Saturday 21 July 2012

In My Mailbox (37).



In My Mailbox Is A Weekly Meme Hosted By Kristi 
The Story Siren.


Review.
Losing Lila (Lila #2) - Sarah Alderson (Simon And Schuster Australia)
Two Weeks Notice (Revivalist #2) - Rachel Caine (Penguin Australia)
The Traitors - Tom Becker (Scholastic Australia)
Ransomwood - Sherryl Jordan (Scholastic Australia)
When It Happens - Susane Colasanti (Scholastic Australia)
The Interrogation Of Ashala Wolf (The Tribe #1) - Ambelin Kwaymullina (Walker Books Australia)
Children Of The In-Between - Jodee Taylah (Toxic Apple Studios)
Brought.
Dark Water (Siren #3) - Tricia Rayburn
The Forsaken (The Forsaken #1) - Lisa M. Stasse
Such A Rush - Jennifer Echols
Shadow Of Night (All Soul's Trilogy #2) - Deborah Harkness
Fever Moon: The Fear Dorcha - Karen Marie Moning




Book Review (113): Lord Of Fire And Ice - Connie Mason & Mia Marlowe


Lord of Fire and Ice

I love to read historical romance's, especially when we have a feisty heroine and a sexy, manly hero.
 "So That's The Great And Mighty Brandr", A grumbling voice said from somewhere above him.
And that's how we first meet Brandr the Far-Traveled, unconscious,tied up, naked and fitted with an iron thrall's collar around his neck.
He is delivered to Katla The Black as a slave to do her bidding, at first hesitant it isn't until she discovers who he is and that his father Ulf was responsible for the death of her first husband she agrees, her brothers who were responsible for the drugging and kidnapping of Brandr tell her she has to find a husband, they will present her with three men whom she will choose to wed.
But what happens when Katla and Brandr develop feelings for each other?
I love the fact that the hero is a Viking and even more that he ended up being a Fire Mage as well, I love the added bonus of a bit of paranormal into the story.
The ancient customs of the Vikings were very interesting and added a lot of realism to the story, I especially loved the wedding ceremony, the traditions of it, it was so sweet.
Of course this book is not without some action, and we have the hero and heroine fighting to save Katla's home from people wanting to take it over and all the other homesteads around it.
There's ship battles, sword fights and action aplenty which gives an exciting aspect and will keep you entertained all the way throughout.
The collaboration between Mason and Marlowe worked extremely well and I hope to read further work from these two in the future.
I give this 4/5.




Friday 20 July 2012

Cover Reveal: The Keep - Veronica Wolff


The Keep (The Watchers #4) - Veronica Wolff

Released: June 2013

Blog Tour: First Frost - Liz DeJesus - Book Review (112).


I'm very excited to be today's stop on the First Frost tour.
As my part of the tour I will be putting up a review for this book.

First Frost

I am a big fan of fairytale retellings, and this one did not let me down.
First Frost is a story full of adventure, humour, magic and love.
Set in the modern day, Bianca and her Mum run a museum filled with artifacts from famous fairytales, unknown to Bianca the artifacts are real and the museum has been run by the Frost family for generations, what Bianca doesn't know that as well as fairytales being real she is also descended from Snow White, and oh she's also a witch!
After her Mum is kidnapped by an evil witch, Bianca sets out with her best friend Ming to go and save her, which means stepping into a portal into another world called Everafter where all the fairytales took place.
And of course they run into the obligatory Prince Charming who's aim in life is to save a Princess or a damsel in distress.
What about you? Change your mind about Prince Ferdinand yet?" "Prince I-Love-Myself-More-Than-Anyone? Blah, blah, blah, I'm a Prince. Blah, blah, blah, I have a castle. Yeah, right. I'd rather deal with the Neanderthals in school than the Prince...even if he is royalty."
I love how he's exactly how you'd imagine a Prince from a fairytale to be, he is also traveling with a childhood friend Terrance, whom Bianca becomes quite interested in.
So with their group they set off for the evil witch's castle to rescue Bianca's Mum with some help from some of the museum's artifacts.
Along the way Bianca get's to use her witch powers to aid them and practice's for when she meets up with the evil witch.
"I think I'm gonna throw up!' she shouted as she looked down to where her friends were. "Don't blow chinks down here, B. I didn't bring any shampoo so if I smell like vomit I'm gonna have to stop being friends with you for a while. I mean it," Ming shouted back. "I'll try." "Don't...blow...chunks!" Ming shouted.
There are some famous fairytale characters that appear in Everafter, and it was really exciting the way that they were written into the storyline , and I think it added more to the general story the way that they interacted with Bianca and her friends.
I really loved the romance that developed between Rose and Terrance and I can't wait to see where their relationship will go in the next book especially after the ending, which had me wishing that I had the second book waiting and ready to be read!
I can't wait to read more from this author her writing is fresh and exciting.
I give this 4/5.



Liz DeJesus was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. She is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007), The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 31st 2011) and First Frost (Musa Publishing, June 2012). Liz is currently working on a new novel.

Find Liz:

e is a novelist and a poet. She has been writing for as long as she was capable of holding a pen. She is the author of the novel Nina (Blu Phi'er Publishing, October 2007) and The Jackets (Arte Publico Press, March 31st 2011). Liz is currently working on a new novel.





Feature And Follow Friday (35).


Q: Christmas in July! Someone gives you a gift card for two books (whatever that costs). What two books will you buy?

I would pick Significance - Shelly Crane (just found this on Goodreads today, it sounds really good!), and Harry Potter Stage To Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey - Bob McCabe I've wanted this for so long but it's so expensive!


Thursday 19 July 2012

Upcoming Books That Don't Yet Have Covers.


Mystique

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Waiting On Wednesday.


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking The Spine where you can spotlight an upcoming release that you're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on....


The Nightmare Affair

When a fire consumes Meg's home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key-a key only Meg can use- that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg has no choice but to follow. She has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect, and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg will be swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny.
Expected publication: March 2013 by Simon Pulse

The Haven
For the teens at The Haven, the outside world, just beyond the towering stone wall that surrounds the premises, is a dangerous unknown. It has always been this way, ever since the hospital was established in the year 2020. But The Haven is more than just a hospital; it is their home. It is all they know. Everything is strictly monitored: education, exercise, food, and rest. The rules must be followed to keep the children healthy, to help control the Disease that has cast them as Terminals, the Disease that claims limbs and lungs—and memories. 

But Shiloh is different; she remembers everything. Gideon is different, too. He dreams of a cure, of rebellion against the status quo. What if everything they’ve been told is a lie? What if The Haven is not the safe place it claims to be? And what will happen if Shiloh starts asking dangerous questions?
Expected publication: April 16th 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin
Shadowlands
Rory Miller had one chance to fight back and she took it. Rory survived … and the serial killer who attacked her escaped. Now that the infamous Steven Nell is on the loose, Rory must enter the witness protection with her father and sister, Darcy, leaving their friends and family without so much as a goodbye. 

Starting over in a new town with only each other is unimaginable for Rory and Darcy. They were inseparable as children, but now they can barely stand each other. As the sisters settle in to Juniper Landing, a picturesque vacation island, it seems like their new home may be just the fresh start they need. They fall in with a group of beautiful, carefree teens and spend their days surfing, partying on the beach, and hiking into endless sunsets. But just as they’re starting to feel safe again, one of their new friends goes missing. Is it a coincidence? Or is the nightmare beginning all over again?
Expected publication: January 2013 by Hyperion Book CH
Spirit and Dust
Speaking to the dead is no new thing for Daisy Goodnight. The living, on the other hand, can occasionally be a problem. Especially when they knock you out, kidnap you, and force you to be their magical police dog. 

Donald Maguire—mob boss, extraordinaire—has a missing daughter and Daisy is his first choice to track her down. But he didn't actually ask her for help. When she woke up in his guest bedroom, she was told. But why her? And who—or what—in the world is the Black Jackal?
Expected publication: May 14th 2013 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers