Read Pretty Little Liars free!

So are any of you into the new Pretty Little Liars TV series. I have only watched the first episode but it seems pretty good. I am going to have to do some catching up on my favorite place TVShack.net so that I will know what is going on. Though I am sure a lot of you have read Pretty Little Liars their might be a few of you who haven't (like me), so I wanted to let you know that HarperTeen is letting you read it online for FREE. Its not downloadable so you have to read it in their browser but if you are not to sure of the book and would like to read it here is your chance to do it.

Just go to HarperTeen and read!

It's Monday! What are you reading? and IMM

It's Monday! What are you reading is hosted by Shelia at One Person's Jouney.

Last week I finished:


Stork by Wendy Delsol (I wasn't to sure about this one but it was surprisingly good.

This week I am reading:


White Cat by Holly Black (beginnings sort of slow and I am not in a slow mood so not sure about this one.)

Not sure what I will be reading next. I have so many to choose from its getting hard to pick. This is a good and bad thing. :)

So what are you reading?

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In Your Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren

I went ahead and decided to just put my IMM up with this post since I only got one book. Its one I have been waiting for so I was very excited to finally get it!!


13 to Life by Shannon Delany

Blog Follower Appreciation Month is coming soon (July)

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let all my followers know that in July I am having a Blog Follower Appreciation Month. I am going to have some cool books to give away, interviews, guest post, reviews, all those cool things that make is the reason you follow my blog.

Each week starting July 4th will go something like this:

• Starts with a Giveaway!
• Then will have some Interview
• Review of some recent books I have read
• Guest post of some fellow bloggers
• giveway link ups for anyone blogger who would like to participate in my BFAB and host their own giveaway

So all together I will have FOUR different giveaways with several books in each one. I don't really have themes set out for each week but I will have different types of books in each giveaway group (Ex. Christian, YA, Adult Fiction)

I am going to have two special giveaways for the two top commentators during my July Bash. (Does any one love Alyxandra Harvey as much as I do???  Or have you been wanting to read her books but not been able too. Well, I have TWO sets of Hearts at Stake and Blood Feud to give away to the TWO people who comment the most during July!!)

So get ready because July 4th is just around the corner and I am ready to show a little love to my followers!!
If your not a follower you still have time to start following, now and during the bash.

Review of Assassin's Honor

Assassin's' Honor by Monica Burns
Pages: 352
Publisher: Berkley Trade

Archeologist Emma Zale sees the past when she touches relics. It's how she uncovered evidence of an ancient order of assassins-the Sicari. When a sinfully dark stranger shows up on her Chicago doorstep demanding an artifact she doesn't have, he drags her into a world where telekinesis and empaths-someone who can sense the emotions of others- are the norm. Now someone wants her dead, and her only hope of survival is an assassin who's every bit as dangerous to her body as he is to her heart.

Archeologist Emma Zale was on a expedition with her friend Charles when he is killed. The authorities think it was her but she thinks it has something to do with the fact that she has just discovered some new evidence to prove that the Sicari exist. Her father had always thought they still exist and he was trying to prove it when her parents were killed. Now Charlie is killed in the same sort of manner as her parents.


Now there is a handsome stranger in her house wanting a artifact that she has never heard of and he fears he has now placed her in danger. After a man tries to kill her, Ares has no other choice that to take her with him so he can protect her. Ares, is a part of the Sicari order and things are done a little differently in their order that gets Emma in trouble and Ares has to come to her aid, even if it kills him. He has swore to protect her but who will protect him from losing his heart in the process.

I really don't find a lot of adult romances interesting anymore, they always seem to be the same thing each time. When I came across this one to review I thought it sounded interesting so I would give it a try and I really liked it. I was intrigued by the Sicari assassin's, how they are honor bound and have their own set of rules to live by. I looked them up on the internet and was surprised to see that they were a real order during the roman times. I always love a book that gives me a little history lesson about something I did not know anything about.

The characters are very thought out and you fall for Ares from the start. Here he is a man of honor, of code, and because he thinks he has put Emma in danger he makes it his job to protect her. He tries very heard to just make it his job and not let his heart get involved but he knows that there is something about her he can't resist. Emma is very independent and doesn't want Ares help, she fights him all the time. Though she doesn't want to admit that he is growing on her even though he is practically a stranger. She has spunk and I like that in female characters. The secondary characters are great too and I look forward to learning more about the Sicari order and the other characters as the next book Assassin's Heart comes out in September. (It will be about Lysander who is Ares right hand man)

There is a couple of sex scenes and a lot of sexual tension ( I just skip through those) but over all it wasn't all about sex which is probably why I liked it. I liked the fact that it had a great adventure into a world I had never known as well. I would recommend it to anyone who likes romances (supernatural or regular).

I reviewed this book as a part of Book It Forward Book Tours.

 

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last week I finished:

Assassin's Honor by Monica Burns (review to come) First  adult romance I have finished in a while with out skimming through half of it. :)
Nocturne by L. D. Hackrader

This week reading:

Stork by Wendy Delsol
Forget Her Nots by Amy Brecount White

Next week:

The Wild Irish Sea by Loucinda McGary

and if I get another review book in that is priority it gets read instead. :)

Hosted by One Person's Journey.

So what are you reading?

Review of Nocturne

Nocturne by L.D. Harkrader
Pages: 256
Publisher: Mirrorstone

Flanders Lane is tired of being protected by her Uncle Anatole. After years of studying magic in the back of his bookshop, she's ready for an adventure of her own. Then one day, strange things start happening. A burglar breaks into the butcher's shop, stealing nothing, but leaving the floors sparkling clean. Soon the seamstress's apprentice vanishes on her way home, leaving behind only a shoe still laced at the top. And then worst of all, Uncle Anatole disappears. That night, a young vampire hunter named Pascoe knocks urgently on the bookshop door. Pascoe insists there is a vampire lurking in nearby Blakely Hall. Flanders looks deep into Pascoe's gorgeous eyes and finds herself agreeing to help him. As Flanders tracks the vampire, her feelings for Pascoe grow until she stumbles upon a secret that turns everything she thought she knew about Pascoe--and herself--upside down.

Nocturne was a little bit slower paced for me but I believe that anyone ages 8-12 who love to read about vampires and magic will love to read this book. Its a light read so you can let your young readers read it with having to explain it to much.

Flan is a ophan dropped off on the Wizard Anatole's doorsteps and he named her after the piece of paper that the note was written on which said 'Flannery Lane'.  Her mother thought she would be much better cared for with someone who was of her kind. Flan is a magician, but her Uncle won't let her practice her magic. Then one day, she realizes that she has to use her magic to save the town and her Uncle from a evil vampire.  Flan is destined to be a magician but she will also learn that not all is what it seems. Can one young girl and a bit of magic save them?

I would recommend it to any lovers of magic and vampires especially young read.

Read as a part of Book It Forward Book Tours

A short Review: The Cresent

The Crescent by Jordan Deen
Pages: 190
Publisher: Black Rose Writing

Becoming a werewolf is not an option for seventeen-year-old Lacey Quinn, but death can be a strong motivator. Lacey is so focused on her future that everyday life has passed her by. Counting down the days to her eighteenth birthday, Lacey is almost home free. But when she falls for the mysterious Alex Morris, she lands in the middle of an ancient war between two enemy wolf packs. Tempting dreams, tantalizing lies and a dangerous love triangle ensues leaving Lacey heartbroken and confused. Lacey's fate rests in the hands of Alex and Brandon, but both are pulling her strings for their own agendas. Even as she slips further into the dark world of werewolves, Lacey struggles to find the truth and save the only family she's ever know.

Okay, so there are some books that are just way to long and then there are some books that are way to short and The Cresent is just to short. It left me with a lot of questions and feeling like there just should have been more to the story. Lacey Quinn, never new she was a werewolf because her parents were hiding her from the truth because she could be the one that would kill the pack she is living with, okay but who are these werewolves. There are two different werewolf packs Alex is from one side and Brandon is from the other, but who are they? It never really tells you anything about why the packs are enemies or anything about the packs at all.

I just couldn't really enjoy the book because it all just happened to fast, yet there was so many things that didn't flow. I think I would have liked it better if it would have had more of a werewolf story instead of it all being  rushed in at the end.

Review this as a part of Book it Forward Book Tours

Product Review Sundays: Sara McLachlan's Laws of Illusion

I have been trying to get into some product reviews lately and I have a few of them to do, so I have decided to make Sundays the day to post my reviews on products that are not book related. The first one I have was given to me by the One2One Network.

Sara McLachlan's has a new album out called Laws of Illusion, now I have not really ever listened to her music before, but I thought I would give it a try since I was offered the chance to review it. It should hit stores June 15th, and since I haven't received my actual CD yet they sent me four songs to listen to so that I could post a review around the launching of the CD in stores. This is her first album in seven years, so she has had some time to come up with some great music.

The four songs are Illusion of Bliss, Loving You is Easy, Forgiveness, and Heartbreak. All four songs are very soft and relaxing songs and I would have to say that my favorite is Loving You is Easy, it has a sort of old school sound and the beat is just easy to get into. I can't wait to get the whole CD to see what else is on the album and once I do, I will post another review on the whole album.

In a career spanning more than two decades, Sarah has over 20 million career sales to date and, every one of Sarah McLachlan’s studio and live albums has been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the RIAA

The return of the historic all-female Lilith Fair festival this summer! From 1997 through 1999, Lilith Fair was one of the highest grossing touring festivals in the world, with over 2 million fans in attendance and raising over $10 million dollars for national and local women's charities. Sarah McLachlan is among these great artist so here is the tour dates.

Jun 27 Calgary, AB McMahon Stadium

Jun 28 Edmonton, AB Northlands Spectrum
Jul 1 Vancouver, BC, Canada Pitt Meadows Airport
Jul 2 Portland, OR Sleep Country Amphitheatre
Jul 3 Seattle/George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre
Jul 5 San Francisco, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
Jul 7 San Diego, CA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
Jul 8 Phoenix, AZ Cricket Wireless Pavilion
Jul 9 Las Vegas, NV Mandalay Bay Events Center
Jul 10 Los Angeles, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Jul 12 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
Jul 13 Denver, CO Comfort Dental Amphitheatre
Jul 15 Kansas City, MO Capitol Federal Park @ Sandstone
Jul 16 St. Louis, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Jul 17 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Jul 18 Minneapolis, MN Canterbury Park
Jul 20 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis
Jul 21 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul 23 Montreal, QC Parc Jean Drapaeu
Jul 24 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Jul 27 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Center
Jul 28 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center
Jul 30 Boston, MA Comcast Center
Jul 31 New York, NY PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug 1 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre
Aug 3 Washington, DC TBA
Aug 4 Raleigh, NC Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek
Aug 6 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte
Aug 7 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
Aug 8 Atlanta, GA Aarons Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Aug 10 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre
Aug 11 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheatre
Aug 12 Birmingham, AL Verizon Wireless Music Center
Aug 14 Austin, TX TBA
Aug 15 Houston, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Aug 16 Dallas, TX Superpages.com Center
 
If your a fan of Sarah McLachlan then I would recommend getting her new CD when it comes out June 15th, but if you can't wait till then Sarah has a listening party going on on her facebook page. Below is a link to that and some other great places to check out what Sarah McLachlan is doing now.
 
Sara’s website: http://bit.ly/SarahStore

Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/O2OSarahFbook
Facebook Listening Party: http://bit.ly/O2OSarahListeningParty
Twitter: http://bit.ly/O2OSarahTwitter
Performing on Jay Leno: http://bit.ly/SarahLenoPerf
Link to buy album Amazon: http://amzn.to/O2OLoI
Link to buy album Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/O2OLoIBN
Link to buy single “Loving You is Easy” Amazon: http://amzn.to/O2OSarahsingle
Link to buy single “Loving You is Easy” iTunes: http://bit.ly/O2OSarahsingleiTunes
Lilith Fair: http://bit.ly/O2OLilithTour

Enjoy! I did.

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid

Staring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji Henson, Zhenwei Wang, Wenwen Han

Remake of the 1984 movie about a young man who is being beat up by some bullies and gets help learning martial arts by a master. It shows some similarities to the old version but it far from being anything like the older movie.

In this movie you have a single mother who has to move to China to keep working and her son has to try and adapt to a new way of life. Dre befriends a young girl right off the bat and lands himself in a lot of trouble by a boy (who likes the girl) and his gang. After being rescued by the maintenance man he ask him if he would teach him how to fight but he says no. When he talks to him about those bullies he says 'not bad students, just bad teacher' so he goes with Dre to talk to the teacher and ends up agreeing to putting Dre in a match against the other boys, but they must leave him alone to train.

There is no 'wax on, wax off', but 'put jacket on, take jacket off' and if you love Jackie Chan's style of martial arts you will find his training of the boy reflex that style. "Everything is Kung  Fu" The similarities are there that reflex the original but reflect the Jackie Chan's style of martial arts. His training method was a lot more intense and fun to watch. The one part that stands out to me the most is the part where Dre comes over and Mr. Han has been drinking and is beating up on his car. We learn that his wife and child had been killed on this day a few years ago (a similar scene is in the original), but this one was a lot more emotional and almost made me want to cry listening to him tell Dre about what happened.

There is hardly any profanity in the movie so I think it would make for a very good family movie. I would recommend it to everyone.

Quote from movie: "Its not Karate, its Kung Fu!"

Crazy Book Tours (not YA books)

I know I love my YA books but I also love some of the more adult books, but I have noticed that most of the Tour sites that I have come across do mainly YA books (not that I am complaining.lol) I just wanted to throw a little spotlight on Crazy For Books new tour site she started with the help of Cindy from Around the World Book Tours, its called Crazy Book Tours. This site is for adult fiction, non-fiction and memiors, so if you like these kinds of books you should head on over and sign up. It is ran just like the YA book tours that you might be familiar with, but with books like The Cougar Club by  Susan McBride, Cheat the Grave by Vicki Pettersson, Hunted by Others by Jess Haines and Goodbye To All That by Margo Candela. There are more and more to come. So go check it out! :o)

Review of Blood Feud

Blood Feud (Drake Chronicles book two) by Alyxandra Harvey
Pages: 272
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Reader
Releases date: June 22nd

*May contain spoilers if you have not read the first book*

In Hearts at Stake we read about Lucy and Solange, two friends who are very much alike but very different. Lucy is a human who will do anything to protect her friend, Solange who is a vampire princess. Solange is very special because she is the only female vampire to be born from a vampire family. So she is attracting a lot of male attention, especially Montmarte.  At the end of the first book, the old Queen was killed by Solange's mother Helena and now all of a sudden, the Drakes are royalty.

So Blood Feud has the Drakes are trying to get a allegiances  with the Hounds (another type of vampire that have two sets of fangs). The hounds send Isabeau, who is the closes thing they have to a vampire princess to check out the Drakes. Isabeau helped save Solange from Montmarte and so the Drakes have invited her to the royal coronation.

Montmarte is a 400 yr. old vampire who wants to make Solange is vampire Queen and the only way to do that is by killing her mother. So the Drakes have upped the security and are on full alert. Isabeau has one thing in common with the Drakes and that is there enemy, Montmarte.

Isabeau, is from the French Revolutionary age and only has revenge on her mind. She is out to kill the one person who turned her,  Greyhaven. He is part of Montmarte's group, so she has agreed to attend the coronation  in hopes of killing, Greyhaven.

Logan Drake is the fancy dressed Drake, he likes to dress in the frocks and so his father sends him to meet Isabeau thinking that it might make her more at ease. As hard as they try the Drake boys don't make a great first impression on Isabeau and her friends. No matter what happens Logan is not letting Isabeau out of his sight and will do what ever he can to help keep her safe.

Isabeau didn't want to find love she wanted revenge , but maybe the best revenge is to find love.

Blood Feud was a much shorter book but it was packed full of great characters and faced pace fun. I loved Isabeau, she is very strong willed and independent. She is a hound and she was buried alive (as alive as the undead can get anyway) for two hundred years! Now if that is not enough to make you a mad, crazed person bent on revenge I don't know what does..lol. She knows that she can take care of herself, but when Logan comes to protect her she is touched by his act of kindness. Isabeau, is defiantly  your kick ass kind of heroine.

Logan is very kind and sweet. He was the only one who didn't stare or gawk at Isabeau because she was different. He seen the beauty through the two sets of fangs and scars all over her arms. He is a very protective type of guy. He tries his best to protect his mother and sister and when Isabeau is in trouble he is willing to go anywhere with her as long as he can protect her. (Okay so I have a soft spot vampires who like to dress up in fancy shirts and frocks..lol)

Though my favorite person in The Drake Chronicles is still Lucy, it was fun getting to know Isabeau and Logan. I would recommend The Drake Chronicles to anyone who loves vampire stories. If you have read Hearts at Stake then you must get Blood Feud.

I reviewed this book as a part of Around The World Book Tours.