Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Teaser Tuesday: #15 // Everneath

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

The Rules:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) or so “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.

This week's teaser comes from Everneath written by Brodi Ashton






Jack.
Jack didn't give up on me when I left. Jules told me he never stopped looking. Never stopping hoping I'd come back.  I couldn't give up on him now.
       (Taken from page 284) 






PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesday post (so I can check it out), or if you don't own a blog share two 'teasers' in a comment here below. Thanks!



Monday, January 30, 2012

{Short & Sweet Reviews:} Love Potions by Michelle McCleod

I was contacted by Michelle McCleod back in June of last year to be a beta reader for her novella, Love Potions. I really enjoyed her book and last night I decided to read it again on my Kindle just for fun. So I thought what the heck why not do a short and sweet review on the book?! So I hope everyone enjoys my review. Oh and I will mention that it is a +18 novella so be warned. ^__^



Title: Love Potions
Author: Michelle McCleod
Published: September 23rd 2011 
Rating: +18
Star Rating: ★★★★
Add on Goodreads: here 

An incompetent witch, a cursed elf, and the wizard who wants to kill them. Witch-in-training, Marion, is about to flunk her Potions class because of a serious case of 'love block'. If her love potions keep exploding like stink bombs, she won't graduate to the magical defense classes she really wants to take. A problem because her ex-boyfriend is out of prison and wants to pick up where they left off...with his hands around her throat. When Marion learns she'll never make a love potion if she doesn't fall in love, she takes a risk on Aidan, a handsome, charming elf...cursed to break her heart. 
Love Potions was such a fun and exciting read with a bit of Kink. Although this book was short it was not lacking in any area, especially the magical bond between a witch and a elf who both heated up the pages of this book which made for a amazing read. I found the story-line to move quickly and smoothly while the characters were very fun to get to know and fall in love with. Marion the witch was a bit clueless but in the end she knew what she wanted when it came to her heart. Oooh, Aiden.. sexy sexy Aiden. Every woman's, or witch's dream man. Such a dreamy, sexy elf. Yes I said ELF. Imagine what he could do with those ears?! Anyhoo, I would so recommend this book to the 18+ crowd and only because there is sexual content. A must read for anyone who loves a sexy story from a fantasy stand-point. 

Love Potions can me bought: Amazon (free for prime members)


Sunday, January 29, 2012

Indie Authors Spotlight (#1)


Welcome to Indie Author Spotlight! This is a BRAND NEW weekly meme that will be held on every SUNDAY in the month. It is hosted by Beckie @Bittersweet Enchantment & CYP @A Bookalicious StoryThe idea of this meme is to promote indie authors and to help them and their books to get recognize. This will be a great way for book bloggers to take part in helping these authors be spotlighted for their hard work. If you would like to participate with us please check out this page - 



So onto who I will be featuring this week... and I wont be doing one author a week only because there are so many indie authors out there. So I will be spotlighting 1-3 each week. 

This week in the Indie Author Spotlight is...

About Kelan O’Connell...

As a young adult, Kelan O’Connell spent her summers aboard a family houseboat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Apparently, she still harbors suspicions about those deep murky waters.
Though she’s been writing in one form or another since the age of 20, Delta Legend is Kelan’s debut Young Adult Crossover novel.
She began writing in college, creating character monologues as a way to stand out in auditions and cranking out sketch comedy. She holds a degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State University and has worked in the Entertainment Industry in Northern California and Los Angeles, among her many other day jobs. Kelan currently lives in Northern California with her partner, Sound Engineer/Producer Tom Size, and the spoiled pets of Camp Runamuck.

The Authors Novel: Delta Legend // Amazon | B&N
When 16-year-old Oakland California teenager, Calvin Pierce, makes a bad decision and winds up getting arrested, his mother is quick to take action. Determined not to lose a second son to the drug and gang violence of the inner city, she sends Calvin to spend the summer working for his great uncle in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. 
Stuck in the predominately-white region of agriculture and recreational boating, Calvin’s a fish out of water with a chip on his shoulder. But when severed body parts start floating to the surface, his summer of proving himself takes on new meaning. 
Something deadly is lurking in the deep, murky waterways of the Delta. Now the daunting task of containing the living incarnation of a mythical creature falls to Calvin and his ragtag posse of oddball characters.



About Dana Michelle Burnett...
Dana Michelle Burnett spent most of her life writing short stories and sharing them with family and friends. Over the years, her work was published in numerous commercial and literary magazines including Just Labs, Mindprints: A Literary Journal, Foliate Oak, and many more.  Her short story John Lennon and the Chicken Holocaust was included in The Best of Foliate Oak in 2006.

 The Authors PR Novel: // Amazon | B&N | Smashwords


A love that refuses to die…“As I watched him vanish into a soft mist that faded away, I knew that he was no ordinary spirit…I knew that he was a dangerous entity that could be in some corner of another realm planning his revenge, but I also knew that I was hopelessly in love with him.”When Becca moves into her ancestral home in Corydon, Indiana, her life takes a puzzling and thrilling turn when she meets the ghost haunting the halls. As the seductive spirit lures her closer and closer, she learns about her own past and starts to understand that some mistakes are meant to last.Becca McAllister has always been different from other girls her age. Never part of the "in crowd", Becca never really fit in anywhere. When her mother dies and her father moves them to the small town of Corydon, Indiana, Becca didn't expect things to change.But things do change when Becca accidentally makes contact with a one hundred and sixty year old ghost, Alastor Sinclair, that haunts the halls of her new home.To Becca, Alastor is a seductive spirit that seems to see straight into her soul. To Alastor, Becca is what he was waited a century for--A second chance.But the closer they get, the more Becca realizes that this isn't the first time she and Alastor have known each other. Worse still, is she the one responsible for his death so long ago? And if so, did he come back for love or revenge?


Did you participate in the meme this week and want to show your post off to others? Then link yours blog post below -



Friday, January 27, 2012

ATTENTION BOOK BLOGGERS! // New Sunday Meme!

Hello followers/friends. As some of you may know I have been considering starting a new meme to help support and promote indie/self-published authors. Idea formed: here. So after sitting down and working with a fellow book blogger, CYP - I have decided to begin a new Sunday meme. With the help of CYP we have formed which I believe will soon become a great stepping stone to promote these authors and let there books be found/bought. I do so encourage everyone to join with us to make this meme a success. 


The meme is named: Indie Author Spotlight. You can find all information on how you can participate by clicking on the banner below.



If you already do a Sunday book meme then you can always do two in one day or choose to do this one close to the assigned day. 

There is also a section within this meme for indie authors to send in requests to be spotlighted. 
All info for authors/book bloggers is found on this page.

CYP and I do hope that each of you will decide to take part with this meme and help indie authors and their books be known. 

If anyone has comments or question, please feel free to send a e-mail to me. 
This Sunday 1/29 will be the start of Indie Author Spotlight. Hopefully this will be a fun & fantastic way to support these authors who really do work hard and deserve to be in the spotlight.

Thank you,
(As a added note if you could please share this post on Facebook, twitter, ect to help promote the meme)

Follow Friday: #14


Follow Friday hosted by Parajunkee & alisoncanread

Featured Blogger is Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out

This weeks question is: 
Q: Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?


My Answer: Well when it comes to a book genre I try to give any genre a chance because I never know if I may just really end up liking it. Like for example I have seen a lot of books out there that fall into the "Chick-Lit" genre and while I did not feel I would be into a read like this I took the chance with it. I read Anna and The French Kiss and from there developed a love for these types of books. I guess if I could say that a genre that I do not really care for would have to be: historical fiction or romance (w/ no sub genre mixed it). Other than that I mostly do enjoy any type of book and would not see myself trying to avoid the book other that not caring for what the story was about.


Thursday, January 26, 2012

Theme Thursday [Very] #9

Theme Thursdays is a fun weekly event that will be open from one Thursday to the next. 
Anyone can participate in it. The rules are simple:

  • A theme will be posted each week (on Thursdays)
  • Select a conversation/snippet/sentence from the current book you are reading
  • Mention the author and the title of the book along with your post
  • It is important that the theme is conveyed in the sentence (you don’t necessarily need to have the word) 
    Ex: If the theme is KISS; your sentence can have “They kissed so gently” or “Their lips touched each other” or “The smooch was so passionate”



This will give us a wonderful opportunity to explore and understand different writing styles and descriptive approaches adopted by authors. Theme Thursdays is hosted by Kavyen @Reading Between Pages.


This weeks theme is - VERY (any use of the word)


My THURSDAY THEME for VERY is from here:


Add this book on Goodreads.
Or very angry at my Dad for impregnating the human resources manager while my Mom slept longer  and longer everyday and slowly ground to a halt.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

{Guest Post & Swag Giveaway} Hurricane by Jenna-Lynne Duncan


Hello my lovely followers. I hope everyone is having a nice week so far. Today I would love to share with everyone a guest post that was written by YA author, Jenna-Lynne Duncan. Jenna has recently been published (Divertir Publishing LLC) with her new book called Hurricane. The book is aimed for teen to adult readers and sounds like a very fun read. I hope everyone will enjoy this post and learn more about the the author and her book. Thank you Jenna for asking me to have you hosting on my blog. Jenna has also offered to host a giveaway for some awesome swag items pertaining with her book. So before we get started I am going to leave my readers with some info on Hurricane & where the book may be purchased. 


Adriana couldn’t decide what was worse—that Hurricane Katrina was heading for New Orleans, or that she might not survive her kidnapping to see its potential effects. She had trusted Hayden, even fallen for him, and now he and his brother Luke were taking her deeper and deeper into the Bayou. Why had two of her classmates, the mysterious Boudreaux brothers, kidnapped her? Why had Adriana’s dreams started predicting the future? Most importantly, would she make it out of the Bayou alive…A portion of the sales from 'Hurricane' will be going to the New Orleans Area Habitat Humanity for Humanity.
                        Buy Links: Amazon |  B&N | Website 


 Excerpt from Hurricane:
“When I woke, Hayden hovered over me. I was outside, lying on the hard gravel of an unpaved country road. 
“What purpose does this serve?” Luke spit as he leaned against the front of the truck.
“Quiet. She just needs some fresh air.” Hayden was kneeling down beside me, his body so close I could feel the sweet heat of his breath as he spoke. I didn’t want to move, but I couldn’t ignore the reality of the situation. I was being kidnapped and heading deeper into the swamp, where it was likely my body would never be found. The alligators would eat my remains, and soon there would be nothing left of me. I could see the headlines in the fictional newspapers in my head. I didn’t hesitate to think out an escape plan. Before I knew it, I was on my bare feet taking off in the other direction. I didn’t think about the alligators that were likely in the water next to me. I just knew I had to get to the main road. 
“She’s running away?” I heard Hayden say in a surprising tone.
“Go get her!” Luke yelled from behind me. “
New Orleans has always been a place of intrigue and mystery; the setting of endless vampire and ghost stories. Some are more real than you may think. I wanted to tell Madame Lalaurie’s story and the history behind New Orleans most haunted mansion. It plays a brief, but dark, role in my novel Hurricane but there is a truth behind it.


When writing, I tried not to do extensive research on the house on Rue Royal. I wanted to use only information that I myself had heard growing up, making it a true ghost story. Importance is not in the details, rather how the story is told. Of course, today I do know more about Lalaurie and the mansion on Royal Street than perhaps I would have liked to. It all goes back to the 1800’s. 1140 Royal Street was the tallest and most beautiful house at that time. Three stories high, it had a big wraparound porch on the second level; perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras activities. But, there would be no fun in that house. It was a house filled with horror. In the late 1830’s Madame Lalaurie was a socialite. To those who were her guests, she was described as kind, and charming. But to her servants she was anything but. She would severely mistreat them; beat them- she even threw a young girl off her third story balcony. One day there was a fire in her home. As the town people came to help her retrieve her valuables, they made a gruesome discovery in the attic. The servants had been beaten up and chained to the floor. After the townspeople made the discovery, a mob had called for Lalaurie’s blood. By that time, she had fled. Some say she was reportedly laid to rest in France, while others claim she never left. You can still visit the house today - if you dare. In the market for a new home? Lucky for you, the house is for sale. Its previous owner, Nicholas Cage, recently foreclosed and the house is now bank- owned. 
Thank you so much for having me on your blog and I hope y’all will check out my novel Hurricane; the first book in a brand new series. 


About the Author: 
Jenna-Lynne Duncan graduated from the University of St. Thomas with degrees in Political Science, International Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies. Hurricane is her debut novel and she is planning a series. She welcomes those to contact her through her website (http://www.Jenna-Lynne.com). 
Twitter: @JennaLynneD or www.Twitter.com/JennaLynneD


 Please use the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win TWO awesome swag! 
Here is what you will win:
Pack include signed book mark, personalized post card, and flur de lis pin.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

{Giveaway Winners:} Happy Birthday To me Series & Angel Evolution (e-books)

Hello everyone! Yep, I am here to announce a few giveaway winners for two different giveaway that have ended here with the last day or two. Thank you to everyone who entered both giveaway! There will be a new giveaway coming soon. Once again I would like to thank both David Estes and Brian Rowe for hosting these wonderful giveaways.

So onto the winner of the first giveaway: 

The winner of the entire Happy Birthday To Me series (includes 3 ebooks):

Amy! 



The 5 Winners of Angel Evolution (5 ebooks):


Kristen
Clenna
Caitlin
Michelle
Margay


I will be sending out e-mails to winners shortly. The authors will soon contact all winners to where to send your books. Congrats to all winners and there will be a new giveaway going on here within the next few days. 

Teaser Tuesday: #14 // Drink, Slay, Love

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading
Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

The Rules:
•Grab your current read
•Open to a random page
•Share two (2) or so “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.


This week's teaser comes from Drink, Slay, Love written by Sarah Beth Durst



The hunter wannabe Tall spoke up, "You have that shiny new-girl smell. General consensus is you rock, and we want to see what you do next."
Chubby said, "Yeah, we totally want to worship you."
Pearl smiled at them. "That would be lovely."
      (taken from page 108) 





PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesday post, or share your two 'teasers' in a comment here (if you don't have a blog). Thanks!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Indie/Self-Published Authors (Meme?)



If you are a book blogger or even enjoy just reading blogs I hope everyone will read this and help me with what I seek. So, I have been doing a lot of thinking about where my time goes each day while I read, blog, and read/send e-mails and one topic that has been on my mind for weeks is that I am a wimp. Yes, I said it I am a wimp when it comes to turning down a book request from a indie/self published author. I so HATE saying no to them, and mostly because I know us book bloggers are there way to get there books out there and bought. So I try to say yes to most author who ask, but see this results in having so many books to read that I become very overwhelmed. I feel, I should be always reading, and tend to loose interest in other things outside of book blogging and reading. There are times that I have a author ask me to review there novel and I end up turning them down for any reason, there books did not interest me, or I am too booked with request - But at the end of the day I feel guilty and sadded. I wish I could read each and every book that is asked of me, but sadly I can not. I mean, am I alone here on this subject or do others feel the same? The reason I am asking is because I thought maybe I could myself make a meme, weekly or when ever you want - that book blogger like myself can promote these authors and draw attention to there books. In my heart I feel that anyone who has the guts to pick up a pen and write a book should be recognized for there hard work. I know this first hand because my Father is a self-published author and growing up at home I would see how hard he worked on his novels.

So all in all I wanted to ask YOUR opinion about this idea and see if anyone would follow me and join in on a meme where once a week we could draw attention to the author and there books.

If I DO receive positive feedback here I will work on this meme (images, info, instructions) within the next few days. So please comment below with yours thoughts/questions/feedback. 

I think also we as book bloggers can even open request to authors who would like to be added within the meme to help promote these books. Just an idea and a linky list would be provided as well for each of us who want to share our links. This too will in turn help everyone find a new read and maybe ever a diamond in the ruff.


Sunday, January 22, 2012

In My Mailbox (#15)


A weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we post about all the books we have received whether in the mail, if we purchased it, or got it from our local library. 

Here is my IMM for this week:




Book I have bought:
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson


Books I have won: 
Destined by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast (audio book)
Fateful by Claudia Gray
Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout 





Books I have borrowed from the library:
Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent
The Devouring by Simon Holt 
The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst





Books I have received for Review:
Forget You by Jennifer Echols (thank you Jennifer!)
The Deliverer by Jason D. Morrow
The Word Gang by Mark McKenna


E-Books:  
The Dark Fae by Terry Spear
FRESHMAN YEAR AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS by Meredith Zeitlin
Random by Charong Chow




What books are in your mailbox this week? I would love to know. :)
Leave a link so I may check it out. 


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