Sunday Book Share #33

I'm participating in Feed My Reader Friday hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer,  The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. These  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received, and different posts and events at their blogs.

This was such a looooooong week. Not only did I have a lot going on at work and personally but then the Boston Marathon bombing happened. I live in a Boston suburb and knew someone running there; he was okay, thank goodness. On Thursday, the suspects shot a cop and on Friday morning, some cities were locked down. Several of my co-workers including my boss were in those cities and couldn't get to work, and one was a close friend of the murdered cop. I am very glad that it's over now and we can get to healing and rebuilding.

The Week In Review 

Reviews:  Alpha and Omega Cry Wolf: Volume 2 by Patricia Briggs, et al (Graphic novel, Urban Fantasy, Romance)
Prophecy Girl by Cecily White (YA, Urban Fantasy)

Excerpts:  Eighty-Eight Keys by Catherine Lavender (New Adult, Romance, Suspense)
Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox (Romance)

Spotlight:  Moonlit by Jadie Jones (YA, Urban Fantasy)

Memes:  Cat Thursday - Bad day?  Sunday Book Share #32

Giveaways:  A $50 Gift Card to Amazon or Barnes & Noble, ends April 25th. 

Over $1000 in Amazon Gift Cards from author Stephanie Lisa Tara, ends April 25th.

$50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash, ends April 28th 

$5 eGift Card to the eBook retailer of the winner's choice, ends April 29th

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash, Ends 5/5/13

A 7 inch Kindle Fire OR $100 Amazon Gift Card OR $100 Paypal Cash, ends May 5th

Kindle Fire from author Stephanie Lisa Tara, ends May 31st, 2013

 

Odd and Unusual Phrases Leading to the Blog - "images petite models adult explicit", "when you wish upon a fish book"; still popular, "how to catch a cat" and also still popular for reasons unknown to me, "and seclusion". What is up with that one?

The Week Coming Up

Blog Tours - Review & Giveaway of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by Heather Long (Romance)
Review of Murder at Rosamunde's Gate by Susanna Calkin (Historical mystery)
Cover Reveal for Breaking the Reins by Juliana Haygert (Romance, New Adult)

BOOKS

Review - Kindle

I'll review this during Children's Book Week next month; I'm reading it now.

Review - Print

Kindle Freebies

After several weeks of behaving myself with the freebies, last week I indulged again. Oh well, they're free and take minimal space. :D

Don't forget to leave a link so I can visit. May you have a peaceful, book-filled week.

Review of Prophecy Girl by Cecily White

Publisher: Entangled Teen
Format Read: PDF
Source: from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 2, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository

Blurb:

  Amelie Bennett. . . . Ending the world, one prophecy at a time.

I was born to slay Crossworld demons. 

Big black flappy ones, little green squirmy ones. Unfortunately, the only thing getting slain these days is my social life. With my high school under attack, combat classes intensifying, and Academy instructors dropping right and left, I can barely get my homework done, let alone score a bondmate before prom.

Then he shows up.  

Jackson Smith-Hailey. Unspeakably hot, hopelessly unattainable, and dangerous in all the right ways. Sure, he’s my trainer. And okay, maybe he hates me. Doesn’t mean I’ll ignore the wicked Guardian chemistry between us. It’s crazy! Every time I’m with him, my powers explode. Awesome, right? 

Wrong. 

Now my teachers think I’m the murderous Graymason destined to bring down our whole race of angelbloods. Everyone in New Orleans is hunting me. The people I trusted want me dead. Jack and I have five days to solve the murders, prevent a vampire uprising, and thwart the pesky prophecy foretelling his death by my hand. Shouldn’t be too difficult.

Getting it done without falling in love. . . that might take a miracle.

Bea's Thoughts:

When I read the blurb for this book, it immediately reminded me of the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. Since I loved that series, I decided to give this a try, even though I really don't read very much YA. While it does have similarities to Vampire Academy, it's not as well-written.

Let me start with what I liked: "Monkeycrud" may be my new favorite swear phrase :D; Amelie, often called Ami, is smart-mouthed and fast with the quips; there are some good descriptions; and while the book is overly long, it held my interest most of the time. This description particularly caught my eye:

"By the time Smalley wrapped up, the vibe for most folks had returned to a tense little corner of normal. For me, however, normal was at least three buses and a cab ride away."

Things I didn't like: the pacing was uneven; "twists" were telegraphed in advance, sometimes with a flashing neon sign; the characters were not fully developed nor was the world; some things were not adequately explained (I am still confused about how bloodlines work in this world).

Initially I liked Ami's attitude; sassy, independent and gung ho, but it grated after a while. For example:

"I picked up my pace as the door swung closed behind him. If I could just catch him, maybe I could make him understand I wasn’t the child he thought I was. Maybe he’d see that I could help him."

"You’re dangerous. Not to mention impulsive, immature, and too selfish to understand that people get hurt when you’re around."

Ami was behaving childishly and impulsively and by the end of the book, she still was. There was little growth on her part during the book, or on Jackson's part. In fact, Jackson is inconsistent all through out the book. Some of it is explained later but some of it is not and he blows hot and cold. I had a hard time believing in their romance; on Ami's part, it read and felt more like a teenage crush and for Jackson's part, well he alternately shoved her away and kissed the stuffing out of her but we never really saw what attracted them to each other or why they mattered to each other. Oh, we're told that they feel a bond but I never felt it. Jackson was, at different times, an experienced warrior, a hunk with attitude, a jerk, a charmer, etc and it often felt disjointed.


About halfway through the book, the flashing neon sign goes off announcing/trumpeting/yelling a "twist" and I was rolling my eyes and muttering at it's obviousness. The fact that Ami didn't see it until much, much later had me rolling my eyes and muttering again. It annoyed me, particularly that the author as so ham-handed about it.

Looking at what I've written, it sounds as I didn't enjoy the book. I did, but it's flawed, and I didn't love it. There were some laugh out loud moments, and I'd love to see more of the werewolves and vampires, both of whom made late appearances in the story. They belatedly become important to the plot, leaving me scratching my head. Despite that, I was intrigued by what we saw of them. White does have a way with words; once she gets the hang of world building and character development, and finding and fixing plot holes, she could be a very good writer.

Some favorite quotes:

That was the plan, anyway. Unfortunately, plans and vampires go together about as well as Kleenex and hot tubs.

As soon as we’d stepped to the curb, the vampire’s car squealed away, leaving two lines of black rubber against the pavement. As first introductions to a species went, it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Sure, he was arrogant and stunning and rude, but so are male models…and they pass for human all the time.

This from the girl who arranged for six tons of personal lubricant to magically appear on the volleyball court during gym class last year? 

The vamp-mobile had vanished at some point during the wee hours, replaced by a huge pickup truck I could only assume belonged to a werewolf. Or a Republican from north Louisiana—hard to tell the difference.

ETA: Apparently Entangled changed the cover so here's the new cover, which I like better - 

EXCERPT! Flirting With Disaster by Ruthie Knox

So it's no secret that Ruthie's Camelot series is one of my favorites. I've also helped pimp the dickens out of it: I reviewed the first two books in the series, "How to Misbehave" and "Along Came Trouble", had excerpts and participated in the cover reveal for this book. Today I have an excerpt and soon, my pretties, soon, I'll have a review for you (just as soon as I get my hands on the book. :D).

Enjoy the goodness!

Flirting with Disaster by Ruthie Knox, A Loveswept eOriginal Excerpt by Romance At Random

Cat Thursday - Bad day?

 

Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by The True Book Addict that celebrates cats; their foibles and humorousness and the joy they bring. You can join in by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you made or came across, cat art or share with us pics of your own felines, then post your link up at The True Book Addict.

After the events of Monday at the Boston Marathon (just up the highway from me), I thought some cute kittens and cat lovin' might be in order. I am very glad that I didn't go into Boston on Monday as I had thought about (I remembered that it was Spring Break and the traffic that brings and decided against it).

Need a hug?

 

Or a box?

Excerpt & GC Giveaway for Eighty-Eight Keys by Catherine Lavender

Eighty-Eight Keys by Catherine Lavender
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Whimsical Publications LLC
Release Date: January 28, 2013
Heat Level: Sweet
Word Count: 54,000
Buying Links:  Kobo   Amazon  Smashwords

Blurb ~

Leah is a young woman who is trying to break free from a strict religious background and pursue her dream as a pianist in the world of show business. While trying to find her independence her heart is held captive by Jason Rowe a local basketball star who established an organization to help troubled youth. When Jason is found murdered in his home, Leah is determined to get answers from a closed investigation. During her state of emotional turmoil, Leah finds comfort not only in the melody of her music, but in the arms of a married man named Calvin. With her dreams at her fingertips, Leah is tangled in a web of lies and deceit. Despite the fear of learning the truth, Leah has to realize that only the truth can set her free.

A dead lover, with a trail of broken hearts… A married man, with a double-life… A dream chaser, with a killer at her heels… A piano, with eighty-eight keys…

****************************************************

The jarring ring of the telephone pulled Leah back into the present. It took her a couple of rings to find the buried cell phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, Leah, it’s Quincy. I was just calling to check up on you.”

She settled back into a small section of the couch. “Hi, Quincy. I’m doing okay.”

“You sure?” She could hear the concern in his voice. “You sound a little sad.”

The picture of her and Jason crumpled in her fist. “Well, you know how it is. I’m surrounded by ghosts at every turn.” Her inner voice urged her to change the subject quickly. “How are you doing?”

“Well, that kind of brings me to the second purpose of this call. Would you mind coming in this afternoon? There is still so much to do for the gala, and we can use all the help we can get.”

Leah looked at her watch, then at the mess in her living room. “Yep, I can be there in a couple of hours.”

Saying her goodbyes, Leah hung up the phone and made a mental note to pick up, packing boxes along the way. When her lease was up, she was moving to her neon oasis—Las Vegas. Leah was going to be a pianist.

Running thirty minutes late, Leah pulled into the parking lot of Bright Horizons Youth Group. She didn’t see Mrs. Turner and Rosa until she almost collided into them.

“Oh, oops, sorry,” Leah said, fumbling with her purse and notebook. “I, um, didn’t see you there.” The look on Rosa’s face was pure anger.

“Well, we are certainly glad you’re here,” Mrs. Turner said with an airy smile. “There is just so much that needs to be done, and well, it is your business to know how to do this.”

Leah smiled, situating her purse on her shoulder, and avoided eye contact with Rosa in case one of the thousand daggers thrown from her eyes would penetrate. “You know, I am just happy to help,” she said to the older woman. Leah cringed at the overly eager sound of her own voice.

“And we are so glad you are helping, swallowing your pride for the good of Bright Horizons.” Mrs. Turner wore her Armani dress like it was a second skin, her makeup and hair flawless as always. Her smile was etched, and didn’t quite spread to the rest of her face.

“I don’t understand why…” Rosa said. Her hostility spoke volumes.

Leah braced herself for a very vocal confrontation.

“No, dear.” Mrs. Turner put a beautifully manicured hand on Rosa’s forearm. “You don’t understand, and you never will if you don’t check your attitude.”

A car horn caused all three women to look around. “Ah, that’s for me.” Mrs. Turner pulled a sheet of paper from her book, not acknowledging the impatient student honking.

Leah didn’t want to know why the University’s current basketball star was sitting in Mrs. Turner’s car.

“If you both will excuse me, I have more important mat-ters to attend to.” She handed Leah a long list, “Be a dear and see if you can crank this out.”

The two women eyed each other warily.

Rosa brushed past Leah. “Don’t you dare screw this up,” she hissed.

“Why would you think that?” Leah usually kept to herself as far as Rosa was concerned, but the implication bothered her.

Rosa slid on a pair of sunglasses. “Because you screw everything up.”

**************************************************** 

About the Author:

Catherine Lavender is from Baltimore, Maryland but now resides in Tampa, Florida with her miniature schnauzer name Ripken. She is an animal activist, as well as a supporter of the organization First Book which helps supply literature for underprivileged children. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys reading classic literature and playing the acoustic guitar.

 Find Catherine online:

 

http://www.catherinelavender.com/

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Catherine-Lavender/186543831472093

https://twitter.com/Lavenderpages

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6912159.Catherine_Lavender

 ****************************************************

Giveaway Details

Open internationally, ends April 29th. Must be 18 years or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Spotlight & GC Giveaway - Moonlit by Jadie Jones

 

Look at that cover, isn't it lovely? It immediately caught my eye; it probably doesn't hurt that I love horses. :D


Blurb from author ~

 Eighteen-year-old Tanzy Hightower knows horses, has grown up with them on Wildwood Farm. She also knows not to venture beyond the trees that line the pasture. Things happen out there that can’t be explained. Or undone. Worse, no one but she and the horses can see what lurks in the shadows of the woods. When a moonlit ride turns into a terrifying chase, Tanzy is left to question everything, from the freak accident that killed her father to the very blood in her veins. Broken and confused, she turns to Lucas, a scarred, beautiful stranger, and to Vanessa, a charming new friend who has everything Tanzy doesn’t. But why do they seem to know more about her than she knows herself? 

Publisher: WiDo Publishing
Genre: YA, Urban Fantasy
Format: paperback, ebook
Length: 310 pages, 559 KB
Release Date: March 24, 2013

Buying Links: Amazon Kindle * Amazon * Goodreads

WiDo Publishing * Barnes & Noble

 Prologue ~

The first anniversary of my father’s death was even harder on my mother. Back then, I thought she was haunted most by what she didn’t know. I refused to blame her when she raged above me on our staircase that night, drunk and sad and angry. When she made me promise I’d never ride again. When she hurled a half-full bottle of vodka at my face and it exploded on the wooden stairs at my feet. I hadn’t tried to get out of the way. She had just missed. I wanted to tell her that knowledge was no solace, that what you know can burn inside you until there’s nothing left but guilt and ash. I also wanted to protect her from losing the only piece of him she had left. So I didn’t say a word.

About the Author ~

Georgia native Jadie Jones first began working for a horse farm at twelve years old, her love of horses matched only by her love of books. She went on to acquire a B.A. in equine business management, and worked for competitive horse farms along the east coast. The need to write followed wherever she went. She currently coaches a hunt seat equitation team that competes in the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, and lives with her family in the foothills of north Georgia. When she's not working on the next installment of the Moonlit series, she is either in the saddle or exploring the great outdoors with her daughter. Moonlit is her first book.

Find Jadie online:

Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

Book Blast Giveaway 

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/5/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Review of Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf: Volume Two by Patricia Briggs, et al.

Publisher: InkLit
Writers: Patricia Briggs, David Lawrence
Illustrators: Todd Herman, Jenny Frison
Series: Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf
Format Read: Hardcover Graphic Novel
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon  Barnes & Noble  The Book Depository


Blurb from Amazon:
 A world of shapeshifting wolves comes vividly to life in this collection of four comics based on Cry Wolf, the first book in Patricia Briggs’s #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.

Charles and Anna are on the hunt for a rogue werewolf in the Montana mountains. The creature has morphed into something so dark that it kills everything in its path: deer, elk, grizzlies…humans.

But the wolf is the creature of something far more powerful. One of Charles and Anna’s own pack harbors a centuries-old secret that has come back to haunt him—and wreak vengeance on those around him.

Charles and Anna—unaware of the truth—are two innocents who stand in the way. But even as members of their pack rally around them, Anna’s rare power comes into its own—and is unleashed…

Bea's Thoughts: 

I gobbled this up as soon as I got it then I pulled out volume 1 and re-read them both, back to back. I reviewed volume 1 back in October. I'm still not thrilled with the art but at least in volume 1, Charles looked like an American Indian while in volume two he looks white. It's the same illustrator so I don't know why his look would change so dramatically but it was disappointing. Additionally, his wolf looks drastically different and Anna's freckles disappeared. As before, the facial expressions are someties odd and Anna's arms have a tendency to be extra-long and skinny, like a Gumby doll. Despite that, the art as a whole works with the text and moves the story along. The colors are gorgeous and the shading is at times exquisite. 

The story moves along quickly and is a good adaptation of the novel. As always, there have been cuts. I particularly miss the scene back at Charles's house where Charles and Bran are talking and we don't get Anna's family at the wedding nor do we get the hunt after the bonding ceremony. But, the story ends with a nice tribute to Walter, who was one of my favorite characters. We also get a brief flashback scene of Bran's mother who is one mean-looking, and just plain mean, woman. 

There a a few panels where, if you haven't read the original book, you may be confused but overall, this volume and its predecessor work well as a cohesive story that can be read independently of the book. I enjoyed reading, and re-reading it.