Monthly Archives: June 2013

Friday Finds (June 28)

Posted on June 28, 2013 | 2 comments

FF2_MdFRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

I found these books on Goodreads while perusing new things to read.  They both look really good and are both classified as New Adult.  Surprisingly no magic or special powers at all which is a real change for me.  I must be getting soft in my old age…lol  

Worst Week Ever (Long Road to Love #1) Worst Week Ever by Liza O’connor

What do you get when you put a hardworking, can-do middle-class young woman together with a egoistical, outrageous, billionaire boss, then throw in the worst week of disasters imaginable?

Book 1 of the 3 book series A Long Road to Love, named Worst Week Ever.

Trent Lancaster spends one month without his Executive Assistant (or as his drivers refers to Carrie: ‘Trent’s brain, left hand, and right hand’. He’s had a miserable month without her at his side and to ensure it never happens again, he intends to marry this brilliant beauty. Only given all the times he’s threatened to fire her, he’s not sure she even likes him. However, the future of his company and his happiness depend upon him succeeding, so Trent begins a slow one week seduction, that happens to coincide with Carrie Hanson’s Worst Week Ever when everything that can go wrong does so in hilarious form. (Hilarious to the reader, Carrie is not having much fun this week.) (Goodreads Excerpt)

Inevitable (Harmony, #1) Inevitable by Angela Graham.

After experiencing a humiliating breakup, twenty-two-year-old Cassandra Clarke is fresh out of college and living a simple solitary life without any intentions of pursuing love anytime soon.

When the estate next door sells, the last thing Cassandra expects is the unnerving attraction she feels for her sinfully handsome neighbor, Logan West, the young and charming single father with a playboy reputation.

It’s through Oliver, Logan’s four-year-old son, who keeps popping up in her childhood tree house, that she slowly begins to catch glimpses of the compassionate and wounded man Logan has hidden beneath his strong exterior.

Cassandra knows it’s wrong and that she’s heading for another heartbreak.
Logan will never be able to give her what she wants…love. (Goodreads Excerpt)

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Friday Finds post, or share your ‘finds’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D

Friday Finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

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Feisty Female YA Tournament 2013 – Round Three Open!!!

Posted on June 26, 2013 | 3 comments

Katniss needs your vote!!!  Round three is open until June 30. 

Feisty Female YA Tournament 2013 ~ vote for Katniss!     

    It’s that time of year to vote for the females that have carried their many weapons with care, have taken out more bad guys than you can count on both hands and have shown the world that women are not to be messed with!
It’s also a chance to acknowledge that heroines don’t have to be simpering, weak or girly – they can have iron backbones and save the day better than any man can 😉

Voting will be open 31 May – 31 July. There will be 7 Rounds:

– Round 1 – top 15 move to Round 2
– Round 2 – top 10 move to Round 3
– Round 3 – top 6 move to Round 5
– *Round 4/Gatecrashers* – top 6 move to Round 5
– Round 5 – top 6 move to Round 6
– Round 6 – top 3 move to Round 7
– Round 7 – WINNER IS ANNOUNCED 31 JULY

CURRENTLY IN SESSION: ROUND 3

VOTE HERE (click)

This tournament will be going on here, on Goodreads, and via Twitter.

My support (and hopefully my fans) goes out for Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins  – She is one tough Female with alot of spunk!  Let’s all get out there and show our support -vote for Katniss!    

                                

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WWW Wednesdays (June 26)

Posted on June 26, 2013 | 12 comments

WWW_Wednesdays4To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My Answers:

Opal (Lux, #3)   Currently Reading: Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer Armentrout.  So far I am loving it.  It is the third in the series and it doesn’t disappoint   I will post a review as soon as I am finished.

Half-Blood (Covenant, #1)   Recently Finished: Half Blood (covenant #1) by Jennifer Armentrout.  Awesome series.  I have already downloaded the next book on my Kindle.  Review posted.

Next?  Pure (Covenant, #2)  Enchantment (Channie, #1)  Pure (Covenant #2) by Jennifer Armentrout.  Because the first one was so good and Enchantment (A magical YA Paranormal romance) by Charlotte Abel is still waiting on my Kindle.  Will post reviews upon completion.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

 

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Teaser Tuesday (June 25)

Posted on June 25, 2013 | 15 comments

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

• 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!

My Teaser:

Matthew looked just as shocked, “Dee, we’re not–”

“Killers?” Her face flushed red and then paled. “We have killed before to protect ourselves! We kill Arum all the time. Daemon has killed DOD officers!

Opal (Lux, #3) Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer Armentrout.

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

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

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The Secret to Success? Learn from the Crabs in the Bucket

Posted on June 24, 2013 | Leave a comment

Awesome advice from Kristen Lamb author of We Are Not Alone: The Writer’s guide to Social Media.

We Are Not Alone: The Writer's Guide to Social Media

Kristen Lamb's Blog

I am like cerebral flypaper for cool anecdotes, but one that stood out to me was the story of the crabs in the bucket. When fishermen trap crabs, they just dump them in a bucket on the pier. No lid. Nothing to trap the crabs and keep them inside. Why? Because if any crab tries to climb out of the bucket and escape, the others will pull it back inside.

Many of us, when we decide to become professional authors face “crabs in the bucket.” They often look a lot like family, friends and even fellow writers. They fear failure, so they fear our success. If we actually accomplish something remarkable, we prove that success is more choice than fate.

Leave Toxic Relationships Behind

We have to let go of the old to grab hold of the new, but that’s often the most terrifying thing we can do. The past…

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Musing Mondays (June 24)

Posted on June 24, 2013 | 6 comments

MusingMondays5Musing Mondays asks you to muse about one of the following each week…

• Describe one of your reading habits.
• Tell us what book(s) you recently bought for yourself or someone else, and why you chose that/those book(s).
• What book are you currently desperate to get your hands on? Tell us about it! 
• Tell us what you’re reading right now — what you think of it, so far; why you chose it; what you are (or, aren’t) enjoying it.
• Do you have a bookish rant? Something about books or reading (or the industry) that gets your ire up? Share it with us!
• Instead of the above questions, maybe you just want to ramble on about something else pertaining to books — let’s hear it, then!


My Musing: 

I bought Shift by Jeri Smith-Ready at Walmart a while back and let it sit on my shelf for some time.  I got hard into my kindle and just forgot about the book.  I know I read the back and must have loved it but for some reason I forgot about it.  Then about two months ago I found the book on my shelf and started reading it, this time without reading the back.  OMG I was instantly engrossed and surprised.  Had I read the back I would have realized the guy in the story dies at the beginning.  It is the whole point of the book.  But holy cow since I didn’t read it, it was so powerful I wanted to cry when he died.  I wonder if that is common in other books?  I mean you have to read the back insert to see what it is about but it’s too bad we can’t just start with a clean slate.  I am looking forward to reading Shif next but I’ve decided not to read the back.  And then onto Shine.  Very excited.  

 Shade (Shade, #1)  Shift (Shade, #2)  Shine (Shade, #3)

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Musing Mondays post, or share your musing in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D

Monday Musing  is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

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Friday Finds (June 21)

Posted on June 21, 2013 | 5 comments

FF2_MdFRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS!

I found these while perusing Teaser Tuesdays   I forget which website had them but they sound awesome and can’t wait to read them.  If they were on your site I give you a shout out for finding them 🙂  Leave me a comment if it is you.

Earthbound   Earthbound by Aprilynne Pike 

Tavia Michaels is the sole survivor of the plane crash that killed her parents. When she starts to see strange visions of a boy she’s never spoken with in real life, she begins to suspect that there’s much about her past that she isn’t being told. Tavia will soon discover that she’s an Earthbound—someone with the ability to create matter out of nothing—and that she alone holds the key to stopping the Reduciata, an evil society that manipulates global events for its own shadowy purposes. Tavia will ultimately have to make a choice: to come into her powers and save the world from the evil Reduciata or to choose free will and a love of her own. (Goodreads Excerpt)

The Winter Witch The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston

In her small Welsh town, there is no one quite like Morgana. She has never spoken, and her silence as well as the magic she can’t quite control make her a mystery. Concerned for her safety, her mother quickly arranges a marriage with Cai Bevan, the widower from the far hills who knows nothing of the rumours that swirl around her. After their wedding, Morgana is heartbroken at leaving, but she soon falls in love with Cai’s farm and the rugged mountains that surround it, while slowly Cai himself begins to win her heart. It’s not long, however, before her strangeness begins to be remarked upon in her new village. A dark force is at work there—a person who will stop at nothing to turn the townspeople against Morgana, even at the expense of those closest to her. Forced to defend her home, her love, and herself from all comers, Morgana must learn to harness her power, or she will lose everything.

Paula Brackston’s debut novel, The Witch’s Daughter, was the little book that could—with a captivating story, remarkable heroine, and eye-catching package, it has now netted over 40,000 copies in all formats. Now Paula returns with The Winter Witch, another enchanting tale of love and magic, featuring her signature blend of gorgeous writing, a fabulous and intriguing historical backdrop, and a headstrong and relatable heroine readers will cheer for. (Goodreads Excerpt)

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Friday Finds post, or share your ‘finds’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D

Friday Finds is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

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Feisty Female YA Tournament 2013 – Round Three Open!!!

Posted on June 20, 2013 | 1 comment

Katniss is still in the tournament so everyone needs to vote.  Round three is open until June 30. 

Feisty Female YA Tournament 2013 ~ vote for Katniss!     

    It’s that time of year to vote for the females that have carried their many weapons with care, have taken out more bad guys than you can count on both hands and have shown the world that women are not to be messed with!
It’s also a chance to acknowledge that heroines don’t have to be simpering, weak or girly – they can have iron backbones and save the day better than any man can 😉

Voting will be open 31 May – 31 July. There will be 7 Rounds:

– Round 1 – top 15 move to Round 2
– Round 2 – top 10 move to Round 3
– Round 3 – top 6 move to Round 5
– *Round 4/Gatecrashers* – top 6 move to Round 5
– Round 5 – top 6 move to Round 6
– Round 6 – top 3 move to Round 7
– Round 7 – WINNER IS ANNOUNCED 31 JULY

CURRENTLY IN SESSION: ROUND 3

VOTE HERE (click)

This tournament will be going on here, on Goodreads, and via Twitter.

My support (and hopefully my fans) goes out for Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins  – She is one tough Female with alot of spunk!  Let’s all get out there and show our support -vote for Katniss!    

She’s spunky and cute, defiant and bad ass!  Most of all, She is the

GIRL ON FIRE!

                                

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Half Blood (covenant #1) by Jennifer Armentrout

Posted on June 19, 2013 | 5 comments

Product DetailsHalf Blood (covenant #1) by Jennifer Armentrout.  Published Oct 2011 by Spencer Hill Press CDN $3.99 Kindle Edition.

The Hematoi descend from the unions of gods and mortals, and the children of two Hematoi pure bloods have godlike powers. Children of Hematoi and mortals–well, not so much. Half-bloods only have two options: become trained Sentinels who hunt and kill daimons or become servants in the homes of the pures. Seventeen-year-old Alexandria would rather risk her life fighting than waste it scrubbing toilets, but she may end up slumming it anyway. There are several rules that students at the Covenant must follow. Alex has problems with them all, but especially rule #1:Relationships between pures and halfs are forbidden. Unfortunately, she’s crushing hard on the totally hot pure-blood Aiden. But falling for Aiden isn’t her biggest problem–staying alive long enough to graduate the Covenant and become a Sentinel is. If she fails in her duty, she faces a future worse than death or slavery: being turned into a daimon, and being hunted by Aiden. And that would kind of suck. (Goodreads excerpt)

I have to say hands down this is on my top ten list of favorite books right now.  The whole story was amazing and captivating and thrilling and…I digress.

First off, I love the connection between Alex and Aiden.  It pulls at the heartstrings.  The forbidden love the desire and longing…OMG it is awesome; Much more than a crush and you have no idea if it will work out in the end or not.  There is nothing predictable about this story.

Alex is the best heroine, she is kick ass, feisty, rebellious and everything in between.  She knows what she wants and goes after it.  She is fiercely loyal and will protect those she loves at all costs. Aiden is everything she could want in a partner, strong, sexy, hot…and of course forbidden.  But who says love can’t conquer all right.   Well I guess we will have to wait and see because you also have Seth thrown in the mix who might give Aiden a run for his money.  Seth is hot, sexy, strong and has a connection to Alex that she can’t deny.  Of course being the ultimate being has some strings attached.  Seth comes off as being arrogant and pig headed and everything else but I have a feeling there is more to him than he is letting on.

I have read other books by this author and so far she doesn’t disappoint.  I love the action and storytelling that keeps this moving.  It is engaging and interesting and not typical of other books.  I was enthralled by the culture that surrounded the story, the half bloods, the pure bloods, and the interaction between the two, the forbidden relationships, the sentinels and the guards.  I am not usually fond of stories about gods, zues, appollo etc but this one kept me reading until the last page.  I liked it so much that as soon as I finished I downloaded the next book PURE (covenant #2) on my kindle.

5 stars for sure.

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WWW Wednesdays (June 19)

Posted on June 19, 2013 | 7 comments

WWW_Wednesdays4To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?

My Answers:
Product DetailsCurrently Reading: Half Blood (covenant #1) by Jennifer Armentrout. I’m about half way through and so far it is absolutely amazing. I read the Prequel Daimon and am hooked on the series already.
Product DetailsRecently finished: You Are Mine by Janeal Falor. Fantastic read. Review is posted.

Next?Product DetailsProduct DetailsOpal (Lux #3) by Jennifer Armentrout and maybe Enchantment (A magical YA Paranormal romance) by Charlotte Abel. Both are on my Kindle waiting patiently for me to read them. Will post reviews upon completion.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :D

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

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Write FAST and Furious! Learning to Outrun “The Spock Brain”

Posted on June 18, 2013 | 1 comment

Awesome Advice from Kristen Lamb author of We are Not Alone. Everyone has a little of Spock and Kirk in them!

Kristen Lamb's Blog

Many new authors slog out that first book, editing every word to perfection, revising, reworking, redoing. When I used to be a part of critique groups, it was not at all uncommon to find writers who’d been working on the same book two, five, eight and even ten years. Still see them at conferences, shopping the same book, getting rejected, then rewriting, rewriting…..

Sigh.

Great, maybe Kathryn Stockett, the author of The Help took five years and 62 revisions to get her story published. Awesome for her. And yes, her book was a runaway success, but this isn’t the norm. It’s playing Literary Lottery with our careers.

For most writers, it will be hard to have a long-term successful career if our pace is a book or two a decade.

Most authors who’ve made legend status were all talented, yes. But many were (are) also prolific. 

Does Writing Quickly Produce…

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Teaser Tuesday (June 18)

Posted on June 18, 2013 | 20 comments

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

• 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!

My Teaser:

“When she turns eighteen,”  Seth pursed his lips, “the power–her power shifts to me.”

“Yes.” Lucian nodded eagerly.  “Once she goes through the palingenesis–the Awakening–at eighteen, all you have to do is touch her.”

Product DetailsHalf Blood (Covenant #1) by Jennifer Armentrout.

 

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

Teaser Tuesday is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Check out their blog!

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Change—Resistance is Futile

Posted on June 17, 2013 | 1 comment

Awesome inspiring article by Kristen Lamb author of We Are Not Alone:  The Writer’s guide to Social Media

Product Details

and Rise of the Machines: Human Authors in a digital World (Soon to be released)

Kristen Lamb's Blog

Rise of the Machines Human Authors in a Digital World, social media authors, Kristen Lamb, WANA, Rise of the Machines

Change is scary. Okay, TERRIFYING. Yet, as writers, we should seek to always be pushing ourselves to the next level. It makes us stronger. Makes us grow. But, there are a few things about “going to the next level” I’d like to warn y’all about.

Yesterday, I finally sent my new book, Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World off for formatting. This book has been almost two years in the making and you have NO idea how happy I am to finally reach this part of the journey. I’m not quite to the summit—physical book in hand and for sale—but I can see it….

…..so close….nearly THERE…..*grunts*

A Brief History of ROM (Rise of the Machines)

Two years ago, I scored a big-time agent and was over the MOON. Like many of you, I, too, dreamed of having a traditional deal. Not that my publisher…

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Feisty Female YA Tournament 2013 – Round Two still Open!!!

Posted on June 17, 2013 | 3 comments

Feisty Female YA Tournament 2013 ~ vote for Katniss!     

    It’s that time of year to vote for the females that have carried their many weapons with care, have taken out more bad guys than you can count on both hands and have shown the world that women are not to be messed with!
It’s also a chance to acknowledge that heroines don’t have to be simpering, weak or girly – they can have iron backbones and save the day better than any man can 😉

Voting will be open 31 May – 31 July. There will be 7 Rounds:

– Round 1 – top 15 move to Round 2
– Round 2 – top 10 move to Round 3
– Round 3 – top 6 move to Round 5
– *Round 4/Gatecrashers* – top 6 move to Round 5
– Round 5 – top 6 move to Round 6
– Round 6 – top 3 move to Round 7
– Round 7 – WINNER IS ANNOUNCED 31 JULY

CURRENTLY IN SESSION: ROUND 2 (open until June 20)
VOTE HERE (click)

This tournament will be going on here, on Goodreads, and via Twitter.

My support (and hopefully my fans) goes out for Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins  – She is one tough Female with alot of spunk!  Let’s all get out there and show our support -vote for Katniss!    

                                

“We had to save you because you’re the mockingjay, Katniss…While you live, the revolution lives.”

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You Are Mine – Janeal Falor

Posted on June 17, 2013 | Leave a comment

You Are MineYou Are Mine by Janeal Falor.  Published by author, sold by Amazon digital services.  CDN $3.04.

Serena knows a few simple things. She will always be owned by a warlock. She will never have freedom. She will always do what her warlock wishes, regardless of how inane, frivolous, or cruel it is. And if she doesn’t follow the rules, she will be tarnished. Spelled to be bald, inked, and barren for the rest of her life—worth less than the shadow she casts.

Then her ownership is won by a barbarian from another country. With the uncertainty that comes from belonging to a new warlock, Serena questions if being tarnished is really worse than being owned by a barbarian, and tempts fate by breaking the rules. When he looks the other way instead of punishing her, she discovers a new world. The more she ventures into the forbidden, the more she learns of love and a freedom just out of reach. Serena longs for both. But in a society where women are only ever property, hoping for more could be deadly. (Goodreads Excerpt)

I was given a free e-copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.  Let me start off by saying that I absolutely loved the book.  It was very different and inventive and a refreshing change to what I was expecting.  I used to read a lot of historical romance and this book reminded me of that, however when you throw in all the magical elements it was much more intriguing and enjoyable.

I loved the word building created in that practically everything was run by magic, electricity, heating, cooling, reading a person’s blood for magic.  Everything was infused with magic.  If it wasn’t for the fact that women are treated like dirt I wouldn’t mind living there for a while.  The only flaw was that we have no idea what time period this is or where it is located.  It didn’t affect the story so I won’t say too much on it.

I loved the main character Serena.  She was the type of kick ass heroine that wanted so badly to emerge from her oppression.  She pushes the limits and does whatever she can to protect the ones she loves.  I truly hope that there is a sequel and she discovers that she has power and learns to break out of her shell and overthrows the male regime (This would take a few books but I know she has it in her.)  You can feel her inner power and spirit that is just aching to get out.  I was rooting for Serena the whole time.

I really enjoyed the romantic aspect of this story as well.  There was no “oh my god I love this man that owns me” kind of stuff you often see.  The relationship was building and the feelings were growing on both sides.  It made sense and was real and I really wanted them to find a way to be together on their terms.  I hope this is what the author is leading up to.

I must say that this was truly a joy to read and I would love to have a ‘spelled dress’ like the one Serena wears to the ball.

5 stars for me.

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