Giveaways | JJ iReads
JJ iReads
未曾有の体感 | シアリス~第三のED治療の要~
JJ iReads
朝飲んで夜に効く | シアリス~第三のED治療の要~
JJ iReads: June 2012
11 June 2012
Caged Moon by Rachel Deagan [Blog Tour: Book Review, Excerpt, and a Giveaway]

Caged Moon
by Rachel Deagan
260 pages
Original Release Date: January 18, 2012
2nd Edition Release Date: May 8, 2012
*Second Edition containing full edits and additional updates on the Caged Moon Trilogy*Source: Review Copy
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Haunted by an animal attack, seventeen year old Charlotte feels she is being followed. When she runs into a mysterious boy while camping, she’s afraid. Nothing seems right about him. Despite trying to stay away, there is an unmistakable draw to be near him. Even his scent smells familiar. But the closer she gets, the faster the secrets begin to unravel. Not only is he not human, he may have a link to her past. When Charlotte finds out someone wants her dead, she is torn between love and fear. Can she trust him to keep her safe.
Excerpt
He rounded the couch and sat back down on the coffee table. His legs opened to each side of mine and he took my hands. “I just don’t want to talk about my brother.” His expression seemed sad, lost. “I don’t want you to leave.”
“Why do you care so much about me? Is it my scar?”
His fingers squeezed mine. “I didn’t know about your scar when I first met you. I liked you then.”
A feeling of defensiveness came over me out of nowhere and I didn’t know why. “Cause if you think just because a wolf bit me I’m going to go all canine on you, I’ll save you the trouble now. I’m not. It happened eleven years ago. Nothing. So if all I am is some pet project of yours, you might as well forget it. I’m human and always will be.”
Maybe I really should have left.
Liam’s lower lip caught mine and all the air vanished from my lungs. I couldn’t even remember what I just said, and when he pulled back, I realized I had closed my eyes.
His chest rumbled a few inches from mine. I could tell he struggled to remain in human form. I didn’t move.
“Maybe you shouldn’t kiss me,” I whispered.
“I’d rather die.”
Book Review
Werewolf lovers rejoice because this book is that shifter/werewolf book you’ve been looking for. The story centers around Charlotte, a regular girl that is moving into a new town with her dad. All is good with the exception that long ago, when Charlotte was younger, she had been bitten by what she thought was a dog. While staying overnight at a campsite she gets lost and runs into Liam and is immediately attracted to him. His overwhelming scent and something else very mysterious drew her to him and she couldn’t understand why. Soon after Liam just happened to show up everywhere Charlotte went. As well as being attracted to him, and unsure of his real intentions, Charlotte felt a distrust for Liam. A double-edged sword of passion and fear was present at all times in Charlotte as far as Liam was concerned, coupled with the fact that she felt she was always being followed and the feeling that something important was about to happen to her.
About The Author
Rachel grew up in small town Massachusetts where she spent most of her time writing about strange paranormal creatures instead of paying attention in class. She has always been considered the ‘dreamy’ one with her head in the clouds. She now lives in Nevada with her two sons, a cat, and a rat named Sam..
Giveaway
04 June 2012
Undertow by Callie Kingston [Blog Tour: Book Review and Excerpt]

Undertow
by Callie Kingston
230 pages
Release Date: February 17, 2012
Publisher: Carolwood Press
Source: Review Copy
My Rating: ★★★★☆
Reality is slipping away as Marissa sinks deeper into an abyss. Only truth and love can bring her back from the edge.
While she slept on a desolate beach on the wild Oregon coast, a rogue wave pulled her out to sea. Now Marissa dreams each night of a merman who rescued her. Obsessed, she risks her life once again in the frigid ocean. Will Marissa recover or remain forever lost in the eddies inside her mind?
Sometimes, the deadliest dangers lie within.
Excerpt
Marissa thrust the image from the morning away, fighting back the pain. She felt like
vomiting. If she could, she would have puked up every broken promise she’d swallowed over the
years. All those promises: her mother’s . . . her father’s . . . Drake’s. Lies, lies, lies. All lies. The
memories swarmed over her. One deception after another, in brilliant colors, like each scene was
painted with unearthly crayons, her mind shuffling through them like a deck of cards. And at the
bottom, the face of a little girl.
She traced the outline of the tattoo on her calf, brushing the sand away from the mermaid’s
hair and turquoise tail. Underneath, the tattoo artist had inked her sister’s name: Bethany. It was
her first tattoo, and the only one her mother didn’t hate.
The tide changed; each hour, the water reclaimed more of the sand. She hardly noticed.
Staring toward the horizon where the ocean dropped off the curve of the earth and disappeared,
she wished she could too. She envied the whales, swimming through the abyss with nothing to
stress about—no school, no mom, no jerk of a boyfriend. Exhausted, she let the warmth of the
afternoon sun and the steady swooshing of the tide lull her to sleep.
A rogue wave surged toward the cliff and soaked Marissa, startling her awake. She
scrambled to escape. The water lifted the tree beside her into the surf where it bobbed like a cork.
Chest deep in the frigid water, she panicked and flailed, desperate to escape.
The surf pushed the log forward, knocking her to the ground and pinning her there, face
down in the wet sand. There was a searing pain in her head. Like a mantra the prayer played in
an endless loop: please don’t let me die, please don’t let me die. She held her breath. When the
ocean withdrew it carved out the sand from beneath her and left her encapsulated like a human
clam near the water’s edge.
Another torrent of icy water swept over her; the wave recoiled and yanked Marissa and the
log past the breakers into the sea.
Trailer
Book Review
In order to get back into some kind of normalcy and to forget her cheating ex-boyfriend, Marissa moves away to college in Portland. Little by little Marissa starts to remember little things about the incident at the beach and starts to realize that what saved her was a mysterious merman. Marissa becomes convinced that her savior is real and that she will one day go back to the sea to be with him forever. Is Marissa’s merman-savior real, or is Marissa losing touch with reality?
Callie Kingston does a great job of keeping you guessing the entire time what is real and what is not real. As a likable main character, I tended to side with Callie and believe that there had to be a real fantasy merman out there that saved her. This fact kept me passionately reading to find out if Callie was right or if she was just imagining the entire incident. I loved that about that book. This was a very fast read and a great book for those that like the mystery. 4 stars.
About The Author
Callie Kingston’s home is in the Pacific Northwest, where she lives with many furry creatures (including her husband). She holds a masters degree in psychology and has worked in schools for many years. When not writing, she likes to explore the outdoors, especially the forests and beaches along the Oregon coast. She also enjoys a great cup of cappuccino, which happily is easily found in her part of the world.
Giveaway
At the end of the tour the author will also offer a signed print copy and a $20 Gift Card at A Tale of Many Reviews blog.
02 June 2012
Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes Trilogy, #1) by Shannon Dittemore [Blog Tour: Book Review and Giveaway]

Angel Eyes (Angel Eyes Trilogy, #1)
by Shannon Dittemore
320 pages
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Fiction
Source: Review Copy
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Once you’ve seen, you can’t unsee. Everything changes when you’ve looked at the world through . . .
ANGEL EYES
Brielle’s a ballerina who went to the city to chase her dreams and found tragedy instead. She’s come home to shabby little Stratus, Oregon, to live with her grief and her guilt . . . and the incredible, numbing cold she can’t seem to shake.
Jake’s the new guy at school. The boy next door with burning hands and an unbelievable gift that targets him for corruption.
Something more than fate has brought them together. An evil bigger than both of them lurks in the shadows nearby, hiding in plain sight. Two angels stand guard, unsure what’s going to happen. And a beauty brighter than Jake or Brielle has ever seen is calling them to join the battle in a realm where all human choices start.
A realm that only angels and demons—and Brielle—can perceive.
Book Review
First, let’s talk about how gorgeous this cover is. I love everything about it, including the halo the girl is holding in her hands. I can be very picky when it comes to books about angels and demons, so when I started reading Angel Eyes I had very high expectations. I was not disappointed but I can’t say either that I was blown away. The novel was well written and the plot was interesting. I did find some of it to be quite predictable and cliché, but the characters were interesting nonetheless.
Brielle, the main character, is dealing with the subject of grief over the death of her best friend, and in the process struggling to hold on to her faith. She moves back to her old hometown after this tragedy that has completely changed her and turned her into a self-loathing, depressed, person. Upon her return, she meets Jake who takes a liking to her and who Brielle immediately notices something different about. Warm to the touch, Jake is the sweet guy who makes Brielle see that there just might be light at the end of the tunnel after all. Brielle’s spiritual doubts also makes her the target to some dark forces who zero in on her. They see her as one that can be easily enveloped and whose soul can be taken. I definitely have to say that the MC was my favorite character, even more than the love interest, which is usually my pick for most books.
I enjoyed the religious parts of the book since I am personally a fan of angels but I can see how it might be viewed that the religious aspects of this book border on a bit excessive. Not to say that it makes the book any more or less great, just that it is a matter of preference and not everyone’s cup of tea. All in all I enjoyed this book and I think that those that enjoy reading about angels and don’t mind some religion will enjoy it as well. 3 stars.
Giveaway
Want to win an eBook copy of Angel Eyes? Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway open to all (U.S. and International). Open through Midnight on 6/11.
JJ iReads: May 2012
31 May 2012
Gabriel’s Rapture (Gabriel’s Inferno #2) by Sylvain Reynard [Blog Tour: Review]
Gabriel’s Rapture (Gabriel’s Inferno #2)
by Sylvain Reynard
386 pages
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Source: Review Copy
My Rating: ★★★★★
Professor Gabriel Emerson has embarked on a passionate, yet clandestine affair with his former student, Julia Mitchell. Sequestered on a romantic holiday in Italy, he tutors her in the sensual delights of the body and the raptures of sex. But when they return, their happiness is threatened by conspiring students, academic politics, and a jealous ex-lover. When Gabriel is confronted by the university administration, will he succumb to Dante’s fate? Or will he fight to keep Julia, his Beatrice, forever?
In Gabriel’s Rapture, the brilliant sequel to the wildly successful debut novel, Gabriel’s Inferno, Sylvain Reynard weaves an exquisite love story that will touch the reader’s mind, body, and soul, forever.
Book Review
**Disclaimer: Although most of the titles I review on this blog are YA, this book is not in the YA genre. It deals with mature situations and subject matter. To read my review on the first book in this series, Gabriel’s Inferno, click here.
The professor has done it again. He has managed to capture my heart and long for him again. After reading Gabriel’s Inferno I was absolutely captivated with Professor Emerson, so much that I was pretty much pining after the sequel. It’s finally here after months of waiting and I couldn’t be happier. Sylvain Reynard has once again written a story that hit me on so many levels, it’s hard to put into words, but I will at least try.
The sequel picks up right where the first book ended, with Julia and Gabriel in Italy right after they make love. Julia is no longer a virgin and she has fulfilled her dream of making Gabriel her first. Trouble is never far behind though when Julia’s troubled past starts to catch up to her and she once again fears that her beloved professor will leave her, like he did once before long ago. Gabriel, being the seducer that he is, resolves to show Julia that will never happen in his own way. Gabriel’s way. The sexy way if you get my meaning.
All is paradise until they return to Canada and the university, where trouble finds them once again as word gets out that Julia and Gabriel are in a relationship and an investigation ensues trying to prove that they were in such a relationship while Gabriel was Julia’s professor. As a reader of the first book, I know how much care Gabriel took to not jeopardize either of their careers, so it greatly hurt me to see them go through so much to defend their love.
Julia’s conflicted emotions, still being the shy little girl but also wanted to break out of her shell made me feel so much compassion for her. Gabriel’s undying love for Julia is one that will make your heart melt. It was so refreshing to see how much Gabriel’s love for Julia changed him in every way. The way he cared for her and how protective he was just made me melt inside. This is truly a love story for the ages and a book I would highly recommend to anyone who can handle a book with deep emotion, romance, and eroticism mixed in. A 5-star read for sure.
30 May 2012
Waiting on Wednesday: All These Lives by Sarah Wylie
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

All These Lives
by Sarah Wylie
245 pages
Release Date: June 5, 2012
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal
Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.
29 May 2012
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 30 Years
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish to share each other’s top ten lists. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday features:
Ten Books Written In The Past 10 Years That I Hope People Are Still Reading In 30 Years
1 | ![]() |
Twilight (the entire series) by Stephenie Meyer |
2 | ![]() |
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen |
3 | ![]() |
The Hunger Games (the entire series) by Suzanne Collins |
4 | ![]() |
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the entire series) by Stieg Larsson |
5 | ![]() |
Atonement by Ian McEwan |
6 | ![]() |
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert |
7 | ![]() |
The Lightning Thief (the entire series) by Rick Riordan |
8 | ![]() |
Harry Potter (the entire series) by J.K. Rowling |
9 | ![]() |
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz |
10 | ![]() |
Dead Until Dark (the entire Sookie Stackhouse series) by Charlaine Harris |
What were your top ten picks? 🙂
28 May 2012
The Summer My Life Began by Shannon Greenland [Blog Tour: Book Review]

The Summer My Life Began
by Shannon Greenland
250 pages
Release Date: May 10, 2012
Publisher: Speak
Source: Review Copy
My Rating: ★★★★☆
A great summer beach read filled with sunshine, cooking, and—of course—romance!
Elizabeth Margaret–better known as Em–has always known what her life would contain: an internship at her father’s firm, a degree from Harvard, and a career as a lawyer. The only problem is, it’s not what she wants. So when she gets the opportunity to get away and spend a month with the aunt she never knew, she jumps at the chance. While there, Em learns that her family has some pretty significant secrets. And then there’s Cade, the laid-back local surfer boy who seems to be everything Em isn’t. Naturally, she can’t resist him, and as their romance blossoms, Em feels that for the first time ever, she is really living life on her own terms.
Book Review
I love reading books about self discovery, food, and romance. The Summer My Life Began combines all three subjects in a very fun and entertaining way. I fell in love with many of the characters in this book, especially Em (the main character) whose journey to find herself in the midst of her father’s controlling hand hit a very personal nerve. Em dreams of being a chef but her very serious father disapproves of anything that goes against his plans for his daughter, to go to Harvard and become a lawyer for his firm.
Desperate to escape her father’s tight grip, Em takes advantage of an opportunity to visit a long lost aunt, her Aunt Tilly, at her island home. There she meets the people that will change her life forever, such as her aunt, her cousin Frederick, and Cade, the boy she never thought she would fall for. No longer being held back by her family, Em begins to explore life in the way she never had before, taking risks and just simply living it to the fullest. Trouble is of course not far behind as her father’s strong disapproval of her new life choices haunt her.
The Summer My Life Began meets the criteria for a light, fluffy, summer read. However, it is much more than that. I felt that Em had a lot of issues to work through but was satisfied with the choices she made in the end. Aunt Tilly was the kind of aunt I wish I had, that free loving spirit who just lives now and asks questions later. It is often by throwing caution to the wind that we find what are real passions are, and that’s what I felt with this book. It was a very fast read that I was able to get through in between breaks and found hard to put it down. I highly recommend this book, especially now with summer around the corner. A perfect book to pick up and take with you to the beach or the park this long weekend. 4-Stars.
15 May 2012
May Kindle Fire Giveaway Hop
Well you all know how much I love eBooks, so when I saw the opportunity to join this giveaway I was all for it. 25 Blogs have each contributed towards 1 Great Prize which is a Kindle Fire and an amazon.com gift card.
Rules, Restrictions and Details:
Giveaway is open to anyone 13 or older who can receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Card. If you live in the US you can choose to receive a $50 Amazon.com egift card and have us ship the Kindle Fire to you or you may choose to receive a $250 Amazon.com egift card and purchase the Kindle Fire yourself. If you live outside the US you will receive a $250 Amazon.com egift card. All funds are in US dollars.
12 May 2012
Defy by Raine Thomas [Blog Tour: Book Playlist and Giveaway]
Click HERE for the tour schedule |
Defy (Firstborn Trilogy, Book 1)
by Raine Thomas
285 pages
Release Date: April 30, 2012
Publisher: Lambe Books
Eager to explore more of the Estilorian plane and prove her abilities, Tate goes against her parents’ wishes and leaves the area of protection surrounding her home. Her choice puts her on a deadly path…one that leaves her alone, severely injured and battling for her life.
Her possible savior arrives in the form of Zachariah, a male who has removed himself from Estilorian society for more than fifty years. Fighting an unexpected connection to Tate, he must decide whether saving her life is worth destroying his.
As Tate struggles to find a way home, she ends up drawn into a dark Mercesti plot involving multiple murders and a powerful ancient artifact. With the unpredictable Zachariah as her only source for aid, she’ll soon find out if her abilities are strong enough to help her defy her Fate.
Author Bio
Raine Thomas is the author of a bestselling series of YA fantasy romance novels about the Estilorian plane, including the Daughters of Saraqael trilogy and the upcoming Firstborn trilogy. She is a proud member of Romance Writers of America and is a contributing blogger to The Writer’s Voice. When she isn’t planning weddings, writing or glued to social networking sites, she can usually be
found on one of Florida’s beautiful beaches with her husband and daughter
or crossing the border to visit with her Canadian friends and relatives.
Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Website | Blog
Defy Playlist by Raine Thomas
(In the order of the story)
1. If I Die Young by The Band Perry: I listened to this song while writing the opening chapters of
Defy. It initially led me to write several chapters detailing the experiences endured by those left
behind when Tate is unexpectedly taken from their lives. Those chapters were later cut, but
I’ll always remember the emotions I experienced while listening to this song and writing about
Tate’s tragedy.
2. What Doesn’t Kill You by Kelly Clarkson: This song is definitely a logical follow-up to the first
song in the playlist. It sets the tone for Tate’s adventure and the challenges ahead.
3. Dreams by The Cranberries: Most of the interactions between the main characters, Tate and
Zachariah, occur through dreams.
4. Secrets by One Republic: There are secrets maintained on both sides of Tate and Zachariah’s
relationship, ratcheting up the tension in the story.
You with the sad eyes,
Don’t be discouraged,
Oh, I realize
It’s hard to take courage.
In a world full of people
You can lose sight of it all,
And the darkness inside you
Can make you feel so small.
But I see your true colors
Shining through.
I see your true colors…
And that’s why I love you.
6. Better than I Know Myself by Adam Lambert: Similar to True Colors, this song really captures the relationship between Tate and Zachariah, but more from his perspective than hers. I started listening to this song toward the end of writing the book, and it resonated with me. These lyrics, in particular, capture the essence of their connection:
I know it gets hard sometimes,
But I could never
Leave your side
No matter what I say.
Cause if I wanted to go I would have gone by now,
But I really need you near me to
Keep my mind off the edge.
If I wanted to leave I would have left by now,
But you’re the only one that knows me
Better than I know myself.
All along
I tried to pretend it didn’t matter
If I was alone,
But deep down I know
If you were gone
For even a day I wouldn’t know which way to turn
Cause I’m lost without you.
7. I Run to You by Lady Antebellum: I love that this song is a duet between a man and a woman.
Between that and the below lyrics, this song was a big inspiration for Defy…
I run my life
Or is it running me?
Run from my past,
I run too fast
Or too slow it seems.
When lies become the truth
That’s when I run to you.
This world keeps spinning faster
Into a new disaster, so I run to you.
I run to you, baby.
And when it all starts coming undone,
Baby you’re the only one I run to;
I run to you.
8. The Reason by Hoobastank: Tate is Zachariah’s reason. Enough said.
Giveaway
Want to win an eBook copy of Defy? Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Giveaway open to all (U.S. & International). Open through Midnight on 5/14.
Grand Prize
Raine Thomas is giving away a grand prize of signed paperbacks of Defy, Becoming, Central, and Foretold, plus a custom hair decoration valued at $100, plus swag!
To enter the grand prize giveaway, VISIT THE TOUR PAGE
10 May 2012
Streamline by Jennifer Lane [Blog Tour: Book Excerpt]
Click on the banner for the tour schedule |
Streamline
by Jennifer Lane
460 pages
Release Date: March 7, 2012
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone.
Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter–her father–is in prison for murder.Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.
Book Excerpt
At a stoplight Leo turned to his brother. “Jase, can I ask you a question
and you promise not to get angry?”
“That sounds like a giant setup.” Jason looked over. “What is it?”
“I…I want to make one last stop before we head north. Maybe
you could turn left at the next light?”
Looking ahead to the next street, Jason’s face hardened. “No. I’m
not taking you to see Constipated Stool-sample.”
“Please, Jase? I promised him I’d say goodbye.”
“You’re talking to Dad again?” Jason’s voice rose.
“You said you wouldn’t get mad!”
“And you set me up.” The light changed, and Jason edged the car
forward. “Mom would be ticked off if she found out I took you to
see Cat’s Sandbox.”
Leo couldn’t help but laugh.
Jason also snorted as he turned left onto their old street. He
pulled the car to the curb a half mile from their home and turned it
off. He stared straight ahead with his hands squeezing the steering
wheel. An air of indecisiveness filled the car.
“I know you think I’m stupid for wanting to see him,” Leo said.
Jason sighed. “You’re anything but stupid. I just don’t understand
why you’re taking his side.”
“I’m not taking anybody’s side! Why do I have to choose Mom
or Dad? Can’t I have them both?”
09 May 2012
Waiting on Wednesday: Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:
Of Poseidon
by Anna Banks
324 pages
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends // Macmillan
Genre: YA Fantasy
Galen is the prince of the Syrena, sent to land to find a girl he’s heard can communicate with fish. Emma is on vacation at the beach. When she runs into Galen—literally, ouch!—both teens sense a connection. But it will take several encounters, including a deadly one with a shark, for Galen to be convinced of Emma’s gifts. Now, if he can only convince Emma that she holds the key to his kingdom . . .
Told from both Emma and Galen’s points of view, here is a fish-out-of-water story that sparkles with intrigue, humor, and waves of romance.
08 May 2012
Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish to share each other’s top ten lists. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday features:
Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books
― Veronica Roth, Divergent
2. “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb.”
― Stephanie Meyer, Twilight
3. “I want to change my punctuation. I long for exclamation marks, but I’m drowning in ellipses.”
― Isaac Marion, Warm Bodies
4. “You is kind. You is smart. You is important.”
― Kathryn Stockett, The Help
5. “He pulls me around and kisses me. “You’re Mac,” he says. “And I’m Jericho. And nothing else matters. Never will. You exist in a place that is beyond all rules for me. Do you understand that?”
I do.
Jericho Barrons just told me he loves me.”
― Karen Marie Moning, Shadowfever
6. “One day you will kiss a man you can’t breathe without, and find that breath is of little consequence.”
― Karen Marie Moning, Bloodfever
7. “You love me. Real or not real?”
I tell him, “Real.”
― Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay
8. “I am a man” he told her, “and men do not consume pink beverages. Get thee gone woman, and bring me something brown.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Glass
9. “Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”
― Stephanie Perkins, Anna and the French Kiss
10. “I’ve always resented Hermione, because I wanted to be her so badly and she never seemed to appreciate as much as I thought she should that she got be her. She got to live at Hogwarts and be friends with Harry and kiss Ron, which was supposed to happen to me.”
― Rachel Cohn, Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
What were your top ten picks? 🙂
06 May 2012
Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge 5/6/12
Clock Rewinders on a Book Binge is the weekly recap feature created byAmanda @ On a Book Bender and Tara @ 25 Hour Books, where they shamelessly plug each other, share the fantastic posts, giveaways, books they’ve received or whatever else they’ve found and loved by other awesome bloggers (or authors!) during the week, and talk about the books they plan on reading in the coming week.
What’s Happening
Other than that, in my real life job, I was promoted to manager (squeeeeee!!!!) so I was giddy all week from that. It was something my boss and I had talked about before but I just didn’t expect it to go through so quickly.
Needless to say, this was a great week.
JJ iReads Post Recap
- I interviewed Kailin Gow and reviewed her new book “Saving You Saving Me“
- For Top Ten Tuesday I discuss the top ten books I’d like to see made into movies.
- For Waiting on Wednesday I feature City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare.
- I review Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
- For TGIF/Follow Friday I discuss my dream literary vacation and the things I say to my favorite authors.
- In honor of Jen Calonita’s Belles tour of the south, Jen is giving away through this blog a finished copy of Belles and a special lipgloss.
Books I Started This Week
Books I’ll Be Starting Next Week
Epicness Found In Blogs I Love
- The Apocalypsies posted a cool article featuring different authors’ work spaces. It was interesting to see what an author’s work space looks like and how they all differ from each other.
- For Zombie book lovers, Rachel at Parajunkee posted her audiobook review of Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry. I haven’t read this book yet and I’m so glad Rachel liked the audiobook so much, because I trust her reviews, and my TBR pile is out of control, so an audiobook purchase might be in order.
- Book Soulmates is celebrating 3 amazing years of blogging awesomeness. Happy Blogoversary girls!
- Parajunkee and Alison Can Read are changing the rules a bit when it comes to Follow Friday. Check the link for the new rules to become a FF feature.
Search Terms
gabriel’s inferno sequel release date – Very soon I hope.
divergent four and tris – The hottest Dauntless couple everrrrr
pure julianna baggott – You mean this book?
story siren plagiarism – I shared my views on this HERE
the unbecoming of mara dyer – ohhh one of my favorite books from last year. Reviewed it here. Pining for the sequel.
Books I Received / Purchased
04 May 2012
Belles by Jen Calonita Giveaway and Tour Celebration [Ends 6/9/12]
In celebration of the start of the Belles Tour, Jen Calonita is generously giving away through this blog a finished copy of Belles as well as one of the special Belles lipglosses (pictured above) that she will also be giving away during the tour. To enter the giveaway fill out the rafflecopter form below. Also don’t forget to check out the Belles Website for more info and if you’re going to in any of the cities where Jen will be touring, don’t forget to drop by and join the party.
Tour Schedule
The Booksellers at Laurelwood
387 Perkins Road Extended
Memphis, TN 38117
Barnes & Noble – Mansell Crossings
7660 Northpoint Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30022
Little Shop of Stories
133A East Court Square
Decatur, GA 30030
Barnes & Noble – Cool Springs
1701 Mallory Lane
Brentwood, TN 37027
Barnes & Noble – Upper East Side
150 E 86th Street
New York, NY 10028
Teen Author Carnival
New York Public Library – Jefferson Market
425 6th Avenue (at 10th Street)
New York, NY 10011
Books & Greetings
271 Livingston Street
Northvale, NJ 07647
Giveaway open in the U.S. ONLY. No P.O. Boxes.
TGIF/Follow Friday: Literary Vacations and Things I Tell My Favorite Authors
Happy Friday Everyone!
TGIF at GReads is a meme hosted by Ginger from Greads. The object of the meme is to every Friday answer a question she proposes.
Q.
Literary Vacations: If you could take a trip this summer to any place within a fictional book, where would you go? Tell us about your summer dream vacation!?
I’ve always wanted to make the pilgrimage to Forks, Washington (Twilight) and travel to France (Anna and the French Kiss), Ireland (Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series), and finally go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This last one should take long to actually happen since I’m only a four-hour drive away from the place.
Feature and Follow Friday is a meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Every Friday a blogger is featured and a question is proposed
Q.
What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author.
Usually when I go to a signing to see an author I love (because I love many) I tell them how much I enjoyed their book and how it affected me at a personal level. I tend to keep a piece of every book I enjoy inside me and often go through moments of deja vu when something similar to what I read happens in real life, as if it actually happened to me before, and not the book’s character. I think every author appreciates hearing that something they wrote makes a difference in someone’s life.
03 May 2012
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis [Book Review]
Enchanted
by Alethea Kontis
305 pages
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Harcourt Children’s Books
Source: Review copy
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.
When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.
The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past – and hers?
Book Review
Enchanted is a fairytale retelling of several fairytales we know from childhood all rolled into one. Seven daughters and three sons. Each daughter named after a name of the week in the order that they were born, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sunday is the seventh daughter, daughter of Seven, as her mother is also a seventh daughter and names in succession by number. This makes Sunday a seventh daugher of a seventh daughter, which makes a very powerful combination if you have fey blood in you.
The story centers mainly around Sunday, who has a knack for writing stories. Only problem is that when Sunday writes things that haven’t happened, they usually come true, only not exactly the way she pictures it. To avoid complications, Sunday sticks to writing things that have already happened, since the past is past and cannot change. One day Sunday runs into a frog who speaks to her and tells her he wants to hear her stories. Sunday knows that a talking frog is actually a man under an enchantment, probably being punished by a faerie for something he did. So as not to complicate things by telling stories that might come true later, Sunday pleases the man turned frog who she now considers her friend by telling him stories from the past. So the frog learns everything there is to know about Sunday and her family. Sunday ends up falling for the frog, who won’t turn back into a man despite the fact that she kissed him, only to find that he disappears shortly after. Worried about her friend the frog, Sunday goes frantically looking, only her frog cannot be found because he is no longer a frog, but the prince her family detests.
Sunday’s mother was seemingly harsh and stern, but in reality she was kind, but guarded because she’d lost so much. There is a lot of treachery in the story, people being turned into animals just because, faeries with deep dark secrets, and long lost family members. The writing is a little confusing, but at he same time beautiful. There are also very likable characters, such as Sunday’s half brother who is completely fey, and completely random. I found this to be a short enjoyable story to those who like a good old retelling of those fairy tale classics. 3 Stars.
02 May 2012
Waiting on Wednesday: City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare
“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.
This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5)
by Cassandra Clare
536 pages
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry // Simon & Schuster
Genre: YA Fantasy // Paranormal
The demon Lilith has been destroyed and Jace has been freed from her captivity. But when the Shadowhunters arrive to rescue him, they find only blood and broken glass. Not only is the boy Clary loves missing-but so is the boy she hates, Sebastian, the son of her father Valentine: a son determined to succeed where their father failed, and bring the Shadowhunters to their knees.
No magic the Clave can summon can locate either boy, but Jace cannot stay away—not from Clary. When they meet again Clary discovers the horror Lilith’s dying magic has wrought—Jace is no longer the boy she loved. He and Sebastian are now bound to each other, and Jace has become what he most feared: a true servant of Valentine’s evil. The Clave is determined to destroy Sebastian, but there is no way to harm one boy without destroying the other. Will the Shadowhunters hesitate to kill one of their own?
Only a small band of Clary and Jace’s friends and family believe that Jace can still be saved — and that the fate of the Shadowhunters’ future may hinge on that salvation. They must defy the Clave and strike out on their own. Alec, Magnus, Simon and Isabelle must work together to save Jace: bargaining with the sinister Faerie Queen, contemplating deals with demons, and turning at last to the Iron Sisters, the reclusive and merciless weapons makers for the Shadowhunters, who tell them that no weapon on this earth can sever the bond between Sebastian and Jace. Their only chance of cutting Jace free is to challenge Heaven and Hell — a risk that could claim any, or all, of their lives.
And they must do it without Clary. For Clary has gone into the heart of darkness, to play a dangerous game utterly alone. The price of losing the game is not just her own life, but Jace’s soul. She’s willing to do anything for Jace, but can she even still trust him? Or is he truly lost? What price is too high to pay, even for love?
Darkness threatens to claim the Shadowhunters in the harrowing fifth book of the Mortal Instruments series.
01 May 2012
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I’d Like To See Made Into A Movie
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish to share each other’s top ten lists. This week’s Top Ten Tuesday features:
Top Ten Books I’d Like To See Made Into A Movie
- The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare: I know that the wheels are already turning to make this a reality. I just want it to get here already!
- Hush, Hush series by Becca Fitzpatrick: Patch without a shirt on? Do I need to elaborate on this?
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan: Okay, I know what you’re thinking. That this was already made into a movie. What I’m talking about is a complete do-over, done right this time, and not missing key characters like Clarisse and Ares.
- Wicked : The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire: Wouldn’t it be great to have the movie so we don’t have to wait until “Wicked” came to our town?
- The Luxe by Anna Godbersen: I wasn’t crazy about the books but I think that visually these would make a good movie. I love the concept of the wardrobe they would need.
- Divergent by Veronica Roth: *whimpers* I want this so badly.
- If I Stay by Gayle Forman: This movie should be rated S, for “Sobbing is sure to happen”. I thought I read somewhere that Catherine Hardwicke was on this project. Wonder what’s going on with that…
- Unearthly by Cynthia Hand: The book was so good, I can only pray that the movie (if made) does it justice. CGI angels look good right?
- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: A black and white circus. I think this would look great on film. This would call for a lot of special effects for the special magic tents and I would love to see how they would pull that off.
- The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman: Are you kidding? Prague? A Davinci Code-like mystery to solve? Sign me up!
What were your top ten picks? 🙂