Sunday, July 31, 2011

{No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells by Rose Pressey and a Giveaway! }



June 4, 2011 by Amazon Digital Services


Source: Publisher provided for review


Format: ebook




From Goodreads:




Elly Blair welcomes the chance to escape her ex-fiance and job from hell when Grandma Imelda, ready to retire to sunny Florida, calls for her to take over her little southern cafe.




Elly has no idea her grandmother has baked up magic for the unsuspecting townsfolk for thirty years - and now Grandma Imelda insists that Elly use her own hitherto unsuspected magical powers to carry on the family tradition.




But Elly's new at this stuff. Her dishes don't turn out as full of smidgens of enchantment and dashes of wishes come true as she'd hoped. When handsome customer Rory Covington takes a bite of the wrong burger, he ends up capturing the attention of every woman in town. Elly doesn't know if her feelings for Rory are true or based on her magic gone awry.




Tom Owenton is an investigator for the National Organization for Magic sent to look into the magical mishap. Unless Elly can reverse the spell, the cafe will be closed permanently. Tom is more than willing to help Elly out of this magical pickle, but she's not sure she should accept his offer.




Elly only has forty-eight hours to find a way to reverse the spell, or she'll lose the cafe and never discover if her feelings for Rory are real.




My Review:




What a fun, fun, fun read this was. I was pleasantly surprised by this one!




Elly Blair is this sweet girl who I immediately fell in love with. She is funny and snarky all while trying to keep her southern charm in check. The town of Mystic Hollow is filled with quirky characters - this is my kind of town! Elly's best friend, Mary Jane, had me laughing throughout. The two of them together are very funny and perfect best friends. They differ in many ways yet blend together so well.




Not only is there one, but two hotties in this one. I honestly don't know who's team I am on more. Rory Covington is the hunky southern farm owner who gets caught up in Elly's magical mess. He is super sweet and full of southern charm. Tom Owenton is the hunky National Organization for Magic Investigator sent to help Elly fix her magic mess up. I think I am leaning towards Tom. I have a soft spot for funny, snarky, slightly cocky and oh so sexy.




Elly's grandmother is awesome. I love her. I just wish she made more of an appearance. Let's just say that grandma Imelda stole the show, when she was around. I want her to adopt me! I really hope that she makes an appearance in the next books.




In the end, I wholeheartedly recommend this book. While this may contain some silliness? We all need something light, refreshing and fun once in awhile and this most certainly delivers. This is a great summer read! I can not wait to see where the next book takes Elly. I really hope we see more of Rory, Tom and Mary Jane as well.




Rating: 4 stars!




And now, onto the giveaway...my very first one! Author Rose Pressey and her PR team have offered up an ecopy of her book, No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells. This giveaway will end Sunday August 7 @ 11:59pm MST. All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post with your email and tell me what is your ecopy of choice( Kindle, Epub or pdf). That's it! Simple enough? I would love it if you could spread the word, but it's not necessary. And no, you do not have to be a follower, but I would love it if you were.




Good luck to all!


{ IMM - July 31, 2011 }




I am super excited as this is my first IMM post! I have been watching the weekly posts and decided to finally jump in. I am not too sure if I will do it weekly or not, but I will try.

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. You can find out all the details about this meme HERE. Be sure to stop by and check out who else is participating this week!



First off from the library this week is:






I have heard such good things about this book, I thought it was time to give it a read.



Also this week I am happy to share with you two new ebooks I have received from the authors for review. The first is:







This one is not something I would normally read. However, after reading the book blurb and seeing the authors website, I am a little intrigued.




Next up is:








This is one of those books that I would ordinarily overlook because of the cover. However, the synopsis is definitely something that I think I will enjoy!


What's in your mailbox this week?

Saturday, July 30, 2011

{ The Eye of the Crystal Ball by T P Boje }








June 23, 2011 by T P Boje


Source: from author for review


Format: Ebook




From Goodreads:



When Sara was newborn her parents left her at the doorstep at Mr. and Mrs. Schneider's house.



When Sara was ten she discovered she was telekinetic. She began to move stuff around when she got angry just by her will alone.



When Sara was twelve her real parents came for her and took her with them to live like the Gypsy that she was - or Romani as they like to call themselves. They told her she was goin to fulfill a prophesy. That is was once said that out of the Romani people the greatest sorceress who had ever lived would be born.



When Sara was thirteen she had a baby brother and when she was fourteen he got very sick with a strange illness.



To save her baby brother Sara sets off on a quest to find his cure - well knowing that it will cost her dearly.



Soon Sara finds herself going through the Singing Cave, crossing Wild Witches Valley, talking to a ten foot giant snail, rescuing the Beads of Souls from the Hell-hounds, escaping a spell in Vamilla, the Forest of Vanity, visiting the King at the City of Lights before she finally reaches the Black Castle where she is told the Eye of the Crystal Ball can tell her how to cure her brother's strange illness.



But nothing is free in this world - and as Sara soon will know - everything has a price.



My Review:



The Eye of the Crystal Ball is an epic fantasy filled with adventure, wonderful creatures and some great life lessons. Aside from a one sentence reference to a rape, at the hands of a snake-wizard, this is a story suited to all fantasy readers ages 10 and up. If you are a lover of fantastical creatures, this book is sure to satisfy. Within the 22 chapters you will meet a werewolf boy, sorceress, witches, a speed talking giant snail, a griffin, a black dragon, a bogwoman, elves, Will-o'-the-wisps, a handfull of creatures turned into various weird creatures at the hands of the evil Sensisaron, pegasis and of course a unicorn.



However, aside from the adventure and characters, The Eye of the Crystal Ball left me feeling very conflicted. To be perfectly honest, this book on a whole is in need of an editing overhaul. I am not a writer or an editor, but when a book is filled with this many spelling/grammatical errors and a few inconsistances within the story? It is just too distracting. I know that the author has had her books translated into various languages for publication, and it is quite possible that that is where the issue stems from. But from a personal stand point, this was too much of a distraction for me.



In the end, editing issues aside, the story at it's core and the characters are definitely a wonderful fantasy for young readers. I just hope that the next book in this series is given the editing overhaul that it deserves.



Rating: 2.5 stars

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

{ Teaser Tuesday - July 26, 2011 }



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by Mizb over at Shouldbereading. Anyone can play along, just do the following:



* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two(2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!! (make sure that what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the author and title, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!



Here's mine - running a bit late today as I was busy clean the basement, but here I am:



'Sara felt better after talking to her mother, but something inside of her wasn't quite convinced that everything was going to be fine. A feeling, a nagging unrest in her, told her that she was the one with the experience in this field, and it was not a good one.'



pg 90 - The Eye of the Crystal Ball by T P Boje - author provided for review



What's your teaser this week?

Monday, July 25, 2011

{ It's Monday! What are you reading? - July 25, 2011 }




It's Monday! What are you reading is a weekly book meme hosted by Sheila over at BookJourney. This is where participants share what they read last week, what they are currently reading and what's up next. Here's mine for this week:




Read Last week:




The Sleepwalkers by J Gabriel Gates (from Net Galley)


No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells by Rose Pressey ( from Publisher)




Currently Reading:




The Eye of the Crystal Ball by T P Boje (from Author)




Up Next: not sure which one will be first but these are the next ones on the list!




Ashes by Ilsa J Bick (from Net Galley)


Misfit by Jon Skovron (from Net Galley)


Eve by Anna Carey (from Net Galley)


Forbidden by Ted Dekker & Tosca Lee (from Net Galley)




What are you reading this week?

Saturday, July 23, 2011

{ The Sleepwalkers by J Gabriel Gates }






Oct 3, 2011 by HCI Books


Source: Net Galley


Genre: YA Horror/Supernatural




From Goodreads:




Privileged and popular Caleb Mason is celebrating his High School graduation when he receives a mysterious, disturbing letter from his long-lost childhood playmate, Christine. Caleb and his jokester friend Bean decide to travel to his tiny hometown of Hudsonville, Florida, to find her. Upon arrival, they discover the town has taken a horrifying turn for the worse. Caleb's childhood home is abandoned and his father has disappeared. Children are going missing. The old insane asylum has reopened, and Christine is locked inside. Her mother, a witch, is consumed with madness, and Christine's long-dead twin sister whispers clues to Caleb through the static of an A.M radio.




The terrifying prophesies of the spirits are coming to pass. Sixteen clocks are ticking; sixty-six murdered souls will bring about the end of the world. As Caleb peels back layer after layer of mystery, he uncovers a truth more horrible than anything he had imagined, a truth that could only be uttered by the lips of the dead.




My review:




The sleepwalkers is an eerie, creepy tale filled with mystery and some very horrific characters and images. While it was definitely a page turner, I did have some issues with this book. The most predominant being that the beginning read more like a movie script than an actual novel. And, because of this, I really had a hard-time fully connecting with these characters in the beginning. I did feel a change a quarter of the way in though, and really started to get into the story.




Although Caleb was the main character, his best friend Bean really stole the scenes. Bean is this funny, snarky, often crude but deep down great guy. He is full of personality and just fun to read. They really are a great team, but on his own Caleb could have used a little more personality.




The relationship between Caleb and Christine was perfect, however. All to often in YA fiction you have these characters that fall madly in love within the first few pages and it is so unbelievable and quite frankly insulting. This relationship however, is very real and very natural. There could be some argument that the relationship is not believable due to the length of time these two were apart, but I disagree. I for one have had childhood friends who I have been estranged from over the years, who I have reconnected with and it felt as though we had never been apart. These are true connections - the ones that really matter. This is what Caleb and Christine have and I loved that.




I really feel that this book could easily be adapted to film and do very well. It is a very visual book. In the end, although the ending was somewhat predictable and slightly anti-climatic, I would recommend it. If you are looking for a creepy, bone chilling, page turner? You will find it within the pages of The Sleepwalkers. I am interested to see where the author, J Gabriel Gates, goes from here.




Rating: 3 stars

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

{ I am soooooo excited!! }

{ Teaser Tuesday - July 19, 2011 }



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by Mizb over at shouldbereading. Anyone can play along just do the following:


* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two(2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the author and title, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they liked your teaser!


Here's mine this week:


'Well," says Bean, "here we are. Only with you...I pack for the beach, expecting a vacation of broads and booze, and we wind up in the loony bin. Good times."


Pg 66 - The Sleepwalkers by J Gabriel Gates - provided by Net Galley


What's your teaser this week?

Monday, July 18, 2011

{ It's Monday! What are you reading? - July 18, 2011 }

It's Monday! What are you reading is a weekly book meme hosted by Sheila over at BookJourney. This is were participants share what they read last week, what they are currently reading and what's up next.

I was busy today, so my post is going up a bit later than usual. However, here are mine:

Last week:

Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder
Intoxication by Tim Kizer (author provided for review)
Ashfall by Mike Mullin (Net Galley)

Currently reading:

The Sleepwalkers by J Gabriel Gates (Net Galley)

Up Next:

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Spells by Rose Pressey (Publisher provided for review)
The Eye of The Crystal Ball by T P Boje (Author provided for review)

What are you reading this week?

Saturday, July 16, 2011

{ Ashfall by Mike Mullin }




Ashfall by Mike Mullin


Oct 11, 2011 by Tanglewood Press


Source: Net Galley




From Goodreads:




Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a super volcano. Most people don't know its there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.




Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone super volcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.




My review:




At the request of the publishers, my review will not be available until 30 days prior to release date. I will say this though? If you are a fan of post apocalyptic dystopian? You are sure to devour this book! The fact that there is an element of 'this could actually happen', makes this one hell of a ride and an outstanding debut by Mike Mullin! Stay tuned for my full review closer to release. In the meantime be sure to add it to your TBR list or better yet head over to Net Galley and request a review copy!




Rating: 5 stars!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

{ Intoxication by Tim Kizer }

Intoxication by Tim Kizer



March 30, 2011


Source: ecopy provided by author for review




From Goodreads:



For the the fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz...



How do you force a confession out of a coworker trying to poison you? Do you kill those who dismiss your fears and believe you are paranoid? What do you do if you start questioning your own suspicions - and sanity - as you take the law into your hands?



In this disturbing tale of derangement, a young psychotic woman is slipping into madness as she fights an enemy that may exist only in her imagination. She has to resort to desperate measures when she realizes that a gun, security cameras in her apartment, and constant vigilance will not be enough to survive.



Bonus: 'Hitchhiker' by Tim Kizer, the first entry in the As The Darkness Falls series.


When a serial killer hitches a ride one sunny day in a beautiful California valley, he does not suspect that he may have met his match, who is dead set to take another life. The battle of wits begins and only the most devious mind will survive.



My review:



Intoxication is a short story consisting of 31 pages. I am not normally a big fan of short stories, mainly due to there is never enough time to get invested in the story or the characters. I will admit that the first 14 pages felt a bit choppy and disjointed, however by page 15 I really got into the story. The last half flowed nicely and I was very interested to see where the story and characters were going to go. I don't want to give too much away, but I really did connect with these characters and what brought them to the end. It was a good suspenseful read. I would like to see this one made into a longer version.



Rating: 3 stars



The second story included was Hitchhiker. This again was a short story of only 13 pgs. This one I did not enjoy as much as the first one. Again I found the writing to be choppy and disjointed and I really did not find myself connecting with the story all that much. I think there needed to be more to this one to get fully invested in these characters and their story.



Rating: 2.5 stars



The third short story The Bike was way too short and quite frankly just plain silly for me. A man gets framed for a robbery all in an attempt to get back at him for killing his neighbors dog. Not enough substance for me.



Rating: 2 stars

{ Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder }




Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder


April 11, 2009 by Smashwords Inc


Source: Free ebook from Kobobooks.com


Format: ebook




From Goodreads:




What if you could bank your money for your next life? Smart-aleck and computer security expert Scott Waverly is skeptical of his new clients claim that they have been tracking souls for almost twenty-six hundred years. Is it a freaky cult, or a sophisticated con job? As Scott saves Soul Identity from an insider attack, he discovers the importance of the bridges connecting peoples lives.




My review:




After I first purchased my ereader, I decided to see what kind of free books were out there. I found this one at the kobo bookstore and thought it sounded like a good one. There really is not much to say about this one. While the story line was something different, the execution fell short. I felt there should have been some major editing done to this book. I am not a writer, publisher or editor, but I am a reader and this one just felt very choppy. The beginning of the book had a good flow and I did feel connected with the main character Scott Waverly, but then after a few chapters it just gradually fell apart. I found most of the action scenes were rushed and it was over before it really began. The romance between the main character Scott and Val was very forced and I felt it was just there for a token romance.




In the end, it was not a terrible read, just not all that great either. If you are looking for something light to pass the time, perhaps give this one a read.




Rating: 2.5 stars

{ Teaser Tuesday - July 12, 2011 }



Teaser Tuesday is a weekly book meme hosted by Mizb over at shouldbereading. Anyone can play along. Just do the following:


* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two(2) teaser sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share does not give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the author and title, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teaser!


Here's mine for this week:


"I didn't see your name on that cup," she commented with slight but discernable irritation as she sat down next to Rick, whose left arm was resting on the back of the leather couch, waiting to crawl upon her shoulders. Of course, when she said it, she had no idea that the coffee was contaminated and that she and eight of her coworkers would die of poisoning in less than three weeks.


pg 1 - Intoxication by Tim Kizer


What's your teaser for this week?

Monday, July 11, 2011

{ It's Monday! What are you reading? - July 11, 2011 }



It's Monday! What are you reading is a weekly book meme hosted by Sheila over at BookJourney. This is where participants share what they read last week, what they are currently reading and what is up next. Here is mine for this week:


Last Week: (was camping last week and did not do a whole lot of reading)


Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton



Currently Reading:


Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder



Up Next: (found NetGalley this week and very excited to read these!)


Intoxication by Tim Kizer(author provided copy for review)

Ashfall by Mike Mullen(from Netgalley)

Ashes by Ilsa J Bick(from Netgalley)

The Sleepwalkers by J Gabriel Gates(from Netgalley)



What are you reading this week?


Saturday, July 9, 2011

{ Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton }

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton


May 24, 2011 by Random House Children's Books


Format: Ebook


Source: Bought from Kobo.com




From Goodreads:




This page-turning debut novel will entice fans who like their paranormal romances dark and disturbing. It's a natural next-read for fans of Stephanie Meyer, Carrie Jones, and Becca Fitzpatrick. But instead of mythical creatures, blood magic has everything to do with primal human desires like power, wealth and immortality. Everywhere Silla Kennicott turns she sees blood. She can't stop thinking of her parents alleged murder-suicide. She is consumed by a book filled with spells that arrives mysteriously in the mail. The spells share one common ingredient: blood, and Silla is more than willing to cast a few. What's a little spilled blood if she can uncover the truth? And then there's Nick - the new guy at school who makes her pulse race. He has a few secrets of his own and is all too familiar with the lure of blood magic. Drawn together by a combination of fate and chemistry, Silla and Nick must find out who else in their small Missouri town knows their secret and will do anything to take the book and magic from Silla.




My review:




I love visiting my favorite blogs for new book finds and I also love to visit Goodreads. I was on Goodreads one day and taking a look through some of my favorite authors book reviews and came across this one on Maggie Stiefvater's Goodreads page. It was highly recommended by Maggie, so of course I had to give it a read! You know what? I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed this story and the characters. I realize that it might not be for everyone as blood plays a huge part in this story. But I really enjoyed it! It was something different, dark and a little creepy...okay, maybe a lot creepy.




Silla and Nick were both enjoyable on their own and as a couple. I will admit that Nick calling Silla, Babe all the time was a bit annoying for me. I just found it a bit out of character or just not all that fitting for either of them. Just a little annoyance of mine. Other than that, I found them both to be quite believable even in the middle of a pretty unbelievable situation. Poor Silla has been through so much when we first meet her - she is the one to find both of her parents dead and in a bloody embrace - and she continues to be at the centre of even more blood and creepiness. I really enjoyed how each chapter switches back and forth between Silla and Nick. I really find that I enjoy this style as we get a better understanding of each of the main characters and get more invested in each of them as individuals.




I will admit this review is not all that in depth. I finished this one while I was off on a camping trip last week and was not able to write my review right away as I usually like to do. However, in the end, I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for something a little different from your normal YA paranormal. If you like your YA darker, creepier and little bloodier? You will definitely devour this one!




Rating: 4 stars!