Review BORN OF SHADOWS

BORN OF SHADOWS
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Grand Central Publishing, April 2011
ISBN:  978-0-446-57325-2

Caillen Dagen, a smuggler, has spent much of his life looking out for his three sisters, but this time one of his sisters gets him into a real mess.  Desideria, daughter to a queen and a member of her guard, seeks to prove herself to her mother but is hampered by prejudice against her mixed heritage.  These two meet up after an attempted assassination throws them together, and the sparks fly-- literally and figuratively.

Ms. Kenyon continues her league series, which is set in a vivid, imaginative world and has complex, intriguing characters.  Let me state up front, that I love Caillen's snarky, irreverent comments and attitude.  The interactions between his friends and him are priceless.  Caillen has been forced to be tough, in order to survive his harsh upbringing, but he loves his family and friends.  Desideria hasn't had a cushy life for herself, either.  Born into a military family and almost, ostracized because of her mixed heritage, Desideria needed to be tough to survive.  However, her toughness is softened and strengthened by a love of family and great core values.  These two make a great couple and it was thrilling to read their story.  The only small quibble, that I have with the book is Caillen's thoughts about not being able to trust people.  These thoughts seemed to be excessive and after awhile, became repetitive and annoying.  Other than this minor point, I greatly enjoyed BORN OF SHADOWS and can't wait for the next in the series.

Note:  I purchased this book and gave an impartial review.

Once Upon a Twilight!: OUaT's Blow-Out Inventory Giveaway!

Once Upon a Twilight!: OUaT's Blow-Out Inventory Giveaway!: "So I decided a few days ago that I needed to make room in my bookshelves. I have been to a few signings and Teen Book Con lately and have b..."

Please vote in the cover contest at cover cafe.

http://www.covercafe.com/contest/2010/contest2010intro.shtml\
 
If you have the time, please vote in this cover contest.  There are some awesome covers up this year and some awesomely bad ones in the worst category.

Review of STEALING KATHRYN

Adrian, also known as Sandman, Morpheus, or Bogeyman, receives energy from fears and nightmares from people living in the Earth dimension and transfers it to his people in another dimension. Kathryn Louise MacDonough has been having nightmares about a shadowy figure, while she tries to nurse her family back to health. Adrian keeps treasures, that he has collected in his lonely castle and decides that Kathryn will be his most treasured prize. Unfortunately, Adrian broke one of his peoples rules, when he brought Kathryn over.

STEALING KATHRYN is an enjoyable paranormal romance with intense, erotic love scenes and a complex, exciting world. Ms. Frank takes one of my favorite themes, beauty and the beast, and puts her own spin on it. Drawn to Kathryn's beauty and innocence, Adrian, who has become monstrous because of the negative energy he absorbs, feels he must have her. The once handsome Adrian is a beast, inside and out. He is barely clinging on to the last threads of his humanity and Kathryn becomes a lifeline. Kathryn, at first, is angry but sees Adrian's pain and wishes to help him. Kathryn seems a little wishy-washy, at times, which makes her defense of Adrian, in the end, all the more poignant.

If you enjoy a hot, beauty and the beast themed romance, give STEALING KATHRYN a try.

NOTE:  I reviewed this book for the PNR group.  I gave an impartial review.   http://paranormalromance.org/reviews/

Lark Rise to Cranford

I have a great fondness for British period pieces, as long as they aren't really sad.  I rented this series and have been enjoying it immensely.  It takes place during the Victorian era, and centers around two communities-- one rural and poor, the other more urban and middle class.  It highlights the struggles and foibles of the people and has been greatly entertaining.  I recommend it, if you enjoy British period pieces.

iLive, iLaugh, iLove Books: Giveaway: 400 Followers of Awesome!

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Paranormal Romance: 100 Follower Giveaway! Enter to WIN

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Review of HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS

HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS
Kandy Shepherd
The Berkley Publishing Group, July 2010
ISBN: 978-0-425-23429-7

Serena Oakley, a former model, who is tired of being infamous, dresses down and opens Paws-A-While, an upscale dog daycare and spa in San Francisco. Serena hopes to put her modeling career behind her and use her love for dogs to carve out a new career. Unfortunately, someone is stealing identities and the trail left by the thief leads PI, Nick Whalen, right to Serena's door.

Because I have been feeling a little down, HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS just hit the spot for me. It is a heart-warming, contemporary romance, with likable characters, adorable animals, and a hot hero. There were many humorous moments in this book, and I enjoyed the chemistry between the Nick and Serena. I only have one small quibble with a few of the Serena's choices, which seemed a little irrational to me. Other than this sometimes annoying tendency of the heroine, I greatly enjoyed HOME IS WHERE THE BARK IS and recommend it.

NOTE:  I reviewed this book for the PNR group.  I gave an impartial review.   http://paranormalromance.org/reviews/

A Myriad of Books: Half-a-Blogoversary Mega Giveaway!

A Myriad of Books: Half-a-Blogoversary Mega Giveaway!: "It's my Blogoversary, guys!!! *squeals* Okay, so it will be my blogoversary in exactly six months. It's my Half-a-Blogoversary, anyway, a..."

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Winners

The winner of my blogiversary is





Tara

The winner of Shadow Cat is



Madam Marsee

The winners have been notified and responded.

My family is celebrating my birthday this weekend and my cousin is making a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies cake for me.  If it turns out well I'll try and post pics.  Thanks to everyone for all the good wishes.

SARAH'S BLOG OF FUN: Eternal Rider Book Review And ~~Giveaway~~

SARAH'S BLOG OF FUN: Eternal Rider Book Review And ~~Giveaway~~

Read Me Bookmark Me Love Me: Vacation + Giveaway

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Interview and Giveaway with Reena Jacobs

Please welcome Reena Jacobs.  She has kindly volunteered to be my first interview.  So without further ado:

BLP:   Please tell us a little about yourself.

Awesome question.  How about I tell you with a true story?

As I sat on the couch one afternoon in my slob suit-pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt complete with holes-I asked my husband to describe my personality.  Before we get to his answer a bit of setup.  Straight out of bed, my natural hair (kinky spirals) was doing that Pointy-haired boss thing from Dilbert.  I hadn't left the house for days, choosing to spend the entire week lounging during spring break.  Who am I kidding?  Spring break had nothing to do with my appearance.  That was my normal stay-at-home mom routine.  My hard-working husband, on the other hand, had put in a marathon cleaning session in order to correct my substandard housekeeping.  So, his response to my question? Meticulous.

As Inigo Montoya said in The Princess Bride,"I do not think that word means what you think it means."

I even read the definition for him, and he stuck by it. :) So a little about myself--I'm a meticulous sloth.

BLP:  Describe your writing process.

Usually, I start a story by writing a beginning scene or two.   I typically have no idea where the story is heading at that time.  Once I've jotted down the start, I plot the story and plug my outline into my favorite writing program(Storybox developed by Mark Fassett).  From there, I just type until the story is finished.  Since I have an outline, I often skip around.

BLP:  As a self-published author, what has your experience been like?  Pros and cons?

Tough. :) The greatest benefit I've had so far with self-publishing is being free of the query process.  It's time consuming, to say the least.  Though it may seem like a petty issue, for me it isn't.
During the nine months I spent querying, I did very little writing--other than modifying query letters, that is.  I can not express to you my relief when I realized I'd never have to write or send another query letter again.

Once I relieved myself of that burden, my creativity, motivation, and writing levels bumped exponentially.  Since September, I've released a short story called Control Freaks:  Brandon's Story, Shadow Cat, and completed the first draft of three other works.  Now I need to muster a bit of motivation for some second draft editing.

The cons?  Trying to get noticed amongst the masses without major backing. :) Seems everyone's pushing a book these days. It's like being in a crowd of thousands with everyone raising their hands shouting, "Pick me!"  I'm a loner and prefer to fade into the background, so stepping up my social game is a challenge.

Traditional? Indie? It's really about tolerance levels and tradeoffs.  For me, not having to query outweighs any cons associated with self-publishing.

BLP:  What was your inspiration for Shadow Cat?

I get this question often, and it always leaves me floundering for an answer.  I honestly don't remember when or how the idea sprung upon me, but research propelled much of Shadow Cat's creation.  I spent a lot of time exploring Malaysian folklore for the supernatural aspects of the story.  Then there was the many, many showers-- nothing like a hot shower to get those creative juices flowing.

BLP:  I understand that you have two sequels in the works.  Can you tell us anything about them?

Oh goodie!  I'm so glad you asked.  Teehee.  I've written each book of the Striped Ones so it progresses the story of the penanggalan (a type of bodiless demon) dilemma.  Other than a few scene gaps, Chasing Shadows (book two) and The Shadow Within (book three) are written and ready for a round of editing.

Chasing Shadows picks up where Shadow Cat leaves off and follows Mujur, the shifty wehr-tiger we meet toward the middle of book one.  We learn about his background which is as questionable as him.  For those familiar with wehr-tigers, you'll recall that the species tend to be quite tall in stature.  Mujur's heroine, Kecil, is a mite of a thing.  Don't let her size fool you; she can maul a human as well as any wehr-tigress.

The Shadow Within sends us to New York City and follows Bryan, Eric's assistant.  I doubt  Bryan realizes this, but I'm totally crushing on him.  And if I weren't married to a wonderful man, I'd be completely envious of his heroine. Jacky.  One of the things I love about The Shadow Within is it introduces characters who star in a few other works in progress.  So even though The Shadow Within concludes the Striped Ones storyline, we don't have to say goodbye to our beloved characters.

BLP:  If  Shadow Cats were made into a film, who would you pick to play the main roles?

That's a tough one.  I'm still leaning toward Sean Faris for the role of Eric.  The rest, I'm not familiar enough with Malaysian actresses to even give a shot at Berani.  Perhaps your readers have suggestions. :)

Now for some fun, frivolous questions.
Coke or Pepsi?  Pepsi
Star Trek or Star Wars?  Star Trek
favorite older tv series?  Sliders
favorite recent tv series?  House
favorite movie?  The Joy Luck Club
favorite book?  The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Forgive my lack of originality. :)

BLP:  Who are some authors on your must buy list?

Right now, I only have one author on my instant buy list.  Strike that, she's on my preorder list. :)  That place of honor goes to Kresley Cole.  I have quite a few authors I'm extremely fond of and are high on my buy list, but none of them have earned my trust like Ms. Cole.  The woman has never let me down.

Thanks for the wonderful interview and everything, Marlene.

BLP:  Thanks for taking the time to be my first interviewee.  I'm looking forward to the Shadow Cat sequels!

Shadow Cat is available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Smashwords.

Giveaway:
Reena has kindly donated two kindle copies of Shadow Cat.  See my review here.  All you have to do to enter is leave Reena a question or comment.  The giveaway will close midnight on April 14.  I will notify the winners and they will have 48 hrs. to respond.  So everyone enter, you don't want to miss out on a really good read.

Three Boys and an Old lady: Spring Break Getaway Giveaway: Crane Air Purifier...

Three Boys and an Old lady: Spring Break Getaway Giveaway: Crane Air Purifier..

My Blogiversary and Birthday

April is the month for my birthday and, also, the month that I started my blog.  Very soon, I will have been blogging for one year.  I have met some wonderful bloggers, readers, and authors during that time and hope to continue to meet great people from the book blogging community.  I had hoped to do an extravaganza, but finances and health issues put a kink in my plans.  However, I do have a special giveaway for my great followers.  The winner will received up to $20 worth of books from the Book Depository.  If the Book Depository ships in your area, you may enter.  So my international followers are welcome to enter. 
Rules:
You must be a follower.
+5 old follower
+1 new follower
Leave me a comment with your total and e-mail.
Giveaway goes until April 12 at midnight.  I will e-mail the winner, and they will have 48 hrs. to get back with me.  Once they pick their books, I will order them from the Book Depository and have them shipped to them.
Thanks to everyone for a great first year!

Planet Print: Almost 100 followers/7 month blogoversary giveaway...

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Review of WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST

WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST
Eloisa James
Avon, February 2011
ISBN:  978-1-61129-188-9

Miss Lynnette Berry is seeped in scandal after a flirtation with a prince goes awry, and it is bandied about that she is expecting.  Desperate to see her settled, Lynnette's father and aunt decide to contact the Duke of Windebanke, who is equally as desperate to see his son settled.  Because Piers Yelverton, the Earl of Marchant and the Duke of Windebanke's son, is a crippled, bad-tempered, doctor, who lives in a castle in Wales, he is known as the beast by London society.  Lynnette, who is a beauty and used to entrancing men with her looks, may be in for a surprise, when she meets the beast.

WHEN BEAUTY TAMED THE BEAST is a wonderful historical romance with great characters and amusing dialogue.  Piers is a truly great hero, warts and all.  I loved his bad temper and snarky comments.  Piers is a brilliant doctor, who doesn't suffer fools lightly.  When confronted with Lynnette, Piers sees past her beauty to discover the determined, intelligent woman underneath.  I love the fact, that Piers sees past Lynnette's stratagems and isn't bowled over by her famous male-enticing smile.  Lynette, on the other hand, isn't just a beauty, for she is well-read and able to hold her own with Piers.  These two, flawed, but endearing characters are perfect for each other, and their romance is very satisfying.

NOTE:  I own this book and gave an impartial review.

The Qwillery: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After: Book Trailer and Giveaway - March 24, 2011

The Qwillery: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After: Book Trailer and Giveaway - March 24, 2011