Thursday, October 11, 2012

Swoon Thursday (15)


The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme. Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the gals at YABound!
“Who’s a better kisser? Me or jerkoff Stacey?”  It was so unexpected that she burst out laughing.

Spark by Brigid Kemmerer Kindle Location 2958

First things first- Stacey is the guy's last name.  SMH...  Okay to be honest, I would never had thought Gabriel would ask this of Layne.  That is why it is my swoon.  To have someone so tough seem so well unsure of himself.  Oh it just makes me weak in my knees!

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Spark


Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Format: eBook
Print Length: 432pages
Publisher: K-Teen
Published: August 28, 2012
Gabriel Merrick plays with fire. Literally.
Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

My Thoughts

Spark is an intriguing story that will captivate the reader.  Gabriel may burn hot then cold but when it involves Layne he is sizzling. When we last left the Merrick brothers, they had just had a really bad week.  A guide had been sent to eliminate them.  Nick had been badly injured, but they were alive and for the most part well.
Spark picks up a few days after Elemental had ended.  Gabriel is wallowing in guilt over Nick’s leg and taking his emotions out on everyone in sight.  Unfortunately, the one way that Gabriel use to tame his emotions was well cut in half.   With Nick’s injured leg he cannot play his varsity sports, okay so Nick doesn’t actually play but Gabriel pretends to do be him.  Now the injury makes it so they cannot trade places- in sports and in math.
On top of his already sucky month, Gabriel’s math teacher takes an extended break.  The sub figured out something that 5 certified high qualified math teachers did not.  Nick had been doing Gabriel’s math work.  Once caught, graduation is in danger and so eligibility to play any sport.
In his math class is a nerdy sophomore, Laney that keeps to herself.  This is due to an accident she had as a child.  She notices that Gabriel is struggling and offers help.  Gabriel unsure but seeing no other way out does take her up on it.
This series just keeps getting better.  Gabriel’s reaction to Nick’s injury is so realistic that you almost want to cry for him.  The fact that Hunter becomes his friend as his relationships with his brothers go from mild to bad in about 4.2 second is also telling of both characters.  But mainly it is his reaction to Laney that draws me to him.  For some reason even when he is mean to her, he is gentle with her.  His mouth can get him in trouble and more often than not does.  His reaction to what he says to upset or anger Laney is telling of his true character.  The one that he keeps hidden from all others.  Laney, is about as realistic as they come.  She does not hide her feelings from Gabriel or walk on eggshells around him.  The best part is that she doesn’t follow him and try to boost his ego all the time.  I love that Laney will stand up to him and for him.  She does not back-down, and that is just the kinda gal that Gabriel needs.

My Rating 4.5 stars out of 5

Other Characters

Nick- Gabriel’s twin brother, the non-screw-up one
Taylor- Resident mean gal, high school cheerleader to boot
Simon- Layne’s brother, this is his first year in public school.  He is deaf but plays some mean basketball.
Mr. Forrest- Layne’s dad, a lawyer who is extremely protective.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Teaser Tuesday (15)


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!
“Not in my house, you won’t kill me in my house!”  She screamed it repeatedly, like a mantra, until she was flung backward off the female vamp and jerked to her feet.

Life and Death of Lily Drake by T. Michelle Nelson Kindle Location 1169
Could you imagine?  Someone trying to kill you in your own house?  What would you do to protect yourself?  How about those you love?

Velveteen's Book Birthday!

Today is the day that many of you have been waiting for~ Velveteen's released day!

Do you like ghost?

Do you like revenge?

Do you like romance?

Do you like gals with spunk and guys who stand by them?

If you answered yes, than Velveteen is the book for you!

Happy Reading!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Blog Tour: Review & Character Interview: Keaton Drake



Author: T. Michelle Nelson
Format: eBook
Print Length: 392 pages
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Published: October 5, 2012
"Fans of Charlaine Harris and TRUE BLOOD will find much to enjoy in Michelle Nelson's cracking, sanguine debut. Dark, funny, audacious and written with a confidence that belies this as her first effort, LIFE AND DEATH OF LILY DRAKE dispenses with the idea that vampires are pasty, maudlin, emo-types and restores them to all their brutal bloodthirsty glory. And in terms of heroines to root for, I daresay Lily Drake gives poor 'ol Sookie a run for her money."
- Kealan Patrick Burke, Bram Stoker Award-Winning author of THE TURTLE BOY and KIN.

For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy...Dating them is the hard part.


Lily Drake is your everyday hard-working single mom…until a gorgeous vampire shows up on her front door who she mistakenly assumes is her blind date for the evening. As one crazy scenario after another unfolds, Lily finds herself falling in love with two vampires, slaying the evil ones, and being prophesied as the savior of the entire undead race.
Deciding between pizza and Chinese take-out will no longer be one of the hard decisions facing Lily Drake once she is emerged into vampire society. Humanity or immortality? That doesn't hold a candle against this question - which of the two handsome vampire cousins?

The Life and Death of Lily Drake is not your typical vampire love story. It’s a tale about the humorous mistakes a woman makes simply trying to survive not only life, but the dating scene. How will Lily manage working full-time, taking care of her young son and fighting the undead at every turn?
Lily will have to figure it out, but who better to save the world than a mom?

My Thoughts

Lily is a normal everyday soccer mom, who’s best friend sets her up on a date.  The date shows up hot as hades and apparently rich too.  She gets date-napped and taken the guy’s house.  It is here that she discovers that vampires are real and is offered immortality.  The Vamps believing that she is in danger.  She turns down the offer and they supposedly wipe her memory of them (but not too good as it comes back).
This is where she meets Mathias and his cousin Val.  Mathias is the uppity, Lord of the Manor type of vamp and Val is well not like that, you could call him laid back but he does have intensity about him.  By that description alone you can tell I have a soft spot for Val.
An enjoyable read, that literally is about the everyday life and death of Lily Drake. There are areas that I felt could have been left out, although I understand why they were included.  I was not a fan of Mathias and her relationship with him kinda made me mad.  He was too serious all of the time, and kinda ambitious.  I kept wondering does he really like her or is he only doing this because some vision told him he does.  Plus, he is just selfish, you will understand more when you read it.  On the other hand, her blossoming relationship with Val was more my style.  The fact that Keaton did not ask questions about the things that were changing in his life also left me wondering how close they really are.  This does get explained though, and WOW what a great way to solve that mystery.
The world of Lily Drake is a wonderful place to visit.  It allows you to escape for a few hours into the land of reality and vampires.  A place that as a human, I would probably not want to visit.  Which is why I am grateful for the visit into her world that this book offered.

My Rating 4 out of 5 stars

Other Characters

Rose- Lily’s great (by a lot) aunt, has visions that tell the future.
Burchard- muscle man vamp, hates the Vikings.
Luke- a vamp in the know that is a little jealous of Lily.
Keaton- Lily’s son.
Angie- Lily’s best friend, has no clue what is going on.

Keaton it is fabulous that your mom and step-dad agreed to let you talk to me.  Man, was security tight trying to get ahold of them though for them to agree. I am sure that the ice cream has nothing to do with your fast and ready yes when they asked.  Your step-dad said we have the amount of time it took you to eat the ice cream so I am going to go ahead and get started.

When did you realize that you were different from those around you?
I always heard voices, but for a long time I thought everybody else did too.
 
Why did you keep it a secret?
I knew things I probably shouldn't have known. Sometimes I mentioned the things I heard people think and they got mad, wanted to know who told me that stuff. That's when I figured out I should keep the things I heard people think and my secret to myself.
 
Was it difficult to keep your secret from your mom when you realized there were others in her life that she hadn't introduced you to?
No, not really. I know I could have asked her and she would have told me, but I knew she kept things secret to keep me safe. That's what she thinks of most of the time actually. She's always worrying about me. When I knew she was sad, it was hard for me to keep quiet though.
 
Can you read your Aunt's vision? Was it difficult to know about her and not mention her?
I don't have dreams like Aunt Rose does, and the only way I know what she's dreamed about is if she is thinking about her dreams. Most of the time Aunt Rose keeps her thoughts of business, it's not that much fun to get in her head. Before I met her I knew I would someday. I couldn't wait though!
 
When you were taken what went through your mind?
I was scared at first, but I knew my mom would figure something out. 
 
Your momma had two difficult decisions to make- to be turned and which guy to choose. Did you hope that she would stay human or get turned? Which guy did you want your momma to choose? 
 I love my stepdad and my uncle, that didn't matter so much to me, but I really wanted mom to be a vampire. I'm going to be one when I grow up for sure and I can't imagine her not being one too and living forever with me.
 
What do you think will happen next for your family? 
Well, as soon as I'm 18 I'm going to have mom and another vampire, my my stepdad or my uncle change me into one! I can't wait.
Yikes!  Burchard is giving me the evil vamp eye.  I think our time is up.  Thanks again for meeting me at the ice cream parlor.  Maybe giving Burchard this strawberry shake will ease his grumpiness out a little.  Bye, Keaton!





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Thursday, October 4, 2012

More Released Today!


Y'all can buy More now!  That's right, it released today!  Follow the link to read my review!

Swoon 14


The fabulous girls over at YA Bound created this super HOT meme. Here's how it works.

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering.

Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! I want to know & so do the gals at YABound!
 
He moved his forehead to mine and the warmth of his breath over my cheeks and mouth caused goose bumps to form all over my body.  I breathed him and sighed with pleasure, instinctively arching into him.

The One by Heather Self Kindle Location 3024
Okay, so I already gave you one Swoony Thursday with these two.  But man, is the chemistry between these two amazing.  Besides who doesn't like it when instinct takes over?

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

The One


Author: Heather Self
Format: eBook
Print Length: 206 pages
Publisher: Self-published
Published: June 15, 2012
Stranded on Earth two thousand years they’ve waited for the arrival of the One: some to save her, others to kill her. With her birth, the ancient prophecy could at last be fulfilled and the doorway between the worlds would open. Those who know the prophecy believe this event occurred almost eighteen years ago, and now, they’ll stop at nothing to find her.

Seventeen-year-old Eveline has lived her entire life on the move and she hates it. She knows her parents believe she’s the One, and they’ve done whatever it takes to stay one step ahead of those who want her dead. But Eveline isn’t fully convinced that her parents’ beliefs match her own. What she does believe is that Leadville, Colorado may be the chance she’s been waiting for. The chance to be somewhere safe. The chance for her to make friends and have fun. The chance to finally date a guy. The chance to be a normal girl, at least as normal as possible for someone not human

My Thoughts

All her life Evy has been on the run, moving periodically once her parents felt there was a danger.  You see, they believe that she is The One.  She however, rolls her eyes at this and kinda just rolls with whatever.  Not really believing her folks. 
They move in the middle of her senior year but promise tat this si the last place they are going to be moving to.  So once settled Evy starts to make friends, Jenna and Kai.  She discover that she has an older brother, Liam.  She did not remember him but soon gets her memories back.  Of course, she has two swoon worthy guys that are fighting for her affections.
I absolutely adore Evy.  She rocks with awesomeness- from telling everyone they are crazy to telling off the guy who rejected her.  She is amazing.  The best part is once she accepts that they may be right, she demands that they get on board with her.
Now it would not be a paranormal romance without the romance part.  Evy has not one but two hotties trying for her love.

Guy #1 Chase

Just so you know I am team Chase all the way.  There I said it- I gave my disclosure.  Chase is a hottie from down under.  One whom understands responsibilities at the cost of one’s happiness.  He does take his responsibilities seriously.  Too bad though, he kinda well pushes Evy away.  Fingers and toes are crossed that he can fix this.

Guy #2 Kieran

Reminder- I am team Chase.  First of all he is suppose to be the enemy, a Nerada.  They typically want to kill Evy- instead he just wants to kiss her.  Plus he seems a little too team Evy for me.  Something about his eagerness rubs me the wrong way.  But I hear he makes a good breakfast.
I adore this book.  Heather’s debut novel rocked my world and I for one could not put it down.  I’m biting my nails waiting for the second one to come out.   Knowing Heather the second book will blow our minds.  I just hope (hint, hint, wink, wink) that Chase will get the gal in the end.
Seriously, one of the best novels from a debut author that I have read this year.

My Rating 5 out of 5 stars

Other Characters

Liam- Very protective older brother- with good reason.
Jenna- Liam’s other little sister, no relation to Evy.  She is a good friend though and always on Evy’s side.
Kai- Shy gal from school, has a sassy mouth though once you get to know her.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Teaser Tuesday (14)


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!



I promise, little light, you will have answers. And an apology if you require, but please know everything that was done was done because you are loved and we want you safe. Please.

The One by Heather Self Kindle Location 606

What was done and why does it need an apology?  Things that make you go ummmm....

Whisper at Moonrise Release Day!


 
At a camp filled with vampires, werewolves, and fairies, Kylie Galen has always struggled to figure out what she is. Now she finally knows the truth—but she's left with more questions than answers. She doesn’t have a clue what her heritage means or how to harness her newfound powers. All she knows is that she needs to sort out her feelings for Derek, the sexy half-Fae who just confessed his love, and Lucas, her werewolf boyfriend who seems more committed to his pack than to their relationship. All the while, Kylie's dealing with a group of underground rogues who want her dead and a mysterious grandfather who makes it clear he doesn’t trust the FRU . . . or Shadow Falls. Soon Kylie will have to choose: Will she stay with the new family she’s formed at Shadow Falls, or will she leave with her grandfather and embrace her destiny.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Halloween Sucks - Says Lily Drake


I was asked to describe my favorite fictional vampire recently.  I thought long and hard about this.  Did I want a soft vegetarian vamp with a heart of gold or maybe a bad vamp that is all about fun? Who is my favorite fictional vampire?   Obviously it would have to be one who actually liked humans- I had to be able to talk to him.  It would be nice if he could refrain from turning me into a snack.  I kinda like my blood right where it is- in my veins.

If I had to pick my absolute favorite vampire- it would be Nicholas Drake from the Drake Chronicles. 

Nicholas Drake is a fairly young vampire, having survived the turn two years ago.  He was born to a vampire daddy and a human mother.  He is the youngest son, and the second to youngest child and of course has seven siblings.  He is extremely protective of his little sister Solange, and her best friend Lucy. 

In the Drakes’ world, if you are born into a family with a human mother and a vampire father at the age of 16 you undergo a change.  This change will either automatically change you into a vampire or else kill you.  There is no choice for Nicholas- he always knew that this would be his life if he survived.

Nicholas is fiercely loyal to his family and girlfriend.  Even when forced to choose he puts things into motion that will of course protect the one he loves.  You can always count on Nicholas to be in the heat of things right along his siblings.  He does have limitations though- he has to drink blood.  Which is yucky for us but for him it is like chocolate.  He falls asleep when the sun rises- as in literally falls asleep where ever he is.  This is a safety mechanism for young vampires to teach them to avoid the sun, as it can kill them.  So who is your favorite fictional vampire and why? 

 

""For Lily Drake, slaying vampires is easy...Dating them is the hard part." Join the release party on Oct 5th at Inkspell Publishing website to find the Blog hop winners!" (The link will take you to the author's website.)

Now Hop along.....
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