Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday (4)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy for Books   It is a place for book bloggers and readers to find and follow new book blogs; to share their love of the written word, support other book bloggers and find new friends. So, HOP on over to Crazy for Books to grab the button, post about the hop and answer the question on your blog, then visit the other links to make new friends.
This week's question:

"As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?"

I really just tell it like it is. Who I am--married mom of 3, what I do--school, work and support my girls in marching band and why I blog--to encourage other parents to read what their children read. And I do say I love to read, which I know is probably a given, but I still like to mention it.

Follow Friday is hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View and Alison at Alison Can Read  It is another way for bloggers to make new friends and followers.  So jump in and say hi! Than jump over to either blog and post a link to your blog (be sure to follow the required steps!).

This week's question for Follow Friday:

"What imaginary book would you like to make a reality?"

I have two answers to this question. First, since I'm a creepy, overly obsessed Twilight mom, any of the Twilight books would suffice. I love the Cullens and I want to meet them. Alice could be my best friend and Emmett could be my big brother. And then there's Edward......Secondly, I would love for the Mortal Instrument books to be reality. I love the world of the Shadowhunters and I would like to see it first hand!



Coming Soon!

I will be hosting 2 separate giveaways!

Join me on September 26 on The Crossover Experience tour. I will be reviewing The Crossover and giving away an e-book.

And in early October, I will be hosting a 100 Follower Party Giveaway!  Stay tuned for details!

Lord of the Vampires: Royal House of Shadows Book 1

Title:  Lord of the Vampires Royal House of Shadows Book 1

Author:  Gena Showalter

Genre:  Adult Paranormal

Publisher:  Harlequin

Format/Pages:  Kindle

Release Date:  8/30/2011 (subject to change)

Nicolai, the Dark Seducer, a vampire prince, has been doomed to slavery after the Blood Sorcerer vanquished his kingdom and his family was scattered throughout the world. Jane Parker is the only one who can help free Nicolai and restore his memory. But bringing Jane, a human, to Delfina, holds dangers Nicolai never suspected. Nor did he expect to feel an inexplicable craving for Jane, one he cannot seem to stop.

Lord of the Vampires was a fun read, as well as a great start to the Royal House of Shadows series. I am not really familiar with Gena Showalter’s previous work, but if this book is any indication, it is hot, hot, hot. As was this book. This was definitely an adult book meant for mature readers. I would not recommend it for readers under the age of 18. But if a fun, adult book is what you are looking for, this is a good place to start. It was nice to read a book that takes the sexual tension further than just tension! Check this out if you are looking for a good read with an interesting story.

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Title:  Firelight  

Author:  Sophie Jordan

Genre:  Young Adult

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Format/Pages:  Kindle

Jacinda longs to be free—free from the constant scrutiny of the elders, free from the burden of being unique, of being one-of-a-kind and free to finally make her own choices. But being draki, and a rare draki at that, makes freedom nearly impossible. She must hide her true dragon nature and constantly hide from those who would kill her and her kind, those known only as “the hunters.” They can never know about the draki ability to hide in human form, it is her race’s greatest defense. But when Jacinda breaks the rules—again—she pushes the pride and its elders to their breaking point. In order to protect Jacinda from an unbelievably cruel punishment, her mother sneaks her and her twin sister away in the middle of the night. Now, forced to live in the smoldering desert heat, away from the cooling mountain mists, she must try to adapt to being human all the time, while also suffering the withering away of her draki side. But when Will enters her life, gorgeous, elusive Will, Jacinda’s draki side comes to life, nourished and whole. And the more time she spends with him, the stronger her draki side stays. Jacinda is drawn to Will and inexplicably Will is drawn to her. But he has a secret, too. Will is a hunter. And Jacinda is his prey.

I feel like a broken record the last few reviews, but this was an incredibly unique story. In a genre filled with vampires, werewolves and witches (just to name a few), Firelight offers a refreshing twist to the paranormal genre. When I first read what this book was about—descendants of dragons that live as humans—I had my doubts as to how such a story could be pulled off. Well, Sophie Jordan pulled it off fantastically. The world she has created, the world of the draki, is flat-out amazing. Every fiber of my being itches to learn more about the draki:  their lives, their abilities, their past and even their enemies. Jordan’s incredible writing skills make their world come screaming to life. I could not get enough! Jacinda is the perfect heroine, beautiful, intelligent and unaware of how incredible she is, which makes her even more appealing. While her mom and her sister drive me crazy, they are the perfect foils to Jacinda—they want normalcy and a life away from the draki, the opposite of what Jacinda wants.  And move over Edward Cullen and Jace Wayland, you have some serious competition in Will!  To quote my teenage girls—OMG! Will is gorgeous, conflicted and elusive, and he is willing do anything for Jacinda. And quite frankly, I could get lost in those gorgeous eyes of his!

As you have probably guessed, I really loved this book.  I cried, I laughed and I sat spellbound throughout most of this book. I only have two complaints. First, I am dying to know more about the draki and second, I need to know what happens next. Thank goodness I don’t have to wait, seeing as how the sequel came out on September 6^th. Vanish, here I come!  

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title:  Every Other Day

Author:  Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal

Publisher:  Egmont, USA

Format:  NetGalley/Kindle

Release Date:  December 27, 2011 (subject to change)

It seems just about everyone loves to read stories about the mythological world. But what if the things we consider the preternatural—beyond what is normal or natural—was actually a possibility, a normal way of life?  Things like zombies, dragons and hellhounds roam the streets, are studied in school and live in zoos. Some of these creatures are even considered endangered and it’s illegal to kill or hunt them.  This is the world Kali D’Angelo lives in, a world where Darwin found more than he ever imagined possible while sailing on the HMS Beagle. But Kali isn’t your everyday normal girl either. Every other day, she is more than human, with an overwhelming instinct to hunt and destroy the preternatural creatures every one else regards as a normal part of life.  Kali has no idea why it happens or even what she really is; she just knows what she must do. Then one day, a day when she is just human, Kali sees a mark on a cheerleader, a mark that means she will be dead within hours, thanks to one of those protected preternatural creatures. Kali is not sure she can help, not when she’s normal, but she’ll risk it all to try.

At the risk of sounding clichéd, this book grabbed me on page one and took me on a ride I never would have expected.  It is an exceedingly well-written, thrill-a-minute novel, full of unexpected surprises, great characters and a fantastically original story. I totally fell for this book and the people in it—Kali, Skylar and her brothers, and even the ice queen, Bethany. And who would have thought I could fall for Zev, even though all I heard was his voice for most of the book? This book gives a twist to all those old stories of kelpies, hellhounds and zombies; it pulls them into the real world and forces us to look at them anew. I for one will never look at zombies quite the same again.

I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend it to everyone. I will be picking up a copy for my girls once it is released. I will also be checking out some of Jennifer Lynn Barnes other novels, because if Every Other Day was this awesome, I expect the others must be pretty good, too. And Ms. Barnes, if you happen to read this, could you tell me if there will be a sequel? I would love to read some more about Zev!

Book Blogger Hop and Follow Friday (3)

Book Blogger Hop is a weekly meme that is hosted by Jennifer over at Crazy-for-Books   It is a place for book bloggers and readers to find and follow new book blogs; to share their love of the written word, support other book bloggers and find new friends. So, HOP on over to Crazy-for-Books to grab the button, post about the hop and answer the question on your blog, then visit the other links to make new friends.

This week's question:

“Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?”

 

I would never, ever give up reading! I consider myself a pretty eclectic reader as it is, though recently, I have been leaning toward the paranormal genre (adult and young adult). So, I guess if authors stopped writing that one, I would read just about anything else I could get my hands on.

Follow Friday is hosted by Rachel at Parajunkee's View and Alison at Alison Can Read  It is another way for bloggers to make new friends and followers.  So jump in and say hi! Than jump over to either blog and post a link to your blog (be sure to follow the required steps!).

Follow Friday's question this week is:
         "Have you ever wanted a villain to win at the end of a story? If so, which one?"

Nope, never. I can't recall any villan I have ever liked enough to want them to "win" at the end. There have been a few that I felt sympathetic toward, but never enough to want them to win.

Ok, now off you go--hoppity hop and follow, follow, follow!

Teaser Tuesday (September 6)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of 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!

My teaser:

I was tired, I was light-headed, and all I wanted was to go to sleep and bring on the dawn, but I knew with sudden prescience that it wasn't going to happen. I wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about it, any of it--not about my dad, or the thing inside of me, or the fact that somewhere out there, someone was looking for me.

Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (NetGalley/Kindle)

Please leave a comment with a link back to your blog and your Tuesday Teaser!