Cover Reveal: The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

Hi Guys!! I am a bit late getting this up, but here is the fantastic cover reveal for The Summer I Became A Nerd by Leah Rae Miller. This book sounds so awesome and I am loving the cover!!

Book Description

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever.

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Publish Date: May 13, 21013

I can't wait to read this book. I love the blurb and I think it's going to be fantastic!

About the author

 Born and raised in northern Louisiana, Leah Rae Miller still lives there on a windy hill with her husband and kids. She loves comic books, lava lamps, fuzzy socks, and Cherry Coke. She spends most of her days reading things she likes and writing things she hopes other people will like.

Links: Twitter ~ Website

November Monthly Recap

I can't believe that there's only one month left of 2012. It's crazy how fast this year seemed to pass, but I am super excited about the awesome books that are coming out in 2013 so I am happy that it's almost here too!! This month was one of those months where I kept going into mini reading slumps and even though it seems like I got a lot of reading done, a lot of these books were short and there was a few novellas. All the book titles will bring you to my review of the book unless the review hasn't posted yet. I am still trying (quite unsuccessfully) to keep track of the different challenges I am doing.

• Conjure by Lea Nolan (Debut author)
• Sugar Rush by Rachel Astor
• Ashes and Wine by Taryn Elliott
• Elixir (Covenant #3.5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Forgotten Lyrics (Watersong prequel novella) by Amanda Hocking
• Demon Royale (Dream Slayer #2) by Jill Cooper (Sensational Seconds)
• Renegade by J.A. Souders (Debut author)
• Summer in Salem by Brina Courney
• Beg For Mercy by Shannon Dermott
• Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill (Debut author)
• Undeadly by Michele Vail (Debut author) 
• Demons of the Sun by Cindi Madsen (Debut author)
• Barely Alive by Bonnie R. Paulson
• The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale (DA) 
• Losing It by Cora Carmack (DA)
• Betwixt by Melissa Pearl

*Update - I finished The Diviners by Libba Bray last night, so that brings my total to 17 this month!!
**Update #2 - I also finished Trapped by Michael Northrop this evening so Yay Me!! 18 books this month!!

So that's 16 (18 after updates) books added for the month of November, and though it seems like a lot, I didn't feel like I did great. A lot of these were quite short and then the 2 novellas are there. I just felt like November was a tough month for me to really get into books. There were a few that I got lost in, but I really just felt kind of blah about reading in general. I'm hoping December will be better for me mentally.

That puts my total at 169 (171after updates) (My Goodreads total is 175 (177 after updates) due to some short stories and novellas I didn't count on my blog.) Going by what GR tells me, I am at 140% of my goal for the year. I suppose that I am doing awesome with my overall goal.

Though I am no longer doing the Debut author challenge, I am still half keeping track. I had my challenge goal as 11-16 books. I have been suckish about keeping track, but I must be at around 50 or so I think.

For the Sensational Seconds challenge this month I added 1 book. I had a set goal of 5-8 I think so now I am at 17. I think. I could be off since I keep forgetting to keep track.

And yes, still totally failing my TBR Pile Challenge. Once again, I didn't read any this month so my total stays at 5. I don't know why I even keep putting this in my posts. I should just admit defeat.


I guess I didn't really do as bad as I felt like I did, but I just really felt like the books I was trying to read weren't doing it for me. I don't know how many books I started and then put down only to pick up another one and do the same within a few chapters. I had a lot of wasted time trying to read and not finishing books. I would love to know how you did if you keep track. Leave me a link to your recaps if you have them or just tell me about your month in my comments. ♥ 

Review: The Bully Book by Eric Kahn Gale

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 12/26/2012
• Pages: 240
• Source: ARC provided by publisher for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

The rules governing middle school are often a mystery, but for Eric Haskins, they’re a mystery he needs to solve, and fast. He’s a normal, average kid, until sixth grade starts. For some inexplicable reason, the class bully and his pack make Eric the Grunt. Even his best friend since first grade turns on him. Eric can’t figure out why he’s the Grunt until he hears about the Bully Book, a cryptic guide that teaches you how to “make trouble without getting in trouble, rule the school and be the man” and how to select the Grunt-the kid who will become the lowest of the low.

Eric Haskins may be this year’s Grunt for now, but he’s determined not to stay at the bottom of the social ladder forever. Hilarious and compelling, The Bully Book is a must-read for every tween, tween parent, librarian and educator!

 My Thoughts

Bullying is nothing new, it's been going on forever. Only recently it has gotten more attention. It's a sad and horrible thing. When I heard about this book I knew it was something I wanted to read. Being a tween is hard enough without adding in getting picked on, singled out, made to doubt yourself. In this book, we not only read Eric's journal entries accounting his hardships of being the Grunt, but also we get to read along with the Bully Book too. I thought the format of writing was fabulous as it weaves Eric's personal story in with the Book that teaches the holder how to be the top of the class. What I thought was more heartbreaking while reading about some of the things Eric went through in the book, was the fact that this is actually an account of what the author actually went through in school told, as he says "through the lens of a mystery novel."

Eric is an eleven year old boy. It's his last year being in the elementary school since middle school doesn't start until 7th grade. He starts school expecting things to be normal. Sitting with his friends, being bored through class, but nothing like what it ends up being for him. Right away his best friend turns on him and goes to hang out with the jerks of the class. He then learns about the book and makes it his mission to figure out how the Grunt is chosen. He searches out former Grunts and slowly starts to learn what he needs to get a hold of the book. I thought he was a very tough kid. I would have broken eventually, but each time they try to push him further down, the more he is determined to find the way to not be the Grunt anymore.

It's a short book that follows Eric through the school year as he searches out The Book. I wanted to reach out to him, I wanted to help him. But then also, I felt bad for the person who wrote The Book too. You know that he had to be going through his own personal things. No it doesn't make it right that he did it, but while going back and forth from the passages of The Book and Eric's journal, it gives you a little insight into the person who created the book too. I think that this book should be in every school library for everyone to read. With bullying such a big issue, the more books like this that can be out there the better. Was this a blow my mind book? No, but what it was, was a great book that shows you the struggles of a boy trying to just be normal, minding his own business, and being singled out because The Book says that he is just the right person to be the Grunt. But also not letting the bullies take him down, and being stronger because of it.

Waiting On Wednesday 11-28-12

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine  to share what book you are highly anticipating the release of.

This week I am  waiting on Arclight by Josin L. McQuein. I really like the cover and it sounds great!

Add to Goodreads

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (Imprint of HarperCollins)
• Publication date: 4/23/2013

 Overview

No one crosses the wall of light . . . except for one girl who doesn’t remember who she is, where she came from, or how she survived. A harrowing, powerful debut thriller about finding yourself and protecting your future—no matter how short and uncertain it may be.

The Arclight is the last defense. The Fade can’t get in. Outside the Arclight’s border of high-powered beams is the Dark. And between the Light and the Dark is the Grey, a narrow, barren no-man’s-land. That’s where the rescue team finds Marina, a lone teenage girl with no memory of the horrors she faced or the family she lost. Marina is the only person who has ever survived an encounter with the Fade. She’s the first hope humanity has had in generations, but she could also be the catalyst for their final destruction. Because the Fade will stop at nothing to get her back. Marina knows it. Tobin, who’s determined to take his revenge on the Fade, knows it. Anne-Marie, who just wishes it were all over, knows it.

When one of the Fade infiltrates the Arclight and Marina recognizes it, she will begin to unlock secrets she didn’t even know she had. Who will Marina become? Who can she never be again?

This just sounds really cool, and I m totally diggin' the cover. I will be counting the days until this one comes out! What do you think?

What books are you waiting for? Let me know in the comments or leave a link to your post. Thanks!!

Review: Undeadly by Michele Vail

• Publisher: Harlequin Teen
• Publication date: 11/20/2012
• Pages: 272
• Source: eARC provided by Itching for Books as part of tour

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

The day I turned 16, my boyfriend-to-be died. I brought him back to life. Then things got a little weird...

Molly Bartolucci wants to blend in, date hottie Rick and keep her zombie-raising abilities on the down-low. Then the god Anubis chooses her to become a reaper—and she accidentally undoes the work of another reaper, Rath. Within days, she's shipped off to the Nekyia Academy, an elite boarding school that trains the best necromancers in the world. And her personal reaping tutor? Rath.

Life at Nekyia has its plusses. Molly has her own personal ghoul, for one. Rick follows her there out of the blue, for another...except, there's something a little off about him. When students at the academy start to die and Rath disappears, Molly starts to wonder if anything is as it seems. Only one thing is certain—-Molly's got an undeadly knack for finding trouble....

 My Thoughts

I have gone back and forth on this and don't really have a whole lot to say. I had been looking forward to this book for about a year and was so excited to read it. Unfortunately, it was a big let down for me. I was so sad and disappointed because I wanted so much to like it and I just couldn't get into it. That's not to say that I didn't like some things about it, just not enough. The Egyptian Myth was really interesting and cool, and I did enjoy getting a little lesson on that. I usually won't continue reading a book that I feel like I won't enjoy, but for some reason I kept pushing on and hoping maybe I would end up enjoying this one. Sadly, that wasn't the case.

My number one downfall of this book was Molly. I am a BIG character person, so if I can't like a character, or at least enjoy reading them, I'm not going to be able to get into a book. I couldn't stand Molly. I found he so annoying that I literally wanted to start banging my head on the wall at some points. I tried to just think of her as the teenage girl she was, but the chick just really had a way of getting under my skin. Not only was she annoying, but she was seriously dumb. Like not just a little ditzy dumb, but the "are you for real?" type dumb. Anyways... moving on.

I really don't want to get to into things because I hate to feel negative. So yes, Molly was a big issue for me, which that alone wouldn't be a big deal if the story kept me sucked in. That didn't happen either. Like I said, I liked they myth aspect, and thought it was interesting, but I found so much of it cheesy, but not in a fun and entertaining way. The romance was so not doing it for me either. The whole keeping zombies thing I found to be pretty entertaining, but then again, pretty cheesy too. There were some truly funny parts, but really, I'm just grasping for anything at this point. I thought maybe as I got closer to the end of the book it would make me second guess all the things that were bothering me and maybe blow me away, but instead the ending seemed very rushed and made the fact that I forced myself to finish even more of a let down. 

Cover Reveal: The Midnight Spell by Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye

Today I am taking part in a fabulous cover reveal for Midnight Spell by Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye. This sounds awesome and I love the cover. The cover was designed by Claudia @ Phatpuppy Art and this cover reveal was organized by Giselle @ Xpresso Book Tours.

The Midnight Spell - Publication date: February, 2013

Best friends since kindergarten, Adam and Christy have always been the perpetual outsiders in their small town in Texas.  The other kids call Adam gay and Christy a witch.

On both counts the bullies are right.

Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious boy enrolls at school and sets hearts a flutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome football player Ian seems to be going nowhere fast and her witch puberty is making her life miserable.

When a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, the best friends realize that finding a boyfriend is the least of their worries. Soon Adam and Christy will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before, and will again

I am super excited for this book. It sounds really awesome! I will be looking forward to this one for sure!!

Rhiannon Frater:

 

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Kody Boye:

 

Kody Boye was born and raised in Southeastern Idaho. Since his initial publication in the Yellow Mama Webzine in 2007, he has gone on to sell nearly three-dozen stories to various markets. He is the author of the short story collection Amorous Things, the novella The Diary of Dakota Hammell, the zombie novel Sunrise and the dark fantasy novel Blood. His fiction has been described as ‘Surreal, beautiful and harrowing’ (Fantastic Horror,) while he himself has been heralded as a writer beyond his years(Bitten by Books.) He currently lives and writes in the Austin, Texas area.

 

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Organized by Giselle @ Xpresso Book Tours

Blog Tour: Barely Alive by Bonnie Paulson Review, Character Bio and Giveaway

Welcome to my tour stop on the Barely Alive Tour, organized by the lovely Heather @ Supa Gurl Tours. I have my review, a character bio, and an ebook giveaway on my stop today. For the full tour schedule click on the banner above.

• Publisher: CreateSpace
• Publication date: 3/26/2012
• Pages: 290
• Source: eBook provided by Supa Gurl Tours for review/tour

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

In twelve weeks, seventeen-year-old Paul Ledger will be dead. At least he hopes so.

Paul is trapped in the worst cult the United States has ever seen. Infected with a zombie virus, symptoms culminate in a dead body but thriving mind over a course of twelve weeks. If he doesn’t earn the final death he longs for, he’ll be chained in a basement facility, moaning for human flesh for eternity.

Sent out to kidnap girls for food, toys, or whatever the boss wants, Paul nabs Heather McCain. He’s not a fan of humans as a general rule, but even his graying skin and insatiable hunger for her flesh don’t stop her from reaching out to him. Give him the second chance he doesn’t know he needs.

Overcome by his cravings, Paul bites her delectable skin. Amazingly, she doesn’t develop the zombie-like side effects. When the boss discovers Heather’s immunity, he gives Paul an ultimatum – deliver up Heather and her family to continue the research or watch as Paul’s brother suffers the zombie fate.

Paul has a chance to endure his short zombie existence knowing his brother is safe. But he’ll have to sacrifice Heather to do it. 

 My Thoughts

I rarely pass up a chance to read a zombie book so I was looking forward to this one. I thought it was a great take on zombies and survival. It's not your typical zombie book at all. These aren't your mindless, just want to eat your face variety. These are regular people, injected with a virus that slowly kills them, but makes them stronger, faster, and smarter in the process. Their bodies may start to die and will continue to over twelve weeks, but their mind doesn't. They are capable of still having their humanity, though the need for meat and blood is definitely there. Added bonus, it's a male POV and I totally love those.

Paul is a smart kid who is stuck in a crap situation because of a stupid and impulsive decision he made. He joined up with Dominic not knowing what he was getting into exactly. One night on a mission he and his group have to gather some girls at his bosses order and things change for him then. Heather, one of the girls makes him rethink things. Not at first of course, but he finds out some information from Paul and it makes him question his motives and want more than ever to protect this human girl. I suppose if you are dying anyways, survival shouldn't seem like a big deal, but say that the virus can be reversed. Then you have a very determined boy who also happens to start caring for the girl who is their only chance at a cure.

Heather is a tough, tough chick!! She stays strong through so much. I mean if you and a group of six other girls got kidnapped by zombies, wouldn't you freak out!! Not her, she actually tries to attack Paul since he is the one in charge of them. When things go bad, she still sticks by him. She keeps a level head most of the time, and only breaks down a few times. She is also determined to help find a cure for the virus and will do what she can to help. At a few points she is actually even willing to give herself to the enemy as long as her family will be safe.

This was a very quick read and I loved that it was different than so many other zombie books. That the zombies and humans are working together for the greater good. I thought the book moved along at a great pace. I would have liked to connect with the characters a little more, but in general I did like them. Especially Connie, the Dr.'s wife. I thought that it ended rather abruptly too. I know it's a series, but it just kind of... ended. I will definitely continue on with this series though. I like that it was different and it's not just about the humans surviving the zombie apocalypse, but also the zombies wanting to find a cure to reverse the virus that will eventually kill them.

Character Bio - Heather

(I couldn't find a pic that I liked for her, I'm no good at that stuff.)

Adopted by freakishly cruel people and teased by the popular girls in school, Heather isn’t as surprised as she should be when she (along with majorly rude cheerleaders) is abducted by a group of drooling teenage boys. Why wouldn’t something so odd happen to her? Her whole life had seemed odd up to that point.

But Paul… For some reason, he made Heather feel safe – mad half the time – yet, she always felt safe with him, even knowing he was like them. When he took his shirt off, Oh boy. She’d had to swallow the extra saliva in her mouth. Immune or not, Heather wanted to be with Paul. She’d always been a good student, read a lot, loved movies like Pride and Prejudice (the Keira Knightley version, of course), as well as some old throwbacks like Grease, Pretty in Pink, and Twilight. Oh, she loved Twilight. She’d prefer Paul was a vampire, but he was so dang cute, she’d take him as a zombie, too.

Favorite book: Forever by Judy Blume (made everything seem easy as a teenager) and Fall Into Darkness by Christopher Pike. Because Pike is like the Stephen King for old school YA. She loved that freaky stuff. Maybe why she loved Paul.

Favorite song: Please Don’t Leave Me by Pink

Favorite Color: Salmon – playoff of pinkFavorite sport: Kick boxing. She could throw a punch and then some.

About the Author:

Bonnie R. Paulson mixes her science and medical background with reality and possibilities, (‘cause zombies are so plausible, right?) to make even myths seem likely and give every romance the genetic strength to survive. Please travel with her to the other side where Happy-Ever-Afters are real, the journey is just harder.

http://bonnierpaulson.com

Giveaway

1 eBook copy of Barely Alive

Winner has 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen

Ends12/2/12 at 11:59pm
*Update - Bonnie has changed my giveaway to be ALL 3 ebook to two lucky people. Rules are still the same, just comment with a way to reach you and I will chose the winner using Random.org

I am putting this post together a little late and don't feel like setting up a rafflecopter for the giveaway so to enter just leave a comment and a way to contact you such as twitter or email. I know a lot of people don't like to leave their email in the comments so a twitter or facebook is just fine too.

This tour was organized by Supa Gurl Tours

Weekly Recap / Stacking the Shelves (31) My 600th blog post!!

*Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews

Hey everyone!! OMG this is my 600th blog post!!! Anyways.... Hope you all had a fabulous week. For all my US readers, hope your Thanksgiving was great! I got quite a few review books and some books that I won and bought. It's a big ebook week for me and just a few physical books, but they are all awesome!! Dude, I swear I wasn't intending to break my book buying ban, but the ebooks I bought were only $.99 a piece. How could I not get them at that price. Now I just need more time in a day to read lol!! Sorry the vlog is so long. I really tried to keep it short. If you want to see my snuggling some candy just skip to the end lol!!!

Books Mentioned

Review

• Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter by Nikki Jefford (For Blog Tour)
• Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedwick (Showed interest to publisher on twitter/Review)
• Mila 2.0 by Debra Driza (Requested from Edelweiss/Review)
• Over You by Amy Reed  (Requested from Edelweiss/Review)
• Taken by Erin Bowman (Requested from Edelweiss/Review)
• The Goddess Inheritance (The Goddess Test #3) by Aimee Carter (Requested from NG/Review)
• Trapped by Michael Northrop (For Blog Tour)
• Veer (Clayton Falls #2) by Alyssa Rose Ivy  (For Blog Tour and I forgot to mention in video and put pic below. Sorry I suck.)
• Waiting for Mercy by Shannon Dermott (From author for review)

Won

• Easy by Tammara Webber (From The Autumn Review/Signed)

Bought

• Charade by Nyrae Dawn (Nook)
• Falling by Jolene Perry (Nook)
• Miss Me Not by Tiffany King (Nook) 
• The Truth About Faking by Leigh Talbert Moore (Nook)

People Mentioned

• Heather @ Supa Gurl Tours
• Roaring Brook Press/Macmillian
• HarperCollins
• Simon Pulse
• Edelweiss
• Scholastic
• Evie @ Bookish
• Autumn @ The Autumn Review
• Tammara Webber
• Giselle @ Xpresso Reads

I want to say thank you to Heather for being awesome at running so many blog tours, Macmillan, HarperCollins, Simon Pulse, Scholastic and Edelweiss for the review copies. Evie for asking me to be part of the Trapped tour, Autumn for being her and because I won so much awesome from her giveaway, and Tammara for sending me the signed copy of Easy!

 

 Weekly Recap

• Reviews: Beg For Mercy by Shannon Dermott, Two and Twenty Dark Tales  by various authors, Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill, Demons of the Sun by Cindi Madsen
• Blog Tours: Undeadly, Beg For Mercy (see above link), The Lies That Bind,
• Cover/Trailer Reveals: Opal (Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout book trailer
• Weekly Memes: Waiting on Wednesday and Book Buzzers
• Random: The Protectors series by M.R. Merrick promotional post, Kendall Grey's Playing with FIRE giveaway

Search Terms

• beau vincent the vincent boys - Oh how I love Beau Vincent!! Yes, he is most definitely mention on my blog a few times I believe
• gravity by melissa west excerpt  - I have a post that has two excerpts. :)
• keep holding on susane colasanti pdf download - Shame on you for trying to find downloads of books. Buy a book, use the library, whatever. Downloading books you haven't purchased, been gifted from an online bookseller by a friend, or been given by the author or publisher is illegal people!!
• the edge of never by j.a. redmerski book review - I have not reviewed this book yet. My review will be in January as part of the blog tour.
• zombie dice png - I think I do  have a pic on my blog of zombie dice from when I was waiting for a midnight movie showing.
• april jackson grey's fanfiction - I am not sure what this is.
• before i wake soul screamers parent review - I have reviewed this book. I wouldn't say it's a parent review, but I am a mom so I suppose that's how you found it.
• boys loving mom - This is just weird. 

That's what I've got this week. I hope you all had a great week too. Leave me your link and I will stop by and check out your post. 

Book Buzzers (9) Why I love blogging!

Hello!! Welcome to Book Buzzers! This is a fun vlogging group that I am part of where we have a different topic each week that we all discuss on our designated days! Check out the rest of the team.

Monday: Jenni @Alluring Reads

Tuesday: Emily from @Doodle's Book Blog

Wednesday: Evie from @Evie Bookish

Thursday: Justin from @Justin's Book Blog

Friday: Tiffany from @Escaping One Book At A Time

Saturday: Jessirae from @Words, Pages, And Books

Sunday: Amy from @Book Loving Mom (That's me!)

You can subscribe to the Book Buzzers YouTube Channel 

HERE

This weeks topic is:

What I love and don't love about blogging

So what do you love and not love about blogging? Let me know in the comments, or just let me know what you think of my vlog. Also if you have any suggestions as to what you would like to hear us talk about let us know.

Review: Demons of the Sun by Cindi Madsen

• Publisher: Crescent Moon Press
• Publication date: 9/4/2012
• Pages: 272
• Source: Ebook provided by the author for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N

Persephone didn’t ask to be the guardian of Hades Dagger, an artifact Hades forged to turn demons into daywalkers. She didn’t ask for the demon blood running through her veins that allows her to touch the thing, either.And she definitely didn’t ask for Jax, a cocky Warrior, to barge into her life and proclaim himself her bodyguard now that Hades wants his dagger back.

Forced to deal with this reality, along with an increase in demon attacks, and the fact members of the Order of Zeus keep turning up dead, Persephone finds her hands full.

When demons tell Persephone that she’s one of them she’s appalled... And a little intoxicated by the power she feels when they call her their queen. Telling Jax about her demon side might turn him away from her forever...

Something bad is brewing, and if Persephone doesn’t figure out a solution, and soon she’ll be responsible for unleashing Hell on Earth.

 My Thoughts

I have to start by saying this completely blew my expectations away. Not that I didn't think I would like it, because if that was the case, I wouldn't have even read it. No, it's because with so many books on mythology, and fantasy it becomes harder and harder to make a creative story that I really can become invested in. Well, this one was awesome! I absolutely loved it!! Not only was it creative and engaging, but it had a great amount of action, romance, and mystery element to it. (Though, me being little miss perceptive, I totally had it figured out pretty early on. It didn't however change my enjoyment of the story.) I was sucked in immediately and then quickly became attached to the characters. Oh, and Dual POV guys!! You know how much I love those!!!

Persephone has her hands full with a family passed down job of guarding Hades Dagger and keeping it out of the Demons hands. She also has a lot of secrets that she has to keep. That proves to become increasingly difficult as more time passes and the danger is drawing near. Then there's the whole falling in love with her warrior protector, Jax. She tries to keep him at a distance, but she soon realizes that not only does she need him, she really wants him by her side too. She is strong, not only because she has been trained to be a  Sentry, but because her life has been a nightmare. She wants so badly at times to just give in and give up. She feels like it would be so much easier, but she knows that she has a duty and she will protect the dagger no matter what.

It didn't take me very long to fall for Jax. I mean yeah, he's cocky and arrogant, but he's also strong, charming, and sweet. Being that this goes between Persephone's POV to Jax we actually get to know him really well. I loved being in his mind. I loved knowing what he was thinking. Persephone just unravels him. She is so fierce and feisty that he is intrigued by her. It doesn't take him long to realize she is more than just a mission to him. He is very open to her about his feelings too, even when she keeps shooting him down which made my heart flutter. He was so adamant about making sure she stayed safe, but he also knew that he had to give a little or she would shut him out again. I also love that he says things that come out totally wrong and has to find a way to fix it or make it right. After all he is still a teenage boy.

What I really enjoyed more than anything was the fact that we get all the information as we need it. No info dump, but also we know what is going on. There's never any confusion. Also thank you Cindi Madsen for making the romance believable and realistic. No insta-love here!! There is a slight love triangle, but it's not really. I can't really go into it without giving spoilers, but this is coming from someone who rolls their eyes at the dreaded love triangle and I am telling you the romance in this is fantastic!! I love the battle between good and evil that Persephone struggles with in herself as well as the impending war. I loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the mythology. Basically I think you can tell that I loved this book. The only thing that I don't like is that it's currently a standalone and I really want more of this world and characters. For those of you who don't want to commit to a series, or hate Cliffhanger endings, this book is a perfect choice!!

Review: Meant To Be by Lauren Morrill

• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 11/13/2012
• Pages: 304
• Source: eARC from publisher via NetGalley for review

 Purchase: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

 My Thoughts

This book was fabulously cute!! I loved the setting, I loved the storyline, and I loved the characters. I was really in the mood for a nice light read and this proved to be just what I needed. It was sweet, cute, and romantic! I loved watching Julia go against her normal rules and be completely out of her element. It was fun to see how she reacted to not only the things and people around her, but also to herself. Of course this wasn't all fun and fluff, but in general it's just a feel good story that leaves you smiling.

Julia is smart, always follows the rules, and believes in this perfect idea of romance, perfect love, and your meant to be. Honestly, I thought it was cute that she was so set in her ways that there is the perfect love out there exactly as she imagines. It's so silly, but I love how she clings to the idea.  I think that in the end it makes her realization that she has been fooling herself that much better. I love how smart she is, and also how determined she is when she sets her mind to something. She is a bit self absorbed, but not in a vain type of way. She is just really oblivious to things and people around her. She is so stuck in her own personal reality that she doesn't always see what is right in front of her.

Jason totally stole my heart despite my not liking him at all to begin with... or through most of the story really. He was immature, annoying, and a bit gross. Beyond all of that though, he was really sweet, caring, fun, and perceptive. Yeah, he screws up a little. Okay, maybe a lot, but he's a teenage boy. Of course he does!! Through so much of this book he made me roll my eyes and wonder why Julia would put up with so much from him, especially when she is so annoyed by him, but I totally get it and honestly in the same situation I might have done the same thing. When he lets his sweet side or his fun side out he really seemed like someone great to be around. He's not perfect, but in the end that boy totally melted my heart.

Romantic, funny, and entertaining are just a few of the ways I would describe this book. It's a perfect read when you are just looking for that book that will leave you feeling light hearted and smiling. When you just want a cute romance without so much of the tragedy that fills so many books. It is a quick and fun book that is very satisfying. Though I wouldn't mind hearing more of Julia and Jason's story, this was wrapped up nicely and left me grinning.

Kendall Grey's Playing With FIRE Giveaway

First I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of the people celebrating it. Now onto the point of this post. Okay guys, so it's no secret that I totally love Kendall Grey's Just Breathe series and am both excited and sad to read the last book in the series which will be out soon. Well, Kendall wants to try to get the word out to more people about her books and is doing an epic giveaway for a Kindle Fire HD and E-book of Inhale, the first book in the trilogy. The more you spread the word, the more entries you get. Haven't heard of the series? I will get you all caught up. This series is adult and is recommended for people 18 years and up. The first two books are available now, and the third and final book will be released in January 2013.

 Strangers in reality, inseparable in dreams…

After years of suffocating under her boss’s scrutiny, whale biologist Zoe Morgan finally lands a job as director of a tagging project in Hervey Bay, Australia. Success Down Under all but guarantees her the promotion of a lifetime, and Zoe won’t let anything—or anyone—stand in her way. Not the whale voices she suddenly hears in her head, not the ex who won’t take no for an answer, and especially not the gorgeous figment of her imagination who keeps saving her from the fiery hell of her dreams.

Gavin Cassidy hasn’t been called to help a human Wyldling in over a year, which is fine by him. Still blaming himself for the death of his partner, he keeps the guilt at bay by indulging in every excess his rock star persona affords. That is, until he’s summoned to protect Zoe from hungry Fyre Elementals and learns his new charge is the key to restoring order in the dying Dreaming. He never expects to fall for the feisty Dr. Morgan…nor does he realize he may have to sacrifice the woman he loves to save an entire country.

 Her dreams brought them together, but reality could tear them apart…

The man of Zoe Morgan’s dreams isn’t only real, he’s interested. In her. But her boss wants her too, and is leveraging his unsolicited advances with the threat of blocking the huge promotion she's after. When he places a spy on her research team, the intense stranger discovers more than he should, and Zoe fears hiding a relationship with Gavin Cassidy from her boss is the least of her worries. The whale she must protect has been marked for death, and Zoe's old enemy Scarlet is eager to deliver the killing blow. To both of them.

Australia’s Sentinels must find and lock the door into the Dreaming before Fyre Elementals launch another attack on innocent dreamers. But corruption and distrust abound, and Gavin believes someone on the Sentinel council is in league with the Fyres. As he reluctantly embraces his new role as council leader, Gavin must not only keep Zoe safe from Scarlet's vengeful clutches, but organize a Sentinel defense strong enough to prevent a full-blown Elemental war—with a traitor fighting by his side.

 He sacrificed his soul to the devil he hates to spare the heart of the woman he loves…

After a terrible accident rocks the foundation of their relationship, Gavin Cassidy, leader of the Sentinels who protect humans in Australia, and whale biologist Zoe Morgan call it quits on their short-lived affair. He can’t come to terms with the trust he inadvertently shattered, and being with him is killing her. Literally.

But love is a powerful motivator, and neither biology nor misguided oaths sworn to mortal enemies is strong enough to keep them apart, despite the fact that their new paths are on a collision course that can only end badly. When Gavin’s illicit alliance with his most hated foe threatens to betray millions of innocents to ruthless Fyre Elementals, Zoe vows to sacrifice everything - including the whales she loves - to stop him from making the biggest mistake of his life.

 You can check out the series on Kendall's goodreads author page as well as all the Ephemera short stories 

 Did you also know that all profits from the sale of the books in this series go to programs to help educate people on whales and the problems they face? Yeah, she's just that awesome!!

So the giveaway she is doing has tons of different ways to enter, some of them are super fun like starting or participating in a discussion on her Amazon Forum. ( I have personally started two discussion topics ) Other ways to enter are tweeting, sharing on facebook, blogging about it, reviewing the books, and many more. So if you want to enter her giveaway, or just check out her website, click the link below. 

Playing with FIRE Giveaway

Even if you don't want to enter, tweeting about it and/or the books is great too. Kendall Grey is an amazing person and I love helping to spread the word about such awesome books. I can't wait to read the last book in the series, Just Breathe.

Review: Two and Twenty Dark Tales by Various Authors

• Publisher: Month9Books
• Publication date: 10/16/2012
• Pages: 340
• Source: eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository

In this anthology, 20 authors explore the dark and hidden meanings behind some of the most beloved Mother Goose nursery rhymes through short story retellings. The dark twists on classic tales range from exploring whether Jack truly fell or if Jill pushed him instead to why Humpty Dumpty, fragile and alone, sat atop so high of a wall. The authors include Nina Berry, Sarwat Chadda, Leigh Fallon, Gretchen McNeil, and Suzanne Young.

  My thoughts

Being that this is an anthology, I wasn't sure how to go about reviewing it. I know some people will pick out their favorite stories, or some people so separate mini reviews for each story. I don't really want to do either of those things. The first, because I really enjoyed all of the stories and the second, because I don't typically do mini reviews unless it's for a novella. That being said, I am just going to give my thoughts as a whole on this book.

I'm sure that all of you are familiar with at least of few of the nursery rhymes in this anthology that have been turned into short stories. We also all know that those nursery rhymes are pretty dark and twisted. Yeah, we sing them and they sound all cute and fun, but realistically they are anything but. These amazing authors take these nursery rhymes and turn them into short stories that are very dark and creepy. I loved that it really expands on the nursery rhymes and lets you in on the story. These short stories are so massively creative and I found it so easy to get lost in them.

Though each one is a short story, they all have so much to them. I am always impressed at how authors are able to make short stories really come to life and give you everything you need out of it and still have it all wrapped up. The thing I love the most was that you really get a feel for all the different authors writing. I have read a few of the authors books that were in this anthology, but not all of them. Getting to know their writing style in their short stories has made me want to check out a few that I don't know if I would have read otherwise.

I don't tend to read a lot of anthologies, but I do enjoy them because it's nice to be able to read a story that you can start and finish rather quickly. Sometimes I don't know what I want to read and just need a little mini break between books, and these dark stories were just the thing for that. If you are looking for a great collection of dark re-tellings of some well known (and others not so much) nursery rhymes this is a book for you. I really wouldn't even say they are re-tellings as much as really letting you know the story that goes with the particular nursery rhyme.

The OPAL (Lux#3) Book Trailer is here!!!

Guys!! OMG! Yup, of course being the total Jennifer L. Armentrout fan girl I am I HAD to take part in the Book Trailer reveal for OPAL (Lux#3). I know that none of you are probably even reading this anymore so I will just get on with it!

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Opal will be available 12/11/12 from Entangled Publishing
(Some sites say the 18th, but I thought it was 11th and that's the date in the book trailer so I'm going with that date.)

Pre- Order: Amazon | B&N | The Book Depostitory

Now, what you all have been waiting for (or have already discovered while I was babbling):

OPAL Book Trailer!!!

How freaking awesome is that?!! Okay, I'm a bit spazzy, but it is making me all sorts of excited for this book and I can't wait to read it!!!

About the author:

(Insert Jennifer’s Picture) USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Find Jennifer on: Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Website | Blog