Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday #62: A Conspiracy of Alchemists, by Liesel Schwrz





This is a weekly book meme, hosted by
which features future releases that
we book bloggers
are eagerly anticipating!


Here's my pick for this week!



(The Chronicles of Light and Shadow #1)
Hardcover, 352 pages
Del Rey
March 5, 2013
Historical Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Steampunk, Urban Fantasy


From the Goodreads Synopsis

In a Golden Age where spark reactors power the airways, and creatures of Light and Shadow walk openly among us, a deadly game of Alchemists and Warlocks has begun.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Announcing the Romjance Is In The Air Giveaway Blog Hop!!






This wonderful hop is hosted by
Kathy @
and romance author 
It will run during the dates shown above!!

Please click on the button above
for all the hop rules,
as well as to enter your blog
in the hop.

The hop will feature Young Adult and
Clean Adult Romance,
which is great, since I always try to steer away
from anything that's too steamy.

I will be posting my prizes
on the day the giveaway starts -- Feb. 8th!!

Here are some of the books I am
considering for my giveaway!!

Click on each picture to go
to the Goodreads page.










Saturday, January 26, 2013

Stacking The Shelves #1



  
This is a weekly book meme/blog hop hosted by Lili @ Tynga's ReviewsAs the title implies, this is all about sharing the books you're adding to your shelves, be they physical or virtual.  For the complete rules and to sign up, just click on the link above.

I'm very excited about joining this great hop!  This week, I popped by my favorite store, Barnes & Noble, and got two terrific books!!  I also received two books for review.  Hope you enjoy browsing through my nice, little haul!



Books I bought:



The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle #1)
Maggie Stiefvater
Hardover, 409 pages
Published by Scholastic Press on Sept. 18, 2012
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, YA

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her.

His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.



Shelf Candy Saturday #53: Luminosity, by Stephanie Thomas




Welcome to
Shelf Candy Saturday!!


This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,
features beautiful book covers!


If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!



Here's my choice for this week!



(Raven Chronicles #1)
Paperback, 296 pages
Entangled Teen
November 13, 2012
Dystopian Fiction,
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy,
Young Adult Fiction


Why do I love this cover?

Well, of course, any cover with the color blue in it will always grab my attention.  I just can't help it...I love this color above all others!

This particular cover features several tones of the color, from very light to almost midnight dark.  What I particularly like is, of course, the young woman's very unusual eye makeup.  Those slashes of blue next to her eye mimic raven's wings.  Absolutely stunning!  The blue-purple color on her eyelid blends in well with the raven wing. 

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday #61: Recalled, by Cambria Hebert





This is a weekly book meme, hosted by
which features future releases that
we book bloggers
are eagerly anticipating!


Here's my pick for this week!



(Death Escorts #1)
Trade Paperback, no page count yet
Cambria Hebert, Publisher
February 15, 2013
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy,
Mystery, Young Adult Fiction


From the Goodreads Synopsis


Love or Death? A simple question really. The choice seems obvious. But. What if you never knew love, what if your life was spent just trying to survive? What if you knew your fate before you were fully grown?

And then you died.


And you were given another chance. A better chance.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observed in the United States







Wherever freedom and the right to exercise it are honored, so will be the memory of the great Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born on January 15, 1929, and was cruelly assassinated on April 4, 1968.   He followed the nonviolent example of Mahatma Ghandi, and, like him, ironically died a violent death.

Sadly, not every employer in the U.S. chooses to honor the memory of this unforgettable leader of the civil rights movement, which drew its strength largely from this one man.  Dr. King's famous speech, "I Have a Dream", which he delivered at the 1963 Washington, D.C. Civil Rights March, rallied every citizen who truly believed in racial equality.

Dr. King's stirring speeches have been gathered into several books, one of which I have listed here.  I have also included his 'autobiography', which was actually compiled from several sources, as well as a book of reflections on the principles of nonviolence, titled Strength to Love.





edited by Clayborn Carson
Trade Paperback, 366 pages
Warner Books
January 1, 2001
(first published 2001)
Genre: Autobiography, Non-Fiction


From the Goodreads Synopsis

Using Stanford University's voluminous collection of archival material, including previously unpublished writings, interviews, recordings, and correspondence, King scholar Clayborne Carson has constructed a remarkable first-person account of Dr. King's extraordinary life.


Saturday, January 19, 2013

Shelf Candy Saturday #52: Destiny, by Gillian Shields





Welcome to
Shelf Candy Saturday!!


This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,
features beautiful book covers!


If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!



Here's my choice for this week!
  


(Immortal #4)
Hardcover, 384 pages
Katherine Tegen Books
July 31, 2012
Paranormal Romance, Supernatural Fiction,
Young Adult Fiction


Why do I love this cover?


In this particular case, it's definitely a "no brainer".  All that luscious, incredibly beautiful blue.... (Well, actually, it's more of an aqua, since there's a slight greenish tint to it, but still.)  Of course I was going to love this image!!

The fact that the color is not the same intensity all over the cover makes it all the more attractive, as well.  It starts out very light, and gradually gets darker toward the bottom of the cover.  However, the necklace and pendant are completely illuminated, even though the pendant is completely surrounded by a darker shade of blue towards the bottom of the cover.  This gives them a magical, other-worldly quality.

Book Review: Tirade, by Cambria Hebert



Tirade (Heven & Hell #3)
by Cambria Hebert
Trade Paperback, 366 pages
Published by Cambria Hebert on November 12, 2012
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

(Reviewer's Note: I won this book as part of the recent Charade Read-Along.  This lucky event has in no way influenced my opinion of the novel; I have always been committed to giving honest reviews.)


This series is characterized by pulse-pounding excitement, starting with the first book, Masquerade.  Practically every page of the latest novel, Tirade, has a surprise for the reader.  Although I dealt with many interruptions while reading this third installment in the Heven and Hell series, I kept coming back to the book every chance I got.  I was amply rewarded with great characterizations, sharp dialogues, and plot twists that had me frantically turning the pages.  

The story opens with one of the protagonists, Sam, trapped in hell.   His girlfriend, Heven, desperate to get him out, has no immediate means of doing so.   Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, is the one responsible for Sam's imprisonment, holding him in an actual dungeon, located in the depths of a gloomy castle. 

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday #60: If I Should Die, by Amy Plum




This is a weekly book meme, hosted by
which features future releases that
we book bloggers
are eagerly anticipating!


Here's my pick for this week!



(Revenants #3)
Hardcover, 405 pages
Harper Teen
May 7, 2013
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy,
Young Adult Fiction


From the Goodreads Synopsis

Vincent waited lifetimes to find me, but in an instant our future together was shattered. He was betrayed by someone we both called a friend, and I lost him. Now our enemy is determined to rule over France’s immortals, and willing to wage a war to get what they want.


Saturday, January 12, 2013

Shelf Candy Saturday #51: Tiger's Destiny, by Colleen Houck






Welcome to
Shelf Candy Saturday!!


This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,
features beautiful book covers!


If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!



Here's my choice for this week!





(The Tiger Saga, #4)
Hardcover, 464 pages
Splinter
September 4, 2012
Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction



Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday #59: The Indigo Spell, by Richelle Mead






This is a weekly book meme, hosted by
which features future releases that
we book bloggers
are eagerly anticipating!


Here's my pick for this week!



(Bloodlines #3)
Hardcover, 432 pages
Razorbill
February 12, 2013
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy,
Young Adult Fiction



Monday, January 7, 2013

Wrap-Up: The 2012 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge




The 2012 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge
November 19, 2012 - January 6, 2013

Click on this button
if you'd like more information,
so you can join in this year!



I greatly enjoyed participating in this wonderful reading challenge again for the second time!  Christmas is my very favorite time of year!  Right after Thanksgiving, I love to start reading Christmas-themed romance novels and/or short stories.  I think that romance and the Christmas season go together perfectly.  Of course, I also enjoy reading other types of Christmas-themed books, like books about Christmas decorating, and Advent devotionals.  However, I do prefer to read Christmas romances.  They give me that warm, cozy feeling...

This year, I was able to participate at the Christmas Tree level, which means I read 5 books!  All of the books I ended up selecting were Christmas romances, of course.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Book Review: The Christmas Brides, by Linda Lael Miller (5th review for The 2012 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge)





This is my fifth and last review for
The 2012 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge,
which runs from
November 19, 2012, to Jan. 6, 2013! 





The Christmas Brides
Linda Lael Miller
Mass Market Paperback, 377 pages
HQN Books
October 26, 2010
Christmas Romance, Historical Romance

This book is actually an omnibus edition, since it combines two novellas, both written by Miller, in one volume.  The first one, "A McKettrick Christmas", was first published in 2008, while the second, "A Creed Country Christmas", was published in 2009.

Both of these stories are totally delightful, each in its own way!  The first one features the indomitable Lizzie McKettrick, future schoolteacher, who is bringing her boyfriend home to meet her family.  It's December 22, 1896, and they're both on a train bound for Indian Rock, a town near The Triple M Ranch, where the McKettrick clan lives.   Also on the train are several interesting characters -- Mrs. Halifax, with her three children, one of which is an infant, the Thaddingses, with their talking bird, Woodrow, John Brennan, a soldier, going home to be reunited with his family, a peddler named Nicholas Christian, and....the very handsome Dr. Morgan Shane, who feels an immediate attraction to Lizzie. 

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Shelf Candy Saturday #50: Angels of Darkness, by Ilona Andrews, Nalini Singh, Meljean Brook, Sharon Shinn





Welcome to
Shelf Candy Saturday!!


This weekly meme/blog hop, hosted here,
features beautiful book covers!


If you'd like to participate, just grab my button (or create your own), write your own post, and link up in the Linky widget at the bottom of this post. (You have to click on "Read more" so that the entire post will open up.)

As a bonus, you can include information on the artist, designer, and/or photographer, but it's not required. You can simply feature a cover and explain why you love it!



Here's my choice for this week!



(Guild Hunter #4.5)
Trade Paperback, 406 pages
Berkley Trade
October 4m 2911
Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy




Why do I love this cover?


I can honestly say that I have never seen an image like this one.  It's absolutely breathtaking!  The most beautiful feature is, of course, the male angel's wings, and how they enfold the woman in a tender, loving embrace.....such a romantic concept....and then, the two lovers are so obviously deeply immersed in each other, almost as if they were touching each other's heart and soul...  Okay, I'm a hopeless romantic, so please bear with me.  I can't help sighing over this image! 

Friday, January 4, 2013

Book Review: A Regency Christmas Carol, by Mary Balogh, Elisabeth Fairchild, Carla Kelly, Edith Layton (4th review for the 2012 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge)




This is my fourth review for
The 2012 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge,
which runs from
November 19, 2012, to Jan. 6, 2013! 


For participation rules, please click
on the challenge button above.





A Regency Christmas Carol
Mary Balogh, Elisabeth Fairchild, Carla Kelly, Edith Layton, Anne Barbour
Mass Market Paperback, 352 pages
Signet
November 1, 1997
Christmas Romance, Historical Fiction

Several years ago, I started a Christmas tradition for myself, and have been looking forward to it every time that beautiful season rolls around: reading Christmas romances, whether they are novels or short story anthologies.  I especially enjoy reading Regency romances, since I am an ardent Anglophile, and love the period in which Jane Austen produced her masterpieces. 

This particular collection contains stories by some of the best authors in the genre, and is a real gem!  What makes it especially wonderful is the fact that all of the stories revolve around music.  Of course, music is central to the celebration of this, the most beautiful, joyous, time of year. 

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Waiting On Wednesday #58: Othermoon, by Nina Berry






This is a weekly book meme, hosted by
which features future releases that
we book bloggers
are eagerly anticipating!


Here's my pick for this week!



(Otherkin #2)
Paperback, 320 pages
K-Teen
January 29. 2013
Paranormal Romance, Young Adult Fiction


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

2012 BOOK TOURS RECAP!!


  







Please click on each button above to visit
each tour company's website.


At the beginning of last year, I set a very important goal for my blog, which was to start featuring book tours.  I am now a tour host for three different tour companies (although I haven't participated in any tours for the third one, TLC Book Tours, since I've just recently joined up).

The first tour company I joined was Innovative Online Book Tours.  I have participated in several of their tours, either as a reviewer, interviewer, with a promotional post, or inviting an author to do a guest post on my blog. 

Later on in the year, I joined Novel Publicity Book Tours, and have so far participated in one event, doing two author interviews for it. 

I hope to continue bringing you interesting book tours this year, as well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!





I wish all of you a healthy, blessed,
and WONDERFUL
New Year!!!  



And, of course.....