Win The Awakening (Ghost Huntress #1) by Marley Gibson

Hey guys,

I wanted to do something special for all my followers :) Can't believe I'm almost at 300! Seems like only yesterday I was writing my first review. Special thanks to Lulu over at The Bookworm is here! who's stuck with me since the beginning :) and to Sarah from Reading Under the Influence. Her blog was one of the first one's I ever read. Thanks so much, ladies!

Now, onto the fun stuff....Wanna win-

The Awakening (Ghost Huntress #1)

by Marley Gibson

Paperback

352 pages

Graphia Books

Now it's your turn to enter for a chance to win! Here's a quick summary from goodreads:

The first in a trilogy. Get out your tape recorders, crystals, and extra batteries— you’re about to go where our world meets the spirit world. Psychic Kids, Paranormal State, Haunting Evidence—these and countless other television shows are making believers out of millions of people: Ghosts exist, and they’re living right beside us. For centuries, individuals have been trying to prove the existence of ghosts. But without hard evidence, it’s been difficult to make the case. But now as science and technology have progressed, ghost hunters have been able to use scientific means, along with more traditional psychic tools, to make their case. Photographs, video recordings, and sound recordings are all producing some amazing results.
In this new series, Ghost Huntress, meet Kendall Moorehead, a seemingly typical teen. When her family moves from Chicago to the small historical town of Radisson, Georgia, her psychic abilities awaken. She’s hearing, feeling, and seeing things that seem unbelievable at first, but with the help of the town psychic, Kendall is able to come to terms with her newly emerging gift. So, together with her new BFF, Celia, Kendall forms a ghost hunting team. They’ve got all the latest technology. They’ve got Kendall for their psychic. Now they’re going to clean up Radisson of its less savory spirits. The story is fiction. The science is real. Welcome to a new reality.

Now onto the RULES:

To enter, all you have to do is fill out the form below.
US Residents only!
Heck,  I want to thank my overseas followers too! Contest open Internationally.

Contest ends May 15, 2011
For more information about my contest 
please visit my Review/Contest Policy page.
:) Good Luck!

In My Mailbox #3

For more info on IMM or to sign up/post your link, 

visit Kristi over at The Story Siren.

 This week's IMM is based on books I've won from other bloggers whether it's through a giveaway or blog hop. Some of these books I've won recently, others maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago- I know, I'm lagging it.... But I wanted to dedicate this IMM to the blog hosts :) Thank you for hosting your giveaways!

 

Books:

A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford

Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams

An Affair Without End by Candace Camp

Zitface by Emily Howse

A special thank you to all 5 wonderful ladies;

Jessica- Confessions of a Bookaholic

Suzanne- Preternatura

Shannon- Books Devoured 

Heather- Burried in Books

Sherri- Urban Girl Reader

Mia- Girl About Books

You girls ROCK <3

Review: Tempted by PC & Kristen Cast

Title: Tempted (House of Night #6)
Author: PC & Kristen Cast
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 336
Challenge: YA Series

My Rating:
 

Zoey needs a break after some serious excitement. Sadly, the House of Night school for vampyres doesn't feature breaks on its curriculum - even for a High Priestess in training and her gang. Plus juggling three guys is no stress reliever, especially when one is a sexy Warrior so into protecting Zoey that he's sensing her emotions. Wider stresses lurk too, and the dark force in Tulsa's tunnels is spreading. Could Stevie Rae be responsible for more than a group of misfit fledglings? And Aphrodite's visions warn Zoey to stay away from the immortal Kalona and his dark allure - but they also show that only Zoey can stop him. She's not exactly keen to meet up, but if Zoey doesn't go to Kalona he'll exact a fiery vengeance on those closest to her. She just has to find the courage to do what's necessary, or everything that's important to her will be destroyed. -summary from goodreads.com

I've stuck with his series for quite some time now. I really enjoyed the first five House of Night books, with the exception of book 3.... its was just bad. I remember all books as being addicting, edge of my seat interesting. I know I was often annoyed by the constant recapping, but I thought the characters were good and the story line was strong.... but Tempted was different. It was more of a bitter-sweet read- let me explain;

For starters, I felt that it took too long for the story to actually develop into an interesting plot. The books begins with the same problem Zoey has had throughout all 6 books; she can’t decide which boy toy she wants on her top shelf... I'll be honest, I'm starting to really dislike Zoey! She is like the Whore of all Babylon (excuse the language), yet every male character (with the exception of Damien and Jack) fall for her... I laughed my butt off when Erik told her, "I'm sick of you cheating on me with everyone who has a dick." Haaaaa! Even the characters in the book share my opinion! This whole book was supposed to be a big build up to Zoey's showdown with Kalona, but the story ends so suddenly that I felt ripped off. The actual "fight" isn't a fight at all and is done in about two pages. It just seemed pointless for the group to take a trip to Italy to have the book end as it did.

Despite whatever I just wrote, I did like the book. Stark was around alot and he is my favorite character hands down. It was nice to see more of him.... What he see's in Zoey, I will never understand. About the POV's changing in the book; I was worried at first that things would get confusing, but I found myself relieved to be in someone else's head that wasn't Zoey. It was very refreshing. I really liked the Heath and Stark parts, even though they were very small. And, surprisingly enough, I really enjoyed all Zoey/Stark interactions; I really see a relationship growing between the two, even though it's very obvious that Stark fights his true feelings for Zoey throughout the entire book.

Now do you understand why this book is more of a bitter-sweet read? The ending was a bit disappointing (not to mention super sad), but if you must know, yes- I will read the next installment but only because I already bought it. Hopefully the next book, Burned, picks up the slack and gets back into all the action.

Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Title: Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 335
Challenege: None


My Rating:

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. So much for normal.-summary from goodreads.com

Let me begin by saying that Paranormalcy is not your average paranormal novel. If you were to judge a book by its cover; you’d think this book was a bit more dark and mysterious. On the contrary, Paranormalcy is a fun, delightful read that will have you hooked from page one!

The main character, Evie, is witty, sarcastic, funny, and SUCH a teenager. Evie watches the latest teen TV show religiously, has a BFF, has a crush, and wears zebra print with pink heels. On the other hand, Evie’s also vulnerable and asks for help when she needs it; she hurts and is not afraid to show it. The only thing that stops her from being just like any other ordinary teenager is the fact that Evie is a protected employee at IPCA (the International Paranormal Containment Agency), she doesn't leave the facility except for her missions (she has the unique gift to see through the "glamour" that creatures put on to trick us humans) and isn't allowed to go to high school.

Enter Lend; Lend is an unknown paranormal who gets caught breaking into IPCA. He has the ability to shape shift into anyone. While he's incarcerated at the facility, he and Evie become friends and end up developing a crush on each other. Ms. White manages to make things like handholding, kisses on the forehead, and television watching totally swoon-worthy. I had no idea how, but she does! Then there’s Reth, Evie’s ex-boyfriend, who literally bring s a whole different hot mood to the scene every time he's on the page, so no matter what kind of hottie floats your boat, Ms. White’s got you covered. My fav scene; The PROM! *swoon*

This book will keep you guessing till the end, and even then….. As I was reading Paranormalcy, I kept formulating different theories about who might be the bad guy, who was going to end up with whom, and who was really what creature after all… boy was I wrong. The only thing that bugs me about Paranormalcy is that I still have so many questions! I can’t wait to get my hands on the sequel; I hope the author ties up all loose ends.

Review: Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Title: Forget You
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books
Pages: 292
Challenge: None

My Rating:

WHY CAN’T YOU CHOOSE WHAT YOU FORGET . . . AND WHAT YOU REMEMBER? There’s a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four- year old girlfriend. Like Zoey’s fear that the whole town will find out about her mom’s nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she’s the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon. But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there’s one thing she can’t remember at all—the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug—of all people— suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life—a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug. -summary from goodreads.com

Three words- Hot hot hot!

Meet 17 year old Zoey; works as a lifeguard and has a full plate at home with a depressed mom and a dad who doesn’t give a shit. She’s always been such a “good girl”, but after a horrible incident that involves her mother, Zoey throws all logic out the window and gives into temptation. This is where the trouble begins; she wakes up the next day and cant remember a thing. And noooo…. This isn’t a story about a girl getting so drunk she can’t remember what happens, It’s SO MUCH more than that. It turns out that Zoey gets in a car accident, and as a side effect from bumping her head so hard, she gets amnesia.

From what I've heard Jennifer Echols has a talent for writing wonderful, swoon-worthy boys and well, Doug Fox is definitely one that stood out to me. He had his problems with being somewhat of an outcast, but we are shown what makes him the defensive yet lovable character that he is. Zoey on the other hand was very interesting... I found myself rolling my eyes every time she said, “Brandon is my boyfriend”. For a smart girl she was pretty annoying. She has this personality that had been etched into her by others to come off as nothing but perfect and that's what Zoey tried to be. I actually felt bad for her because of everything she had to go through.

Zoey's amnesia from the night of the car accident was a big part of the story. I’ll admit, I couldn’t fit together the pieces of the puzzle. It was a bit hard to figure out what had happened that night. It was still interesting to see how Zoey handled everything as she slowly starts to figure out what happened. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Zoey and Doug develop and how they kind of break out of these shells they placed each other in.

Overall, I’m so glad I decided to pick up yet another YA contemporary… It’s time to break out of my comfort zone :)haha! Forget you is a quick, fun, but at times emotional read- that will have you guessing till the end. Seriously! I didn’t expect that little story twist at the end. I literally said out loud, “Wtf? No way!” - I think it’s safe to say I have a new YA Contempt fav author.

10 Good Things on a Monday (2)

My 10 Good Things for this week: 

My Top 10 Soccer Boyfriends

1. Fernando Torres-

Plays for Chelsea FC, originally from Spain. If you know me, you'll know I'm obsessed with F. Torres! In my opinion, he is THEE hottest player out there, also one of the youngest. Just look at him, do I need to say more?

 2. Frank Lampard

Plays for Chelsea FC, originally from England. I first fell in love with Frankie during a match vs. Barcelona (first full match I ever saw); he was so magnificent with the ball! I had never seen anything like it. He may not be the world's best player but this boy can play! I've been a fan for years!

3. Cristiano Ronaldo-

Plays for Real Madrid FC, origianlly from Portugal. What girl hasn't dreamed about marrying Cristiano? I know I have.... on a daily basis :)haha! Only messing... but seriously, look at the boy. GORGEOUS! Not only does he have mad soccer skills, he's also the newest male model for Armani, google him! you won't be sorry ;)

4. Zinedine Zidane-

Retired, originally from France. If you watched the 2006 World Cup match, you know who Zidane is. He's the guy that head-chested a player from the National Italy Team, after he called Zidane's mother a "French whore". Zidane was only 34 when he retired, which personally I think is too young. Zidane was one of the BEST soccer players in the world!

5. Kaká-

Plays for Real Madrid, orginally from Brazil. A family man and devout Christian, he is also a humanitarian and has served as an Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations’ World Food Program... Where can I find me another Brazilian like him? :)

6. Iker Casillas-

Plays for Real Madrid FC, keeper, originally from Spain. Those eyes, those lips and that ribbed bone structure. Iker Casillas is rated as one of the best goalkeepers in Europe!... you know he's got to be an amazing player. Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup because of him, literally. He had some AMAZING saves.

7. Fabio Cannavaro

Another retired player, originally from Italy. He’s gorgeous! Long hair, short hair. Tattoo, no tattoo. Shirtless? Shirtless, definitely. Looking at the camera, looking away from the camera. Any way you have it, Cannavaro is steaming hot.

8. Alvaro Morata-

Plays for Real Madrid FC, originally from Spain (That's it – I'm moving to Spain!). Youngest player on starting line-up for Real Madrid (only 18 years old). Saw him play when Real Madrid came to CA to play LA's Galaxy (David Beckham). It was an awesome match, and I totally added Morata to the top of my "sexy futbol players" list. Gosh, I'm such a perv.... :)haha!

9. Oguchi Onyewu-

Plays for AC Milan. Originally from USA. Had to have a non-soccer related picture of him :) Major bonus- he's single ladies! Another awesome soccer player, but I'll admit- I was first attracted by his handsome looks. Every time I see this hunk on TV I say, "Oh goody, it’s ‘Oh Gucci’!" :)haha.

10. Memo Ochoa-

Plays for Club America, keeper, originally from Mexico. My mom is his #1 fan, she never misses a game. His team mascot are eagles, and as lame as it sounds, sometimes Memo makes some incredible saves that you really believe that this boy has himself a secret pair of wings.

Well that is it!.... I think this is enough eye candy to last me through the week :)haha! What about you? What are your 10 good things for this Monday? Share your links.

Romantic Times Book Convention

RT Teen Day <3 April 9, 2011

Melissa de la Cruz; LOVE her BB series!

Richelle Mead signing my copies of Vampire Academy

This past Saturday was the Annual RT Book Convention in Los Angeles. After the book fair and the book signings RT was hosting a new event; Teen Day. There were many activities going on, some at the same time, so you had to choose where you wanted to go. My cousin and I attended-

Author Speed-dating: During this event all authors would sit at a table and had 5 mins to talk to us about anything they wanted (book related or not), answer questions, take pictures or hand out swag. At our table, we got to meet SO many awesome authors;

Simone Elkeles (Perfect Chemistry)

Ally Carter (Heist Society)

Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy)

Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder)

Kami Garcia (Caster Chronicles)

Margaret Stohl (Caster Chronicles)

Jeri Smith-Ready (Shade)

Michele Jaffe (Rosebush)

Sophie Jordan (Firelight)

Rachel Vincent (Soul Screamers)

Kelley Armstrong (The Gathering)

Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth)

Alyson Noel (The Immortals)

Clare B. Dunkle (The House of Dead Maids)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Raised by Wolves)

Jackie Morse Kessler (Hunger and Rage)

Colleen Houck (Tiger's Quest)

Kelley Armstrong

I had SO much fun getting to know all these authors on a more personal level, even if we only had 5 minuets to chat. I was so scared to meet Simone Elkeles, but she is so nice and hilarious! We talked about Alex Rodriguez, the extremely hot guy that plays Alex Fuentes in her book trailers.... That boy is steaming hott! Michele Jaffe is probably one of the most fashionable authors I have ever met (picture below). She had on the cutest pink boots and pink tights. Rachel Vincent seemed very shy at first but then slowly opened up. Jennifer Lynn was just plain out awesome. We spent the majority of the time comparing humans to monkeys :)haha! It was a BLAST!

Kami Garcia, Rachel Vincent and myself

Author Speed-Reading: After Speed-Dating came Speed-Reading. This was a panel of YA authors that read short excerpts in timed readings. Some of these excerpts came from newly released books, others from ARC's. YA Panel;

Cassandra Clare (The Mortal Instruments)

Holly Black (White Cat)

Ann Aguirre (Enclave)

Carrie Ryan (Forest of Hands and Teeth)

Rosemary Clement-Moore (Texas Gothic)

Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Raised by Wolves)

Kristi Cook (Haven)

Kimberly Derting (The Body Finder)

Sarah Rees Brennan (Demon's Lexicon)

Alyxandra Harvey (Drake Chronicals)

Cassie Clare; I told her to give me an author pose :)

Cassandra Clare read from her new TMI book; CoFA, Jennifer Barnes read from her ARC of Trial by Fire (book #2 in the Raised by Wolves trilogy). This is totally random but during this panel I develpoed a small girl crush on Sarah Rees Brennan. She is super nice, witty, not to mention super smart! She read a bit from Demon's Lexicon and as soon as we left the event, I bought myself a copy :)

Teen Party:

After these two events came the RT Tenn Party which was pretty much a mix and mingle with all the YA authors who were present. Upon entering the vent, each person was given a "Teen swag bag" that was filled with books and goodies. I did a quick video to summarize this part of the evening;

I forgot to mention that besides Farrah, I also met some new bloggers, one of them came all the way from New York! I couldn't believe it!... I'm talking about you Haysel :) Check out our blog; The Tattered Page. And that's ittt!! Like I said, overall I believe RT Book convention was a success! Thanks so much for stopping by! Here are a couple author photos, enjoy :)

The lovely Farrah from ieatwords.net

Tera Lynn Childs

Michele Jaffe and her cute outfit :)

CC Hunter- Born at Mightnight

Aly Carter

Colleen Houck and my cousin

Rachel Caine; can't believe I waited this long to read Morganville Vampires

Kimberly Derting

Melissa Marr

Holly Black

PS. Make sure and stop by next week for a giveaway :) In my Teen bag, I received a couple of books which I already own so I'll be giving them away! Happy Friday and I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

Review: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)

Title: Frostbite (Vampire Academy #2)
Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Pages: 327
Challenge: YA Series


My Rating:

Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose… It's winter break at St. Vladimir's, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy's crawling with Guardians—including Rose's hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway. And if hand-to-hand combat with her mom wasn't bad enough, Rose's tutor Dimitri has his eye on someone else, her friend Mason's got a huge crush on her, and Rose keeps getting stuck in Lissa's head while she's making out with her boyfriend, Christian! The Strigoi are closing in, and the Academy's not taking any risks… This year, St. Vlad's annual holiday ski trip is mandatory. But the glittering winter landscape and the posh Idaho resort only create the illusion of safety. When three friends run away in an offensive move against the deadly Strigoi, Rose must join forces with Christian to rescue them. But heroism rarely comes without a price… summary from goodreads.com

This is the second book in the Vampire Academy series created by Richelle Mead. The book picks up shortly after the events in book one. Our favorite dhampir, Rose, is back along with a whole batch of new problems to deal with. It is winter break and a recent attack has made everyone a little concerned about the students traveling, therefore they are all sent to an elite ski resort for additional safety. More attacks continue to happen and they come to the conclusion that Strigoi and humans are working together. In the words of our little dhampir herself, “This changes everything”.

The story overall is great. We get mystery, lust, intrigue, some romance, and even death. Frostbite had a somewhat sadness feel to it, but it let us see a whole new side to Rose. I loved getting to know Rose on a more personal level. She has a softer side, one that pines for someone she knows she can never have, one who feels guilt and sadness when certain bad things happen to people she cares for; I truly didn't expect that. Rose learns, and starts to accept, that she is more like her mom than she thought. Then there’s the hotness named Dimitri. The tension between Rose and Dimitri is just… how can I put this?... it’s just HOTT!

I don't want to go into to much detail because it really is more fun to read it and discover it for yourself, but I will say that Frostbite is a wonderful treat, fresh and exhilarating. It’s a book can't put down until you get to the last page (and by then you’ll be craving some more).

Review: Anna and the French Kiss

Title: Anna and the French Kiss
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton
Pages: 372
Challenge: None


My Rating:

Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris—until she meets Étienne St. Claire: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he's taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.  -summary from goodreads.com

Such a wonderful contemporary YA read. I don’t think I’ve read one bad review on Anna and the French Kiss and this review wont be any different! The story follows eighteen-year-old Anna Oliphant who is sent off to SOAP (School of America in Paris) by her father in a ridiculous show of his newly found “author money”. Here she befriends a new group of classmates and meets the handsome Etienne St. Clair.

I really liked Anna. What I loved best about her, were her realistic traits; Anna is sometimes witty, sometimes smart, sometimes annoying. She’s not notably remarkable at anything, she’s clumsy, and she’s terrible at French. But I loved her persona and I admired how she continued to motivate herself even after her parents pretty much abandoned her in France.

Now, onto St. Claire…. I’ll admit, in the beginning I was a bit hesitant about liking him because he was totally leading Anna on, AND HE ALREADY HAD A GF! But then you learn about his relationship and how its unhealthy, unstable and tearing him apart…. *sigh* St. Clair is full of flaws, which makes him all that more real.

Overall, Anna and the French Kiss is a story about figuring out how to be good to your friends, your parents and yourself. Ms. Perkins was able to perfectly portray how important some people are in life, and how terrible it is to hurt those you love. This book is great on so many levels.