Remembrance Review

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

A copy was provided for review

Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from Regency Era, England ... but she doesn't know it yet.

Then Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school at the beginning of the year, and she feels a connection to him, almost like she knows him. She can't stop thinking about him, but whenever she tries talking with him about the mysteries behind her feelings, he makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching him is even more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has started to become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Even though Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, fighting fate isn't going to be easy.

I absolutely love the cover, I think it's beautiful and fits the book perfectly! I loved Lizzie, or Elizebeth, she's such a down-to-earth person. For some reason I expected her to be more of a snobby, poplular, high school girl, but even though she's included in the "in crowd", she doesn't act like she is. I really enjoyed her as a character, she grew as a person, and slowly learned about her past. I also loved Drew, the hot, steamy, new guy in school, that had all the girls falling head over heals for him. Including Liz's best friend, Chelsea. I started out liking Chelsea but by the end, I really didn't like her. She was too willing to basically throw away her friendship with Liz over a guy. 

Jeremy, Liz's bf of 3 yrs, drove me totally crazy!! He's such a control freak, and gets mad/annoyed, whatever, at Liz for no reason. Like when she played the piano while waiting for him to be done practice, instead of being in the library. I wanted to punch him! 

Other than that, I really enjoyed reading Remembrance. It's such a nice, light, quick read, with amazing characters and good story line. You can definitely see the inspiration from Taylor Swift's music video throughout the story! I can't wait to read Vengeance, the 2nd book, and see where Liz and Drew end up as a couple, and what happens next with Chelsea and Jeremy!

Title Hunt!

Welcome to the Transcend Time Saga Title Hunt! The title hunt is the reveal of the title for the final novel in the Transcend Time Saga. Each of the bloggers participating in the hunt have been given a letter. Hop around to the blogs participating to hunt for the letters. (And remember that two of the letters are used twice, so the title is eight letters long.) 

Once you've unscrambled the title, go to Michelle Madow's blog and use the title name to enter the giveaway for a voucher for an advanced e-copy of the final Transcend Time novel! (She is giving away a voucher because the novel is planned to be released at the end of the year, and she hasn't finished writing it yet! This voucher will ensure that you will receive an advance e-copy once they are available). 

MY LETTER IS: E

What are you hoping to happen in the final book?

I'm actually not sure! I just finished reading Remembrance, so probably most of what I hope will happen, has already happened in the 2nd book! :)

Have you read these yet? If not, you can start with Remembrance, which is only $0.99 for the e-version, until Michelle Madow's USA tour ends in April! And trust me, it's AMAZING!

Amazing Cover Reveals!

Cover Reveal: The Unfailing Light (Gathering #2) by Robin Bridges

Release Date: Oct 9th/2012

What It's About!

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in.

First book in the series:

Cover Reveal: Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone 

Release Date: Oct 9th/2012

What It's About!

Anna and Bennett were never supposed to meet: she lives in 1995 Chicago and he lives in 2012 San Francisco. But Bennett’s unique ability to travel through time and space brings him into Anna’s life, and with him, a new world of adventure and possibility.

As their relationship deepens, they face the reality that time might knock Bennett back where he belongs, even as a devastating crisis throws everything they believe into question. Against a ticking clock, Anna and Bennett are forced to ask themselves how far they can push the bounds of fate—and what consequences they can bear in order to stay together.

Cover Reveal: Defiance by C.J. Redwine
 

Release date: August 28th/2012

What It's About! 

Within the walls of Baalboden, beneath the shadow of the city’s brutal leader, Rachel Adams has a secret. While other girls sew dresses, host dinner parties, and obey their male Protectors, Rachel knows how to survive in the wilderness and deftly wield a sword. When her father, Jared, fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector, her father’s apprentice, Logan—the same boy Rachel declared her love for two years ago, and the same boy who handed her heart right back to her. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father’s survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself. But treason against the Commander carries a heavy price, and what awaits her in the Wasteland could destroy her.
At nineteen, Logan McEntire is many things. Orphan. Outcast. Inventor. As apprentice to the city’s top courier, Logan is focused on learning his trade so he can escape the tyranny of Baalboden. But his plan never included being responsible for his mentor’s impulsive daughter. Logan is determined to protect her, but when his escape plan goes wrong and Rachel pays the price, he realizes he has more at stake than disappointing Jared.

As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can’t be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

 

♥Cover Candie of the Week♥

Torn (Trylle #2) by Amanda Hocking is this week's Cover Candie! 

Release Date(Paperback): Feb 28th/2012

What It's About!

When Wendy Everly first discovers the truth about herself--that she's a changeling switched at birth--she knows her life will never be the same. Now she's about to learn that there's more to the story... She shares a closer connection to her Vittra rivals than she ever imagined--and they'll stop at nothing to lure her to their side.

With the threat of war looming, her only hope of saving the Trylle is to marry a powerful royal. But that means walking away from Finn, her handsome bodyguard who's strictly off limits...and Loki, a Vittra prince with whom she shares a growing attraction.

Torn between her heart and her people, between love and duty, Wendy must decide her fate. If she makes the wrong choice, she could lose everything, and everybody, she's ever wanted...in both worlds.

2 Cover Reveals!

Cover Reveal: Inbetween By Tara Fuller

Release Date: Aug 7th/2012

What It's About!

Since the car crash that took her father’s life three years ago, Emma’s life has been a freaky—and unending—lesson in caution. Surviving “accidents” has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper who makes her chest ache and her head spin? Not an option. 

It’s not easy being dead, especially for a reaper in love with a girl fate has put on his list not once, but twice. Finn’s fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn’t let her die before, and he’s not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil he accidentally unleashed, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left...his soul.

 Cover Reveal: Hidden by Sophie Jordan (Firelight series #3)

 Release Date: Sept 11/2012

What It's About!

Jacinda was supposed to bond with Cassian, the "prince" of their pride. But she resisted long before she fell in love with Will—a human and, worse, a hunter. When she ran away with Will, it ended in disaster, with Cassian's sister, Miram, captured. Weighed down by guilt, Jacinda knows she must rescue her to set things right. Yet to do so she will have to venture deep into the heart of enemy territory. The only way Jacinda can reach Miram is by posing as a prisoner herself, though once she assumes that disguise, things quickly spiral out of her control. As she learns more about her captors, she realizes that even if Will and Cassian can carry out their part of the plan, there's no guarantee they'll all make it out alive. But what Jacinda never could have foreseen is that escaping would be only the beginning.... Loyalties are tested and sacrifices made in the explosive conclusion to Sophie Jordan's Firelight trilogy.

Switched Review

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy finds out her mother might've been telling the truth. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - and it's one she's not sure if she wants to be a part of.

I went into reading Switched without really having any expectations. Other than what I had read on other book review blogs, I hadn't really heard of this trilogy, or Amanda Hocking before. Since there had been so much hype about it, I knew I had to grab a copy! And I am SO glad I did! 

Switched is amazing. It's a good pace throughout the whole novel. There are so many things that happen, I loved how it didn't have any parts that bore me to death! It was so hard to put it down, like at work, I would sneak a couple extra mins at the end of my break, just to see what would happen next. (But you didn't hear that from me!). Wendy starts out as a bit of a spoiled brat, and I didn't really like her much, but I liked the story. By the end of the novel, Wendy has grown as a person, and sees things a little differently than before. I think she's a little more grateful for simple things like freedom, etc. 

I didn't like Elora. What a bitch. Probably for good reason, I guess but still. Not everybody is a mind reader, and comes back already knowing everything. I loved most of the other characters though, they were very well thought out, and done very nicely. The men in this story, HOLLA! I don't know which one I loved the most, it started out as Finn, but then Rhys and Tove came along and changed it. I like them all pretty equally. I'm really curious to know who Wendy will end up with, if any of them by the end of the trilogy.

Amanda Hocking did an amazing job, especially "glamorizing" trolls. I've never read about trolls before, never thought I would, but I'm glad Amanda touched down on it. Trolls aren't really written about in the YA genre. It was such a nice change from the "usual". I was a bit surprised by the ending, I didn't think they would really run away. I HAVE to see what happens next! I have to get my hands on Torn the day it comes out in paperback. I highly recommend this book, what's not to love about it? :)

Cover Reveal!

Cover Reveal: Taste by Kate Evangelista 

Release Date: N/A 

What It's About!

At Barinkoff Academy, there's only one rule: no students on campus after curfew. Phoenix McKay soon finds out why when she is left behind at sunset. A group calling themselves night students threaten to taste her flesh until she is saved by a mysterious, alluring boy. With his pale skin, dark eyes, and mesmerizing voice, Demitri is both irresistible and impenetrable. He warns her to stay away from his dangerous world of flesh eaters. Unfortunately, the gorgeous and playful Yuri has other plans.

When Phoenix is caught between her physical and her emotional attraction, she becomes the keeper of a deadly secret that will rock the foundations of an ancient civilization living beneath Barinkoff Academy. Phoenix doesn’t realize until it is too late that the closer she gets to both Demitri and Yuri the more she is plunging them all into a centuries old feud.

Cover Reveal!

Cover Reveal: Embers & Echoes by Karsten Knight

Release Date: Aug 28th/2012

What It's About!

Ashline Wilde is about to discover that when you’re the reincarnation of a Polynesian volcano goddess, “new beginnings” are just a myth. Leaving the fiery ruins of her sophomore year behind her, Ash travels to the sizzling beaches of Miami, hot on the trail of the little sister she’s only seen in visions. But her happy family reunion isn’t all palm trees and paradise. A cult of evil gods-on-earth, known as the Four Seasons, has kidnapped her sister to use in its terrifying new religion. Soon, the streets of Miami erupt in chaos and violence…and Ash gets caught right in the tropical crossfire. Ash isn’t without help, however. Unexpected romance arrives in the form of Wes, an Aztec god of night with his own vendetta against the Four Seasons. As memories of Ash’s previous life begin to flicker into her dreams, the boundaries between ally and enemy, life and death, and love and hate all bleed together. And when a mysterious trickster from her past reappears to derail her new quest, Ash must choose between the echoes of a once-forgotten yesterday and the embers of an uncertain future. Because when old flames return from the dead, even a volcano goddess can get burned.

The Seven Realms #4 Cover

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

Release Date: Fall 2012

What It's About!

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed— Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love. Now, once again, the queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana’Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible. Tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells’ inner turmoil, Raisa’s best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom she’s falling in love. Navigating the cutthroat world of blueblood politics has never been more dangerous, and former streetlord Han Alister seems to inspire hostility among Clan and wizards alike. His only ally is the queen, and despite the perils involved, Han finds it impossible to ignore his feelings for Raisa. Before long, Han finds himself in possession of a secret believed to be lost to history, a discovery powerful enough to unite the people of the Fells. But will the secret die with him before he can use it? A simple, devastating truth concealed by a thousand-year-old lie at last comes to light in this stunning conclusion to the Seven Realms series.

Dreaming Awake Review

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

She fell for him in a nighttime world. But the time for dreaming is past—and the here-and-now can be just as fragile their love…

When Theia Alderson first encountered a mysterious, handsome boy in her dreams, she never imagined how finding Haden Black—and falling in love—could change her life. To save Haden, Theia sacrificed everything. And the dangerous bargain she made could have lasting repercussions.

Now Theia has returned to Serendipity Falls, and she finds herself struggling with the same deadly hungers that have tortured Haden. When students at their high school fall prey to a mysterious illness, Theia can’t help but wonder if Haden’s control is slipping—and how much longer she’ll have a grip on her own. And still the nightmare realm of Under won’t let them go. Someone from Haden’s past is determined to destroy Theia from the inside out, starting with those closest to her, forcing Theia to choose between family and friends and a love that may have been doomed from the start…

Dreaming Awake picks up right where Falling Under left off. After reading it, I now see why it's called Dreaming Awake! We are once again following Theia, as we did in the first book. Even though it held the same feel as the first book, I was pleasantly surprised. Theia grows a lot as a character. She starts to discover new sides of herself she never knew, and also starts see the repercussions of taking a blood oath with a demon, and that she really can't run from the dangers. 

In this exciting sequel, things are a lot faster-paced than they were in Falling Under. There are new twists and turns, and several loose ends tied up, but there is still enough of an opening left at the end of the novel, to possibly have a third book. One of the things I loved most, was Theia and Haden's relationship. Even though they both believe they are doomed to be together, they grow nicely as a couple and they're friendship, as well as their relationship, seems to grow stronger. 

We get to see a lot of Ame and Donny throughout the book too. I think out of the two of them, Donny is my favorite, and I totally love her and Gabe as a couple. They all seem to accept Theia no matter what, (or who she becomes), and I totally love that about them. 

A few surprising things happen. A few characters are lost (some not permanently), and I have to say, I was so not expecting Haden and Theia to end like they did! I love the way the novel ended, way better than I was expecting. So much happens, it was hard not to get totally lost in the world of Dreaming Awake. I absolutely LOVE this series and I really hope there will be a third book!

♥Cover Candie of the Week♥

Cover Candie: Endure (Need #4) by Carrie Jones

Release Date: May 8th/2012

288 pages

What It's About!

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Unexpected turns, surprising revelations, and one utterly satisfying romantic finale make Endure a thrilling end to this series of bestsellers.

In My Mailbox

Here is what I've received in the last 2 weeks. It's not much, but I'm still happy! :)

I bought:

Switched by Amanda Hocking

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

Breaking Dawn DVD Part 1

For review I received Zombie Love: The Outbreak by Eric J. Sobolik

Rachael Wade Interview

~Author Rachael Wade~

When did you first starting writing and how did you choose the genre you write in?

I’ve been writing since I can remember, but didn’t consider taking it seriously as a career until I was in college. I’d been wrestling with different majors and different dead-end jobs and I had to ask myself that million dollar question: If I didn’t have to worry about money and could do anything in the world for a career, what would I do? So I found a way to write for a living and when I made the decision, I knew paranormal would be my focus. I’ve always loved vampires, fantasy, and everything supernatural.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Music and movies. Lots and lots of indie movies. I listen to music nonstop; it’s one of my favorite things to do. I sit with my iPod and a dry erase storyboard and just see images and concepts, and then work from there and jot things down. Traveling and being outdoors also really gets the creative juices going.

Tell us about your novel, Amaranth, Book One of The Resistance Trilogy. Who is your favorite character and why, and how did you come up with the concept for the trilogy?

The concept just came to me. I’d wanted to write a sort of epic, romantic tale with a vampire concept that had been brewing for a while, but it was essentially inspired by a weekend trip I took to Southern Louisiana. I went to the actual areas that the characters live in the book and just fell in love. The bayous and the towns were so mysterious. I didn’t want to leave. It’s hard to choose a favorite character, but I love Samira. She’s the villain, but she has a history and was so fun to write. I could see her immediately in my head. She was inspired by a French teacher of mine whose name was Samira. She was very elegant and poised and she intimidated me. I really looked up to her.

Can you tell us about any upcoming projects?

Right now I’m working on the rest of the trilogy. The 2nd book in the series, The Gates, will be released in January (2012), but I’m also working on another paranormal romance and a literary fiction piece at the moment.

Who are your favorite authors? Which ones inspire you as a writer?

There are too many to name, but Sylvia Plath has been one of my biggest inspirations. Her work is smart, witty, and haunting. I also love Cormac McCarthy. His work is so profound. I love how he uses language.

Where can readers purchase your books and where can they connect with you?

You can find my books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Amaranth is available now in e-book at all 3 locations, and will be available in print shortly directly from my website. I can also be found on Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook.

Cover Reveal!

Cover Reveal: Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gler

Release Date: Oct 30th/2012

What It's About!

Gwen’s life has been a rollercoaster since she discovered she was the Ruby, the final member of the secret time-traveling Circle of Twelve. In between searching through history for the other time-travelers and asking for a bit of their blood (gross!), she’s been trying to figure out what all the mysteries and prophecies surrounding the Circle really mean. At least Gwen has plenty of help. Her best friend Lesley follows every lead diligently on the Internet. James the ghost teaches Gwen how to fit in at an eighteenth century party.

And Xemerius, the gargoyle demon who has been following Gwen since he caught her kissing Gideon in a church, offers advice on everything. Oh, yes. And of course there is Gideon, the Diamond. One minute he’s very warm indeed; the next he’s freezing cold. Gwen’s not sure what’s going on there, but she’s pretty much destined to find out.

My Thoughts: The cover, first of all, is amazing! I love that dress, and no, I'm not tired of all the dresses on the covers. Yet. Secondly, this book sounds very interesting. It's definitely different, and not something I usually read, but I think I'm gonna have to give it a try anyway! I wanna see what happens between these characters and where the story ends up leading them.

Different Books, Same Covers!

I was looking around goodreads out of boredom, and I noticed a lot of books have the same covers, even though they are completely different. So I thought I would post a few of them. A lot of you have probably noticed some of these same covers too! How do you feel about different books sharing the same cover? It kind of annoys me to no end, does nobody care about originality anymore?

 I know there's a few more, but here's a few I slapped together :)