{Review} Such Wicked Intent - Kenneth Oppel

Such Wicked Intent by Kenneth Oppel
Series: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #2
Release Date: 08/21/2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

Devotion turns deadly in this second Gothic thriller from Kenneth Oppel.When does obsession become madness? Tragedy has forced sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein to swear off alchemy forever. He burns the Dark Library. He vows he will never dabble in the dark sciences again—just as he vows he will no longer covet Elizabeth, his brother’s betrothed.
If only these things were not so tempting.
When he and Elizabeth discover a portal into the spirit world, they cannot resist. Together with Victor’s twin, Konrad, and their friend Henry, the four venture into a place of infinite possibilities where power and passion reign. But as they search for the knowledge to raise the dead, they unknowingly unlock a darkness from which they may never return.

Waiting on Wednesday #9 - City of a Thousand Dolls

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine

that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Teaser Tuesday #10 - Silver

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just follow the rules:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Select your "teaser" sentences from that page

4. AVOID SPOILERS!

{Review} Valkyrie Rising - Ingrid Paulson

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson
Series: Valkyrie #1
Release Date: 10/09/2012
Publisher: HarperTeen

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

Nothing ever happens in Norway. But at least Ellie knows what to expect when she visits her grandmother: a tranquil fishing village and long, slow summer days. And maybe she’ll finally get out from under the shadow of her way-too-perfect big brother, Graham, while she’s there. 
What Ellie doesn’t anticipate is Graham’s infuriating best friend, Tuck, tagging along for the trip. Nor did she imagine boys going missing amid rumors of impossible kidnappings. Least of all does she expect something powerful and ancient to awaken in her and that strange whispers would urge Ellie to claim her place among mythological warriors. Instead of peace and quiet, there’s suddenly a lot for a girl from L.A. to handle on a summer sojourn in Norway! And when Graham vanishes, it’s up to Ellie—and the ever-sarcastic, if undeniably alluring Tuck—to uncover the truth about all the disappearances and thwart the nefarious plan behind them.
Deadly legends, hidden identities, and tentative romance swirl together in one girl’s unexpectedly-epic coming of age.

{Review} The Assassin's Curse - Cassandra Rose Clarke

The Assassin's Curse
By Cassandra Rose Clarke
Series: The Assassin's Curse #1
Release Date: 10/02/2012
Publisher: Strange Chemistry

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an allying pirate clan: she wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to her handsome yet clueless fiance. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns the scorned clan has sent an assassin after her. 
And when the assassin, Naji, finally catches up with her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse — with a life-altering result. Now Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work together to break the curse and return their lives back to normal. Or at least as normal as the lives of a pirate and an assassin can be.

Stacking the Shelves #13

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

that spotlights books we received, bought, borrowed, or won this week.

Feature and Follow #10

Feature and Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Basically what you do if follow me, comment, and I'll follow back. Awesome right?

This week's features are My 5 Monkeys and Bewitched Bookworms.

Q: Are you thankful for a book blogger? Tell us about him or her.

A: I'm thankful for every single book blogger I've met actually. I especially like Eileen from Reading and Singing in the Rain because she's so upbeat and crazy and exactly like me :) She's also around my age which makes her less awkward to talk to ;)

{Review} Vamplayers - Rusty Fischer

Vamplayers by Rusty Fischer
Release Date: 12/13/2011
Publisher: Medallion Press

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

At the Afterlife Academy of Exceptionally Dark Arts, Lily Fielding is a measly trainee who dreams of one day becoming a Savior—those who visit vampire-infested high schools and put down the undead with their deadly crossbows. When Lily and her classmates Alice and Cara begin their latest assignment, it seems like just another run-of-the-mill gig: they’re to simply spot the Vamplayer—part vampire, part player—identify the popular girl he’s set his sights on, and befriend her before the Vamplayer can turn her to do his bidding. Before long, however, the Vamplayer sets his sights on Lily's friends, and she is left to face the threat alone while protecting her friends from the dark forces she has sworn to resist.

{Trailer Release} Opal - Jennifer L. Armentrout

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Lux #3
Release Date: 12/11/2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

No one is like Daemon Black.
When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.
But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.
After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.
Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Teaser Tuesday #9

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just follow the rules:

1. Grab your current read

2. Open to a random page

3. Choose your "teaser" sentences from that page

4. AVOID SPOILERS

*Click on the cover for goodreads links*

{Book Blitz + Giveaway} Breathe - Suzanne Cox

Breathe by Suzanne Cox
Series: Atlantis #1
Release Date: 10/22/2012
Publisher: Suzanne Cox Books

Amazon

17 year old science prodigy, Laney Brookes, is looking for two things: a cure for the flu virus that’s ravaging the world and the truth about what happened to her father. Using clues from her father’s secret journals, she and her two friends Kate and Carter follow what she thinks is the path to the answers.
It’s a path that lands them in the lost world of Atlantis, a world struggling to survive. Laney finds more than just answers in Atlantis. She finds love. To get her friends and herself home, Laney will have to travel into enemy territory, led by Andrew a young Atlantean determined to return his people to power. In the process she’ll even unravel the mystery of her missing father. But first, she’ll have to figure out who the real enemy is.

Author Bio

I remember writing my first stories when I was about nine or ten years old. I've been writing ever since. In 2002 I decided to seriously try and get some of my work published. On February 14th of 2005 I sold my first book, A Different Kind of Man, to Harlequin Superromance. While trying to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, besides a writer, I went to college (alot) and worked a variety of jobs. I have a bachelor of arts in English with a minor in secondary education, a bachelor of science in nursing, a master of science in career and technical education with an emphasis in adult education and most recently, a master of science in nursing as a family nurse practitioner. I was also a National Board Certified Teacher in career and technical education. Along the way I've worked as a high school English teacher and an elementary teacher. I've worked as a registered nurse on a cardiac unit, brain injury rehab unit, and several different medical-surgical units. I've also done stints as a home health nurse and a commnunity health educator at a hospital, and many years as an allied health instructor at a high school career and technology center. Presently, I'm working full time as a family nurse practitioner at an inpatient psychiatric facility.If I'm not writing I like to spend time reading. My husband and I share our home with our four legged children. Our boy and girl in puppy dog clothes, Toby and Sassy, who masquerade as Miniature Pinschers. We are also owned by three cats Chase, Jackson, and Spots.  We are all terrorized by Gray Kitty, a stray who decided to stay and take over. 

Website / Blog / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Giveaway

US Only

• a copy of Breathe and a copy of Marked
• sparkly nail polish that coordinates with book cover
• a stoneware necklace with concentric circle design from Breathe by Kaatee Art
• Metal bookmark

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Review} The Fame Game + Starstruck - Lauren Conrad

The Fame Game by Lauren Conrad
Series: Fame Game #1
Release Date: 04/03/2012
Publisher: HarperTeen

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

In Hollywood, fame can be found on every corner and behind any door. You just have to know where to look for it. Nineteen-year-old Madison Parker made a name for herself as best frenemy of nice-girl-next-door Jane Roberts on the hot reality show L.A. Candy. Now Madison's ready for her turn in the spotlight and she'll stop at nothing to get it. Sure, she's the star of a new show, but with backstabbing friends and suspicious family members trying to bring her down, Madison has her work cut out for her. Plus, there's a new nice girl in "reality" town—aspiring actress Carmen Price, the daughter of Hollywood royalty—and she's a lot more experienced at playing the fame game... When the camera's start rolling, whose star will shine brighter?
Filled with characters both familiar and new, Lauren Conrad's series about the highs and lows of being famous delivers Hollywood gossip and drama at every turn.

Starstruck by Lauren Conrad

Series: Fame Game #2

Release Date: 10/16/2012

Publisher: HarperTeen

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

As the drama surrounding Madison, Carmen, Gaby, and Kate is played out in front of the cameras and the relentless paparazzi, the girls quickly discover that fame comes at a price. Featuring hot new characters and old favorites from the #1 New York Times bestselling series L.A. Candy, the second Fame Game novel chronicles the rise and fall of Hollywood’s newest reality stars.
Anyone who has ever wondered what it is like to make it in Hollywood will love this fun, addictive series written by someone who has seen—and lived—it all. Full of dishy details about young Hollywood that only an insider can reveal, bestselling author, fashion designer, and television star Lauren Conrad shows that the real drama happens behind the scenes.

Stacking the Shelves #12

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

that showcases books we received, bought, borrowed, or won this week.

*Click on cover for goodreads links*

{Review} Stealing Parker - Miranda Kenneally

Stealing Parker by Miranda Kenneally
Series: Hundred Oaks #2
Release Date: 10/01/2012
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Amazon / B&N / TBD / Chapters

Red-hot author Miranda Kenneally hits one out of the park in this return to Catching Jordan's Hundred Oaks High.
Parker Shelton pretty much has the perfect life. She’s on her way to becoming valedictorian at Hundred Oaks High, she’s made the all-star softball team, and she has plenty of friends. Then her mother’s scandal rocks their small town and suddenly no one will talk to her.
Now Parker wants a new life.
So she quits softball. Drops twenty pounds. And she figures why kiss one guy when she can kiss three? Or four. Why limit herself to high school boys when the majorly cute new baseball coach seems especially flirty?
But how far is too far before she loses herself completely?

Waiting on Wednesday #8 - Eleanor & Park

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

{Review} The Espressologist - Kristina Springer

The Espressologist
By Kristina Springer
Release Date: 10/27/2009
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?
With overtones of Jane Austen’s Emma and brimming with humor and heart, this sweet, frothy debut will be savored by readers.

Stacking the Shelves #11

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

that showcases books we received, bought, borrowed, or won this week.

*Click on the covers for goodreads links*

{Cover Reveal} Destiny - P.T. Michelle

Destiny by P. T. Michelle
Series: Brightest Kind of Darkness #3
Release Date: 03/31/2013

When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?
In order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its head. Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies, treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their relationship and their future together. As the stakes rise, encompassing more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate sacrifice?

Feature & Follow #9

Feature & Follow is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Basically, what you do is follow me, comment, and I'll follow back. Awesome, right?

This week's features are Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer and Paranormal Romance.

Q: Do you mind books with similar ideas to other book? Similar concepts, backgrounds, retellings, and pulled-to-publish fanfics?
A: Yes, I do mind. The whole time I would be like, "Bitch, you can't steal this idea. IT'S NOT YOURS. MY GOODNESS." That's basically me. I don't mind retellings or fanfics. I love those actually. Fanfics are always have horrible grammar, fluffy, or just downright funny. I used to write fanfics a few years ago and I loved them :)

{Review} This Dark Endeavor - Kenneth Oppel

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
Series: The Apprenticeship of Victor
             Frankenstein #1
Release Date: 08/23/2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures...until the day their adventures turn all too real. They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only peaks Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not be satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. Elizabeth, Henry, and Victor immediately set out to find assistance in a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.
Determination and the unthinkable outcome of losing his brother spur Victor on in the quest for the three ingredients that will save Konrads life. After scaling the highest trees in the Strumwald, diving into the deepest lake caves, and sacrificing one’s own body part, the three fearless friends risk their lives to save another.

Waiting On Wednesday #7 - The Friday Society

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine

that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

Teaser Tuesday #8 - Starstruck

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just follow the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Choose your "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
4. AVOID SPOILERS!

*Click on the cover for goodreads link*

{Review} Crash + Clash - Nicole Williams

Crash by Nicole Williams
Series: Crash #1
Release Date: 07/19/2012

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

Southpointe High is the last place Lucy wanted to wind up her senior year of school. Right up until she stumbles into Jude Ryder, a guy whose name has become its own verb, and synonymous with trouble. He's got a rap sheet that runs longer than a senior thesis, has had his name sighed, shouted, and cursed by more women than Lucy dares to ask, and lives at the local boys home where disturbed seems to be the status quo for the residents. Lucy had a stable at best, quirky at worst, upbringing. She lives for wearing the satin down on her ballet shoes, has her sights set on Juilliard, and has been careful to keep trouble out of her life. Up until now. 
Jude's everything she needs to stay away from if she wants to separate her past from her future. Staying away, she's about to find out, is the only thing she's incapable of. 
For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love's about to become the thing that tears them apart.

Clash by Nicole Williams

Series: Crash #2

Release Date: 09/01/2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

The only easy thing about Jude and Lucy’s relationship is their love for one another. Everything else is hard.
Especially when it comes to reining in Jude’s trigger touch temper and Lucy’s increasing jealousy of Jude’s Spirit Sister on the cheer squad who’s attached herself to him in just about every way a girl could. Feeling the stress of trying to hang on to her quintessential bad boy while becoming the foremost dancer in her class, Lucy knows something’s going to break. She wants both. She needs both. But if she doesn’t make a choice, she risks losing everything.
For Lucy Larson and Jude Ryder, love might be the thing that just isn’t enough.

{Cover Reveal} Pieces - Michelle Davidson Argyle

Pieces
By Michelle Davidson Argyle
Series: Breakaway #2
Release Date: 02/14/2013
Publisher: Rhemelda Publishing

Two years after watching her kidnappers go to prison, Naomi Jensen is still in love with one of them. Jesse will be released in a few years, and Naomi knows college is the perfect distraction while she waits. But when her new friend Finn makes her question what is right and what is wrong, she begins to wonder if Jesse is the one for her … until she discovers he's out on parole. Naomi must sort through her confusion to figure out where love and freedom truly lie—in Finn, who has no connections to her past, or Jesse, who has just asked her to run away with him.
Pieces is a companion to The Breakaway and can be read independently, if desired.

Stacking the Shelves #10

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews

that spotlights books we received, bought, borrowed, or won.

*Click on the cover for goodreads links*

Feature and Follow Friday #8

Feature & Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Basically, what you do is follow me, comment, and I'll follow back. Awesome, right? 

This week's features are Fiction Predictions and Love, Literature, Art, and Reason.

Q: What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you abhor love triangles? Or can't deal with bad editing?

A: For me, the book must have an awesome character. Well, a believable one anyways. The character shouldn't be too one dimensional. Another thing is the pace of the story. If it's too slow, I'll get really annoyed and just not read it.

What is your answer? Follow and comment below and I'll follow back!

Hop on to the other blogs!

{Monthly Craving} November 2012

Monthly Craving is a monthly bookish meme that I created.

It showcases books I'm impatiently waiting for that month

*Click on the covers for goodreads links*