What Did I Receive?... B-Day Wishes...And Awards

This week... Nothing. Except for the normal junk mail and bills (yippee...)

However, last week, when I had the terrible computer problems, I did have one book come in the mail for me.

(Sidenote: Thanks for the support, by the way, even though I didn't reply to any of your comments, yet, I appreciated them!)

So, posted a bit late (but better then never, right?), here's what I received last week:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

~~~ Thanks to Jessica, who posted it on GoodReads' First Reads. Special thanks for sending it again, after the first copy got lost in the mail sometime between August and October!

Now, I finished this yesterday, and expect to see my review up for it soon! First, I need to get Modern Day Witch Hunt finished and reviewed, and then Shiver will be up. I'll say this about it though: Wow. I can't wait for future books by Maggie, and I'm anxious to read her other two books that are out about faeries. ~~~~~~~~ Next, here are a few blog awards I received this past week, from the lovely JennJ! Thanks girl!

"The Humane Award is to honor certain bloggers that are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn’t for them, my site would just be an ordinary book review blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. This award is to thank them for their growing friendships through the blog world."

(Courtesy of Jenn's blog) What's the award about? For your love and support of romance novels through your blog. And for your support of other bloggers who do the same! Take a bow you deserve it!God bless you ladies you are awesome! The first award, (Humane Award) I'd like to give to all my followers-- save the picture and post at your own site. I know you all deserve it! And here's who I'm passing the second award (Outstanding Romance Blog) onto: 1. Lovin' Me Some Romance 2. Cecile 3. Leontine 4. Anna 5. Booklover from Seductive Musings

~~~~~~~~~~ Oh, and I want to post a HAPPY BIRTHDAY message to two of my fellow bloggers, and good friends: Amy C and Cecile! Be sure to stop by both of their blogs to wish them well. Girls, I hope you had a good one! :D Don't do anything I wouldn't do... *Wink*.

And to everyone else, I hope you have a fun-filled Halloween tomorrow! And if anyone finds a sexy werewolf,vampire, etc, on their front porch tomorrow night... Well, you can always send him my way! :D Share the treats, ladies!

Enjoy! Until Next Time,

[ARC Review]--- "A Highlander Christmas"

Title: A Highlander Christmas

Authors: Sophie Renwick, Dawn Halliday, and Cindy Miles
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Publication Date: November 2009
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Historical, Magic, Anthology
Pages: 336


Summary (B&N):
A festive anthology featuring three all-new stories, three sexy Scotsmen, and a magical holiday setting.

An enchanting trio of paranormal Christmas stories:

Dawn Halliday's Winter Heat...Lost in a blizzard, a young woman casts a spell over the brooding Highland warrior who rescues her.

Cindy Miles's A Christmas Spirit...A museum curator's tour of a Scottish castle leads to an unexpected encounter with a dead-sexy spirit.

Sophie Renwick's Yuletide Enchantment...Passion blooms between an anxious bride-to-be and a dark, sensual stranger from another world.

Places to Order A Highlander Christmas:

B&N.com

Borders

Amazon.com

My Review:


Usually, I don't rate anthologies very high-- average rating, about a 3.5 or so is common for me. But with Highlander Christmas, there was no doubt in my mind that it would receive a 5 Star rating when I finished the last page!

When you get three very talented, very popular authors together, and have their stories all published in one book, you're sure to get one spectacular novel out of the deal. And with Highlander Christmas, that's what happened!

I don't even know where to begin-- all three stories were great, and I so loved reading each and every one!

Dawn's story, the first in the novel, could quite possibly be my all-time favorite of the three, if I had to choose. I almost forgot that her story was supposed to be a novella, part of an anthology, and therefore shorter in pages than usual-- you can't even tell! Why? Because the characters came alive in the pages, flourished and developed, and the connection, the love, between hero and heroine was clearly there, and very well done. Something that, usually, can be a bit challenging to accomplish in a shortened novel.

But Dawn, well, I already knew from her previous work that she could do it, and once again she managed to grab me from page one, and wrap the magic of her story-telling around me until the very end. Touching, passionate, and witty, I loved her "Winter Heat", which will definitely help to keep a reader warm during the upcoming winter evenings, snuggled up by the fire with this book! *Wink*


Next up was Sophie's "Yuletide Enchantment". Now, I've not yet read any of Sophie's contemporary romances, but I've been anxiously awaiting her upcoming paranormal series-- and this short novel is a bit of a prequel, I guess you could call it, for said series.

After reading this one, my mind was still a bit numb-- wow! I thought the plot/theme alone was very unique, not the usual ones filling the shelves today, and the story flowed nicely-- again, I almost couldn't tell it was a novella instead of a full length! The only problem, if you could call it that, is that the story teased me, leaving off at the end, and torturing me until the first novel, Velvet Haven, comes out this next year! *Cries* Otherwise, the characters were well done (and the hero, by the way, is very yummy!), there was plenty of romance, action, and a good dash of magic to captivate the reader!


The last story was Cindy's "A Christmas Spirit". I've read one of her books before, and I did enjoy it, so I had a fairly good idea of what to expect in this one-- and again, I wasn't disappointed. Although, to be honest, out of the three I would have to say this one would receive my lowest rating on it's own (but no lower than 4 stars, if that!), it was only because I didn't quiet feel the pull between the hero and heroine in her story. It was there, but it felt like it was a bit, well, rushed, like most novellas, and it only came in stronger at the very end. But I do enjoy her writing still, I always find a few witty areas and more than a few "Aw!" ones as well.

5 STARS! Over all, these three well-known authors worked their magic over the reader, pulling them in, and holding them in thrall until the very end. Wonderful, enchanting, and passionately written, these three paranormal Christmas novellas will leave you wanting only one thing: the hero to have as your own! Move over, fated heroines, you're going to have competition soon!



~~~~~~~
Thanks again to Sophie Renwick, whose blog I won this from last month!
~~~~~~~


Quick question-- which do you like better: My old signature (the blue/starry kind of TBQ) or my new one (below)?



Enjoy!





Until Next Time,

NOOOO!

I HATE VIRUSES!! And the idiots that sit around in their (more in likely) Mother's basement, with nothing else to do with their time and computer skills but to make new ones and send them out to crash other's computers--- FOR THE FUN OF IT! Argh! Yep, I've been infected. Monday night, while working on various things (including my next review, which, you noticed, never got finished or published this week), a huge virus, a so called "Cyber Security" infiltrated my computer system-- without me clicking anything! Suddenly it was downloaded and running, without me clicking on any button, flashing ads, etc, little loan saying "Yes, continue download". It seems that computers will be the bane of our existence, since just when we start to develop new software to take care of these threats, some new nerd (see paragraph before this for details) decides to get past the system again. So, after countless days in the shop, I *hope* they finally got all of the program, and various other Trojans, etc, that were on my computer, out. Now it's time to see if they stay out, and if they've not messed up my files. Luckily he didn't have to wipe my computer (like they did about a year ago when this happened and it fried my hard-drive...), but you still never know what these vial programs can accomplish before you even know they're on there! Due to my eventful week, I've been unable to post anything this week (reviews, WoW, my Friday mailbox thread). This has also set me behind in general, so I'm sorry, but I may not have any posts for the greater part of the next week. I'm going to try and get it finished as soon as I can, and get started on the next ones (I've got about 4 books backed up to review right now..). But until I know my computer is not going to crash on me, get things straightened out and backed up again, I will be taking a slight break. I'm also terribly behind on emails (in case anyone's sent me anything this past week, sorry, I'm not ignoring you), and reading other blogs' (Wow, gone less than a week and the list of updated blog posts I follow is loooong!). But I will catch up, have no fear! It's late, I'm still ticked at the computer viruses and creators, and it's cold, so I'm going to bed! Hope everyone else's week has been much better, be careful of the viruses out there, and enjoy your weekends! Hope to see you all next week, when I'll be back with my review on the (*COUGH* wonderful *COUGH*) novel, A Highlander Christmas by Sophie Renwick, Cindy Miles, and Dawn Halliday. :D Enjoy! Until Next Time,

What Did I Receive?

"What Did I Receive?" is my mailbox meme. Of course, I only list the good things that come (books), not the abundance of junk mail and bills. In my idea of the perfect world, of course, the amount of books would greatly out number the bills. Sadly, this is not a perfect world. *SIGH* Oh well. Still, this week was pretty close though-- two deliveries of books!

Here's what I got this past week:

Seduce Me In Shadow by Shayla Black Thanks to the Book Binge, where I won this from a few weeks ago! I can't wait to read this one, it sounds so good, but I think I'll wait until I can get the first book -- I hate starting a series in the middle! :D

Second delivery... And look, it arrived through The Royal Air Mail! Well, okay, that's where it was sent out from, but still. I love getting packages from the UK, their Royal Air seal is cool looking. Maybe it's the 'QUEEN' in me that loves the crown seal so much...

On ward to the actually picture:

Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott

The Swan Kingdom by Zoe Marriott

And some great signed swag from Zoe as well! Thanks so much to Alyssa @ The Shady Glade for hosting this wonderful author interview/contest this past month! I was surprised when I saw my name for the winner, but very excited-- I fell in love with the covers (the UK covers, which mine are above, look better than the US version, IMHO), and I really enjoyed the advice that Zoe gave at TSG. :D Extra thanks to Zoe for signing them, and including all the amazing swag! I love it all, I can't wait to read the books, and I'm going to listen to the Playlist you included tonight!

~~~ Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

[ARC Review]-- "The Postmistress"

Title: The Postmistress

Author: Sarah Blake
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)

Publication Date: February 09, 2010

Pages: 336 (Hardcover)

Summary (B&N):

Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.

On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter.

In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape.The residents of Franklin think the war can't touch them- but as Frankie's radio broadcasts air, some know that the war is indeed coming.

And when Frankie arrives at their doorstep, the two stories collide in a way no one could have foreseen. The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right.

Other places to Pre-Order:

B&N.com

Borders

Amazon.com

My Review:
Considering the fact that this is not my usual genre of choice (fiction, yes, but usually more along the fantasy, romantic, or YA categories), The Postmistress was an enjoyable novel, and one that I would probably have picked up myself, had I seen in on the shelf.
Sarah Blake is truly a gifted author, writing with a clean, fresh voice. Original and touching are two very good words to describe her work-- and this novel. It wasn't one of those books where you're constantly reminded of another book while reading it.
I've not read many novels set in this time period (World War II era), and although I know my history, this story still opened my eyes even more to war, and everything it contributes to in our daily lives. The way Blake wrote the novel, described the settings and actions, you're almost prepared to look up from the book and find yourself transported back to 1941, running for the bomb shelters.
However, my one complaint about her writing was that, at times, it was almost too much. Details upon details, piled up and slowing the story down. Description is great, and very much needed for the story, but too much of a good thing can also hinder a novel.
Also, there were a few spots where I had to flip back a few pages, trying to figure out which character's POV the story was being told from. For the most part, the changes in perspectives flowed smoothly, but there were a few that didn't. Then again, this could easily be due to the fact that this was an ARC, and in the final version it's fixed.
Blake also created wonderful characters, all of whom left an impression even after the final page was turned. They were real, and although it was hard to watch them struggle through this period of history, it was needed, and added to the enjoyment of the story being told. Depth of character is always a plus, and being able to accomplish that with more than just the hero/heroine of a story is remarkable. Well done Ms. Blake!
4 STARS! Despite these few flaws, the book was still very good. A "curl-up-in-front-of-a-fire-with-it-on-a-cool-fall-evening" kind of novel! Although it's not a short novel, the pages flew by, carrying the reader through an eye-opening journey set during a war that changed our world's history--forever.
~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks to B&N First Look (October '09) for this book!

~~~~~~~~~~


Enjoy!




Until Next Time,

What Did I Receive?

Well, this week I didn't get any books in the mail... But I did break down and buy two books from the store. *Wink* I couldn't help it-- I went in for supplies for dinner and *somehow* came out with two yummy-looking novels as well! Here's what I picked up:

• Chosen by Desire by Kate Perry (Pub. Date: October 2009; Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Series: Guardians of Destiny Series; ISBN-13: 9780446541015)
• Queene of Light by Jennifer Armintrout (Pub. Date: October 2009; Publisher: Mira; Series: Lightworld/Darkworld Series, #1; ISBN-13: 9780778326625)

I loved Kate's first book in this series, which I was lucky enough to receive and review back in February (review here), so when I saw the sequel, well, I couldn't contain myself! :D

And as for Jennifer's novel, it looked really interesting, love the cover, and I wanted it! End of story. Lol.

Oh, and sorry the picture quality is so poor-- I really need to buff up on my photography skills. :D

Okay, off to read some more, and expect another review or two next week! Enjoy everyone, have a good Friday afternoon, and I'll see you guys Monday!

ENJOY! Until Next Time,

[ARC Review]--- "Magic Under Glass"

Title: Magic Under Glass

Author: Jackie Dolamore

Pub. Date: December 22, 2009

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Genre: YA, Magic, Fantasy, Romance

Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 9781599904306
Summary (Amazon.com):
Nimira is a foreign music-hall girl forced to dance for mere pennies. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing with a piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new and better life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets are beginning to stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumors swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry's involvement with a league of sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. Then Nimira discovers the spirit of a fairy gentleman named Erris is trapped inside the clockwork automaton, waiting for someone to break his curse. The two fall into a love that seems hopeless, and breaking the curse becomes a race against time, as not just their love, but the fate of the entire magical world may be in peril.
Other Places to Pre-Order:

B&N.com

Borders

Amazon.com

My Review:

I don't usually throw the words "Spell-binding", "Luscious", or "Amazing!" around lightly-- so when you see all three of them, plus many more similar ones, in my review, you know you're in for one heck of a book!
First off, Magic Under Glass is a wonderful example of fantasy and fairy tale combined-- it reminds me of the (early) Disney movies, not because it's "childish" (far from it) but because of Jackie's ability to weave the story around the reader, completely emerging us into Nimira's world, and combining a great romantic element to it as well. Much like "Beauty and the Beast" enchants the romantic/fantasy lover in young girls, this book rekindles that same feeling, even for those of us that thought we had long since grown out of this stage!
Speaking of movies, Magic Under Glass is one of the few books I wouldn't mind seeing turned into a movie, which isn't something I usually want to happen to my favorite books. However, no movie is needed, since Dolamore paints such a beautiful and lush portrayal of the novel, characters, and pretty much every element that made the story so wonderful! Spell-binding is putting it lightly-- once you pick this book up, you won't want to stop, so be prepared to set everything else aside for a day!
I really enjoyed reading the interaction between Nimira and Erris, their friendship (and later, their love) was easy to see, and nicely done. And Erris... well, he's an interesting character, since he's neither the automaton that everyone believes, nor human, but, in fact, the long lost Prince of the fairies. He's such a sweet, and slightly tortured, young man, that I can see how Nimira falls for him. By the end of the novel, I too had developed a bit of a crush on Erris.
The details, both in the characters, the setting, and the story itself, are, simply put, spectacular! I can find no real fault in any of Dolamore's writing, except for I wish I could get my hands on the sequel now, so I can find out more about Nimira and Erris! Otherwise, she manages to capture the readers attention from the very beginning, and right away you'll find yourself entangled in the magic and whimsy aura of Nimira's world, not wishing to leave, even when the story comes to a close.

4.5 STARS! For a debut novel, Jackie Dolamore does a truly magical job at creating a world that will leave the readers breathless, craving more of strong-willed Nimira's story. A heavy dash of magic, a touch of mystery and suspense, and to round it all out, a lush dose of romance combines almost effortlessly into a one of a kind book that I have no doubt anyone will love. Don't even let the "YA" genre fool you-- I would recommend this to older readers just as easily as I will the younger. Everyone loves a good fairy tale, and Magic Under Glass definitely fits the requirements for a good classic!

Thanks again to Jackie, from whom I won this amazing book from! And thanks for the amazing pictures in it, I really loved them, as much, if not more, than the story itself!

Enjoy!






Until Next Time,

Waiting on Wednesday: "Spirit Bound"

Title: Spirit Bound Author: Richelle Mead Hardcover: 528 pages Publisher: Razorbill (May 18, 2010) Summary (Amazon.com) : Dimitri gave Rose the ultimate choice. But she chose wrong… After a long and heartbreaking journey to Dimitri’s birthplace in Siberia, Rose Hathaway has finally returned to St. Vladimir’s—and to her best friend, Lissa. It is nearly graduation, and the girls can’t wait for their real lives beyond the Academy’s iron gates to begin. But Rose’s heart still aches for Dimitri, and she knows he’s out there, somewhere. She failed to kill him when she had the chance. And now her worst fears are about to come true— Dimitri has tasted her blood, and now he is hunting her. Only this time, he won’t rest until Rose joins him…forever.

OH. MY. GOD! I can't wait to get my hands on this--- really, no more needs to be said if you've read the other books! :D But May-- I have to wait until May?!

I love the cover too-- better than the last one, IMHO. Dimitri=Yummy!

Oh, and expect my next review, Magic Under Glass posted tomorrow afternoon, maybe even sooner!

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

"Waiting on Wednesday" hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine!

Review-- "Poison Study"

Title: Poison Study

Author: Maria V. Snyder

Pub. Date: March 2007
Publisher: Mira

ISBN-13: 9780778324331

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Magic

Synopsis (B&N):

Choose: A quick death and hell or slow poison and hell.

About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.

And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.

As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear.

Other places to buy this at:

Borders

Amazon.com

B&N.com

My Review:

4.5 STARS! Amazingly written, perfectly told, Poison Study is a spell-binding first book in a series that promises romance, fantasy, magic, suspense, and action all bundled together in one lush package, waiting for you to unwrap and enjoy!

Sorry that about the spacing problem (if it's showing up on your computers as well as mine...). Blogger keeps doing this to me every once in a while!

Thanks again to Harlequin Teen for sending Poison Study to me! :D

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First off, Ms. Snyder has an amazing talent at weaving a story together. The writing, the characters, everything that made Poison Study possible is amazingly done. Word choice, structure, descriptions, everything that makes this story more than just a story, but actually seem like a real world, one that the readers will wish to jump right into! And what better way to start off a fantasy novel than with painting a perfect picture for the readers, and making them wish to dive right in?

As a last chance to save herself from being hung for murder, Yelena agrees to take up the duty of food taster for the Commander. Who wouldn't want to stand around all day eating the finest foods for your betters, right? Except the job of a food taster is very.... deadly. Literally. Poison, of which is given to you the very first day in order to keep you from running off (without the daily antidote, it's said you will die a slow and painful death...), becomes an every day thing for you. Sounds like a wonderful job...

...But it's made better by her tasting mentor, Valek, who's trying so hard to not fall for the one girl that he knows he shouldn't have... That's right, on top of the amazing fantasy story and writing, there's also a nice dose of romance in it as well! Valek is a great hero, and the perfect match for strong willed Yelena. I enjoyed watching their interaction play out, and I cannot wait to read the following books in this series in order to see where their relationship goes.

As for the rest of the characters, they all left their impressions-- from Janco and Ari, who had me laughing a few times, to the mean old housekeeper, who, though evil, did provide us with someone to hate. All in all, a great batch, and I'm anxious to read more about them all, not just Yelena and Valek!

What Did I Receive?

Yep, another small load of books were dropped off this past week. :D

Here's the books I got:

• Highlander Christmas by Dawn Halliday, Cindy Miles, and Sophie Renwick (ARC, won from Sophie's contest a while ago-- and it's signed, with some goodies! THANKS!)
• A Modern Day Witch Hunt by Kiki Howell (Big thanks again to Kirstein, aka Kiki, for sending it to me!)

That's it for the week! Now, I'm going to work hard on at least two reviews during the weekend, to be posted early next week.

But for today, I'm heading off to the zoo with some friends and a few family members. It's been a while since we've went, and they have a few new babies this year (elephant, snow leopard, and a tiger, if I remember right...) It's not too hot, not too cold, so it should be a good day.

See you guys Monday!

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,