1/31/13

KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY!



All of these Book Blogs chipped in for this fantastic giveaway! 


Be sure to visit each one to increase your odds of winning!


  1. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
  2. Isis Rushdan
  3. Living, Learning, Loving Life
  4. Reading Renee
  5. Always YA at Heart
  6. Kelly's Lucky You
  7. Girls With Books
  8. Miss Remmers' Reviews
  9. Step Into Fiction
  10. Jessabella Reads
  11. Doorkeeper
  12. Mother Daughter & Son Books Reviews
  13. Wholly Books
  14. Kaisy Daisy's Corner
  15. Suspense Author Kim Cresswell
  16. Joyous Reads
  17. Bookitty Blog
  18. Splash of Our Worlds
  19. Books 4 Tomorrow
  20. Fae Books
  21. Good Choice Reading
  22. Books R Us
  23. Fantasy Book Addicts
  24. Publishing the Paranormal
  25. Frankie Blooding's Bookshelf
  26. Under A Gray Sky
  27. Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf
  28. Bookhounds
  29. Vamp and Stuff
  30. Oh, The Books You'll Read!



3 Prizes - 3 Winners
7" Kindle Fire HD + $50 Amazon Gift Card ($250 value)
$50 Amazon Gift Card
$25 Amazon Gift Card

Last day to enter - 2/28/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Prize will be delivered in the form of the winners choice of either an Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.



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Printed Books Giveaway Hop






Welcome to the  PRINTED BOOKS Giveaway Hop! 

This hop is hosted by: 
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (HERE


There are pver 100 blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts February 1st and and ends on February 7th,  midnight. 



HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:









Want to win these ARC books?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address within the free shipping areas of The Book Depository.
Contest ends on 2.7.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Duplicate entries will be deleted.  Void where prohibited.
This giveaway is sponsored by me and ONE book is available.

Complete the below form 

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Interview CANDICE DOW author of The Ex Wife @CandiceDow @GrandCentralPub


PLEASE WELCOME CANDICE DOW TO BOOKHOUNDS

What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

A Curious George book. I can't remember which one but I know I read it all the time on my bottom bunk. 

What are you reading right now?

Shred, The Revolutionary Diet

What is the last thing you Googled?

Muhummad Ali Quotes
What makes you cringe?

Blood and needles, especially when its one of my kids



Book Description

January 29, 2013

From award-winning author Candice Dow comes a raw, sizzling, and emotional novel about a woman who must fight for what she wants-before she loses everything . . . 

THE EX-WIFE

She's the hottest relationship expert around. Her get-real advice and tough-world experience have earned Ayana Blue money, fame, and a successful life she never imagined. And handsome Realtor Cameron Small is the sexy, steady Mr. Right she wasn't looking for yet always hoped she'd find. But Cam's unstable, in-denial ex-wife, Yasmin, isn't about to let him go-or allow anyone else take "her place." And if that means wrecking everything Ayana has worked so hard to build, then so be it.

Now with her peace of mind shattered, her private business in the hole, and her reputation on the line, Ayana needs to figure out fast which dreams she can save, and what she'll have to let go. When it comes down to the ex-wife v. the next-wife, the only thing guaranteed is a scorched-earth battle-and it's winner takes all . . .


About the Author
Candice Dow is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Johns Hopkins University. She resides in Maryland with her son and loves to travel. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Candice is the author of six novels and is currently hard at work on her next.

For more information visit http://www.candicedow.com/



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YOU CAN ENTER TO WIN A COPY HERE



1/30/13

Waiting on Wednesday TOWERING by ALEX FLINN @harperteen


"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at  Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:






Book Description

May 14, 2013 Kendra Chronicles
New York Times #1 bestselling author Alex Flinn reimagined the fairy tale Beauty and the Beast in Beastly and gave a twist to the story of Sleeping Beauty in A Kiss in Time.

Now with her gothic and darkly romantic YA novel Towering, Alex Flinn retells the tale of Rapunzel.

When Rachel was taken to live in a tower by a woman she calls Mama, she was excited. She felt like a princess in a castle. But many years later, Rachel knows her palace is really a prison, and begins to plan her escape. She is encouraged by the speed that her golden hair has been growing. It’s gotten long enough to reach the ground. And she’s begun dreaming of a green-eyed man. Could he be out there in the world? Is he coming to save her? Or will she find a way to save herself?

1/29/13

Giveaway Review Interview THE TYPEWRITER GIRL by ALISON ATLEE



Book Description

January 29, 2013

ALL BETSEY DOBSON HAS EVER ASKED IS THE CHANCE TO BE VIEWED ON HER OWN MERITS, BUT IN A MAN’S WORLD, THAT IS THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN

When Betsey disembarks from the London train in the seaside resort of Idensea, all she owns is a small valise and a canary in a cage. After attempting to forge a letter of reference she knew would be denied her, Betsey has been fired from the typing pool of her previous employer. Her vigorous protest left one man wounded, another jilted, and her character permanently besmirched. Now, without money or a reference for her promised job, the future looks even bleaker than the debacle behind her. But her life is about to change . . . because a young Welshman on the railroad quay, waiting for another woman, is the one man willing to believe in her.

Mr. Jones is inept in matters of love, but a genius at things mechanical. In Idensea, he has constructed a glittering pier that astounds the wealthy tourists. And in Betsey, he recognizes the ideal tour manager for the Idensea Pier & Pleasure Building Company. After a lifetime of guarding her secrets and breaking the rules, Betsey becomes a force to be reckoned with. Now she faces a challenge of another sort: not only to outrun her sins, but also to surrender to the reckless tides of love. . . .






About the Author
Alison Atlee spent her childhood re-enacting Little Women and trying to fashion nineteenth century wardrobes for her Barbie dolls. Happily, these activities turned out to be good preparation for writing historical novels. She now lives in Kentucky.

SOURCE: PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT


Betsey works at an insurance company as a TypeWriter Girl, typing endlessly and monotonously day after day. She dreams of a better life and more independence, something women have little hope of during the nineteenth century. Moving against convention, Betsey take a chance when she is offered a job in Idensea on the ocean, booking tours for day trippers. She has no experience but enough gumption to try anything to get out of her rut and no chance for advancement. The problem Betsey really faces is that in order to get the job, she must have letters of reference and those cannot be obtained since she has been caught forging them at work.

As she quits her job and takes a chance, traveling to Idensea and convincing John Jones that she is the perfect person to do the job. Once installed, Betsey does succeed but not without a few roadblocks and falling for Mr. Jones. There is a wide cast of characters and minor details wound around Betsey's drive to an independent life, most of which conspire against her as a young woman with liberated mind. I felt so angry at how she was treated by the patriarchal males but heartened by the fact that she never gave up even when she really had no hope. Not that Betsey was very innocent either, she would lie, cheat and steal to get ahead although she was more a victim than victor.

While I though at first, there was no happy every after for Betsey, but she still stuck to her convictions, even though I think I would have been crushed by everything that happened to her. It seems no matter how much she tried to connive and outsmart the males, they just dominated over her with shear will and legal right. John Jones seemed to be truly in love with her but in the end, he himself, succumbed to convention and dumped her to marry for money. One point though, the girl he is marrying, ends up pregnant by another man, so in fact she is marrying down. BUT, true love does finally win at the end when John realizes his mistake before it is all to late and they do get their HEA. This should appeal to fans of Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey.


PLEASE WELCOME ALISON ATLEE TO BOOKHOUNDS


1. What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

My first grade reader. I got in trouble for reading ahead and not knowing the place when it was my turn to read aloud.
2. What are you reading right now?

I always have several books going at once, but for my serious, sink-in, cup-of-tea, it’s-all-about-the-reading reading, I just started The Sisters by Nancy Jensen.

3. How does your garden grow?

From daydream wells and typewriter bells, and jumbly words all at a row.
4. What is the last thing you Googled?

Something to rhyme with “infernal.”

5. What makes you cringe?


Raw mushrooms.





--



WANT TO WIN A Copy OF THIS BOOK?
Open to US mailing addresses only.  No Po Boxes
Complete the below form 
Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with reliable mailing address 
Void where prohibited. Sorry, no PO Boxes
Contest ends on 2.10.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Only one winner per mailing address.  Multiple entries will be deleted. 
This giveaway is sponsored by the Publisher and ONE BOOK is available.

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Giveaway + Review THE EX WIFE by CANDICE DOW @CandiceDow @GrandCentralPub


Book Description

January 29, 2013

From award-winning author Candice Dow comes a raw, sizzling, and emotional novel about a woman who must fight for what she wants-before she loses everything . . . 

THE EX-WIFE

She's the hottest relationship expert around. Her get-real advice and tough-world experience have earned Ayana Blue money, fame, and a successful life she never imagined. And handsome Realtor Cameron Small is the sexy, steady Mr. Right she wasn't looking for yet always hoped she'd find. But Cam's unstable, in-denial ex-wife, Yasmin, isn't about to let him go-or allow anyone else take "her place." And if that means wrecking everything Ayana has worked so hard to build, then so be it.

Now with her peace of mind shattered, her private business in the hole, and her reputation on the line, Ayana needs to figure out fast which dreams she can save, and what she'll have to let go. When it comes down to the ex-wife v. the next-wife, the only thing guaranteed is a scorched-earth battle-and it's winner takes all . . .


About the Author
Candice Dow is a native of Baltimore, Maryland and graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Johns Hopkins University. She resides in Maryland with her son and loves to travel. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Candice is the author of six novels and is currently hard at work on her next.

For more information visit http://www.candicedow.com/


SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Ayana has worked hard and it has all paid off. She currently has a booming psychology practice, two bestsellers, a call in radio show and is about to buy her first home. When a mutual friend introduces her to Cameron, a hot shot real estate agent, she is completely take with him, so much so, that she sleeps with him that night.  OK, now, everything happens really organically and the author builds the immediate attraction between them, that there is no other way they can not get together.  It is really love at first sight for the both of them.  And, yes, I was yelling at Ayala, NO!  don't do that,. you are an extremely educated women who deals in relationships, you should know better.  Well, she didn't listen to me.

The next day at work Ayala gets a foul online call that calls her a homewrecker and accuses her of sleeping with a married man.  She immediately breaks it off with Cameron and he pleads with her that the divorce is almost final.  This ex seems the stuff Fatal Attraction was made from and everything starts to happen except the bunny on the stove.  Ayala's new home is vandalized, her car is stolen, she gets threatening messages every where she turns.  Of course, this might cause the weakest of women to give up, but Ayala sees something in Cameron.  He stayed married to the crazy woman, Yasmin, because they had a son together until she threw an affair right in his face and he could no longer ignore her baiting him.

I really liked all of the characters, even Yasmin, crazy as she could be, just seemed a little off and needed to grow up.  The story is told in alternating view points between these characters and was a good way to show that Yasmin wasn't quite as crazy as she appeared.  OH!  And there is a magnificent plot twist towards the end that had me yelling YES!  This was really a fun and quick read, just perfect for an afternoon when you need to get lost in something crazy.










WANT TO WIN A Copy OF THIS BOOK?
Open to US mailing addresses only.  No Po Boxes
Complete the below form 
Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with reliable mailing address 
Void where prohibited. Sorry, no PO Boxes
Contest ends on 2.9.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Only one winner per mailing address.  Multiple entries will be deleted. 
This giveaway is sponsored by the Publisher and ONE BOOK is available.

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1/28/13

GIVEAWAY Young Adult Hop WIN The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa






Welcome to the  YOUNG ADULT Giveaway Hop! 



This hop is hosted by: 
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (HERE
BookLove101 (HERE)





There are over 200 blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts January 29th and and ends on February 4th,  midnight. 



HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:








Want to win this ARC book?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address within the free shipping areas of The Book Depository.
Contest ends on 2.4.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Duplicate entries will be deleted.  Void where prohibited.
This giveaway is sponsored by me and ONE book is available.

Complete the below form 

Follow Me
Extra Entries
+1 Follow me on Twitter HERE 
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+1 Follow my reviews on Goodreads HERE
(I am at my limit of friends!)

Book Blast & Guest Post LEOPARD MOON by JEANETTE BATTISTA


To help spread the word about the fact that Jeanette Battista's LEOPARD MOON, the first book in the Moon series, is available for free at Amazon for the Kindle until the end of the month we've invited the author to the blog to share a guest post about her experience writing the book.

The Moon series consists of four books - LEOPARD MOON, JACKAL MOON, HYENA MOON and HUNTER MOON - and is a series author Melissa Marr says, "... is filled with action and romance, shape shifters and strong heroines."

To check out all the books in the series on Goodreads, CLICK HERE.

The guest post follows below, but first here's some information about the awesome book and author and places you can find them both online!


About the Book

Title: LEOPARD MOON (Moon Series #1)
Author: Jeanette Battista
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release date: March 7, 2012
Pages: 204
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

***Kindle format free at Amazon - HERE***

Description:

How do you disappear when you come from a family of predators?

A wereleopard, Kess is forced to flee her home and family in Miami once her brother's obsession with her turns violent. She runs from city to city, trying to stay one step ahead of the investigators her family has dispatched to bring her home. Kess ends up in the mountains of North Carolina and attracts the attention of Cormac, a young man with a secret of his own. As she attempts to live as normal a life as her were-nature allows, her brother Sek continues to hunt for her. He believes she is the key to revitalizing their weakened clan and is driven to extreme measures to ensure their continued existence. As Kess' relationship with Cormac deepens, Sek closes in, threatening Cormac's life and Kess' freedom.

When the moon rises, the hunt is on….


Dimitri Williams Photography
Source: Author's website
About the Author

Jeanette Battista graduated with an English degree with a concentration in medieval literature which explains her possibly unhealthy fixation on edged weapons and cathedral architecture. She spent a summer in England and Scotland studying the historical King Arthur, which did nothing to curb her obsession. To satisfy her adrenaline cravings—since sword fighting is not widely accepted in these modern times—she rode a motorcycle at ridiculously high speeds, got some tattoos, and took kickboxing and boxing classes. She gave up the bike when her daughter came along, although she still gets pummeled at the gym on a regular basis.

When she’s not writing or working, Jeanette spends time with family, hikes, reads, makes decadent brownies, buys killer boots, and plays Pocket Frogs. She wishes there were more hours in the day so she could actually do more of these things. She lives with her daughter and their ancient, ill-tempered cat in North Carolina.

Find her: Goodreads | Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook


I'll be honest--I wasn't planning to write a book like Leopard Moon. I had an entirely different story in my head at the time, but it just wasn't coming into clear focus. That's the funny way writing works though: there I am, sitting at a red light on my way to meet my friends for a birthday martini and pedicure, listening to Florence + the Machine and WHAM! The song Howl comes on and this whole lovely scene just starts unfolding in my head. There was Kess, running through the woods, ripping off of her clothes as she triggered a change into a black leopard. And there was Cormac, standing in a different part of the woods being beaten mercilessly by the villain. I didn't know Sek was going to turn out to be Kess' brother, but I did know who he was as a character and what he wanted.

It was truly a gift: the entire final fight scene just unspooled itself along with the song lyrics. Each beat of the song matched a key point in the fight. The more I listened, the more I realized that the lyrics could apply to all of the characters in the main triangle at some point in the story I suddenly wanted to tell. And I wanted that story to be more than just boy meeting girl--I wanted that story to be about girl saving boy, but more importantly about girl saving herself. The song Howl gave me Kess first and Sekhmet second, so a lot of what I tried to do with them was to show them as two halves of a whole, two sides of a coin. Howl, at least to me, wasn't a love song at all--it was a song about possession and obsession and all of those things that show up in our animal drives. that we'd like to forget exists.

So when I began to craft Kess and Sek, Howl played on a continuous loop. And though the song speaks of wolves, I knew these two had to be cats. Wolves have a more social nature and are more easily understood by us--I think it comes from them being a a precursor to our beloved dogs. Cats are an unknown quantity, strange and separate, even if they choose to share space with us. I wanted real darkness there, not just a brief bit of danger that would be easily resolved. Obsession and mental illness gave Sek that scariness, but also--I hope--a bit of sympathy. He really does love his sister and wants what is best for her and his clan. I never intended to excuse his behavior, but I did want to try and understand it.

Just like the song made me understand that narrator of that story. I can only hope I did half so well.

***
To meet Kess, Cormac and Sek in this first book in the Moon series, head over to Amazon to download the Kindle eBook for free until January 31st.

It can be found HERE!

1/26/13

Review THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER by MEGAN SHEPHERD @HarperTeen @megan_shepherd


Book Description

January 29, 2013 Madman's Daughter - Trilogy

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.
Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. MoreauThe Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

About the Author
Megan Shepherd grew up in her family's independent bookstore in North Carolina. An avid reader and world traveler who spent several years in the Peace Corps, Megan now lives with her husband in Asheville, North Carolina. The Madman's Daughter is her first novel.

SOURCE:  AMAZON VINE

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Juliet has had her life turned upside down by her father who abandon her mother when she was a young child.  Her mother made do, barely surviving until Juliet turned sixteen and then died of consumption.  With no other way to survive, one of her father's coworkers at a medical university helps get her a job as a maid cleaning up the surgery.  She must deal with a doctor who would like to get to "know" her better and all of the other medical student with whom she has superior knowledge of physiology.  The scandal that caused her father to leave was that he was conducting vivisection.  

Just when Juliet has enough, her childhood friend and her father's protege, Montgomery, appears back in her life and she discovers that her father is still alive.  She demands that he take her to the island where her father is now living.  Yes, the Island of Dr. Moreau!  This heavenly Victorian Gothic plays fast and heavy.  I adored the movie (in all campyness) and this is a great take on the story.  You get all the creepiness through Juliet's eyes as she unravels just what her father has been doing in his experiments.  Of course, everything goes awry and Juliet must decide exactly what is wrong and right in this island world.  

Of course, there is a set up for the obligatory love triangle between her childhood sweetheart of Montgomery and a rescued from the sea Edward.  Edward doesn't appear to be too truthful to me, so I have to read the next book to see if my instincts are correct in this matter.  There is also the matter of her father's "creations" and at the end, there is an amazing twist I didn't see coming.  For that alone, you need to read this book.  Parents:  There is some kissing, some full fledged horror here and a bit of violence.







1/25/13

FURday PhoDOGraphy

Last night, 9pm

SERIOUSLY.
You need to turn the computer off and go to sleep.  It is WAY past my bedtime.

1/24/13

Q+A & Review THE DARKNESS DWELLERS by KIRSTEN MILLER @bankstirregular @bwkids



Book Description

January 22, 2013 Kiki Strike
First they ventured deep under New York to save the city itself. Then things got personal as the Irregulars ventured into a haunted mansion in Chinatown to uncover an evil twin. Now, in the third installment of bestselling author Kirsten Miller's Kiki Strike series, this delightful group of delinquent geniuses jump feet first into a fast-paced international pursuit, going underground in Paris to pursue a pair of treacherous royals who have killed Kiki's parents. With a dash of romance, a fresh take on good manners, and loads of butt-kicking bravery, Kiki, Betty, Ananka and the other Irregulars sharpen their amazing skills in this highly anticipated new adventure.

About the Author
KIRSTEN MILLER grew up in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. At seventeen, she hit the road and moved to New York City, where she lives to this day. She is the author of two other Kiki Strike books, as well as the bestselling The Eternal Ones and All You Desire.

Find Kirsten:  www.kikistrike.com  twitter  blog Goodreads

SOURCE:  PUBLISHER

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Kiki is off to Pokrovia to track down her aunt for the crime of murdering her parents and finally put her in jail but in Kiki's world, nothing is ever easy.  With the Irregulars backing her up, she takes off and ends up in Paris, where she is kidnapped.  So there are about six,m or it seems, subplots going on while Kiki is stuck in Paris trying to get the proof to pin her parents' murder on her aunt and you can only hope that she succeeds.  This is also where Kiki hooks up with the Darkness Dwellers who protect the Catacombs there.

The girls:  Ananka, Betty and Oona are back in New York trying to help. Oona's long lost twin, Lili, is causing her grief by pretending to be her as well as racking up bills and stealing all over town.   Betty gets the offer of a lifetime to be an assistant to the headmistress (Ms. Beuaregard),  of a mysterious girls' school that promises to rehabilitate the rebellious. So Betty jumps on the chance and gets to travel to Paris where is forced to help Ms. Beuaregard clear her boyfriend's name.  Ananka finds herself falling in love with Betty's boyfriend in the meantime.  Oh and Molly, a former student of Ms. Beuaregard and friend of Ananka comes back to settle a score with the school.  Whew!

The outcome of that will have you relieved and all of the threads are mostly sorted out and tied up which disappoints me since I have just realized that the series is possibly over.  I so enjoy the girls and their growth over through these delightful books that I am going to miss them.  I did force the first book on my book club and we gleefully read the second but were sad that it took soo long to get to the conclusion.  I highly recommend this series to adults and young teens since they are so full of positive messages.  They have just the right combination of adventure, thrills and a bit of romance.




PLEASE WELCOME KIRSTEN TO BOOKHOUNDS




1.      What is the first book you remember reading by yourself as a child?

The Amityville Horror. No kidding. I’m sure I read other stuff before jumping into the horror genre, but Amityville was the first book that really made a big impression on me. (Especially the red-eyed pig demon. Wow. I just shivered as I wrote that.)

One of my aunts left the book at my house when I was around seven years old and my parents were very amused to see me reading it. Needless to say, I STILL sleep with the lights on.


2.      What are you reading right now?

I usually read about five things at once. (A really bad habit.) Right now I’m reading . . .

The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Bring Up the Bodies
Telegraph Avenue (by my favorite author, Michael Chabon)

And I just bought an e-book of Harriet the Spy which I intend to re-read over the next day or so.


3.      How does your garden grow?

With lots and lots of compost. If I want it to “grow” anything good, my brain needs to be fertilized on a daily basis. I read voraciously. I watch waaaay too many shows on Bigfoot. (Compost isn’t just wood chips, you know.) But the best way to fertilize my brain, I’ve found, is to throw on a coat and take a long walk through the streets of New York (my hometown). I almost always return with some little tidbit that will make its way into one of my books.


4.      What is the last thing you Googled?

**Taking a moment to check browser history** It was “Robot Evite.” But that’s a very dangerous question to ask a writer—particularly one like me. I’m constantly Googling things that might end up in one of my (rather bizarre books). Various poisons. Libyan desert glass (which I was Googling yesterday). Man-eating mammals. The latest Bigfoot-related news. You get the picture.


5. What makes you cringe?

Eggs. I can barely stand the sight of them. A few years back, I tried a fried egg on a dare and I thought I was going to die of disgust.




WANT TO WIN A COPY OF THE FIRST TWO KIKI STRIKE BOOKS? 

Go to my YA blog HERE






1/23/13

Waiting on Wednesday THE ELITE by KIERA CASS @HarperTeen



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at  Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:








Book Description

April 23, 2013
Kiera Cass’s The Elite is a must-read for fans of dystopian fiction, fairy tales, and reality TV. This sequel to The Selection will enchant teens who love Divergent and The Bachelor.

In America Singer’s world, a bride is chosen for the prince through an elaborate televised competition. In the second book of the Selection series, America is one of only six girls left in the running. But is it Prince Maxon—and life as the queen—she wants? Or is it Aspen, her first love?

The Elite delivers the adventure, glamour, political intrigue, and romance readers of The Selection expect, and continues the love triangle that captivated them.




1/21/13

GIVEAWAY Back to the Future WIN The Demi Monde by Rod Rees






Welcome to the  BACK TO THE FUTURE Giveaway Hop! 



This hop is hosted by: 
I Am a Reader, Not a Writer (HERE
BookHaven Extraordinaire  (HERE)





There are almost 100 blogs participating and each has their own entry rules and geographic limits, so be sure to read the rules for each one.  This hop starts January 22nd and and ends on January 28th,  midnight. 



HERE IS WHAT I HAVE FOR ONE LUCKY WINNER:



The Demi-Monde:

1. A subclass of society whose members embrace a decadent lifestyle and evince loose morals.

2. A shadow world where the norms of civilized behavior have been abandoned.

3. A massive multiple-player simulation technology that re-creates in a wholly realistic cyber-milieu the threat-ambiance and no-warning aspects of a hi-intensity, deep-density, urban Asymmetric Warfare Environment.

4. Hell.

Welcome to the Demi-Monde, the ultimate in virtual reality--a military training ground and vivid, simulated world of cruelty and chaos run by psychopaths, madmen and fanatics.

If you die here, you die in the Real World . . .

In the year 2018, the Demi-Monde is the most sophisticated, complex and unpredictable computer simulation ever created, devised specifically to train soldiers for the nightmarish reality of urban warfare. A virtual world of eternal civil conflict, its thirty million inhabitants--"Dupes"--are ruled by cyber-duplicates of some of history's cruelest tyrants: the fanatical Nazi butcher Reinhard Heydrich; Stalin's arch executioner Lavrentii Beria; the torture-loving Grand Inquisitor Tomas de Torquemada; the Reign of Terror's bloodthirsty mastermind Maximilien Robespierre.

But something has gone horribly wrong inside the Demi-Monde, and the U.S. president's daughter, Norma, has been lured into this terrifying shadow world, only to be trapped there. Her last hope of rescue is Ella Thomas, an eighteen-year-old jazz singer and very reluctant heroine. But when Ella infiltrates the Demi-Monde and begins her hunt for Norma, she soon discovers the walls containing the evils of this simulated environment are dissolving--and the Real World is in far more danger than anyone knows. With the help of resistors determined to understand their world, Ella must race to save Norma and stop an apocalypse . . . but the clock is ticking.

Blending fact and fantasy, history and religion, military and existential themes, epic adventure and dark wit, dystopia and steampunk in a wholly original and driving narrative stream, The Demi-Monde: Winter is inventive fiction at its finest.

Want to win this BRAND NEW book?

Contest is open to anyone over 13 years old with a reliable mailing address within the free shipping areas of The Book Depository.
Contest ends on 1.28.13 Winner will be chosen by Random.org 
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST
Winner will have 48 hours to respond to email or a new winner will be chosen.
Duplicate entries will be deleted.  Void where prohibited.
This giveaway is sponsored by me and ONE book is available.

Complete the below form 

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