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Sunday, May 31, 2015

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (5.31)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

My Week in a Nutshell:
Our camping trip this weekend was cancelled due to the oil spill in Santa Barbara, so we are having a rare weekend home without work or any major sporting events for the kids. Gotta admit, it's kinda nice to slow down. I did read some fantastic books this week. I also have a TBR pile to catch up on - though I still managed to add some nice books to my shelves (STS).

Current Giveaways:
Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst (necklace & signed book)

What I Read Last Week:
  
  
The  Shadow Revolution by Clay & Susan Griffith
Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst
I Am the Traitor by Allen Zadoff
The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon
Finally Finding Faith by Tammy Falkner
Just Jelly Beans and Jealousy by Tammy Falkner

My Posted Reviews Last Week:

The Shadow Revolution by Clay & Susan Griffith (my 4 star review)
   
What I'm Reading Next:

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Stacking The Shelves (111)

STSmall_thumb[2][2]Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!


New Paperback Pretties:
 
End of Days by Susan Ee
Never Never: Part 2 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher


New Hardcover Beauty:

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry


Kindle Addiction:

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon


eARC Goodies:
  
Finally Finding Faith by Tammy Falkner
While We Waited by Tammy Falkner
The Siren's Touch by Amber Belldene


Used Book Find:

The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Review: The Shadow Revolution by Clay & Susan Griffith

The Shadow Revolution
by Clay & Susan Griffith
(Crown & Key #1)
June 2, 2015
320 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Steampunk
Contains: Violence, some sexual references
Source: eARC for Honest review

A thrilling new Victorian-era urban fantasy for fans of Kevin Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles, the Showtime series Penny Dreadful, and the Sherlock Holmes movies featuring Robert Downey, Jr.

They are the realm’s last, best defense against supernatural evil. But they’re going to need a lot more silver.

As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts. Among them are the roguish Simon Archer, who conceals his powers as a spell-casting scribe behind the smooth veneer of a dashing playboy; his layabout mentor, Nick Barker, who prefers a good pub to thrilling heroics; and the self-possessed alchemist Kate Anstruther, who is equally at home in a ballroom as she is on a battlefield.

After a lycanthrope targets Kate’s vulnerable younger sister, the three join forces with fierce Scottish monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane—but quickly discover they’re dealing with a threat far greater than anything they ever imagined.

Being a huge fan of the Griffith's series, Vampire Empire, I was looking forward to this new series. Now I knew this would be different, but that's fine. I was hoping for something new and was not disappointed. The Shadow Revolution was a great start to this new trilogy.

Set in Victorian London, 1829, we meet quite a cast of characters as we discover that there is magic and mystery behind the scenes of common society and not everyone and everything is as it seems. The story starts with a bang and continues to the very end. This was an exciting and engaging journey that may have started and ended with a werewolf, but in the midst of these pages was a lot of mystery, discovery, and action. The action sequences read like a movie, jumping off the page and incredibly easy to visualize. There was also incredible intrigue over how all of these characters are interconnected, how the past engages the present, who and what the ultimate villains are, and how many cool and/or creepy creatures and magic tricks would be coming out of the woodwork. Obviously I'm being vague, but it's intentional, because I personally went into the reading of this book blind, not even reading the synopsis, and loved all the reveals, layers, and discoveries along the way, so I would encourage you to avoid spoilers as well.

As for our cast of characters, I found them all very interesting and loved that they all had their own unique qualities, including women of strong character. I may not have found a Gareth among the group (honestly, he's just too awesome to replicate), but I did find a motley crew that brought so much to the table together, each having their own strengths and weaknesses, and I look forward to getting to know them even better in the books to come. The villains are uber creepy, and could have been fleshed-out a bit better, but their creepiness or just plain meanness certainly came through the pages. And these villains truly panicked me about the mortality of these characters I was coming to like so much. Very exciting stuff, particularly toward the end, with these guys!

Overall, this was a great start to the Crown & Key trilogy. The Shadow Revolution was filled with exciting action, strong characters, and intriguing discoveries. If you like a good mix of magic, paranormal, and steampunk, then I recommend you give this a try. I look forward to what this gang gets into next and what dangers are on the horizon.


Tuesday, May 26, 2015

New Release & Giveaway: Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst

SFB_BLITZ

Today we are celebrating the release of SEARCHING FOR BEAUTIFUL by Jennifer Probst. This is the 3rd book in the Searching For series and it is published by Gallery Books. Check out the teaser and giveaway below for a chance to win a necklace and signed book.


JennP_Searching forBeautiful

The highly anticipated third novel in the Searching For series from Jennifer Probst, “one of the most exciting breakout novelists” (USA Today), featuring a runaway bride and the man who wants to be more than just her best friend...


Genevieve MacKenzie has her life completely under control. About to wed the charming Chief doctor at the local hospital, she’s an up-and-coming surgeon with everything she could ever want. Until an escape through the church window on the day of her wedding sends her life into a tailspin...and flings her right into her best friend’s arms.

When Wolfe catches his best friend falling out a window on her wedding day, he doesn’t ask questions. He whisks her away, determined to watch over her and discover the truth behind her desperate escape. But when his feelings turn more than platonic, he realizes he may risk his most important relationship in order to protect his damaged heart, and the woman he loves.

Can Genevieve and Wolfe’s friendship turn into something deeper—or is it already too late for true love?

Add the book to Goodreads


SFB_Teaser_RELEASE

Amazon   |   Barnes & Noble   |   Kobo    |    iTunes


SFB_Teaser_LIVE

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Jennifer Probst

Jennifer Probst wrote her first book at twelve years old. She bound it in a folder, read it to her classmates, and hasn’t stopped writing since. She took a short hiatus to get married, get pregnant, buy a house, get pregnant again, pursue a master’s in English Literature, and rescue two shelter dogs. Now she is writing again.
She makes her home in Upstate New York with the whole crew. Her sons keep her active, stressed, joyous, and sad her house will never be truly clean.
She is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. She was thrilled her book, The Marriage Bargain, was ranked #6 on Amazon's Best Books for 2012. She loves hearing from readers. Visit her website for updates on new releases and her street team at www.jenniferprobst.com.


LINKS:

Website    |     Facebook     |     Twitter     |     Goodreads


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Sunday, May 24, 2015

Sunday Post: Weekly Wrap-Up (5.24)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It's a chance to share news, recap the past week on your blog, showcase books, share upcoming news, etc. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

My Week in a Nutshell:
My youngest son started All-Star Baseball this week, and we have his first tournament this weekend. We were on the fence about joining the team since it's such a big time commitment over the summer, but he is so excited, how could we resist? I'm preparing myself for spending a lot of time at the baseball field this summer. Good thing I've got my kindle :)


What I Read Last Week:

The Shadow Revolution by Clay & Susan Griffith


My Posted Reviews Last Week:
 
Capture by Penny Reid (my 5 star review)
Greed by Fisher Amelie (my 4 star review)
   

What I'm Currently Reading:

Searching for Beautiful by Jennifer Probst

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Stacking The Shelves (110)

STSmall_thumb[2][2]Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Won from Shelly Crane:

Consume by Shelly Crane (signed, original cover)


Kindle Addiction:
ShutterGirl (The Hollywood Project, #1)
ShutterGirl by CD Reiss

 
eARC Goodies:
 
The Gilded Cage by Lauren Smith
Treasured by Thursday by Catherine Bybee

Friday, May 22, 2015

Review: GREED by Fisher Amelie

Greed by Fisher Amelie
(The Seven Deadly #2)
October 1, 2013
352 pages
Genre: New Adult Contemporary 
Contains: strong language, sexual references, drug references
Source: Personal purchase

Gather ‘round, love, because I want you. I want what you have, I want what you don’t have, I want more of what I already have. I want. But if you so much as ask for something in return, go ahead and walk away. Know if you want to play in my world, it’s every man for themselves and the weak become mine. Leeches will be obliterated because I make it my job to destroy them. I protect what’s mine and I take what’s yours…because that’s what I do. I want.

My story will not endear me to you and, frankly, I could care less if it does because I’m in this for the money and nothing else. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a corrupt, money hungry, immoral asshole from Los Angeles. I’m every man’s worst nightmare and every girl’s fantasy.

I’m Spencer Blackwell... And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most coveted guy to the guy no one wanted around and why I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Can be read as a standalone.

Greed is the second book in The Seven Deadly series. I loved book one, Vain. I mean, I fell completely in love with it. So I have been excited to read Greed since it came out, but also kept putting it off, perhaps afraid it wouldn't meet my high expectations. And while I didn't love it as much as Vain (like I said, those were big shoes to fill), I still enjoyed it and continue to love Fisher Amelie's writing and storytelling.

Spencer's story started out with a bang. Ugh, talk about a creep for a father! The first several chapters are so chock full of suspense and happenings, I simultanously didn't want to put it down and wanted to run screaming from this seriously messed up family. But the one great thing about this family was the sibling relationship between Spencer and Bridget. When push came to shove, these two siblings, raised my a weak mother, and a corrupt father, still learned how to love and protect one another, and when faced with the unthinkable, they did the right thing, even though it cost them so much.

Spencer is quite the mess at the beginning of this story. He may be impressive on the outside, but beneath the surface is a boy in need of a whole bunch of direction and hope. I did, however, love Spencer's transformation, learning the meaning of hardwork through physical labor, camaraderie, and generosity; not deception, manipulation and greed.

A large portion of this book Spencer is in love with someone who already has a boyfriend. Honestly, I found this scenario uncomfortable, especially the longer it went on. It's never gone into detail how "close" she was, physically that is, to her boyfriend. But the way Spencer and her seem to gravitate and revolve around each other, yet she's with this other guy, stringing and leading both guys on, was just a bit much after a while. Yes, there was reasoning given about why, yada yada, but it doesn't mean I have to be fond of the time frame.

But on the other hand, I did like how Spencer and Cricket brought so many positive qualities out of one another, and found kindred spirits in each other who truly understood them. I definitely felt their connection and chemistry through the pages. So while the "love triangle" issue bothered me, what really bugged me was Cricket's sentimentality and indecision. But like I said, there were "reasons."

But then there was Jonah, and Jonah seemed to make everything better. What a great guy and a great character. Watching the budding relationship between Jonah and Bridget seemed to make everything better. Seriously, loved him!

I'm trying not to give away spoilers, so this may come across as vague, but there is a secret involving one of the characters. I don't mind characters having "secrets," although it took longer than I thought for this one to come out than I thought necessary. But I did figure it out earlier than it was revealed. My problem was with some of the medical issues involved in the story. I work in a hospital, and though I know not all hospitals are the same, some of the portrayals felt inaccurate. Again, not trying to give stuff away, but this character should have appeared "sicker" or less active/normal than he/she did. There are also medical devices that may have been a giveaway. And diet restrictions. And some other things didn't sit right. So maybe not big, major issues for the average reader, and not even big issues for me, but they distracted me nonetheless.

Overall, however, I truly enjoyed Greed. I felt like I flew through the pages, completely absorbed in Spencer's story. It was the type of story that pulled me in and gave me characters I really wanted to know and situations I really wanted to solve. Now I'm looking forward to Ethan's book, Fury. Hey, if I were him, I'd probably be pretty mad, too.


The Seven Deadly Series:
Book 1: Vain

Book 2: Greed

Book 3: Fury
(released May 3rd)