C.C. Hunter Swag Giveaway - WINNERS

Thanks to everyone who entered!

Winner #1 - Thais

Winner #2 - Alice Priday

Winners have been notified and have 72 hours to respond. If they don't an alternate will be picked to claim their prize!

P.S. Make sure you stop by next week when I do a review giveaway for Seanan McGuire!

Uniform Behaviour - Edited by Lucy Felthouse

Published: 11/22/2010

Website: Lucy Felthouse, Editor

Publisher: Andrews UK

Purchase Info: Amazon

Do you get all weak-kneed at the sight of a grubby fireman or a hunky soldier? Perhaps immaculately-dressed waiting-on staff get you feeling frisky? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Uniform Behaviour contains sixteen smutty stories about firemen, soldiers, sailors, police, security guards and even waiters, priests and cleaners! Delve into this anthology and enjoy steamy stories from established erotica authors including Justine Elyot, Craig J Sorensen, Victoria Blisse, Shermaine Williams, Elizabeth Coldwell and Lucy Felthouse. Uniform Behaviour also proudly introduces some exciting debut authors.

This book is HOT! Have you ever imagined what it would be like stuck in an elevator with a hot hunky delicious looking fireman? Or maybe had some wild fantasy about a police officer? Uniform Behaviour takes your erotic imagination to those places and SO many more!

When I first dove into this book I loved the fact that it was a bunch of short stories, they were able to keep my attention and keep me on my toes. Not only was each story completely different, but no two stories had the same erotic situation.  There were foreign countries, urban cities, even distant planets. Each tale as well written as the next, which made me notice that these authors have some amazing imaginations.

Picking up this book would be something I would recommend to anyone who wants to ignite that spark back into their relationship, try roll playing or maybe just need some alone time. All of these stories will have you wondering who turned the temperature and didn't open the window!

5/5



Before the Press Review: An Immortal Legacy - By Ashley Harrison Blalock

I met Ashley through, Taking It One Book at a Time's Facebook page. After reading up on her book, I became very interested so she then sent me her manuscript to review, because her book is in the process of being published, and I can honestly say I was blown away!

In, An Immortal Legacy, Brooke Hansen has just received an inheritance from an unknown great-grandfather who she has never met and wants to keep his identity secret. (Sounds intriguing right?) Now with a ton of money, a new house & car, Brooke is trying to keep her life as normal as possible. That is until she stumbles upon thee gorgeous Cameron O'Connor. He seems to good to be true, and he likes her....like REALLY likes her. Along with her new life she has found a new love, but will he accept the fact that she's different? The fact that she has abilities that she has only ever told one person about ever? But Cameron's got a secret of his own, a few actually, and they are some that will change Brooke's life forever.

There were so many aspects that I loved about not only this book, but Ashley's writing style as well. She has managed to create a vampire world that's not like every other vampire world out there. In hers there are different races of vampires. From ones who are not limited by the sun, to others who are tenacious fighters regardless of their height. Plus just when you think that you have everything figured out, BAM, twist. Then, BAM, another twist. Ashley's able to intertwine humor, passion, danger, and mystery without making it a jumbled mess. You know that the book is always on the right path, and not tumbling down some side-story hill.

Then there's Cameron & Brooke. These two main characters share a love so pure and true that makes you feel like you've fallen in love for the first time. They develope a relationship that has no hint of jealousy, or doubt. Though it is very fast paced you don't get the feeling that it's being rushed or force, it's as if loving each other comes as naturally to them as breathing.

I can not wait for Ashley to finalize her publication date so that I can begin the count down for all of you. But in the mean time make sure you check out her Facebook for daily updates, and she just started her Twitter. So make sure you go show some support & follow her!

5/5

Talkative Tuesday 3/29/11

MORNING!! So who's excited that there are some amazing new releases coming out today?!

That's what I thought :)

Along with those new releases I am introducing you guys to wonderful blog!

The Qwillery caters to all kinds of genres, from UF to PNR, and even horror. With tons of giveaways, and her very own Debut Author Challenge for 2011. She has something for everyone. There's even quiet a list of mash-ups (classic books with a paranormal twist), as well as a great list of monthly releases!

So make sure you hop on over to her blog (there's a brand new giveaway posted this morning), check out her Facebook, then stalk her Twitter!

True Blood Season 4: Waiting Sucks (#4)

A new waiting sucks, featuring Bill & Mr. Northman!

Eric is SO yummy!

The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

As I've mentioned all too often :), all 2011 I've been rather behind with reviewing the books I've read this year.  All in all it has never been my policy to review all the books I read. Firstly some of the books I read are not available in English and secondly sometimes I just don't feel I have enough to say about the book or simply don't feel like writing a review, and that's fine. :) When I started this blog back in 2009 I stated that I will only talk about books I like. I must admit I have not quite lived up to that, but maybe that was a bit unrealistic to say in the first place, because, even though I have never had any qualms to drop a book I don't like at any point, it's just natural that there have and will be books that I, for one reason or another, do finish even if I didn't especially like them. This year, however, there have been books that I liked quite a bit and have had every intention to review, but have not had the opportunity to do so yet. The first book I finished this year was one such read.

I actually started reading The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton during the Christmas holidays. In the picture of me taken at Christmas I posted at the bottom of the post here, you can see The Tapestry of Love on the table.

The writer of The Tapestry of Love, Rosy Thornton, is the author of four novels, first one of which was published in 2006. Her latest, The Tapestry of Love, was published in hardback in July 2010. The paperpack came out in October. I was kindly given the novel by the author.

The Tapestry of Love is about a year in life of Catherine Parkstone, a 40-something English woman, who moves to the Cévennes mountains in France in order to start a new life as a tapestry maker and a seamestress. Life in a tiny community, however, is not always easy, neither is living in a foreign country, or starting a business.

I found The Tapestry of Love a very adult story. Catherine has a very civilized relationship with her ex-husband and her reaction to her sister's romantic entanglement with the man she herself is interested in is (at least outwardly) rather remarkable. While reading the novel I also realized that I hardly ever read books with middle-aged, close to fifty-year-old women as main characters! It was thus high time to diversify my reading that way, too.

I really enjoyed reading The Tapestry of Love. I especially liked the way the author described how Catherine little by little found her place in the little community she has chosen as her home and how her relationships with her neighbours developped. And Thornton's writing is simply charming, or what do you think about this lovely passage from page 301:

"She placed a jar underneath the tap, opened it up and waited. Nothing happened at first, but then, with creeping slowness, a bubble began to form in the mouth of the nozzle. It wasn't the anonymous pale gold of shop-bought honey but a rich mahogany brown, translucent, smooth and thick as caramel. The bubble fattened and swelled until she thought it would separate itself into a single round globule but, when the tension finally broke, it did not wholly detach but drew with it as it fell a thin tail of honey, a fine thread which gradually strengthened into a drizzle.
Catherine put a finger under the stream and watched it coat her skin, then pulled away and sucked her finger, closing her eyes and letting the honey dissolve on her tongue. It tasted of woodland."

Wow, say I. That is luscious, and sensual, and beautiful. I like a good plot, and The Tapestry of Love has one, but I love beautiful writing, and there is plenty of that in the book. This was the first Thornton novel I read. It will most certainly not be the last.

Happy Monday!

Hope you weekend was great, mine was JAM-PACKED!

Here's a little wake-me-up, because I for one am still a little sleepy :)



He looks nice & perky this morning!

MMMMMMMM, he looks like he wants to come help me file today!

I hope you morning is a tad bit better now :)

Fresh Face Friday 3-25-11

Hooray for FRIDAY! 

Hope everyone had a good week, I know that I did (regardless of kids being sick). For today's, Fresh Face Friday, I bring you the highly talked about Tamara Hogan! With her first release, Taste Me, hitting shelves on March 1st, there has been a lot a buzz around the Underbelly world she has created. Here's a synopsis of the book:

He Wants Her So Badly He Can Taste It...

Ever since their tempestuous fling years ago, incubus Lukas Sebastiani has known that siren Scarlett Fontaine was meant to be his. But when you're a sex demon with an insatiable desire, relationships are way more than complicated...

Her Siren Songs Bring Men to Their Knees...

Rock star Scarlett Fontaine desperately needs a break after a grueling tour. But with murder and mayhem surrounding her band, and the one man she never thought to see again put to the task of protecting her, life is going to be anything but peaceful...

Every encounter between them creates more turmoil-and heat-until Scarlett pushes Lukas to the boiling point, and unleashes forces that go way beyond anything she can hope to control...

I foresee some major steaminess! With a female rock star & a sex demon who has relationship issues, this book looks like a great ride!

So now make sure you check out Tamara's website, and OF COURSE stalk her on Twitter!

Happy Friday everyone!



Author C.C. Hunter Swag Giveaway

When I approached author, C.C. Hunter, about potentially featuring her & Born at Midnight, on Fresh Face Friday, she was thrilled! She was SO excited that she sent me some totally AWESOME swag to give away to you guys :)

There will be 2 winners in this contest!

ONE lucky winner will receive:

• Born at Midnight/Awake at Dawn Poster
• 1 Born at Midnight Bookmark
• 1 Awake at Dawn Bookmark
• Born at Dawn Compact/Brush
• Born at Dawn Notepad & Pen

RUNNER-UP will receive:

• 1 Born at Midnight Bookmark
• 1 Awake at Dawn Bookmark
• "Everything's Hotter In Texas" C.C. Hunter Mini Fan

-To enter to win simply leave your email address & comment below on whether or not, Born at Midnight, looks like something that would spark your interest.

CONTEST IS INTERNATIONAL & CLOSES WEDNESDAY MARCH 30th!

Talkative Tuesday 3/22/11

OK, so I'm a day late...sorry :( I'll make sure to let me kids know how disappointed you all were.

This weeks, Talkative Tuesday, is featuring a SAHM who loves literature and can read like a mad woman. The lovely lady who runs, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, blogspot is simple straightforward and doesn't like to give any spoilers away. There's Blog-Hops, interviews, and so much more. But one thing that you will always find at her blog are a TON of giveaways, from UF to children's books. She hosts a very wide variety of give aways that cater to all her followers tastes.

So now that you have the skinny, check her blog out! Then proceed to do the next 2 steps without me even having to ask....Facebook, Twitter! Enjoy!

True Blood Season 4: Waiting Sucks (#3)

HEHEHEHE! Another waiting sucks! Featuring Jason!

Monday Morning....that means CANDY!

After cleaning my house & cooking all weekend, I'm pretty sure that this morning a refresher is WELL over due :)

Who wants a shower?

I think this is SO sexy, ok maybe I just think that The Rock is sexy!

HAPPY MONDAY!!

Author Tawny Taylor $100 Amazon GC Giveaway

Brilliant author, Tawny Taylor is hosting an amazing giveaway in honor of her newest release, Darkest Fire!

To enter to win just hop over to her website for the details! And make sure you click on the Darkest Fire link above to purchase your copy!

Fresh Face Friday 3-18-11

Kylie Galen has had a lot of crap tossed in her lap lately. Her parents are getting a divorce for who the heck knows why. Her boyfriend broke up with her because she wouldn't put out. And her grandmother died because . . . well, older people do that. But now, Kylie's acquired a stalker and she hasn't a clue what he wants or how to get rid of him . . . and she really wants to get rid of him because apparently she's the only one who sees him. Thinking she may be losing it, her parents send her off to see a psychologist who gets Kylie sent to Shadow Falls Camp. Kylie and her parents think it's a camp for troubled teens.

They thought wrong.

Kylie's surrounded by vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches and shapeshifters. And if she believes what they tell her, she's one of them. They're just not sure exactly how she fits in. As Kylie struggles to cope with the realization that these creatures even exist, and the fact that she might not be human, she's got two hot guys, a werewolf and a half-fairy vying for her attention. And they can just keep vying. Kylie's determined that before she lets her heart loose on love, she needs to unearth the truth. What does the ghost want? Who can and can't she trust? And most of all . . . What is she?



T-G-I-F!! So happy it's Friday again! Now if only the rain would go away :(

Anyways, I'm here to introduce you guys to an amazing new YA author, not bitch about the weather. As you can see above this weeks author comes with an amazing cover, it's making my Cover Whore weep. So may I introduce, C.C. Hunter! With her debut YA release, Born at Midnight, C.C. is throwing you into Kylie Galen's world. Kylie's just trying to deal with everything that's being tossed at her, while her parents think that she's just a troubled teen. I mean she's telling them she has a stalker that NO one else can see...yeah I'd think my teen was troubled too.

C.C.'s a self proclaimed smart ass with a sharp sense of humor and it definetly shows in her book. Born at Midnight's release date is March 29th, but if you'd like to indulge in the first chapter, then click here. (you won't be disappointed) Please make sure that you like her fan page on Facebook, and don't miss a single tweet on Twitter!

Cover Whore - Man Candy Edition!

While browsing around today I stumbled upon some yummy covers!

Fallen - Karen Erickson

Though this author is new to me, I was introduced to her by a

fellow blogger and was immediately drawn in! (It's purdy)

The Perfect Play - Jaci Burton

 MMMMM...(I have no words)

Mesmerized - Lauren Dane

I think that the title speaks for itself :)

Going Crazy at the Book Sales Part 3

This is the long overdue (I seem to be saying that a lot lately -will try and better my ways :)) third and final part of my book sales posts. Here goes...

Ox-Tales Earth, Air, Fire and Water
These are four little volumes of original short stories published in Great Britain in support of Oxfam. If some of you are not familiar with Oxfam it is (to quote their website) "a confederation of 14 likeminded organizations working together to find lasting solutions to poverty and injustice". I'm very exited about these little books, as there are some really interesting writers that have participated in the project. The writers include Kate Atkinson and Hanif Kureishi in Earth, Alexander McCall Smith and Kamila Shamsie in Air, Jeanette Winterson and Lionel Shriver in Fire, and Hari Kunzru and Michel Faber in Water to name just a few of them.

Yousef Al-Mohaimeed: Wolves of the Crescent Moon
What really sold this novel to me was the earily beautiful front cover! And also the fact that this is a novel set it Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Wolves of the Crescent Moon is a story of three outsiders -a Bedouin, an orphan, and a eunuch- who all try to make their lives in the city. It is said to be a novel of "great moral consequence about a deeply traditional society confronting the modern world".  The book, which is Al-Mohaimeed's debut novel, was banned in Saudi Arabia.

Lauren Liebenberg: The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam
Isn't that a delicious name for a book? :) This is a story set in the late 1970s. Nyree and Cia are two little girls living on a farm in what was then Rhodesia. Their whole world consists of the farm until their orphaned cousin Ronin arrives and the idyll of their childhood is gone for ever. The back cover tells us that the girls childhood was "seductive", it was "laced with African paganism, mangled Catholicism and the lore of the Brothers Grimm. Sounds very intriguing to me!

Ann Weisgerber: The Personal History of Rachel DuPree
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this award-winning novel also being on sale. The Personal History of Rachel DuPree is set in 1917 South Dakota. Rachel Dupree with her husband and children is one of the few black families in the West. She wants to give her children a better life, but she also knows that her husband would never leave their farm. This is said to be "an unforgettable novel about love and loyalty, homeland and belonging.

As I said, this concludes my book sales posts. I've bought a few books after the sales, but am actually trying to limit my book buying a bit. I have two holiday trips to look forward to next summer and I've but myself on a budget because of that. :) Luckily there is no shortage of books to read either at home or in the library! I'm still reading The White Garden and after listening to a very interesting BBC World Book Club podcast with Umberto Eco as a special guest talking about his 1980 bestselle The Name of the Rose I had the urge to finally read the Finnish translation that has been sitting on my book shelf since 1996! (I've seen the film made of the novel twice, so I know the general plot, but a book is always a book) I guess it is more than high time I finally read the novel.
By the way those BBC World Book Club podcasts should come with a warning: BE AWARE THESE PROGRAMMES MAY CAUSE SERIOUS INCREASE IN YOUR TBR-LISTS :)

Rage (Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Book #2) - By Jackie Morse Kessler

Release Date: 4/4/11

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Website: Jackie Morse Kessler

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Missy didn’t mean to cut so deep. But after the party where she was humiliated in front of practically everyone in school, who could blame her for wanting some comfort? Sure, most people don’t find comfort in the touch of a razor blade, but Missy always was . . . different.

That’s why she was chosen to become one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: War. Now Missy wields a new kind of blade—a big, brutal sword that can cut down anyone and anything in her path. But it’s with this weapon in her hand that Missy learns something that could help her triumph over her own pain: control.

A unique approach to the topic of self-mutilation, Rage is the story of a young woman who discovers her own power and refuses to be defeated by the world.

I started Rage without reading the first book in the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse series, Hunger. Something about the story, the cover, it just kind of screamed, "READ ME", and I'm glad that I did.

When first starting the book Missy is dealing with every emotion she comes across by cutting. Just that kiss of a razor will take her momentary pain away so that she might be able to live in bliss. Unknown to her, Death has his eye on her. Not to drag her soul away or anything like that, but he sees a warrior capable of wielding the sword of War. Missy initial reaction is, AWESOME! But when she begins to have inner conflict with War itself, Missy is now trying to control not only the overwhelming urge to cut, but giving into the true meaning of her Horsemen name. Her War potential is to create violence & destruction every where she turns, but Missy doesn't want that. So now the battle begins. Does she give into the War she hears in her head, to destruct everything & everyone in her path? Or does she recreate War into the image she wants for herself?

With a mixture of real life pain, and a slight twist of fantasy, Rage was a huge bundle of emotions for me. Since it didn't really fall into the paranormal, or UF category that I usually read, it was a bit out of my comfort zone. So admittedly I had to then take a few days & step back before I reviewed this book. The pace of the book is great, though there were places where the pace seemed slightly quick for me, but Jackie had good reasoning for it. She was able to shine the light on a problem that faces so many teens every day by creating a world around it that allows you to see what causes it, and what allows them to over come it. I will have to say that I truly felt Missy's torment when she was fighting the urges to cut. Those raw emotions were written right on the surface of each page, causing you to dive into them face first. So in the end I took my time to write this review, and by doing that I allowed the book as a whole to sink in....and boy I'm glad I did, or I would have rushed on something that was truly eye opening and beautifully written.

5/5

Man Candy Galore!

Special thanks to the lovely Laurie London, who actually guided me to this site....mmmm

I LOVE football, but only if I get to play....oh god that just sounds dirty in my mind

can't finish the sentence, lol

Joe, Joe, Joe....

And I'm rounding it out with one of my favorite vamps! Mr. Northman ;)

Rush of Darkness (Primal Instincts Book #7) - By Rhyannon Byrd

Release Date: 3/29/11

Publisher: HQN

Website: Rhyannon Byrd

Purchase Info: Amazon, Barnes & Nobles

Raine Spenser is on the brink. Held prisoner because of her abilities, Raine—a powerful psychic as well as vampire—desperately needed a savior. But the last one she expected was the green-eyed soldier who'd once hunted her kind. Since her rescue, she's tried to forget Seth McConnell, unable to cope with the strange, simmering attraction that draws her to the compelling human.

But their goals—find the Kraven who held Raine captive and destroy him—are the same. The ever-growing web of danger surrounding them draws these two unlikely allies closer together, and anger slowly turns into an explosive passion they're finding harder and harder to deny….

After being held captive on a remote compound, being raped, beaten, and witnessing unimaginable things, Raine is now on a personal mission for vengeance. With her ruthlessness guiding her to hunt down and kill every single man who had a hand in her sister's death, Raine can only see red. But with her psychic abilities drained, tracking down her enemy is only becoming harder, so when Seth McConnell tries to jump and help her, she's nothing but pissed. Fighting this overwhelming urge to mold her body into his, Raine knows having McConnell around isn't a good thing. As their attraction comes to a head she doesn't want to admit that her feelings of wanting McConnell are now over powering the hatred that she had inside. He makes her feel something that she hasn't felt in a long time, and giving into it is the one thing that scares the hell out of her.

I really enjoyed the relationship that Raine & McConnell shared. There was a lot of really great back story that helped shape their relationship and I couldn't help but love the fact that McConnell use to be a vampire hunter and now the woman that he's falling for is half vampire. (funny how the world works, lol) Also I was taken back by the protectiveness that McConnell feels towards Raine, and how he can't explain it where it's coming from. It adds another great twist to the novel. The author was able to link the past books to the present without it being boring or rambling, which I have found is NOT an easy task for some. Like the mission at hand to find Weston, the bad guy, and stop him from freeing the Kraven, the super bad guys. Though the ending battle seems like it could possibly end the series, Ms. Byrd was able to make sure there were questions left unanswered, and a slue of issues not taken care of.

With, Rush of Darkness read, I can't help but want to run out and buy the first 6 novels in the series! Ms. Byrd has a way of creating hunky hero's and feisty heroines that mesh perfectly together. Fabulous job, and I can't wait to see where the Primal Instincts series goes from here.


4/5

True Blood Season 4: Waiting Sucks (#2)

Yesssss! Another clip for season 4!! Sam & Luna! HEHEHE

Talkative Tuesday 3/15/11

Happy Tuesday! This weeks blogger I'm introducing you to has made quiet a splash in the blogging world. Not only does she blog, host amazing contest, provide an extensive list of fellow blogger giveaways, but she also has a major passion for her homemade jewelry. (click on the link to see all her amazing creations) Figure out who it is yet?

Yep, it's Amanda from Not-Really-Southern Vamp Chick! She's witty, to the point and her blog is one that I make sure to check daily!

Now meander over and see what her blog is all about! Right now she's actually looking for someone to help her review because she's got so much on her plate! So if you think you'd be right for her blog then go here, and get in touch with her! Also "Like" her Facebook, and stalk her Twitter of course!

Teaser Tuesday 15.3.2011

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by LizB of Should Be Reading.


The rules are:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers
• Share the title and author too so that other Teaser Tuesday participients can add the book on their TBR lists, if they like your teasers!

Even though I was enjoying Alamut by Vladimir Bartol I started to feel I needed to read something completely different before going back to it. This often happens when I'm reading a long story. Alamut is only little less than 400 pages, but still I got impatient. I guess, it has to do with my having all too many unread books at home just now, what with going grazy at the book sales and all that! :) Well, I abandoned 11th-century Persia first for a 19th century boarding school for girls in Olivia by Dorothy Strachey and then continued with start of the 20th century Paris with The Other Side by Sandra Freeman (I will write more about both of these two soon) and now I'm reading one of my book sales finds, namely The White Garden by Stephanie Barron.

Stephanie Barron is actually known for her Jane Austen mysteries of which I have read 1 or 2 many years ago. The White Garden, however, is something quite different from those. Landscape designer Jo Bellamy finds a mysterious notebook in a garden shed in Sissinghurst Castle. The notebook seems to be written by Virginia Woolf. This quote is from page 86:

"Do you know when Virginia Woolf drowned herself in the River Ouse?"
Jo shook her head.
"The day before your notebook starts - March twentyeight, 1941."