BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Sunday, August 31, 2014

Review-The Aftermath by Jen Alexander-4*

Title: The Aftermath
Series: Aftermath #1
Author: Jen Alexander
Genre: YA Dystopian
Rating: * * * *
Publishers: Harlequin Teen
(Aug 26, 2014)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN: 978-0373211326
FTC Disclosure: Net Galley

Sometimes, I dream that I'm someone else. 
 — A girl with dark hair who doesn't worry about hunger  — or thirst or running from flesh-eaters.  — In her world, those sorts of things don't exist?.  — Since the spring of 2036, when the world changed forever, Claudia and a small clan of survivors have roamed the streets of a very altered Nashville: polluted and desolate, except for the ever-present threat of cannibal Hoarders. Together they must undergo punishing tests of endurance and psychological challenge?sometimes with devastating consequences?all just to live another day.

With food and water in dwindling supply, and with danger lurking around every corner, no one can be trusted. And as her world starts to make less and less sense, Claudia begins to realize something terrifying: she is just a pawn in some sort of game, and all of her actions are being controlled from afar by a mysterious gamer. So when she meets a maddening and fascinating outsider named Declan, who claims to be a game moderator, she must decide whether to join him in exchange for protection and access to the border.

If they play the game right, they are each other's best hope for survival?and a life beyond the only world Claudia's ever known: the terrifying live-action game known as The Aftermath.

Aftermath
1. The Aftermath (2014)
   2.   ??                                     


Though I’m a lover of YA Dystopian fiction, I’ve never been much of a gamer, so I thought that a lot of this book would be over my head. Surprising, it wasn’t and I really loved the idea of the RPG being played by real people (though they don't realize it) that was controlled by richer real people. The one thought that kept circling in my mind was what if the gamer was grounded by their parents for awhile, would their game character die without food and water? I gotta admit, this aspect of it really freaked me out.
I enjoyed the pace of the book and while it wasn’t overly action driven there was a nice balance between the action in the game and the downtime of the characters. In the beginning, I thought that the characters were a bit flat but once realizing that they were just movable pieces in a game, it made sense for them to be pretty emotionless.  You quickly realize that Claudia is the exception to this and then it reaches a whole other level of intensity. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series cause when you say “cliffhanger”, boy does the author leave you with a doozy of one.

Review-The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan-5* and Giveaway

Title: The Hook Up
Series: Game On #1
Author: Kristen Callihan
Genre: New Adult/Contemporary Romance
Rating: * * * * *
Publishers: Plain Jane Books
(Sept 8, 2014)
File Size: 415  pages
ISBN: B00MQFHUQ4
FTC Disclosure: ARC from Author

The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all... No falling in love

Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?

Too bad he's committed to making her break every rule...

Football has been good to Drew. It's given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there's one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.

That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it's up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she's truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.
All's fair in love and football...Game on

Review-A Curse Awakened: A Weird Girls Novella by Cecy Robson- 4*

Title: A Curse Awakened
Series: Weird Girl's Prequel
Author: Cecy Robson
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: * * * *
Publishers: Random House
(Aug, 19, 2014)
Kindle: 94 pages
ASIN: B00JNQMLEA
FTC Disclosure: ARC from Net Galley

Discover Cecy Robson’s sensational Weird Girls series—or return to where the magic first began—with this eBook original prequel novella about four sisters coming to grips with their unique supernatural powers.
 
Celia Wird shouldn’t possess the ability to transform into a tigress. Her three sisters should never be able to burst into flames, heal wounds, or transform common objects into deadly weapons. And yet they do.
 Before they were born, the Wird Sisters were cursed by a spell that was intended to destroy them, not endow them with extraordinary powers. The sisters’ magic is untamed and explosive at best, and time is running out for them to take command.
 Vampires have targeted Celia’s sweet, tragically human ex-boyfriend Danny. The sisters rush to his aid, but in order to take down the vamps, first they must face their dark past and break a spell that’s screwing up their powers. Except this curse wasn’t meant to be broken . . . and the witch who cast it isn’t done toying with them yet.


Saturday, August 30, 2014

Review- The Nightingale Girls by Donna Douglas -5*

Title: The Nightingale Girls
Series: Nightingales #1
Author: Donna Douglas
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: * * * * *
Publishers: Arrow
(Sept 10, 2012)
Paperback: 512 pages
ISBN: 978-0000569350
FTC Disclosure: Net Galley

Three very different girls sign up as student nurses in January 1936, while England is still mourning the death of George V. Dora is a tough East Ender, driven by ambition, but also desperate to escape her squalid, overcrowded home and her abusive stepfather. Helen is the quiet one, a mystery to her fellow nurses, avoiding fun, gossip and the limelight. In fact she is in the formidable shadow of her overbearing mother, who dominates every aspect of her life. Can a nursing career free Helen at last? The third of our heroines is naughty, rebellious Millie -- aka Lady Camilla -- an aristocrat on the run from her conventional upper class life. She is doomed to clash over and over again with terrifying Sister Hyde and to get into scrape after scrape especially where men are concerned. This utterly delightful novel brings a London pre-war hospital vividly to life.

Review- Zomburbia by Adam Gallardo 4 1/2 *

Title: Zomburbia 
Series: Zombie Apocalypse #1
Author: Adam Gallardo
Genre: YA Horror
Rating: * * * * 1/2
Publishers: K-Teen  
(Aug 26, 2014)
Paperback: 368  pages
ISBN: 978-1617730986
FTC Disclosure: ARC from Net Galley

Lifeless. Slow-moving. Brain-dead. — Welcome To Zomburbia. — My name is Courtney Hart, and I’m here to tell you about things that suck. Being born in a podunk town like Salem, Oregon, for one. Living in a world infested with zombies? That, too. And the meat heads I go to school with? I think I’d actually take the undead over them most days. But I have a plan to get out of here and move to New York. I just have to keep selling Vitamin Z along with your fries at The Bully Burger. The secret ingredient? Zombie brains.

I’ve noticed things are getting even worse lately, if that's even possible. The zombies seem to be getting smarter and faster. If I can avoid being arrested, eaten by shufflers, or catching the eye of some stupid boy, I should be able to make it through finals week still breathing. . .
 

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Authors Joyce and Jim Lavene Guest Blog and $40.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest

“It’s been two years since Skye Mertz agreed to drive Abe’s Taxi for the Dead, transporting his undead workers back to the man who gave them an additional twenty years of life. She’s raising her daughter, with the help of her ghostly mother-in-law, and keeps looking for what killed her husband the night she died.
Now she has a partner–a housewife working off her undead husband’s service–and she’s met a sorcerer with amnesia. It shouldn’t be surprising that a broken hearted ghoul, bent on getting revenge, should show up too. After all, there’s no rest for the dead.”
Buy a print copy of Broken Hearted  Ghoul from Amazon by clicking here.

Buy a Kindle copy of Broken Hearted Ghoul from Amazon by clicking here.

CONTEST INFO: Open to readers worldwide. 

Prize: A $40.00 Amazon Gift Card 

Review of Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper - 3*

Title: Better Home and Hauntings
Series: Standalone
Author: Molly Harper
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: * * * 
Publishers: Pocket Books 
(June 24, 2014)
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1476706009
FTC Disclosure: ARC from Net Galley

Author of the beloved Half Moon Hollow series of vampire romances (Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs), Molly Harper has created a standalone paranormal romance in which a dilapidated haunted house could bring star-crossed lovers together—if it doesn’t kill them first!
When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”
But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.
But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.



Got to admit, I picked this up to read solely because of my love of everything Molly Harper. Boy was I surprised and disappointed to find instead 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Kristen Callihan's First New Adult Romance THE HOOK UP-- Giveaway

I don't read as much pure romance (by that I mean- not paranormal, urban fantasy or steampunk) as I use to but all of Callihan's books I've read up to this point were excellent so when given the opportunity to read The Hook Up I thought I'd give it a shot. So in the meantime check out this excerpt and see what you think. I'll post a review in a couple of days. I have three different books started right now, none which have really hooked me so hopefully The Hook Up will be just what I was looking for. The fact that it's told from HIS
POV already has me interested.

Title: The Hook Up
Author: Kristen Callihan
Release Date: Sept 8, 2014
Genre: New Adult


The rules: no kissing on the mouth, no staying the night, no telling anyone, and above all… No falling in love


Anna Jones just wants to finish college and figure out her life. Falling for star quarterback Drew Baylor is certainly not on her to do list. Confident and charming, he lives in the limelight and is way too gorgeous for his own good. If only she could ignore his heated stares and stop thinking about doing hot and dirty things with him. Easy right?


Too bad he’s committed to making her break every rule…


Football has been good to Drew. It’s given him recognition, two National Championships, and the Heisman. But what he really craves is sexy yet prickly Anna Jones. Her cutting humor and blatant disregard for his fame turns him on like nothing else. But there’s one problem: she's shut him down. Completely.


That is until a chance encounter leads to the hottest sex of their lives, along with the possibility of something great. Unfortunately, Anna wants it to remain a hook up. Now it’s up to Drew to tempt her with more: more sex, more satisfaction, more time with him. Until she’s truly hooked. It's a good thing Drew knows all about winning.


All’s fair in love and football…Game on

Excerpt

My mother once told me that the most important moment in my life wouldn’t be when I won the National Championship or even the Super Bowl. It would be when I fell in love.

Life, she insisted, is how you live it and who you live it with, not what you do to make a living. Given that she told me this when I was sixteen, I basically rolled my eyes and worked on practicing my pass fakes.

But my mother was insistent.

“You’ll see, Drew. One day, love will creep up and smack you upside the head. Then you’ll understand.”

My mom, it turns out, was wrong in one regard. Love, when it came for me, did not creep. No, it walked up to me, bold as you please, you know, just in case I wasn’t paying attention. It did, however, slap me upside my head.

And while I’d be happy to tell my mom that she was right about that, she’s dead. A fact that hurts even more now that I’ve been struck down. More like shot down. Cut off at the knees. Totally fucked. Whatever you want to call this disaster. Because the object of my affection hates me.

I am man enough to acknowledge that the cluster fuck that is my current love life is entirely my fault. I wasn’t prepared for Anna Jones.

I still cringe at the memory of when I first laid eyes on her at the beginning of the semester. Being late for class, I’d rushed to a seat in the back row, and was trying to remain unnoticed. I can’t go anywhere on campus without getting attention. And though it sounds like an awesome thing, it gets tiring.

When the roll call reached the back row, a soft voice, rich and thick as maple syrup, slid over me.

“Anna Jones.”

Just her name. That was all she’d said. It was like a hot finger stroking down my spine. My head snapped up. And there she was, so fucking pretty that I couldn’t think straight. I might as well have been sacked.

Breathless, my head ringing, I could only gape. I’m not going to say it was love at first sight. No, it was more like oh, hell-yes-please, I’ll have that. With a helping of right-the-fuck-now on the side.

Thinking maybe I was overtired and simply overreacting to something that wasn’t really there, I stared at Anna Jones and tried to make sense of my extreme reaction.

As if feeling my gaze, she’d turned, and fucking hell… Her eyes were wide, almost cat-like, with the corners tilting up just a bit. At first, those eyes appeared brown, but they were really bottle green. And so clear. And annoyed. She glared at me. I didn’t care. One word was playing a loop in my head: mine.

I don’t remember the rest of the class. I watched Anna Jones like a condemned man getting his last view of the setting sun. While she tried to ignore me. Admirably.

The second class ended I shot up, and so did she. We nearly collided in the middle of the aisle. And then it all fell to shit.

Pre-order Link




Kristen Callihan is an author because there is nothing else she’d rather do. She is a three-time RITA nominee, and winner of two RT Reviewer’s Choice awards. Her novels have garnered starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly and the Library Journal, as well as being awarded top picks by many reviewers. Her debut book FIRELIGHT received RT Magazine’s Seal of Excellence, was named a best book of the year by Library Journal, best book of Spring 2012 by Publisher’s Weekly, and was named the best romance book of 2012 by ALA RUSA. When she is not writing, she is reading.

Social Networking Links


Rafflecopter giveaway for a online book retailer gift card and copies of THE HOOK UP

Cover Reveal and Giveaway for Hot Ice by Lynn Raye Harris



Title: Hot Ice
Author: Lynn Raye Harris
Release Date: Dec 29, 2014


When fire and ice collide, you get steam…
Grace Campbell leads a privileged life. The daughter of a United States senator, she moves within the social circles of the rich and famous. But Grace is also a scientist, and when someone learns she possesses the knowledge necessary to create a new super virus capable of destroying entire nations, she becomes a target for terror groups and foreign governments alike.
Garrett “Iceman” Spencer didn’t join the Army’s elite Hostile Operations Team to babysit a spoiled rich girl, but when his superiors insist on assigning him to a senator’s daughter as her security detail, he has no choice but to comply.
It’s a shock to find that beneath the glasses and serious scowl, Grace Campbell burns hot. And Garrett, who’s been burned before, suddenly wants to immerse himself in the flames.
Keeping Grace alive—and keeping his hands off her—is a full-time job for this HOT soldier. Failure is not an option…





USA Today bestselling author Lynn Raye Harris burst onto the scene when she won a writing contest held by Harlequin. A former finalist for the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart Award and the National Readers Choice Award, Lynn lives in Alabama with her handsome former military husband and two crazy cats. Lynn writes about hot military heroes, sizzling international billionaires, and the women who dare to tame them. Her books have been called "exceptional and emotional," "intense," and "sizzling." To date, Lynn's books have sold over 2 million copies worldwide.

Social Networking Links



Rafflecopter Giveaway
A series giveaway (print versions) of the entire series.
Hostile Operations Team
1. Hot Pursuit (2013)
1.5. Hot Mess (2013)
1.6. Hot Package (2014)
2. Dangerously Hot (2014)
5. Hot Shot (2014)
6. Hot Rebel (2014)
Hot Pursuit Hot MessHot PackageDangerously Hot
Hot ShotHot RebelHostile Operations Team Military Box SetHot Volume 1: A Hostile Operations Team Bundle





Author Kaylie Newell Release Party and $50.00 Amazon Gift Card Contest

“Maggie Sullivan is back in Wolfe Creek, determined to find out why her best friend vanished one fog-shrouded night a year ago. But it quickly becomes clear that if the folks in the secluded mountain town know what happened to her friend, they aren’t talking.
Seasoned sheriff’s deputy Koda Wolfe reluctantly agrees to help this beautiful woman, even as he tries to convince her to leave for her own good. Soon he’s compelled to protect Maggie from herself, his family’s ancient curse, and a killer who could strike again.
The nights heat up in more ways than one as Maggie and Koda begin a fiery relationship. But as they delve deeper into the disappearance, the eerie woods come alive with secrets bound to tear them apart. And someone is watching their every move.”
Buy a Kindle copy of Lone Wolfe Protector from Amazon by clicking here.
CONTEST INFO: Open to readers worldwide. 

Prize 1: A $40.00 Amazon Gift Card
Prize 2: 2 each $5.00 Amazon Gift Cards

Review 0f Poison Promise by Jennifer Estep- 3 1/2*

Title: Poison Promise
Series: Elemental Assassin #11
Author: Jennifer Estep
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating: * * * 1/2
Publishers: Pocket Books 
(Jul 22, 2014)
Paperback: 416 pages
ISBN: 978-1476771502
FTC Disclosure: ARC from Net Galley followed by a purchase from Amazon

I specialize in making death wishes come true.
Pop quiz. Which do you think is deadlier: Burn, the nastiest drug ever to hit the mean streets of Ashland, or me, Gin Blanco, the assassin known as the Spider? Answer: Me—because I don’t kill you slowly.

Normally, drug dealers aren’t my department. But I’m turning up the heat on some relentless Burn-pushing thugs who won’t leave my friends alone. Pushers who have my cop sister beside herself with rage, so I’m stepping up to keep her from doing something stupid and getting herself killed. Once I’m in, I’m in, and these folks have picked their poison: the Spider’s venom. But even bad guys have their good days, and sometimes even my Ice and Stone magic isn’t enough. For behind the drug is a vicious vampire with a scientific eye for results. And behind him… trouble like I haven’t seen since I took down my legendary nemesis, Mab Monroe.


You would think that by now that I  would have lost some of the excitement I feel when I see that there is a new Elemental Assassin book out but not a bit. This series continues to pull me in and often keeps me reading way, way into the night. Even though murder is the word of the day, these books have an even flow that makes them an easy one day read. I do feel they are getting a bit repetitive in the action and hope that Estep mixes it up more as they are getting pretty predicable. I miss the twists that I had come to expect from this story and though we get a bit closer to solving the Mab Monroe mystery, it’s not near as exciting as it once was. The characters seemed a bit one dimensional this time around which was really disappointing. They just didn’t have the fire and depth that I have come to expect from Estep.



Elemental Assassin
1. Spider's Bite (2010)
2. Web of Lies (2010)
3. Venom (2010)
4. Tangled Threads (2011)
5. Spider's Revenge (2011)
5.5. Thread of Death (2012)
6. By a Thread (2012)
7. Widow's Web (2012)
8. Deadly Sting (2013)
8.5. Kiss of Venom (2013)
8.25. Parlor Tricks (2013)
9. Heart of Venom (2013)
10. The Spider (2013)
11. Poison Promise (2014)
12. Black Widow (2014)