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Sunday 30 September 2012

Showcase Sunday (#19)


Showcase Sunday is a new weekly meme hosted by Vicky @ Books Biscuits and Tea. We will now be taking part in Showcase Sunday instead of In My Mailbox. If you'd like to join see HERE for more details.

Donna's Showcase

For Review

 
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence 
Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black 

Freebies off Amazon: 
(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads) 
Running From Fate

Bought eBooks:
(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads) 
Down to You Unravel Me My Favorite Mistake

eBooks for review:
(Click on the bookcovers to be taken to Goodreads) 
Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding, #1) All the Broken Pieces Holiday Affair
 
Thank you to K.A Linde, Entangled Publishing, Bloomsbury and Double Day.

Saturday 29 September 2012

A Review for Scarlet by A.C Gaughen


Posted by Jess
Release Date: February 14th, 2012
Finished Date: September 24th , 2012
Publishers: Bloomsbury
Source: For Review
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 286
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo


Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance.
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Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.
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It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

The Review: “I’ll keep your heart, Scar,” he whispered. “If you keep mine.”-Robin

Donna had given this to me to read. I'd been meaning to pick it up for a while, but never got around to it until last week. Like every person, I love retelling of Robin Hood. There's so much that can be done with his story, no one knows the exact history, some say he was real, others just gave the name Robin Hood to general thieves, who knows! 

Anyway, I started this book and I really enjoyed it. It's told from the point of view Will Scarlet, who is in fact a girl (this isn't a spoiler, it's in the synopsis). Scarlet was a great heroine, she was headstrong, and didn't take any crap from anybody, not even Little John who liked to dish is out. Although there were some dull moments, and I felt that sometimes Scarlets inner monologue went on longer than necessary, the story is told well, it sucks you in completely and keeps you hooked. The author managed to write as a thief would have done back in that particular century and you feel the language come alive through Scarlet and the rest of Robin's band of merry men.

Little pieces started to fall into place for me regarding Scarlet and her past, and when it was finally revealed I had the "I knew it!" reaction. As romance goes, there's a little triangle going on in this book, I'm no always one for triangles, I don't find them all that necessary. And it's the same with this, I don't think there should have been a triangle, but I guess it worked because eventually the Robin and Scarlet admit their feelings for each other. As romance for Robin, Scarlet is far better suited for Robin than Maid Marian ever was, I never liked Maid Marian anyway, always needing to be rescued, always playing the damsel in distress, this isn't the case with Scarlet. The author managed to portray Scarlet as Robin's equal, both in fight and in bravery. It just seemed the logical choice. 

The ending seemed very open to me, the way it ended regarding Guy of Gisbourne, leaves the story open for a possible sequel to Scarlet. And I would read it, I really would.

Overall, a very entertaining story, full of action, for the most part anyway. If you like the story of Robin Hood, be it the TV show, or the one with Kevin Costner, you'll definitely enjoy this. It's a good twist on the tale and it's good way to tell us more about Will Scarlet, and that maybe he was a girl...who knows. I enjoyed it, and I'm pretty sure you will too :)

Friday 28 September 2012

UK Blog Tour for Sweet Venom (Medusa Girls #1) by Tera Lynn Childs; Review + Author Interview

Sweet VenomPosted by Donna
Release Date: September 4th, 2012
Finished Date: August 29th, 2012
Publishers: Templar 
Source: ARC For Review
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Buy : Amazon UK / Amazon USThe Book Depo

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they're triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful gorgon maligned by myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.


The Review: I've been a huge fan of Tera Lynn Childs' work ever since I read her other series - Fins, so it was a given that I'd read more books from her because she's a great storyteller. 

Sweet Venom is fast paced, intriguing and likable read. While reading it, I kept picturing the TV show Charmed because there are a few similarities; 3 sisters, fighting demon's in San Francisco and they all have their first names start with the same letter - but hey, that is not a bad thing, it's pretty awesome. I loved Charmed and I really enjoyed this book. 

With the story being told from the three sister's narratives, I had to admit, I was a bit hesitant that it wouldn't work, but honestly it's impossible for it not to work. Grace, Gretchen and Greer all have different personalities, so it's not like you're reading the same character over and over. They all have completely different backgrounds which makes them strong individuals. My favourite was definitely Grace because I felt she was a little bit more laid back than the rest of her sisters and let’s not forget to mention – Milo. He’s definitely one guy to swoon over in this book, although all the sister’s do have a hint of romance in their lives, Grace’s relationship with Milo stands out the best for me. 

The storyline itself was really entertaining with enough action to keep you intrigued and excited all the way through and the Greek Mythology that was added was an extra bonus to the story too. I adore Greek Mythology and I think the author added a great spin on it. I keep waiting for it to become old but honestly, it doesn’t – I love it. 

Sweet Venom proves that Tera Lynn Childs can produce great stories full of imagination and excitement. As you already know, this wasn’t my first book by Tera and it definitely won’t be my last. 

3.5 stars! 

A big thank you Templar Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this book. 

Tera Lynn Childs
Read below for a author interview with Tera Lynn Childs.

1) Can you describe yourself in 5 words?
Inquisitive, spontaneous, planner, traveler, adventurer. 

2) What is your writing process? Do you follow a regular routine?
My process is pretty flexible and often changes from book to book. But generally I get an idea, fall in instant love with it, spend a lot of time thinking and daydreaming about it, wish I could write a spectacular outline, whine about how hard writing is, and then I just start writing the book. My routine varies, too, depending on how close I am to deadline.

3) Is there a person or place that inspires you to write?
Starbucks. Well, it's not really inspiration, but I do most of my writing out of of the house in cafes and coffee shops. I need to be away from the distractions of home and near a steady stream of caffeinated beverages.

4) What book(s) or author(s) have influenced your life and writing?
There are so many! But probably the most important are Pride and Prejudice, Julia Quinn, Jaclyn Moriarty, and The Hunger Games. 

5) How does it feel to have your work published?
Spectacular, amazing, and terrifying. It's wonderful to finally achieve a dream, but it's scary knowing that my work is out there for the world to see and judge. 

6) Do you ever read bloggers or readers reviews?
Sometimes. I have a Google alert set up and I'll go skim a review to see if I need to share it on Twitter. I try to stay far, far away from GoodReads because the worst and most painful reviews are there. For the most part, I try to ignore them so they don't influence my mood or confidence. 

7) Sweet Venom is based in San Fransisco, have you ever been there?
Yes, a few times. I've been twice specifically to research the Sweet Venom books. 

8) Are there any other countries you'd like to visit?
All of them! Seriously, I want to travel everywhere. I want to see everything and learn everything and experience everything. But if I had to make a top five list, I'd choose Japan, Peru, South Africa, Argentina, and Egypt. 

9) What are your current / future projects?
Right now I am revising the third Sweet Venom book, called Sweet Legacy. I have some other secret projects in the incubator, but nothing ready to share yet. 

10) Can you give us a teaser from Sweet Venom?
Sure. This is from the first chapter, where Gretchen is taking down a hydra in restaurant. She gets the best lines and this is one of my favorites:

The hydra’s eyes lock on mine before I drop my sunglasses back into place. Too bad my freaky hypnosis power only works on humans. Then again, that would make my job way too easy. Where’s the fun in that?

“Huntress,” he snarls.

“I prefer Gretchen. But, you know.” I flash him a bored look. “Whatever.”

Thank you for joining us Tera and for some exciting news for you fans, 
Tera is doing a live webchat on Monday 1st October at 7pm (UK time) at: chatzy.com/55708195522543 and the password is: getbitten

Thursday 27 September 2012

The Official Brightest Kind of Darkness Tour; Except + Int Giveaway



Brightest Kind of Darkness (Brightest Kind of Darkness, #1)Brightest Kind of Darkness
by P.T Michelle

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.
After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.


Lucid (Brightest Kind of Darkness, #2)Lucid (Brightest Kind of Darkness #2) 
by P.T Michelle 


Once Nara combines her prophetic ability with Ethan’s power to outsmart Fate at his own deadly cat-and-mouse game, she’s more determined than ever to help Ethan learn the meaning behind the raven sword tattoo that suddenly appeared on his back after their confrontation with Fate. During her quest to uncover the tattoo’s secrets, Nara enlists the help of some new friends and discovers her own surprising connection to Ethan.While Nara digs deeper into the mystery, her desire for answers leads her down a dangerous path full of powerful and ruthless enemies. Swept into an age-old battle, Nara quickly learns that keeping one’s enemies close can be a necessary evil, making an intangible enemy she can control far more preferable to the human enemies she can’t.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Waiting on Wednesday (#28)

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

Jess's WoW
Breathe (Breathe
by Sarah Crossan
Release date: October 2nd, 2012
<

Inhale. Exhale.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe . . .
The world is dead.
The survivors live under the protection of Breathe, the corporation that found a way to manufacture oxygen-rich air.

Alina
has been stealing for a long time. She's a little jittery, but not terrified. All she knows is that she's never been caught before. If she's careful, it'll be easy. If she's careful.

Quinn
should be worried about Alina and a bit afraid for himself, too, but even though this is dangerous, it's also the most interesting thing to happen to him in ages. It isn't every day that the girl of your dreams asks you to rescue her.

Bea
wants to tell him that none of this is fair; they'd planned a trip together, the two of them, and she'd hoped he'd discover her out here, not another girl.

And as they walk into the Outlands with two days' worth of oxygen in their tanks, everything they believe will be shattered. Will they be able to make it back? Will they want to?
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Jess's Thoughts: Came across this one by chance on GR. Read the blurb and decided I had to have it. It sounds fantastic! I'm a huge Dystopian fan and I honestly cannot wait to read it!

Donna's WoW
Mystic City (Mystic City, #1) Mystic City 
by Theo Lawrence 
Release date: October 9th, 2012


For fans of Matched, The Hunger Games, X-Men, and Blade Runner comes a tale of a magical city divided, a political rebellion ignited, and a love that was meant to last forever. Book One of the Mystic City Novels.

Aria Rose, youngest scion of one of Mystic City's two ruling rival families, finds herself betrothed to Thomas Foster, the son of her parents' sworn enemies. The union of the two will end the generations-long political feud—and unite all those living in the Aeries, the privileged upper reaches of the city, against the banished mystics who dwell below in the Depths. But Aria doesn't remember falling in love with Thomas; in fact, she wakes one day with huge gaps in her memory. And she can't conceive why her parents would have agreed to unite with the Fosters in the first place. Only when Aria meets Hunter, a gorgeous rebel mystic from the Depths, does she start to have glimmers of recollection—and to understand that he holds the key to unlocking her past. The choices she makes can save or doom the city—including herself.


Donna's thoughts: I only came across this book the other day but this book sounds amazing. I love the concept and I'm eager to see how the romance story playing out. Definitely one I'll be looking into getting. 
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What's your "waiting on" pick this week?
Want to participate? 
Grab the logo, post your own WoW entry on your blog, and leave your link at Breaking the Spine. 
Happy Reading!
 
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