Sunday, January 30, 2011

Guest Author and Give away: Toni LoTempio

A BREED APART: A LOVE AFFAIR WITH VAMPIRES


I've had a love affair with vampires ever since I saw the original DRACULA with Bela Lugosi when I was a kid.  There was just something about those ebony eyes, sparkling, commanding, as they peered over the rim of his black satin cape, that took my breath away.  In my later years, I was introduced to the world of Stephen King through SALEM'S LOT, which still today remains my very favorite King book.  King took us through the world of vampires with eerie ease, and while the Rob Lowe telemovie was a bit truer to his to me, I have to confess I'll always be partial to the David Soul two parter (who could ever forget Bonnie Bedelia in that coffin, trying to seduce her ex-lover into getting - gasp - THE BITE!

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with a certain gothic soap opera - yes, that's right.  I was - and still am - a confirmed DARK SHADOWS addict.  I've even gone to the conventions!  I was such a freak I even managed to wangle myself an invite down to the studio where I met my biggest star crush of all time - Jonathan Frid.  I was, of course, tongue tied (what do you expect, I was 15) and I think the thing that amazed me most was the fact his real voice was NOTHING LIKE BARNABAS'S! (Can't wait to see what Johnny Depp does with this role!)  Ben Cross was good in the 1991 nighttime remake, but oddly - it just wasn't the same, although now I watch the old DVD's and think : "they actually got paid for this? Cripes, I can see them looking at the teleprompter!"

But you know what?  I didn't care!

Vampires in paranormal romance today are steamy and sexy, and there really are no hard and fast rules.  Like Angel, some can walk in daylight (just not direct sunlight) some prefer the nightlife, some are just damn bloodthirsty while others fight on the side of humanity.  I have a few vampire heroes in my books - in SOAPSUDS, SEX AND SILVER BULLETS (yet unpublished) Logan Slade is a detective.  In NO REST FOR THE WICCA (indie, published through Amazon). Cole St. John is a special forces agent for the PFSU - Paranormal Forces Special Unit.  What do these two men have in common, besides hotness, you ask?

They're a breed of vamp known as INHERITOR.

Now, I'd like to take credit for the breed, but I actually came across the information on the Internet.   to wit:

Inheritor vampires TYPE ONE: These vampires are much like the Genetic vampires, except they are born. Like Sanguinarians, the vampire trait will lay dormant inside them until around the age of 13 - 26, when they awaken. When they body reaches the late stages of puberty, it releases a chemical which awakens the vampire and begins many physical changes in the body. As a result of this, most Inheritors look around 19 - 20 years old their whole life. Most of the time the parents of the vampire will be human and vampire, or both vampires. There must be one vampire parent. Inheritor vampires live to around the age of 350-400 years old.

Inheritor vampire TYPE 2: Sanguinarians are the "mortal version" of the Inheritor vampires. They still require and crave blood, are sensitive to sunlight, and have many of the traits the Inheritor and Classical vampires have.  However, Sanguinarians do not live much longer then the average human being.

Of course, to make it my own, I've taken some liberties - my Inheritor vamps are more human than humans, and age to a VERY HOT mid-30's, but you get the idea.  There are more types of vampires out there than just the typical Dracula/Barnabas sleep in the coffin during the day rise at night to suck a maiden's blood type.  As a matter of fact, that type (referred to now as a "classical") is getting pretty passé.  After all, didn’t' Angel show us just how a vampire can survive among humans, and how hot one can be?
The mystique of "the bite" never changes. Considered the ultimate sexual experience, in old lore people thought after 3 bites the victim turned into a vampire.  Other mythology had the victim rising as a vamp after the vampire drained them of their blood.  Another way to "turn" someone was to bite them, then have them drink their blood.

In summation, there are no hard and fast rules concerning vamps anymore - or any other type of creature for that matter!  Isn't that great for us writers!  We can create whole new worlds of vampiric hotness for you, the reader! (And for us, too!)

In my b0ok, NO REST FOR THE WICCA, half-Wiccan witch Morgan Hawkes is recruited by the PSFU to help solve a string of murders with a voodoo slant (yes, her other half is voodoo, if you haven't guessed).  Cole St. John's a hot, hottie Inheritor Vampire, and I’m not being prejudiced (read some of the reviews on my site if you want).  so if you're interested in another type of hot vamp, I hope you'll give NO REST a whirl!

And in case you’re interested, here’s a link to find out more about types of vampires:

Happy reading!

Toni LoTempio

In addition to being a vampire addict, Toni is also a freelance writer and the author of several paranormal romances, the latest of which, NO REST FOR THE WICCA, can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.com

Give away Give away Giveaway!!


The author is giving away an ebook copy of NO REST FOR THE WICCA! 

All you have to do is follow me, leave a comment with your name and email or if you don't want to leave your email, just comment and send me your email here : kaori.books@gmail.com with the subject "Tono LoTempio give away". This give away will end on February 17 and the winner will be announced on February 18.

Goodluck!!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Blog Tour: Second Chance: How Adoption Saved a Boy with Autism & His Shelter Dog by Sandra J. Gerencher

Title: Second Chance
Author:  Sandra J. Gerencher
Paperback: 28 pages

Also available in Kindle Edition
File Size: 17 KB
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services
Publisher: Tribute Books (April 14, 2008) 

Ratings:

★ ★ ★ ★ 


My thoughts:

This is a story about Ryan, a boy with autism and the rescued dog, Chance. The story is told from the rescued dog's point of view which was very entertaining. Both of them were adopted and they can understand each other! Their story made adoption easy to understand and while it was very emotional, it was also funny.

This book is recommended to 9-12 years old, a great gift for anyone.


About the book:

The timeless tale of a boy (with autism) and his (shelter) dog. Over the past 10 years, author Sandra Gerencher has been on a mission to save dogs from high-kill animal shelters. Her first rescue was P.J., the black and white Pomeranian in the story. She also adopted the orange Pomeranians Shelby and Lil Rascal, and of course, Chance, the big black Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. All characters in the story are based on Sandra's real life family. The book is filled with softly blended watercolor photos of her loved ones. Her most significant adoption was her son, Terry. He was considered a special needs child because he was born with a genetic disorder known as Fragile X Syndrome. The disorder can cause many cognitive disorders, such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mental retardation and depression.- Amazon

About the author:


Sandra J. Gerencher is a special education teacher in the Bangor Area public school system. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked at Lehigh University in a school-based program, as a Program Specialist for adults with disabilities. Over the past 20 years she has worked with children and adults with special needs in such areas as counseling, Behavior Specialist Consultation, behavioral research, crisis intervention and abuse therapy. Sandra graduated from Lehigh University with a M.Ed. in Special Education (2004) and from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia with an M.S. in Counseling Psychology (1999). - Amazon






Note: I received a review copy of this e-book free from the publisher, Tribute Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Follow Friday and Blogger Hop

It's Friday again, the last for the month of January! Can you believe it?!?!
Okay, time for the weekly BLOG HOP!
Visit Parajunkee's view and Crazy for Books for the linky . . . .


This week's question:




What is/was your favorite subject in school?


Well in high school I guess history/world history was my favorite subject and in college, World Tourism! Well I graduated in 2001 and I still can remember loving it!





This week's question is:

"What book are you most looking forward to seeing published in 2011?  Why are you anticipating that book?"

Of course Bloodlines and the Graphic Novel of Vampire Academy book 1 by Richelle Mead! I love love love Vampire Academy!!

Happy Friday!!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Book Review: Petchy Maligula by Stan Cater


Title: Petchy Maligula
Author: Stan Catter
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 421 KB
Publisher: Gypsy Shadow Publishing (August 15, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services

Ratings:

★ ★ ★


My thoughts:

The main character of the story is of course, Petchy Maligula, a  private detective who was hired to bring back the handsome TV host of "I Dig the Past", named Faladan Fala. Actually, even without someone asking/hiring her to find the TV host, Petchy would still find him because she's "truly, madly, deeply" in love with him!

The book contains a lot of funny really funny scenes and I was reading this in a public place - like in the hospital while waiting for my husband's doctor. I couldn't stop laughing and people were staring at me. Well, what can I say, I liked Petchy, she's really funny and an interesting character! At first I thought the book had a lot of typo errors -Betroit, Mechigan, PayBuddy, Grrrl, etc and then I realized the author deliberately changed the spelling and that made the story interesting and entertaining.

I liked the plot and the characters especially the two ghost friends of Petchy, Lady Cresta Victaria Meden who was killed in 1895 by Jack the Slasher and Lidy McDade who was also killed when she was run over by a trolley in 1917. Liddy was a very funny little girl. These ghosts sometimes help Petchy in her investigation but with the case of the handsome Faladan, they're not getting any leads.

The story was great until the author  introduced the two religious orders: Sisterhood of the Reflected Perfected and the Sisterhood of Inner Beauty. I couldn't relate to the rest of the characters, also didn't like the twisted Greek Mythology stories and well, I started skimming and skimming. I realized that while it was entertaining to read those deliberate change of spelling , I was also getting annoyed by it. Overall, if you want to be entertained but you don't mind a lot of weird names and places/scenarios, pick up this book.


About the book:

When handsome TV archaeologist Faladan Pala disappears while taping an episode of “I Dig the Past,” it’s up to Petchy Maligula, grrl detective, to bring him back alive. Petchy is big and tough, and more than a match for any man, but she does have one weakness: She’s madly in love with Faladan Pala. When she hears an evil cult called the Sisters of Inner Beauty may have abducted Faladan so they can sacrifice him to the ancient serpent goddess Quatakexel, Petchy vows to save him at all costs. As she contends with ghost gangs, demon wannabes, eccentric professors, reclusive millionaires and snotty babes, she must draw on all her power―both muscular and magical―to learn the truth. But as she delves into the case, she uncovers a secret that knocks her for a loop and threatens her love for the man of her dreams. - Amazon

About the author:



Stan Carter lives in Bellevue, Nebraska. He has been in the newspaper business for nearly 30 years, serving as a reporter, copy editor, columnist and typesetter at various publications. He currently is a paginator with the Omaha World-Herald.







Note: I received a review copy of this e-book free from the author, Stan Carter.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Bloodlines first draft done!!


On January 8, Richelle Mead mentioned in her Facebook account that she's already done with the first draft of Bloodlines! Yay!

Bloodlines is the first book and also the title of the spin-off series of Vampire Academy series.  It is set in VA world, with VA characters. Jill Mastrano and Eddie Castille are the confirmed VA characters. She also confirmed that the narrator in Bloodlines is Sydney Sage, also a VA character. She's the Alchemist which Rose met in Russia. I read somewhere the main setting will be a high school in California.

Ms. Mead also revealed that one of the love interests from VA will be the male lead character in Bloodlines. She didn't divulge who that guy is but I am 99% sure that's Adrian Ivashkov. *wink* Why?

Because . . . . . . .  *SPOILER alert ! Don't read if you haven't read Last Sacrifice*















Because Adrian in the last book was heartbroken. Ms. Mead also wrote in her blog that she would never leave  questions unanswered. So - Adrian will find new love and I hope he gets a happy ending!

Finally, the release date of Bloodlines is 23 August 2011 and here is the link to the Official Bloodlines Website : http://www.bloodlinesseries.com/

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Book Review: Bite (Anthology)

Bite

Authors:
Laurell K. Hamilton
Charlaine arris
MaryJanice Davidson
Angela Knight
Vickie Taylor

Paperback: 297 pages
Publisher: Jove Books; First Printing edition (December 28, 2004)

Ratings:

 
★ ★ ★ ★




My thoughts:

Bite is a collection of 5 short stories, (1) The Girl Who Was infatuated With Death by Laurell K. Hamilton, (2) One Word Answer by Charlaine Harris, (3) Biting In Plain Sight by Mary Janice Davidson, (4) Galahad by Angela Knight and (5) Blood Lust by Vickie Taylor.

The first one is an Anita Blake short story by Ms. Hamilton, this happened in between Blue Moon (read my review here) and Obsidian Butterfly. The story is about a girI who is suffering from bone cancer. Her mother found out that she had asked a vampire to turn her and  now her mother  hired  Anita to find her daughter and execute that vamp. Blue Moon was a Richard-Anita book so this one is focused on Jean-Claude and Anita relationship. I haven't read Obsidian Butterfly so I couldnt tell if this story is connected with that book. Book 1 was just an OK story, and I dont think readers who have not read the Anita series would be interested to start with this book.

The second story from Charlaine Harris is about Sookie Stackhouse's cousin Hadley. Her vampire cousin  was a lover of the vampire queen of Louisiana (Eric and Bill's boss) and was recently staked so the queen sent her lawyer to Sookie to deliver Hadley's legacy. I think the story happened after the Witch war (?). I'm not sure - it's been a year or two since I read the series. It must be after Book 3 or 4 because Bill here was just "a friend and a neighbor" to Sookie. Sookie fans doesn't need to read this, as this story added nothing to the series.

I didn't like the third story by MaryJanice Davidson. The plot wasn't interesting to read, too predictable and the characters confused me. The last two short stories surprised me. I was almost ready to give up when the story became a page turner. I haven't heard of Angela Knight and Vickie Taylor but I was impressed with their writing. I liked the fourth one, Galahad story by Angela Knight.  I read that this is also part of the Round Table series (which I would like to start one day). The story is about Caroline who was recently turned into a witch and was getting visions of the future. She saw someone murdering people to create an army of bad vampires. She also saw a vision that  a vampire swordsman would be the perfect man to do the job. The guy in her vision turned out to be Galahad, one of the  best knights of the Round Table. Together they set out on a mission of stopping the bad guys in creating an army of vamps.

Blood Lust, the final story is about a microbiologist, Daniel Hart who invented synthetic blood. After having the synthetic blood perfected, his employer - a vampire, stole his work, his house, everything he has including his fiancee (which was turned into a vamp). He wanted to kill his vampire employer but he realized, he couldn't kill him if he's human. So he finds Deidre, a woman vampire to turn her. So the story goes from there.

I bought this book because I love Anita and Sookie series. I was disappointed because those two stories don't add anything to the series. However, I am considering this a great book for Galahad and Blood Lust.


About the book:

A never-before-published Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter story from New York Times bestselling author Laurell K. Hamilton. A brand-new story from New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris, featuring the much-loved Sookie Stackhouse.

A hot new novella from USA Today bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson, set in the world of Undead and Unwed's Betsy Taylor, the newly, and reluctantly,crowned Vampire Queen.


Introduced in the collection Hot Blooded, and on the heels of the wildly successful Master of the Night, Angela Knight has created a fascinating universe of Arthurian Lore and erotic vampirsim. And a sexy original story from Vickie Taylor, a new addition to Berkley Sensation.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

New Zodiac Signs

According to the Astronomers of the Minnesota Planetarium Society, due to the Earth's rotation/planet's position or whatever, we now have a new zodiac sign, called Ophiuchus. It was added from the original twelve signs and you might want to check your new zodiac sign here:

 Capricorn: January 20 - February 16
Aquarius: February 16 - March 11
Pisces: March 11 - April 18
Aries: April 18 - May 13
Taurus: May 13 - June 21
Gemini: June 21 - July 20
Cancer: July 20 - August 10
Leo: August 10 - September 16
Virgo: September 16 - October 30
Libra: October 30 - November 23
Scorpio: November 23 - November 29
Ophiuchus: November 29 - December 17
Sagittarius: December 17 - January 20

Now - I don't want to be a Cancer! I'm a Leo and I will die a Leo.

How about you? Do you think your new sign is the REAL you?

Monday, January 17, 2011

HOT HOT HOT! True Blood and Dead Reckoning First Chapter


Yay! Just saw this while checking True Blood news and I want to share this with you guys just in case you haven't seen this. Aw, look at that magazine cover (September 2010 issue)! These guys are sooo hot hot hot and that girl's lucky!

As for the Sookie Stackhouse books, I borrowed the last book, Dead in the Family from a friend. Honestly, I couldn't read the entire book, I almost skipped everything until I found the Bill part. And no, if you're thinking there's more to Sookie and Bill relationship here - oh no. You will be greatly  disappointed.  I expected they would try to fix things between them after the Fae war (Dead and Gone) but *sigh* nothing happened. It's really about Sookie and Eric in Dead in the Family. I like Eric okay - there were times I thought I was also inlove with him but I guess *singing* first love never dies. . . .  lol
 
Last night, I finally decided to read the first chapter of Dead Reckoning. I didn't read it all, *scratching head* don't feel excited about it. I only checked for Bill - Bill - Bill. Ms. Harris, you have to understand. I love Bill more! If he won't be in that book, I guess Sookie's definitely dead to me.

Sookie's 11th book will be released on May 11. Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:

"With her knack for being in trouble's way, Sookie witnesses the firebombing of Merlotte's, the bar where she works. Since Sam Merlotte is now known to be two-natured, suspicion falls immediately on the anti-shifters in the area. But Sookie suspects otherwise and she and Sam work together to uncover the culprit - and the twisted motive for the attack. But her attention is divided. Though she can't 'read' vampires, Sookie knows her lover Eric Northman and his 'child' Pam well - and she realises that they are plotting to kill the vampire who is now their master. Gradually, she is drawn into the plot -which is much more complicated than she knows. Caught up in the politics of the vampire world, Sookie will learn that she is as much of a pawn as any ordinary human - and that there is a new Queen on the board . . . "

Chapter 1 of Dead Reckoning read here

Give away Winners: Logic of Demons by H.A. Goodman


This book give away is now closed.
Out of 13 entries, we have two winners of paperback copies of Logic of Demons. 

Congratulations to:

Rad Hall
Lucy


I will be sending you guys confirmation email in a while. Thank you to H.A. Goodman for this giveaway!!
If you didn't win please check out other contests here in Bookingly Yours and there will be more coming soon!!




Thursday, January 13, 2011

Follow Friday

Hi! It's Friday Follow again. This is hosted by Parajunkee's View. To join the fun and meet new blogger friends, just enter your link here and hop to bloggers in the Follow Friday's list.


This week's question:

What makes up your non-human family??


Well, right now we don't have any pets running around the house. When I was a child, I had lots of dogs though I can only remember names of my two fave dogs: Pretty, and her mother, Beauty. Pretty died young - I couldn't recall if Pretty's the one who was hit by a car. Beauty died of cancer, I remember bringing Beauty in the hospital and the doctors advised us to let Beauty go because the dog was in so much pain already. Those two were the best dogs we ever had. 

Right now, I've got kids (4 and 1 y.o) and I don't think it's a good idea to have dogs in the house. If chicken can be considered as pet - yeah we have three.


Just leave your name and link so I could check out your blogs too!
Happy Friday!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Book Review: Blue Moon by Laurell K. Hamilton

Blue Moon

Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Jove; First Thus edition (September 24, 2002)


Ratings: ★ ★ ★ 


My thoughts:

I have been a fan of the Anita Blake,Vampire Hunter series for some time now and honestly I was so disappointed with this book. Blue Moon is the eight (of the 20 books) installment of the series. I love the series because of the main character, Anita Blake. LKH created a strong heroine with great narration, powerful characters, good entertainment and the best is for the witty dialogue of the main character. 

The series started out with Anita having one full time job as an animator and then sometimes she helps the Regional Preternatural Investigation Taskforce or RPIT (pronounced as RIP IT) solve cases which mostly ended up in Anita killing vamps and other supernatural creatures. Love that!

This time Anita's life or career has taken a different direction. I can't believe she's getting powers in every book. Okay, let's see, she's an animator/necromancer, vampire executioner, she's got power equal to Jean-Claude and Richard, power over Damian (vampire) and now Lupa (Ulfric's chosen mate) for werewolves and Nimir-Ra (queen pard) for the were-leopards. I hate her life now, please bring back Anita without the super powers please! 

The book contains a lot of gore/violence scenes mixed with sexual tensions and I didn't like it. I hate it when she has to deal with vamp politics and now were politics. I don't know where the story is heading and I'm not sure if i'm going to like the next book Obsidian Butterfly. I miss Edward and the RPIT gang. 

If you love Richard then this book is for you. Blue Moon is all about Anita-Richard relationship and that's my only reason why I finished reading this. If you are new to Anita's world, please pick up the first books and do NOT start with this one. You will not like it and you will be lost. I guarantee you.

About the book:

"Richard was an alpha werewolf. It was his only serious flaw. We'd broken up after I'd seen him eat somebody.”

Still, you never forget your ex-fiancé. And when Richard calls Anita Blake at three in the morning, she knows it won't be good news. It seems Richard had gotten himself thrown in jail on a rape charge. But Anita knows that though he is a monster, Richard's no rapist. And it's up to her to prove his innocence—before the blue moon creates even bigger problems for Richard...”

"Vampire hunter and preternatural expert Anita Blake, must help her ex-fiancé out of a false rape charge. Time is of the essence, however, as Anita's ex-flame is a werewolf and if he's not out of jail before the full moon rises he's in for some big problems." 


http://www.laurellkhamilton.org

About the author:

Laurell K. Hamilton is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of two series that mix mystery, fantasy, magic, horror and romance. 

Her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter novels from Berkley Books began with GUILTY PLEASURES (now a hugely successful graphic novel from Marvel - the first sexy paranormal comic ever!) and continues with the SKIN TRADE, number seventeen in the series, in which Anita's complex personal and professional relationships with a master vampire and an alpha werewolf continue to evolve.

There are now more than 6 million copies of Anita in print worldwide, in 16 languages. Hamilton's Ballantine series features Fey princess and private investigator, Merry Gentry and there are now six novels exceeding one million copies in print. Divine Misdemeanors, the eighth in the series will debut Octobe 29, 2009. 

She lives in St. Louis County Missouri with her husband Jonathon Green, daughter, one pug dog and one boxer/pug dog.  - 

Friday, January 7, 2011

Book Review: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer




Nightshade

Author: Andrea Cremer
Hardcover: 528 pages
Publisher: Philomel; 1 edition (October 19, 2010)

Ratings: ★ ★ ★ 

My thoughts:

The book started out strong and full of action but when I was halfway reading it, I started to ask myself, what's wrong with me!?! I've read lots of positive, great, 5.0 reviews for this book and seen this everywhere.  I see this in every book store I go to and in almost all blogs that I follow and I've never read a single negative review before I bought this.

But why, why, why, can't I say this awesome?

Okay, where do I start? The story started with Calla saving a human boy, Shay. Calla's easy life was transformed into a difficult one when she met Shay. Calla is an alpha werewolf of the Nightshade pack who SHOULD be marrying Ren, an alpha male of the Bane pack. Both of them are called Guardians. Guardians serve and protect the witches, called Keepers. The Keepers decide for the Guardians lives and their enemies are called Searchers.

I admit, the plot is interesting enough that I read the whole book in a day. Here's the conflict of the story. The Keepers wanted to form a new pack by the union of the two old packs,  Calla of the Nightshade pack and Ren from the Bane pack. So Calla and Ren agreed to the union not because they love each other but it is a law made by the Keepers. The problem started when Calla met the human boy Shay. And now that's what we call an emotional conflict of the story or the famous love triangle which is present to almost every book (especially YA) out there.

While the plot is great, unfortunately as the book continues,  I began to hate the main characters Calla and the human boy, Shay.  Calla was supposed to be a tough alpha female but when it comes to Ren, Shay and the pack law, she is weak and indecisive. Whenever Calla and Shay are together, I had to put down the book, scratch my head and growl. I hate Shay, he's the most boring character in this book. In almost all book reviews I read, they all loved Shay but not me.

Now, when it comes to the question, who is the better guy for Calla, I would choose Ren. I liked his personality, I thought he's the most interesting character in this book. Ren was the reason I finished reading the story. I had to skim to the parts where Shay and Calla are together and loved it when Ren is with Calla. With Calla and Shay, I never felt their connection and somehow it felt wrong. I wanted Shay to die! Honestly, I guessed the end of the story, I knew what was going to happen to Shay and I was okay with it. Really.

The other thing that I enjoyed here was the forbidden love of the secondary characters. It was a much better conflict than Ren-Calla and Shay love triangle. Over all, if you loved Twilight, I recommend this book to you. But if you loved these book series : Vampire Academy, Riley Jenson and Anita Blake, do not read this, you will be disappointed.


About the book:

"While other teenage girls daydream about boys, Calla Tor imagines ripping out her enemies’ throats. And she wouldn’t have it any other way. Calla was born a warrior and on her eighteenth-birthday she’ll become the alpha female of the next generation of Guardian wolves. But Calla’s predestined path veers off course the moment she saves the life of a wayward hiker, a boy her own age. This human boy’s secret will turn the young pack's world upside down and forever alter the outcome of the centuries-old Witches' War that surrounds them all." http://www.andreacremer.com/



About the author:

Andrea Cremer spent her childhood daydreaming while roaming the forests and lakeshores of Northern Wisconsin. She now lives in Minnesota, but she thinks of her homeland as the “Canadian Shield” rather than the Midwest.
Andrea has always loved writing and has never stopped writing, but she only recently plunged into the deep end of the pool that is professional writing. When she’s not writing, Andrea teaches history at a very nice liberal arts college in St. Paul. 

In the little spare time she can find, Andrea stares up at trees, rescues infant rabbits from predatory cats, and invents names for pug puppies with her husband. She has an unfortunate tendency to spill things – white carpets beware!

Her debut novel, NIGHTSHADE, the first of a YA fantasy series, will be published in fall 2010 by Penguin (Philomel). http://www.andreacremer.com/



I think I am being followed . . . . .

Today's the first Friday of 2011! 

Visit Parajunkee's view for the linky . . . .

This week's question:

What book(s) have you discovered lately from someone's book blog?

Well, the last book I read was Nightshade by Andrea Cremer. The book is everywhere and I've read tons of positive reviews but toooo bad I didn't like it much. :(
 
click here my review to see why I didn't like it much.


Have a great weekend!

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Book Review: Harvest Moon by Krista D. Ball


Title: Harvest Moon
Author: Krista D. Ball
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 197 KB
Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing (September 10, 2010)
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services 

Ratings:

★ ★ ★ ★ 

My thoughts: 

Harvest Moon is a paranormal fantasy with romance short story about Dancing Cat who was cursed by her tribe and was treated less than human for two years. She wanted to end her life but something unexpected happened. 

I liked the plot, it was so original. The twist in the story made me smile. The start of the book was slow maybe because of the tribe names which were confusing at first. Im glad i continued reading it. Every page will surely surprise the readers. It was a well-written short story and I finished reading this wanting more!

About the book:
  
"Dancing Cat angers her Ancestor, whose harsh punishment teaches her that true strength comes from the spirit within.

Cursed, abused, and desperate to know her future, Dancing Cat sneaks a glimpse inside her tribe’s Sacred Bundle, a powerful source of spirit magic. Instead of the future, she sees her most powerful ancestor, Small Tree and incurs her wrath. Small Tree strips Dancing Cat of everything — her home, her identity, even her gender – and drops her in the middle of enemy lands.

Injured, and in a strange, new body, she is befriended by Bearclaw who is on a spirit quest. He offers her assistance and asks for nothing in return; a kindness Dancing Cat had forgotten existed. She struggles to weave a path around the obstacles of friendship, identity, and longing in order to survive her eventual return home to face even further punishment.

And she does it while wearing someone else's skin. " www.amazon.com

About the author:





Krista D. Ball is a Canadian science fiction and fantasy author. 

She also dabbles in freelance non-fiction. A constant trait of Krista's work is to take traditional roles and clichés and turn them on their head.
She loves company on her blog. 

Come visit her at www.kristadball.com/blog or follow her on Twitter (www.twitter.com/kristadb1)





Note: 

I received a review copy of this book (ebook) free from the author, Krista D. Ball. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 









Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Give away Winners: Jessica Barksdale Inclan

And the winners of :


CONGRATULATIONS to:


and



CONGRATULATIONS to:

sharon54220
Chi Kittie

I will be sending you guys confirmation email in a while. Thank you to Jessica Barksdale Inclan for this giveaway!!


Monday, January 3, 2011

Book Review: Raven Wings and 13 more Twisted Tales by Frank G. Poe




Title: Raven Wings and 13 more twisted tales
Author: Frank G. Poe
Hardcover/Paperback: 110 pages

Publisher: Infinity Publishing (October 29, 2010)


Ratings:

★ ★ ★ ★ 

My thoughts: 

Do you believe in reincarnation? If so, you will enjoy this book. According to the author, some of us have been here multiple times while others are new at it. He claims he was an old soul and that he's the reincarnation of someone famous. 

I don't believe in reincarnation, that some of us are born again in another body after we have died but I must admit that this theory has long piqued my interest. If you believe in reincarnation, you might want to buy this book and that was just the introduction of this book.

Raven Wings and 13 more Twisted Tales is a collection of 14 twisted short stories. Most of the short stories are entertaining, especially the story about the spiders and the two famous basketball players. The stories are well-written and certainly worth reading. 



About the author

Survived a near death experience when diagnosed with multiple sclerosis over 13 years ago. Battled back from bed ridden to wheelchair to walker to cane. Published and recorded poet, I now have a collection of short stories available with must read introduction  







Note: 

I received a review copy of this book (ARC) free from the author, Frank G. Poe. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
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