Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Say What?!


Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Buy/Pick Up A Book

Epic
Awesome
Hilarious
Dystopian
Gut-Wrenching
Laugh-out-loud
Steampunk
Wordless
Fantasy
Gritty

What words/topics instantly make you want to pick up a book?

Friday, April 26, 2013

Immortal Eclipse Giveaway and Supernatural Fun Facts with author Sherry Soule!

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“Supernatural Fun Facts”
Today’s post is provided by author Sherry Soule, who is celebrating the release of her new novel, Immortal Eclipse on April 30, 2013. If you like supernatural suspense mingled with a dash of chick-lit and a healthy dose of paranormal romance, then this is the book for you!
Sherry has put together three supernatural fun facts about her novel. In this post, you can learn more about the intriguing, supernatural legends that makeup the eerie world of the Summerwind Mansion.

Supernatural Fun Fact #1
A doppelganger is believed to be a ghostly double of a living person that haunts its living counterpart. Although pop culture references to doppelgängers—a German word translating to double-walker—are often used to describe people who resemble one another, the word has a rich and often sinister history, which has more to do with ghost stories. The fact that the apparition is presumed in most cultures to be a specter from the grave, may well account for the macabre reaction bestowed upon the doppelganger encounter.
In any case, a person is presumably being stalked by his own ghost, which not only provokes some complex questions about out-of-body experiences, but also conveys the conspicuous implication that the subject’s own time is up. There have even been several famous accounts of doppelgangers throughout history. Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley saw his in a dream, and Abraham Lincoln saw his doppelganger as a second face in the mirror. Both men saw them shortly before their deaths.
Have you ever seen your own doppelganger?

Supernatural Fun Fact #2
You hear footsteps upstairs when you know no one is up there. Doors slam unaccountably. Lights flicker. Unexplained shadows. The feeling of being watched…
These may be indications that your house is haunted. Paranormal experts say that a haunted house is described as a residence that is believed to have paranormal activity. Haunted houses are often regarded to contain the lost souls of deceased people who have lived on the property.
A haunted house can also contain poltergeists and malevolent entities, such as demons. Temperature fluctuations in certain rooms may prove it was the scene of at least one nefarious plot. Ghosts are considered the life force that remains after a person or an animal loses its physical existence. The ability to perceive this disembodied soul is considered by some to be a gift (or curse) of Second Sight or another sixth sense.
So, do you believe a house can be haunted by ghosts or other things that go bump in the night?
Supernatural Fun Fact #3
The 'art' of magic is an attempt to alter events by an unnatural, inexplicable, and unscientific method. Black magic has been traditionally referred to as the use of mystical powers for evil and/or selfish purposes. Black magic refers to magical practices that can cause misfortune, sickness, or even death to others. It is believed to be an ancient science that made use of chants combined with the power of thought to bring about results. These chants are very powerful. Just like positive thoughts can be used to bring good fortune, negative thoughts can bring about misfortune, too. The darkest of all the black arts is undoubtedly necromancy, the ancient ritual of resurrecting the dead.
Do you believe black magic can harm its intended victim? Have you ever been a victim of it?

Places you can cyberstalk Sherry Soule:
Twitter @WriterSherry: http://twitter.com/writersherry

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BUY IMMORTAL ECLIPSE: http://amzn.to/1074dUY
Hope you enjoyed this post. It has been an honor to share these fun facts with all of you. If you haven’t seized your copy of IMMORTAL ECLIPSE yet, please do so. Chilling and steamy adventures await you! Now go feed your mind and read a book. Preferably mine. ;-) IE eBook Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Immortal Eclipse by Sherry Soule




Book Summery (Via Goodreads): A devoted fashionata and practical New Yorker, Skylar Blackwell doesn’t believe in the supernatural—until she inherits Summerwind Mansion. . . .

When her uncle is brutally murdered, and the cops seem uninterested in following up the case, Skylar journeys to California to seek answers. Her search for clues is soon overshadowed by haunting nightmares of a young woman also murdered in the house.

Now the inhabitants of Summerwind are mysteriously dying, leaving no evidence as to how or why, and Skylar finds herself in a deadly race against time to expose the killer—before they strike again.

The problem is . . . whoever it is may not be human.

Armed with only wit and Pradas, Skylar begins questioning the servants, but the growing list of suspects includes the sexy and brooding caretaker, Dorian, a man desperately trying to forget his tragic past. And a major distraction for Skylar.

Determined to play detective—instead of the fashion police—and unravel the dark history of the mansion, Skylar is plunged into an otherworldly mystery that not even she can explain away. As the boundaries between reality and dreams blur, Skylar’s greatest challenge is to stay alive long enough to learn the truth.

Book Review:
I am always down for a good paranormal romance. However, Sherry Soule combined PNR with a good haunted house story, which is just all kinds of amazing! I was hooked as soon as I started reading this beauty. Immortal Eclipse is an action-packed, character driven novel that is guaranteed to give you goosebumps! Skylar is a fantastic protagonist! She is kick ass, witty, and quite the fashonista. Her personality really comes alive when she arrives at Summerwind Mansion (which is a character in itself). Her interactions with the mansion's staff really make this novel shine. There is definitely something sinister going on at Summerwind and Skylar is determined to get to the bottom of things, no matter what. If you are looking for a gripping tale of action, romance, loss, and all things that go bump-in-the-night, then this is the book for you!

Thanks to author Sherry Soule for this copy.
To be published April 30, 2013
This is my honest review. 
Buy Immortal Eclipse on Amazon

Favorite Quote:
"Lifting my leg, I admire my footwear  and I'm reminded of my favorite quote by Marilyn Monroe, 'Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.' And isn't that the truth." 

Cover Art Commentary:
LOVE IT! First of all, did you notice the good amount of purple on this baby? A very good start! Second, Skylar is looking pretty bad ass! Definitely not someone I would want to mess with!

Rating:

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday: On Second Thought...


Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

More:
Falling Kingdoms
by Morgan Rhodes
Add on Goodreads

I was on a Game of Thrones kick when I picked this beauty up. I was looking forward to it, but didn't have high expectations as it is considered to be a YA high fantasy book. For some reasons, I thought the YA would take away from the high fantasy aspect. However, that's exactly what made this book work! I can not wait for the sequel!



 Dash & Lily's Book of Dares
by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
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I didn't really have any expectations going into this book. However, I found myself laughing and immensely enjoying D&L's Book of Dares.  I have since picked up books by the respective authors. While I have enjoyed them, they don't quite compare to this little beauty here!





The Puzzle Ring 
by Kate Forsyth
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I initially read this book as part of a book tour hosted by Juju from Tales of Whimsy. I immediately fell in love with this book and purchased a copy for myself. This book has humor, adventure  time travel...I mean what's not to love?!






 The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May, & June
by Robin Benway
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This was my very first introduction into Robin Benway's writing. I have picked up every work by her since. I can not believe her books are not more well known. She is a fantastic author, and this remains my favorite work of hers to this day!





Temping is Hell
by Cathy Yardley
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I recently read this for a review via Netgalley. I just adored this beauty! There is humor, romance, supernatural beings, and much more! I couldn't set this down until I polished it off! I highly recommend that you pick it up ASAP! Can't wait for the next book in the series!




Less:
Smoke and Mirrors
by Neil Gaiman
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Ok, let me clarify that Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. Ever. In the universe. For realz. However, I have this issue with short stories. I thought perhaps Gaiman might be the exception to this "issue," but sadly, no. I still love Gaiman and all of his novels, but alas, this was not for me.





Ice
by Sarah Beth Durst
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Oh my dearest Sarah Beth Durst. How I so wanted to love this novel. And I did. Well, the first half. The second half took a weird and unnecessary turn. I have enjoyed other works by Durst, but this is by far her weakest writing. I highly encourage you to check out her other works, as she is a fantastic writer!




Her Fearful Symmetry
by Audrey Niffenegger
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I ADORED The Time Traveler's Wife SO MUCH! What the heck happened?! I wanted to chuck this book across the room when I finished it. I was on pins and needles waiting for it's release and then I was SOOOO disappointed! I can't talk about this anymore. It angers me. 





Changeling
by Philippa Gregory
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Another sore subject for me. I could NOT wait for this book to be released! I greedily opened it and NEVER finished. It had such a good premise! The execution was just horrid. The pacing was so slow it threw me into a reading slump. Yep. I sold this baby back for store credit and purchased something more to my liking. (A better ending than the one above, yes?)



Mistwood
by Leah Cypress
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In the word taken from my original review of this book: "The premise sounded sooooo good...spells, dynasty, betrayal, supernatural beings, love, sorcerers...I mean who wouldn't want to read this book? I opened to the first page and eagerly began reading. It didn't take long for my eagerness and anticipation to fade. The characters were flat and difficult to identify with. I felt like I was constantly being told HOW I should be regarding the characters instead of watching them unfold within the pages themselves."


So what books have you enjoyed or disliked more that you initially anticipated? 

Friday, April 19, 2013

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger




Book Summery (Via Goodreads): It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners—and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage—in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Book Review:
Ok, let me preface this review with the fact that I love the Parasol Protectorate series. I mean looooove it! Carriger has such a distinctive voice, therefore it was impossible for me to separate the two series (at least in my mind). I loved Carriger's witty writing style. However, I could have used a bit more of her humor in Etiquette & Espionage. The story started out faced-paced and I was immediately adsorbed. However, somewhere in the middle, the story leveled off and I felt the pace lag a bit. I love the incorporation of even more steampunk elements! Bumbersnoot is the best little steampunk character ever! I loved Sophronia's voice and willfulness. I also quite enjoyed her character arc within the novel. I expect her character to develop even more throughout the series. I loved the setting of the finishing school and all of the characters Sophronia meets there. This is a great start to a promising series! I can't wait for the next installment!

Favorite Quote:
"'Is that wise? Having a mess of seedling evil geniuses falling in love with you willy-nilly? What if they feel spurned?'
 

'Ah, but in the interim, think of the lovely gifts they can make you.  Monique bragged that one of her boys made her silver and wood hair sticks as anti-supernatural weapons. With amethyst inlay. And another made her an exploding wicker chicken.'

'Goodness, what's that for?'


Diminty pursed her lips. 'Who doesn't want an exploding wicker chicken'?"


Cover Art Commentary:
LOVE IT!!! First of all, who doesn't love a bright purple background?! Secondly, I love the girl with the puffy dress and scissors (which come into play later in the story).

Rating:

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Reading Reflections: March 2013


Books Read: 
Sketchy (Bea Catcher Chronicles #1) by Olivia Samms
The Nightmare Affair (The Arkwell Academy #1) by Mindee Arnett
The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test #3) by Aimee Carter
Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1) by Morgan Rhodes

Total Number of Books Read This Month: 4

Total Number of Books Read This Year: 17

Most Anticipated: The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test #3) by Aimee Carter

Biggest Let Down: None!

Favorite Read: A tie between: The Goddess Inheritance (Goddess Test #3) by Aimee Carter andFalling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1) by Morgan Rhodes

Highest Rank: 5

Lowest Rank: 4.5

Overall Reflection:
The month started out strong, but alas, school has taken over my life. On a positive note, all of the books I read (and finished) were amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better mix of books. Stick with me. The next two months are going to be even more brutal! Hopefully I'll be able to sneak a few books in. :)