Waiting on Wednesday(6)

Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcase upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

This week I am waiting for the highly anticipated (I love this series) 6th book of the Allie Beckstrom Series by Devon Monk. As I decided this is the book I would write about I just realized that it will be released on April 5, 2011. Yay! I'm so excited now ;). Anyhoo, my wonderful friend (Heather)introduced this series to me last year and I'm so glad she did. Ms. Monk is a very talented writer and the world she built in this series is so intricately woven that it's unlike any other world I've read about. As usual I hate ruining any series by giving you a synopsis of the book I'm waiting for; so I'll leave you with the synopsis of the first book Magic to the Bone.



Anxiously awaiting release of Magic on the Hunt (Allie Beckstrom #6)




In order from Book 1-6:




Magic to the Bone (Allie Beckstrom Series #1)

Using magic means it uses you back, and every spell exacts a price from its user. But some people get out of it by Offloading the cost of magic onto an innocent. Then it’s Allison Beckstrom’s job to identify the spell-caster. Allie would rather live a hand-to-mouth existence than accept the family fortune—and the strings that come with it. But when she finds a boy dying from a magical Offload that has her father’s signature all over it, Allie is thrown back into his world of black magic. And the forces she calls on in her quest for the truth will make her capable of things that some will do anything to control…

Teaser Tuesday(6)



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

Seriously, I am in love with this story and can't help but think about days after I finished it. I can't help myself, all I want to talk about is this book, is that sad? Anyways, below is a few quotes from my recent read.

The book is released on April 19th, so if you get a chance you should definitely add it to your TBR list. You will be super happy you listened to me :).

"Charleston was old south, a state of mind, the luxuriant landscape of lost dreams."

 "There was something troubling in his eyes, something that made me think again that here was a man who knew things."

The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by  Book Journey where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wondeful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

This week will be a very slow week for reading as I will be in Disney World with the family. After spending hours of walking around the parks in the scorching sun, I will probably fall out before I even hit the hotel. So I probably won't get any reading done. I have most of my post scheduled so you won't miss me completely :). Have a Great Week!

Read:

Meant to Be By Tiffany King



Review will follow shortly.



The Restorer by Amanda Stevens



Review has been posted.


Currently Reading:


The Vampire Relationship Guide 1: Meeting and Mating by Evelyn LaFont



Josie wants what she's never been able to have- sex with a vampire. When she receives an invitation to a party thrown by one of the world's richest vamps, she doesn't stop to question her luck; she just jumps into her favorite stilletos and heads out ot the event of a lifetime, secretly hoping that she'll come home with a party favor in the shape of a sexy coffin dweller.

But the great undead, much to Josie's chagrin, aren't just pale sexbots with pointy teeth waiting to satisfy her carnal desires- they are dangerous....and sometimes cranky. With a single-minded focus on fulfilling her sole sexual longing, Josie unwittingly entrenches herself in the twisted and sometimes antagonistic world of vampire relationships with no one to guide her, but herself.


Next On My List:


Die For Me (Revenants#1) By Amy Plum




Die for me is the first of three books about Kate, a sixteen-year-old American who moves to Paris after the death of her parents. It introduces a new version of the undead with revenants, beings who are fated to sacrifice themselves over and over agin to save others' lives. Kate finds herself falling for Vincent, who she discovers is not the typical French teenager he appears: he is something else entirely.

Die For Me presents a new supernatural mythology presented in a city where dreams are sometimes the same as reality.

Review: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

The Restorer (Graveyard Queen #1) By Amanda Stevens
Release Date: 4/19/11
Available: Barnes & Noble & Amazon
Publisher: Mira
Source: Netgalley (Thanks! Mira & Netgalley)



Goodreads Description:

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe.

It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer and to his other victims lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warn him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.



I love stories that include ghost, they have always intrigued me more than any other paranormal stories. I don't know what it is that draws me to these books, but I love them!

Amelia was nine years old when she saw her first ghost while working with her dad in the cemetery that he was the caretaker at. Her father told her there were rules that you must follow in order to keep living your life without ghost interfering.

Rule 1: Never acknowledge the dead, look at them, speak to them or let them sense your fear.
Rule 2: Never stray far from hallowed ground
Rule 3: Keep your distance from those that are haunted. If they seek you out, turn away from them, for    they constitute a terrible threat and cannot be trusted.

These were the rules that were instilled in Amelia, and she lived her life by these rules until she meets Detective John Devlin. The mysteriously aloof; Detective John Devlin needs her help with a murder that has occured at The Oak Grove Cemetery her latest restoration project. Helping Devlin goes against everything that her father has taught her because Devlin is haunted by not one but two ghost. Amelia finds herself in a predicament because he was referred to her by Camille Ashby who contracted her for the Oak Grove Restoration project, she is highly connected and burning a bridge with her could mean no additional contracts. Amelia relunctantly agrees and finds herself tangled in a web of deception, politics, and ghost. 

This story was beautifully written, with lots of suspense, twist and turns. The characters were well developed and I love how Ms. Stevens weaved the back stories of the characters through out the book. The story progressed at a great speed and I built an emotional tie with the characters. At times I was
 creeped out and other times I wanted to cry. The setting of the book was in Charleston, and it reminds me of old money, historical sites, and creepy cemeteries much like Savannah does.This is one of those books that when you finish and walk away you are still recounting what happened days after you turned the last page.


I would give this book 5 stars and recommend this book to everyone I know. 

The author's website is Amanda Stevens. She is also on  Twitter.

In My Mailbox(5)

In My Mailbox is hosted weekly by The Story Siren.  We highlight books we have received we have purchased, borrowed, or Won. You can find out more here.

This week I went a little crazy and bought a ton of books.

This is what I bought this week:

The Forest of Hands and Teeth By Carrie Ryan
Wondrous Strange By Les Livingston
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
Firelight by Sophia Jordan
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge


I won:





For Review:





So, what does your Mailbox look like?

Follow Friday

   

Every Friday Parajunkee host Follow Friday, this is your chance to meet new friends and visit old ones. :)

 

Today's question is:

 

Inspired by the inane twitter trend of #100 facts about me, give us five book related silly facts about you.

1. Sometimes I buy books because the cover is pretty.

2. I drive my husband crazy because I read everywhere, I have a Digital Ereader that I take everywhere. I read standing in line to pay, at work (shhh! I didn't say that), in my lunch hour, waiting in the driving thru line.

3. If I get a new book from the library and it's part of the series, once I finish it if the library doesn't have the next book available, i'll download it. I have tons of series that I have one book in paperback, one in hardcover, and the rest in ebook format. I'm a little impatient for the next book if you can't tell :)

4. I have tons of books sitting on my TBR shelf, I don't have time to read but yet my pile keeps growing because I can't seem to stop buying. It's an addiction I tell you!

5. I tried my first audio book last week, Beastly and I hated it! Maybe I'll try again when City of Fallen Angels comes out (Sigh, Ed Westwick's accent).

 

 

Help Needed!

I think I have a drug(book)problem, is there a Book Buyer Anonymous?

Wait! I'm serious, this is why I think so...

So, every day I diligently check twitter (on the hour every hour) and check all the blogs I follow, as reviews pop up I add the book to my *wishlist* if books are in the *hot seat* I run out like a crazy person to grab the book, if I can't I end up downloading it on my phone to transfer to my ereader at a later time.  Wait did I mention that the Border's by my office is closing down and I find myself drifting through the front doors at least twice a week during my lunch hour. Shh! I didn't say this but sometimes I buy a book because the cover is "oohhh so pretty!" I think I just might be mad!

Right now I have about 15-20 books that I've either purchased/won/or borrowed in the last month that I have yet to read. I'm at the point where I am starting to feel overwhelmed.

So am I the only person with this self indulgence issue or is there anyone else out there that does this too?

 How do you stop yourself from compulsively purchasing/borrowing more books that you can possibly read?

What process do you use to prioritize the books that you have in your TBR list?

Alright, i'm done ranting and raving :) Thanks for listening!

Happy Thursday!

Waiting On Wednesday(5)

Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcase upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

This week's pick is The Secret of the Keepers, this is the second book in the Kailmeyra Series by Elizabeth Isaacs. I stumbled upon the first book a few months ago and I'm glad I did. I can't express in writing how much I loved this story. The story is beautifully written, the characters are well developed, and the world building is fantastic.

The second book "The Secret of the Keepers" will be released in the fall and the cover art will be released closer to that time. In order not to ruin the series for you if you haven't already read this book here's the synopsis on the first book.

The Light of Asteria (Kailmeyra's Last Hope) by Elizabeth Isaac

If Nora Johnson hadn't been on campus that day she would have never known her true destiny. Helping her friends move into the dorm that she wanted to call home, Nora accidentally collides with mysterious stranger, Gavin Frey. His very first touch sends flames through her heart. The world seems different-something within her has changed. Nora tries to resume her mundane life, but she is now consumed with the one whose very presence ignited her soul, the one with eyes of emerald. Nora soon learns that an energy buried deep within has been unleashed. She now wields unimaginable power and has become Gavin's source, his strength.

Her newfound joy is a shaken when she discovers that Gavin is not who he appears to be and she has been thrust in the middle of a war of mythical proportions. Negativity has allowed all things evil to flourish, the earth is under siege. The fate of creation hinges on the power within her heart. Will she be strong enough to survive?


So what are you waiting on? Leave a link and I'll check it out. Happy Wednesday!



Teaser Tuesday(5)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

"Once again, my breath caught in my lungs. I was sure I would never breathe again. His lips erased all the pain, and instead warmth spread throughout every vein in my body."


Meant to Be by Tiffany King

It's Monday What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by  Book Journey where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wondeful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.



Read:

Last week was a slow week for me because I am moving from one location to another so my week consisted of packing up all my stuff and trying to get everything completed because next week I'll be on vacation for a week :)

Iron Crowned (Dark Swan Series #3) by Richelle Mead



Currently Reading:


Meant To Be  By Tiffany King




Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept and without any real friends; the one exception being the boy that visits her each night in her dreams.

Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The nightly comfort that the boy provides has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force.

Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets.

As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets from their past about their shared connection threatens to separate them just when they have found each other.




Next on my list:


The Soulkeepers by GP Ching




When fifteen-year-old Jacob Lau is pulled from the crumpled remains of his mother's car, no one can explain why he was driving or why the police can't find his mother's body. Made a ward of his uncle and thousands of miles from home, Jacob's life feels out of control.

A beautiful and mysterious neighbor, Dr. Abigail Silva, offers to use her unique abilities to help him find his mom. In exchange, she requires Jacob to train as a Soulkeeper, the biologically gifted warrior she swears he is.

He agrees to her demands, desperate for any clue to the mystery of his mother's disappearance. But soon Jacob finds himself trapped in a web of half-truths, and questions Dr. Silva's motives for helping him.



So what does your week look like? Leave a link to your site and I'll be happy to check it out :)

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is hosted weekly by The Story Siren.  We highlight books we have received we have purchased, borrowed, or Won. You can find out more here.

Jenny Alexander has sought refuge from a troubled past on a tiny, verdant island, off the coast of Washington state. Surrounded by the cold water of the Puget Sound, she does her best to raise her girls, innocent Frankie, and thrill-seeking Lilly, in a tight-knit community of eccentrics and dreamers.

The island bursts open each summer with the arrival of actors leading the annual Shakespeare production. A handsome thespian from New York reawakens Jenny to long-buried desires. As the intensity of rehearsals builds toward the live run of The Tempest, a potent mixture of actors, islanders and tourists, besotted by verse and swept up in the romance of the theater, spills the enchantment of the play into the lives of the players.

When Jenny finds her daughters caught up in a "brave new world" of love and heartbreak, she is ultimately thrust into a command performance that will resonate in all their lives.

 Krista Miller feels like she has lived her entire life in a glass box with her every emotion on display. She can’t help feeling like a defect as her sensitivities have made her socially inept and without any real friends; the one exception being the boy that visits her each night in her dreams.

Krista’s emotions are put to the test when a move to California triggers a devastating change to her fantasy world. The nightly comfort that the boy provides has now become a recurring nightmare as he is taken from her by an unseen force.

Struggling to appear normal, Krista enrolls in a new school and finds it to be nothing like she thought. Her new life is sent spiraling out of control from a strange connection with a boy, Mark, who claims to know all her secrets.

As Krista begins to explore the emotions that Mark evokes in her, secrets from their past about their shared connection threatens to separate them just when they have found each other.

So how was your week?

Follow Friday/Blog Hop



TGIF- This week has been crazy. Every Friday Parajunkee host Follow Friday, this is your chance to meet new friends and visit old ones. :)

Today's question is:

How did you come up with your blog name?

 

Sadly, the blog name I wanted was used and I just kind of mix and matched words together until I got one that took. Knowing what I know now I probably would have put more effort in creating a blog name.

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme hosted by Crazy for Books. This is also a great way to meet new people and socialize with existing friends.

"Do you read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?"


Usually I only read one book at a time because if I don't I tend to get my stories mixed up especially if it's the same genre. I have on occassion read more than one book at a time, but those scenarios are rare.

So How did you come up with your blog name and Do you read more than one book at a time? Leave comments and links and i'll be happy to take a look at your answers. Hopefully I'm not the only person out there who randomly chose a blog name :)


Happy Friday!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of this I wanted to share a few of my favorite movies/songs/book that remind me of Ireland. Maybe one day I'll actually get there :)

Movies:

I love both of these movies.

Author:

Cecelia Ahern-

Band:

Flogging Molly

Does anyone have any special plans for today?

Waiting on Wednesday(4)

Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that showcase upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm in Richelle Mead mode. I just recently finished reading her Dark Swan Series, which the fourth highly anticpated book does not come out until January 2012 :(.

But, anyway on to this week's pick. I have chosen Succubus Revealed which is the 6th book in the Georgina Kincaid series by Richelle Mead. If you haven't started this series you definitely should this is the first series I read by Ms. Mead and have been a fan ever since. This is one of her adult series. Btw, did I mention I love Vampire Academy ( I was so Team Adrian) :)



This book will be released at the end of August.


In order not to spoil anything for you I added a synopsis of the first book below:



Succubus (n.) An alluring, shape-shifting demon who seduces and pleasures mortal men. Pathetic (adj.) A succubus with great shoes and no social life. See: Georgina Kincaid.
When it comes to jobs in hell, being a succubus seems pretty glamorous. A girl can be anything she wants, the wardrobe is killer, and mortal men will do anything just for a touch. Granted, they often pay with their souls, but why get technical?

But Seattle succubus Georgina Kincaid's life is far less exotic. Her boss is a middle-management demon with a thing for John Cusack movies. Her immortal best friends haven't stopped teasing her about the time she shape-shifted into the Demon Goddess getup complete with whip and wings. And she can't have a decent date without sucking away part of the guy's life. At least there's her day job at a local bookstore--free books; all the white chocolate mochas she can drink; and easy access to bestselling, sexy writer, Seth Mortensen, aka He Whom She Would Give Anything to Touch but Can't.

But dreaming about Seth will have to wait. Something wicked is at work in Seattle's demon underground. And for once, all of her hot charms and drop-dead one-liners won't help because Georgina's about to discover there are some creatures out there that both heaven and hell want to deny...


Quote from Succubus Blues:

"Well, that depends, I suppose. I heard someone once say that men dance the same way they have sex. So, if you want everyone here to think you're the kind of guy who just sits around and—" He stood up. "Let's dance."


What are you waiting on? Leave links and I'll check it out sometime today. Happy Wednesday!

Teaser Tuesday(4)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers!

"Then he turned slowly toward me until I stared into the face of a man I'd never met, whose face was as familiar as the one I looked at in my own mirror,, even though I only had one black and white photograph of it from a newspaper report of his death."

This is from River Marked (Mercedes Thompson Series) by Patricia Briggs.

This is book 6 in the series, if you haven't already read them you should. The stories are action filled with tons of excitement and maybe a romance or two. You won't be sorry :)

Books in order from book one.

Share your teasers and links below and I'll check out your Teaser Tuesdays!