children have all been murdered.

Alligators in the Sewers
It was once a fad among New Yorkers vacationing in Florida to bring back baby alligators for their children to raise as pets. These infant gators eventually grew up and outlived their cuteness, sad to say, at which point their desperate owners flushed them down the toilet to get rid of them.

Some of these hastily disposed-of creatures managed to survive and breed in the dank Manhattan sewer system, so the story goes, producing colonies of giant, albino alligators beneath the streets of New York City. Their descendants thrive down there to this day, completely hidden (apart from the rare heart-stopping encounter between sewer gator and sewer worker, that is) from human eyes.

Llorona
 They say that the Llorona was once a poor young girl who loved a rich nobleman, and together they had three children. The girl wished to marry the nobleman, but he refused her. He told her that he might have considered marrying her if she had not born the three out-of-wedlock children, which he considered a disgrace. The girl was determined to have the nobleman for her own, so she drowned her children to prove her love to him. But still he would have none of her and married another. Mad with grief, the girl walked along the river, weeping and calling for her children. But they were gone. So she drowned herself. For her crime, her spirit was condemned to wander the waterways, weeping and searching for her children until the end of time. It was said that whenever the wailing woman appears, someone will die.

Now I have heard that one night, two young men were car-pooling home from work with the windows down when they heard a terrible wail. It sounded like the desperate cry of a baby or perhaps an injured tom-cat. Beside the road, a white mist began to gather. It moved swiftly among a grove of palm trees and when it reached the largest tree, it became the figure of a lovely young girl dressed all in white. Long dark hair hung loose down her back. She began to weep and wring her hands in agony, and the men realized that they were seeing the ghost of the Llorona. The driver gunned the engine and they drove away as fast as they could. The glowing figure of the Llorona remained visible in the rear-view mirror until the car turned the corner.

The men were upset by the vision, afraid that the rumors about the Llorona might be true. But nothing happened to either of them the rest of that night, so they laughed away the incident, deciding that they had imagined the whole thing.

The next night, the men were riding home from work when their front tire burst at the place in the road where they had seen the ghost the previous night.  The car spun out of control and hit the largest tree in the palm grove in the exact place where the Llorona had appeared to them.  Both men were killed instantly.

Til Death Do We Part
A newly married couple, let's just call them Billy and Mable, had bought a house in Maine. They disregarded the stories told to them about the house by the realtor about the house being haunted by an insane serial killer and moved in. Mable frequently complained about the feeling that someone was touching her in the night, and Billy resolved to stay up the whole night and see who was doing it.

True to his word, Billy stayed up the whole night. He just didn't stay in the room. Around midnight, he was gripped by the feeling of an overwhelming thirst. He went downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Before he could get a glass, he heard the most horrible screaming from Mable's room. Billy rushed upstairs and screamed himself. Mable's mutilated corpse was strewn in various places around the bed. Billy rushed downstairs and called the police. Several nights later, Billy was sleeping peacefully. Until around midnight. Again feeling very thirsty, he went downstairs and got a glass of water. He went upstairs and saw a lump in the bed. He ripped off the covers and the ghost of Mable floated up. She had an unholy light in her eyes, and the dark form of another man floated beside her. Mable held the biggest knife Billy had ever seen in her hand.

"Didn't you promise, Billy? Didn't you promise? 'Till death do we part? Didn't you promise?" Mable said as she floated towards the paralyzed Billy.

The house being far out into the lush country side, no one could hear Billy's horrified and pain-filled screams.

Cover Copy Reveal--Keri Arthur

Keri has posted the cover copy of her third Dark Angels book the other day on her blog! Yes, the first book isn't even out yet, and here we have the third cover copy!! No cover art to it yet, but will post once it's up in the blogosphere!

Half-werewolf, half-Aedh Risa Jones can enter the realm between life and death, and she can see the Reapers who collect the souls of the dead. Now, she is using her gifts—and the investigative know-how of a man who broke her heart—to find a cabal searching for the power to control time, reality, and fate. And this is besides her work for the Vampire Council, half of whom want her dead.

But for now the Council needs her alive. Someone is killing blood-whore addicted vampires, and Risa must find the guilty party. If she succeeds, she may finally convince the council to lift the execution order on her life. But before she succeeds, she must first survive…

Darkness Devours releases June 5, 2012!

Aug 19, 2011

Friday Hops

This blogger hop was created by Jennifer at Crazy for Books.

Here are the rules:
1. Enter your book blog link in the Linky List below (be sure to include how long you've been blogging and what genres you review!). If you post about the Hop on your blog, please link directly to your Hop post (don't forget to answer this week's question - see below!).
2. Visit other blogs in the Linky List! Make new friends! Follow new book bloggers! Talk about books! Rave about authors! (Please do not leave your link and not visit other blogs - it's just not cool and not in the spirit of the Hop!)
3. Post about the Hop on your blog! Spread the word about the book party! The more the merrier!
4. In your blog post, answer the following question (new question each week!):

“What’s the LONGEST book you’ve ever read?”
(Note: I’m putting one caveat on this question. You aren’t allowed to say the Bible, Torah, Qur’an, or other religious/spiritual text.)

MY ANSWER: The longest book I've ever read was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. The full version, not the abridged. According to Goodreads its 1276 pages long! Although I believe some of those pages are the "opening" ones and don't have the story on it, but still over a 1000 pages long! Read it the summer before I started college since I read the abridged version in high school and ended up loving it for some weird reason!











This is a weekly blog meme hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read.

Here are the general rules to Follow Friday:
1. Follow the Follow My Book Blog Friday Hosts and any one else you want to follow on the list
2. Follow our Featured Bloggers
3. Put your Blog name & URL in the Linky thing.
4. Grab the button up there and place it in a post, this post is for people to find a place to say hi in your comments
5. Follow Follow Follow as many as you can
6. If someone comments and says they are following you, be a dear and follow back. Spread the Love...and the followers
7. If you want to show the link list, just follow the link below the entries and copy and paste it within your post!
8. If your new to the follow Friday hop, comment and let me know, so I can stop by and check out your blog!

This week's question is: If you could write yourself a part in a book, what book would it be and what role would you play in that book?

MY ANSWER: Hmm, I would love to be any of the kick-ass heroine that I read about! They are always fun loving gals! And snarky, have great besties at their sides and a total hottie to go with! Just about any of the urban fantasy heroines that I read from would be who I want to be. 

But I guess in terms of being myself I would want to be friends with Jessie from the 13 to Life series! I loved her character, but yet there were times I wanted to bop her upside the head and ask her what she was doing? Of course I couldn't have Pieter, but Max would still be available! Or course I would have to be transformed into a teenager as well, since I'm being magically put into the series that shouldn't be a problem though!

Aug 18, 2011

Random Thursday

Not that long ago I was talking about old TV shows with a friend and then it was even a topic for Top 5 Sundays and it got me thinking about quite a few things that I will break into different Random posts.

First thing was remembering shows like The Power Rangers--the very early episodes with Amy Jo Johnson and the other guys--remember the actors changing a bit. I used to love that show. Kimberly was my fave, obviously because she was the pink ranger and because she was a brunette like me! It seemed that there were more blondes on TV at that time. At least with the shows I was watching. The lead actress was always blonde! So when Kimberly was replaced by Cat, I wasn't too happy.


It also reminded me of the same thing on So Weird. Another big fave of mine growing up since it was one of the first, besides Are You Afraid of the Dark, that was a supernatural like show I remember watching. Fi was awesome! She was always in the thick of something supernatural and the legend or lore was always something truly unique! That's what I also loved about that show, it wasn't your typical ghost story, but other kind of legends! 

In the last season, they replaced Fi with Annie who was some blonde chick that was a friend of the family. Totally upsetting. It wasn't the same anymore. Sure Annie would investigate something supernatural, but it was upsetting to me since it wasn't truly the same. Fi had the connection with the supernatural because of her dad. That was always a big mystery, it seemed we would get little bits of info here and there and then boom! Show's done! I so think that this show was well ahead of its time with the supernatural stuff! I loved it back then and still do obviously, but it might have lasted longer had it aired around this time!

Oh well. Anyone else remember watching these shows? Or another fave show where one of your fave characters was replaced (and not necessarily by a blonde)?

Aug 17, 2011

Review--Working Stiff by Rachel Caine

Bryn Davis knows working at Fairview Mortuary isn't the most glamorous career choice, but at least it offers stable employment--until she discovers her bosses using a drug that resurrects the clientele...as part of an extortion racket. Now Bryn faces being terminated (literally) with extreme prejudice.

With the assistance of corporate double agent Patrick McCallister, Bryn has a chance to take down the bigger problem--pharmaceutical company Pharmadene, which treats death as the ultimate corporate loyalty program. She'd better do it fast before she becomes a zombie slave--a real working still.

She's be better off dead.

This was formerly titled Dead Sexy, in case anyone was wondering. I had that down in my old book list and wasn't aware of the title change til a few months ago.

Anyway, Rachel Caine's new series, The Revivalist series was very interesting! Working Stiff was a different kind of read for me. Not too much paranormal, at least nothing strong. You have to really get into it to see the paranormal aspect--which of course is zombies. Yet it's not the brain munching zombies, these are simply people who have died, got a shot and are alive again--that's how the drug works. But you have to take the drug everyday or else you start to decay. And eventually a body without the drug starts to become zombie like, yet still never completely dies.

Like I said, it was an interesting read. I loved Rachel's Weather Warden series and her Outcast series as well, so I decided to give this one a try and it was pretty amazing. Bryn is quite the character too. She's got an edge to her, which she has to have considering she wanted to work in the funeral home. She has a complicated past that has shaped her to who she's become. She is fierce and strong.

Patrick actually didn't pop up right away. I was starting to think I was being misled, for first we meet Joe who works for Patrick as well. Joe was enjoyable, he's got personality! Patrick is just a big mystery in some ways. Still is. Bryn compares him to Bruce Wayne and it's a good comparison. He's not Batman or a superhero but he is still pretty secretive.

Best part is that this is gonna be a series similar to Rachel's other adult ones. The books continue the same storyline, so bad news of course is that it ended with a cliffhanger and can likely expect the same for the next books as well! Oh well, I'm already hooked and can't wait to see how Bryn manages to do what was asked of her at the end!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars

Cover Copy Reveal--Kelly Keaton

A power she can’t deny. A destiny she’s determined to fight.

When Ari first arrived in the dilapidated city of New 2, all she wanted was to figure out who she was. But what she discovered was beyond her worst nightmare. Ari can already sense the evil growing inside her—a power the goddess Athena will stop at nothing to possess.

Desperate to hold on to her humanity and protect her loved ones, Ari must fight back. But Athena’s playing mind games, not just with Ari but with those she cares about most. And Athena has a very special plan for the brooding and sexy Sebastian.

Ari is determined to defeat Athena, but time is running out. With no other options, Ari must unleash the very thing she’s afraid of: herself.

Soooo can't wait to read this one!!! Totally love this series!!
A Beautiful Evil releases February 21, 2012

Also, here's the old cover, I think I like the new one, yet I did like how the old one seemed to be in theme with the first.


Waiting on Wednesday

                     I hate waiting...
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly blog post by Jill over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights releases we're eagerly awaiting.

The grave is one wrong step away.

Having narrowly averted an (under)world war, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans' voodoo queen just keeps on giving--leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity--forever. But how do you kill a killer who's already long dead?

The wait is almost over! Okay, there's still an agonizing 2 weeks, but at least I'm in the right month!! So can't wait to read more of Cat and Bones! Already seeing some awesome reviews that I read with envy since others have already devoured it!

TITLE: One Grave at a Time
AUTHOR: Jeaniene Frost
GENRE:
Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE:
August 30, 2011