Monster Mash-Up Giveaway

Hi everyone and Happy Halloween.  I know there are a lot of giveaway's going on right now, so I'm going to make this one quick and easy.


I have a few of those mash-up books that pit classical characters against monsters and thought they would be great for a Halloween giveaway.


Jane Goes Batty - Michael Thomas Ford
Emma and the Vampires - Wayne Josephson
Pride & Prejudice & Zombies - Seth Grahame-Smith


One winner will get them all.  :)


This giveaway is open to all followers of this blog with a US mailing address.  Just leave a comment with a valid email so I can contact you when you win.


Winner will be chosen using Random dot Org and announced on Friday, 11-4.


Good Luck! 

October RAK Wrap-Up

Another month of RAK has come and gone and I am having a blast participating.  Here is a rundown of what I sent out this month:


Aftermath - Ann Aguirre to Anna @ Anna's Book Blog  
Where Demons Fear to Tread - S. Chong to Amanda @ On A Book Bender
Working Stiff - Rachel Caine to Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
About A Dragon - G A Aiken and 
What A Dragon Should Know - G A Aiken to Maq @ Love To Read For Fun
Shadow Bound - E. Kellison to Temara @ Anything and Everything Books
Nocturne - Syrie James to Stormi @ Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My!
Melusine - Sarah Monette to Adam @ Roof Beam Reader

And I also received some great books too!


The Dead Tossed Waves - Carrie Ryan from Joli @ Actin' Up
Blood Rights - Kristen Painter from Sara @ Sara's Urban Fantasy Blog
Legend - Marie Lu from Anna @ Anna's Book Blog
Never Again - Michele Bardsley from Danielle @ Romance Book Junkies
Devil Without a Cause - Terri Garey and 
Blood Rights - Kristen Painter from Marq @ Love to Read for Fun 

Thank you to everyone who participated this month.    

October Reading Re-Cap

The end of this month snuck up on me.  I was honestly thinking I had one more day and then had to hurry to get this post together.  Not like me to wait until the last minute.  :)


So here is a re-cap of what I read and reviewed for the month of October:


5 Stars
The Night Eternal - Toro & Hogan
Ghost Files - Hawes & Grant
Bite Club - Rachel Caine


4 Stars
Born at Midnight - C C Hunter
Matched - Ally Condie
Bloodstone - Nancy Holzner
Unleashed - Sara Humphreys
The Shadow Reader - Sandy Williams
Thief - Anitra Lynn McLeod
Blood Eternal - Marie Treanor
Blood Sin - Marie Treanor
Blood on Silk - Marie Treanor
Ashes, Ashes - Jo Treggiari


3 Stars
Crossed - Ally Condie
Crazy in Paradise - Deborah Brown
The Lost - Caridad Pineiro
The Goblin King - Shona Husk
Dead Mann Walking - Stefan Petrucha
Sins of the Angels - Linda Poitevin


How was your reading month?

In My Mailbox: 10-29-11

In My Mailbox is a feature that was started over at The Story Siren. Each week we share what we bought, borrowed from the library or received in the mail.


Here is what I received this past week:

For Review:


ARC Shaedes of Gray - Amanda Bonilla
Beautiful Chaos - Garcia & Stohl
Out of Oz - Gregory MaGuire
Thanks to Amanda Bonilla, William Morrow and Little,Brown Books


Bought:


Blonde with a Wand - Vicki Lewis Thompson
Chick with a Charm - Vicki Lewis Thompson
The Bodyguard - Adair, Showalter, O'Clare
Fire Raiser - Melanie Rawn


How was your mailbox?

Early Review: Crossed by Ally Condie

Crossed is the second book in the Matched series by Ally Condie and a YA from Dutton Juvenile.


Book Blurb:


Rules are Different outside the Society.


Chasing down an uncertain future, Cassia makes her way to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped into the majestic, but treacherous, canyons.


On this wild frontier are glimmers of a different life and the enthralling promise of rebellion. But even as Cassia sacrifices everything to reunite with Ky, ingenious surprises from Xander may change the game once again.


My thoughts:


Cassia has been moved from one Society work camp to another - inching further into the Outer Provinces - hoping to find Ky.


The backbreaking work of planting crops has done little to take her mind off of her goal - if anything, it has made her more determined than ever.


Ky has been sent by the Society to farm the Outer Provinces and to make a showing for the Enemy.  But it is a death sentence.  Weekly overhead raids by the Enemy deplete the boys who’ve been sent to farm.


Determined to live, Ky plans to escape and join the Rising, like his father before him.  


Cassia and Ky are both on the run - but are they running in the same direction?  


And what about Xander?  What secret does he hold?  Will Xander prove to be a help, or a hindrance?


I enjoyed learning more of Cassia and Ky’s story and I am looking forward to the next installment.


The only drawback for me is the dual POV.  As a reader, I like to immerse myself in the story and switching POV’s is jarring - it breaks the flow - almost like having to reset my brain.


I give Crossed 3 out of 5 stars.


Product Details
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (11-1-11)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0525423656
ISBN-13: 978-0525423652

Review: The Shadow Reader by Sandy Williams

The Shadow Reader is the first book in the McKenzie Lewis series by Sandy Williams and an ACE Fantasy.


Book Blurb:


Some humans can see the fae.  McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind.  But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.


A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm.  Her job isn’t her only secret.  For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master - and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.


But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader.  He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king.  Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has to decide once and for all whom to trust - and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war.


My thoughts:


At the age of sixteen McKenzie realized that she could see beings others could not - and when those beings realized McKenzie could see them - they wanted to use her ability, whether she was willing or not.


Rescued by Kyol, the king’s sword-master, McKenzie felt like she was living her very own fairy tale - and when the king asked for her help, she said yes.


McKenzie has the ability to read the shadows left behind by the fae.  This way, she can plot a map that will tell where that fae has gone.  This is very useful to the king - he can then send his troops after those fae.  Very handy tool to have at his disposal during this time of war.


Now McKenzie has fallen into the hands of Aren, the leader of the rebellion.  He is not quite what McKenzie expected - but she does not trust him. After all, he did kidnap her.


But the longer she stays within the rebel camp - the more McKenzie comes to see that maybe the rebels aren’t lying.  And maybe not everything she’s been told over the years is the truth.


I completely enjoyed The Shadow Reader and can’t wait for more.


I give The Shadow Reader 4 out of 5 stars.



Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace (October 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1937007014
ISBN-13: 978-1937007010

WoW: Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post started by Breaking the Spine to showcase books we are patiently awaiting.

My WoW for the week:

Book Blurb:

A prison doctor injects a condemned serial killer with a formula designed to keep his consciousness awake while his body rots in the grave.  But all drugs have unforeseen side-effects.  Before he could be buried, the killer wakes up.  

Hungry.  

Infected.  

Contagious.  

This is the way the world ends.  Not with a bang…but a bite.

Product Details

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (10-25-11)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1250000890

ISBN-13: 978-1250000897

Winner of Frail by Joan Frances Turner

It is time to announce the winner of Frail by Joan Frances Turner.


Using Random dot Org, the winning number is #4 - Myra C. 


Thank you all for participating.   

Review: The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan

The Night Eternal is the third book in the Strain Trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan and a Horror novel from William Morrow.


Book Blurb:


The night belongs to them, and it will be a night eternal.


After the blasts, it was all over. Nuclear Winter has settled upon the earth. Except for one hour of sunlight a day, the whole world is plunged into darkness. It is a near-perfect environment for vampires. They have won. It is their time.  


Almost every single man, woman and child has been enslaved in vast camps across the globe. Like animals, they are farmed, harvested for the sick pleasure of the Master Race.  Almost, but not all. 


Somewhere out there, hiding for their lives, is a desperate network of free humans, who continue the seemingly hopeless resistance. Everyday people, with no other options - among them Dr Ephraim Goodweather, his co-worker, Dr. Nora Martinez,  the veteran exterminator Vassily, and former gangbanger Gus.


To be free, they need a miracle, they need divine intervention. But Salvation can be a twisted game - one in which they may be played like pawns in a battle of Good and Evil. And at what cost?


My thoughts:


The Night Eternal picks up two years after The Fall, and the world is in utter chaos.  With almost constant darkness, the vampires have free reign over the Earth.  


When they must take shelter from the daily hour or so of sunlight, they have human servants doing their bidding.  This includes running the camps they’ve set up for blood harvesting and selected ‘re-population’ of their favorite blood type.


But hidden among what is left of the devastated human race are those who aren’t willing to go down without a fight.


Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and his friends are among those resisting the vampires.  With the ancient text, the Occido Lumen, in their possession, the group hope to be able to defeat the Master and regain control of the planet.


But the Occido Lumen has proven indecipherable so far - and time is running out.


The Night Eternal is a climactic ending to a thrilling ride.  I loved this trilogy.


I give The Night Eternal 5 out of 5 stars.



Product Details
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (October 25, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061558265
ISBN-13: 978-0061558269

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop :)

The Spooktacular Giveaway Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and The Diary of a Bookworm.

You can find the complete list of participating blogs on the linky list.  And it is an amazing list - over 400 blogs are participating in this Hop.  :)


My giveaway is open to all followers of this blog and here is what I have available:

A book of your choice, up to $10 US, from The Book Depository.  Just make sure The Book Depository ships free to your address.


To enter, leave a comment with a valid email addy so I can contact you when you win.  Easy as that.


Good Luck!

In My Mailbox: 10-22-11

In My Mailbox is a feature that was started over at The Story Siren. Each week we share what we bought, borrowed from the library or received in the mail.

Here is what I received this past week:

For Review:

Who Do, VooDoo? - Rochelle Staab

Blood Drunk, Faded Blue - Angela Lovell

Thanks to Berkley and Angela Lovell

From PaperBack Swap

Fleash Eaters - Joe McKinney 

M.M.F.F. Challenge: Week #63

Amy C over at Romance Book Wyrm and Dottie over at Tink's Place have come up with the idea for a Monday Morning Flash Fiction challenge. Each Monday a new picture prompt will be posted and if you choose to participate - you post your story on Friday - 350 words, give or take.  

And here is picture prompt #63:

Destiny Awaiting, Pt 2
Destiny Revealed
By Michelle Greathouse




“Here dear, you better sit down.”  Gamma pointed to a set of maroon Queen Anne chairs positioned in the corner of the spacious mausoleum.  


Roni sat, took a deep breath and began to look around the place her Gamma now called home.


Between the Queen Anne chairs was the antique table that had sat beside Gamma’s bed for as long as Roni could remember.  Atop the table was Gamma’s favorite Tiffany reading lamp and the latest Gena Showalter book with a book mark at the half way point.


Roni had inherited her love of reading from Gamma.  And apparently death had not put a damper on Gamma’s favorite pass time, if the full book case on the opposite wall was any indication.


All around the marble crypt Roni saw touches of Gamma’s life before, from the Persian rug on the floor to the overhead Tiffany chandelier hanging from the ceiling.


It looked like Gamma had just severely downsized.


“So, Gamma.”  Roni cleared the frog from her throat.  “You just hang out here and read.”


Gamma giggled.  Giggled, that has to be undignified for one of the previously living.


“Oh no.  Some of us get together fairly often.  Sissy, down by the Betty Boop statue, has cable and every Sunday we would gather and watch True Blood.  Now we’re watching The Walking Dead.”


Gamma is a ghost and she gets together with other ghosts and watches vampires and were’s and zombies.  


Roni needed a drink.


“Gamma, this is all confusing and somewhat disturbing.  You shouldn’t be watching True Blood - there are a lot of nekkid men in that show.”


“Honey, I’m dead - not blind - and that Alcide Herveaux can run nekkid through my woods anytime.”  Gamma giggled again.


“Oh, hell.  I need to wash my brain with bleach.  I do not want to think of my Gamma and a nekkid man.”


Gamma sat back in the chair and composed herself.  


“Let’s talk about why I asked you here this evening Veronica.  The women in our family have an amazing ability.  We can see and interact with the dead - with ghosts.  Those beings who for some reason have chosen to stay on this plane - those who feel they have unfinished business.”


Gamma looked at Roni with an expected smile.


“Come on, Gamma.  I know for a fact that mother has never seen a ghost in her life - and if she did, she’d just give it the cold shoulder until it had the good sense to move on to someone else.”


“Veronica, your mother is not as cold as she can appear.  You know she loves you - and she loves me.  This is what we had a disagreement over all those years ago.  The ability we have skips a generation - your mother can not see ghosts - and she did not want me to talk about my ability - and she certainly did not want you to possess this abilty.”


“Mom knows about all of this?  She knew it would happen to me - and wanted me to be blind sided by it?  Wait, if I can see ghosts, why have I not seen one before now?”


“You do not inherit the ability until the previous holder passes on - meaning - until I died.”  


Roni threw her hands in the air, "Great!  I’m a freaking ghost whisperer."


“Language, dear.  I did not forget my manners when I died, you shouldn’t forget yours either.”


   

The End

Word Count: 577

I hope you enjoyed this installment.  Have a great weekend.