Top 5 Sundays

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

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: Fave Books from 1st Half of 2012!

*in no particular order

Oh man this one's hard!! I am soooooooo very very behind on many series that released new installments from the first 6 months of this year! Been reading too many ARCs that released later this year! And I can't pick them, that's cheating. ;)

Okay, here we go, click the picture for my review:

HEMLOCK

This one totally blew me away! I wasn't sure what I was expecting from it, but I was interested with the murder mystery and how werewolves are seen and everything! It was awesome!

BLACK HOWL

This was definitely an emotional roller coaster of a read, but I still really really enjoyed it!! I sooo cannot wait to read the next one in a few months!!

VAMPIRE'S KISS

I looooved the first book in this series and I looooved this one too! Things got super exciting in this one and left you with quite a few questions too!

UNDERWORLD

Oh man! Feels like forever since I read this one, instead of last month! Wow, too many books ago!! I looooved this one! Things, once again, got really exciting and naturally leaves you craving for more!

THE IMMORTAL RULES

This one got a few mixed reviews, but I still really enjoyed it! I loved seeing vampires in Julie's way! They were different from the way I've been seeing them, ie heroes. So loved this one!

If you get back to me in another month or two--hopefully!--I hope to have read some of my 2012 releases since January! 

Friday Hops

Happy 100th Follow Friday Everyone!!

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by GReads! that re-caps the week’s posts and has different question each week.
 

This week's question is: Cast Your Own Story: If you could use existing characters from some of your favorite books to create a new story, who would be in it?

MY ANSWER: Oh wow! That's a tough one. Well since I only have to pick characters, let's go with:

Bones, Ian, oh hell, Cat too! 

 Janco, because I seriously cannot get enough of that man!

And Valek and Yelena!

Gilley!

Elena and Clay!

Now what the story would be about, I have no clue! But with the mish-mash of characters you know it's gotta be hella good!

Cover Copy Reveal--Jana Oliver

Here it is! The US cover for Foretold by Jana Oliver! This is the series finale! So many series are ending this year, feel like crying! Yet there are still soooo many books I need to read, including in these series that are ending!! Eep! So behind!

Stand by as Riley prepares to kick some serious demon butt for the last time in this thrilling, dramatic and sexy conclusion to The Demon Trappers series.

Riley’s always known that Beck had a chequered history, but she’s not prepared for what it actually means to be in love with a guy with this many dark secrets. Now that he’s finally admitted to himself that he’s in love with her too, there’s no more hiding the truth about his past. And as it turns out, fending off a demon apocalypse is nothing compared to what’s to come...

I totally LOVE this cover too! The colors are just beautiful, it's simply breathtaking! Cannot wait to read it!!

Foretold releases August 2, 2012

Cover Art--Devon Monk

Eep!! Visiting blogs and saw this on Devon's!!

Seriously, these covers just get more awesome as the series goes on!! I thought the last one had taken place as my fave, but I really love this one too!!

And Devon's says this is the LAST book in the series! She gave the cover artist a feeling to go for, and I think they did a superb job!! This so looks final, sad, but you just know Allie is gonna kick some a$$!

No cover description yet, but will post once I find it!

 

Magic for a Price releases November 6, 2012

Random Thursday

All right time for a mini rant.

I was channeling surfing last week or recently and I paused on Nickelodeon because there was a commercial that caught my eye. It was advertising a new show.

It even said, I do believe since I rushed to write it down: "Brand New Show Premieres"

The show had the current Nickelodeon actors all sitting at a table and occasionally stuff like slime would fall down on them. There were gadgets or other oddities in front of them. They wore jumpsuits.

On the other side of the room stood who I assume to be the host--some dude--with a kid. It appeared that the actors were trying to guess some secret talent or whatever that this kid has.

Sound familiar yet?

The "brand new show" is called Figure it Out.

I seriously sat there and had to backtrack to see if maybe the commercial said something else. Surely they could not say BRAND NEW SHOW PREMIERES.

I mean, the show isn't "brand new" in the slightest! Couldn't they have said NEW SEASON? Or something else.

So there's my rant. I was just really really peeved at the whole "BRAND NEW SHOW" whatnot when the show is so not new. It was on in the 90s when All That (the better version--don't even get me started when they had the new cast with Britney Spear's little sister on it) was still on!

Another Cover Art Reveal--Cat Adams

Just the cover. No other info available just yet! I still have to read the last one that came out in March! And nearly every book I've bought since January, plus dozens and dozens of others from previous years, but mostly all bought last year! 

Obviously this one will release sometime next year!

The Eldritch Conspiracy releases in 2013.

Cover Copy Reveal--Finale!

Nora is more certain than ever that she is in love with Patch. Fallen angel or no, he is the one for her. Her heritage and destiny may mean that they will always be enemies, but there is no turning her back on him. But now they face their biggest challenge. Can their love survive a seemingly insurmountable divide. And in the end, will there be enough trust left to rebuild what has been broken? The lines are drawn - but which sides are they on?

Finale releases October 23, 2012

I don't know. The cover is pretty but for some reason I am not in love with it. The past covers seemed more dramatic, yet still promising action of a sort. This one just seems a little blah? I do like the scattered feathers. I don't necessarily hate the cover, but I don't love it either. 

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.

It's a Roc publishing co. WoW day! Totally didn't see that until I was typing the info in!!

As a Grave Witch, Alex solves murders by raising the dead. While she’s always been on friendly terms with Death himself, lately things have become a lot more personal. But the personal takes a backseat to the professional when a string of suicides occur in Nekros City. The shades have no memory of the days leading up to their brutal endings, so despite the very apparent suicides, this is murder. And searching for the answers might mean Alex won’t have a life to remember at all…

TITLE: Grave Memory

AUTHOR: Kalayna Price
PUBLISHER: Roc
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 3, 2012

After dying and being revived with the experimental drug Returne, Bryn Davis is theoretically free to live her unlife—with regular doses to keep her going. But Bryn knows that the government has every intention of keeping a tight lid on Pharmadene’s life-altering discovery, no matter the cost.

And when some of the members of a support group for Returne addicts suddenly disappear, Bryn begins to wonder if the government is methodically removing a threat to their security, or if some unknown enemy has decided to run the zombies into the ground…

TITLE: Two Weeks Notice
AUTHOR: Rachel Caine
PUBLISHER: Roc 

GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: August 7, 2012

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.

 

 

"'Besides, anyone dumb enough to break in and steal from Corey O'Shea is going to end up in a shallow grave or at the bottom of the harbor.'

"'So,' she said. 'What are we doing here again?'" Kindle Location 2595-2599/5366*

 

 

*Location comes from my e-ARC, therefore it and the quote are not final

TITLE: Sin's Dark Caress
AUTHOR: Tracey O'Hara
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012

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:

 Fire Kissed (ARC) by Erin Kellison--Review to come at a later date

Stalking the Others (ARC) by Jess Haines--Review to come at a later date

Reviews That Were Posted:

Tempest Unleashed (ARC) by Tracey Deebs (5 stars)

Arise (ARC) by Tara Hudson (4.5 stars)

Currently Reading:

Sin's Dark Caress (ARC) by Tracey O'Hara

What I Plan to Read this Week:

The Goddess Legacy (ARC) by Aimee Carter

Other Posts of Interest:

Teaser Tuesday--Fire Kissed

MOVIE REVIEW--The Avengers

Waiting on Wednesday

Cover Art--2 Titles!

Random Thursday--He Went to the Moon!

The Lost Prince Goodness!

My Conundrum

Friday Hops

Darynda Jones to Write YA!

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves

This weekly meme is hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Stacking The Shelves is all about the books we are adding to our shelves each week, sharing with you our excitement for our newest titles and maybe have you discover a new book in the process!

Well, I had a pretty good week I guess. Good in that I only bought 1 book and thus added only 1 book to my TBR mountain. Bad part is, I only got 1 book! But looking at all the books in my TBR pile and then adding who knows how many from what's on my Kindle, my final verdict is: it was a good week!

This week I bought/got in the mail since I ordered it last weekend:

 Blue-Blooded Vamp by Jaye Wells

Cannot wait to read the finale! Hearing that it was really good! Was shocked that Netgalley didn't have this one earlier! Read the last 2 on Netgalley, but oh well! I always buy them afterwards anyway!

Then I also got some bookmarks from Kalayna Price! My Minion status has been renewed! Last year I got bookmarks to take to bookstores and libraries. It was fun too! I went to the store and slid them into her books, left a few at the counter too!

Trying, again to put a personal picture in the post! Sorry if it's still too big or something. I have yet to figure out how to make it look right. I think it does that mostly with Internet Explorer, I know I looked at my blog at work once using that and did see my HUGE pics, but for some reason on Firefox, it looks perfect! At least to me!

So if you can see, I basically have bookmarks for her Alex Craft novels--all three! And then bookmarks from her Novels of Haven, book 2, Twice Dead! I personally looove that series! It's very cool and the third book should be releasing this year! I do have reviews for those two books up on my blog. Just below my post listing that goes by months, there's a search engine, so just search for Kalayna's name and you should be able to find them! They were just awesome!!

And that was my small, yet nicely fabulous additions to my shelves!

What did you get?

Darynda Jones to write YA!!

Okay, you might have heard, or maybe not--I learned on Wednesday via WoW, that Darynda Jones is going to write a YA series!! Huzzah!

From the author of The New York Times bestselling series that began with First Grave on the Right—a thrilling Young Adult novel garnering high praise and early buzz from major authors.

Ten years ago, Lorelei's parents disappeared without a trace.  Raised by her grandparents and leaning on the support of her best friends, Lorelei is finally beginning to accept the fact that her parents are never coming home.  For Lorelei, life goes on.

High school is not quite as painful as she thinks it will be, and things are as normal as they can be.  Until the day the school's designated loner, Cameron Lusk, begins to stalk her, turning up where she least expects it,  standing outside her house in the dark, night after night.  Things get even more complicated when a new guy—terrifying, tough, sexy Jared Kovach—comes to school.  Cameron and Jared instantly despise each other and Lorelei seems to be the reason for their animosity.  What does Jared know about her parents?  Why does Cameron tell Jared he can't have Lorelei?  And what will any of them do when Death comes knocking for real? 

Thrilling, sassy, sexy, and inventive, Darynda Jones's first foray into the world of teens will leave readers eager for the next installment.

  

My only complainant about the cover is that the models don't really look like high school students. But whatever! Still planning on reading this one!

Death and the Girl Next Door releases October 2, 2012

And Goodreads had info on Book 2!!

The normal part of Lorelei MacAlister’s life didn’t just slip away quietly the day Jared Kovach came to town. Nope. The normal part of her life shattered. It exploded. It burst into a gazillion shards of fleeting light.

It went out with a bang.

Goodbye normal.

Hello dark and eerie.

While her best friend, Brooklyn, is focusing all of her energy on helping Lorelei hone her abilities, Lorelei is dealing with the reality that Satan’s second in command has taken up residence inside her body. Oh, and the fact that she has a crush on the Angel of Death. But what a beautiful death it is. If those weren’t bad enough, something sinister has come to town and it wants nothing more than to hear Lorelei’s dying breath as it strangles it out of her. Thank goodness the gang has a supernatural champion. But what happens when the only being who can save them switches sides midstream? How can a group of misfits capture one of the most powerful beings ever created? And will they find out how to bring Jared back to them before it’s too late?

And here on the cover is the model from A Want so Wicked!! Doesn't look like Dawn anymore now, does she?!

Death, Doom, and Detention releases sometime in 2013! Will post more once I find something!

Friday Hops

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: You are a matchmaker — your goal, hook up two characters from two of your favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

MY ANSWER: Oooh a challenge!

And boy do I have a wild match in mind! Please read my reasoning before making huh? faces at the covers! ;)

All right, ignoring Charley's other love interest(s?) in her series, I still have to get caught up on that one! I think she and Janco from the Study Trilogy would make a great match!

They're both funny! Ignoring the time difference as well. I think they would make an interesting couple. At least one date, of course you know who might not like Charley out with another guy!

But these two seem alike in a way! They both seriously make me lol when reading!

So if the time difference wasn't a problem and Charley's book love interest wasn't a problem, I think these two would make a decent couple! They might last, but then if since they are pretty similar I am not totally sure if they could last for all time!

I just thought this would be a wild match since they are so alike but come from two different books!

TGIF is a weekly feature created and hosted by GReads! that re-caps the week’s posts and has different question each week.

This week's question is: Issue Books: Which books have you found to be very rewarding when it comes to tackling tougher issues? 

MY ANSWER: All right, I think Jess Haines series, in its own way, tackles prejudices well. Most humans in this series hate the Others--werewolves, vampires, you name it! Shiarra, the main character was one of them too, then in book 1 she had to work for a vampire. She then had to deal with her prejudices and throughout the books you see her getting to know more Others and she sees them as being decent Other beings! Since I can't say human. ;)

At first I was a little mad at Shiarra that she grouped ALL Others into one category, but she learns that just like with humans, that simply cannot be done.

Going with my retro days reading, I read quite a bit of contemporary since finding paranormal YA was like finding a needle in a haystack, this was 11 years ago people. I read a lot of Sarah Dessen's books! She had some serious issues in her writing. Divorce, teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and even physical abuse.

And through it all, I think she wrote some really good books. We watched the characters sink into their downfall, then struggle, and then overcome it. It wasn't bad writing, saying that this is what teens do. It showed what teens might do (or anyone really), and how they are strong enough to pull themselves out of the dark. Or something philosophical like that!