Blog Tour (Review): Provocateur by Charles D Martin

Title: Provocateur
Author: Charles D. Martin
Publisher: Chaney-Hall
Release Date: July 2012
Acquired Via: JKS Communications
Provocateur is a novel of intrigue and womanly wile that follows the path of Nadia Borodin from her poor beginnings in Russia to her role as a top earner in the agency which rescued her.

The Writing of Provocateur was not quite what I expected from the novel. It was an easy read, but I found myself a bit disconnected and confused from time to time. The premise was fascinating, and I had no trouble sitting with the book for an hour or so at a time, but I felt like I was reading a documentary. The author inserted little tidbits of history and some great photographs into the novel, and it proved distracting. As much as I love history, I think that it took away more than it gave to this novel about a seductress. The narrator was also a little too omniscient, also lending to the documentary feel. Charles D. Martin provided the thoughts of various characters to us, whether it was necessary or not.

Thankful Thursday (4)

Thankful Thursday is a feature on the last Thursday of every month here at Bibliophilia, Please. It allows me to share not only the books that I receive, but also the bloggers, authors, lolcats, aliens, and other entities on the interwebz that made my month amazing.

Hi, guys! I'm going to keep this short and sweet this go-round because I'm trying to get ready for Hurricane Isaac to hit my area.

Books

Review: The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

Title: The Lost Girl
Author: Sangu Mandanna
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Acquired Via: DAC ARC Tours
The Lost Girl is the debut novel of Sangu Mandanna. It is a young adult, speculative fiction novel that explores grief and the lengths that families are willing to go to never have to say goodbye. The main character is an "echo" named Eva who has been created for the sole purpose of stepping into her "other's", Amarra's, life if anything should happen to her.

Before I start hitting the main points that I look at when writing a review, I feel it is important for me to let you know that I experienced a loss in my family at the time I read the book and reviewed it (in addition to two other family deaths in the past two months). A major theme of this novel is grief and loss, so it had a profound affect on me as a reader. The manner in which Ms. Mandanna captured the feelings of each character was gut-wrenching.

Dog Shaming

Shammy is a bad, bad dog.

Waiting on Wednesday (26)

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


Title: Poison
Author: Bridget Zinn
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: March 12, 2013

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.

What are you waiting on this week?

Blog Tour (Review): Loving Lady Marcia by Kieran Kramer

Title: Loving Lady Marcia
Author: Kieran Kramer
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Acquired Via: Innovative Online Book Tours

Loving Lady Marcia is the first book in Kieran Kramer's new Regency series, The House of Brady. It is a light-hearted adult romance that is inspired by situations in the beloved American sitcom,The Brady Bunch. The main focus of the book is Lady Marcia Brady's romance first with Finnian Lattimore, and then later his brother, Duncan Lattimore, Earl of Chadwick.

The Writing of Loving Lady Marcia was typical for the adult Modern Regency novel, if you are familiar with those. It was a very fun read that follows the characters through the romantic and conservative standards of 19th century British society. Lady Marcia is the oldest daughter in the Brady household who we meet while she is traveling to a wedding in Ireland with Lord Chadwick (Duncan) and Mr. Lattimore (Finn). She turns sixteen on the journey and falls madly in love with Mr. Lattimore, who proceeds to break her heart. Kieran Kramer takes us on a delightful romp with Marcia through London five years later, following her dismissal as headmistress of her former school by the school's benefactress (and her rival), Lady Ennis.

Books for Bunnies

Books for Bunnies is an event set up by the blogger over at The Bunny’s Review and coordinated with the help of blogger Alchemy of Scrawl.

These two ladies have worked tirelessly in getting authors to donate eBooks for the event. Currently there are over 100 eBooks that have been donated, along with over 30 print books donated. Some of the print books are even signed by the author’s themselves.

The event is to help raise money for the House Rabbit Society. The House Rabbit Society or HRS is a 501 non-profit organization to help raise awareness and to rescue rabbits from animal shelters.

House Rabbit Society Background
House Rabbit Society is a national, nonprofit animal welfare organization based in Richmond, California. Our mission has two parts:

• Through our fostering program, volunteers rescue abandoned rabbits and find permanent adoptive homes for them.
• Through education, we seek to reduce the number of unwanted rabbits — and to improve bunnies' lives — by helping people better understand these often misunderstood companion animals.

In line with our mission, we are against the exploitation of rabbits. Since HRS was founded in 1988, over 25,000 rabbits have been rescued through our foster homes across the United States. Many of these bunnies had run out of time at animal shelters and were scheduled for euthanasia; others had been deemed "unadoptable" because of age, health, or disposition. Because there is no time limit on our rescued rabbits, HRS foster parents are able to spend time getting to know each individual bunny and can then match him or her with an appropriate home. We neuter/spay all incoming rabbits, obtain any necessary veterinary care, and attend to their social needs.

NPR Books: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels

So, I know that a lot of people are posting about the NPR Top 100 Teen Books that was actually posted earlier this month. (I always miss everything, so bear with me.) I actually voted in the poll, so I’m going to jump on the bandwagon and share with you which of these books I’ve actually read. The ones in BLUE are going to be those, and the ones I loved or really have stayed with me over the years will have the fantastic little ♥ beside them. Also, I stole this idea from everyone, so please feel free to grab a handful of credit for being fantastic. *hugs*

1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling ♥

2. The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins ♥

3. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee ♥

4. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

5. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien ♥

6. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

7. The Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien ♥

8. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

9. Looking for Alaska, by John Green

10. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

11. The Giver (series), by Lois Lowry

12. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), by Douglas Adams ♥ (Every. Single. Book. Yeah.)

13. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton

14. Anne of Green Gables (series), by Lucy Maud Montgomery

15. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman ♥

16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

17. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman

18. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

19. Divergent (series), by Veronica Roth (I have not read Insurgent yet.)

20. Paper Towns, by John Green