AND THE WINNER IS: Freedom Giveaway Hop!

JOANNA -- joanna9273
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You can order your copy from Barnes and Noble by clicking on the cover!

AND THE WINNER IS: Forgotten by Cat Patrick

AMY
Be sure to stop by her blog I HEART READING here

An email has been sent to the lucky people named above (first part of their email address in case my note ends up in spam).  The winner(s)  has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to all who entered.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOR THE EMAIL FROM BOOKHOUNDS @ HOTMAIL REQUESTING YOUR MAILING ADDRESS!

Didn’t Win?  Order your copy from my Barnes and Noble link:

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Waiting on Wednesday: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Description

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.
But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.
So much for normal.

About the Author

Kiersten White is the New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy.She has one tall husband and two small children. She lives near the ocean in San Diego, where her days are perfectly normal. This abundance of normal led her to a fascination with all things paranormal, including but not limited to faeries, vampires, and pop culture.

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (July 26, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061985864
• ISBN-13: 978-0061985867

Order your copy from my Barnes and Noble link:

BOOK TRAILER TUESDAY: Dark Eden by Patrick Carmen

So this one doesn't come out until next November, but it looks really interesting and dark....

REVIEW: Sirensong by Jenna Black

Description

When Dana is invited to Faerie to be officially presented at the Seelie Court, it’s no easy decision. After all, everyone knows Titania, the Seelie Queen, wants her dead. But Titania claims not to be the one behind the death threats; and her son, Prince Henry, makes the decision a whole lot easier when he suggests Dana might be arrested for (supposedly) conspiring with her aunt Grace to usurp the Seelie throne. So she and her father better do as they're told…
The journey through Faerie is long – and treacherous. Dana thought it would be a good idea to have friends along, but her sort-of-boyfriend, Ethan, and her bodyguard’s son, Keane, just can’t seem to get along, and Kimber’s crush on Keane isn’t making things any easier. When a violent attack separates Dana from their caravan, the sexy Erlking saves her just in the nick of time… and makes it clear that he hasn’t given up on making her his own.
Arriving at Titania’s beautiful palace should be a relief. But Dana is soon implicated in an assassination attempt against Titania’s granddaughter, and is suddenly a fugitive, forced to leave her father behind as she and her friends flee for their lives. Will she be able to prove her innocence before the forces of the Seelie Court – or, worse, the Erlking – catch up with her? And will she save her father before he pays the ultimate price in her stead?

About the Author

JENNA BLACK graduated from Duke University with degrees in anthropology and French. A full-time writer of paranormal romance and urban fantasy, she lives in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Visit her on the Web at www.jennablack.com.

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; Original edition (July 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312575955
• ISBN-13: 978-0312575953

SOURCE:  AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS

MY THOUGHTS

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

***there may be spoilers here -- I tried, but may have let one or two slip***

Dana is in lock down in a safe house deep in the mountain of Avalon where she pines for freedom  and which she gets through the help of the Erlking's protection.  Freedom always comes with a price for Dana.  Her presence is requested by Titania, the Seelie Queen, where she is to be presented at court.  It all sounds excitingly innocent, but this being a faerie court, there are ulterior motives especially when the invitation comes from Prince Henry who is not her biggest fan. Dana takes Keane, Kimber and Ethan along for protection and companionship.  Her father's court intrigue as Titania's consort comes back into play since he replaced Prince Henry's father and Henry has never forgiven him. While traveling though the Faerie countryside, Dana makes an a couple of decisions that on the surface don't seem very important, but play a huge part in her safety. 

The procession to the castle with Prince Henry shows how much he despises Dana's father and even with Finn and the rest protecting Dana, there are many attempts on her life.  The Erlking also makes his presence known and lends his protection, even though he really doesn't have to.  I think the Erlking shows more humanity and becomes an important ally in Dana's defense.  He is probably my favorite character even though he is slightly evil, he freely admits he only does things are in his best interest.  (Maybe we can convince the author to spin off a series just of him maybe for us grown ups!)  Dana learns that she has even more magic in her than she ever thought possible.  Of course, once they do reach the castle there is even more intrigue.


I thought this was the best of the series and although I believe this in the final chapter in Dana's story, I would really like to revisit the characters here again.  Dana really grows in this last book and even though she still has her issues with her alcoholic mother and trusting others, she finally learns she has friends that she can lean on.  You can see her despair and anger while she deals with her mother and the magical gifts she develops.  It is really bittersweet at the end and will make you wish it hadn't ended quite yet. 

AND THE WINNER IS: $25 Gift Card to Kobo.com Ebook Store!

MARY -- maryreadsabookaday
Be sure to stop by A BOOK A DAY here

An email has been sent to the lucky people named above (first part of their email address in case my note ends up in spam).  The winner(s)  has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to all who entered.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOR THE EMAIL FROM BOOKHOUNDS @ HOTMAIL REQUESTING YOUR MAILING ADDRESS!

REVIEW: Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers

Description

Luc Cain was born and raised in Hell, but he isn’t feeling as demonic as usual lately—thanks to Frannie Cavanaugh and the unique power she never realized she had. But you can’t desert Hell without consequences, and suddenly Frannie and Luc find themselves targeted by the same demons who used to be Luc’s allies.

Left with few options, Frannie and Luc accept the protection of Heaven and one of its most powerful angels, Gabe. Unfortunately, Luc isn’t the only one affected by Frannie, and it isn’t long before Gabe realizes that being around her is too…tempting. Rather than risk losing his wings, he leaves Frannie and Luc under the protection of her recently-acquired guardian angel.

Which would be fine, but Gabe is barely out the door before an assortment of demons appears—and they’re not leaving without dragging Luc back to Hell with them. Hell won’t give up and Heaven won’t give in. Frannie’s guardian exercises all the power he has to keep them away, but the demons are willing to hurt anyone close to Frannie in order to get what they want. It will take everything she has and then some to stay out of Hell’s grasp.

And not everyone will get out of it alive.

About the Author

LISA DESROCHERS lives in central California with her husband and two very busy daughters. She can always be found with a book in her hand, and she adores stories that take her to new places and then take her by surprise. Growing up all over the United States inspired wanderlust and Desrochers loves to travel, which works out well since she lectures internationally on a variety of health care topics. Lisa Desrochers has a doctorate in physical therapy and maintains a full time practice. Original Sin is the second installment in the Personal Demons series.

Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Tor Teen; First Edition edition (July 5, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765328097
• ISBN-13: 978-0765328090

SOURCE:  AROUND THE WORLD ARC TOURS /AUTHOR

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

I am going to try and keep this as spoiler free as I can. I had wanted to put a lot more into this review but didn't feel it was fair to spill the beans this far out from the book's release date.

At the end of Personal Demons, Luc is turned human somehow by Frannie, although no one is quite sure exactly how it happened.  Luc seems to think it was because of Frannie's sway, her power to guide people mentally and bend towards her will.  The crux of the issue is that Frannie can still be swayed herself to good or evil, but Frannie favors the good. (YAY!)

Since Luc is now a former demon, his old demon buddies are now after him and Frannie since the evil doers have much use for Frannie and her ability to sway people.  The demons are downright hilarious and bumbling along with their evil intentions to get Luc back into hell and therefore control Frannie.  What the demons don't count on is Gabe.  What Frannie doesn't count on is her feelings for Gabriel.  Yep, we are back to square one with good versus somewhat evil. And Gabe doesn't count on Frannie's sway actually working on him. One tidbit:  we find out Frannie's family history that helps explain her predicament.



There is a lot of action and emotions that run rampant through the story.  I really enjoyed this one as much as the first one.  This is killing me that I can't just spill the whole thing, but I will say it is amazing and you need to preorder it now since you will want to read it the second it comes out.  My biggest problem now is that again I am left waiting for the next one in the series and I am super impatient about that.  Yes, it did end with another cliff hanger, sorry!

Parents:  There are some sexual situations in the book, some alcohol consumption, some drug references but nothing worse than what you can see on MTV right now.  I recommend this for older teens and adults.  This one totally rocks!