Working out the bugs

Working out new design bugs. Please bear with us but doesn't it look awesome!?

New Moon - Let's All Review the Movie

New Moon is finally here!
























We're headed off to the 10:30 am show - on the Giant screen - and can't wait to share our thoughts with you.

AND...We would love to hear what you have to say. We have a Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post so you can put in the link to your review post.

We thought that would be a fun way for all of us to share our experience!

Many of you will be able to post your review before us so feel free to link it on here. Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

Twilight Fans Unite!

Parajunkee Design Wizard!

We Need A New Look!

We've been talking to Rach from Parajunkee's View because she also does web design. We're excited to say that sometime soon we should be sporting a gorgeous new look!

Check out her book review blog, Parajunkee's View but if you're in the market for a fresh, original and eye-catching design for your own blog, go to her design site, Parajunkee Design. You can get an idea of her wonderful talent...and she offers discounts to fellow bloggers, which is extremely generous. Take advantage!

She also has a contest on right now for an avatar. And we were wondering if, in our next contest, you guys would be interested in us doing something like including a prize of one of her designs for your own blog button. I know some people have them but we thought we'd check the interest from our followers.

Rach is a very busy lady. She is also part of Blog With Bite, that is a joint effort between Parajunkee's View, Froggaritaville's Bookcase, Book Whisperer, What Book is That, and Tina's Book Reviews. All wonderful sites that you should check out. And Blog With Bite also has it own ning site if you'd like to join. I'm telling you these ladies are networking fools!

And by the way, we thought you would appreciate a excerpt from one of the initial emails between her and us when we were trying to explain what we liked and didn't. Luckily this woman has a great sense of humor!

I wrote:
Overall the design can't be too girlie (because the two nimrods would smother me in my sleep), or too romantic (refer to previous 'smothering' comment) and really, I'm not much into that either. We all like more of the dark, mysterious and dangerous vibe, but we also enjoy wit and humor thrown in. Am I making any sense? Too much info? Does this help at all?

Okay, the two dorks just came back in and here are Jake's comments. I'll give you quotes:

JAKE: "It must have wizards fighting dragons that look like books. Then I could photoshop Gregory's face on one of the dragons and put my face on one of the majestic wizards so it looks I'm defeating Gregory. Alyssa could be a heavily cleavaged princess in distress. Wouldn't that be awesome!"

GREGORY: "Wait, why am I the wimp?"

JAKE: "You're not a wimp. You're a dragon."

GREGORY: "But I'm a wimpy dragon if I'm getting beaten by a lame wizard like you. And since when does Alyssa have heavy cleavage?"

JAKE: "It's fantasy. Shut up. I'm older. You have to do what I say."

Then they started a pillow fight and ran out of the room (screaming like girls, I might add.) We could start our own reality show!

That was it but then later Jake sent her this lovely artwork (below) as an example of what he was talking about. Don't know if you can tell but that's Jake's face on the wizard at the bottom and Gregory's face plastered on the dragon breathing fire.

Thankfully Rach wasn't too enthusiastic about his creative genius. She did suggest that the dragon was a bit over the top and maybe Gregory should be photoshopped onto a rabid squirrel instead. Didn't I tell you she was great!

Okay, back to tallying entries! We're getting there folks, I promise!

I Won One of My Favs From The Book Butterfly!

When we put Hush Hush in the giveaway we bought a new copy but I hadn't read it yet. Then I read it and absolutely loved it, as you might have noticed from my review.

And I confess, I was seriously bummed that I was going to have to give it away... I love you guys, but I was seriously bummed.

Then as luck, and the generous and gracious Kim at The Book Butterfly, would have it, Kim notified me that... (can't contain squeal of delight)... that I won a signed copy - yes, I said SIGNED by Becca Fitzpatrick.

I'm so excited and thrilled, and extremely thankful to Kim at The Book Butterfly. This one will never leave my possession.

Please go check check out her wonderful blog. And be sure to enter all of her contests listed below.

- The September Sisters (ends 11/20)

- Coffee House Angel (ends 11/27)

- Laurie Faria Stolarz prize pack (ends 11/27)

- My Soul to Take (ends 12/8)

You don't want to miss your chance to win! It can happen...look at me!

CONTEST UPDATE: We have all the basic entries tallied and today we'll work on adding in the extra points for commenting. FYI - if you entered, please make sure you are a follower. We have a couple of entrants who didn't sign up as Followers (probably just forgot) and we don't want YOU to be one of them! Please be sure as we'll make our final check in the next day or so.

Holiday Contest at La Femme Readers

Since our current contest is over, I thought I'd let you know about a great one over at La Femme Readers. Here's the info from Eleni's blog.

Hey everyone! In celebration of Christmas or Hanukkah for those that don't celebrate Christmas, I wanted to do a great giveaway. I also appreciate and love all of my followers, I'm close to 500 followers and this is my thank you to all of you! Anywho, back to the contest, their will be two winners, and get this it's your book of choice! You can choose any book you want and I'll order it through Amazon which will ship right to your door! How amazing is that!? Each order must be under $25 though.

Generous, right?! It's like an early Holiday gift. So head over to the contest post to enter and Good Luck!

Stressed but We're Getting There!

Yikes, this we have a lot of contestants!

The boys and I tallied up the points for almost half of you guys so far. Actually, Jake and Greg had a little disagreement over whose organizational method was better...they worked it out...kinda...

For your amusement, I got it all on tape!

Let me know if you want to send Gregory cards and flowers!

Just Kidding! But the loveable goofs needed to do something when they took a break. Hope you were entertained! We plan to get to the rest of the entries in the next day or two and announce the 35 winners!

Thanks for all your support and patience!

FYI, some of the books we're looking at in the next giveaway are...

Beautiful Creatures, Leviathan, Violet Wings, The Everafter...

And many others but we'll give you more on that later because we've got to go tally your entries!

That's IMPOSSIBLE!

We made it to 400...WE CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

In the beginning we thought that we might make it to 150...maybe 200? But you guys more than doubled our expectations! This is really unbelievable and as you are reading this we are tallying up the entries so fingers crossed!

To keep you frothing book worms at bay for the time being we found this really funny video at Fantastic Book Review for the Girl in the Arena book trailer. Enjoy!

Giveaway Madness...Woo hoo! (Giveaway Points Post)

We passed 375 followers! Thanks a lot guys! City of Bones will be added to the contest.

And we added three more winners instead of two, so now we have 30 winners!

Clearly the boys and I have our heads in the clouds, but on the very off chance we make 400 followers, we'll add 5 winners (totaling 35) and these books:

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
(An awesome first book in a historical romance series.)

Cold Streak by Lewis Aleman
(A fabulous tale of revenge)

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

(A great blend of fine food and twisted love)

King Dork by Frank Portman
(A modern day Catcher in the Rye)

Wicked by Gregory Maguire
(Gives the Witch of the West a chance to tell her story)

Yeah, we're in the giving mood. Well, a giving back-to-you mood!

Thanks again! We'll update tomorrow but please give us a couple of days to finish tallying up all the points and picking names before we announce the wonderful winners!

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (by midnight tonight) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Vampire Kisses Added (Giveaway Points Post)

Tomorrow is the final day to enter the MegaBook Giveaway. And since we made it to 350 (WOW!) we added your pick of Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber. It's a wonderful start to a fun series which some lucky winner will enjoy.

One of 27 lucky winners!

With such a short time left, chances are slim we'll get to 375 but if we do (fingers crossed) we'll add City of Bones or the first book in the Cirque du Freak series.

Those are two of our favorites... which would you choose?

Giveaway ALERT!
If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 2 days of post date since the contest ends tomorrow) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Author Interview with Katrina Michaels (Giveaway Points Post)

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

We were lucky enough to have Midnight Reflections author, Katrina Michaels, agree to answer a few questions. A signed copy of her book is available in the MegaBook Giveaway so make sure you have entered because it end tomorrow!

Hi Katrina, and thanks for joining us! We'd love to know...

What inspired you to write this book?

I've always enjoyed writing from as far back as elementary school and often find myself thinking about strange premises whenever I'm bored. Basically I always wanted to be an author, so I never actually stopped writing, although I only get to do it in my very limited spare time. I wrote a bunch of short stories in high school and college, but I was never really satisfied with them. Midnight Reflections was the first one I finished that I was really proud of. It was also the first one I ever tried to get published.

Where did the premise come from?

Well, I've always been intrigued by supernatural creatures and I love mysteries so it seemed natural to me to put the two ideas together. I'm the person watching murders and thrillers (TV and movies) and actively trying to figure out the killer or the twist before it gets revealed. Even when I was writing in high school, my stories always had a horror or supernatural element to them. Growing up, I was a big fan of The Lost Boys and Fright Night. And in college I always watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Midnight Reflections actually started out more about the main character, Tara, and her problems adjusting to being a vampire. Somehow on the way, it developed into a story about a serial killer. I'm not really sure where that came from. I don't always plan everything out when I write, so sometimes I end up going in a completely different direction than where I started. I do have particular scenes and images that I know have to be in the story, but sometimes I'm not sure how the characters get from scene to scene until I'm actually writing it.

What type of research was involved?

I did look into some basics of the vampire mythology, but only to see how I can reshape it to my own liking. When working with fantasy or supernatural elements, I believe the author is giving free reign to devise their own mythology for the world they are creating. For an example, I read about vampires not casting a reflection and decided to change that to where vampires avoided mirrors because they were created with silver, but they do actually cast reflections. However, what they see in the mirror if often more a manifestation of who the person really is or what they are really feeling, not actually what they look like.

My second book involves a mummy and I did do some research into the mummification process, which is pretty fascinating, yet disturbing.

Is it going to be a series?

Yes. I officially submitted the second book, Dead Awakening, to my publisher today. And I already have ideas for the third and the fourth.


Are there any other supernatural creatures you plan to write about?

Well, the second book deals more with Charlie's werewolf side and as I said, a mummy does pop up. I also have an idea for a series that involves demons but I have started writing it yet. I haven't ruled out any creatures, so they may all show up at some time or another.

Describe your book in 3 words.

Supernatural murder mystery

Who has inspired you as an author?

That's actually a hard question. I've read a lot of authors and the different styles have inspired me to find my own. As I said, I always enjoyed writing, but I think one of the my creative writing teachers in High School really did encourage and inspire me. She's a published author herself and she gave me a lot of advice and encouragement. The best advice was to never stop writing if I love it and I never did.

What was the publishing experience like?

Interesting. I really didn't know what to expect so it's been a learning experience. I like being with a small publisher because it seems more personal. If I have any questions, the publisher is always willing to answer them. Of course, being with a small publisher also means the bulk of the marketing falls to the author. And that has been its own learning experience.

What input did you have on the cover and how was it decided upon?

The artist talked to me for a bit and devised a couple of covers which I got to choose from. I know the style I chose isn't to everyone's taste, but I love seeing Tara's creepy eyes on the cover staring back at the reader. I also love the back cover with the man staring into the mirror a great deal. However, I probably will choose a different style for the next cover.


What's the most interesting comment you've received about your book?

One of my neighbors couldn't finish it because she found it too bloody. I thought that was actually pretty funny. But the best comment had to be from The Vampire Librarian who said Midnight Reflections was one of the most enjoyable reads she had in awhile.

Are any of the characters in your book based on real life people?

Max is also a combination of a couple different people, including myself. I took all their best quirks and threw them together and got Max. There is one particular trait in Max that shows up in the next book that my best friend will recognize as her own. Hopefully she won't be too mad.

What's next for you?

Well, I plan to continue writing and will hopefully get my second book out next year. I do have a different series that I'm also thinking about, but I have plenty in mind for Tara and others to keep me busy.

What else should your readers know about you?

Let's see. Well, something boring is that I'm currently working as an environmental scientist for a consulting company. Something fun is that I own a slightly neurotic horse. Something interesting is that my Hungarian relative are actually from Transylvania and I will be going to Romania and Transylvania this summer and, yes, I will be doing research as I walk through Dracula's castle.

Thanks for the interview!

Many thanks to Katrina and congratulations on publishing the sequel, Dead Awakening. We'll look for it next year! You can check out Katrina's Facebook fan page here .

We're happy to have Midnight Reflections available in the MegaBook Giveaway. Good luck to all who entered the contest. Now up to 27 winners and we just added Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber!

Hunger Games Added! 25 Winners (Giveaway Points Post)

We did it! Thanks to you!

Over 325 followers so we've added The Hunger Games to the pile of books available in our MegaBook Giveaway!

If you haven't entered yet go to the contest post and get your name in to win. We'll now have 25 Winners!

You have to be a follower to enter and remember, commenting gets you extra entries!

It's international and ends 11/15.

Good Luck!

If/when we make it to 350, should we add New Moon (in honor of the movie coming out), Vampire Kisses (Book 1) by Ellen Schreiber, Midnight Alley (Morganville Vamp #3 - 1 & 2 are already in) by Rachel Caine or King Dork by Frank Portman?

Eyes Like Stars (Giveaway Points Post)

Eyes Like Stars: Theater Illuminata, Act 1
by Lisa Mantchev
Pub: July 2009
368 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Synopsis:
"All her world's a stage.
Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theatre.
She's not an orphan, but she has no parents.
She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.
That is, until now...

Welcome to Theatre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Theatre by The Book - an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family - and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known."

Eyes Like Stars did not captivate at the start, but it was either read it or stare out the window for the three hour drive. I chose wisely.

The book gets off to a slow and confusing start - and admittedly, so much fantasy is not my thing, so maybe to others it won't be confusing at all. Anyway, we begin with Bertie in her room, which is a stage set and shortly thereafter we learn she's getting the boot from the theater... conflict right from the start.

I honestly can't tell you where the turning point was, but one minute I'm slugging along and the next I'm tripping over my dogs because I can't tear my eyes from the pages long enough to ensure safe passage from the car to the front door.

My favorite part of the book - other than the one-of-a-kind world Lisa Mantchev created - is the characters we get to meet in a new light. Ophelia and Hamlet from...well, Hamlet, the wonderfully obnoxious fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, MacBeth, pirates from the Little Mermaid...the list goes on and on. And don't worry, you don't have to be familiar with the plays to get all the jokes.

I've read reviews saying Bertie comes off younger than seventeen, I say many seventeen-year-olds are like Bertie, some are just better at hiding it. Bertie is wildly entertaining, a Queen of Improvisation, and caught in a love triangle right from the start. That's always fun!

I'd peg this a must read. At one point the story felt a little Inkheart-ish, but it was fleeting, leaving Eyes Like Stars a unique and entertaining read.

The Cover: Love it! The colors are amazing, the fairies seem ready to fly off the page and, come on, who doesn't want that hair!


We have an arc of Eyes Like Stars (so fair warning that it doesn't have the cool cover) offered in the MegaBook Giveaway that will have 23 winners so far. Go to the contest post if you'd like to enter. Good Luck!

Midnight Reflections (Giveaway Points Post)

Midnight Reflections
by Katrina Michaels
pub: April 2009
288 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

All Tara Daston Wanted was a fun night out clubbing. But fun nights don’t normally include dying and waking three days later as one of the undead. Her best efforts to adapt to the new and bizarre life are complicated when a friend is killed by a creature neither vampire nor lycan. As more killings happen, Tara is drawn into the investigation where she meets Tom Duncan, the lead agent of the Preternatural Investigation Agency (PIA). Despite his resistance to her input, Tara refuses to back off, partly because she’s involved but also because he treats like a five year old and she enjoys riling him, and because they are both vampires. Once the killer takes a personal interest in her, Tara is forced to work with Tom and the entire agency to catch this cunning and brutal killer before he claims another victim, possibly her.

Midnight Reflections takes place in our current world…sort of. Everything is pretty much the same except for the fact that supernatural beings are an accepted norm. So when Tara is near death’s door after a violent moment with her boyfriend outside a bar full of vampires, it’s not unheard of for her to be turned into the living dead. Alexander becomes her ‘sire’ and she becomes his ‘childe.’ (That’s the spelling due to Alexander’s ancient age.)

She’s an orphan and he becomes a father figure who shows her the ropes of learning how to live her new undead life. We go through this transition time which slows things down but then the story picks up as the killings start. More action equals more interesting to me. I could have done without so much background of her acclimating to her new life.

While Midnight Reflections has plenty of supernatural creatures, it is first and foremost a murder mystery. Think of it as a preternatural CSI. The PIA team that investigates the serial murders (by some sort of shifter) is made up of ‘special’ members. The leader, Tom, is a former police detective who started PIA after he was turned into a vampire. The rest of the group includes an empath, a werewolf, a pyrokinetic (she set fire to a guy who was trying to assault her) and a warlock for that magical touch.

The characters have their unique personalities and use a combination of their special skills as well as the usual science to analyze evidence and solve cases. Tara gets forced into the group when she sticks her nose into the case and the killer takes an unhealthy interest in her. The group is believable and the network of clues follows a logical path. Enough red herrings keep the reader guessing until the end.

The relationships within the team work well and Tara integrates nicely. She and Tom have a bit of a spark but no real romance is developed between them. They’re too busy trying to catch the bad guy but we are left with the impression that their relationship will bloom in the future.

The supernatural elements aren’t the primary aspect of the story. The plot definitely focuses its attention on being a who-dun-it murder-mystery-suspense-crime novel with supernatural elements, which spices it up and gives it an unusual twist.

Midnight Reflections is adult fiction but appropriate for older YA’s who want a creepy urban fantasy thriller. I've heard others say that it is very gorey but as an avid reader of this genre, I disagree. There’s no sex and very little cursing (and in comparison to some of the YA out there, this is easily a G-rating.) If you like CSI, you’ll enjoy this urban fantasy vampire version.

The Cover: I like the font, colors and eerie sky but as you know I'm not a big fan of seeing the character's face on the cover, so can't say I love it. However, it does get points for the creepy factor.

We have a copy of Midnight Reflections, signed by Katrina Michaels, offered in the MegaBook Giveaway that will have 23 winners so far. Go to the contest post if you'd like to enter!

OMG! Giveaway Gone Wild! (Giveaway Points Post)

You've done it guys! Thanks so much!!! We've made it to 300 followers!

Greg, Jake and I didn't think we'd get so much support!
So...WOW... three hundred...wow...I guess we'll be adding more books! How about

-Eyes Like Stars ARC by Lisa Manchev

- Dead Girls Dance (Morganville Vamp Book 2) by Rachel Caine (book 1 is already in the contest)

- The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

We've got 23, that's twenty-three winners!
And books already in the pile are...

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (Morganville Vampires#1)

Lost Girls by Robert Doherty

Saddled with Trouble by Michelle Scott

The Wee Free Men by Terry Prachett

Midnight Reflections by Katrina Michaels

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling

Dragon House by John Shors

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (ARC)

Circle of Souls by Preetham Grandhi

The Shifter by Janice Hardy (ARC)

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers #1)

Marked by PC Cast

Betrayed by P.C. Cast

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

Possessions by Nancy Holder (ARC)

Fire by Kristen Cashore

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Midnight Charter by David Whitley

Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson

Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

Fallen by Lauren Kate (ARC)

The Hollow by Jessica Verday (ARC)

Whew! That took a while to type out! If/when we make it to 325 Followers we'll add The Hunger Games since so many haven't read it. And something else great too! So keep those entries coming! Go to the Megabook Giveaway post to enter. And remember that commenting on posts like this one gets you 2 extra entries. The Hush Hush review post is just below this one or pick any others that interest you!

Good luck!

Hush Hush (Giveaway Points Post)

Hush Hush
by Becca Fitzpatrick
pub: Oct 2009
400 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Synopsis: For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

A book that lives up to all the pre-released hype. I loved it!

Actually, the moment I finished the last sentence of the book I immediately went back to the beginning and started rereading. I couldn't get enough. Let me rephrase - I can't get enough of this book. Patch is wonderful! He's sexy, confident, sexy, cunning, sexy, sly, sexy, cocky, sexy, arrogant, sexy, dark, sexy, dangerous, sexy, deliciously masculine...and did I mention he's sexy? He's the kind of character that makes girls go weak at the knees.

And Nora -- our heroine!-- isn't a complete and total airhead! Soooo happy with that one. I've read reviews that say she's a little boring. I disagree, Nora just isn't an emotional mess. Instead Nora's smart, independent and rational which I think makes her perfect for dealing with Patch. She's attracted to Patch (who wouldn't be?) and at the same time repulsed by him (his controversial personality is part of the charm). Sure Nora has her slip ups, but if she didn't, she wouldn't be human and therefore she wouldn't be believable.

Hush, Hush is clean but definitely much, much sexier than Twilight ever was - and I loved Twilight - but, again, it was clean so it's ok for younger YA readers. On the Twilight note, I see some similarities between the two books. Forbidden romance is a common element. Also, like Edward, Patch has conflicting emotions for Nora, who, like Bella, is willing to sacrifice herself for the ones she loves.

Every now and then the plot slows, but it more than makes up for it with character in my opinion. Also, the prologue that had me questioning it's relevance for most of the book, at the end it ties in wonderously!! Hush, Hush is one of those books that pays off in a big way if you stick with it.

The majority of the mysteries are solved by the end, and I'm okay being left with a few questions -- they just set me up for the sequel.One problem I had with the book is that the tagline for Hush, Hush is "A secret oath. A fallen angel. A forbidden love." It seems fairly obvious who the fallen angel is in this forbidden romance, but Nora doesn't figure it out until the last third of the book. It's not because Nora is missing obvious clues, it's just the way the story runs. Irritating? Just a bit.

I've read some reviews that thought Patch was abusive toward Nora (emotional not physical). So I went back through the book and without giving away any spoilers, there's a shift within Patch and afterward his behavior toward Nora changes. Subtle but it is there. Again, another similarity to Twilight and Edward's initial cold behavior toward Bella.

What I haven't seen mentioned, which is a major problem I have with the book, is the behavior of Nora's best friend, Vee, near the end of the story. Nora is physically attacked and Vee completely blows off the incident and actually defends Nora's attacker! While Vee came off as rather ditzy I would never have expected her to do anything, but support her best friend and want to see the jerk in jail! This was a big "Whoa!" moment for me because throughout the book Vee is warning Nora to stay away from Patch because he's dangerous, and then suddenly it's ok for someone else to attack Nora? Um, no. Didn't track at all, at all.

Another issue (not huge) is that Fitzpatrick creates a wonderful relationship between Nora and her mom. It's warm and open, and they are very close. But when things go wrong I was taken out of the moment by the fact that Nora was not more inclined to go to her mother for help. The author does explain this somewhat, but when things became seriously dangerous, I thought Nora would, and should have confided in her mom. Not about the whole fallen angel thing, but just the basic human evil coming at her.

I've read other negative reviews that thought Hush, Hush was going to be more concentrated on the "ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen." I was expecting a paranormal romance not a battle royale so I wasn't disappointed.

I think readers looking for a hot paranormal romance will be thrilled with Fitzpatrick's creation.

I'm dying because the sequel, Crescendo, isn't coming out until fall of 2010. When I read that on her site I glared at the release date for a minute hoping it would laugh and say "Ha just kidding!" and rearrange into Coming Spring of 2010 (or Next Week!). That would have lifted the anvil of dismayal off my chest a smidgen.

The Cover: Absolutely gorgeous! A work of art!! The image is dramatic, but having it in black and white with just a few red feathers adds a great amount of depth and captures the essence of the book. I love this cover so much I'm putting in to win a poster of the cover here. FallenArchangel.com is hosting Hush, Hush Cover Week providing us with interviews with everyone responsible for bringing Patch to life! Plus the poster contest.

We have a copy of Hush Hush in the MegaBook Giveaway that will have 23 winners so far. Go to the contest post if you'd like to enter!

House of Night (Giveaway Points Post)

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Marked and Betrayed

by
P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast

pub: 2007

320 pages each

Synopsis: Enter the dark, magical world of The House of Night, a world very much like our own, except here vampyres have always existed. Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird has just been Marked as a fledging vampyre and joins The House of Night, a school where she will trained to become an adult vampyre. That is, if she makes it through the Change -- and not all of those who are Marked do.

It sucks to begin a new life, especially away from her friends, and on top of that, Zoey is no average fledgling. She has been chosen as special by the vampyre Goddess Nyx. Zoey discovers she has amazing powers, but along with her powers come bloodlust and an unfortunate ability to Imprint her human ex-boyfriend. To add to her stress, she is not the only fledgling at The House of Night with special powers: When she discovers that the leader of the Dark Daughters, the school's most elite group, is misusing her Goddess-given gifts, Zoey must look deep within herself for the courage to embrace her destiny--with a little help from her new vampyre friends.

I love the Cast's take on vampyre lore. It's similar to the Charlaine Harris vamps in that everyone knows vampires are out there and are generally accepted by society.

In this series, the vampyre disease only shows up when you hit puberty -- so basically when you hit high school -- but you don't know if you have it until an adult vamp taps your forehead and --tada!-- a crescent moon outline appears on your forehead. You get sent to vampyre school, and if the disease doesn't kill you in four years then you graduate as a full-on vamp, the crescent moon on your forehead fills in, the change creates beautiful tattoos all over your body and, of course, some vamps have special powers. You still have to deal with blood-lust and sunlight to a degree, but that comes with vampyre territory.

The plot is insanely interesting - seeing as it revolves around this new breed of vampyre it had to be interesting! A newbie conquering the all powerful priestess? Oh yeah, the twists and turns are great!

Oh...did I forget to mention vampyre hotties? Yeah, House of Night is full of them. Of course, that means sexual tension, but...no, actually, I can't find a problem with that.

Alas, this series is just not for me. My brothers were shocked. "It has vampires. It was like...written for you." Zoey is a strong character, but a tad too teenage angsty for me. There were things in the book that took me out of the moment, things that just do not belong in a teenage protagonist's voice - things that adults think belong in a teenage protagonist's voice.

For example, Zoey has this irritating aversion to swearing, which...no-swearing is fine, but it's not like Zoey says "Dang it" or "Shucks" or just plain avoids swearing, Zoey says "poopie." Yeah, you read that right, poopie. I made it through the third book (Chosen) before I shrugged off the series.

One the other hand, one of my life long friends absolutely loves this series. She basically has each book framed on her wall. Little creepy. In fact, she just called me while I wrote this post and let me know she wasn't slowly dying anymore because she finally got time to start reading Tempted, the sixth installment in this series.

I will admit, the ideas the Cast mother daughter team present are unique they do a great job of drawing you into the House of Night world.

This book really is in the eye of the beholder. You'll either love it or hate it or shrug and "meh" it. Reading is soooo subjective. I figured we'd better throw Marked and Betrayed in the give away since, just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean everyone else doesn't or won't like it either. And everywhere I look this series gets five star reviews.

I'd recommend this series to older paranormal fans.

Older because that sexual tension escalates into sexual content.

We have Marked and Betrayed available in the MegaBook Giveaway, so go to the contest post to enter!

THE HOLLOW (Giveaway Points Post)

The Hollow
by Jessica Verday
pub: September 2009
528 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Synopsis:

"When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead...and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey has never felt so desperately alone. Then she meets Caspian, a gorgeous and mysterious stranger who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her - on that will challenge her emerging love to Caspian as well as he own sanity.

Let me start out with - The cover is flipping awesome! So vibrant! I love it!

That said...

I had high hopes for The Hollow but ended up with mixed feelings. I thought Abbey's perfume making hobby was original in a YA protagonist. Also, the twist at the end regarding the supernatural element showed wonderful creativity.

However, this is promoted as a murder mystery thriller. It isn't. Abbey is a likable character but I couldn't become invested. She spends the first 100 or so pages mourning the death of her friend, Kristen. This went on too long for me. I would have preferred to get to more action and something that moved the plot forward.

And the plot doesn't revolve around Kristen's death which also confused me so I kept wondering where it was going. Every now and then some aspect of the book would get me interested but then didn't go anywhere with it. For instance, when Abbey tells us of the dream she had about Kristen the night she died, I'm thinking, "Ok, now we're getting somewhere. Psychic connection?" But then it went nowhere. Neither did the reveals in the diaries for that matter.

Abbey's relationship with the cemetery caretaker and his wife finally pays off. The paranormal concept of this book is wonderful. I was sitting there grinning like a fool amazed at the ingenuity of the concept but also irritated. Why the heck this aspect wasn't dabbled in at least 300 pages earlier is a mystery to me.

Caspian's twist was a "Oh! The author got me! I should have known!" moment. But again, way too slow a journey to get there.The real gist of the plot happens well into the 400-something pages. And I really liked it! But it didn't come in soon enough and and it ended too quickly after that. What Verday did with the Sleepy Hollow slant was wonderful and I loved it. There just wasn't enough of it for me.

One of the reasons the journey is too slow for me is the lengthy description of Abbey doing a lot of mundane things. Stuff with the perfume, baking, working, going to school, taking a bath (took several pages just on the bath prep), not sleeping, and aimless wandering. This seemed to fill in a lot of those 500+ pages when I would have preferred more action or plot development.

I also felt that Abbey came across as much younger than 16. Especially when it came to her crush on Caspian. An example would be:

The next couple of days flew by, but I had a hard time sleeping again on Friday night. Only this time it wasn't nightmares or sad memories keeping me awake. It was excitement. I paced nervously around my room while my brain kicked into overdrive.

What should I wear?

What should I say?

What if he thinks I'm a total dork?

What if he stands me up?

When the clock on the nightstand started creeping close to three a.m., I forced myself to go lie down in bed and think sleeping thoughts. But that didn't work either, and I ended up staring at the ceiling. Glancing over at the clock again, I realized that I had only...Crap. I didn't know how many hours I had left to get some sleep. Caspian never said what time he wanted to meet. Now my brain kicked into super overdrive, worrying about that...

And she goes on like this for several pages before she ever goes to meet Caspian. I liked his character and the inventive twist on their relationship but I never felt a great amount of heat between them. Perhaps this would be more suitable for younger teens.

I prefer stories with more action, tighter editing and a more focused plot. But I have friends who adore this book so I know it has appeal. The Hollow is not a fast-paced, goose bump ride. But if you prefer a slower psychological read, heavy on description, lighter on action and romance,and a meandering plot that gives you a worthwhile ending, you'll enjoy The Hollow.

The Cover: I think I mentioned...Fantastic!

We have an ARC of The Hollow available in the MegaBook Giveaway, so go to the contest post to enter!

Map of Bones (Giveaway Points Post)

Map of Bones
by James Rollins
pub: April 2006
560 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

During a crowded service at a cathedral in Germany, armed intruder in monks' unleash a nightmare of blood and destruction. But the killers have not come for gold; they seek a more valuable prize: the bones of the Magi who once paid homage to a newborn savior...a treasure that could reshape the world. With the Vatican in turmoil, SIGMA Force leaps into action. An elite team of scientific and Special Forces operatives under the command of Grayson Pierce and accompanied by Lt. Rachel Verona of Rome's carabinieri, they are pursuing a deadly mystery that weaves through sites of the Seven Wonders of the World and ends at the doorstep of an ancient, mystical, and terrifying a secret order. For there are those with dark plans for the stolen sacred remains what will alter the future of humankind...when science and religion unite to unleash a horror not seen since the beginning of time.

Great fun around the world on a fabulous adventure with some super spies and lots of action is what you'll get with Map of Bones. Rollins has a lot of fun weaving in biblical lore, ancient myth, and actual events into an engaging story full of history, mystery, reality and fantasy.

The characters are interesting, smart and very kick-butt. The tale keeps racing along you tour around the world and follow the clues to unveil the complicated plot that includes a nefarious ancient secret society. I loved reading about the different famous places around the world and enjoyed the description of the beautiful cities and landscapes.

But it's not a travelogue. It's fast=paced adventure pure and simple. An adult book with a complicated plot and a multitude of twists, I think older young adults will enjoy it too. It's kind of like the Da Vinci Code but with a trained team of specialists who are tough action types, extremely intelligent and ready to fight their way out of the next crisis.

The Cover: His name takes up a bunch of space, but the guy is popular and his name sells the book faster than the cover or title, so it makes sense. You get that ancient biblical mystery around-the-world thing right away and I like the rich colors. I think it works.

We have a copy of Map of Bones available to choose from in our MegaBook Giveaway so be sure to enter at the giveaway post! GOOD LUCK!

250 Followers Means More Books! (Giveaway Points Post)

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

We made it to 250 followers! We are so happy and we need to add books!

The first is an arc of The Hollow by Jessica Verday. Love that cover!

The second is Betrayed by PC Cast which is in the second in the very popular House of Night series. We are also offering Marked, the first in the series, in the giveaway.

Hope you like the picks and thanks for all the support.

We're now at 19 winners and we're happy to add more! So keep those entries coming!

....Okay, here's a funny thing. After I posted this I realized we had gone past 275 Followers. Oh my gosh, we can't keep up with you guys!

And we thank you for it!

So now we are up to 21 Winners. Yes, over 20 winners! You guys are awesome! We'll have to get back to you on the next books.

We'll come up with more fabulous picks to thank you! Stay tuned!

Remember commenting gets you extra points. Alyssa's review of Shiver is just below. Then Gregory's review of The Thief Lord, or check out my review of Catching Fire and...well you get idea. If you're interested in extra entries, you've got lots of possibilities!

Good Luck!

Shiver - A Werewolf Lovestory

Shiver
by Maggie Stiefvater
pub: Aug 2009
390 pages

Giveaway ALERT! If you've already entered the contest, a comment on this post (within 5 days of post date) gets you 2 extra entries in our MegaBook Giveaway. If you haven't entered yet, go to the contest post (or click on the contest link on the upper right sidebar) to learn about the giveaway and enter! Good luck!

Synopsis:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Shiver is a satisfying love story for paranormal groupies, especially Team Jacob fans looking for the werewolf to woo the girl.

Some might be put off by the point of view. Each chapter switches from first person Grace to first person Sam. But if you stick with it, the transistions become less jarring and awkward. The story blends heart-wrenching and romantic, and if my brother's hadn't been in the room, at times I would have shed a few tears.

The pace slows occasionally, but by that time I cared enough for the characters and their struggles to continue reading until it picked up.

Definitely more romance than action, which is usually not my preference, but Shiver still managed to keep my interest. Stiefvater keeps the love story more sweet romance than hot and sexy which makes it an option for younger readers or those who just don't care for the explicit stuff, and she puts a new and interesting twist on the werewolf lore. I vote for Shiver as a solid paranormal romance read and the ending doesn't disappoint.

The Cover: The spot of blood? The wolf watching from afar? So cool! Not only is it beautiful, but it absolutely captures the essence of the book! Kudos to the designer!

Linger is the next book in the series. Again, awesome cover! I can't wait for it to come out in 2010! Ugh, so long to wait!




And don't forget we have a copy of Shiver available in our MegaBook giveaway. So go to the contest post to enter. We're now up to 19 winners and will soon be announcing some great books to add. Good luck!