Random Acts of Kindness - March Wrap-Up

RAK is a monthly meme hosted by Book Soulmates. You can find out more and join in on the fun HERE.
I participated in Book Soulmates' Random Acts of Kindness (one of my favorite blog memes or whatever you call this one) again last month, as I do most months. If you've never participated, I highly recommend it. The sign-up for the new month is posted around the first of the month.

My March RAK - Sent





I sent When We Collide by A.L. Jackson to Michelle at Michelle Chew Writes from her RAK wishlist.











I sent City of Bones by Cassandra Clare to Ella at Read into Hiding from her RAK wishlist.





My March RAK - Received





I got Steel by Carrie Vaughn from Carien at Pearls Cast Before A McPig.











I got The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy from Memrie at Dark Angel Reader.









I got The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht from Beth at Living a Goddess Life.






Did you participate in RAK this month? Yes? Well, link me up then!

Book Blitz (Giveaway): Grimm Diaries by Cameron Jace

The Grimm Diaries are pages written in a Book of Sand, where each fairy tale character confessed the true stories once altered by the Brothers Grimm two centuries ago. To keep the truth about fairy tales hidden, the Brothers Grimm buried the characters in their dreams to never wake up again. But the curse is broken now, and the characters are allowed to wake up every one hundred years. They intend to tell the truth about really happened, and about an untold cosmic conflict between fairy tale characters.(Goodreads)

The third bundle, The Grimm Diaries, Volume 11-14 is out now!
10.5) Happy Valentine’s Slay by Wee Willy Winkie - The real Sandman Grimm sheds a light on what happened in Jawigi, and tells about how some of the teens in Sorrow spend their Valentine’s Day.

11) Children of Hamlin by the Devil - The Devil tells the story of the Piper of Hamlin, who he really is, the historical events he witnessed, and his relationship to Ladle Rat. Most of all, why they call him the Black Death.

12) Tooth & Nail & Fairy Tale by Jack Madly - Jack Madly stole a sack full of baby teeth from Bluebeard’s enchanted castle, which reminds him of when he first met the Tooth Fairy when he was a child; a memory he wishes to forget.

13) Ember in the Wind by the Little Match Girl - All the Little Match Girl wants is to sell her matches so she uses the money to eat and find shelter from the cold. But no one in the cruel city of crowded London helps her. Eventually, she learns something about who she really is, and it changes her life forever.

14) Jar of Hearts by the Queen of Sorrow - The Queen of Sorrow, still trapped in the Dreamworld summons Cassandra, the fortuneteller, to ask her about the identities of Lost Seven. The problem with Cassandra is that she’s cursed that her predictions will never be believed. The Queen is still determined to believe her, but it will cost more than she can bargain for.

Purchase
Amazon | Amazon UK

Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop (2)

Welcome to my stop on the Fairy Tale Giveaway Hop. It is in conjunction with the 3rd annual Fairy Tale Fortnight and is being hosted by the wonderful blogs, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, The Book Rat, and A Backwards Story! Fairy tales are some of my favorite things to read, so I am extremely excited about this hop!

What You Can Win

I haven't done a giveaway with a surprise box in a while, so I'll be doing it again. However, I'm going to be doing it just a little bit differently. See the boxes below?


Each box has a different prize in it that is fairy tale related. I promise that I'm not going to do anything morbid to the winner because of their chosen box like some of those fairy tale characters. There won't be any Zonks, Whammys, or anything negative in the boxes, either, but you're not going to get a car. I'll try to remember to announce the winner and what they get on the blog. (I always forget that part.) I may even do a live unveiling if I'm not feeling bloated that day. Am I rambling? Yes? Okay, on to the giveaway part.

Giveaway Requirements

Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): Highlander Most Wanted by Maya Banks

Title: Highlander Most Wanted (The Montgomerys and Armstrongs #2)
Author: Maya Banks
Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
In Highlander Most Wanted, a reclusive woman content to live in the shadows shows a Highland warrior the true meaning of love.

Genevieve McInnes is locked behind the fortified walls of McHugh Keep, captive of a cruel laird who takes great pleasure in ruining her for any other man. Yet when Bowen Montgomery storms the gates on a mission of clan warfare, Genevieve finds that her spirit is bent but not broken. Still, her path toward freedom remains uncertain. Unable to bear the shame of returning to a family that believes her dead or to abandon others at the keep to an imposing new laird, Genevieve opts for the peaceful life of an abbess. But Bowen’s rugged sensuality stirs something deep inside her that longs to be awakened by his patient, gentle caress—something warm, wicked, and tempting.

Bowen seizes his enemy’s keep, unprepared for the brooding and reclusive woman who captures his heart. He’s enchanted by her fierce determination, her unusual beauty, and her quiet, unfailing strength. But wooing her will take more than a seasoned seducer’s skill. For loving Genevieve, he discovers, means giving her back the freedom that was stolen from her—even if it means losing her forever.

My Review

Highlander Most Wanted is the second book in the Montgomerys & Armstrongs series by New York Times best-selling author Maya Banks. It picks up after the events of Never Seduce a Scot ( my review) at the McHugh stronghold/castle/keep. Each book can be a standalone, but I am glad that I read them in order.

While reading Highlander Most Wanted, I realized how important characters are in a novel. Nothing in the book that happened really surprised me, and there wasn't much in the way of world-building. I'm not saying this in a negative way - there's really not supposed to be in this historical romance and the writing was still good.. There was, however, these wonderful, charming, and complicated characters that I found myself really invested in. Want a big surprise? I usually avoid literary rape victims or situations at all cost. Want to know why? Too bad, that has nothing to do with the review. Anyway, Maya Banks handled Genevieve and her story in such a way that was not uncomfortable and believable (mostly). I think I read the book because I thought Genevieve deserved a man that would heal her and love her, and make her world right. I wanted her to be fixed. She was a broken woman would never gave up at any point, and I liked her.

Trailer Reveal & Giveaway: The Flame in the Mist by Kit Grindstaff

There's evil-a coming from up on the hill
If the Mist doesn't get you, the Agromonds will.

—From an old Anglavian rhyme

About The Flame in the Mist

The sun never shines in the land of Anglavia. Its people live within a sinister mist created by their rulers, the cruel Agromond family. The Agromonds' control is absolute; no one dares defy them. But things are about to change, for the youngest of them is not like the others...

Fiery-headed Jemma has always felt like the family misfit, and is increasingly disturbed by the dark goings-on at Agromond Castle. The night before her thirteenth birthday, Jemma discovers the terrifying reason why: She is not who she thinks she is, and the Agromonds have a dreadful ritual planned for her birthday—a ritual that could kill her.

But saving her skin is just the first of Jemma's ordeals. Ghosts and outcasts, a pair of crystals, a mysterious book, an ancient Prophecy—all these gradually reveal the truth about her past, and a destiny far greater and more dangerous than any she could imagine.

With her trusted friend, Digby, and her two telepathic golden rats, Noodle and Pie, Jemma faces enemies both human and supernatural. But in the end, she and her untapped powers might be the only hope for a kingdom in peril.


Excerpt

Thunder roared, and lightning speared down. In its brief flashes, Jemma could see more shadows gathering. They looked like pale Mordsprites, small, bedraggled, skeletal. She lengthened her stride, but the ground was slick and she slipped, slamming face down in black mud. Hauling herself to her feet yet again, she came face to face with one of the shadows.

2nd Annual Kick-Butt Characters Giveaway Hop (INT)

Welcome to my stop on the Kick-Butt Characters Giveaway Hop, which is being hosted by two of my favorite blogs - I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Good Choice Reading. Today my giveaway is going to be a little different because I'm going to focus on a kick-butt character and author.

Bridget Zinn grew up in Wisconsin. She went to the county fair where she met the love of her life, Barrett Dowell. They got married right before she went in for exploratory surgery which revealed she had colon cancer. They christened that summer the "summer of love" and the two celebrated with several more weddings. Bridget continued to read and write until the day she died. Her last tweet was "Sunshine and a brand new book. Perfect."

Bridget wanted to make people laugh and hoped readers would enjoy spending time with the characters she created. As a librarian/writer she loved books with strong young women with aspirations. She also felt teens needed more humorous reads. She really wanted to write a book with pockets of warmth and happiness and hoped that her readers' copies would show the watermarks of many bath time reads. (bridgetzinn.com)

I never knew Bridget, but as a fellow librarian, book lover, and human being, her story breaks my heart a little. It really sounds like she lived her life fully, fought her battle with cancer with strength and grace, and that makes her a kick-butt character herself. We all have great dreams that we want to come true. Her dream of publication did come true, but, unfortunately, she was not here for Poison's book birthday. So in her honor, I will be giving away a copy of Poison for the hop. I posted my review, and I hope you love the book as much as I did.

What You Can Win

Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart… misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

Title: Poison
Author: Bridget Zinn
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: March 12, 2013
Acquired Via: NetGalley
My Review

You know that feeling you get sometimes when you start a book, that it will be impossible to put down? My friends, Poison was just that. The world-building was rich, the characters were lovable, and the writing was perfect for readers of all ages.

Kyra was one of the Master Trio of Potioners, and a highly respected citizen of the Kingdom of Mohr. Princess Ariana, the heir to the throne, is her best friend and the reason that she is on the run. Apparently it is frowned upon to try to murder a princess, even if she's your best friend. The story begins three months after the attempted assasination with Kyra starving and desperate. She is willing to do whatever it takes to kill Ariana because she thinks that she will save the kingdom by doing so. She's also one of those characters that wants to protect everyone she loves, and while doing that, closes everyone out. Yes, Kyra is a person guilty of the whole "I'm doing it to keep you safe" silliness. She also believes in doing what she thinks is the right thing, even at a personal cost. Kyra does end up growing a lot in Poison.

Cover Reveal: Nissa by Bethany Lopez

Title: Nissa: a contemporary fairy tale
Author: Bethany Lopez
Genre: Contemporary Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Cover Designer: B Design
Cover Reveal Organizer: AToMR Tours
Expected Release Date: April 23, 2013
At 900 years old, Nissa is finally ready to follow her mother's path and become the best Fairy Godmother she can. She’s not thrilled when her first assignment turns out to be a teenage human girl with self-esteem issues, but she knows she has to start somewhere. Her assignment has dealt with bullies since her freshman year and they haven’t let up. If Nissa can’t help her regain her self-confidence her future is bleak.

To complicate matters Nissa experiences all the signs that she's met the being fated for her. This impossibility distracts her from her purpose. After all, fairies and humans aren't meant for each other. How can her heart believe otherwise? Can Nissa successfully complete her first assignment as a Fairy Godmother? Will the fates allow Nissa and Levi to be together? And even if they do, will Levi believe Nissa once she reveals the truth?


About the Author

Bethany Lopez was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Michigan and San Antonio, Texas. She went to High School at Dearborn High, in Dearborn, Michigan, which is where she has set her Young Adult series. She is married and has a blended family with five children. She is currently serving in the United States Air Force as a Recruiter in Los Angeles, California. She has always loved to read and write and has seen her dream realized by independently publishing her novels through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest

Review: Neversink by Barry Wolverton

Along the Arctic Circle lies a small island called Neversink, whose jagged cliffs and ice-gouged rocks are home to a colony of odd-looking seabirds called auks, including one Lockley J. Puffin. With their oceanfront views and plentiful supply of fish, the auks have few concerns--few, save for Lockley's two best friends, Egbert and Ruby, a know-it-all walrus and a sharp-tongued hummingbird.

But all of this is about to change. Rozbell, the newly crowned king of the Owl Parliament, is dealing with a famine on the mainland of Tytonia--and he has long had his scheming eyes on the small colony to the north. Now Neversink's independence hangs in the balance. An insurgence of owls will inevitably destroy life as the auks know it--unless Lockley can do something about it.

Barry Wolverton's debut is an epic tale of some very un-epic birds, a fast-paced and funny story of survival, friendship, and fish.

Title: Neversink
Author: Barry Wolverton
Illustrator: Sam Nielson
Publisher: Waldon Pond Press (HarperCollins)
Release Date: March 27, 2012
Acquired Via: Personal Collection
My Review

Neversink by Barry Wolverton is the story of Lockley J. Puffin and what happens after a nasty little owl goes on a power trip and breaks the peace between Tytonia and the auks' home island of Neversink. The story is set far in the past, as described by the following passage:

The continents had formed and separated but were covered with forests. The dinosaurs were long gone. Humans did not yet roam the earth, much less rule it. (Neversink, pg 2)

Animals communicated... Okay, talked, to one another, but the book centers on the birds. The peace between Neversink and Tytonia is uneasy, with grudges still held from the Cod Wars of a previous generation. When Rozbell the pygmy owl schemes his way into becoming king of the owls, he does away with that peace and subjugates the auks of Neversink.

Cover Reveal: Surrender and Justice by Rhiannon Paille

Title: Surrender (The Ferryman and the Flame #1)
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Cover Design: Regina Wamba of Mae I Design
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Cover Reveal Organizer: Xpresso Book Tours
How far would you go to save everything you ever loved?

Kaliel was warned about her love for the Ferryman. One day he will marry the land and leave Avristar forever. She doesn't listen, and because of what she is-- a Flame-- one of nine apocalyptic weapons, she sparks a war. In a desperate attempt to save her home and her love, Kaliel tries to awaken Avred, not knowing she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Exclusively on Amazon Kindle






Title: Justice (The Ferryman and the Flame #2)
Author: Rhiannon Paille
Cover Design: Regina Wamba of Mae I Design
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: Young Adult
Cover Reveal Organizer: Xpresso Book Tours
How far would you go to destroy yourself?

Krishani always knew he would have to go to the Lands of Men, but he never thought it would be like this. Enemies everywhere, an ancestor he can't respect, elders he can't trust, a curse he can't stop and friends he can't help but hate. Desperate to end the pain, he sets out on a quest to find the other Flames and face the enemy that took everything from him.

Exclusively on Amazon Kindle



Both of these books will be free on AMAZON today! (March 19th)
About Rhiannon Paille



Rhi was never a normal girl. Her life was an urban fantasy wrapped in a paranormal romance and served with a side of horror. To escape her everyday weirdness she began writing fantasy. She studied at U of Sedona and MIMT, obtaining a PhD in Metaphysical Science and Parapsychology. She's married to a chef/comic book shop owner and has a fondness for architecture. She frequents twitter and facebook, but if you really want to get to know her you should visit her site: www.yafantasyauthor.com




Links
Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Blog Tour (Guest Post): Oddities & Entities by Roland Allnach

Tour Schedule
Oddities & Entities is a surreal, provocative anthology of six tales within the supernatural/paranormal/horror genres, exploring a definition of life beyond the fragile vessel of the human body. The stories are: Boneview, in which a young woman struggles to balance her ability to see through people with the presence of a supernatural creature in her life; Shift/Change, in which a hospital worker struggles to regain his memory as he is confronted by a series of desperate people; My Other Me, in which a lonely college student finds himself displaced from his body by his alter ego; Gray, in which a frustrated man is stunned to discover a little creature has been living in his head; Elmer Phelps, in which a brother and sister find themselves linked in a strange reality by a bat bite in their youth; and lastly, Appendage, in which a cynical mercenary is hired by his son to protect a research lab on the verge of a stunning discovery.


E-readers vs. the Printed Book
by Roland Allnach
A few years ago Amazon introduced an interesting idea: the Kindle, a small device on which to read electronic copies of books. Since then, a growing field of e-readers has contributed to the reshaping of the publication world and the way readers interact with their books.

Cover Reveal: Eye of the Soul by Terri Rochenski

Title: Eye of the Soul (Pool of Souls #1)
Author: Terri Rochenski
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: J. Taylor Publishing
Release Date: October 7, 2013
Escape.

That should be Hyla’s first thought as her people are chained and imprisoned for no imaginable reason.

Instead, Hyla finds herself traveling through a land void of Natives, with human soldiers pillaging in desperate pursuit of her, and in search of the mystical Pool of Souls—home to the one man who can save her people.

Or so she believes.

Led by her faith in the deity Fadir, Hyla is met along her journey by Jadon—a human male and fierce King’s warrior, and his childhood best friend Conlin—one of the few Natives aware of his Fadir-given Talents.

Protected by Jadon, guided by Conlin, and with an unfailing belief in the purpose of her pilgrimage, Hyla carries on.

Like her, though, another searches for the Pool, and should he gain access first, everyone she loves, and everything she knows, could be lost.

Forever.


About Terri Rochenski




Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with the fantasy genre.

Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her two young daughters allow. When not potty training or kissing boo-boos, she can be found on her back patio in the boondocks of New Hampshire, book or pencil in hand.




You can keep up with Terri on her Website, Blog, Facebook and Twitter!

No Joke! Win Big - April Fools Kindle Fire Giveaway!

No Joke - Win Big April Fools Giveaway

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving:


7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)


Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)


Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)
Sponsoring Authors

Audiobook Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Narrator: Kate Simses
Publisher: Harper Audio
Release Date: November 15, 2011
Acquired Via: Overdrive (Library)
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war– and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

My Review

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is probably one of the most beautifully written books that I have ever read. I also almost gave up on it completely after about 10% of it. Kate Simses, the narrator, was definitely Shatter Me's saving grace.

Since I listened to the audiobook, I think it changed the reading experience. (I cannot tell you if it was for better or worse.) For one, I missed out on the scratching out of phrases except for the brief ripping sounds in the audiobook. Honestly, I thought it was skipping at first. It was more annoying than effective. As for the flowery descriptiveness, I would have probably skimmed through most of that. Mafi used strings of similes and metaphors to say the simplest things. It was the most lovely overkill that I've ever experienced. It was torturous to sit through, being as it was used mostly to illustrate the hormonal explosions happening with Juliette. I have read borderline erotica that did not have heroines so needy and starved for human touch as that girl. Granted, she had spent nearly a year in solitary confinement at an insane asylum. That lusty desperation overshadowed the majority of the novel. Juliette was either pining over Adam, the boy thrown in the cell with her at the start of the novel, or waxing poetic about Warner, the twisted leader of the sector. I know that she hated Warner, but she infused much of that hatred with flowery descriptions of his hotness. Say what you will about me, but I will forever refer to this novel as The Passionate, Desperate Ramblings of a Lonely, Horny Teenager from this day forth.

Giveaway: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic adventure follows the journey of Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an amazing quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

You can pick up your copy of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey on Blu-ray & DVD on March 19th!

TROUBLE VIEWING APP? GO HERE
Be sure to also check out The Hobbit by J.R.R., the novel that inspired the movie!


The Giveaway

Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway): Pitch Green by The Brothers Washburn

Tour Schedule

Trona is a small, smoggy, mostly insignificant town in California. Besides a booming chemical plant, the only thing that characterizes this dismal town is dirt, sagebrush, and an enormous abandoned mansion.

The mansion is, admittedly, the only notable addition to Trona, but it’s something everyone tries to avoid due to its creepy facade. Everyone except for Camm Smith, who is obsessed with the need to get inside.

Seven years earlier, as Camm herded a pack of little trick-or-treaters past the mansion, her young neighbor, Hughie, disappeared, becoming one of the many children who have vanished from Trona over the years without a trace. Now a senior in high school, Camm is still haunted by the old tragedy, and is sure the answer to the mysterious disappearances lies hidden somewhere in the decaying mansion. Joining forces with her best friend, Cal, who also happens to be Hughie’s older brother, Camm naively begins a perilous search for the truth.

As things spiral quickly out of control, and others die, Camm and Cal discover it will take all their combined ingenuity to stay alive. An unseen evil lurking deep within the bowels of the mansion is now hunting them. To make matters worse, they become entangled with hostile federal agents, who will do all they can to keep old secrets permanently hidden.

Left with only their wit and seemingly ineffective firearms, Camm and Cal know time is running out. Unless they can make sense of the few pieces of the puzzle they manage to unearth, their lives are in danger, and like so many others before them, they may also disappear without a trace.

Honestly Scary
by Andy Washburn (of The Brothers Washburn)
Telling spooky stories for a living is an interesting, if not a bizarre, livelihood. Both Berk and I have always enjoyed hearing and telling good stories. Some would say that a large part of being a trial attorney (my previous occupation) is knowing how to tell a good story. But, it is one thing to just tell entertaining stories, which we enjoy, in and of itself, and an entirely different thing to want to tell a story that will scare the dickens out of your audience. That is taking the art to a whole new level. Whether or not that is a higher level is open for debate.

Excerpt: After the Ending by Lindsey Fairleigh & Lindsey Pogue

The Virus spread. Billions died. The Ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the Virus changed us.

When people started getting sick, “they” thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family…they’re all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them—with the rest of the world—but I didn’t. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I’d ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O’Connor, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

The Virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We’ve all had to start over. I’ve been stripped of my home, my dreams…all that is me. I’m someone else now— broken and changed. Other survivors’ memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won’t let them consume me. I can’t. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I’m twenty-six-years-old, and I survived The Ending.

We’ve been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the Virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing—we’ll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we’re strong…we’re survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by Crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.

Title: After the Ending
Authors: Lindsey Fairleigh & Lindsey Pogue
Publisher: L2 Books
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
Release Date: February 22, 2013
Excerpt

Looking around apprehensively, I made my way toward the convenience store in hopes of finding a bathroom. The vacant world around me was eerily silent. All I could hear was the creaking of a giant wooden billboard being assaulted by the wind. How long has it been since anyone was here? Through the dark windows I saw a bathroom sign that looked promising, but I couldn’t bring myself to enter. I wonder if it’s safe…

Review (Giveaway): Never Seduce a Scot by Maya Banks

Eveline Armstrong is fiercely loved and protected by her powerful clan, but outsiders consider her “touched.” Beautiful, fey, with a level, intent gaze, she doesn’t speak. No one, not even her family, knows that she cannot hear. Content with her life of seclusion, Eveline has taught herself to read lips and allows the outside world to view her as daft. But when an arranged marriage into a rival clan makes Graeme Montgomery her husband, Eveline accepts her duty—unprepared for the delights to come. Graeme is a rugged warrior with a voice so deep and powerful that his new bride can hear it, and hands and kisses so tender and skilled that he stirs her deepest passions.

Graeme is intrigued by the mysterious Eveline, whose silent lips are ripe with temptation and whose bright, intelligent eyes can see into his soul. As intimacy deepens, he learns her secret. But when clan rivalries and dark deeds threaten the wife he has only begun to cherish, the Scottish warrior will move heaven and earth to save the woman who has awakened his heart to the beautiful song of a rare and magical love.

Title: Never Seduce a Scot
Author: Maya Banks
Publisher: Ballantine Books (Random House)
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Acquired Via: Publisher
My Review

Never Seduce a Scot is the first book in the Montgomerys & Armstrongs series by New York Times best-selling author Maya Banks. Eveline Armstrong and Graeme Montgomery are forced into marriage by King Alexander II of Scotland in an attempt to end the decades-long blood feud between their two families.

Never Seduce a Scot came as a bit of a surprise to me. The title and cover scream "bodice-ripper", but in reality, it sits solidly in the historical romance genre. I was expecting to skim through quite a few sex scenes, but there were only two, and they were important to the progression of the novel and the character development of Graeme and Eveline. (Yes, there is some steaminess, but it's not the focal point of the novel.) It was very well done and well written.

March New Release Giveaway Hop (INT)

Welcome to my stop on the March New Release Giveaway Hop! As always, it is being hosted by the magnificent O'Dell at Book Twirps and the glorious Dani at Refracted Light Reviews. They exude awesomeness to an extent that I am sure is contagious.

What You Can Win

There are so many fantastic new releases in March. Here are a few that I find especially exciting:


I'm sure any of you would be hard-pressed to choose just one as your prize. Unfortunately, my job has not decided that I'm worth a gazillion dollars a year, so I'm going to ask that you choose a March new release that costs less than $15US, unless you choose one that is featured. (That wouldn't really be fair, would it?)

The Giveaway

Blog Tour (Guest Post): Hiding Gladys by Lee Mims

Tour Schedule
What’s a live rattlesnake doing sunning itself in the back seat of field geologist Cleo Cooper’s Jeep? Nothing good, you can be sure — but the dilemma of how it might have gotten there isn’t as crucial to her as making certain it doesn’t stay. Yet, alarming as such an uninvited passenger might be, more disturbing to the plucky, single-minded Cleo is the need to nail down her deal for mining rights to a rare, vastly valuable North Carolina granite deposit.

The problem is that the property owner, Gladys Walton, has suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, while neglecting to sign the final documents.

First, a murder interferes with locating her: is the woman’s body found dumped in a well that of the missing Gladys? Amid the wooded, rocky countryside, suspicious misdeeds multiply and Gladys’s conniving relations all behave extremely badly.

The increasingly provoked Cleo sees her dog shot, the progress at her job site dangerously disrupted and, finally, is made witness to another death. Whom can she trust? And what kind of distractions should she allow herself when so much is at stake? Both her charming but exasperating ex-husband and an even more seductive former lover are both on hand competing to rescue her; it’s clear to Cleo, though, that she must go it alone and risk the consequences.

Writing What You Know vs. What You Don’t
Lee Mims
It seems to me that when authors write about topics they really know, whether from study or from real life experience, they do their best work. For instance, a career forensic pathologist who also writes mysteries has a wealth of actual experience carving up bodies backed up with knowledge earned through years and years of advanced education to draw upon. On the other hand, if I, someone who’s not a pathologist, tried to write a story from the point of view of one, I’d have a very tough time. However, it’s not impossible. How would I accomplish this? Two things: research, of course, the more the better and expert readers you can trust. Preferably friends.