Lynsay Sands challenge COMPLETE and Happy New Year

COMPLETE!!!!!!!!!!!

While I read much more than just these, I barely got to reviewing these ones! I fallow this series and usually go nuts and run to my local Borders to pick up a copy the day it comes out, or try my best to get an ARC, but that never happens :)

The order of the first nine books in the series:
1. A Quick Bite----COMPLETE
2. Love Bites----COMPLETE
3. Single White Vampire----COMPLETE
4. Tall, Dark and Hungry----COMPLETE
5. A Bite to Remember----COMPLETE
6. Bite Me If You Can----COMPLETE
7. Accidental Vampire----COMPLETE
8. Vampires are Forever----COMPLETE
9. Vampire Interrupted----COMPLETE


Great challenge, I enjoyed it.

Happy New Year everyone!!! Wish me luck on getting an agent and a contract with a publishing house! That's my New Year resolution :)

Thank you to all of my new and old followers! See you next year!!

My Soul to Steal release!

Hello everyone!!!

For those of you who follow the amazing Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer series, you know that her latest book is being release just around the corner!

While the series was fantastic, I must say that My Soul To Steal is the best one yet! I screamed and banged my fist and all of that good stuff while reading the ARC. It was intense. A must read of 2011 I tell you! Must read!

Nash pissed me off, Kaylee pissed me off, Tod was just fantastic as usual and new characters were creepy.

I have yet to read Tod's book, Reaper, so tell me guys... Does he get a girlfriend or is it just about him? If he gets a girlfriends I will be very sad for I think that I should be his girlfriend, but I'll end up reading it anyways. I mean come on, a reaper, and a book lover (paranormal especially) how could they not be together? LOL

Enough of my blabbering. Here's the cover, synopsis and the book trailer.

YOU WANT MY SOUL AND MY BOYFRIEND?

Trying to work things out with
Nash—her maybe boyfriend—is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can’t just
pretend nothing happened. But “complicated” doesn’t even begin to describe their
relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to
take Nash back.

See, Sabine isn’t just an ordinary girl. She’s a mara,
the living personification of a nightmare. She can read people’s fears—and craft
them into nightmares while her victims sleep. Feeding from human fear is how she
survives.

And Sabine isn’t above scaring Kaylee and the entire school to
death to get whatever—and whoever—she wants.

I DON'T THINK SO.

Read this series!!!!

Review:Vampire Interrupted by Lynsay Sands

Title:Vampire Interrupted
Author:Lynsay Sands
Pages:384
Publisher:Avon (February 26, 2008)
Source:Bought
Reading Level:Romance
Rating:


Summary:

IT WAS A CASE SHE COULD SINK HER TEETH INTO . . .

After seven hundred years of life, Marguerite Argeneau finally has a career. Well, the start of one, anyway. She’s training to be a private investigator, and her first assignment is to find an immortal’s mother. It seemed simple enough, until Marguerite wakes up one evening to find herself at the wrong end of a sword. Now she realizes she’s in way over her head.

Julius Notte wants to protect Marguerite, and not because someone just tried to take her head off. She doesn’t know it yet, but she’s his lifemate and he’s determined to woo her. It’s been over five hundred years since he last courted a woman, but surely the techniques haven’t changed. Now if only he can keep her alive – so to speak – so they can have that happily-ever-after.

Review:
After reading all of the other books in the series, I can say that I was excited for this book! Marguerite has helped everyone in her family get a life mate and it is time that she figures out what happened in her past and she finds her own life mate.

At first, Julius sounded like a creeper, sneaking into Marguerite's hotel room and surprising her. Julius has his own reason to stay around Marguerite, and his reason is above all others. Julius is Marguerite's life mate she forgot she ever had. Julius tried to forget about Marguerite and everything that happened to him when they had their time together, the memories painful.

Marguerite denied everything that they were trying to tell her. Marguerite knew what she knew and what they were telling her was obviously a lie. Right? Marguerite was one of the older vampires in the family and there was know way that anyone could erase her memories. Julius tried hard to convince her of their time together but it was hard for Marguerite to take it all in. Eventually, I started to like Julius and he became very enjoyable to read about.

I enjoyed Vampire Interrupted immensely! I always loved Marguerite and it was awesome to finally learn about her past and see her happy again. Sands really knows how to write a good Canadian vampire family series that keeps a girl wanting more. Thank goodness there are more!

Review:Drowned Sorrow by Vanessa Morgan

Title:Drowned Sorrow
Author:Vanessa Morgan
Pages:188
Publisher:Llumina Press (December 2nd, 2008)
Source:Received for review from author
Reading Level:Horror
Rating:


Summary:

Megan Blackwood has just lost her only son in a terrible accident. Now she has come to Moonlight Creek with her teenage daughter Jenna, hoping a change of scenery might help to put her life and that of her daughter back together.

But something odd is going on in Moonlight Creek.

When rain falls over the village, its inhabitants commit grisly murders, leaving the place deserted with the first rays of sunshine.

Beneath the lake’s surface, an eerie presence watches … and waits …. Waits to reveal a tragic past drowned in mystery and fear. One that doesn’t bode well for visitors.

By the time Megan realizes that her life, as well as that of her daughter, is in danger, it may be too late to escape.

Review:
From the synopsis, I knew this was going to be good, and it certainly was!

From the first chapter, Drowned Sorrow had an ounce of spookiness to it. There's a death in the first chapter and the death was what started the story. Megan is a hard working mother and no one can blame her for working hard. Poor Jenna for having to deal with all of the things she did.

The mystery of Moonlight Creek was very interesting. It would definitely be the perfect mystery for a thriller movie. Moonlight Creek was in multiple POV's which was interesting because you see the town from the residence's view and from the visitor's view.

The Blackwood's are going through a lot and a local boy is going through a lot as well. Jenna and this boy get along very well and start to bond but he has better things on his mind, his father. Megan tried to convince Jenna that she needs to get over this boy but Jenna really likes him and after everything that's happened, she just wants to have someone for her.

When Megan finally discovers the horror of Moonlight Creek, it was already too late. Because there was a POV in the residence, I had a feeling on what was going on but I never really understood it completely. In the end, it all made sense and it was all creepy. This is why I'm definitely a city girl!

Drowned Sorrow was a great read and it certainly kept me thinking about it afterwards! I can see another book based on the same city with another family and I would definitely read it.

Vampires are Forever by Lynsay Sands

Title:Vampires are Forever
Author:Lynsay Sands
Pages:384
Publisher:Avon (January 29th, 2008)
Source:Bought
Reading Level:Romance
Rating:


Summary:

VAMPIRES DON’T EXIST . . . DO THEY?

Inez Urso is beginning to have her doubts. Her business associate Thomas Argeneau has some interesting traits, like an allergic reaction to the sun, excellent night vision, and not much of an appetite for food. And to top it all off, he just tried to bite her neck . . . but maybe that was a sign of passion. If so, she’d be happy to experience more, despite her determination not to mix business with pleasure.

HE’S BEEN WAITING FOREVER FOR A WOMAN LIKE HER . . .

Well, if not forever, at least two hundred years. Inez is the most beautiful woman he’s seen in centuries. Those luscious lips, seductive curves, and her elegant neck . . . he just couldn’t resist the temptation of one little bite. Now Thomas will do anything to convince her that only an immortal like him can satisfy her all night long . . .

Review:
We all know Thomas. Funny Thomas. Flirtatious Thomas. Young Thomas.

Thomas has played cupid many times for his family and their mates. But when Thomas finds his own mate, who's going to play cupid for him? Will he try to play cupid for himself and mess it all up? I know!

With Marguerite still missing, Thomas declares that he will find her and put everyone's minds at rest. Inez Urso was sent to help him find her but she wasn't supposed to be a distraction. Thomas was very hungry, you can't blame him. He's a vampire! So he just wanted a little nip so he took it, though he regretted it later when he found out that Inez was unreadable. That only meant one thing, she was his life mate and he just bit her.

Inez is going a little crazy after Thomas bit her and she's trying to figure everything out. With Marguerite still missing, Thomas drinking the wrong, wrong, wrong, bag of blood, and someone trying to kill them, she has a lot going on. Inez doesn't like the idea of vampires but like all of the Argeneau men, Thomas is very persuasive. After getting to know Thomas a little more, Inez can't help but love him. And then she get's attacked.

Though the original plan was to save Marguerite, now Thomas and Inez has to save their selves. Thomas and Inez has just found each other and they certainly aren't letting each other go just yet. Marguerite will be fine so she will have to wait a little while longer.

Vampire's are Forever was a fangtastic book. I always loved Thomas and his cupid playing and it was great finally seeing him get his own life mate. Though we havn't found Marguerite just yet, we definitely got closer to finding her!

Blog Tour:HexBound

Merry Christmas all!

Please help me welcome Chloe Neill with her HexBound tour!!!


Interview:

Hi Chloe, thank you for stopping by! Can you tell us a little about yourself?

Thanks for having me! I'm the author of the Chicagoland Vampires paranormal romance series and the Dark Elite
young adult paranormal series. The second Dark Elite novel, HEXBOUND, will hit shelves on Tuesday, January 4!

I'm originally from the southern part of the U.S., but I now live in the midwest. I have two dogs, I'm engaged to a
wonderful photographer, and I love to bake. And I love Diet Coke. Always Diet Coke. :)

Out of all things paranormal, why choose what you chose?

For the Dark Elite series, I was really interested in what might happen if a person's magical gifts weren't temporary. If
keeping the magic meant pretty awful consequences. For the Chicagoland Vampires series, I wanted to throw a girl
who was pretty bookish into some challenging situations so that she could learn to trust herself.

How do you normally spend your release days?

I have a full-time day job, so I'm usually at work. :)

How are you going to spend New Years?

I have a few parties to attend, actually, so my fiance and I will be visiting friends and ringing in the New Year with
them!

What is your New Years resolution?

Probably to procrastinate less and be more proactive on writing deadlines. Everyone would be happier. :)

What are your favorites of the categories below?

Drink: Diet Coke
Candy: Kit-Kat
Movie: The Royal Tennenbaums
Band: Muse
Books: Anything by Neil Gaiman Diana Gabaldon
Store: TJ Maxx
Part of Chicago: Standing on a bridge over the Chicago River

Thank you for stopping by! Is there anything else you'd like to add?

I think that's about it. Thanks so much for having me today, and Merry Christmas!


_____________________________________________

Thank's so much Chloe for stopping by!

HexBound:

Lily Parker is new to St. Sophia’s School for Girls, but she’s already learned that magic can be your best friend…or your worst enemy.

They say absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turns out, even a little magic can turn you to the dark side. That’s why Lily has to learn how to control her newly discovered paranormal abilities, on top of avoiding the snobs who think they run her school, nursing a crush on a cute sophomore with a big, werewolf-y secret, and fighting the good fight with her best friend Scout as they take on Chicago’s nastiest nightlife—including the tainted magic users known as Reapers.

Then Lily’s invited to a private meeting with Sebastian. He’s hot, powerful, and offering to help her harness the magic flowing in her veins in a way no one else can. He’s also a Reaper. Lily can’t hide her suspicions. But she’ll soon find out that the line between good and evil isn’t always clear…

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas all! Happy Holidays!!!

Don't forget to enter my ARC contest before you head out :)

Review:All I want for Christmas is a Vampire by Kerrelyn Sparks

Title:All I want for Christmas is a Vampire
Author:Kerrelyn Sparks
Pages:384
Publisher:Avon (October 28th, 2008)
Source:Bought
Reading Level:Romance
Rating:


Summary:

Toni Davis’s Christmas Wish List

Springing my best friend from the psych ward.
Living somewhere that doesn’t have coffins in the basement. Occupied coffins.
Finding Mr. Right. Please make him tall, dark, handsome, and ALIVE.
This Christmas isn’t so merry for Toni. Her best friend’s been locked up in a mental hospital ever since she told the police she was attacked by vampires, and the only way for Toni to get her out is to prove that bloodsuckers really do exist. So she’s taken a job as a bodyguard for the Undead, but she gets more than she's bargained for, especially when she meets Ian MacPhie, a Scottish rascal looking for Ms. Right.

Although Ian’s nearly five centuries old, he looks and acts like a twenty-seven-year-old hunk. How can a dead man be so damn sexy? Could Mr. Wrong be Mr. Right? One forbidden kiss could lead to an eternity of passion—and all it takes is one moment under the mistletoe . . .

Review:
With Christmas being tomorrow, I figured that this review would be perfect. I love vampires and Christmas so here we go!

For those who have read the previous books in the Love At Stakes series, we are all very familiar with Ian. Ian was the fifteen year old boy who was turned by the one and only Angus. With all of his fellow vampires falling in love, Ian wants to find love as well but it's pretty hard when you're going to stay fifteen forever. In the previous book, Ian takes the drug and now he's magically older! He finally has a chance to love!

Toni was tortured by vampires. Now Toni's best friend is in the crazy hospital because she was ranting about vampires. Toni is going to get revenge if it's the last things she does. Toni get's a day job at guarding the vamps and Ian certainly has his eyes on her. For business purposes of course. Though Toni and Ian's relationships heats up, Toni's fear of vampires starts to come out.

In All I Want For Christmas Is A Vampire we meet a bunch of new friends. One in particular catches my interest with his funny ways and his sense of humor. Though we meet some new friends, we definitely see our other friends again. Toni and Ian's relationship is memorable and a wonderful book in a fangtastic series!

Very late winners...

Hi guys!

I am SO SO SO sorry about this being late! There was a miscommunication thing and I lagged on it and forgot about it. Anyways, like I said, I'm sorry.

Here are the winners of My Cover Contest!

Thanks to the lovely Lisa Cach, I got an ARC of Wake Unto Me so I know how amazing the book is! Lisa was nice enough to comment on all of the covers:

Lisa:


Eleni --- Tender, tender, tender. I love how the hero and heroine are almost mirrors of each other, which makes them seem like soul mates.


Linz --- I love how the male face is formed by the smoke, like a spirit emerging from the ether. Keeping the faces to mere outlines of light emphasizes the soul-level connection between them.


Ky --- This does a great job of capturing the creepiness and the mystery of the story — and the heroine looks like someone who might be wandering dark hallways in the middle of the night! Very gothic, which I love.


Caitlin (Scarrlet Reader) -- My favorite part of this cover is the tension and longing in the two hands reaching for each other. Are they coming together, or being pulled apart? Both, I think. It’s wrenching!


Kulsuma --- This is very energetic and modern, and yet it still looks like she’s being swept into a world of dreams and spirits. I love the flowing white cloth, and how she’s lost in herself.


Jenny @ into the morning --- The intensity of the gaze between the hero and heroine is what carries this one. I also love that the castle with the trees in the foreground is exactly how I pictured the setting!


Michikit @ amina --- The play between cool colors and warm colors is striking, and emphasizes that the heroine is living and the hero is... well... not. I love how it really does look like she’s being visited by an amorous ghost while asleep.


To avoid any possibility of bias, I handed the cover designs over to an outside marketing professional I know who has over 20 years of experience in various publishing media, and let him choose the winner. His choice, which was not by any means easy:

Caitlin, of Scarrlet Reader!


(Totally coincidentally, Caitlyn is the name of the heroine in Wake Unto Me)

Marketing professional’s comment: “I like the way this cover brings the two worlds together; not only in the hands reaching toward each other, but in the background of the castle and its reflection. It passes the 3-second test: the reader has 3 seconds to figure out what’s going on, and decide whether this is sufficiently compelling to make them open the book.”


My thanks to everyone who played: I tried myself to make cover designs for the book, and didn’t come up with anything near as good!

CONGRATS!

Email me with your address and I'll order the book for you asap! You'll love it!

Onto Rotters!!

Daniel:

Great work, everyone! I love the classic, gothic looks of the covers made by Reading Labyrinth and Scarrlet Reader.

But after lengthy deliberation, I deem Amina Black's ROTTERS cover as my favorite. Not only is it a great image, but its blend of horror and sadness is a perfect fit for the novel.

I also want to throw out an honorable mention to Sunshine and Stardust. The font is such a strange choice that it ends up being really cool, and that square shape makes it ideal for the audio-book version!

Best,
Daniel Kraus
Author of ROTTERS

Winner:


A few honorable mentions:




As for Darkness Becomes Her:

Congrats to one of my fellow author friends,

Ami Blackwelder!

A big congrats to all of the winners!

Email me with your sending addresses and ill get the books out asap!

Winners have until midnight Thursday to email me.

Review:The Accidental Vampire by Lynsay Sands

Title:The Accidental Vampire
Author:Lynsay Sands
Pages:384
Publisher:Avon (December, 26th 2007)
Source:Bought
Reading Level:Romance
Rating:


Summary:

FATE GAVE HER FANGS . . .

Ever since an accident turned her into a knockout vamp, Elvi Black’s been catching her z’s in a coffin, staying out of the sun, and giving up garlic. She knows there’s more to being undead than what she saw in Dracula, but she can’t very well ask her mortal friends about proper biting etiquette. But when her neighbors placed a personal ad for her in the local paper, she never imagined she’d meet Victor Argeneau, a vampire who could have his pick of any woman—dead or alive.

HE’LL SHOW HER HOW TO USE THEM . . .

Rich, powerful, and drop-dead gorgeous, Victor’s the perfect man for a novice neck-biter like Elvi. He’s willing to teach her everything he knows, but he’ll have to do it fast. Someone’s out to put a stake through her new vamp life, and only Victor can keep her safe – and satisfied – for all eternity.

Review:
After reading Vincent's book, A Bite To Remember, I knew that I wanted to hear more about his father. Knowing Sands, even when introduced to a new character, I knew this was going to be good.

Knowing that Victor was one of the original brothers, I had a good feeling that this was going to be one of the few books in this series that will be memorable. I've always been fascinated with Lucian because is he such an asshole, so I wanted to see if his brother would be the same or the opposite. Victor is one of a kind, different from Lucian yet the same.

Elvi Black is one funny vampire. Once turned into a vampire, she acted like how she thought vampire acted. She didn't know any better and she certainly didn't want to test all of the legions. When Victor came across her, she was sleeping in a coffin, didn't eat garlic and biting people. Yes, biting people. So of course, this was a no no and Victor had to correct it.

Naturally, Victor tried to read Elvi and he couldn't. Elvi didn't understand what that mean so she denied it like most of them do. In the end, all went well and they were all safe once more. Elvi and Victor were a wonderful couple and it was awesome seeing them together in future books.

Though in the first few, Victor isn't much of a main character, Victor was a pleasure to finally meet and it was cool to meet Elvi. The Accidental Vampire is a perfect name for this book. It explains it all and what a wonderful book it was.

400 follower ARC contest!

HELLO ALL! I no, I no, I've been gone for a long time and I am very sorry, but I did not forget my promise!

I once said when I reached 400 followers, I would have an ARC contest. Well, here it is!!!!!





Most of the ARC's are already out but nonetheless, here are some ARC's!

This contest is simple. I have a list of ARC's and I am giving away ONE. But, when I reach an additional 25 followers, I will add another one! It's up to you how many I give away! If I reach a bunch of followers and pass the number of ARC's I have, I might be willing to buy a book for one lucky winner Internationally!

Rules:
Must be a follower
Fill out the form below!
US only unless willing to pay for shipping!
Ends January 14th!
Go to THIS link to enter!

Here are some of the ARCs:

ARC:Immortalis:Hunters and Prey by Katie Salidas

Title:Immortalis:Hunters and Prey

Author:Katie Salidas

Pages:

Publisher:Rising Sign Books, LLC. (November 23, 2010)

Source:Received for review

Reading Level:Romance

Rating:

Summary:

Becoming a vampire saved Alyssa from death, but the price was high: the loss of everything and everyone attached to her mortal life. She’s still learning to cope when a surprise confrontation with Santino Vitale, the Acta Sanctorum’s most fearsome hunter, sends her fleeing back to the world she once knew, and Fallon, the friend she’s missed more than anything.

Alyssa breaks vampire law by revealing her new, true self to her old friend, a fact which causes strong division in the group that should support her most: her clan.

Worse yet, her revelation entangles Fallon in the struggle between vampires and hunters and the Acta Sanctorum is ready to attack again, with a new army of hybrid creations: the Frenzy Soldiers.

If Alyssa hopes to survive and keep her mortal friend safe, she’ll have to be willing to make a deal with the enemy, and regain her clan’s support. It will take everyone working together in a precarious truce to fight against the Acta Sanctorum’s new threat.

Review:

Once more, Katie Salidas has done it again! Salidas grows greater as a writer every book she publishes.

Hunters and Prey started out right after Carpe Noctem, jumping right into action. For all of those who has read the first book, you know what has happened to the lovely Alyssa and her vampire friends. We get introduced to some older characters which will turn out to be a big roles in the second book. Some of their presences more agitating than others.

Alyssa is like any other young vampire. She gets into trouble without intensionally wanting it. Unfortunately, that angers her old vampire lover very much. After turning her, almost loosing each other, Lysander will do anything to keep Alyssa safe, even if it means irritating Alyssa. Alyssa got into some trouble and brought someone deep with her, unintentionally of course, so she plans to get herself out if trouble even if it means going against what Lysander wants.

I love Lysander and Alyssa's relationship. I liked them from the beginning and their relationship has certainly grown, matured. A vampire couple is probably one of my favorite couples and are definitely a cute, memorable couple. Along with the other couple in the books.

In Hunters and Prey the fighting is through out the book. There was nonstop wondering and worrying for the characters. Salidas never seems to disappoint me. I can not wait for the next book in this series or simply another piece of her work!! If you have not yet read any of Salidas' books, I strongly recommended you check her and her wonderful books out!