Sunday, May 1, 2016

Where in the world has the reading fool been??

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Happy May Day! Can you believe it's already May 1?! I know I can't. These past two months have completely flown by and I apologize for my lack of reviews and updates. What a crazy busy time it's been. So here's an update on what I have been up to and what you can expect in the next few weeks!

1. March was a hectic time for me at work. We kicked off our biggest annual fundraiser for the year, Bowl For Kids's Sake! 2 weekends full of bowling and lot of work in between. I was able to raise $1300, double what I did last year! Thank you to all of my donors!

Bowling Team!
2. I went on a 9 day, much needed vacation to end the month of March. First time to Florida and it was fantastic! Beach, great food and drinks, Spring Training baseball, and got to see a friend I haven't seen in 5 years :) It may have rained almost every day but was still a lot of fun! Needless to say, I had planned to read a book or two and never even picked it up the entire time!







3. Work, work, and more work. The one thing about non-profit work is you never get used to the high turnover rate. That being said, work has been a little busy due to some staffing changes. Hopefully, it starts to slow down for a little while, but probably not.

4. Exercise! I just completed a 5K and 10K challenge as part of the Illinois marathon. While I started off March strong working out, April fell off a bit but I still feel like I did great! I wasn't shooting for any specific time, just wanted to get out there and actually complete it and I did! Surprisingly I felt pretty good afterward. Now I just have to stick to it!

5. I had a wedding shower/bachelorette party for my best friend who's wedding I am in this summer. It was a nice weekend away! 


















6. BASEBALL HAS RETURNED! And completely taken over my life! Instead of staying up to 2am reading my book, I find myself up that late reading baseball news, checking scores, and trade rumors. Whoops! :) I love it. I listen to it every day at work/home and watch it whatever way I can, even at my desk. I'm great at multitasking ;) Go Cubs!


7. Also had to make it back to my parents to see this handsome fella! He is rotten to the core but so dang cute!

"Russo"
What a poser!


















As you can see, it's been a little crazy! Not to mention all the little things that have been going on. So that being said, I woke up this morning and decided to get everything back on track. I started by cleaning my apartment so it no longer is confused with the inside of a frat house, scheduled out my calendar for the next two weeks (work, workouts, reading, etc.), made my lists for the week, and I'm ready to go! Now I can't promise a huge slew of reviews right away, but I promise to have a couple out to you soon. I have a few that I started and just need to finalize and post, and a stack of books waiting to be read. I'm also in a mood to reread some of my favorites so be on the lookout out for those as well as newer books! My goal is to focus small and start off that way to avoid getting overwhelmed by everything. Here goes nothing! Thanks for continuing to check in and put up with me!

Happy reading fools :)

Monday, March 7, 2016

Crappy day = Book haul = Cops at the library!

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today was one of those days that starts off great. Super productive at work, got a lot accomplished and then BAM! it all goes out the window. But then again, it's Monday. I should have known better. So I checked out a little early and headed to return some books to the library. I figured since I was already there, I might as well wander the shelves and get myself back into a happy mood.

Perused the shelves, picked up a few first books in a couple new series, and after about 20 minutes headed to the check out with way more books than I planned on checking, as usual.

As I am at the counter chatting with one of the sweet, older librarians, two people start making a commotion at the other end of the counter. Yelling words at each other or at least I think they were real words. One librarian tried to calm them down and after threatening that they needed to leave or he was going to call the cops, the guy decided to yell back and him and then pick up a chair and through it at the column in the middle of the room.  By this point, the cops were being called as the guy continued to yell and hit things. Now here is what I don't understand. Why is this ever acceptable? What made you think yelling at someone, in a library no less, was a good decision? Then throw a chair? Because that always seems like a smart idea. I don't get it. People continually baffle me. Every day I have less hope and less faith in humanity. Good has lost and hatred as won the war. And people wonder why I prefer to stay at home and read all the time! Needless to say, the cops came and he was arrested.

Ugh. So that was fun. All I wanted was a little quiet time surrounded by what I love best in this world... books. Sorry for the rant! On a positive, I'm excited to start these books! If you have read any of my previous posts, you know how much I love the In Death series by J. D. Robb. I can only read a few of them at a time but it was been a little while since I finished the last one. They're great, quick read, mystery/sci-fi books! I've also been on a waitlist for The 5th Wave for some time and then I found it on the shelf today so that was an exciting find! The Accident Season has been on my TBR list since before it came out. Has anyone read it yet?

I know I have been slacking these past few months with review posts. I put one up for you today and have two more in the works. Finding time to write has been difficult! And I know I got off track with the monthly themes. It's proving to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'm one of those people who just sees the cover and starts a book, not thinking about genre or type of book it is. Yes, I basically just said I judge a book by its cover. It's true. I do. I can't help it. So how is your reading for the year going? Are you sticking to your goals? Reading anything great lately? Feel free to share any thoughts, comments, or recommendations! I love hearing your thoughts!

Happy reading fools :) 

"Patriot" (Alex Hawke #9) - Ted Bell

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Since I sucked at reading in February, I'm continuing the month's theme, Unfinished Series, part way into March. I have a few books carrying over from February, as well as, a few ARC's but then I will be able to get to my never-ending stack of books I have bought or received in giveaways but haven't been able to read yet for March's theme! I am a huge fan of the Alex Hawke series by Ted Bell. Today's review is the most current book in the series, Patriot. Each book continues the story of Lord Alexander Hawke, so it's a good idea to start at the beginning with Warrior, the first book in the series!

On a beautiful day off the coast of Maine, an esteemed former CIA director and expert sailor is found dead on his sailboat, his head bashed in after what seems like a horrific accident.  Half a world away in Paris, another senior CIA officer dies of a heart attack while making love in a posh hotel room. When counterspy Alex Hawke hears the news, and other recent CIA deaths under suspicious are discovered, he suspects these are more than coincidences. Hawke believes the deaths can be tied to one source: Spider Payne, a rogue intelligence officer whose exploits got him fired by the CIA. Now the former star agent seems to have evolved into a serial killer -- and it looks like MI6 officer Alex Hawke is directly in his line of fire. 

But Spider isn't the only ex-intelligence operative with a grudge. Texan colonel Beau Beauregard founded an international mercenary fighting force that gave him both worldwide prestige and sizeable fortune. Now he's lost it all as the worldwide press, and soon clients like the U.S., Russia, and China, blame him for amassing an army of hired renegade killers rather than soldiers. Beau sets his sights on enemy spies who've betrayed him. And he won't stop until they've all be eliminated. 

In an increasingly corrupt and dangerous Russia, Vladimir Putin is determined to forge his country into a formidable superpower once more. His dream is to redraw the map of Europe to his liking, and he'll stop at nothing to realize his global fantasies -- including shooting down a Russian Aeroflot airliner full of men, women, and children. Meanwhile, Putin's Kremlin scientists are developing a radical new weapon that could forever alter modern warfare. NATO knows Putin will not hesitate to use it. But they feel powerless while they've locked in a tense standoff as Russian Army forces are arrayed on Eastern Europe's borders. Only one man can bring the world back from this apocalyptic brink: Alex Hawke. Can he evade stalking assassins while finding a way to neutralize Russia's threat? In the murky world of counterterrorism and high-stakes intrigue, the odds against him -- and any hope of success -- have never been higher. 

Another round of applause for Ted Bell. If you're looking for a great thriller series, with each book keeping you hanging on until the end, then this series is for you! Alex Hawke is a great character. There is a multitude of levels to his character that continues to build throughout each book. I can't get enough of him. This book was no different. The story goes back and forth between Hawke, Beauregard, and other characters, a common consistency with these books. I like the alternating points-of-view. One thing that was sometimes difficult to follow in this book was the amount of locations throughout the book. While this is a common trend for Bell in the series, I felt this book had more than usual. I enjoyed the expansion of Hawke's relationship with Putin in this book. It's something that has been present in the past few books but not as prevalent as it was in this one. It was an interesting perspective into the Kremlin and interworkings of the old KGB. Bell is an amazing writer. He continues to impress me with each book from his character dynamics to the use of vocabulary he writes and the way he sets up every scene and relationship. I just wish he could write them faster!!

As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments, or suggestions. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading fools :)

Thursday, March 3, 2016

Hell School: Fresh Meat TOUR!

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I know I promised you reviews in my last post but we had an unexpected change at work and let's just say things have gone from busy to unimaginable. Working in the non-profit realm can be rough! SO I still have a backlog of reviews to type and post from you but before I can get to those, check out this post as part of the blog tour for Hell School: Fresh Meat by Heidi Angell, the first book in a YA stalker series. Check out a blurb for the book and author information below as well as a character introduction for Samantha Havre!


Blurb:
"High school is hard, especially when you're a freshman in a new town, surrounded by people you don't understand and who don't understand you. Sam was overwhelmed just trying to fit in. Then she is singled out with the first letter.

While some girls envy the "romantics" of this unknown admirer, Sam can tell something isn't right. Sam wanted to just blend in, but someone's eye is fixated on her. As the letters and bad poetry continue, so does the nagging in Sam's stomach telling her this is not normal.

When things escalate from strange to creep, Sam's world becomes a nightmare. Twisted admiration is stalking her around every corner in the high school from hell..."

Sounds spooky and intriguing and twisted. My kind of book! Check out the character introduction from author Heidi Angell for Sam below!

Character Introduction - Samantha Havre
Name: Samantha Havre
Age: 14
Nickname: Sam, Buttercup
A Little About: Sam is a beauty who doesn't know she is beautiful. Her personality is very tomboy meets bookworm. She is a Mormon and raised in a conservative home. Her parents got divorced and her mom moved the family from the only home Sam had ever known in Montana to live with her older sister Kelly in South Carolina while her mom tried to put their life back together.
Sam's hobbies: Reading any book she can get her hands on. Singing, she has an inner desire to be a musician. Acting, she wants to do it. She is scared, but she wants to do it. Dancing.
Sam's goal: Survive the move, survive high school, and survive her stalker.
Who I imagine playing Sam: Marissa Quinn. She encapsulates the pretty girl, and has a great range. I could totally see her being an "every girl" that was shy and awkward, despite her amazing looks!

About the Author
Heidi Angell is a bibliophile, lexicomaniac and wordsmith! She is the author of The Hunter Series, The Clear Angel Chronicles, and The Hell School Series. She also Created Royal Prince Vince, and Creative Exercises to Inspire. When she is not reading or writing, she can be found spending quality time with her lovely family camping, hiking, swimming, or watching movies. Learn more about her and her books at HeidiAngell.com!

Social Media 
Twitter @HeidiAngell

Check back soon for an updated post featuring a review of the book! A complete list of other stops along the tour featuring book reviews, chapter excerpts, author interviews, and more can be found on Heidi Angell's website! Make sure to check it out! As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments or suggestions!

Happy reading fools :)

Thursday, February 25, 2016

"Winter" (The Lunar Chronicles #4) - Marissa Meyer

Hello fellow bibliophiles! What a last two weeks it has been. Sorry for the lapse the past couple of weeks. It seems like every book I have picked up recently has been taking FOREVER to finish. And then once I finished them, I then ran out of time and didn't get the reviews wrote up. So while I have been reading, albeit slowly, I now have a few reviews to get out to you!! To kick off, here is the latest, and last, installment in The Lunar Chronicles. Check out my review of Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, the first three books in the series. Beware! If you haven't read the first three books, you may not want to read any further as it will give things away for those books!

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana. 

Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend -- the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.

Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

When I read the first three books, they were easy and I was able to get through them fairly quickly. This book, though, took me forever. I was so looking forward to seeing how all four of the main characters and their stories came together. And yes, while that did happen, everything else you could ever possibly imagine happening, was thrown into this book. I mean everything. There were wayyyy too many things happening in this book. I felt like a big majority of these different things took away from the story and made it drag on and on and on. I understand why Meyer wrote it this way. She wanted to make sure all the strings were tied up nice and pretty. But often she was creating more and more issues for the band of misfits to solve, many that were unnecessary. One positive from the book is that she does a good job wrapping up all 4 of the storylines for Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter and I liked how they all ended. All in all, Winter wasn't what I was hoping for. I still gave it a 3 out of 5 solely because I have enjoyed the series overall.  Gorgeous cover once again! As always, feel free to share any thoughts comments or suggestions.

Happy reading fools :)

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

"The Prophecy" - Coreena McBurnie


Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today's post is a spotlight fAntigone: The True Story. Check out a brief summary of the book, information about the author, and where you can get your copy below!
or a new YA series by Coreena McBurnie,

Description
"A hidden prophecy. A chosen princess who speaks with snakes. A family duty. 

Sixteen year old Princess Antigone, daughter of the infamous Greek King Oedipus, wants to lead a normal life and fulfill her duty to the gods, her city, and her family, but fate has other plans. The Olympian gods bless her, the snakes talk to her, her parents want her to marry a foreign prince, her embroidery looks like burial shrouds for dogs, and she has fallen in love with the wrong boy.

When the mysterious and devastating prophecies surrounding her family are revealed, Anitgone must choose where her allegiance lies: With the gods who have betrayed her family but who she is obliged to serve? With her plague ridden city? With her family which lay in ruins? Or even with herself?

In Prophecy, Book One of the Antigone: The True Story series, Antigone steps out of the shadows of the past to tell her own story, a story where truth of history is stranger than the fiction of the myth."

About the Author
I write mythological retellings -- my passion for ancient cultures, mythology, and history started many years ago and, after studying Classics in university and earning my Master's degree, I am channeling this love into my writing, Prophecy, Book One in Antigone: The True Story series, is my first published book. I do most of my writing in Novembers during Nanowrimo and spend the rest of the year editing and reading. I live in BC, Canada with my husband, three kids, and our cat.

Where to find Coreena McBurnie:


Goodreads: Coreena McBurnie
Email: coreenamcburnie@gmail.com

Make sure to head over to Amazon to pick up your copy of the book. Both physical and e-book available! Looks like the start of a great YA series!

Happy reading fools :)

Friday, February 12, 2016

"The Royal We" - Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today's review goes off my "Unfinished Series" theme for the month but as I said at the start, I would have a few books to read outside of that! This review is the February book for my FYA book club. Since the list came out of books we would be reading for the year, the other members have been going crazy for this book. So I was quite excited to pick up The Royal We! Who doesn't love a good "commoner falls in love with the prince" fairytale?!

I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next. 

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasised about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, NIck's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family who's private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become. 

Which is how she gets into trouble. Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love -- her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself -- will have been for nothing.

Spanning nearly a decade, THE ROYAL WE is a richly imagined, emotionally compelling novel that examines, with warmth and wit, what truly happens after your prince has come. 

Normal girl from Iowa studies abroad at Oxford, meets a great group of friends, falls in love with the Prince of England, goes through the horrific tribulations of the press, ultimately causing rifts in their fairy tale romance. All completely normal. Sounds great right? Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan are great writers, don't get me wrong. And I love a good fairy tale dream-like romance. But UGH! I was so disappointed!! What I couldn't stand, is  the multitude of similarities between the book and the real Prince Will and Kate. And not just similarity with it being a story of royals but parallels between family relationships, friendships, and love story. I mean, we're talking the same timeline of events, absent mother figure, and Jenny Packman dresses!! It was too much. I love the "Will & Kate" story. I'm the creepy stalker who waits anxiously for new pictures of the royal babies and wants to know every charity Kate is spearheading. I read every People article. And I would have liked this book more had it not been SO similar. That fact alone ruined the book for me. Still a well-written book though so if that fact doesn't bother you, then it's worth the read! As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, or recommendations!

Happy reading fools :)

P.S. Things will be a little quiet for the next few days! I have a puppy I need to go spend some quality time with this weekend! Don't let that adorable, innocent face fool you, though. He's a monster :)

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

"Me Before You" - Jojo Moyes

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I'm going off the Unfinished Series themes a little with this book but I couldn't resist picking it up. And if we want to get technical about it, there is a second book to this one! Jojo Moyes has become pretty popular lately and even more now with this book, Me Before You, as it is being released as a movie this summer. (The trailer looks AMAZING!) I wasn't sure if I had read anything else by Moyes before but thanks to my obsessive use of Goodreads, I saw that I read The Girl You Left Behind a couple of years ago and remembered how much I enjoyed that book. This was just as good!

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in the Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time. 

This book is phenomenal on so many levels. The writing? Relatable, emotional, realistic, amazing. The characters? Developed, layered, contemplative, determined, witty, and passionate. Lou, a pragmatic, bubbly, and determined twenty-seven-year-old loses her small-town job without any notice. This leads to her employment for Will Traynor. Will is a strong-willed, sarcastic, quadriplegic, who cannot move from the next down and needs round-the-clock assistance. Complete opposites to say the least. At first, neither one of them realizes the impact they are going to have on each other or the effect they will have on their lives. I could always picture exactly what was happening in the book. It's an absolutely, breath-taking story. I cannot write enough adjectives to describe this book. Most of the book is from Lou's point-of-view but every so often there is a chapter from someone else's view including Nathan, Will's male carer, Steven, Will's dad, and other family members from both Will and Lou's family. The book brings to light the subject of Right to Die which is ever present in our world today. It's a heated discussion no matter what side you may be on or what your thoughts on the subject are. Everyone has a right to their own opinions so let's avoid arguments and leave it at that. It's a beautiful book. I absolutely devoured it from the moment I picked it up. I know you'll do the same. While I know the books are always better than the movies, I am anxiously awaiting the release this summer. The actors are cast exactly how I pictured them. And I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book, After You. As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments, or suggestions! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading fools :)

Saturday, February 6, 2016

"Scarlet" & "Cress" - Marissa Meyer

Hello fellow bibliophiles! As part of February's theme, Unfinished Series, today's review continues with books #2 & #3 of the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. You can find my review of book #1, Cinder, HERE! If you haven't read Cinder, you may want to skip this post and come back as the descriptions alone may give hints and spoilers for the first book. I'll try not to give anything away!

Scarlet
The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison -- even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive.

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information about her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. 

Scarlet has, so far, been my favorite in the series. This book continues the fairytale theme, introducing Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf characters. The story switches back and forth between the parallel stories of Scarlet (Red Riding) and Cinder. So many of my questions from the first book were answered in Scarlet which is probably why I liked it so well. Along with the story lines of Cinder and Scarlet, there is also more dialogue from Kai's point-of-view which I had hoped for after finishing the first book. All the characters are dealing with a lot, a continued theme from Cinder. Plague, an evil queen, a missing princess, mind controlling Lunars, and now hybred-werewolves wreaking havoc. Like Cinder, Scarlet has a slew of things thrown at her very quickly, all at once, completely turning her life inside out. She does all she can to put on a strong, resilient front while dealing with obstacle after obstacle.  She's another brave, independent, all around great female character. I felt this book really helped to set up the next book and give me a better idea where the story is headed leading into Cress.

Cress
In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain  Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wold in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Empreror Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has. 

While this book was still great, I didn't feel it was as good as Scarlet. Rapunzel is the newest fairytale character to be introduced as Cress, a Lunar shell, who has been held captive for seven years on a satellite on her own, doing dirty work for Queen Levana. In Scarlet, questions were answered and things began to come together. In Cress, though, I felt more questions have come up yet it had great direction towards a solution. With Cress' hacking skills and Cinder's band of misfits, they finally start to formulate and carry out plans to take down Queen Levana.

This series, as a whole, has been great. The writing is well done and the characters are full of emotion and rhetoric. While the base of the story comes from classic fairytales, the plot line is completely re-imagined in a whole new light. I like the relationships that have formed, though typical in a classic fairytale way. The fourth, and final, book Winter, is already in my hands. Turning to page one will be a bittersweet moment. I'm anxious to see how everything comes together but sad to let the characters go. A great series for teens! Small amount of violence, PG romance, and a highly entertaining fantasy series! I highly recommend it! As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments, or suggestions!

Happy reading fools :)

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

"Thirst: Blood of my Blood" - R.P. Channing **SPOTLIGHT**



Hello fellow bibliophiles! I have an exciting new YA spotlight for you today! Let me tell you, I read a short excerpt of this book and now I'm eager to read the entire book. It's going to be quite intriguing! Check out the book description, where to buy, author notes, and links below! Make sure to check out the Amazon $20 Gift Card give-a-way. Details below!

~ Kira Sutherland ~



After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:


1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)


Or


2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)


She chooses the latter...


~ Cory Rand ~



Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.


Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:


1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)


Or


2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.


He chooses the latter...


It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.


Things he's always ignored.


Until now.


Genres:

Young Adult Romance
Paranormal Romance
High School
Vampires, Demons, Witches
Dark Fantasy
Horror

Buy Links
Amazon US

Amazon UK


Kindle Unlimited


$20 Amazon Gift Voucher Giveaway

At the back of the book there is a giveaway link. Once the book hits fifty reviews on Amazon, one of those reviewers will win a $20 (US Dollars) Amazon Gift Voucher!


Author Bio

R P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because it’s the first thing I wrote that my wife actually enjoyed reading.” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy.



Author Links

Website

Twitter
Amazon
http://amazon.com/author/rpchanning

Monday, February 1, 2016

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

Hello fellow bibliophiles!! Just one year and 98 reviews ago, I started this blog. Ahhh!! I cannot believe it has been a year already nor that I was able to review so many books! As I stated a few weeks ago, I am hoping to make some changes to the blog throughout the first few months of this year. I promise, nothing too drastic... yet :)

For my first new change, I am going to have a "theme" that will relate to the books I decide to read for the month. So here is how this will work. Below I am listing my proposed themes for each month. I will then read books centered around that theme or idea. Some are pretty basic while others are more specific. I'm not quite set in stone on all of these but here's a preview for the year! Just something to have fun with each month!

February: Finishing series. My plan is to finish a few series I have started, The Lunar Chronicles and The Wicked Years, as well as finish a few series I have started but not read the last or most recent book. I also have a few stragglers laying around that I already checked out before this wonderful theme idea that I will need to finish as well.

March: Books I have bought or received through give-a-ways but have not read. No shame, we all have this pile! Those bargain books and yard sale bins can get the best of us. I also have a shelf of books I have received as give-a-ways from different books sites that I have not had the chance to get to yet.

April: Memoirs & Biographies. A have quite a few of these on my TBR list!

May: Books that have been turned into screenplays. I hate when I see the movie before reading the book. We all know the book is ALWAYS better!

June: Classics/Modern Classics (Work in progress).

July: New Young Adult. There are a lot of great books coming out this spring that I cannot wait to get my hands on!

August: Books from the bottom shelf. I always feel so bad for these at the library. No one takes the time to bend down and look at them. It's not their fault!

September: Books with numbers in the title (Work in progress).

October: Mysteries & Thrillers. So typical, I know.

November: Favorite childhood series (Narnia, Series of Unfortunate Events, Land of Stories, HP)

December: Books with warm weather settings! Beaches, seasides, desert, tropics, etc. We all need a pick-me-up during those long, cold winter days!

January: 2015 releases I didn't get a chance to read!

Like I said, these are not all set in stone. Feel free to share any ideas for month-long themes or books I should read during a specific month. I don't have a preferences as long as it falls within the month's theme! I can also use new book suggestiobs! I will have a few books outside of the theme to read each month due to FYA book club and ARCs I have already been granted but besides that, I am hoping to stick to it! As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments, or suggestions!

Happy reading fools :)

Saturday, January 30, 2016

"Cinder" - Marissa Meyer

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I finally started The Lunar Chronicles, something I have been wanting to do for about 4 months now. I have book one, Cinder, finished for you today and I'm hoping to have books 2 & 3 ready for you at the beginning of the week in a combined post. I'm currently waiting for my request of book four from the library! Apparently, I've been swept into the YA science fiction/fantasy realm :)

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.


First off, can we just talk about this cover. So gorgeous! And all the books in the series have covers just as amazing. Talk about some cover envy! Okay, back to the reason we're here. Review. What a great start to a series! This book is brimming to the core with new world orders (New Beijing, Luna), technology advancements (androids & cyborgs), and a futuristic spin on Cinderella. Meyer follows along with the classic fairytale but throws spins and twists throughout that kept me reading and begging for more. Cinderella as a cyborg (made of human and metal parts) living in a world being ravaged by a deadly plague with no cure. The Imperial Highness's health hangs in the balance as the Evil Queen from Luna continues to refuse to sign the peace treaty, threatening war with every step she takes. Cinder is stuck in a crappy situation with an evil stepmother and two stepsisters controlling her every move. But she is a strong, honest character, thinking about how her actions will affect others no matter how beneficial it may be for herself. And that goes for other characters in the book as well, always thinking of their actions will affect the rest of the people. I really liked Kai and reading from his point-of-view. I'm looking forward to seeing how his character grows and develops into the next book, Scarlet

Meyer is a great writer. While some parts of this new world are not always explained as soon as I would have liked them to be, Meyer does eventually get to it and explains everything clearly. She kept things intriguing and suspenseful throughout until the end. I am anxious to see where the next book picks up from as the end was fairly abrupt. This would be a great series for upper middle school aged kids and older to read. Some violence and a little foul language every so often but nothing too drastic. I will definitely be recommending this series! As always, feel free to share any thoughts, comments or recommendations! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading fools :) 

Friday, January 29, 2016

"How to Fall" - Jane Casey

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today's review is a great Young Adult mystery I just happened to come across when perusing the library shelves. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed it!  Even better, its a series!

Sixteen-year-old Jess Tennant has never met any of her relatives, until her mom suddenly drags her out of London to spend the summer in the tiny English town where her family's from. Her mom's decision is surprising, but even more surprising is the town's reaction to Jess. Everywhere she goes, people look at her like they've seen a ghost. In a way, they have—she looks just like her cousin Freya, who died shortly before Jess came to town.

Jess immediately feels a strange connection to Freya, whom she never got to meet alive. But the more Jess learns about the secrets Freya was keeping while she was alive, the more suspicious Freya's death starts to look. One thing is for sure: this will be anything but the safe, boring summer in the country Jess was expecting.

Beloved author Jane Casey breaks new ground with How to Fall, a thrilling and insightfully written mystery.


I think for me, the biggest surprise was how well wrote the mystery of the book is for being a YA book. It wasn't cheesy or typical in any way and I honestly didn't know what the final result was going to be until I was actually reading it. Usually, I have a good idea how YA mysteries will end before I get there, so this was a nice surprise to be kept guessing. There's a lot of normal teenage drama typical of this demographic but it wasn't overpowering and fits the book since it is directed towards teens. Jess is a strong, very determined, hardworking main character. I am intrigued to learn more about the smaller characters like Will, Jess's mom, Petra, and Hugo. Maybe those questions will be answered in the other books. The plot line itself does not continue, though. Don't worry, no cliffhangers! But Casey does continue with Jess Tennant into 2 (so far) more books titled Bet Your Life and Hide and Seek. Both have been added to my TBR list! There is some romance in the book, but nothing too over-the-top. I'm looking forward to seeing how that progresses! Overall, pleasantly surprising YA mystery book that would be great for teenaged girls! As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, or recommendations!

Happy reading fools :) 

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

"The Debt" - Rachel Dunning **SPOTLIGHT!**

 Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today I have a special spotlight for you! Check out the Debt by Rachel Dunning, and New Adult Sports Romance novel, expected to be released on March 2016! Read below for a blurb, where to get pre-order the book, and where you can connect with author, Rachel Dunning! 



BLURB:
The Debt Collector

I pay my debts, and I expect others to.
I was raised in the slums of London, I knew nothing of privilege. My father was murdered when I was seventeen. Morty figured my father's passing meant I would automatically take on dad's debts. I refused.
And I paid for that refusal.
So did my sister.
So now I fight. All I know how to do is fight. The best cash is in the states, so that's where I am now. A big fish called Vito came along offering me a "favor" when I arrived.
Another debt.
I paid for that one too.
I knew Kyla Hensley would be trouble when I met her. But I wanted her. I could see through the falsehood of her wannabe-slutty clothes and her sexy legs. So I chased her.
Besides, trouble is my middle name.

Kyla Hensley

I was brought up in privilege, but I lacked everything else. My father is a business tycoon who buys and sells and doesn't care who gets rolled over in the process.
I never knew my mother, and all I have of her is a photo with a note scrawled on the back in French saying "I'm sorry." The only Female Figure I had growing up is my dad's wife who is a bleach blond with seven boob jobs. We never bonded.
I drink. I party. I meet guys.
But I wasn't always like that.
I've had a string of lovers in the last few years, the worst and most recent of which was Vince Somerset. My best friend Vera was dating a guy called Rory Cansoom who is the opposite of Vince in so many ways, and yet so the same.
She and I hit the road for the summer, getting away from the two college psychos and just trying to have some fun.
But there's a funny thing about trouble, the more you run from it, the more it finds you.
Which is when I met the Debt Collector.
It was only supposed to be sex. He made that clear. I made that clear.
That's all it was supposed to be.
I never expected to fall in love. I never expected to fall so deeply, madly, uncomfortably in love with a man who is wrong, so wrong for me.
And yet...so unbelievably right.

***Content Warning***

Not intended for readers under the age of seventeen.

Links:

About Rachel





Rachel Dunning hit the scene in August 2013 and is the author of the highly praised Naive Mistakes Series, Truthful Lies Trilogy, Johnny Series and the paranormal romance series, Mind Games.

A prolific writer, she sticks to stories where Alpha Males aren’t pricks and where women have guts.
She’s lived on two different continents, speaks three different languages, and met the love of her life on the internet. In other words, romance is in her blood.

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