Books: The Cheapest Vacation You Can Buy

{June 2, 2012} Forever Changed Scavenger Hunt With Tiffany King!

Tiffany King is running an awesome giveaway scavenger hunt in preparation for the release of her newest novel, Forever Changed! The rules are simple, everyday a blogger will post an excerpt from Forever Changed. In the text of the excerpt will be two highlighted letters. Collect all the letters to spell the secret phrase listed on Tiffany’s blog in order to be entered for the grand prize!

The 3 grand prizes for the entire hop will be:

A pair of drumsticks with the book title engraved on them.
A sterling silver drumsticks charm (Part in the book).
And finally a signed copy of the book and the flowers that are on the cover.

You can also COMMENT ON THIS POST to be entered for a Kindle copy of Forever Changed as well as a silver drumsticks charm (winner will be chosen using random.org). The hop will run between June 1st – June 9th.

Here’s the excerpt:

I took my usual perch outside the auditorium, hoping today would finally be the day that she came walking by from the student parking lot. You would think after staking out this spot for the past three weeks, I would have been more prepared when she appeared. Instead, I nearly knocked myself out when I smacked my head on a tree branch trying to duck out of sight. My heart was suddenly racing, and I could feel the sweat beading on my now throbbing forehead. I couldn’t believe how good she looked, or how I couldn’t get this chick out of my mind. My friends would absolutely hammer me if they knew how I really felt about her. Like I was some kind of wuss the way I sneaked around just watching her.

I played it cool, keeping a safe distance between us as she made her way to her locker. I wish I had the guts to actually walk up to her and say something, but there was no way in hell that would happen, especially, after she became surrounded by Lacey and the others who passed her around from one hug to the next. Of course, that tool Colton was also there, wrapping her tightly in his arms. Seeing them made me feel like kind of a jerk for believing I might ever have a place in her life, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away as they strolled down the hall together.

Participating Blogs:

June 1st The Autumn Review http://www.autumnreview.com/2012/05/forever-changed-by-tiffany-king-blog.html

June 2nd A Book Vacation https://bookvacations.wordpress.com/

June 3rd Life Among the Pages http://alifeamongthepages.wordpress.com/

June 4th M. Leighton Books http://mleightonbooks.blogspot.com/

June 5th Stuck in Books http://www.stuckinbooks.com/

June 6th Sim-Sational Books http://sim-sational-books.blogspot.com/

June 7th Courtney Cole http://courtneycolewrites.com/

June 8th C.A Kunz http://cakunz.blogspot.com/

{June 1, 2012} Recently Released Giveaway Goodness #13–June–CLOSED

It’s that time again! For no other reason than that I like giveaways… we’re onto the THIRTEENTH Recently Released Giveaway Goodness Giveaway!

Interested? Of course you are! I’m offering ONE lucky winner one of these novels:

Many of these novels have recently released. I’ve included my reviews below to help you pick the novel you’d like to win. And honestly, there should be something here for everyone!

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi
The Girl in the Park by Mariah Fredericks
Deadly.com by Cindy McDonald
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Precious Bones by Mika Ashley-Hollinger
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
Starters by Lissa Price
Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Travelas

This is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway from the book depository, but you need to make sure they send to your country before entering–check here.

This contest is now CLOSED.

{June 1, 2012} Announcing the Winner of My Recently Released Giveaway Goodness #12–May

My Recently Released Giveaway Goodness Giveaway #12–May–has just concluded, and I’m excited to say that the winner has been chosen using Random.org.

And the winner is…

Munnaza

Book Chosen:

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

A tweet has been sent out to the winner, with an email to follow shortly. If I don’t hear from her within 48 hours, I will select a new winner using Random.org. Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winner… but don’t despair if you didn’t win this round!

Enter to win my other great giveaways:

Win a book of your choice:

{May 31, 2012} {Review} Tyler’s Mountain Magic by Malcom Ater

From Goodreads: Although Tyler Moore was plagued by cystic fibrosis since early childhood, he refused to allow the progressive illness to disrupt his ambition of excelling at sports. Ater’s Tyler’s Mountain Magic is the story of how Tyler took his little junior high school and the town of Harpers Ferry on the most magical sports ride in West Virginia history.

Ater describes Tyler’s unwillingness to quit at anything. As a youngster, he had wrestled in the county youth league for two years and never won a match. But in the seventh grade, he won his last match of the season to help defeat the county’s other junior high school for the first time in 25 years, finally ending the “curse” of John Brown. The following year Tyler became the glue that held the team together when a season-ending cheating scandal rocked the entire county and divided the people.

By the time he was a ninth grader, Tyler had an impossible dream: he and his friends on Blue Ridge Mountain were going to become the only team in West Virginia public school history to win 40 games or matches in a single season, in any sport. Ater chronicles the 3,000-mile journey around the state as the boys work to accomplish something that people said could never be done. Readers experience the drama and sacrifice that Tyler and his teammates make as the cheating scandal from the previous year is rekindled and their coaches talk of resigning over the county’s lack of ethical standards in sports.

“Even though 10 or 15 years ago many children with cystic fibrosis did not live into adulthood, Tyler was not afraid of dying,” Ater says. “He wanted his life to stand for something while he still had time.”

Today, at the entrance to Harpers Ferry, there is no sign honoring John Brown or his infamous raid that ignited the Civil War, but there is a sign honoring a teenage boy who brought an impossible dream to his small town.

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Truth be told, I was a little wary of reading this novel when I was first approached by the publisher, as I’m not interested in wrestling in the least. I’ve never been to a wrestling match, and I honestly didn’t know the first thing about it, aside from the fact that a few of my students are on the wrestling team at my school. But the idea of Tyler Moore beating the odds and refusing to sit on the sidelines due to cystic fibrosis was intriguing, and I decided to read this novel, and I’m very glad I did.

Now, I’m still not all that interested in wrestling, and I found parts of this novel to be really boring, but I highly enjoyed getting to know Tyler and his teammates as they attempted the impossible, stood up for what was right, and were all around inspiring people. For some reason, I was under the impression that this novel was non-fiction, but as I looked at the afterword, I was surprised to find it is actually fiction based on a true story. I had to do a little more digging to find out more, but as far as I can tell, Ater, who actually represents the coach within the novel, changed some names, places, situations when penning this novel, for legal reasons, but the overall premise of the story is true; hence, fiction based on truth.

Overall, I found this novel to be a very powerful read. And, even though I couldn’t connect with the wrestling aspect of the novel, I was able to connect with the characters, especially Tyler, who is forever endeared to my heart. Though some things have been changed in the book, he was a real person with cystic fibrosis, and I’d really like to know more about him. Ater did a great job piquing my interest and I’m glad I picked up this book. I highly recommend this novel to any MG and YA males out there, but I think that most will really enjoy this book and connect with it, whether or not they’re into wrestling. Four stars.

Blue Ridge Mountain Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read a copy of this novel, via Netgalley.

{May 30, 2012} The Forever Changed Synopsis is Here!!

Author Tiffany King has another book releasing soon, Forever Changed, and I cannot wait! Today she unveiled the synopsis, and it sounds amazing! I am very excited for this novel!!!

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Kassandra Cole has it all—a stable home with great parents, popularity and all the friends she could ever need. She is used to a lifestyle where everything comes easy to her, from good grades to being captain of the cheerleading squad.

Her entire world is shaken to the core when a fatal accident takes her father, causing Kassandra to re-examine the course her life was on. The actions of one individual forever changes her life, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her broken family. Kassandra begins to question everything she once cherished and the people she disappointed along the way.

Maddon Johnson’s life is as different from Kassandra’s as night and day. Abandoned by his mother at a young age, he is left to deal with his abusive, alcoholic father on his own. He has one goal: lay low and get the heck out of dodge as soon as he is legally old enough.

Everything changes when his father’s tragic actions send Maddon crashing into Kassandra’s world. Suddenly, getting away is the last thing he wants as he discovers it is possible to believe in love after all.

{May 30, 2012} {ARC Review} Transcendence by C.J. Omololu (Transcendence #1)

From Goodreads: When a visit to the Tower of London triggers an overwhelmingly real vision of a beheading that occurred centuries before, Cole Ryan fears she is losing her mind. A mysterious boy, Griffon Hall, comes to her aid, but the intensity of their immediate connection seems to open the floodgate of memories even wider.

As their feelings grow, Griffon reveals their common bond as members of the Akhet—an elite group of people who can remember past lives and use their collected wisdom for the good of the world. But not all Akhet are altruistic, and a rogue is after Cole to avenge their shared past. Now in extreme danger, Cole must piece together clues from many lifetimes. What she finds could ruin her chance at a future with Griffon, but risking his love may be the only way to save them both.

Full of danger, romance, and intrigue, Transcendence breathes new life into a perpetually fascinating question: What would you do with another life to live?

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Initially, I had a hard time getting into this story. I felt like everything was a bit pushed and I didn’t understand what was happening with the flashbacks. I liked the introduction of Griffon, but then he disappeared and I was confused as to his role in the book. But then, it all came together, fairly quickly, and Omololu did a great job putting together the pieces of the puzzle, explaining everything, and capturing my interest, especially as the truth behind the Akhet came to light.

In my opinion, Omololu does a phenomenal job revealing bits and pieces of the truth at a time, leaving the reader constantly trying to decipher what is happening to Cole. Though I tend to like instant gratification, and would have loved for the characters to spill it all out on the table in one fowl swoop, I found that I really liked being led along, trying to figure it out by myself. While it was a bit frustrating, as Griffon isn’t completely forthcoming with his information, it did endear him to me heart, which is funny because usually I would have been highly annoyed by the character’s tight-lipped responses. However, I think this is a testament to Omololu’s characterization abilities—though the characters are slow in divulging information, and though they make some serious errors, they are very real, and I liked that about them.

The idea of reincarnation was very interesting, and I enjoyed learning all the ins and outs of the Akhet. I’m not sure if I would like to live multiple lives, especially if I could remember them all, but the idea is intriguing, to say the least. Overall, Transcendence was a highly enjoyable book that I recommend to any YA novel lovers. Four stars.

Bloomsbury Children’s Books has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on June 5, 2012.

{May 29, 2012} Firestarters’ 600 Followers Giveaway!

Firestarters’ 600 Followers Giveaway!

There will be 2 winners, each will win one preorder from The Book Depository.

If you win, you can win one of the books listed below:

To enter, visit Firestarters blog by clicking HERE!

{May 29, 2012} {ARC Review} Shackled by Angela Carling

From Goodreads: After shy, quiet Lucy and her family move from their small hometown in Minnesota to Seattle, Washington, she is surprised when Ryan, the most popular boy at school asks her out. Soon, she is swept up in a whirlwind romance and her naïve and trusting nature allows her to fall head over heels in love with her too-good-to-be suitor. Suddenly, Lucy finds herself enraptured by the excitement of her new relationship, leaving her blinded to the warning signs of danger ahead. Can her fairy tale romance last, or will she find that her prince charming is more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

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Carling writes a compelling novel that had me on pins and needles. Lucy is a very naive teenager, as many teenagers are, and her story is extremely compelling—one I think all females should read, especially as abuse in relationships comes in all forms and crosses all age barriers. This isn’t just a book for teens, but for all women.

I found myself, on many an occasion, vocally chiding the characters, especially Lucy, as the novel progressed. Unfortunately, Lucy tends to make poor decision after poor decision, so blinded by the “love” she and Ryan share that she gives into his every demand without much thought. Now, while some of the situations in the novel seem far-fetched, the more I think about them, the more likely I think they are to actually happen. While I am able to sit here and say that Lucy makes some extremely stupid decisions, I am removed from the context and, quite honestly, might have made some of the same choices had I been in her shoes, and I’m a grown woman.

I liked the back and forth narration within this novel, giving readers a glimpse into the mind of both Ryan and Lucy, which helps explains some of the crazy choices they make. Though I admit that I am not a fan of Ryan in the least, obtaining his viewpoint did put the novel in perspective and explained a lot to me in terms of his actions, especially as I began to understand his home life. There are no excuses for what he does throughout the novel, but I loved that Carling gives her readers an inside glimpse, explaining where the possessiveness comes from and, even though I highly dislike Ryan and his father, I enjoyed gaining an understanding of them.

Overall, I really liked this novel, especially as it focuses on psychological abuse and not sexual abuse, which I wouldn’t have been able to handle. This is a very creepy story, and it’s one everyone needs to hear. Five stars.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, prior to its release on June 1, 2012.

{May 28, 2012} 30 Free Kindle Books With Beautiful Covers!

Happy Memorial Day!!! I checked out Amazon this morning, with the intention of checking prices on some new releases I’d like to read, and ended up finding tons of FREE novels, novellas, and short stories that I just couldn’t pass up. In fact, there were so many that I thought I’d share them all with you. Please be advised, at the moment I published this blog post, all the books below were FREE. I cannot guarantee they are all still free, as it depends on when you view this post. Some are only free for a day, some may be free for a week, and some will be free for much longer, but I don’t know which is which. So, happy hunting, and enjoy!

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Revelations by Genevieve Pearson

When four seemingly über-cool college kids arrive in a small West Texas town, only one girl recognizes them for who they really are—the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Nineteen years old, a greeter at the local Smiley’s Supercenter, Kyrie’s been blessed with an uncommonly good intuition…and a few other abilities she’s been keeping secret.

Those abilities aren’t enough to deal with the Horsemen, though, who bring with them a magnitude of evil Kyrie’s never seen before. Adding to the complications, her best friend has gone missing and Nate, her gorgeous but chronically deceptive ex-flame falls back in to her life, wanting to rekindle their old relationship. That can’t be a coincidence, can it? Then there’s Aaron, the oldest child in a family considered overly-religious even by Texas standards, who’s determined to help her whether she wants it or not. With boys, it seems, it’s either feast or famine. And of course they only want you when the world’s about to end.

As plagues descend on the tiny town, Kyrie finds herself facing down Death, Pestilence, Famine and War in a fight for the lives of everyone around her. But with myth becoming reality and discoveries are made that shake her to her core, she begins to waver in her conviction of right and wrong. Temptation waits in the dark of stormy Texas nights, and if Kyrie can’t find the will to fight any longer, the end of days are only just beginning.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Junked by Boyd Brent

No one over the age of 13 is safe. Everyone is junked eventually: made neurotic, insecure or fanatical. Mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends. And they’re the lucky ones: those who resist are terminated in seemingly random accidents and killings.

Thomas Sheepsbane and Edward Wolf are teenage psychopaths. It’s their job to orchestrate these ‘accidents’. When they deviate from their list of sanctioned methods with 17-year-old Red Phoenix, they trigger something so macabre that the world believes it’s witnessing a genuine miracle.

Red is convinced he’s losing his mind … until he gets to know Penny Lane. Penny may be the town freak but she’s the only one who seems to have an inkling into the horrifying ‘event’ that keeps on happening to him. Red and Penny go on the run from the police, the media and supernatural forces that want them both dead. And the future of humanity’s sanity depends upon them surviving long enough to unravel the mystery of Penny’s grandmother Erin Bow. Erin was abducted from Stonehenge in 1969 … leaving only her tambourine behind … through which, Penny alone is able to see…

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Dare to Bleed by Mary Whitten

Emily is a normal girl with a nosey mother, a deadbeat father she has never met, and a vulgar outrageous best friend. Girls start dying around her apartment, and her love life is being turned upside down. On top of everything, two mysterious men have come into her life and informed her that she is the target of the killer. A vampire named Damon has stolen a book of spells and will do anything to force Emily to relinquish her powers. Powers she never realized she had. Emily must figure out what she is in order to save the life of her best friend before time runs out.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Bound by Kira Saito

Sixteen year old Arelia LaRue lives in New Orleans where the music is loud, voodoo queens inhabit every street corner, and the ghosts are alive and well. Despite her surroundings, all she wants is to help her Grand-mere Bea pay the rent and save up for college.

When her best friend Sabrina convinces her to take a well-paying summer job at the infamous Darkwood plantation, owned by the wealthy LaPlante family, Arelia agrees.

However, at Darkwood strange things start to happen, and gorgeous Lucus LaPlante insists that he needs her help. Soon, the powers that Arelia has been denying all her life, come out to play and she discovers mysteries about herself that she could have never imagined.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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The Mind Readers by Lori Brighton

Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows the truth… that Cameron can read minds. For years Cameron has hidden behind a facade of normalcy, warned that there are those who would do her harm. When gorgeous and mysterious Lewis Douglas arrives he destroys everything Cameron has ever believed and tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a secret haven with Lewis; a place where she meets others like her, Mind Readers.

But as Cameron soon finds out some things are too good to be true. When the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs. Cameron suddenly finds herself involved in a war in which her idea of what is right and wrong is greatly tested. In the end she’ll be forced to make a choice that will not only threaten her relationship with Lewis, but her very life.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Cursed by Tara Brown

The day the mist cleared was the day Aimee James started to die.

The fog surrounding her broken heart had finally cleared letting in the boy she had always dreamt of. Instead of ending up falling in love for the first time she finds her heart torn between something impossible and the love of a lifetime.

After being drugged and stalked Aimee begins to wonder if she will live long enough to enjoy even one of her hearts desires.

In the end the choice is life or death and whether she has the ability to let go of everyone and everything to survive.

Sometimes death is the only thing that can keep you alive. For Aimee James it’s the only thing that will save her life, even if the cost is everything else she cherishes.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Frey by Melissa Wright

Unaware she’s been bound from using magic, Frey leads a small, miserable life in the village where she’s sent after the death of her mother. But a tiny spark starts a fury of changes and she finds hersef running from everything she’s ever known.

Hunted by council for practicing dark magic, she is certain she’s been wrongfully accused. She flees, and is forced to rely on strangers for protection. But the farther she strays from home, the more her magic and forgotten memories return and she begins to suspect all is not as it seems.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Sleepers by Megg Jensen

An adoptee raised in a foreign land, sixteen-year-old Lianne was content with her life as handmaiden to the queen, until a spell cast on her at birth activated. Now she’s filled with uncontrollable rage and access to magic she thought had been bled from her people years ago. Even her years of secret training in elite hand-to-hand combat and meditation can’t calm the fires raging inside her.

Her heart is torn between two boys, the one she’s always loved and the one who always ignored her. But when the kingdom threatens to tear itself apart due to rumors surrounding the queen’s alleged affair, who will Lianne protect and who will she destroy?

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Tears of the Broken by A.M. Hudson

Lies are the shadows on betrayal…the vampire will be the light.

When you love someone, there’s nothing you wouldn’t forgive. But what about murder? Ara-Rose will learn that life is fashioned from one tragedy after the next, and that sometimes, the truth people hide from you is nothing you could have imagined. But Ara has secrets of her own, and she’s willing to take them to her grave–a place David Knight will fight to keep her from.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Awakening by Karice Bolton

Alone in snowy, remote Whistler village, Ana tries to build a new life since losing her parents. With a cozy condo, a sweet-faced bulldog and an evening job to leave the days free for the slopes, life slips into a great routine. If only she could shake the guilt for not remembering anything about her parents and banish the night terrors that haunt her every dream.

On a whim, Ana goes out with Athen, a guy she’s just met in the Grizzly Pub… The only problem is that she feels like she already knows him.

Within 48 hours of meeting Athen and his family, Ana’s world implodes. She falls for Athen quickly and before she knows it, a past life begins to resurface. As thrilling as the revelations appear at first, she fights against the chilling information that Athen is from the underworld. Soon she begins to struggle as her own supernatural gifts are slowly unveiled, and she realizes that the nightmares she’s been having might be premonitions and not dreams at all.

It is up to Ana to decipher between fact and fiction before it is too late, and her new love, Athen, follows in her same fate – one that is lost between two worlds.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Bloody Little Secrets by Karly Kirkpatrick

17-year-old Vicky Hernandez has a big problem. She’s dead. Or not quite. After discovering she’s been turned into a vampire, she tries to settle into a quiet suburb of Chicago and return to a normal life.

If only she could stop wanting to bite her boyfriend. Not to mention she is dying to find out who turned her, and why. She doesn’t have to wait long before they come to her.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Sworn by Emma Knight

When her dad is transferred, Rachel Wood is uprooted from her home in Pennsylvania and forced to enter a new high school, in 10th grade, in an affluent suburb in Westchester, New York. She finds herself in way over her head, as she struggles to come to grips with meeting new friends, finding a boyfriend, avoiding the cliques of mean girls, and figuring out how to survive in such a hostile new world. She has trouble navigating this new world, where drinking and drugs seem the norm, and where social pressures build on her from every direction.

Everything seems to go wrong for Rachel, until salvation comes in the form of Rob, a football player who takes a liking to her. But just as there romance is about to blossom, she finds herself confused by his actions.

As things reach a low point, Rachel meets a mysterious boy from her school, Benji, a loner who keeps apart from the other kids, and who takes her on a ride on his motorcycle. They have an unforgettable night together in an amusement park—until something goes horribly wrong, and Benji shocks her by saving her life.

Rachel knows that Benji is different from everyone else, and she knows that he is the love of her life. And as their romance deepens, she has to decide if she is willing to give up everything to find out his secret…

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Saved by Allegra Skye

Keira and Amanda, twins, move with their family to a new town, and start their senior year at a new high school. But though they are twins, the girls have different fates. Amanda, beautiful, popular, is sought out by everyone. Keira, who has always lived in Amanda’s shadow, is smaller, awkward, different. Even her mother, who is so close to Amanda, doesn’t know what to make of her other daughter. Keira turns to books, and to her journal, for solace, and to find out about other worlds.

Amanda makes friends easily at the new school, and quickly finds a boyfriend, while Keira is left alone, an outsider. But very quickly, it is clear that something strange is going on in Everstock. The town and the school are very divided. The popular, rich kids act as if they own the school and have nothing to do with the other kids, who are poorer and live in a different part of town. Not only are the kids meaner here, but an unknown infection has gripped the town, with more and more people going to the hospital. Something here is terribly wrong.

But things change suddenly, as there is a terrible accident involving the twins. Not only are Keira and Amanda’s lives changed forever, but a new dimension of life begins to open to Keira.

As Keira recovers, she begins to change in ways she can’t expect, receiving new and mysterious powers that no one can possibly understand. At the same time, a gorgeous, mysterious new boy, Cooper, appears at the school, who grips her imagination, and who refuses to tell her what secret he is hiding.

As Keira and Cooper grow closer to each other, it soon becomes apparent that destiny has brought them together—and that they may each have to sacrifice it all if they want to stay together…

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Turned by Morgan Rice

Eighteen year old Caitlin Paine finds herself uprooted from her nice suburb and forced to attend a dangerous New York City high school when her Mom moves again. The one ray of light in her new surroundings is Jonah, a new classmate who takes an instant liking to her.

But before their romance can blossom, Caitlin suddenly finds herself changing. She is overcome by a superhuman strength, a sensitivity to light, a desire to feed–by feelings she does not understand. She seeks answers to what’s happening to her, and her cravings lead her to the wrong place at the wrong time. Her eyes are opened to a hidden world, right beneath her feet, thriving underground in New York City. She finds herself caught between two dangerous covens, right in the middle of a vampire war.

It is at this moment that Caitlin meets Caleb, a mysterious and powerful vampire who rescues her from the dark forces. He needs her to help lead him to the legendary lost artifact. And she needs him for answers, and for protection. Together, they will need to answer one crucial question: who was her real father?

But Caitlin finds herself caught between two men as something else arises between them: a forbidden love. A love between the races that will risk both of their lives, and will force them to decide whether to risk it all for each other…

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Thirst by Claire Farrell

Ava Delaney calls herself a hybrid – a living, breathing human who happens to have vampire poison running through her veins. The only thing greater than her thirst for human blood is her capacity for guilt. She does her best to avoid the human world, for everyone’s sake.

When Ava accidentally enslaves a human while saving him from a vampire, she realises she has to look for help setting him free. Despite her misgivings, she expands her world but finds herself dragged into a possible vampire civil war. With the help of some new friends with ambiguous loyalties, she tries to find a way to keep her human, and herself, alive.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Glamour by Penelope Fletcher

Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm the earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, Rae thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory. Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can’t keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated. Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Beautiful Demons by Sarra Cannon

Harper Madison isn’t like other girls. She has extraordinary powers, but her inability to control them has gotten her kicked from so many foster homes she’s lost count. Shadowford Home is her last chance, and she hopes Peachville High will be the fresh start she needs. But when evidence ties her to the gruesome murder of a Demons cheerleader, Harper discovers this small town has a big secret.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Shimmerspell by Kimberyly Spencer

When sixteen-year-old Jensen Meadows finds herself caught in the middle of an ancient faerie war, she soon learns that faeries aren’t made of sparkly goodness. They’re vicious. And worse, they’re after her. With the help of Liam Casey, she delves into their world to find her missing sister and begins to suspect that her whole life has been nothing more than a faerie tale.

But maybe some truths should never be revealed…

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Glimpse by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

Zellie Wells has a devastating crush on Avery Adams, the son of her mom’s high school sweetheart. At her sixteenth birthday party, held in the basement of her dad’s church, she finally finds the courage to talk to him. Turns out, the devastating crush is mutual.

As Avery takes her hand and leads her out onto the makeshift dance floor, Zellie is overwhelmed by her first vision of his death; shocking because not only are they both covered in his blood, but they’re old, like 35, and she is pregnant.

Afraid to tell anyone about the vision, (she’d just be labeled a freaky black magic witch, right?) Zellie keeps the knowledge of Avery’s future to herself and tries to act like any other teenager in love. When they get caught on their way to a secret rendezvous by her mom and his dad, they are forbidden to see each other.

Convinced that their parents are freaking out unnecessarily, Avery and Zellie vow to be together no matter what. They continue their relationship in secret until Zellie learns that their parents are just trying to prevent her and Avery from suffering like they did. The visions are hereditary, they’re dangerous, and if they stay together the visions will come true.

Now Zellie must choose between severing all ties with Avery, like her mom did to prevent his father’s death, and finding a way to change Avery’s future.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Breathless by V.J. Chambers

Jason races into Azazel’s life–sweaty, tortured, and hunted by covert forces. Even though her football-player boyfriend doesn’t like it, Azazel is drawn to Jason. He’s so complicated. He gets in fistfights, but always wins them–efficiently and thoroughly. He reads Plato and argues with their AP teacher. But he’s also quiet and serious, haunted by a past he won’t talk about. Azazel feels obsessed. She can’t let anything get in the way of finding out Jason’s secrets, not even her boyfriend, her friends, or her parents. Most importantly, no matter how dangerous Jason claims it is for her to be near him, she can’t let him leave. As menace begins to surface from even the most trusted and familiar places, Azazel finds herself flung into a whirlwind of sinister motives and clandestine proceedings. Though Azazel evades each escalating danger, her feelings for Jason may prove to be the greatest danger of all.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Tattoo: The Awakening by Toni Leland

Biracial Danielle Clark never dreamed she would spend her senior year in a hick school full of farmers. Still reeling from the shock of her parents’ separation, Danielle discovers that being neither black nor white in a small rural town makes her a prime target for adolescent cruelty.

When she meets Meli, a fearless Native American girl, Danielle is mesmerized by her new friend’s WTF outlook on life, and makes an impulsive decision to get a tattoo.

Through a series of frightening events, belief in the spiritual power of her tattoo instills Danielle with new insight into human nature, the courage to face the future, and the revelation that she’s the only one in charge of her happiness.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Exiled by RaShelle Workman

Worlds divided them. Chance brought them together. Only love will save them.

Stubborn, sixteen-year-old Princess Venus of Kelari wants one thing, to become immortal, that is, until someone exiles her to Earth, kills her irrihunter and takes her family.

Now she wants revenge. First she’s got to get home. But before she can return to Kelari, the Gods have commanded her to help an arrogant boy named Michael find his soul mate. Only she doesn’t know the first thing about love. Rather quickly, her inexperience with human emotion is obscured by other matters–alien-controlled psychotic teens that are out to kill her, and a government group that is set on capturing and dissecting her.

Worst of all, Venus will suffer a painful death-by-poisoning, thanks to Earth’s atmosphere, if she remains on the planet longer than one week. Still, Venus is a Princess and she’s got a plan. Surely, with her help, Michael will fall in love with a human. But time is running out and Michael is falling for the wrong girl–her.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Human by Alycia Linwood

Ariel is a 17-year-old girl whose life takes a completely different turn on the day she comes late to school. There’s a new very handsome dark-haired boy, Devin, in her class, but to Ariel’s surprise everyone else seems to know him, and her best friend claims he’s been going with them to school for years, except Ariel is sure she has never seen him before. Convinced her friends are playing with her, Ariel pretends nothing weird is going on. She even considers the possibility of having a brain disease… until she starts having visions of unknown people with wings and unusual eyes.

What’s worse, her visions hint that Devin might be the demon who came to the human world to take an angel to Hell. As she becomes more aware of existence of angels and demons, Ariel finds out her sister is the angel demons want to take. Determined not to let anyone harm her sister, she will do anything, even try to kill the demon on her own. But can she really kill Devin when he appears so human, and what will she do when she reveals the secrets surrounding her true nature? Because, let’s face it, a girl who can see both demons and angels in her visions can’t really be human.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Insight by Jamie Magee

Before that fateful summer night, Willow had balanced the insight of emotion, and the vivid images. That night, the figure in her nightmare marked her wrist with a star, giving her father no choice but to tell Willow a family secret that would abruptly change life, as she knew it, forever. Before Willow had time to absorb the shock of her father’s secret, her soul mate that had shared every stunning dream with her, found her, and darkness captured her closest friends. In order to save them, she must weave through broken myths and the undeniable power of the Zodiac. In the end, Willow discovers that at the moment of our birth we are all given a divine gift.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Branded by Keary Taylor

Jessica’s had the nightmares for as long as she can remember. Nightmares of being judged for people who have died, of being branded by the angels. Her friends and family think she’s a crazy because of it all. Yet she carries the mark of the condemned, seared into the back of her neck, and hides it and herself away from the world.

But when two men she can’t ignore enter her life everything changes, including the nightmares. The two of them couldn’t be more different. She will do anything to be with one of them. Even tell him the truth about angels, why she never sleeps, and the scar on the back of her neck. But one of the two has set events into motion what will pull her toward her own judgment and turn her into the object of her greatest fear.

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The Dark, Dark House by Lynette Ferreira

Flash Fiction.

In a dark forest, there is a dark house with an even darker secret.

(Flash fiction is a story that would fit on two facing pages of a typical digest-sized literary magazine – a complete story in one thousand or fewer words. A tale between 300 – 1000 words. Flash Fiction is usually a story of a single act, sometimes the culmination of several unwritten events. They are very short, but they are still stories. The best ones sometimes have a very strong message.)

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Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

“This is the way the world ends – not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door.”

Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way – not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies.

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Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Eighteen-year-old Jenny Morton has a horrific secret: her touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague, the “Jenny pox.” She lives by a single rule: Never touch anyone. A lifetime of avoiding any physical contact with others has made her isolated and painfully lonely in her small rural town.

Then she meets the one boy she can touch. Jenny feels herself falling for Seth…but if she’s going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the deadly pox inside her to confront his ruthless and manipulative girlfriend Ashleigh, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Night Watchers by Rebecca Gober

“NEVER, EVER lock eyes with a Night Marcher!” Everyone in Hawaii has heard this warning, except for seventeen-year-old Emma Townsend that is. For most Hawaiians know that looking into the eyes of Night Marcher can strike a curse that will end in death or eternal servitude.

Even though her father, who is a paranormal investigator, solely raised Emma, she has little experience in the realm of the supernatural. When she is forced to move with her father to Hawaii, only months before her graduation, Emma finds that her world as she knows it, is shaken when she starts seeing the unexplainable: fire balls in the distance, beating drums in the middle of nowhere and strangers who vanish into thin air. Then one day when she has a run in with a procession of Night Marchers, ancient Hawaiian spirits wandering from their burial grounds to their locations of battles past, Emma has no choice but to believe that the unbelievable does exist.

Now Emma must go on the run with the help of a mysterious stranger, as they seek out how to free Emma from the curse of a Night Marcher, who will stop at nothing to get her soul.

Click here to go to Amazon and get this FREE book!

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Sojourner by Maria Rachel Hooley

Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Moon has been dreaming of her murder her entire life, and in those dreams, a dark presence is there, watching. When she returns home to Hauser’s Landing, the very place her father disappeared, she comes in contact with a gorgeous boy named Lev Walker, and it’s not long before she’s falling in love. But there’s something wrong with Lev. When she realizes he’s the eerie watcher in her dreams, she’ll have to discover the truth. Is he a guardian angel or a sojourner, an angel of death who has come to collect her soul?

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{May 27, 2012} {Review} Easy by Tammara Webber

From Goodreads: When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.

Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they’ve hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Author Recommendation: Mature Young Adults (language, drinking, sexual situations)

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I love that this YA novel deals with college-aged characters. Most YA literature looks at teens in the high school setting, but Webber sets her novel apart through the college campus and college situations that the characters face. It’s a nice change of pace that helped me connect more with the characters, especially as they are closer to my age than many YA leads, and I was able to identify with them even more. I also love that Webber’s characters behave like college students; they are extremely real and the dialogue is pristine, making me feel like I was right there alongside the characters, facing the same situations. I just adored this novel!

Lucas is a dreamy character of whom I can’t get enough. I tried to read the book in one sitting, and would have had I not had to go to my evening job, but even though I was away from the book, the characters permeated my mind the entire evening. I found myself day dreaming about Lucas, wondering what would happen next, how he and Jacqueline would pan out, and whether or not Buck and Kennedy would make another appearance… these characters are so real and enticing that they literally became a part of my life. I was, and am still, enamored by them and though the novel ends on a great note and doesn’t need a sequel, I’d love one because these characters are so real and I’m dying to know what happens to them as they continue to grow up, graduate, and join the workforce.

Now, you may have noticed that Webber states that her novel is for mature YA as there is some language usage, drinking, and sexual situations. This is not a book for your 14 year old, but it is a great novel for those who are older and more mature. Yes, there are some sexual situations with more detail than I like in my novels, but Webber does an amazing job working them into the storyline of the plot—it moves the plot along and isn’t just there to add spice to the story, like we see in so many novels nowadays.

Webber is one of those authors that I adore; her novels have always been immaculate, perfectly written gems that I can’t get enough of, and Easy is another masterpiece. I was pulled into the story the moment I began reading, my heart in my throat as the suspense and peril Jacqueline faces from the get go are explained in detail. This novel deals with heavy topics, such as rape, loss, and even murder, but Webber relates them in such a way that it’s not as hard to stomach as it may sound. It actually deals more with gaining self-worth and focusing on the positive than on the negative, and I really believe that all mature young adults should read this book, especially as young women tend to have such a warped belief concerning what rape really is, and how to go about handling it. Now, I hate to give away any spoilers, but I think this is one thing that some readers might need to know… I cannot stomach novels that deal with rape, so potential readers, if you’re like me, rest assured that Jacqueline is not raped. There are attempts, yes, but if you’re scared to pick up this novel based on the potential that the main character is taken advantage of, you can breathe easy, as that doesn’t happen. Overall, this is just a phenomenal piece that I highly recommend. Five stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

{May 26, 2012} Announcing the Winner of the ENTIRE Death Series by Tamara Rose Blodgett

The giveaway from of ALL Tamara Rose Blodgett’s Death Series books has just concluded, and I’m excited to say that the winner has been chosen using Random.org.

And the winner is…

Alyssa (Reader’s Refuge)

An email to the winner will follow shortly. If I don’t hear from her within 48 hours, I will select a new winner using Random.org. Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to the winner… but don’t despair if you didn’t win this round!

Enter to win my other great giveaways:

Win a book of your choice:

{May 25, 2012} Easy, by Tammara Webber, Has Released!!!

It’s finally here, folks! Easy, by Tammara Webber, released early this morning and is now available for Kindle and Nook for just $3.99! I cannot wait to get home this afternoon and begin reading it! Check out the intense synopsis below and the beautiful cover, then pick up your copy today!

Never read a book by Tammara Webber? She’s amazing! Check out all her other novels: Between the Lines, Where You Are, and Good For You by visiting either Goodreads, Amazon, or Barnes and Nobel!

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Synopsis: When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Author Recommendation: Mature Young Adults (language, drinking, sexual situations)

{May 24, 2012} {Review} Bloodletter by Angel Haze

From Goodreads: Thou shalt not kill. A contradictory message written in blood at the scene of a young woman’s murder. Within days, another body surfaces, and to Detective Ramon Faust and Criminalist Kelly Garret, it’s clear a deadly game is underfoot. Delving deep into the most terrifying case of Kelly’s career, threatening phone calls and flashblacks challenge her sanity and the lives of everyone she loves.

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Haze does a great job creating an exciting, bloody mystery novel that keeps readers engaged and rapidly turning the pages. I found myself constantly trying to figure out the identity of the Grim Reaper, though no matter how close I thought I was, I never pinpointed his/her identity until the big reveal. While there was foreshadowing, Haze does a phenomenal job blindsiding the reader, keeping interest piqued with all the new information as crime after crime is committed, killing off despicable people.

This is one of those novels that revolves around a vigilante who slowly disposes of the rift-raft around town. While those who are killed are revealed to be the worst of the worst, the police are unable to allow someone to take the law into his/her own hands; no one deserves to die under such horrible circumstances. I am always torn with these novels, understanding that the police need to do their job, but also secretly spurring on the killer(s). Yes, there are truly evil people in the world, and yes, they shouldn’t be allowed to wreak havoc on the innocent, but no, I can’t condone murdering them in such ghastly ways as the Grim Reaper does, even though I think such evil people should be severely punished. Being locked up forever, though… well, that’s something I think they definitely deserve.

But moving past personal philosophy, I must say that Haze writes a great CSI style novel that will keep readers guessing and intrigued from start to finish. The immense characterization was great, and though I didn’t connect with all the characters (and that’s a good thing), I think they were portrayed expertly. Four stars.

I won a Kindle copy of this novel in a giveaway.

{May 23, 2012} {Review} My Sweet Saga by Brett Sills

From Goodreads: At nearly 30 years old, Brandon is barely able to make it through life, much less enjoy it. He is weeks away from what should be one of the happiest days of his life, his wedding day to his fiancée, Clarissa, but his attention is distracted when his estranged, erratic and oddly eccentric father suddenly reappears with a bizarre demand: to accompany him to Stockholm, Sweden, where they will meet a man who he claims will change their lives.

Desperate for even a brief escape from his reality, Brandon reluctantly goes with his father, ready for a disaster. But his life changes completely the moment his eyes meet the mysterious Swedish man’s daughter, Saga. On a cobblestone street in the middle of Stockholm, Brandon reawakens to life, though struggles to navigate the messy love triangle with Saga and his fiancée, which includes multiple arrests, hospital stays, terrorist bombs, acts of heroism and foolishness, family secrets and even a bit of public nudity.

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I in no way, shape, or form, condone cheating. That being said, this is a pretty hilarious book, and had the details of the sexual escapades been left to the imagination instead of being constantly expounded upon, I would have probably given this a five star rating. Call me a prude, but I’m not into rampant sex in my books—never have been, never will be, but to each his/her own. Thus, if you have no qualms about such things, then I highly suggest this novel—if you’re like me, tread carefully, but it’s a funny story nonetheless, so you might want to at least try it.

Sills tells the story of Brandon, a 30-year-old man in a rut. He has a beautiful fiancée, though I found her a bit boorish and much too demanding, a dead end job, and a snobby, millionaire father who won’t give him a cent. As Brandon narrates his life, explaining the ins and outs of the male mind, the story gets wilder and wilder, and yet the characters are believable and, dare I say, lovable? Yes, I think Sills’ makes Brandon a loveable character in that he is brutally honest and, though a bit explicit, really trying to find himself, though it comes at the expense of others, namely Clarissa, but by the end of the novel, I didn’t like her all that much anyway, so…

Overall, Sills does a wonderful job keeping the reader engaged as the plot unfolds. The novel is easy to follow and, as I’ve said before, quite funny. Four stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

{May 22, 2012} {Review} Houses of Death by Gordon Kerr

From Goodreads: If the walls of 25 Cromwell Street had ears, what horrifying acts would they have overheard during the occupancy of serial killers Fred and Rose West? A house where brutal torture sessions and grisly murders were a regular occurrence, and young women and girls were routinely dismembered and buried in the cellar or under the garden patio. When the police investigation concluded that the Wests had between them murdered at least 12 females whilst living at the house and their killers were finally brought to justice, 25 Cromwell Street had to be torn down to stop souvenir hunters from collecting items from the grounds to sell or to keep as memorabilia.

Such buildings retain something of their previous lives. After the evidence has been removed and the perpetrators imprisoned or executed, an aura of horror, fear and disgust lingers on for decades, sometimes centuries. These places become ‘the haunted house’, or ‘the bogey man’s lair’ to generations of local school children, who stare at the pavement, or run quickly past in order to avoid whatever evil still lurks behind the darkened windows. Houses of Death explores these infamous buildings, the murderers and the victims who called them ‘home’, as well as the bizarre and bloody events which took place within their walls.

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One of my friends and I recently drove to Philadelphia to tour the ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary. I wouldn’t say that I love old ruins, or that I’m a history buff in the least, but places like old prisons, insane asylums, and battlegrounds have always held a kind of awe for me. Walking through the ruins, listening to a tour guide describe events in detail is amazing, especially when the place is supposed to be haunted. Now, while Eastern State Penitentiary is a ruin, I wouldn’t say it was scary to tour. I imagine going there at night or being the sole person on the premise would have been freaky, but since it’s only open during the day time and many people are all over the sight, I wasn’t scared in the least, but more so intrigued.

Seeing those cells, and the remnants of prisoners from long ago was exciting, and so I went to find a book about it. Interestingly enough, I was unable to find any books about Eastern State Penitentiary via Kindle. Yes, there are hard copies galore, but in my haste to learn as much as I could and be able to download it stat, I found nothing aside from Houses of Death, by Gordon Kerr. Being the instant gratification kind of person that I am, I purchased it (.99 cents) and read it in one sitting—it’s relatively short. Now, I was a little sad to find that the section of Eastern State Penitentiary was only a few pages long, but the book itself was great, focusing on 38 infamous houses and wielders of death throughout the world—from the Manson family, to Sing Sing, to Lizzie Bordon, to Alcatraz, the list goes on. Kerr digs deep down into history, giving the reader an overview of the people and places where atrocities took place, explaining the crimes (if any) and places in detail, yet not expounding upon the gruesomeness of the murders, which is a plus. I found this book to be a great buy, and if you’re interested in historical crime, then this book is for you. Four stars.

Contents included in this book:

Countess Erzsébet Báthory: Castle Csejthe, Slovakia,
Eastern State Penitentiary: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA,
The Bloody Benders: Bender Family Log Cabin, Kansas, USA,
Sing Sing Ossining, New York, USA
Lizzie Borden: 92 Second Street, Fall River, Massachusetts, USA
H H Holmes: The Murder Castle, Chicago, USA
Newgate Prison: City of London, England
Lemp Mansion:3322 DeMenil Place, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Bangkwang Central Prison:Nonthaburi Province, Thailand
Collingwood Manor Massacre: 1740 Collingwood Manor House, Detroit, USA
John Bodkin Adams: Trinity Trees Surgery, Eastbourne, England
Washington State Penitentiary: Washington State, USA
Nazi Death Camps: Germany, Poland, Austria
Bugsy Siegel: 810 Linden Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA
Pentonville Prison: Caledonian Road, North London, England
John Reginald Christie: 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London, England
Ed Gein: Gein’s Farm, Plainfield, Wisconsin, USA
Holloway Prison: London Borough of Islington, England
Alcatraz: San Francisco Bay, USA
The Manson Family: 10050 Cielo Drive, Los Angeles, USA
Jonestown: Northwestern Guyana, South America
The Curse of Pearl Bryan: 44 Licking Pike, Wilder, Kentucky, USA
Wonderland Murders: 8673 Wonderland, Los Angeles, USA
Waverly Hills Sanatorium: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Gambino Mafia Family: The Gemini Lounge, Brooklyn, USA
Fred & Rose West: 25 Cromwell Street, Gloucester, England
Menendez Brothers: 722 Elm Drive, Beverly Hills, USA
Jeffrey Dahmer: 213 Oxford Apartments, Milwaukee, USA
David Koresh: Mount Carmel, Waco, Texas, USA
The Tent Jail: Tent City Jail, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Thomas Hamilton: Dunblane Primary School, Dunblane, Scotland
Gianni Versace: Ocean Drive, Miami Beach, Florida, USA
Heaven’s Gate: 18241 Colina Norta, San Diego, USA
Luke Woodham: Pearl High School, Mississippi, USA
Gary Heidnik: 3520 North Marshall Street, Pennsylvania, USA
Columbine Massacre: Columbine High School, Jefferson County, Colorado, USA
Ian Huntley: 5 College Close, Soham, Cambridgeshire, England
Virginia Tech Massacre: Virginia Tech University, Virginia, USA

{May 21, 2012} {ARC Review} Dark Kiss by Michelle Rowen (Nightwatchers #1)

From Goodreads: I don’t do dangerous. Smart, über-careful, ordinary Samantha-that’s me. But I just couldn’t pass up a surprise kiss from my number-one unattainable crush. A kiss that did something to me…something strange. Now I feel hungry all the time, but not for food. It’s like part of me is missing-and I don’t know if I can get it back. Then there’s Bishop. At first I thought he was just a street kid, but the secrets he’s keeping are as intense as his unearthly blue eyes. If he’s what I think he is, he may be the only one who can help me. But something terrifying is closing in, and the one chance Bishop and I have to stop it means losing everything I ever wanted and embracing the darkness inside me….

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This novel presents a different side of the angel/demon phenomenon that has taken books by storm. Yes, there is still good and evil, but the differences between the two are so blurred that it’s hard to tell who is on which side. Rowen has created a tale that is intriguing, to say the least, and I think many readers will adore this new series, especially as the demon curse is passed along through kissing. Yes, that’s right, steamy kisses that eat away a soul and make the characters rapidly change, yearning for all that is bad. This wasn’t what I was expecting, though it fits the title well. I’m not sure how I feel about all the kissing, but I am glad that the novel stops there and doesn’t go into any more explicit details, keeping this YA novel PG rated, which is a plus.

With evil demons abounding, heaven’s number one defense is to lock down the city, placing it in an invisible bubble, and I thought this was a cool aspect that drove the plot of the story. With the dispatch of angels to help rid the city of the death defying demons, only one angel, Bishop, remembers who and what he is. Bishop is a dreamy angel and I really enjoyed getting to know him, though I would have liked to get to know him better. There is a lot to him that isn’t explained, and I found myself yearning to know more about him and his demon brother as well. Overall, I liked all the characters, but I didn’t feel the deep connection with any of them that I had hoped for. Rowen does a great job fleshing them out in terms of the story, but I was still left wishing I knew them all better.

Samantha, an enigma to both angels and demons alike, is an interesting character to watch as she struggles between good and evil. On one hand, she might finally meet her father, on the other, all she holds dear will disappear as the evil around her takes hold of the entire world. Faced with a huge choice, two demons and two angels fighting by her side, Samantha is forced to make a harrowing decision. Although Samantha may seem wishy-washy as she goes from making logical decisions to illogical ones, I think that her interactions with those around her make perfect sense. She is torn between two decisions and, like any teenager, she is going to be sporadic in her decision making. So, even though she occasionally drove me insane, I found her to be a great likeness to that of the teenagers I see every day. Three stars.

Harlequin has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read an ARC of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release tomorrow.

{May 20, 2012} {Review} Dead Night: Potter’s Secrets by Tim O’Rourke (Kiera Hudson Series Two #1.5)

From Goodreads: When Potter disappears from Hallowed Manor for twenty-four hours, he goes in search of the only person he thinks will be able to give him answers as to why the world has been pushed. That person is his first love, Sophie.

But Sophie has been pushed, too, and is running for her life. In a world where wolves live amongst humans, Potter must save Sophie while trying to search for answers.

During his search, he discovers that some things are best left secret.
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Without fail, every book O’Rourke writes ends up leaving me breathless. The many twists and turns always make his books a riveting read, and this novella, following Potter as he embarks on a journey of his own, is spellbinding. I loved the shift between viewpoints, and getting to hear Sophie’s side of the story was amazing. For those of you who have not followed this amazing series from the beginning, Sophie is Potter’s first love. Until now, she’s always been glossed over—readers know the general gist of things, but she’s never been a true part of the story. But O’Rourke changes all that as he shows his readers what life is like in this new pushed world. And it’s amazing.

Perhaps my favorite element of this entire novella is the constant referencing and intertwining of his Black Hill novels. If you haven’t read the Black Hill Series, the referencing won’t stand out, and the novella will just read as another epic piece produced by O’Rourke, but if you’re familiar with events in the psychologically thrilling Black Hill books, then you’re in for a treat. I just about fell off my chair when I realized what O’Rourke was doing, and I smirked at all the many references throughout. I love it!

Dead Night-Potter’s Secrets is an amazing novella that, like the title denotes, divulges secrets that will have the reader dropping his/her jaw in surprise and cheering in triumph at some of the revelations. It’s a must read, though you’ll need to have read the prior novels in the series in order to understand much of what is going on. Five stars.

I received a copy of this novella from the author in exchange for an honest review.

O’Rourke’s Amazing Novels YOU NEED TO READ (On Amazon):

Kiera Hudson Series 1

Kiera Hudson Series 2

Kiera Hudson: Dead Flesh (#1)
Dead Night: Potter’s Secrets (#1.5)

Black Hill Farm Series:

Black Hill Farm (#1)
Black Hill Farm Andy’s Diary (#2)

Doorways Series:

Doorways (#1)

{May 19, 2012} {Review} Tillie and the Wingo Hocking by Joseph Seegitz (Hue #2)

From Goodreads: An invisible evil has been stalking the overweight chefs of the merchant ship, the Wingo Hocking, and feasting on their fat. With the help of Squad 8011, baker Tillie Teraclés seeks to exterminate this menace, in hopes of redeeming herself in the eyes of the sister she accidentally crippled.

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This is a great read for middle school aged children. Complete with a vampire that lives off fat, Seegitz sets the stage of this novel with the theft of a yummy treat made by none other than Tillie Teracles, the heroine of this novel. The owner of a floating bakery, Tillie must battle against the fat vampire, with the help of Ruby and her crew (Ruby and the Mix Games), in order to save the lives of the overweight chefs and restore Tillie’s good standing with her sister.

Seegitz expertly captures the reader’s attention with his often comical situations, opening readers to a fantastical world unlike any other I’ve read about. The practice of Hue, the ability to project colors from the hands for combat, is extremely interesting, and younger readers will really get a kick out of all the intriguing happenings within the novel, especially with the fat vampire on the prowl. I think this would be a great story for parents and children to read together as it is comical, but also has great themes. Three stars.

I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.

{May 18, 2012} {ARC Review} Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

From Goodreads: Galen, a Syrena prince, searches land for a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. It’s while Emma is on vacation at the beach that she meets Galen. Although their connection is immediate and powerful, Galen’s not fully convinced that Emma’s the one he’s been looking for. That is, until a deadly encounter with a shark proves that Emma and her Gift may be the only thing that can save his kingdom. He needs her help–no matter what the risk.

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This amazing read left me breathless with its cliffhanger, and I honestly can say that I couldn’t put the book down, nor did I want to! I’m already highly awaiting the sequel and the first book hasn’t even technically released yet; it’s just that good!

I think what really drew me into the story was the gruesome shark scene. Banks first introduces readers to Emma and her friend Chloe as they make their way to the beach on vacation. From the synopsis, it is plain that something terrible is going to happen involving a shark, but it isn’t until the two friends make their way into the ocean that the panic begins to overtake the reader. We know it’s coming, but we don’t want it to. And then it comes, a bit graphic, though I really liked how Banks portrayed it. Though bloody and ultimately leaving Emma is a state of shock, especially with the loss of her best friend, I was thankful that the author made it a quick scene. It also happens early enough in the story to pique interest, and the reader hasn’t yet learned to love the character that dies, so while it’s impossible not to feel bad for all the characters, it doesn’t leave the reader feeling destitute, or taint his/her thoughts throughout the reading. While I was a bit shocked by the violent end that Chloe endured, and the detail that went into it (I think all death scenes of innately good people leave readers a bit flustered), I think it was a great way to draw in the audience.

My favorite type of narrative is first person, and I loved that Banks chose to write most of her novel from Emma’s point of view. Now, the text does alternate between Emma’s point of view, and that of Galen’s, but when it comes to Galen, there is a switch to third person. It’s a little strange in regards to the flow of the story, but Banks is not the first to use this strategy when writing. I’ve actually seen it in a lot of books over the last year here, where alternating viewpoints range between first and third person. I’m not sure why this is, but although it’s jarring, it’s actually kind of nice at the same time. The reader is able to not only get the first person thoughts of Emma, but also see the situation through a third person omniscient speaker, who takes the reader from being right in the middle of the story, to more of a bird’s eye view. This back and forth storytelling actually gives the reader more details, in my opinion, though I do admit it’s something one has to get used to.

This probably sounds strange, but I actually really loved the anxiety that this novel made me feel as I read it. Though not a horror story, not even close, there was a constant feeling of trepidation that surrounded me as I read—partially because anything to do with sharks and the ocean gives me the creeps, and partially because Banks adds an unknown entity to the novel, a shadow, if you will, that constantly follows Emma through the ocean. Unsensed by the others until it is already gone, the stalker gave me goose bumps and I half expected an arm to reach out of the water at any moment and attack Emma. As I’m deathly afraid of the ocean, you can see how my overactive imagination ran rampant with this scare.

Of course, I loved the budding romance and the pacing. Banks did a great job explaining how things worked in Syrena, who Emma was, and though I wasn’t a fan of the whole “you must do what authority tells you” thing (just like Emma), I think Galen played it off well and wasn’t overbearing in the least. I love him—he’s so dreamy! In terms of other characters, I enjoyed Emma (though I wish I was her—how cool to control the animals in the ocean?), and Galen’s twin, Rayna, while originally obnoxious, grew on me as I read, especially as she began to warm to the idea of her suitor, Toraf, and I just loved how that all came together. It brought a smile to me face.

The cliffhanger, of course, left me breathless, though I have to admit I figured it out just a moment before the characters. There is just enough foreshadowing to make the reader wonder if perhaps there is more to the story than originally told, but it’s not so obvious that it stands out from the get go. I cannot wait for the sequel to see what is in store for Galen, Emma, and all of Syrena after such a big revelation! This novel is, in my opinion, a must read for all ages! Five stars.

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group has been extremely gracious in allowing me to read a copy of this novel, via Netgalley, prior to its release on May 22, 2012.

{May 17, 2012} {Review} A Puppy’s Progress by T.L. Peters

From Goodreads: A mistake from birth, half Lab, half Rottweiler, weaned in a puppy mill and dubbed “Star” for the white furry blotch on her chest, the valiant pooch unwittingly becomes the “bag man” in a diamond heist when the thief, hoping to hide the stones from his greedy wife, implants them under the puppy’s skin. After Star is mistakenly sold, the bumbling villains set off to retrieve the diamonds, but are bested at every turn by our lovable canine hero.

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This is a very cute story following the life and times of Star, a half Lab, half Rottweiler mix. Star’s life starts out rough, and as she grows through the years and experiences many triumphs and tribulations, she learns to protect those she loves, and fear those she doesn’t. Full of mischief while also kindhearted, Star is easy to fall in love with as her tale unfolds. Looking for her niche in life, Star embarks on some crazy adventures the further endear her to readers. This is a great story for dog lovers, especially as Star is extremely smart and capable. Three stars.