Holiday Book Buying Guide, part 3: Something for Everybody

Black Friday is upon us (gird your loins if you're venturing out, friends!), and I'm back with part 3 of my Holiday Book Buying Guide! Today I'm giving you some of my picks for specific types of readers (or recommendations for yourself; no judgement here!).There are more to come, too, but until then, you might find what you're looking for by checking out the rest of the guide here.
Otherwise, grab a cup of tea, click through, and enjoy your book browse!

BEFORE WE FALL by Courtney Cole | excerpt & giveaway!

My apologies to Courtney Cole and her team, because this was supposed to go up Monday and somehow didn't; apologies to you, too, because that's less time you've had to a) spend some steamy time enjoying the following, and b) enter to win!
So here, belatedly, I give you this Before We Fall excerpt & giveaway combo, so that you can be the first to fall... As I mentioned, this is a steamy NA title, so I'm hiding it behind a smut label - click through to read, enter and enjoy!

Stack of Five (13): BIG BOOKS | December, 2013

Hey guys! Welcome to December's STACK OF FIVE. =)
Since December is going to be a month of reading basically whatever I want, review pile be damned, I figured I'd have time this month to tackle one of the big ole' doorstops lurking on my shelves... So this month's theme is BIG BOOKS.

Let me know which of these 5 books you'd most like to see me read and review this month; if you need more help deciding, you can find out more about each book at their links below, or you can hear an excerpt of each on this month's bonus vlog!

Voting is open until NOVEMBER 30th, and the winner will be announced in my December TBR. Thanks for watching, and happy voting!

THE BOOKS:
Eon | Alison Goodman
Nevermore | Kelly Creagh
Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell | Susanna Clarke
Terrier | Tamora Pierce

COVET Release Day Giveaway Blast!

Covets have all the sexiness, emotion, and happily ever after that readers have come to expect and love from Entangled. They are firmly grounded in the contemporary world, but each novel brings in supernatural twists, breaking the contemporary and paranormal rules, alike. To find out more about their titles, chat with authors, participate in special events, and to find out what books you’ll be coveting next, visit the Entangled website, follow them on Twitter, LIKE their Facebook page, and join the Book Club.

Today I'm happy to be featuring Covet's November releases which is very exciting because in celebration of these three great new books, they are on sale for just $0.99 for the first week of release only. So they are perfect to download and read over the long holiday weekend between all the hussle and bussle for a nice little break.

Also, make sure to hop on twitter tonight, 11/25 at 8PM to join in the #CovetBash. The authors of these fabulous books will be joining in the fun, and there will be lot's of chances to win prizes, including a grand prize giveaway of Covet's entire backlist to one lucky winner! Details here.

Parts & Wreck by Mark Henry

Wade Crowson, a brutish and brooding playboy and veteran vivisectionist for the Parts Department, runs into more than he bargained for in new partner, Lucid Montgomery, a quirky beauty with a bizarre secret and a string of psychiatric diagnoses she tries hard to keep hidden. Loving Luce will stamp a demonic target on her back and thrust Wade into a frenzied whirlwind of hilarious misunderstandings and, quite possibly, a stripping gig for emptynesters. Can they withstand the savagery of an exorcism (with or without the split pea soup) and come out alive and …in love?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

Operation Saving Daniel by Nina Croft

At eighteen, Melissa seduced her best friend Julia's brother only to run away shortly after. While Daniel was her fairytale prince, Lissa didn’t believe in happy ever afters.

Ten years and a near death experience later, Lissa is ready for a husband and family. But a cry for help from Julia puts that dream on hold. Daniel is acting weird and he’s about to marry his long term girlfriend—AKA The Evil One. Someone needs to save him.

Daniel has never stopped loving Lissa. Ten years ago when he gave her a little freedom, he always intended that one day they would be together. Right up until the moment he was bitten by a werewolf. Now, Daniel has to hide what he is. He won’t risk anyone else, especially the woman he loves.

But Lissa is back. Their attraction is stronger than ever and Lissa is nothing if not tenacious.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

The Awakening: Britton by Abby Niles
The Awakening #3

"I would lick that man up one side and down the other."

Half-shifter and lead SPAC agent, Val Calhoun, has listened to women gush over the Don Juan of the precinct for the last four years. Yeah, Detective Britton Townsend is hot and has stunning blue eyes, but that foul mouth he saves only for her? What a waste of good looks. And no way does Val want that mouth anywhere near hers.

When the shifter community is threatened, Val is assigned to the case…and fails. So the High Council turns to the rogue shifter they'd sentenced to twenty years as a human--that same obnoxiously sexy Detective Townsend. And sends the two arch-enemies deep into the North Carolina Mountains-—together, and alone.

Being stuck in a tiny honeymoon cabin with Miss Castration and only one bed is definitely not Britton's idea of a good time. But the High Council doesn’t take no for an answer. After his shifter abilities are restored, Brit is once again susceptible to the dreaded, irreversible bonding instinct, the Drall. Thankfully, all he’s ever felt for Val is intense loathing, no reason to worry. Right? All he has to do is solve this case pronto, and he can go back to his footloose Casanova ways. That is, if they don’t kill each other first. Or worse...fall in love.

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

Missed the first book in the Awakening series? While these books stand alone, it can be fun to go back and see how the other couple got together. And in celebration of book #3's release, book one, The Awakening: Aidan is on sale for just $0.99 as well, so grab it while you can!

The Awakening: Aidan by Abby Niles
The Awakening #1

Is the gift of eternal love a blessing or a curse?

After years of counseling grieving shifters, psychiatrist and half-shifter, Dr. Jaylin Avgar has become jaded on shifter mating. She wants to marry a human and forget about the love for eternity crap. Then she meets Aidan O’Connell, an infuriatingly laid back shifter who represents everything she doesn’t want. Yet, the more he pursues her, the more she craves a future with him. Only one thing stands in her way: death. Can she overcome her fear of losing Aidan to the one guarantee in life?

Millionaire consultant, Aidan O’Connell knows he’ll one day meet a woman who’ll awaken an unrelenting mating instinct. Unfortunately, that woman is Jaylin, who has no qualms about telling him that he and his so-called eternity can shove it. When she pushes him away, he takes a drastic step so she can no longer escape. The close proximity throws the instinct into overdrive. Can he control the need engrained in him until he’s certain she will reciprocate the bond, or will a moment of weakness doom him to hell on earth?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Goodreads

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Book Haul | mid-November

Books!
You know the drill, here are some recent goodies; links are below. Let me know what you think, and thanks for watching!

THE BOOKS:
Bloodstone | Gillian Philip
Princesses Behaving Badly | Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
Dragonfly in Amber | Diana Gabaldon
Star Cursed | Jessica Spotswood
Phoenix | Elizabeth Richards

ALSO MENTIONED:
Firebrand | Gillian Philip
Outlander | Diana Gabaldon
Born Wicked | Jessica Spotswood [review]
Black City | Elizabeth Richards
November TBR

Project Darcy by Jane Odiwe | Excerpt & Giveaway!

I have three words for you:
Jane. 
Austen. 
Timeslip.

I'm pretty sure you all know me well enough to know that that sweet utterance means Jane Odiwe's Project Darcy landed an instant spot on my wishlist... So of course, I'm super happy to have Jane drop by today to share a bit of Project Darcy with you, as well as a chance to win a copy!

---

Thank you so much, Misty, for hosting me on your blog today to talk about my new timeslip book, Project Darcy.

The setting for most of the book is Steventon Rectory - in the present, five friends volunteer for an archaeological dig taking place on the site of the old rectory, which was pulled down some time in the 1820s. Whilst there, one of the girls, Ellie, experiences glimpses into the past at first, but then finds herself spending days away in another time - seeing life as Jane Austen lived it in 1795/96. In the past, Ellie sees life through Jane’s eyes at Steventon with the Austen family and their neighbours, and, in particular, she lives out Jane’s reactions to, and experiences with a young Irishman’s visit to the area. Tom Lefroy comes to stay with his aunt at nearby Ashe, and when Jane is introduced, she feels she has met her match!

Weaving two stories is always fun, and I had a lovely time travelling from the present to the past with Ellie who has four friends who also volunteer for the archaeological dig. Like the Bennet sisters from Pride and Prejudice, the five girls share similar initials and characteristics. Here’s an excerpt from the beginning of the book, which I hope you’ll enjoy!

Ellie asked herself again, for the hundredth time, how it was that she’d been persuaded to join in. Archaeology was hardly her thing and for that matter, neither was Jane Austen. But, in the end, it was impossible to refuse Jess this small request. Jess, her best friend, who she loved like the sister she didn’t have, had pleaded with them all. And it was Ellie who had made sure the others had agreed to come on the dig, reminding them when she’d managed to take them to one side that they were lucky to still have Jess around after her horrendous health scare of the previous year.

‘It’ll be fun,’ said Ellie, packing her sketch book into her bag as she walked along in the sunshine, ‘especially as it’s our last summer together before most of us have to join the real world and work for our living.’

‘So long as I can bring my straighteners,’ said Liberty, admiring her reflection and flicking back her chestnut mane as they walked past the refectory window on their university campus. ‘They do have electricity where we’re going, don’t they?’

‘Of course they do,’ Martha snapped, unable to disguise the irritation in her voice. With her nose buried in a book, she completely missed Liberty’s rolling eyes and the grin that passed between her and Cara. Although the five girls had struck up a friendship since sharing a student house, the mix of characters and personalities could hardly have been more different. Martha always remained just a little outside the group. It was Ellie and Jess, Liberty and Cara, and Martha drifted between the two, happy, for the most part, to be on her own.

Ellie purposely left out any suggestion that the trip might involve hard work or dirt, and made light of the fact that the archaeological dig was in a tiny Hampshire village in the middle of nowhere. Jess was obsessed with Jane Austen’s books and when she’d found out that volunteers were needed to find the remains of Jane’s childhood home in Steventon, she’d not talked about much else. Jess would never have done anything like that by herself; she’d always been timid with strangers. Ellie knew Jess wanted them all to go with her, but also realised that if Liberty and Cara had any idea of what was really expected of them, they might refuse the invitation. Instead, she focused on the parts she knew would keep them interested.

‘There’s a film crew going, and they’re making a documentary.’

Liberty, the drama student, could hardly contain herself. ‘OMG, do you think we’ll get to be in it?’

‘Oh, Liberty, our fifteen minutes of fame,’ said Cara, grabbing her friend’s hand and twirling her round. ‘I’ll have to tell my mum. When do you think it will be on the telly?’

‘I don’t know exactly, sometime next year, I should think, but I can tell you who will be presenting it.’

‘Who is it, somebody famous?’ Liberty looked as if she might explode.

‘Greg Whitely.’ Ellie knew she did not have to say any more.

Liberty threw her arms around Ellie. ‘But, I’ve been in love with him forever, and I’ve just always had this feeling that we were meant to be together. I think I might die at the thought of meeting him.’ Her hands flew to her mouth. ‘Do you think he’ll be there, Ellie?’

‘I don’t know, maybe not for the whole dig, but perhaps for some of it.’

‘Well, I shan’t be in any hurry to meet him.’ Martha closed her book and tucked her lank, mousy hair behind her ears. ‘My mother’s worked with him and she says he’s an insatiable womaniser.’

‘Even better! Perhaps I could be the one to tame him. I can just picture it – me in ‘Hello’ magazine on Greg’s arm swathed in satin and crystals,’ said Liberty, striking a pose, ‘as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shower me with confetti.’

‘Dream on, Liberty,’ said Cara with a grin. ‘Martha, you’re so lucky. It must be wonderful to have an actress for a mother.’

‘No, it’s not,’ said Martha, instantly turning scarlet to the roots of her hair, a frown wrinkling her forehead. ‘I don’t think you can have any idea. My childhood was spent largely alone with a succession of nannies in school holidays, none of whom ever showed me the slightest affection, whilst my mother travelled the world pursuing her career.’

‘But, you must have seen some incredible actors and met some of them, too,’ said Liberty, who really excelled at saying exactly the wrong thing at the worst possible moment.

Ellie knew she should step in before Martha started to say she wouldn’t be able to come after all. ‘There is someone going on the dig who I think you’ll be interested to meet, Martha. He’s been on that documentary series where they only have a week to dig up some bones and then reconstruct the faces. Will MacGourtey – you know him – he’s an archaeologist – fair hair, young and quite good-looking.’

‘At least there will be someone worth talking to, then,’ Martha said as she opened her book again. ‘Intelligent conversation coupled with the informed knowledge of a first-rate academic is my idea of heaven – something quite sadly lacking from my life right now.’

The other three exchanged smiles, and Ellie, who was glad that she now had all three girls on her side, sent up a silent prayer that they would all continue to be so happy.

I’ve had a wonderful time writing this book, and imagining all the scenes - I’d love to know, if you could be a character from one of Jane Austen’s novels, who would you like to be?

****GIVEAWAY****
Jane has offered up a copy of Project Darcy to one lucky winner in the US or Europe. Giveaway is open until December 1st at 12am EST. Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter; further rules and regulations in the Rafflecopter. Good luck!
Please do not leave sensitive info or email addresses in the comments. This comments will be deleted!

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ABOUT THE BOOK:

Project Darcy by Jane Odiwe

Get It | Add It

326 pages

Published October 16th 2013 by White Soup Press

A LOVE STORY LOST IN PRIDE & PREJUDICE...
It is high summer when Ellie Bentley joins an archaeological dig at Jane Austen's childhood home. She's always had a talent for 'seeing' into the past and is not easily disturbed by her encounters with Mr Darcy's ghost at the house where she's staying. When Ellie travels into the past she discovers exactly what happened whilst Jane danced her way through the snowy winter of 1796. As Steventon Rectory and all its characters come to life, Ellie discovers the true love story lost in Pride and Prejudice - a tale which has its own consequences for her future destiny, changing her life beyond imagination.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jane Odiwe is the author of five Austen-inspired novels, Project Darcy, Searching for Captain Wentworth, Mr Darcy's Secret, Willoughby’s Return, and Lydia Bennet’s Story, and is a contributor to Laurel Ann Nattress’s anthology, Jane Austen Made Me Do It, with a short story, Waiting.

Jane is a member of the Jane Austen Society; she holds an arts degree, and initially started her working life teaching Art and History. When she’s not writing, she enjoys painting and trying to capture the spirit of Jane Austen’s world. Her illustrations have been published in a picture book, Effusions of Fancy, and are featured in a biographical film of Jane Austen’s life in Sony’s DVD edition of The Jane Austen Book Club.

Find her on

Austen Effusions | Jane Austen Sequels | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Holiday Book Buying Guide, pt 2: The glorious, glorious BARGAIN BIN

Cyber-browsing is incredibly therapeutic, wouldn't you agree? I can browse and browse to my hearts content, all while in my PJs, and I can impulse-add everything to my cart, and then just make myself close the page and let go. Of course, it helps when I have a "reason" to spend 3 hours browsing a bargain bin, and today, that reason is YOU.

For part 2 of my Holiday Book Buying Guide, I'm giving you all the best the Amazon bargain bin has to offer. Dozens upon dozens of books, sorted into < $5 paperbacks and < $10 hardcovers. Hell, some of these hardcovers are even less than $5, and if you happen to have Prime*... Holiday shopping, done. (Or, you know, bulk out your own shelves — this is a judgement-free zone. ;P)

Click through to get a jump start on your Xmas list - but take note: some of these bargain books had very few copies left, so if you want it, get it while you can! If the price goes above $5/$10, someone beat you to it!

*If you don't have Prime, seriously, sign up for the free trial and get all your presents shipped — to you OR to the giftee — for free. Not trying to be a big Amazon pusher, or anything, but Prime saved my wallet last Xmas.

Book Chat: BOOKISH THANKFULNESS

It's been a couple months since we've had a Book Chat, but I'm back and we're taking on a topic that I think everyone needs to stop and reflect on every now and then: Thankfulness!
Here are some of the bookish moments and things in my life that I'm grateful for. I'd love to hear some of yours, whether it's through a blog post, vlog, on twitter, or right here in the comments! (And if you do a post, drop a link!)

Thanks, as always, for watching. And happy reading!

Friday Face Off: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

So... I may have forgotten to post an FFO last week, but 's ok, I've got a pretty cool one this week. As if I didn't want The Ocean at the End of the Lane enough as it is, the publishers recently released a limited edition deluxe copy, in a slip jacket, that looks super cool in or out of it. My grabby hands are a-itchin', friends.
But that's not to bias you, of course. This FFO is the same as always - take a look at the two cover options below and tell us in the comments which version you'd rather have. Is the deluxe edition a little to weird for you? The original a little too adult contemp? Let us know and vote for your faves in the comments by telling us

Which one did it better?

Last time on FFO: I confessed my recent obsession with Rosemary Clement-Moore, and her latest book, Spirit & Dust showed us what it was made of. We ended up split on which was the favorite cover, though there were complaints and loves about both. In the end, regardless of the cover, my advice would be to just pick up something by RCM.

TITAN MAGIC: BODY & SOUL by Jodi Lamm | Cover Reveal

It wouldn't be a lie to say that I've been periodically stalking Jodi Lamm's website, twitter and Goodreads pages for the last year and a half, waiting for information to be posted about the sequel to 2011's Titan Magic, a fantastic folkloric fantasy* that mixes together Jewish mythology, fairy tales, philosophy and a strong and intriguing heroine into one of the most unique, engaging and memorable books I've come across in a good long while.

In my review, I said that Titan Magic was a book that "had me constantly reevaluating not only what I wanted to happen, but what should happen and what needed to happen" and that it made me a "Very Happy Geek" - it  has all my feels, for life. Talking to people about it makes me want to pick it up and read it again, ASAP. I've also posted not one, but two excerpts of its fabulousness to convince you that it needs to be in your hands like yesterday, and it's been included in more than one gushing favorites vlog.

So needless to say, there may have been some fangirl flailing involved when Jodi emailed me about the upcoming release of the sequel, Titan Magic: Body & Soul, which sounds just as amazing as the first book, has a fab cover designed by Abigail Larson, and most importantly, HAS A RELEASE DATE AND IT IS SOON, OMG THE FLAILING HAS STARTED AGAIN, BRACE YOURSELVES.

Ahem. Excuse me.
Did I mention this book has all my feels? I can't wait to get back into this world, so I'm so happy to present to you:

Titan Magic: Body & Soul by Jodi Lamm

Get It | Add It

Fantasy/Folklore

Expected Release date is Dec. 13

"Don’t fool yourself. Fool everyone else, but never fool yourself."

When a young golem called Kaspar befriends a beautiful baker and her daughter, he wishes, for the first time in his life, to be more than just a counterfeit, wooden child. But such a simple wish comes at a high price, and Kaspar won't be the only one to pay. With the few who can stop him distracted by their own dreams, Kaspar is free to set in motion a naive and gruesome plan. He hasn't gone entirely unnoticed, though. He's a powerful weapon left alone and ungoverned, and he's already caught the eye of someone with an even more costly wish.

---

Find out more about Titan Magic: Body & Soul on its webpage, or stalk Jodi on her site & twitter, like I do. ;)

Look at it. Just look at it. *grabby hands*
So who else is excited about Titan Magic: Body & Soul? Have you read Titan Magic yet, or have I been remiss in pushing it on you? (Get it, get it, GET IT NOW)

*Eff yeah, alliteration!

Holiday Book Buying Guide, pt. 1 - Excellent Ebook Snags!

There are days when it seems like my inbox and twitter feed is flooded with book deals, and though I try to share them with you when I can, spur of the moment (which is sporadic), sometimes I know about these promotions in advance or enough of them at once to make it worth sharing with you in a post - which I always intend to do and somehow rarely manage to do...

But because the holiday season is upon us, and because I generally gift books and imagine many of you do, too, I'm going to make it a point to share these deals with you through the holidays. (And yes, you should treat yourself to something, too. The holidays are stressful! You deserve it. ;P )

So here's the first part of my holiday book buying guide, featuring a slew of snag-worthy deals from Bloomsbury - all of these books are under $3 right now! Keep an eye out for more to come, including bargain bin steals and my own recommended fave titles. =D

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.

Hidden by Marianne Curley

For as long as Ebony can remember, she's been sheltered. Confined to her home in a secluded valley, home-schooled by her protective parents, and limited to a small circle of close friends. It's as if she's being hidden. But something is changing in Ebony. Something that can't be concealed. She's growing more beautiful by the day, she's freakishly strong, and then there's the fact that she's glowing.

On one fateful night, Ebony meets Jordan and she's intensely drawn to him. It's as if something explodes inside of her--something that can be seen from the heavens. Ebony still doesn't know that she's a stolen angel, but now that the heavens have found her, they want her back.

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Being a 16-year-old safecracker and active-duty daughter of international spies has its moments, good and bad. Pros: Seeing the world one crime-solving adventure at a time. Having parents with super cool jobs. Cons: Never staying in one place long enough to have friends or a boyfriend. But for Maggie Silver, the biggest perk of all has been avoiding high school and the accompanying cliques, bad lunches, and frustratingly simple locker combinations.

Then Maggie and her parents are sent to New York for her first solo assignment, and all of that changes. She'll need to attend a private school, avoid the temptation to hack the school's security system, and befriend one aggravatingly cute Jesse Oliver to gain the essential information she needs to crack the case . . . all while trying not to blow her cover.

Dark Lord by Jamie Thompson

Greetings, Puny Humans:

In your hands, you are holding a tome of staggeringly evil genius. It is not for the faint of heart or for the whining masses. It is for those willing to serve as my devoted minions while I plan my greatest feat yet: surviving life as a human boy and returning to my rightful place as the ruler of the Dark Lands. Before I can exact my revenge, I must infiltrate this world and learn its ways.

How, you might ask, is it possible that I, the Dark Lord, the Master of the Legions of Dread and Sorcerer Supreme, could be reduced to human form? And how is it possible that the Lord of darkness could be forced to attend school and befriend such pitiful life forms?

Only by reading my tale will you learn the truth behind the cataclysmic defeat that left me stranded on this accursed planet, Earth. But make no mistake, revenge will be mine... as soon as I finish my homework. Mwah, hah, ha!

Yours insincerely,
Dirk Lloyd
(aka the Dark Lord)

Stung by Bethany Wiggins

There is no cure for being stung.

Fiona doesn’t remember going to sleep. But when she opens her eyes, she discovers her entire world has been altered—her house is abandoned and broken, and the entire neighborhood is barren and dead. Even stranger is the tattoo on her right hand—a black oval with five marks on either side—that she doesn’t remember getting but somehow knows she must cover at any cost. She’s right.

Those bearing the tattoo have turned into mindless, violent beasts that roam the streets and sewers, preying upon the unbranded while a select few live protected inside a fortress-like wall, their lives devoted to rebuilding society and killing all who bear the mark.

Now Fiona has awakened branded, alone—and on the wrong side of the wall.

The Academy: Game On by Monica Seles and James LaRosa

The Academy is an International Sports Mecca for teen athletes of all sports. There are only two ways in. Deep pockets or enough talent to score a scholarship.

Young tennis star Maya's dreams have finally come true when she earns a scholarship to The Academy. Plucked from her small town, Maya moves to the sports training facility/boarding school to (hopefully) start the beginning of her pro career. But Maya's fantasy of The Academy doesn't quite match the reality. Because where there are hot, talented teens, there's a lot of drama. Meet the players:

Cleo: Maya's rebel/punk roommate who is nearing the top of the golf world.
Renee: The gorgeous swimmer with enough money to buy her way into The Academy.
Nicole: A tennis star who feels threatened by Maya (but she'd never admit it).
Travis: The son of The Academy owner--perfectly groomed to be the next NFL star.
Jake: Travis' younger brother--the bad boy to his brother's good.

Do you plan on snagging any of these for yourself or for gifting? And what one book are you hoping to receive from Santa? ;)

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore | review

In October (because I love Halloween and any books that I can tie to it in any way), I had not one but TWO Stack of Five vlogs for people to vote on. The first gave viewers the choice of zombies, werewolves, witches, vampires and ghosts, and ghosts won with Rosemary Clement-Moore's Texas Gothic. And bonus? There were witches in it, too! (Score.)

So here are my thoughts on the first of the month's Stack of Five winners, the awesome and hilarious and awesomely hilarious Texas Gothic.
Thanks for watching!

About the book:

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Get It | Add It
Paranormal/Ghost Story, 416 pages
Published July 12th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Amy Goodnight knows that the world isn't as simple as it seems—she grew up surrounded by household spells and benevolent ghosts. But she also understands that "normal" doesn't mix with magic, and she's worked hard to build a wall between the two worlds. Not only to protect any hope of ever having a normal life.

Ranch-sitting for her aunt in Texas should be exactly that. Good old ordinary, uneventful hard work. Only, Amy and her sister, Phin, aren't alone. There's someone in the house with them—and it's not the living, breathing, amazingly hot cowboy from the ranch next door.

It's a ghost, and it's more powerful than the Goodnights and all their protective spells combined. It wants something from Amy, and none of her carefully built defenses can hold it back.
This is the summer when the wall between Amy's worlds is going to come crashing down.

There's Always a Siren Singing You to Shipwreck... | Book Spine Poetry (1)

I don't know about you, but I kinda love book-spine poetry. If you're unfamiliar with BSP, basically you string together the titles of books to make sentences, all abstract and poetic-like. It's fun, a little silly, and a great way to go through your shelves and get creative with any books you have sitting around.

As I've got a lot of books on my shelves, the poetic possibilities are endless, so I post these to instagram occasionally - but I thought I really should be sharing them with you. So here's the latest: a maudlin little piece about drowned peoples and sirens lost at sea, inspired by the insane amoutn of water books on my shelves...



There's Always a Siren Singing You to Shipwreck...
We the drowned, The Unidentified, Revived The Drowned Cities.
A Drowned Maidens Hair, Strands of Bronze and Gold...
Breathe, Siren, Girl at Sea.
Between the Sea and Sky, When the Sea is Rising Red, Ruby Red...
Across A Star-Swept Sea,
The Dead-Tossed Waves,
The Vicious Deep;
The Space Between - Fathomless.


Super fun, right? Do you guys ever make book-spine poetry? If you do, drop me a link or tag me on instagram (@bookishmisty), or tweet me a pic @TheBookRat! I'd love to see what your brains and your shelves have to offer! ;)

The books:
We the Drowned / The Unidentified / Revived / The Drowned Cities / A Drowned Maidens Hair / Strands of Bronze and Gold / Siren / Girl at Sea / Breathe / Between the Sea and Sky / When the Sea is Rising Red / Ruby Red / Across A Star-Swept Sea / The Dead-Tossed Waves / The Vicious Deep / The Space Between  / Fathomless

Mr. Collins vs The Cute Girl Network | The Cute Girl Network blog tour

The very soon-to-be-released graphic novel, The Cute Girl Network, has been on my radar for awhile, and is definitely on my to-get list — but never more so than now that one of the stars of the novel has shared that The Network has an Austen connection. [You all know me well enough to know that that's all I really need to know...]

Scene-stealing Cute Girl Blythe has dropped by to introduce just who The Network are and what they do, and to ask this all-important question: Is Mr. Collins really so bad?
(Yes. Yes, he is.)

Blythe, ladies and gents...

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Hello, my name is Blythe and I'm the star of the new graphic novel The Cute Girl Network. Well, not the star, per se, but I steal every scene I'm in. The book is mostly about my friend Jane and her not-so-gentlemanly gentleman caller Jack. Me and the girls from The Network (only boys call it the "cute girl" network) have been doing our best to warn Jane about what she's getting into with that louse. We've been contacting all of Jack's ex-girlfriend to give her the straight dope. I hope it works out because that's girl's headed for trouble.

Now this leads me to another Jane. Jane Austen. See, I'm part of a pretty cool book group here in Brookport with some of the other girls from The Network. For the last month or so, we've been reading the best-selling paranormal teen romance series Vampyr Boyfriend. It's been a lot of fun. We get a couple of bottles of pinot noir, maybe bake a lasagna, then savagely critique the books (though I secretly liked the first one, don't tell anyone). Recently, I suggested we skip book four (Vampyr Touch) and read Pride and Prejudice instead. I should say re-read, because I mean, really, come on!

The reason I suggested P&P for the book group was something that Jane said (our Jane, not THE Jane). She compared Jack to Mr. Darcy! Gasp! I know, right! To understand what a grievous statement this is, you need to know a few thing about Jack. First, he's an idiot. He's the type of guy who puts on his shoes before his pants and waters his ficus with orange juice, you know, for the vitamins. And while Darcy is one of the richest men in England, Jack is one of the brokest blokes in Brookport. He sells soup for minimum wage and lives in his friend's walk-in closet. She argued that when Mr. Darcy came to Meryton, everyone thought he was a jerk too. It was only later that they find out he was just shy and was really a great guy underneath.

Now, we all like to play the boyfriend game with the Austen's canon. My last boyfriend was totally Captain Benwick from Persuasion, but instead of mourning his dead fiance and reading poetry, he was hung up on his ex-girlfriend and listened to The Smiths all day. Ugh! Still, it's a fun game to play when you have some grasp of reality, but comparing Jack to Darcy is stretching it to the breaking point.

Harriet (she pretty much runs The Network these days) countered with what we were all thinking. If Jack is anyone, he's Mr. Collins. He's an obnoxious fool who treats women like trained hunting dogs who are suppose to submissively bow at his feet and laugh at all his stupid joke. He an insufferable jerk, but underneath it all, when you really get to know him, he's still an insufferable jerk!

Then Jane said something that almost knocked me out of my chair (though I was on my third glass of pinot at this point). She said, and I quote, "Is Mr. Collins really so bad?" What?! Yes! He's the worst! I weep for Charlotte having to live out her days listening to that vainglorious oaf prattle on for eternity. They could have used The Network back in those days, for sure. I mean, I'd rather date Wickham than Collins, and Wickham kidnaps teenage girls and blackmails their families for beer money.

I really think The Network has it's work cut themselves this time. If Jane is comparing her Mr. Collins boyfriend to Mr. Darcy, she might be out of reach. Harriet ended the evening with a good point. Even though the people of Hertfordshire thought Darcy was a snob at first, those close to him respected him as a man of honor. We may all think that Jack is moron, but Jane still has to meet with the people that know Jack best, his ex-girlfriends. I think she's in for an education.  

Will Jane listen to reason and let The Network help her avoid the biggest mistake of her life, or will she end up heartbroken and humiliated? I guess that's what this book The Cute Girl Network is all about.

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This one anyone else's definite to-get list? And is Mr Collins really so bad? My guess would be it's a 'Yes' to both questions... ;)


ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Cute Girl Network by Greg Means, MK Reed & Joe Flood
Get It | Add It
192 pages
Expected publication: November 12th 2013 by First Second

Jane's new in town. When she wipes out on her skateboard right in front of Jack's food cart, she finds herself agreeing to go on a date with him. Jane's psyched that her love life is taking a turn for the friskier, but it turns out that Jack has a spotty romantic history, to put it mildly. Cue the Cute Girl Network — a phone tree information-pooling group of local single women. Poor Jane is about to learn every detail of Jack's past misadventures… whether she wants to or not. Will love prevail?

In this graphic novel from Greg Means, Americus author MK Reed, and Joe Flood, the illustrator of Orcs, comes a fast, witty, and sweet romantic comedy that is actually funny, and actually romantic.

OCTOBER REWIND | Mini-review vlog of my October reads!

It was a strange month for reading, kids, so this one is a mixed bag.. but here's what I thought of my October reads!
Thanks for watching, and let me know what you think in the comments!

THE BOOKS:
Cress (glorious, glorious Cress) | Marissa Meyer
Demonglass  | Rachel Hawkins (full vlog coming soon!)
Unbreakable | Kami Garcia
Texas Gothic | Rosemary Clement-Moore (full vlog coming soon!)
The Girl Who Flew Over Fairyland & Cut the Moon in Two | Catherynne M. Valente
Sorrow's Knot |  Erin Bow
Highlander Most Wanted | Maya Banks
Mr. Darcy's Undoing | Abigail Reynolds

CAPTIVE: a Nightshade novel by Andrea Cremer A.D. Robertson

Andrea Cremer casts off the repressive shackles of undersexed-YA, dons an adult cap with a newly-fletched nom de plume in the band, and gets down to what we all came for.
Or something. My thoughts on . . .

Captive by A.D. Robertson
Get It | Add It
Paranormal/Steamy, 320 pages
Published October 22nd 2013 by Dutton Adult

The first adult novel set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Nightshade series, Captive delivers a steamy, forbidden romance between sworn enemies drawn together by an irrepressible desire.

Twenty-five-year-old Tristan Doran enjoys a life of incredible power and privilege. As a direct descendant of the Keepers—witches who have embraced dark magic—he defers to no one but his overlord, Lord Bosque Mar. For most of his life, Tristan has been kept out of the centuries-old Witches War, his bloodline too valuable to risk in battle.

But when a beautiful, young human Searcher named Sarah is captured and made a prisoner in his Irish castle, Tristan’s infatuation with her flings him headlong into the fray. Captive and captor, unable to contain their longing, embark on a passionate, forbidden romance together—only to learn that their love is at the heart of a prophecy predicting the downfall of the Keepers’ ages-old reign.

Captive explores the darker side of the richly imagined Nightshade universe, a fantasy world of powerful dark witches, shape-shifting wolf warriors, and fascinating history. The first of three erotic novels, Captive delves deeply into the fiery, illicit romance of two young lovers whose very desires invite their doom.

November TBR & Stack of Five!

Well, it's November, kiddos. Really don't know where this year has gone... But a new month means a new TBR and a new chance for you to control my reading, so... welcome to this month's TBR & Stack of Five!

This month's TBR is short and scattered - not entirely sure what I'm going to read/want to read/have time to read, so your suggestions of fun, happy books are welcome!

THE BOOKS:
The Geek's Guide to Dating | Eric Smith
How to Be Alone | Tanya Davis, illus. Andrea Dorfman
How Not to Be a Dick | Megan Doherty
The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (maybe) | Catherynne M. Valente
Sorrow's Knot (maybe) | Erin Bow
??? SUGGESTIONS WELCOME!

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Now on to the Stack of Five! This month's stack is MACMILLAN themed, which I find super fun! I've never done a theme centered around a particular publisher, but I love the idea of it, and it just seemed to work out nicely that way, so I went with it. These are all books that are coming out in 2014, so whichever one you pick will get a super early review!
Take a look, and if you want more info on the books, links can be found below.
Only your FIRST vote counts (though you can vote here and on youtube, so technically 2 votes!), and voting is open until the 5th! =)

THE BOOKS:
Sekret | Lindsay Smith
Tin Star | Cecil Castellucci
Love Letters to the Dead | Ava Dellaira
Something Real | Heather Demetrios
Plus One | Elizabeth Fama

Let me know your thoughts on my TBR pile, and make sure to vote for which book you want to add to it from this month's Stack!

Friday Face Off: Spirit & Dust

I just finished reading (and loving!) Rosemary Clement-Moore's Texas Gothic, thanks to all of you who voted for it in last month's Halloween-themed Stack of Five. When I started reading it, a friend on Goodreads mentioned that there was a second book, which I wasn't aware of, so of course I went to check it out - and what did I find there, but a perfect case for FFO! Below are 2 different covers for the sequel, Spirit & Dust. The first cover's dramatic, ethereal cover follows the theme of TG's cover (though I'm not sure how much they suit the style, much as I love 'em), and the second cover, though banal on first glance, should be clicked to view in a larger size, for a little surprise in the design... Take a look at both, and then let me know in the comments which you would reach for to find out more. Which would you rather have on your shelves?

Which one did it better?

Last time on FFO: It's been a couple of weeks since our last face off, but it was a good one, since it went along with a giveaway... ;) Three different versions of How to Be a Good Wife, the thriller-debut of Emma Chapman, went head to head (or head to door to butterfly-in-a-wineglass, I guess...), and though they're all intriguing representations of the story, the ominous closed door won in the end.

Winner ------------->