Hanging with Bells!

Review: Bound By Darkness by Alexandria Ivy

2012-01-29T19:22:00.000-05:00

Bound By Darkness
Book 8 in the Guardians of Eternity series
Author: Alexandria Ivy
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781420111361
Author's website: Link

The Sylvermyst have a reputation as sinister cousins to the fey, and none are more mysterious than Ariyal and his tribe. To save his people from banishment, he sold himself to the evil Morgana. Finally free, he faces a new challenge: Jaelyn, an elite vampire warrior sent to capture him. By rights, he should kill her on sight. Yet he cannot bring himself to hurt her—or to resist her. . .

Jaelyn is stunningly beautiful, utterly lethal—and always alone. Until Ariyal. From their first encounter, she knows that what's between them is more dangerous than simple lust. And as they unite to thwart a terrifying prophecy that will mean the end of his clan and of the world they know, she will risk everything to fulfill her destiny by his side. . .

Although this wasn’t one of my favorite books in this series, it still had its moments where I was glad I didn’t let this one pass me by.

In the latest installment of Guardians of Eternity series, the romance between Jaelyn and Ariyal was very interesting. It was off to a great start but then the romance between these two characters began to be drawn out a little too much. Jaelyn is a female vampire hunter who is sent to drag the dark elf Ariyal to finally face the Oracles. But what Jaelyn discovers the he might have got a bad rap things start to get interesting for the pair.

This story had two stories going on at the same time that end up working perfectly together. I just wished the tension between the two main characters was more drawn out. I also felt that the other relationship in the book was a bit rushed and could have been a little better, but overall it was a good storyline.

I loved that Ivy brings back some of the male characters from the previous books who I just adored. I am actually looking forward to the next story in this series to see where it is headed. Although I didn’t enjoy this story as must as the others, this is one series I will have to continue due to the love of the characters for sure.

Reviewed by Danielle:

New Releases: Week of 1/23/12

2012-01-24T06:45:00.030-05:00

Great releases this week! Click on pic to be taken to Amazon for more information.

Books

PNR/UF

Yes Chase's book is finally here!

It is sooo good and is my favorite of the series!

Available at Samhain: Link

Contemporary/Romantic Suspense

Historical

Teen

Music

DVD

Giveaway: Tempest by Julie Cross

2012-01-21T12:14:00.000-05:00

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps– it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

Giveaway is open to US/Canada addresses only. Ends 1/30/12. Leave a comment with your email included if you are interested in entering.

Feature & Giveaway: Author Christie Craig

2012-01-20T09:00:00.001-05:00

Murder, Mayhem and Mama

BEING A MAMA IS HARD. BUT THE JOB’S EVEN TOUGHER WHEN YOU’RE DEAD…

Cali McKay’s mama isn’t ready to pass over to the “other side” yet. Her unlucky-in-love daughter needs her now more than ever. Before Mama can chain-smoke her way to heaven, she’s gotta make sure Cali’s ex deadbeat boyfriend doesn’t get her daughter killed.

GRIEF SUCKS. LOVE HEALS…

Cali lost her mom to cancer. Detective Brit Lowell, lost his partner to murder. Now he’s in the mood to take down some dirtbags and Cali’s ex just happens to be a dirtbag leaving a trail of dead bodies behind him. Can Brit trust this beautiful woman to help take down her ex? Can Cali look past this sexy cop’s hard exterior to trust him with her heart? Can life get any crazier when Mama starts meddling from the grave? Only one thing is for sure–none of it will matter, unless they catch a killer before the killer catches them.

FIRST TIME AVAILABLE IN WIDE RELEASE!

Thirteen things you’ll learn from reading Murder, Mayhem and Mama:
1) Grief sucks. Love heals.
2) Believe it or not, sometimes mama does know best. Even when she’s dead.
3) Painting your toenails is equivalent to a happy pill.
4) Sometimes there’s a hell of lot more to our dreams than we think.
5) When a tough guy resorts to sniffing a girl’s sweater that she left behind, he might as well give
up the bachelor pad, he’s on the road to falling in love.
6) A guy who offers you a shoulder during a meltdown and doesn’t try to cop a feel, just may be a
keeper.
7) When a guy says all he wants to do is sleep with you, he might not be talking sex, you might just
be his answer to insomnia. Then again, he’ll probably want sex when he’s had some sleep.
8) When all else fails, try saying the magic words: please and thank you. It’s a manners thing.
9) Be leery of opening your boyfriends medicine cabinet, it’s not just what you might find, but what
might fall out and bounce right into the toilet. Explaining how his 36 pack of condoms got wet
could be embarrassing.
10) While being a better bitch isn’t something we should aspire to, learning to stand up for oneself
is definitely goal worthy.
11) Sharing food off each other’s plate could lead to sharing a toothbrush. And after that all bets,
and possibly the clothes, are coming off.
12) Bad habits die hard. Then again, the sergeant general doesn’t say anything about smoking after
you’re dead. Just ask Mama.
13) Take a man’s favorite leather jacket, and he might offer you his heart to get it back.

GIVEAWAY!

The author is generously giving away an ecopy of Murder, Mayhem, and Mama to one lucky commenter. Just leave a comment with your email if you interested.

Find Christie Craig at:
Website

Twitter

Facebook

Goodreads

Guest Post & Giveaway: Virna DePaul

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to stop #11 in my blog tour For Chosen By Sin (Para-Ops #3).

Thank you to Bells for having me here today! This tour focuses on my writing and my paranormal series, but also my Twelve Resolutions for 2012, as well as the resolutions of my hero in Chosen By Sin, werebeast Dex Hunt. Those of you who know Dex know he's a bit...difficult, so I'm curious to see what he comes up with. (Psst: Dex doesn't actually know it, but his “resolutions” are more like a Twelve-Step Program designed by me to get him to his HEA).

I'll be giving away a prize to one commenter from this blog stop, but I'm also giving away one grand prize to one blog tour follower. See the giveaway details below! :)

The Para-Ops Series: Five years after the Second Civil War ends, humans and Otherborn—humanlike creatures with superhuman DNA—still struggle for peace. To ensure the continued rights of both, the FBI forms a Para-Ops team with a unique set of skills. (Chosen By Blood (Book 1), Chosen By Fate (Book 2))

So what's Resolution #11 for me? Resist Binge Online Shopping

This is usually cyclical for me. Winter, when all the holiday sales and enticements are going on, is the worst time for me. It's especially hard because I'm on the computer and online so much. I suffer from the “why not buy it and if it doesn't work, I can always return it” philosophy. I think in small doses, this is fine, but I tend to end up with bags of stuff I never returned in the time I should have!

And what's Resolution #11 for Dex Hunt?

Here's a hint from Chosen By Sin.

However he got the information, Mahone was counting on Dex bringing him back something useful. And if the “good” shape-shifters wouldn’t open up to him? Well, Mahone had prepared for that contingency, too.

By strategically leaking Jesmina’s suspicions about Dex to several shape-shifters, Mahone was gambling that word would get around and that the “bad” shape-shifters would go after Dex themselves. After all, what better way to get those shape-shifters’ attention than to dangle the promise of immortality in front of them. Immortality not just for them, but for the dark spirits they raised.

Of course, that meant others might hear the gossip and go after Dex, too.

In effect, Mahone had probably unleashed a whole hella-lotta nasty on the werebeast. Mahone couldn’t afford to feel regret or to hesitate because of it.

I hate to admit it but all this time I've been telling Dex he needs to trust and let his guard down. That is so true. But Resolution #11 for Dex is this: FBI Director Kyle Mahone is basically a good guy, but he always has an agenda. Proceed with caution!

Want to see a trailer I made depicting the Para-Ops characters as I see them? Dex is particularly yummy! Here's the link: http://on.fb.me/z6Z8nI

Bio: Virna DePaul is a former prosecutor and now national bestselling author of the Para-Ops Novels. She also writes contemporary romantic suspense for Harlequin Romantic Suspense (It Started That Night, May 2012) and HQN (Shades Of Desire, June 2012).

Blurb for Chosen By Sin:

The longest life isn’t always the happiest one…

For now, werebeast Dex Hunt serves on the Para-Ops team, but his true purpose is to kill the werewolf leader he blames for his mother’s death. Biding his time, Dex keeps his emotional distance from his team members and anyone else he might care for, including a mysterious vampire he met in L.A.

As a doctor, vampire Jesmina Martin has dedicated her immortal life to healing others. As a scientific researcher, she’s trying to prolong life spans, in particular those of her adoptive dragon-shifter family and the werewolf who saved her as a child. Her greatest hope lies with Dex, a werebeast she believes can gift immortality to others.

Only Dex knows nothing about his gift or the fact Jesmina wants to harness it. After a passionate night together neither expects to see the other again. Weeks later, they are reunited in France and forced to acknowledge a fragile miracle—a new life struggling to survive. At the same time, they must stop a group of rebel shape-shifters hoping to unleash every demon in hell. But before Dex and Jesmina can save their child or the world, they must relinquish their secrets, face their fears, and open themselves to love.

Purchase:

E-version ($4.99)

Amazon: http://t.co/SE2EAgR

Barnes and Noble: http://t.co/UW5P73o

Paperback ($7.99)

Amazon: http://fb.me/19XPRKYX3

Giveaway Details:

Daily Blog Tour Giveaway: Today, Virna is gifting one book from her backlist (prize winner's choice, see backlist here) to one randomly selected commenter who either leaves a comment on the blog, or a question for Virna to answer. Please also include your email addy.

GRAND PRIZE TOUR GIVEAWAY: What was Dex's "resolution" that Virna talked about today? Do you know the answer? Fantastic!! Because...

Virna is also gifting a $100 Amazon gift card to one randomly selected reader who leaves the answer to this question during the blog tour. Go to: http://chosenbysin.com/virtual-tour-grand-prize You can be entered to win the grand prize once each day by simply following the tour from January 9 - 20, and leaving your answer with each day's different resolution!!

Virna is also offering autographed copies of CHOSEN BY SIN for purchase during this blog tour. To purchase an autographed copy, please visit http://chosenbysin.com.

Blackout to protest SOPA & PIPA

2012-01-18T07:30:00.007-05:00

Along with lots of others today I am participating in the protest against SOPA and PIPA. They are anti-piracy laws that if passed will effect not only what I do on this blog, but with what a lot of others do on their websites as well. So from 8am to 8 pm, Hanging With Bells will take part in the blackout. I'm a strong believer in anti-piracy, but these 2 bills need a lot of work done to them and need to be fine tuned more in order for them to really be as effective as possible. Find out more about SOPA and PIPA by doing a search for them online, or click here to read about it on CNN.

Review: Sugar Rush by Donna Kauffman

2012-01-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

Sweet Stuff
Book 1 in the Cupcake Club series
Author: Donna Kauffman
Publisher: Brava
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 0758266340
Author's website: Link

When baker extraordinaire Leilani Trusdale leaves New York City for Georgia's sleepy Sugarberry Island, her past follows in the form of her former boss, Baxter Dunne. Baxter, otherwise known as Chef Hot Cakes, wants to film his hit cooking show in her tiny cupcakery. Last time they worked together, Baxter's molten chocolate brown eyes and sexy British accent made Lani's mouth water and her cheeks blush the colour of raspberry filling...Lani's friends are convinced that this time around, Baxter is the missing ingredient in her recipe for happiness. But convincing Lani will be a job for Baxter himself. And he'll need more than black velvet frosting to sweeten the deal...

Leilani Trusdale has always had a love for baking. Lani decides to leave New York City and head to Sugarberry Island to escape her past. She knows she is making the right decision well, that is until her former boss, Baxter Dunne makes an appearance in her shop. Chef Hot Cakes wants to film a season of his show there, but it's that all he is there for?

Every one of Lani’s friends is convinced this time around Baxter is what she needs in her life to make it complete. Although, Lani doesn’t believe so, Baxter will have his work cut out for him for sure. Can Lani get past the betrayal that she thinks Baxter caused in the past and him the chance he has been waiting for?

I really did enjoy this book from the beginning to the very end. The story wasn’t just filled with baking yummy treats, but romance, friendship and a second chance. Lani is a strong heroine who has made some major changes and takes even more chances with her heart.

Baxter was a bit complex. There was so much that happened to him that made him the man he is today. He has had a thing for Lani since the day he took her under his wing to teach her everything she needed to know. Now it is time to get to know the new her, the real her. He doesn’t just have the sexiest British accent but the dreamy looks to go along with it. I want my own Baxter.

Everything about this story was fun and lovable. Kauffman brings in some very funny and creative scenes with frosting and dancing. I found myself smiling and laughing throughout the entire book. I also enjoyed all the emotions that were brought out in each character. Each one has a special quality about them that just adds to the story. The friendships are made of the richest fillings that will keep you craving more. It all made me want to move to Sugarberry Island.

I am truly excited to read the next book in the series, Sweet Stuff, which is due out February 2012. I can’t get enough of this new town, characters and the romances that have bloomed and will continue to bloom in this new series.

Reviewed by Danielle

New Releases: Week of 1/16/12

2012-01-17T06:45:00.003-05:00

Books

RAYLAND! I love this show!

Another show that I love!

1/18/12

1/19/12

A lot of folks are anticipating this book!

Teen

DVD

Reader Rally Blog Hop Giveaway!

2012-01-16T18:34:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the Reader Rally Blog Hop Giveaway!

Here is the book that I am giving away:

The Coven of the Unbinding never forgets what's theirs.

Juliet Carpenter thought of the coven as family, but when she falls for a man who betrays them all, she's left alone and desperately searching for a reason why. Caleb Leigh has spent the past year in hiding, unable to escape his demons. When Juliet finds him again, her need for vengeance clashes with the hunger still burning between them.

It's a fight born from the embers of a half-forgotten attraction and the wounds of a past too raw to ignore. With enemies circling and secrets threatening to consume them all, Caleb has no choice but to fulfill a promise made long ago--protect her, save her. Even if it costs him his blood, his body... and what's left of his mind.

Please follow the instructions below to enter the giveaway:

You must be a follower of my blog Hanging With Bells

Open to US addresses only

Leave a comment with your email if you are entering.

There is also going to be a GRAND PRIZE given away by Romance At Random! Click on this link to be taken to the site to enter the grand prize giveaway.

Review: Lothaire by Kresley Cole

2012-01-13T15:30:00.002-05:00

Lothaire
Book 12 in the Immortals After Dark series
Author: Kresley Cole
Publisher: Gallery
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781439136829
Release date: 1/10/12
Author's website: Link

ALL FEAR THE ENEMY OF OLD

Driven by his insatiable need for revenge, Lothaire, the Lore’s most ruthless vampire, plots to seize the Horde’s crown. But bloodlust and torture have left him on the brink of madness—until he finds Elizabeth Peirce, the key to his victory. He captures the unique young mortal, intending to offer up her very soul in exchange for power, yet Elizabeth soothes his tormented mind and awakens within him emotions Lothaire believed he could no longer experience.

A DEADLY FORCE DWELLS WITHIN HER

Growing up in desperate poverty, Ellie Peirce yearned for a better life, never imagining she’d be convicted of murder—or that an evil immortal would abduct her from death row. But Lothaire is no savior, as he himself plans to sacrifice Ellie in one month’s time. And yet the vampire seems to ache for her touch, showering her with wealth and sexual pleasure. In a bid to save her soul, Ellie surrenders her body to the wicked vampire, while vowing to protect her heart.

CENTURIES OF COLD INDIFFERENCE SHATTERED

Elizabeth tempts Lothaire beyond reason, as only his fated mate could. As the month draws to a close, he must choose between a millennia-old blood vendetta and his irresistible prisoner. Will Lothaire succumb to the miseries of his past . . . or risk everything for a future with her?

Lothaire is one of the books that was greatly anticipated by many. His character is one of great importance to the series and I myself was counting down the days to when I could finally read his story. What I loved most about this book was the opportunity to learn more about his background. From the blurb above you can see that getting revenge is a big part of Lothaire's life. Right at the beginning of the story we learn why. He was the son of individuals who were a part of two very powerful vampire factions and in some ways he felt betrayed by both. His need for revenge is so strong that it's all that matters to him and for as long as he could he prepared himself for the day when he could make those that betrayed him suffer. In order to do that he must first unite with his Bride, his true mate that will help him obtain what he wishes the most. But doing that isn't so easy because his Bride is an immortal that has been cursed to live in a mortal body, the body of one Elizabeth Peirce. He must cast out Elizabeth's soul from her body first but what he doesn't anticipate is how attracted he is to Elizabeth. She's so different from all of the other people that he has ever dealt with and fights his feelings for her because she is human. Elizabeth fights Lothaire at every opportunity that she can get. Lothaire constantly reminds her that she's nothing but trailer trash and a mere human. But the one thing that Lothaire doesn't expect from her is whatever he dishes at her, she can take it. He learns so much from Elizabeth that he himself is shocked and it's shocking to see him realize this. His arrogance continues but his feelings begin to soften for her when he realizes that she may just be what he has needed all along.

What I love so much about Lothaire is that he does and says what he wants. He knows that he's desirable, strong, and has acquired many enemies over the years because he is fearless. He's proud to be called Enemy Of Old and almost wears it as a badge of honor. Because of his arrogance he totally underestimates Elizabeth and I loved when she managed to outsmart or outwit him. Yes there are times when I wanted to reach through the book and shake him, but he truly is one of the most entertaining characters that I have read. When first reading about Elizabeth's character I wasn't that impressed with her. But I have to say she grew on me as I continued to read. Her feelings toward the important things in life struck a chord with me with me just as it did Lothaire. Having happiness in ones life is truly important and I'm so glad that Lothaire realized it before it was too late.

I'm giving Lothaire a rating of:

I. Love.This. Series! It is truly unique, fresh, exciting, and just keeps getting better. It was the very first PNR series that I read and continues to set an example of excellence. Kresley Cole has a great way of infusing her characters with so many different emotions that it makes her readers care for them and crave more of their books. The characters are truly unforgettable and I am so happy to have finally gotten the chance to know Lothaire better. Along with Nix, they are my favorite characters of the series and I'm anxiously awaiting for the next installment of the series to see what the characters will be experiencing next!

Book Trailer: Tempest by Julie Cross

2012-01-12T10:55:00.002-05:00

Releasing on January 17, 2012

The year is 2009. Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps– it’s just harmless fun.

That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future. Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.

But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler. Recruit… or kill him.

A success in the making: Pre-empted by Summit Entertainment (producers of Twilight) for feature film, with foreign rights sold in more than a dozen countries, Tempest, on sale January 17, is the first book in the buzzed about Tempest series by Julie Cross.

“Julie Cross's thrilling debut is brimming with excitement, romance, and intrigue. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!” —Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

Read the first 4 chapters of TEMPEST by Julie Cross now at http://on.fb.me/AoQyaQ

Guest Post: Jodie Becker & Sidney Bristol

2012-01-12T08:30:00.000-05:00

An Aussie and a Texan walk into a bar...

And this Texan wants to know which screen will be playing either hockey or rugby, and if it's not already on, why not? And where are my buttery nipple shots? It might surprise people who don't know me, but I'm not a beer drinker. 99.9% of the time I'll be drinking either sweet tea or a Dr Pepper. I don't drink a lot usually, but there's something about a nice buzz and violent sports. What do you think, Jodie? What would you be looking for? And what's your drink of choice?

I’m the designated driver, so drink away! I actually only got drunk once and discovered I was a Cadbury drinker. I can see you’re blank expression. It means I’m a lightweight. Here in Aus, Cadbury Chocolates came up with the phrase: “Glass and a half of full cream milk” as a slogan to how creamy their chocolates were. So we use that as reference to people who are cheap drunks, like me! Oh look, Rugby League. *shuffles Sid over* FYI, we’re watching MY team, the North Queensland Cowboys. And this is JT, their captain:

*drool* I am a big League fan. Thank God for the men who like to wear tight shirts and short shorts. I LIVE for the moment a guy tackles one and gets dacked (pantsed). What do you like about hockey? Is there possibility for a drool fest? Oh purrdy. That’s a nice tattoo…

You know what? I've never been drunk in my life. I thought I was once, but it was food poisoning. That's another story! I'm happy to watch rugby of any kind, honestly. I have an elementary understanding of the rules, but I'm really excited about watching it. I love the Gods of Football almost nekkid layouts that are done of the rugby boys. Lots of biteable abs. *ehem* So, hocky! While there's way too many pieces of clothing and gear for the hockey players to strip down enough to catch a glimpse of something interesting, there are some hot guys on the ice. Predictably, being the ex-roller derby girl that I am, I like the physicality of the sport. I like the team work. How hard the game is to play, and the fights. Let's face it, the fights are awesome. As a result, hockey players are often a bit rough around the edges as far as their appearance, but that's my kind of guy. I especially dig tattooed players, big surprise, huh? So what are you drinking, Jodie? And are you sure I can't get you to do at least one buttery nipple? Come on, how can you refuse a drink with a name like that!

What in the world is a buttery nipple? I’m not up with the drinking names, but I do love a virgin cocktail. My fave is the pina colada, but it’s hard to get one of those nice ones. Most don’t have the coconut cream to pull it off. *sad face* Oh wells. *Sips on pepsi* So roller derby? How does anyone get into that? I saw some advertised down at my local PCYC (you know those police club places). I would be too scared of hurting myself since I am totally accident prone. I must admit I do miss those roller skates. I always wanted to be able to skate backward and spin around and all that. I’m not that talented. I just go forward and kinda stop. If there is a wall to help with that. I sadly will just drink my pespi and watch those women over there ride that mechanical bull.

Book one in the Dirty Deeds series. Available at Ellora's Cave: Link

Disillusioned by love, Erica has tasted the bitter pill of betrayal and wonders if she’s enough for one man. When a hot guy moves in next door, Erica decides to settle for good old-fashioned lust. What starts out as a simple seduction quickly evolves, and Erica is fast finding out Dylan is dangerous not only to her libido, but her heart as well.

Recently retired from the adult-film industry, Dylan hopes for a fresh start in Templeton where his porn persona, Drake Van Wulf, is unknown. His new neighbor is unlike the women he’s accustomed to, but she stirs his blood nonetheless. His rule not to get involved is quickly tested by Erica and her lush curves. Unable to withstand her allure, Dylan finds himself wanting more from Erica than just her body. He wants her heart also.

With the secret of his past hanging in the shadows, Dylan’s about to find out if love truly conquers all.

Find Jodie Becker at:

Releasing on January 18, 2012. Available at Ellora's Cave: Link

Sparks—and clothes—fly when hot veterinarian Cody-Lynn Parker shows up at Scott Carillo’s animal shelter. Scott’s had a bad run with women, but he can’t keep his hands off Cody’s luscious curves.

Cody’s trying to be professional, but she can barely concentrate on work thanks to her craving for the tall, dark and sexy Cuban. She kisses caution goodbye and Scott hello when his shirt comes off.

Between naked star-gazing and naughty massages, their steamy fling turns into an affair of the heart. But when thieves target Cody, she finds herself flirting with danger, and Scott wants to rescue her whether she thinks she needs it or not.

Find Sidney Bristol at:

Winners of the PS - I Love You Blog Tour!

2012-01-10T15:50:00.002-05:00

The 2 winners are:

Rebe

Jonnie (JB)

Congrats winners! Expect an email from me shortly!

New Releases: Week of 1/9/12

2012-01-10T06:45:00.001-05:00

Book

HE'S HERE! HE'S FINALLY HERE!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

(can you tell that I'm excited?)

Teen

DVD

NetGalley Review: Chain Reaction by Zoe Archer

2012-01-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

Chain Reaction
Book 2 in the 8th Wing series
Author: Zoe Archer
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Sci Fi, Romance
Format: ebook
Release date: 1/9/12
Author's website: Link

Elite 8th Wing pilot Celene Jur was taken captive after a mysterious device temporarily disabled her ship's controls. Three solar months later, when Celene receives intel on the man who built the device, she's ready to get the bastard. Only problem is, the higher-ups think her mission partner should be Nils Calder, a tech-head who can understand the disabling device. The attraction between them is electric, but Celene needs a soldier who can watch her back as she exacts her revenge.

Nils knows his department is nicknamed NerdWorks. Pilots like Celene think the closest tech geeks come to combat is all-night Nifalian chess tournaments. But behind the NerdWorks insignia on his sleeve Nils is an able fighter, ready to prove himself and gain Celene's trust.

The desire between them is unexpected, but with the fate of thousands hanging in the balance, the hotshot pilot and the tech genius must succeed in their mission—no matter the cost.

In book 1 of the series Collision Course, Celene Jur was kidnapped and put at auction along with her Black Wraith ship to be sold to the highest bidder. She was rescued by her fellow pilots and wants to get revenge at the person who responsible for her capture. She finally gets her chance in Chain Reaction when intel is received about who that person is. She's not happy when she is told that she must partner up with Nils Calder a tech-head from the technology department of the 8th Wing. She feels as if he's not capable enough since he hasn't had much experience going out on missions. But the higher ups feel as if he is capable because of he's the best at what he does and is the only one that is able to track down who they are looking for. She doesn't like this decision but has to deal with it. Celene is a legend in the 8th Wing and Nils feels honored to get the opportunity to work with her. After spending some time with him, Celene develops an attraction to him and begins to really appreciate him because he truly knows his stuff. Together they develop a plan to try to stop the enemies of the 8th Wing from acquiring information that could put them ahead in the war.

I liked the pairing of Celene and Nils together because they are complete opposites. Together they are capable of doing so much more than what they would be able to achieve individually. Nils has so much to prove to show that he and his fellow tech-heads are a very important part of 8th Wing. I enjoyed the scenes in which they finally started to see each other differently. Especially Celene as she begins to realize just how smart and attractive Nils is. It's their interaction with each other that makes this story enjoyable for me. I have to say that I enjoyed book 1 in the series a little bit more because it had much more action and the characters interacted with more people. I do like the direction the series is headed and am looking forward to reading what happens next.

I'm giving Chain Reaction a rating of:

Review: Make Me Shiver by Aline Hunter

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Make Me Shiver
Book 1 in the Just Make Me series
Author: Aline Hunter
Publisher: Ellora's Cave
Format: ebook
Genre: Erotic Romance
Release date: December 21, 2011
Author's website: Link

When Lacey loses control of her vehicle and finds herself trapped by ice and snow, she knows there's only one person to call for help. Unfortunately, Michael may cause more turmoil than relief. She's lusted for the gorgeous Dom ever since she first laid eyes on him. Trouble is, he doesn't do vanilla and she's not a submissive…or is she?

Michael's hungered for Lacey for months,so when he notices her fleeting glimpses and blush-stained cheeks as he rescues her from an altercation with a guardrail, he decides it's time to push the sultry beauty's boundaries…only to discover Lacey's not as reserved as she thinks.

Physical attraction blossoms into something neither anticipates, taking Michael and Lacey beyond kink, dominance, and submission. Their newfound connection is strong until a flame from Michael's past returns, shatters the fragile trust he and Lacey have only just developed and threatens to destroy something neither wants to surrender.

Lacey has been attracted to Michael for a while and agrees to go on a date with him. But once she finds out that he's into something that she's never experienced before, she runs from him. So when they are face to face again she can't deny that she's still attracted to him. Michael knows why she ran from him and believes that if she doesn't really understand what being dominated is all about. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she gives in and decides to try what Michael has to offer. She surprises herself by not only enjoying it, but also realizing that everything that she previously thought about being dominated was wrong. This is when Aline Hunter's great writing comes into play as we get to see the dynamics of Lacey and Michael's relationship change right before our eyes. They both realize that they want more from each other and there are some intense moments before they are both on the same page regarding their feelings. There are moments when Lacey starts to feel a little insecure because of Michael's past relationships and Michael wants nothing more than Lacey to trust him. At this point Lacey is going to have to realize that the past is the past and if she wants to have a future with Michael, she is going to have trust him fully.

I'm giving Make Me Shiver a rating of:

Lots of hot scenes between the two main characters as Michael shows Lacey exactly how pleasurable their relationship can be. *wiggles brows* Their relationship also has emotional moments and I felt like the author did a wonderful job conveying their emotions. I also enjoyed the side stories and other characters such as Candice and Brady. There is tension between the two of them and we get a small explanation as to why. I can't wait to read more about them and the other characters as well.

Review: Blood of Eden by Tami Dane

2012-01-04T11:00:00.003-05:00

Blood of Eden
Book 1 in the Sloan Skye series
Author: Tami Dane
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780758267092
Author's website: Tami Dane

Sloan has a sky-high IQ, a chaotic personal life, and a dream: to work for the FBI. Her goal is within reach until an error lands her with the FBI's ugly stepchild: the new Paranormal Behavioral Analysis Unit. She'll get to profile criminals, but the pool of suspects is a little more...diverse. Yet even as Sloan tackles her first case--a string of victims, all with puncture wounds to the neck--she can't silence her inner para-skeptic.

To catch the killer she'll have to think like one. That means casting aside her doubts, and dealing with the bizarre nightmares that started with the job. But the strangeness is only beginning, as Sloan pieces together the shocking truth about a case that's more personal than she ever would have guessed.

When Sloan finds out that her dream job of being an intern at the FBI doesn't work out the way she thought it would, she just can't believe her luck! But when she is approached to join a new unit within the FBI she jumps at the opportunity. Then she finds out that the unit specializes in dealing with cases that have paranormal elements to it. Sloan has been told all her life that vamps and things that go bump in the night don't exist. Now that she knows that they do exist she uses her intelligence to help the team try to stop the murders that are popping up over the area. She has to do all of this while dealing with a mother that is battling dementia as well as a roommate that can't seem to stop blowing up things in their apartment. She's partnered with JT who's been with the team for a while and they have a growing attraction to one another while collection clues. She also has to deal with an old classmate by the name of Gabe who has been her competition in just about everything since they were in school together. He's now a part of the team as well and while their relationship starts out rocky, they soon come to realize that they may have to rely on each other after all. Throughout the book Sloan has been dealing with some weird dreams that have been intensifying as the book progresses.

What I liked most about this book was the witty writing by the author Tami Dane. I found myself chucking often while reading the book and I love books that make me laugh like that. My favorite character of the book ended up being one that didn't fully show up until the end of the book. Without giving too much away, the character had been watching Sloan for a long time and knows something about her that she doesn't. He wants her to do something and the scenes involving the two of them along with her roommate Katie were hilarious. It seems like his character will be in the next book of the series and I'm looking forward to read more about him.

I'm giving Blood of Eden a rating of:

While I enjoyed this book I found some parts of it to move a little slower than what I wanted. Solving crimes can be hard and in this particular case it was a hard one to solve, but the pace of the book made me put the book down a few times. Regardless of that I was wanted to find out exactly what was going on. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see exactly what Sloan is going to do to get herself out of the situation that she has put herself in. I also want to see if the attraction between her and JT deepens into something else and whether the attraction that Gabe seems to have with her catches her attention. There's something more there that she doesn't seem to realize and I hope he lets her know how he truly feels.

Review: Tempted Again by Cathie Linz

2012-01-03T14:45:00.000-05:00

Tempted Again
Author: Cathie Linz
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary
ISBN: 9780425244548
Release date: January 3, 2012
Author's website: Link

She'd been tempted before and this wickedly hot sheriff knows her weakness....

Marissa Bennett needs to start over, so she returns to her hometown of Hopeful, Ohio, and a new job at the library. After a painful divorce. she craves peace of mind and stability. Instead, the first thing she does is accidentally crash the Founders' Day Parade. To make matters worse, she has to deal with her menopausal mom, a sarcastic sister and a loony library board.

The last thing Marissa needs is a new man in her life. Enter sexy lawman Connor Doyle-the bad boy who took her virginity back in high school. She knows she should turn the pages on her past and get her life back on track, but Connor is irresistible. Has she come all the way home just to get her heart broken again?

Marissa Bennett never thought she would find herself back in her hometown of Hopefeul, OH living with her parents again. Unfortunately she does find herself in this situation and then runs into the man that broke her heart a long time ago. She's not too happy with the male species and when she sees Connor for the first time and realizes that he doesn't know who she is, it makes her hate him more. Connor is not the person he used to be and finds out that the new librarian in town is the girl that he once loved long ago. Soon they are partnered up to help some of the teens in the town and even become neighbors. Spending so much time together makes them realize that the attraction is still there and soon they become the talk of the town. They can't deny that they still have a connection to one another and once they get their pesky family members out of the way, they finally let each other know exactly how they feel.

I'm giving Tempted Again a rating of:

Tempted Again had it's entertaining moments, but I was a little disappointed that the main characters didn't get a lot of alone time. It seemed that every time they got the chance to be alone, a family member would interrupt them or something would happen and they would have to separate. I really wanted to see them get the chance to know each other again and they were only able to do that with people all around them. Connor's family are very loving individuals, but they just seemed to take up a lot of his time when they showed up from out of town. That's to be expected since they are family, but I really wanted Connor and Marissa to have their alone time.

NetGalley Review: Demons Like It Hot by Sydney Ayers

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

Demons Like It Hot
Book 2 in the Demons Unleashed series
Author: Sydney Ayers
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781402251771
Author's website: Link

A RECIPE FOR DISASTER...

Matthias Ambrose is a demon mercenary who never took sides, until his attraction to the spunky caterer he was hired to kidnap leads him to almost botch a job for the first time in eight hundred years. Now he must protect her from his former clients, but even an ice-cold demon like Matthias struggles to resist her fiery charms.

OR THE PERFECT RECIPE FOR PASSION...

Completely engrossed with planning menus and prepping recipes for her shot at cooking show fame, star caterer Serah SanGermano refuses to believe she's on a fast track to Hades.
But how's she supposed to stick to the kitchen if she can't stand the heat of her gorgeous demonic bodyguard?

As a diabolical plot to destroy humanity unfolds and all hell breaks loose in Serah's kitchen, she and Matthias find themselves knee-deep in demons and up to their eyeballs in love...

Serah SanGermano was 1st introduced in book 1 of the series Demons Prefer Blondes and in that book the author hinted that there was much more to her character than what she seems to be. Something's going on with Serah because things seem to heat up when she's around. When I say heat up and I really mean that. She keeps this info to herself and isn't very happy when Matthias Ambrose is assigned to be her bodyguard because Serah is actually pretty important. She just doesn't know it yet and is irritated when Matthias is around because not only does she not want him there but because she is extremely attracted to him. He just screams trouble and Matthias has his eye on Serah as well. They actually share a past, one that Serah doesn't remember and there's a good reason why. Yes I'm being vague in this review and it's because I don't want to give anything away. But as the story flows she learns more about herself and exactly how Matthias fits into her life. The characters from the first book in the series Demons Prefer Blondes also make appearances throughout the book.

I'm giving Demons Like It Hot a rating of:

Overall, I found the story to be entertaining at times and felt that the author's writing was great, but I had a hard time connecting with Serah and Matthias. For me there just seemed to be something missing that I just can't put my finger on. There were times where I wasn't enjoying the storyline and times when I found myself laughing at what was happening. I don't think I was able to get fully vested into the storyline because my feelings for it weren't consistent.

New Releases: Week of 1/2/11

2012-01-03T06:15:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Welcome to another great year of awesome books! I can't wait to read a lot of the books that are coming out this year! Click on the pic of the item to find out more info about it at Amazon!

Books

PNR/UF

Contemporary/Romance Suspense

Crime Fiction

Teen

DVDs

Timothy Olyphant you fine mofo!

Giveaway: Forever's PS - I Love You Blog Tour!

2012-01-02T16:00:00.003-05:00

Sometimes love is the simplest choice of all.

Still reeling from her husband's untimely death, Deborah Robinson needs a fresh start. So she decides to pack up her family, box up her bookstore, and return to her grandmother's ancestral home on Cavanaugh Island. The charming town of Sanctuary Cove holds happy memories for Deborah. And, after she spies a gorgeous stranger in the local bakery, it promises the possibility for a bright, new future.

Dr. Asa Monroe is at a crossroads. Ever since the loss of his family, he has been on a quest for faith and meaning, traveling from one town to another. When he meets Deborah, the beautiful bookstore owner with the warm eyes and sunny smile, Asa believes he has finally found a reason to stay in one place.

As friendship blossoms into romance, Deborah and Asa discover they may have a second chance at love. But small towns have big secrets. Before they can begin their new life together, the couple must confront a challenge they never expected . . .

ISBN: 9781455501403

Published by: GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING

Genre: FICTION , ROMANCE

Published on: 1/01/2012

SHE'S STEALING HIS HEART . . .

Vintage boutique owner Venus Smith is stunned to realize her newest acquisition comes with a larcenous legend. Stolen years ago, the antique mermaid brooch belongs to the Clayworth family. The right thing to do would be to return it, but that means facing Connor Clayworth O'Flynn, the sexy department store heir Venus has had an unrequited crush on since childhood-and the man who helped ruin her father.

ONE KISS AT A TIME

Connor knows that Venus has never forgiven him for what happened between their families. But business isn't personal, even though Venus's father's betrayal still cuts him like a knife. So when Venus proposes a deal-she'll return his family's brooch if he helps clear her father's name-he reluctantly agrees. As action-packed days turn into flirtatious fall nights, it isn't long before old memories resurface . . . and new desires ignite. Can two young lovers leave the past behind? Or must they first admit that all they've ever really wanted . . . is each other?

ISBN: 9780446584357

Published by: GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING

Genre: FICTION , ROMANCE

Published on: 1/01/2012

GIVEAWAY!

3 winners will win a set of these awesome books!

Open to US/Canada only
No PO boxes please

Just your email in a comment if you are interested in entering the giveaway. Giveaway is open until 1/9/12 12PM EST. Winners will be chosen using random.org and names will be posted here on the blog.

Good luck!

Review: Destiny by Carly Phillips

2012-01-02T14:00:00.002-05:00

Destiny
Book 2 in the Serendipity series
Author: Carly Phillips
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9780425245743
Release date: January 3, 2012
Author's website: Link

Nash Barron may be cynical about love, yet even he likes a good wedding. But the only good thing about his brother's wedding is Kelly Moss. Nash can't help but admire her confidence and beauty, but he's forced to keep his distance because getting involved with Kelly could destroy his relationship with his newly discovered half sister, Tess...

Kelly came to Serendipity to give Tess--her half sibling as well, thanks to an illicit affair--a second chance at life. She learned long ago not to rely on anyone but herself. Besides, she doesn't want to upset Tess's life by pushing for a fling with Nash. Except the more she gets to know him, the more vulnerable she becomes to the kindness beneath his gruff exterior, and the less she's able to stay away. But she has other reasons for keeping her distance. Like the secret from her past she knows Nash will never forgive...

From the moment Nash and Kelly met in book one of the series, they had an instant attraction to each other and that attraction continues in their book Destiny. Their lives are now intertwined because of their half sister Tess which gives them the opportunity to see each other more. I have to admit that when I didn't get the best first impression of Nash since his character was very abrasive to more than one character in Serendipity. He's probably the least liked Barron brother out of the three and was very nasty to his older brother Ethan because of some issues from their past. Nash has never forgiven Ethan for what happened when they were teens and his feelings toward him carry over into this book. Although Nash is still angry and bitter, it's not until he learns more about what exactly happened in the past is he able to mend their broken relationship. This mending happens with the help of one special female that comes into his life just in the nick of time. Kelly helps Nash get to the root of his feelings and this helps the healing process begin. We get to see another side of him when he's around Kelly and it's refreshing to see him more relaxed than what he normally is. We also get to learn more about Kelly and her past from her raising Tess when she was a teen, to her having to give up on some of her hopes and dreams to do that. Nash has nothing but total respect for her and their experiences enables them to understand each other on a different level.

Nash's character is very complex because the past has shaped him to be the man that he is. He learns so much in this book about his 2 brothers as well as himself. Secrets and feelings are revealed between the Barron brothers and Nash realizes that he isn't the easiest person to get along with. This is when Carly Phillips amazing writing comes into play because she takes a character that isn't the easiest to like and strips him emotionally until he is raw. But instead of placing the blame on someone else, he realizes that he could change as a person, and this is when the other characters get to see the side of Nash that Kelly has seen all along. This change allows the healing process between the brothers to begin and I'm so looking forward to reading what will happen between them next.

I'm giving Destiny a rating of:

The one thing that I enjoy most about this series is the opportunity for the characters 2nd chances in their lives. Whether it's something they want to prove to others as well as themselves, Carly Phillips makes it happen and her readers get to see those characters shine. I truly enjoy her books and equate her writing to the comfort of a cozy throw blanket. I know when I pick up one of her books to read that I am going to be entertained and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series Karma which features the youngest Barron brother Dare. I can't wait to revisit these characters again who've I've come to know and love.

Monday Smutty Goodness: Book Boyfriend Edition

2012-01-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year! Treat yourself to some smutty goodness on this Monday courtesy of my favorite contemporary romance author, Jill Shalvis!

Book Boyfriend of the week:

Brady Miller

"More," she demanded.

"Thought you'd never ask." He rolled her beneath him and pinned her to the mattress beneath his welcome weight, sliding all the way home.

"I thought I was in charge," she managed to say, her hands sliding up the hard muscles of his biceps.

"My turn."

The timbre of his voice when he was aroused was like a caress as he began to move in exactly the right rhythm to drive her out of her mind. Combined with his talented mouth on hers, and a clever calloused thumb oh so unerringly stroking her at ground zero, she was a goner, and she burst into orgasm with a startled cry.

"Again," he demanded while she was still trying to put herself back together.

"I know it's your turn and all," she panted. "But you should know...I don't take direction as well as you do." He trust deeper now, harder, pulling back each time until he was just barely inside her, making her clutch at him. It was torment, it was ecstasy, the feel of his hard body taking her on a ride like she'd never experienced before. "Brady..."

"I know." Pushing up on his knees, he dragged her up with him so that she was straddling his lap. The new angle had him touching a spot that she hadn't even know she had, and she arched back, crying out, lost in the sensations, lost in him.

Sliding his hand into her hair, he lifted her to him, staring deeply into her eyes. His mouth came down on hers, hot and demanding, pretty much just like the man himself. His hands were still holding her, completely controlling their movements, which should have been annoying. Instead, it turned her on, big-time. Her breasts were crushed to his chest, her nipples hard and aching, sending bolts of pleasure to her core every time he moved against her. His breath was hot on her neck, his teeth scraping along her throat, his muscles flexing as his hips rolled into hers.

"Open your eyes." His voice caressed her as surely as his work-roughened hands did. "Open your eyes and come with me."

GAH! I love Brady Miller and because of his hotness I made him a book boyfriend in 2011. I'm so looking forward to reading so many awesome books this year and discovering new book boyfriends. I hope you enjoyed and trust me when I say that you will want to read the rest of this book!

Giveaway winners!

2011-12-29T14:13:00.000-05:00

Sorry this is late folks!

1st up:

The winner is: Julie W

Next is:

The winner is: Na

Congrats winners! Expect an email from me shortly!

Hanging With Bells 2011 Review!

2011-12-27T09:45:00.005-05:00

2011 was one crazy year for me. I thought I was going to make 2011 my bitch, but to be honest, it totally took over and this year certainly had it's challenges. I experienced my 1st ever earthquake which scared the crap outta me! There was also a Hurricane (Irene you bitch!) and several tornadoes that were in my area. A Nor'easter in freaking October! My childhood home of Springfield, Massachusetts suffered through several tornadoes as well as the hurricane (Irene I hate you!) that messed up the city. Like I said, this has been a tough year for a lot of folks, but there were some bright moments. That's right, I'm talking about books! According to Goodreads I read 160 books this year! I'm going to chat about some of my favorites from this year!

Shadowfever!

(you're probably not surprised by this)

I LOVED THIS BOOK! This series is my absolute favorite and when I finally got the opportunity to read Shadowfever...it made my life complete. LOL! I love the characters and couldn't wait to find out more info on Barrons of course. Oh Barrons I love you so! It's also my favorite book moment of the year because I went absolutely crazy waiting for this book to finally be released that I was up at 3am release day to read it on my Kindle! It's the only book that I have every format for (yes I'm crazy) I have the Kindle version, Hardcover, paperback, and audio book!

I now give you David Gandy (Hottie of the year) as Jericho Barrons!

Honorable mentions:

Sweet As Sin by Inez Kelley

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

Face of Danger by Roxanne St. Claire

Magic Slays by Ilona Andrews

Gabriel's Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Archangel's Blade by Nalini Singh

The Renfield Syndrome by JA Saare

The Darkest Surrender by Gena Showalter

Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

Double Cross by Carolyn Crane

Thea Harrison!

Oh Thea Harrison, I don't think words can express just how awesome your books were this year! You stunned me with Dragon Bound and introduced your awesome, unforgettable characters. I remember asking Mandi from Smexybooks which upcoming book did I need to read and she told me: Dragon Bound. She was so right! I then proceeded to pimp this book as much as I could! Thank you so much for entertaining your readers with so many great stories this year.

The books in the Elder Races series:

Honorable Mention:

Sierra Dean

Author of the awesome Secret McQueen series!

Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison

These 2 phrases, "Not deep enough." and "Got to get deeper." were the reason why I chose the sex scene from Dragon Bound as my hot scene of the year. I remember holding my breath when I was reading it for the first time because it was so daggone hot! That scene between Dragos and Pia was unbelievable and just added to the awesomeness of this book!

Jaci Burton - The Perfect Play

When I first saw this cover my mouth hung open while my eyeballs orgasmed over and over!!! I mean look at it! The story is pretty awesome as well but this cover really sold the book for me. I remember tweeting a pic of the cover and I knew that I wasn't the only one that thought it was droolishis! The cover model is Jed Hill and I am now a huge fan of his!

The OMG moments of the year!

It's time for Sheneneh to announce my
OMG moments of the year!

Tell them what they are girl!

Shadowfever: Barrons...OMG! Mac...OMG! The entire book...Oh. My. Goodness!

Magic Slays: Curran finally catches up to Kate and...Oh. My. Goodness! SO FREAKING GOOD!

The Renfield Syndrome: Disco...Oh. My. Goodness! Like really?!! I know you were pissed but did you have to do that to Rhi Rhi?!

City of Ghosts: Terrible...Oh. My. Goodness! Like a knee in the back for real?! Damn you are hardcore! But you made up for it in that tunnel and bathroom. You go boy!

Hard Bitten: Ethan...OMGGGGGGGG! *cries buckets of tears* Drink Deep: *POOF* Oh. My. Goodness! That's it?!! *snickers*

Immortal Rider: Limos... WHAT?!!! Oh. My. Goodness girl! You are in some trouble!

Favorite new character of the year!

Wraith - Virna DePaul

When I first read about Wraith's character in book 1 of the series Chosen By Blood, I instantly knew that she was going to be awesome! She's snarky, tough, and is ready to kick someones ass if she needs to. But behind all the toughness is someone who truly cares about her teammates as well as her man Caleb O'Flare. Her book is awesome as she doesn't know how she died and must figure it all out before she finally succumbs for good.

Honorable mention:

Carter- JA Saare

He's hot and I want to know more about him. I hope that he's in the other books in the book. He could so be a future book boyfriend!

Barrons - Shadowfever - Karen Marie Moning

He begins moving again. After a while, he pulls me around and kisses me. "You're Mac," he says. "And I'm Jericho. And nothing else matters. Never will. You exist in a place that is beyond all rules for me. Do you understand that?" I do. Jericho Barrons just told me he loves me.

I LOVE THEM!

Couple of the year!

Kate Daniels and Curran

Magic Slays

This couple has become one of my favorites because they truly, truly love each other and that was truly shown in Magic Slays. Kate and Curran would do anything for each other and there were some emotional and touching moments in this book. This entire series is so well written and when these two characters show up on a page, it's pure magic! They have the best banter that will have you laughing one moment and swooning the next. They also fight each other which I absolutely love because Kate Daniels is one tough heroine and can hold her own.

David Gandy

*sigh* Gandy. The wonderful Sparkly Bearsy on Twitter brought this succulent male to my attention this year. She loves her some Gandy and thanks to her so many others now get to drool over his pics.

A Glimpse Into the Future!

I've asked my favorite TV psychic Miss Cleo to give me a reading on what I can expect for the year 2012. Here is what she had to tell me:

You're still going to be addicted to books...and hot men! You've been slacking on the hot men pics on your blog so you need to work on that honey. Joe will be back next year so you'll have some new pics to post. Oh and speaking of hot men, you'll go see Joe in that movie Magic Mike about 10 times. That is one hot cast!

You're going to go to the Lori Foster Reader & Author Get Together and be so happy to see all of your blogger friends. You'll see lots of wonderful authors which you will stare at like a dork...just like you did last year.

Danielle says that you're still going to be a loser in 2012. By the way, she paid me to say that. Hey I need the money!

You're going to read so many great books in 2012 and will continue to be astounded by the talent of the authors whose books you will read.

Ok so Miss Cleo doesn't do readings anymore, but seriously, did she really do readings? LOL! But I had to include this pic because it's awesome!

Blog Resolutions for 2012

Here are some of the things that I'll be working on for my blog for next year:

It's okay to say NO! I have to learn that I can't read everything. I have an extremely large TBR pile of my own books. I'm going to limit the number of books that I review so that I can finally read the ones that I bought for myself.

Write a rough draft of a review right after I've read the book. Sometimes I'll read review books back to back and then go back and write the reviews for them. I need to stop doing this because sometimes my brain doesn't work and then I can't write anything!

Take more notes while reading. That what it'll be easier for me to write a review when the time comes. I get so caught up in reading that I don't take notes. I really need to work on this.

Most anticipated reads of 2012:

1/10/12

GAH I can't wait to read this one!

2/28/12

One of my favorite series and I can't wait to see

if poor Paris up above gets some peace!

3/27/12

Another character that I hope will find some

peace. Tohr I can't wait to read you!

5/22/12

Than's book is going to be so good! I just now it!

8/21/12

Shadow's Claim

The Dacians: Realm of Blood and Mist

Kresley Cole

This book will be about Lothaire's maternal side of his family The Dacians.

They are mentioned in his book and the sound fascinating!

Fall 2012

The Ripple Effect

JA Saare

More Rhiannon, Disco, and Paine. YAY!

10/30/12

ICED: a Dani O'Malley novel

Heart to Heart talk!

To my followers: Thank you so much for taking the time to read what I have to say. I really enjoy blogging and work really hard at trying to say things that are fresh and new. I appreciate you and hope I can keep you entertained in the coming year!

To my fellow reviewers: I have so much respect for you all and am so happy to share my joy of books with you. I love discussing books with you and can't wait to hear what you have to say for the books coming out in 2012!

To the publishers: I am honored that you trust me to give an honest opinion of the books that you send me. There is nothing more exciting to me than when I receive one of your books in the mail. I enjoy reviewing for you and am looking forward to reading all of the awesome books your company will have in 2012!

To the authors: It is a blessing that you are so talented because your talent means so much to me. You help this stressed out mom escape into another world when I read one of your books. There is nothing I enjoy more than losing myself in the pages and it's even better when I can tell one of my friends about what I have read. Thank you for taking the time to listen to your fans because it means so much to your readers when you do!

See you all in 2012!

New Releases: Week of 12/26/11

2011-12-27T07:00:00.002-05:00

Another great week for books! Click on pic to be taken to Amazon to find out more information for each item.

Books

This book is so much fun!

You can read my review here: link

PNR/UF

1/1/12

Contemporary & Romance suspense

1/1/12

Historical

Suspense

Teen

4 the kiddies!

Music

DVDs

If you have not seen this show then you are missing

out on some laughs. It's hilarious!

Review: Dating the Undead by Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe

2011-12-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

Dating the Undead
Authors: Gena Showalter and Jill Monroe
Publisher: Harlequin
ISBN: 9780373892525
Release date: December 27, 2010
Author's website: Gena Showalter, Jill Monroe

They’re Drop-Dead Handsome—and We’re Not Kidding!

Welcome to the first and only magazine devoted to loving the immortal man in all of his furry, feathery, fiery glory. As always, this month’s issue is a forbidden-fruit salad of features, fiction, fashion, and more, including:

- Blood Stains on His Collar, Doritos in His Bed: Is Your Immortal Just a Little Bit…Immoral?
- A Kiss is Not Just a Kiss: Immortals We Crave Divulge Their Lip-smacking Turn-ons
- Off the Set with the Real Vampires of Vegas: Your Favorite AfterLifetime TV Vamps Let Their Hair Down
- Killer Cocktails to Slay Your Dragon, Slake Your Vampire, or Singe Your Angel
And so much more!

There’s even a page-turning, strange-but-true paranormal romance that’ll keep you up all day! Don’t get caught UNDEAD without it!

Have you ever had questions about Immortals and didn't know who to ask? Well look no further because Dating the Undead has all the insider secrets on all things paranormal. It's a book that is actually a parody of a magazine devoted to helping those who are interested in dating a paranormal or are currently in a relationship with one...and it's absolutely hilarious! I found myself laughing so much while reading and I'm not surprised because that's one of the things you can be guaranteed will happen when Gena is involved. She has a great way of weaving comedy into her storylines and it's one of the reasons why I enjoy her books so much. Dating the Undead discusses different paranormals and the issues with some of them. It reads like an issue of Cosmopolitan offering friendly advice and insider information while there are ads for different products such as cover up for vampire bites on the neck. Every page is entertaining and you'll find yourself reading it as if it's all real! This book is genius because while we all know it's not real (or some of us may not know this), it's cleverly written and you'll find yourself nodding your head and thinking about how it good might be to date a vamp, werewolf, or dragon.

I'm giving Dating the Undead a rating of:

The great bonus to reading Dating the Undead is that the first 2 chapters of The Darkest Seduction by Gena Showalter is included! I cannot wait to read Paris's story and it was great to get this sneak peek while reading the book. Dating the Undead is the type of book that any paranormal lover would love and I can guarantee that you would find yourself picking it up off the shelf and rereading it from time to time. There are lots of pics of hot models in it and I found myself fanning my face while trying not to drool over the pages while reading. It would also make a great book gift to a friend and since paranormals are so popular right now, you would totally be the coolest friend ever for giving this gift! Overall, this book was a fun read and if you're a fan of Gena Showalter or Jill Monroe, you won't find yourself disappointing at all by reading Dating the Undead.

Tell It To Bells: My Favorite Christmas Movies!

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas is almost upon us and I thought it would be fun to share my favorite Christmas movies! I watch these same movies every year and they bring back some good memories as I watch some of them with my children.

My top 8 favorite Christmas Movies!

(Why 8? Well because...why not? Hee Hee!)

Elf

Will Farrell is downright adorable in this movie and the scenes when he first arrives in New York is hilarious! I laugh so much while watching this movie and enjoy watching it with the kiddies!

Gremlins

Okay so this movie may not be an actual Christmas movie, but the entire movie takes place during the holiday and just about everything Christmas related is in it. Trees, ornaments, Gremlins hanging from 3wreaths and singing carols. Aweome Christmas music. I mean who doesn't love "Do you hear what i hear" One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when the Gremlin is in the Christmas tree and attacks Billy's mom. That was crazy!

Love Actually

Such a feel good movie filled with so many great actors and actresses! I loved them all in this movie and the ending of this movie makes me cry like a baby every single time. I dear you to watch the end and tell me it doesn't make you cry. I double dog dare you to watch it...NO I triple dog dare you to watch it and see if it doesn't make you shed a tear!

I know the video quality is not the best, but I couldn't find another one that I could put on here. There is a better quality one that you can find here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdwmtE_5v00

A Charlie Brown Christmas

This was the year that my kids finally started to enjoy everything Charlie Brown and I'm so happy! They really couldn't remember watching this the previous year, but I bet you if I asked them about a video game they would remember that.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

OMG this movie is AWESOME! It definitely makes me laugh the hardest and Clark W. Griswold and his cousin Eddie (crazy ass Randy Quaid) have so many great scenes together in this movie. This and the #1 movie is the one movie I can't wait to watch tonight!

Grinch That Stole Christmas

I love this cartoon! I was born and raised in Springfield, MA, the birthplace of Dr. Seuss as well, so everything Seuss was always such a big part of everyone's upbringing in that city. But there is something special about The Grinch that makes him stand out from all of Seuss's other characters. Perhaps it's because I can relate to him. Yes folks, I can be a Grinch at Christmas time. LOL I just don't get into it like I used to be. (Yeah the kids have made me brain dead) My hubs has actually started calling me Mrs. Grinch...but I think that might be for another reason. That prick!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Good old Rudolph. Who doesn't love him huh? He is full of wonder and magic and just makes you feel like a kid when you sing his song. He was totally bullied and didn't it just make you feel good when it all worked out for him?! Just full of so much awesomeness!

And my #1 Christmas movie pick is...*drumroll*

Christmas Story

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

RALPHIE! This is the mofo Christmas movie for me every year! I can remember watching it for the very 1st time when I was a young one with my cousin and we laughed so hard when Ralphie went down the slide after Santa pushed him down with his foot. I can hear Santa saying, "Ho...Ho...Ho." in my head right now and I'm giggling. I mean let's be honest, Ralphie's family was pretty nuts! His father's obsessiveness with his leg lamp. His mom doing all she can so that her husband couldn't enjoy the lamp. Little brother Randy eating his food like he was a pig at a trough. *happy sigh* It all worked and makes this movie so special that it's a Christmas favorite for so many. I watch this movie over and over every year starting from Christmas Eve through Christmas morning on TBS and hubs hates it. Well Poo on you hubby, this is the movie that actually puts Mrs. Grinch in the Christmas spirit! I can't wait to see it!

So you may notice that there are not any classics listed on this list. To be honest with you, I'm not a huge fan of the classics. My mom didn't force us to watch them or anything so I never really saw a lot of them...and I'm okay with that. lol

Tell It To Bells:

What are some of your favorite Christmas movies?

I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

New Releases: Week of 12/20/11

2011-12-20T06:45:00.003-05:00

Books

12/21/11

Teen

Music

DVDs

Guest Post: Romance Novels and Contempoary Gender Roles by Anthony Garcia

2011-12-19T12:00:00.001-05:00

Today's guest post is from Anthony Garcia. I found this post to be very interesting since I primarily read romance books. Here's a little info on Anthony:

Anthony recently completed his graduate education in English Literature. A New Mexico native, he currently resides and writes in Seattle, Washington. He writes primarily about education, travel, literature, and American culture.

Romance Novels and Contemporary Gender Roles

Just contemplate the terms “gender” and “romance novel” simultaneously, and countless insinuations immediately arise about this seemingly dubious combination. Books written for this much-maligned genre certainly provoke controversy and are often debated both in online masters programs as well as at more traditional brick-and-mortar graduate schools. Yet, changes that have occurred within the genre over time suggest that these novels may or may not be insidious.

Before deciding whether romance novels contribute to our ideas about gender, perhaps we should know a little more about them. According to the Romance Writers of America (RWA), two basic elements comprise every romance novel, whether it appears as a sole entity or as part of a series: “a central love story and an emotionally-satisfying and optimistic ending.” RWA further explains that each main plot centers around two individuals who fall in love and attempt to make their relationship work. In the end, the lovers (whose relationship may embody varying levels of sensuality, ranging from innocent to torrid) are rewarded with honesty and unconditional love. Despite these criteria, there are certainly romance novels that challenge ordinary expectations, including works that involve date rape and domestic violence.

While the romance novel is thought to date back to the mid-1700s, it was really in the following century that the romance genre blossomed. This is largely attributed to women taking up the genre. For instance, Jane Austen's novel “Pride and Prejudice” is widely considered a classic example of the genre. Though most popular in North America, Europe and Australia, romance novels now appear in 90 languages, and their sales currently outdo other literary genres such as mystery and science fiction/fantasy.

Women buyers are vital to the publishing industry. In fact, romance novels, often written by women for women, are sometimes considered erotica for women. The RWA claims that women make up roughly 90 percent of the romance readership and, of those women, most are 31-49 years old and are currently involved in a romantic relationship. Furthermore, most romance readers are more likely than the general population to be currently married or living with a partner. However it should be noted that, while most romance novels reflect heterosexual couples, there are also a substantial number that deal with same-sex relationships. Thus possibly making romance novels more progressive than anyone imagined.

The key to these romance novels is emotional intensity, and sensuality as well as sexuality. Harlequin, a longtime American publisher of romance novels, presents characters through their Kimani Romance series that are, by requirement, of good moral fiber, sympathetic and rather chaste. However, through their British Mills & Boon imprint, the publisher offers readers a wide range of excitement through self-explanatory categories such as “sexy romance”, “intrigue” and “desire.” Here, the characters are predominantly sophisticated, cosmopolitan, often appearing on glamorous international locations. The heroines are independent women who “know what they want” from relationships and their career. Their partners are physically attractive, “breathtakingly charismatic alpha-heroes.” Needless to say, explicit lovemaking is definitely permitted. In fact, the Blaze series “fully described love scenes along with a high level of fantasy, playfulness and eroticism.” Clearly, these books are meant to arouse.

An educational study by Huei-Hsia Wu of Bridgewater State University (MA) asserts that “most romance novels promote deeply constraining patriarchal values, [and] reading romance novels plays a role in shaping… behavior relative to this patriarchy.” The author goes on to say that female readers, in actuality, fulfill themselves through idealistic monogamy, while at the same time satisfying their sexual fantasies through fabricated characters.

An even more damning view suggested by Daniela Kramer and Michael Moore, found in these novels “a blatantly patriarchal value system” defined by traditional gender roles and spousal inequality, and went on to consider the “destructive messages the romantic fiction genre delivers to millions of readers regarding gender roles and marriage.”

Conversely in her study on women and popular culture, Mary Magoulick, of Georgia College & State University, lauds feminist Janice Radway. Radway looked not only at this genre of the literary industry and its women-focused marketing practices, but also at the ways women read with resistance “to find escape from their lives, but also for practice in imagining less oppressive possibilities.” Magoulick also notes that “feminists have long realized the subversive power of popular culture.” Maybe we should give patrons more credit for reading between the lines and knowing what they want.

By and large, it is true that contemporary romance novels reflect the social standards of the era. Indeed, there is evidence that heroines in romance novels published prior to 1970 usually quit working once they married or bore children, while heroines that appear after 1970 usually have, and keep, a career. In these volumes, women may appear cliché, their partners exceedingly ideal. Yet, perhaps a fantastic desire for societal change, currently reflected in diverse couplings and liberal sexuality, lies at the heart of the romance novel.

Blog-o-versary number 2!

2011-12-15T14:45:00.001-05:00

Yippppeeee my blog is 2 years old!

Tell them Count!

Yes I still love Count Von Count and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

I have so many memories from the past year here on the blog. I'm going to share some of them with you!

I went to my 1st ever author signing and got the opportunity to not only meet so many awesome authors, but wonderful peeps! Mandi, Colette, Stacey, Liza, Bridget, Jenny, Mollie, and Kati D! I had so much fun that weekend with these women and I can't wait to hang out with them again. I also got the chance to meet authors that I absolutely love. I mean I freaking meet Nalini Singh!!!!!! It was a fangirls dream come true! I also meet the awesome Monica Burns who is so real that she will leave you in awe! My favorite part was finally getting the chance to meet the awesome J.A. Saare who not only writes stories that are great from start to finish, but is a great person as well. Click on the pic below to read about my experience at the Reader & Author Get Together:

I also went to another author signing and this was during Authors After Dark in Philadelphia! Once again I was blown away when I saw some of my favorite authors such as Larissa Ione and Lara Adrian! I also meet Melissa Ecker who I love and Dakota Cassidy who made the entire AAD Philly experience so much fun! I also got to meet up with great Twitter friends once again and had so much fun with them! My Doode Kat, Marq, Dren, Penny, my Twinnie Twimom, Mandi, PAMMMMMMMM who I absolutely adore, Danielle my BFF, JoJo, and Larissa! I'll never forget the time I spent with you ladies and can't wait to see you all again! click on the pic below to read all about my experience at AAD:

Share the Love!

There is nothing more that I love more than sharing a book that I love with someone else. So for my Share the Love giveaway this year, here are the books that I shared:

Overall I had an awesome year and was so happy to get the opportunity to review so many books that I enjoyed! I learned so much this year as a reviewer and enjoy what I do so much. I'm looking forward to next years books and the opportunity to discuss them with fellow book lovers. See you in 2012!

Guest Post & Giveaway: Thea Harrison

2011-12-14T08:00:00.005-05:00

I'm so very excited to welcome back Thea Harrison back to Hanging With Bells! She writes the amazing Elder Races series which was one of my favorite new series to read this year. If you haven't read any of the books yet, you are missing out on some amazing storytelling! Speaking of storytelling, Thea has written a great piece of flash fiction about one of her characters. Aryal! She's a harpy and let me just say that she is unforgettable. Thea is sharing this piece of fiction here today and will have it on her website as well. There will also be a giveaway as well so make sure you check that out further down on the blog!

A morning in the life of… Aryal

Today sucked more than any other Monday, because, well, it was today. It was not a past Monday and not future one, but right now, so she had to live it.

First item of suckiness? She forgot to get her dirty clothes to the laundry on Friday. She kicked through everything on the floor in her bedroom. Nothing was clean enough to wear again. That meant she had to dig through her bottom drawer where she stuffed all the presents she hated. At least she found a clean T-shirt. Couldn’t remember who had given it to her. She sniffed at it. Nope, she hadn’t worn it before. She shook it out. The logo on the front read: “Heaven won’t have me, and hell’s afraid I’ll take over.”

Yeah well. She put it on and finished dressing.

Second item of suckiness? She didn’t get laid over the weekend. That always put her into a bitch mood. There was this one guy, and for a while it had looked possible… somehow that was always worse, when it looked possible but didn’t happen. To be scrupulously honest, they might have gotten dirty if she hadn’t laughed. Then his flag refused to fly, and really it had been such a teeny-weeny flag, that was why she laughed in the first place. Hell, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed if they had gotten dirty. Poor widdle dinker. She ought to have some sympathy. Guy had to live his whole life that way. At least she could move on.

Third item of suckiness? She had an appointment first thing. She really hated talking to people sometimes, and this one was mandatory which made it even worse. With a staff psychologist no less. Six weekly appointments because some corporate fuckwad convinced Dragos they might help senior staff develop better interpersonal skills. Fuuuuck. At least breakfast was easy. She ate three cupcakes she had bought from Crumbs, her favorite bakery, then grabbed a box of chocolate Pop Tarts to snarf on the way. Harpies were notorious for their sugar addictions.

Psych was all buttoned up, long pencil skirt, high-heeled pumps, suit jacket, hair pinned back, glasses. She looked like the beginning a bad porn movie. Underneath would be thigh-highs, cut-outs, and crotchless. The thought almost put Aryal in a good mood. She threw herself into chair, slung one leg over an arm, and kicked a foot.

Psych looked over her glasses at Aryal. “Our fifty minutes is starting.”

“Woo-hoo,” said Aryal. She tore open a foil pack and ate a Pop Tart.

“What would you like to talk about?”

Aryal just looked at the human. Then she started on the second Pop Tart.

Psych sighed. “We had the silent treatment the first time. Last week you answered every question I asked with another question. Can we at least do something different this week?”

“You don’t have any milk, do you?”

Psych’s mouth thinned. “No, I do not have any milk. Really, this passive-aggressive behavior isn’t suitable between two seasoned professionals.”

“Lady, there’s nothing passive about this,” said Aryal. “I work hard at these sessions.”

This time Psych looked down her nose. “Strong interpersonal relationships are essential to the efficient functioning of any large organization, especially one that employs so many different Races and that has undergone a downsizing of staff recently such as Cuelebre Enterprises has. It’s important we know how to avoid culturally sensitive topics and project an attitude of openness to others, regardless of species…”

Aryal tuned out the psychobabble as she opened another foil pack. “I know what we should talk about. Why, I’m so impressed with the job you do, I looked up your personnel file and found your home address. I enjoyed your apartment. Especially that lacy doily crap you’ve got draped on things.” She gestured with a hand.
“It’s not my personal preference. But I can see why you might like it.”

“You know where I live?” Psych paled. “You’ve been to my apartment?”

“Only because I like you. Honest,” Aryal said. She widened her eyes. “How’m I doing on the interpersonal shit? Because you know, I was hoping I’d improved so much, you could write something up for the next three appointments in a kind of ‘let’s don’t but say we did’ way. What d’you think?”

“You want me to falsify your personnel record,” Psych whispered.

“Uh, yeah.” Aryal finished the last Pop Tart, crumpled the box, aimed and tossed it across the room. It bounced around the rim of a wastebasket and fell in. Two points. “Unless you want to have me over for supper tonight. Maybe for breakfast too. Come to think of it, I might be available all this week.”

“Oh God no! I mean… I mean, all right. I’ll—I’ll say we completed all six sessions.”

“See?” said Aryal. “My communication skills are just fine. We understood each other perfectly, didn’t we?”

“Okay. Just okay.” Psych wiped her mouth. “And you won’t show up at my apartment.”

Aryal shrugged. “Not unless you give me reason to. Any reason at all.”

“God I hate working with harpies,” the other woman whispered.

Aryal regarded the other woman with satisfaction. “We done here?”

“Y-yes.”

“Great. See you around, doc.” Aryal bounded to her feet and headed toward the door. No more Psych and her psychobabble. Can we say hell yeah?

Day was looking up. Even if it was still a Monday.

GIVEAWAY!

Thea is generously giving away an ebook copy of True Colors! It's book 3.5 in the Elder Races series. Just leave your email with a comment if you would like to enter the giveaway!
Meeting your soulmate? Great. Preventing your possible murder? Even better.

Alice Clark, a Wyr and schoolteacher, has had two friends murdered in as many days, and she's just found the body of a third. She arrives at the scene only minutes before Gideon Riehl, a wolf Wyr and current detective in the Wyr Division of Violent Crime—and, as Alice oh-so-inconveniently recognizes at first sight, her mate.

But the sudden connection Riehl and Alice feel is complicated when the murders are linked to a serial killer who last struck seven years ago, killing seven people in seven days. They have just one night before the killer strikes again. And every sign points to Alice as the next victim.

Product Warnings

This book contains a hot police detective, a violent murderer on the hunt, and a heroine that can blend in anywhere...

Make sure you check out Thea at these sites:

The books in the Elder Races series:

And coming in March 2012:

Review: The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories by Joseph Gordon-Levitt

2011-12-13T17:00:00.006-05:00

The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories
Author: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Publisher: It Books
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780062121660
Website: hitrecord.org

HitRECord’s collaborative coalition of artists and writers are making history with The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories: Volume 1, a collection of innovative crowd-sourced creative projects that pushes the limits of originality, cooperation, imagination, and inspiration. HitRECord, a grassroots creative collective founded by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, known worldwide for his performances in (500) Days of Summer and Inception, is a forum where thousands of artists worldwide share work and contribute to their peers’ projects in writing, music, videos, illustration, and beyond. Alongside Dean Haspiel’s ACT-I-VATE, a groundbreaking comics collective, and the photographer JR’s Inside Out Project, hitRECord is a haven for budding creatives. Now, the collective has edited together its most promising stories and illustrations to serve as its face in introducing the world to a new generation of talent, in The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories.

Most people hear the name Joseph Gordon-Levitt and know him from the various movies that he has acted in. But he's also involved in a project with a company that he has started. HitRECord allows artists worldwide the chance to share their works with one another and then are remixed by their peers. Music, art, and videos are uploaded to the site where anyone can view them. Now this book may be little, but you don't think about that once you get the chance to read the entertaining tiny stories inside. I found myself laughing out loud while reading some of them and that caught the attention of my 8 year old son who then wanted to know what I was reading. I shared some of the stories with him and he enjoyed them as well as some of the art that went along with them. I'm usually not able to share most of the books that I review with him since I review books that contain a lot of romance, so it was nice to show him something that I was reading that we could share in together.

Here's a pic of my favorite story of the book taken from Amazon:

That poor egg just doesn't know what's going to happen next!

I'm giving The Tiny Book of Tiny Stories a rating of:

While some of the stories and art are laugh out loud funny and very witty, others are thought provoking and make you pause to think about the deeper meaning behind it. Once you open it you will find yourself flipping through the pages to see what you will discover next. Before you know it you'll have a smile on your face and it might even spark something inside you to make you want to add something to the website. To learn more about the website and the thousands of others that have contributed to it, click on the link above.

Check out this video below:

Review: Poughkeepsie by Debra Anastasia

2011-12-13T16:00:00.010-05:00

Poughkeepsie
Author: Debra Anastasia
Publisher: Omnific Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9781936305940
Author's website: Link

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him-just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he's homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day. Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She's the same as a million other girls-certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe. When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it's not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives. Blake's heart beats for Livia's, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right? In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

Poughkeepsie is a little different from most of the books that I normally read. If you read the blurb above you'll see that the story contains matter that might not necessarily be something that one would wish to read. Readers usually turn to books to escape reality because let's be honest, sometimes there's no fun in reading something that will make you feel sad. I like to step out of my comfort zone once in a while and read something different and that is exactly what I experienced with this book. In today's society, it's hard to believe that someone would actually take the time to stop and get to know a homeless person for who they really are. That is such the case for the character of Livia McHugh who takes the time to look at Blake Hartt and realizes that there is so much more to him than the homeless man at the train station. While this is honorable on her part, I still felt it was unrealistic because Livia falls head over hells for a man that she really doesn't know anything about. It's obvious that Blake has issues and she doesn't learn of this issues right away. I think she should have been a little more cautious instead of being blown away by how beautiful and misunderstood he was. And yes I know this is fiction, but I think a little common sense could have been shown. But when it comes to falling in love, common sense isn't sometimes shown is it?

I feel like the true stars in this book are the secondary characters. They are the main foundation of the storyline as Livia and Blake find themselves relying on those characters for help and support. Blake's two foster brothers Beckett and Cole may have completely different lives, but the ultimately want what's best for their family. Beckett has one of the worst imaginable jobs that I have ever read for a human character. He's murdered people, he's a pimp, and he sells gun. He does all kinds of illegal things, but you still end up caring for him because he cares for all of those around him. He also provides the comic relief to the story, because this story is pretty heavy at times. The reader can rely on Beckett to say some of the craziest, zaniest things that will have you laughing out loud. Cole on the other hand is a religious man and chose that path to make up for all the bad things he has done in his past. He is the one that is weary about Livia at the beginning and you can understand why. He warns her that Blake has his issues and that she needs to be careful not to make him more fragile than what he already is. Along with the characters of Mouse and Eve, they add depth to the story and entertains the reader with their past and their connection to the other characters. I enjoyed their stories more than the main characters and it was because of them that wanted to continue reading the book.

I'm giving Poughkeepsie a rating of:

Life is complex and this story is complex as the author weaves real life circumstances into the storyline. The characters are real and the things that they experience in their life could happen to anyone. It truly makes you stop and think about the world, the people in it, and yourself. You never know what someone is going through or has experienced and maybe just smiling at that person could make their day. I think the overall message of what this book is truly about will be understood by the reader. My main problem was that the writing felt too simple at times and it made the beginning of the book hard for me to get through. I also felt that Livia was a tad too naive and that made me hard to connect or like her character. It's when the secondary characters get a chance to shine that book became truly entertaining for me. Although I had some problems with this story, I'm still glad that I took the chance to read it and step outside of my comfort zone. Looking back on the story I can now appreciate that it was different and think that others will feel the same way when they read it.

New Releases: Week of 12/12/11

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

Books

This is a new novella set in the Elder Races world

Very good!

Music

DVD

Review: True Colors by Thea Harrison

2011-12-12T13:20:00.003-05:00

True Colors
Book 3.5 in the Elder Races series
Author: Thea Harrison
Publisher: Samhain
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Format: ebook
Length: Novella
Release date: December 13, 2012
Author's website: Link

Meeting your soulmate? Great. Preventing your possible murder? Even better.

Alice Clark, a Wyr and schoolteacher, has had two friends murdered in as many days, and she's just found the body of a third. She arrives at the scene only minutes before Gideon Riehl, a wolf Wyr and current detective in the Wyr Division of Violent Crime—and, as Alice oh-so-inconveniently recognizes at first sight, her mate.

But the sudden connection Riehl and Alice feel is complicated when the murders are linked to a serial killer who last struck seven years ago, killing seven people in seven days. They have just one night before the killer strikes again. And every sign points to Alice as the next victim.

There is nothing like being completely pulled into a storyline that's so good that you just don't want to stop reading it. That is exactly what happened to me when I read True Colors and honestly I'm not surprised. I've been enjoying all of Thea Harrison's releases this year and this book was no exception. In True Colors we are introduced to 2 new characters who unfortunately meet due to a murder. When Alice first sees Gideon, she thinks he is the man who killed her friend. So she runs from him until she realizes that he is a cop. Gideon instantly wants to protect Alice and realizes that he feels different when he is around her. He's experiencing something that he's never felt before and takes it upon himself to protect Alice at all costs. He has a hard look to him that is enough to scare someone, but Alice sees through all the roughness to what he really is. Their scenes together are sweet and intense as they cannot hold back how they feel about one another. I don't want to give away anything because I found myself pleasantly surprised while reading this novella. I loved Gideon's natural protectiveness of Alice and how she allowed him to do what he thought was best. They were perfect for each other and enjoyed this novella so much!

I'm giving True Colors a rating of:

I'm anxiously waiting for more to read in this awesome series by Thea Harrison. I love her full length novels and am now a fan of her novellas. I hope she will continue to write the novellas so her fans can be introduced to other characters that exist in this world. They may not be main characters, but their stories are just as interesting.

Make sure you stop by the blog on Wednesday December 14th because Thea Harrison is stopping by with an awesome guest post and to give away a copy of True Colors!

Reviews of the other books in the series:
Dragon Bound

Storm's Heart

Serpent's Kiss

Loveswept Holiday Giveaway Blog Hop!

2011-12-12T11:27:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone - Romance At Random is celebrating their Loveswept line with a random e-book Giveaway to 25 winners plus an opportunity to win one Grand Prize from www.romanceatrandom.com. Enter here to be included in the FREE random e-book drawing (25 winners will pick up their FREE book from Net Galley) and then stop on by www.romanceatrandom.com and comment to enter the drawing to be the ''ONE” Grand Prize winner, to win a selection of great books! Good Luck & Happy Holidays to all!

INCREASE your chances to win by visiting all of the participating 'Loveswept - Holiday Hop' sites! Winners will be contacted after 1/10/12.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Loading...&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

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Giveaway Winners!

2011-12-08T14:41:00.000-05:00

Time to announce the 3 winners that will receive a copy of Head Over Heels!

The winners are:

Penny

Chantel

Liza

Congrats winners! You should receive an email from me shortly!

Review: Hunter of Shadows by Nancy Gideon

2011-12-07T13:15:00.002-05:00

Hunter of Shadows
Book 5 in the Moonlight series
Author: Nancy Gideon
Publisher: Pocket Books
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781439199503
Release date: November 29, 2011
Author's website: Link

The secrets he knows about her could get him killed.

Transferring to the New Orleans Police Department, Detective Silas MacCreedy has a hidden agenda: to secure his clan’s place once again in the Shifter hierarchy. What he didn’t count on was stumbling upon a sexy assassin who could shred his best intentions and lead him into a dangerous dance that threatens to engage his heart.

But the ones he doesn’t know . . .

Monica Fraser knows just how to make a man beg—for his life. But she has no clue how to fight her attraction to the fiercely intense detective who seems determined to get in her way, both professionally and intimately.

. . . could kill them both.

When emotional attachments to the past and an unexpected glimpse of a different future have her questioning her deadly purpose, Nica must discover the truth about her secret abilities in order to free herself from the forces that control her. But that freedom comes with a price—trusting those she’s been ordered to eliminate.

When 2 strangers meet one night they can't deny the immediate attraction to one another. Silas McCreedy knows that Nica is dangerous, but he can't the inner voice within him telling him that Nica is his mate. Nica knows that Silas is different from others and drops her guard a few times when he is around. She can't afford to make mistakes when she has a secret to protect. Once Silas learns Nica's secret,she knows what she has to do, and that's kill him. But she can't bring herself to do that. There is a constant push and pull between these two characters throughout the book. You just don't know if they are on each others side or if they are enemies. Silas is also conducting undercover work to also get information for not only his job as a cop, but to get close to a local crime boss. Silas has a score to settle and get revenge against this person. He doesn't need any distractions and tries to keep his distance from Nica, but they seem to keep running into each other.

I had a difficult time getting into this book. The storyline just didn't grab my attention enough for me to be truly interested in what was going on. The introduction of characters throughout the book confused me at times and I found myself getting a little confused as to who did what. I did like the relationship between the two main characters as they fought their own feelings about one another. Nica's character appealed to me the most as I learned more about her character while her secrets were unraveled. I didn't feel a connection with Silas at all and I'm kind of disappointing in that since I tend to enjoy male characters. Overall I'm not sure if this series is for me since I just couldn't get into the storyline.

I'm giving Hunter of Shadows a rating of:

Review: Immortal Rider by Larissa Ione

2011-12-07T09:00:00.002-05:00

Immortal Rider
Book 2 in the Lords of Deliverance
Author: Larissa Ione
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9780446574471
Release date: November 22, 2011
Author's website: Link

They are here. They ride. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Arik Wagner, a soldier with the U.S. Army's paranormal unit, the R-XR, kissed a girl and liked it. And then he went to hell as punishment. Where he's spent weeks being tortured...and plotting revenge.

Limos, Horsewoman of the Apocalypse, isn't your average girl. She's immortal, dangerous, and her fiancé is Satan himself. In a moment of weakness, she gave in to her desire and kissed Arik, triggering her fiancé's wrath - and his claim on her. In order to save Arik, and the world, Limos must make a dangerous pact with her recently turned evil brother, Pestilence. A deal that might just cost her her soul...and her heart.

There is so much excitement going on in Immortal Rider that I seriously don't know where to start this review. Just when things calm down for a second for the characters, something else happens that makes you just want to say, "WOW!" Although Limos and Arik are the main characters in the book, we get to see all of the awesome characters of this series as well as some from Ione's Demonica series. Limos and Arik have their work cut out for them in this book once Arik is sent to Hell for putting the moves on Satan's woman. He's tortured day in and day out while trying to find a way to get out, she's trying to find a way to get to him while dealing with all the craziness going on around her. Mostly from her brother Reseph that has become Pestilence. Pestilence is one nasty dude and we get to see that side of him even more when he manages to flip Limos's world upside down. Secrets are revealed one after another in this book and I found myself gasping out loud because it just got worse and worse for poor Limos!

Despite all of the madness that Limos and Arik had to endure in this book, I found it to be extremely entertaining at the same time. I just couldn't put the book down because once it started, the goodness just continued throughout the book. I was also very entertained with Than's storyline as well. Can I just say that his book is going to be amazing after what happens to him in this book! Larissa sure knows how to make her readers sweat and pull their hair out because I'm counting the days until his book comes out. Let's just say he's got a situation going on that starts in Immortal Rider and will continue into his book Lethal Rider. I'm sure his book is going to be full of nonstop action as well.

I'm giving Immortal Rider a rating of:

My review may seem kind of vague because I just can't talk about much of the storyline without giving anything away. You must experience everything that happens on this book on your own! Only then will you get an appreciation for it's awesomeness and the absolute pure genius of Larissa Ione. She continues to have that perfect mix of drama with comedy in her writing and it's unbelieveable (but believeable) that her books just get better and better! It's no surprise that she's one of my favorite authors and I'll always look forward to reading her future books. If you still haven't read anything written by her yet, start with her Demonica series and work your way into this series. You won't be disappointed, trust me.

Review: How To Worship A Goddess by Stephanie Julian

2011-12-06T08:00:00.002-05:00

How To Worship A Goddess
Book 2 in the Forgotten Goddesses series
Author: Stephanie Julian
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Erotic Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9781402251504
Release date: December 6, 2011
Author's website: Link

HE'S EXACTLY WHAT SHE'S ALWAYS WANTED...

Lucy was once the beloved Goddess of the Moon. These days the goddesses of the Etruscan pantheon are all but forgotten. The only rituals she enjoys now are the local hockey games, where one ferociously handsome player inflames her divine blood...

AND SHE UNLEASHES HIM LIKE A FORCE OF NATURE...

Brandon Stevenson is one hundred percent focused on the game, until he looks up and sees a celestial beauty sitting in the third row. A man could fall hard for a distraction like that...

Lucy may feel like a forgotten goddess, but there are those that still worship and respect her. She lives her life surrounded by them and is happy, but misses male companionship. She attends the local hockey games and is attracted to one of the hockey players and is surprised to find out that he's attracted to her as well. Brandon has had his eye on Lucy when she attends his games and decides to find out more about her by showing up to the bar in which she owns. Lucy is shocked when she learns that he's attracted to her as well and they both decide to give into that attraction when they share a night of passion. They feel right for one another and it's almost as if fate has brought these two together. Lucy's life is in danger and in order to protect those that worship her, she must decide to transfer what remaining power she has to someone else. Brandon wants to help her and feels a natural need to protect her. There is much more to Brandon that he realizes and with the help of some of Lucy's friends, he learns a secret that has been kept from him.

I could really feel the attraction between Brandon and Lucy while I was reading the story. Their scenes were sexy and I liked how Brandon took the initiative to go to Lucy and let her know that he wanted to get to know her better. I think that even though Lucy is a goddess and has power, she was still very naive in thinking that she would be safe and that her life wouldn't be placed in danger at all. It had happened to her other fellow goddesses and I think she should have had some preventative measures in place just in case. I'm glad that Brandon was there to help her and his storyline ended up being my favorite part of the book. I loved how his secret was unraveled and how the reader was able to learn more about his past experiences.

I'm giving How To Worship A Goddess a rating of:

I'm a huge fan of mythology so that aspect of the book appeals to me greatly. I like that the books in the series are quick, easy reads and that's due to Stephanie Julian's great writing. I was hoping for a little more excitement, but I was still able to enjoy the storyline.

New Releases: Week of 12/5/11

2011-12-06T06:30:00.000-05:00

Lot's of great releases this week in books, music, and movies! Click on each item to find out more info about it on Amazon!

Books

PNR/UF

Finally it's here! Book 3 in the Disillusionists series!

New novella from Lara Adrian.

Kitty and the gang are back!
I love you Martini!

Contemporary

Historical

Fiction/Suspense

Teen

4 the kiddies

Music

R.I.P. Amy

DVD

I've been waiting to see this!

Loved watching this show! Bye Big Love!