Review: Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

For fans of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary and Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It comes an irresistible novel of a woman losing herself . . . and finding herself again . . . in the middle of her life.

My Thoughts:

Alice is a married mother of two, who is a little bored. On a whim, she responds to an email she finds in her spam folder, looking for participants for an anonymous marriage study. She is accepted, assigned a researcher, and soon becomes Wife 22 for the study.

Answering the questions, Alice describes her relationship with her husband, friends, and children. Remembering the good times as well as the bad, Alice finds herself drawn to her assigned researcher. You know what they say about confession being good for the soul....

Found myself liking really liking Alice, despite having little in common with her. She's a little on the dramatic side (immediately assumes her daughter has an eating disorder after finding junk food in her closet) and is a little quirky, but is a caring woman with good friends. 

Gave this one a 4/5 as I enjoyed getting to know Alice and her family and friends. Yes, they were a little outlandish, but Alice is a drama teacher who used to be a playwright, so her friends probably would be a little more colorful than the norm.  Gideon is a talented writer, and really made me care about Alice.

Liked that the results of Alice's random searches on Google and her answers to the survey were interspersed throughout the story. Thanks to my habit of checking the last page, I discovered that the survey questions are all listed at the end of the book. Up to you if you want to check them as you go, but I think it made more sense to know the questions Alice was answering.

Going to end with my favorite quote from the book:

And when did the real world become so empty? When everybody abandoned it for the Internet?

ARC received from the publisher, via Shelf Awareness.

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's a way to highlight eagerly anticipated hot, new titles.

I'm not sure where I discovered this one, but read an excerpt and it sounds awesome!

Some Kind of Fairy Tale

by

Graham Joyce

It is Christmas afternoon and Peter Martin gets an unexpected phone call from his parents, asking him to come round. It pulls him away from his wife and children and into a bewildering mystery.

He arrives at his parents house and discovers that they have a visitor. His sister Tara. Not so unusual you might think, this is Christmas after all, a time when families get together. But twenty years ago Tara took a walk into the woods and never came back and as the years have gone by with no word from her the family have, unspoken, assumed that she was dead. Now she's back, tired, dirty, dishevelled, but happy and full of stories about twenty years spent travelling the world, an epic odyssey taken on a whim.

But her stories don't quite hang together and once she has cleaned herself up and got some sleep it becomes apparent that the intervening years have been very kind to Tara. She really does look no different from the young women who walked out the door twenty years ago. Peter's parents are just delighted to have their little girl back, but Peter and his best friend Richie, Tara's one time boyfriend, are not so sure. Tara seems happy enough but there is something about her. A haunted, otherworldly quality. Some would say it's as if she's off with the fairies. And as the months go by Peter begins to suspect that the woods around their homes are not finished with Tara and his family...

Expected publication: July 10th 2012 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

Dreaming of BEA

Woke up the other morning with a big smile on my face and my first thought was I just dreamed about BEA! It didn't make a whole lot of sense because, so far as I know, BEA has never been held in a parking garage or the back of a bookstore. But hey, dreams are weird! I do remember the excitement I felt walking through the bookstore to the BEA entrance, and a big red & white book being handed to me. It was a happy dream. :)

Anyway, the dream reminded me that BEA is almost here....and OMG I'm so excited that I can't stand it but I'm not ready and I still need to work on my signing spreadsheets! *deep breath* So...

This will not be my first BEA, but I am still unbelievably excited and looking forward to having a great time! I've noticed that I'm not seeing as many posts about the Book Expo that I've seen in the past, and I'm not really sure why. I know that my first year, I obsessively searched the blogosphere for tips & tricks, and took lots of notes. I was incredibly nervous and wanted reassurance about what was expected of book bloggers. In the interest of spreading the BEA love, thought I'd offer a little reassurance to those of you who might be attending, but are a little nervous.

Shoes

Don't laugh, because shoes are incredibly important. Every post I've read over the years has mentioned the importance of wearing comfortable, padded shoes. They aren't kidding. Last year I wore comfortable shoes that I've worn for months, and my feet were so sore that I switched to sneakers by the last day. I also lost a toenail, because shoes that are comfortable during normal life don't hold up to 8+ hours of walking/standing on a hard, concrete floor. I found myself detouring through a certain publisher's exhibit because they had padded carpeting! Shoes are important! I'm giving serious consideration to buying a pair of Crocs because a co-worker swears by them....but I need to get past the ugly factor first.

Suitcase

This is another piece of advice I'm glad I followed!  Several bloggers told me over and over again that I needed to bring a suitcase with me and not rely on tote bags. I felt silly bringing a suitcase with me and compromised by bringing a small carry-on, but am very glad I did!  My suitcase was the smallest one in the suitcase corral the first day, and the next two days I brought my full size one! Even being selective, I still wound up with a full bag every day. And it was worth the $3 daily charge to have somewhere safe to drop off my books throughout the day! It's very safe as the attendants keep a close eye on everything, but I also had a small lock on my bag because I am paranoid.

I plan on bringing a big red tote bag with me as well as my suitcase, as it's the perfect size for me. Even has outside pockets for my Snapple and camera. Don't worry about totes though as by the end of the day, you will have more than you'll know what to do with! They are everywhere, and some publishers even have people posted in the aisles handing them out!

Food

The food at the Javits Center is mediocre, very expensive, and you have to stand in long lines. I was warned about this in advance, so I brought snacks and drinks with me. This year I'm planning on bringing Fiber One bars and a couple bottles of Snapple. There are also water fountains if you want to refill your bottle throughout the day. I try not to drink too much, as the lines for the bathroom are always long! BTW - there's a hot dog cart right out in front of the Center with reasonably priced alternatives, and I can confirm that the hot dogs are really good!

Dress

My best advice is to dress comfortably, but keep in mind that this is a trade show for professionals. I've read different opinions about what to wear, and I saw everything from suits to shorts & tank tops on the floor last year. I also saw some of the people in suits sneering at the people in tank tops. I plan on wearing business casual, which means no jeans. I usually live in jeans, but I want to make a good impression.

Planning

How much or how little you plan is entirely up to you. The first year I attended, I didn't really have a plan. There were a few authors I made sure I hit, but spent the rest of the time wandering around. I stumbled across several really awesome signings, but was upset with myself that I missed one of my favorite authors because I didn't even know she was there. Last year I was determined that I wouldn't miss out again, so came up with a schedule. I made up an excel spreadsheet for every day, complete with the author's name, book title, time, and location for every book that looked interesting. This way, if I couldn't see Author A because there weren't enough copies available, I could get in line for Author B! It was a wonderful plan! Too bad I lost it on Day 2. :(  This year I'm not going to be as anal, but will still make up a spreadsheet. I have bad knees and was in pain last year, so am going to try and schedule downtime as well.

Solo vs. Group

I've always flown solo so can't really give advice on whether you should travel in packs or not. It would be convenient to have someone save you a place in line and to split up to stand in two different lines, but if you fly solo you can do what you want and be spontaneous. I'm trying to talk a friend of mine into going with me as I think we'd have fun together, but she has yet to sign up. *glares at Bo*

I do have to say that even as a very shy person, I had no problem talking to others in line. They love books. I love books. We were both in line for the same author. See, lots to talk about right there! If you don't want to talk, you don't have to. And it was very cool when someone said they read my blog! I thought they were just being polite because, well, that's just me, but it was still very, very cool!

Behavior

This is a trade show, not an All You Can Eat Book Buffet for Bloggers. I have an unproven theory that one of the reasons BEA tightened up entry requirements was because of complaints from the professionals about bloggers behaving badly. There was pushing and shoving and running and even biting last year. It was embarrassing. I don't want them to close BEA to bloggers in the future, so I am going to be on my best behavior, say please and thank you, and hope that everyone behaves. BEA is one of the best events I've ever attended, and I don't want to risk being uninvited to the party! So behave!

Hope that these tips are useful and put some of your fears to rest! Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best to answer. I'm not an expert by any means, but I know how much I appreciated this type of post my first year. Here are a few others helpful posts:

BEA: BE A Rockstar by Miss Remmer's Reviews - Reagan put together a series of vlogs before last years BEA, and she's reposted them for us. Still very useful information! And she's also put together a BEA Blog Feed for bloggers who are attending, so be sure to subscribe!

Lexis at Poisoned Rationality has a great BEA 2012 Info post with lots of helpful links!

Sophistikatied Reviews posted A Worrier's Guide to BEA that is a fun read, full of helpful tips!

Are you attending BEA this year? Send me an email if you want to meet up! I know I want to attend the Book Buzz panels and several of the YA signings, but just started putting together my schedule. And let me know if you have any helpful hints I missed, especially about really comfortable shoes!

My Book Haul

I find myself in need of a new way to showcase titles as, for personal reasons, I decided to no longer participate in The Story Siren's IMM meme. So I am "test driving" different alternatives. I like giving books a little special attention as sometimes it can be awhile before I'm able to review them. Sad to say, but some get put on the shelf and gather a little dust before I'm able to give them the love they deserve. There are several Book Haul memes around and I'm not sure who originated it, but I discovered it over at Anna's Book Blog.

For Review:
If you've spent any time on this blog, you've probably caught on to the fact that I'm a huge Jennifer Estep fan. A humongazoid fan! As in will read anything she writes and rave about it because I think that she's made of awesome type of fan! So was beyond thrilled (happy dance) when I received an eARC of the next book in her Elemental Assassin series! Love Jennifer! Love Gin! Love this pretty, pretty story (pets nook)!

Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

My name is Gin, and I kill people. It’s something I've been doing for years as the assassin called Spider, but now, it’s turned into a necessity on my part just to survive all the lowlifes in Ashland who are gunning for me. The underworld is still in turmoil, and I seem to be on everyone’s hit list these days.

***

This was an email review offer from Novel Publicity. Didn't sound like my type of book at first, but read an excerpt and was hooked! A great example of why you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover or synopsis!

Sykosa by Justin Ordonez

Sykosa (that's "sy"-as-in-"my" ko-sa) is a junior in high school. She belongs to an exclusive clique of girls called the "Queens." The leader is her best friend Niko. Their friendship has been strained lately because Tom—Sykosa's first boyfriend boyfriend - has gotten all serious about making her his pretty Prom princess. That is if he ever gets around to asking her.

Swapped:
This is one of those books that I read a long, long time ago and enjoyed it so much that I shared it to a friend. Not sure why, but I had the impulse to reread it a few weeks back, so was happy to find it on Paperback Swap! It's a little more dinged up than I'd like, but still readable. Three women get the chance of a lifetime, to relive a few weeks in their past! I remember spending more time than I'd like to admit wondering which period I would choose to relive if I had the chance.....still not sure.

The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux

Have you ever wanted to rewrite your past?

What did you receive in your mailbox this week?

Leave me a link and I'll stop by to check it out!

Review: Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

My Thoughts:
This is one of those books that got an awful lot of attention when it first came out, and was even included in the BEA Editor's Buzz panel last year. Everyone raved about it, but I sort of shrugged as it didn't sound like my type of book. A story about a circus? That's only open at night? Uh-huh.... But apparently the book gods wanted me to read it, as this is one of the few unsolicited books I've ever received from a publisher. 

Well, I finally read it and now understand why it got so much attention. It's a lovely story with lovely writing, but....I still found myself shrugging.  Looks like my initial instinct was right and this just wasn't for me. I could appreciate the writing and the author's talent, but I was a little bored at times and the pacing was a bit on the slow side for me.

Despite the pacing issue, there are several things going on during the story. The main storyline concerns a bet made between two powerful magicians, who train their proteges for a duel. The Night Circus comes into being as the "stage" for the duel, but it's not your usual duel as the two proteges don't even know each other's identity at first.

So we get to know the two young magicians, the circus creators, the groupies, the performers, and the circus herself. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but it never got too confusing even with the multiple POVs. It did drag in places for me, but I may be getting too used to the faster pace of urban fantasy.

Gave this one a 3/5 as while I did appreciate the wordplay, I found myself bored in spots. I have a problem with stories set in the past for some reason. The descriptions were quite lovely and the circus sounded like a magical place, but I think I'm becoming too cynical to appreciate such quiet gems.

Have you read The Night Circus? Would love to know if you had any problems with the pacing and/or got bored like I did. I'm starting to worry that I'm developing Reading ADD....

Giveaway: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Win a copy of The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa!

Loved this book so much that I want to share the love, so am giving away my gently read ARC!

All you need to enter is your name and email address!

US shipping addresses only please.

You can earn extra entries by:

• Liking Julie on Facebook
• Following Julie on Twitter: @Jkagawa 
• Follow Julie on her blog
• Follow Harlequin Teen on Facebook
• Follow Harlequin Teen on Twitter: @HARLEQUINTEEN 
• Leave a comment on my Immortal Rules review

(Just scroll down for the submit button)

US shipping addresses only

Must be 13 or older to enter

Winner will be chosen by Random.org

Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen

Giveaway will close May 28, 2012 at 11:59PM EST

Review: The Immortal Rules

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

In the dark days since the insidious Red Lung virus decimated the human population, vampires have risen to rule the crumbling cities and suburbs. Uncontested Princes hold sway over diminished ranks of humans: their "pets." In exchange for their labor, loyalty and of course, their blood, these pets are registered, given food and shelter, permitted to survive.

Unregistered humans cling to fringes, scavenging for survival. Allison Sekemoto and her fellow Unregistereds are hunted, not only by vampires, but by rabids, the unholy result of Red Lung-infected vampires feeding on unwary humans. One night, Allie is attacked by a pack of rabids, saved by an unlikely hero...and turned vampire.

Uncomfortable in her undead skin, Allie falls in with a ragtag crew of humans seeking a cure, or cures: for Rabidism and for Vampirism. She's passing for human...for now. But the hunger is growing and will not be denied. Not for friendship - not even for love. (Goodreads)


My Thoughts:
One of the things that I found so interesting about this story was the zombie twist. There is the usual horrible outbreak, but instead of turning people into zombies, it turns them into rabids. Rabids sound like zombies, but they're more like feral vampires. Instead of wanting to eat your brains, they just want to eat you. Might just be me, but I found this both amusing and original.

Unlike other books where humans are hunted to almost extinction, in this world the vampires realize that they have to take care of their food supply. In exchange for providing blood, registered humans receive food rations and some protection. Allie is an Unregistered who has to struggle to survive, but at least has her freedom. Banding together with other unregistered kids, they cling to existence.

Allie and her friends run out of luck one night and she is rescued by an unlikely source, and becomes the very thing she most despises. Coming to terms with her new incarnation, Allie learns what she can before being forced to set off on her own. She meets up with a band of humans searching for a rumored safe city, and travels with them for awhile.

Really liked Allie, and admired her determination to survive despite the odds. She is a strong person that still retains some of her old humanity, and does her best to avoid turning into the kind of monster she always despised.

Gave this a 5/5 as it kept me up much too late to finish reading. Couldn't wait to see what happened next, as Julie kept a great pace and there was something new around every corner! Loved Julie's Iron Fey series, but think she may have outdone herself and I think the Blood of Eden series will be even better!

ARC received from Media Masters Publicity, in exchange for an honest review

Book Review: Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep

Dark Frost

by Jennifer Estep

I’ve seen so many freaky things since I started attending Mythos Academy last fall. I know I’m supposed to be a fearless warrior, but most of the time, I feel like I’m just waiting for the next Bad, Bad Thing to happen. Like someone trying to kill me - again.

My Thoughts:

Love, love, loved this book! 

Have been reading so-so books lately. They're not bad books, just not great. So I really, really needed a keep-me-up-all-night great read, and this one did just that! Picked it up intending to read the first few chapters, and stayed up past midnight to finish it! Love it when that happens!

This is book 3 in the Mythos Academy series, featuring Gwen Frost. A student at Mythos Academy, Gwen discovers that magic is real and that her fellow students are descendants of heroes. Not only that, but Gwen is the chosen champion of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. As was her mother, and her grandmother before that. Whoa!

By now, Gwen has come to turns with the fact that magic is real, the bad guys want to kill her and, that as Nike's champion, she has to learn to fight the good fight. Luckily, she has the help of her friends and instructors.

Really like Gwen, and love that she hasn't turned into a Superwoman! Don't really like it when the heroine morphs into an awesome fighter after only a few lessons. Gwen has been working her butt off for months now, but she's still learning and still gets hurt. But she is learning, and is slowly getting better.

The Reapers (major bad guys) are still trying to free the evil god Loki from his prison and start another Chaos War. It's up to Gwen and the rest of the good guys to prevent this. Now the Reapers have upped the ante, and some of Gwen's classmates pay the price.

Gave this one a 5/5 as it grabbed me from the very beginning and I kept just-one-more-page-ing it until I had read the entire book! So very cool when a story grabs you like that and you can't put it down! This one has great characters, an awesome plot, and out of this world writing! Highly recommended for anyone who loves a good story!

Expected publication: May 29th 2012 by Kensington

Book Review: The Department of Magic

 The Department of Magic by Rod Kierkegaard, Jr.

Source:  netGalley

It’s hate at first sight.

Jasmine Farah and Rocco di Angelo are competing for the same job in a dusty office in a secret Federal agency run by the mysterious, menacing Jefferson Davis Crawley - “Creepy” Crawley, as he’s known.

When Crawley is murdered in front of them after their first day on the job, Jasmine and Rocco are left to figure out who killed their new boss, and exactly what a job in the so-called Department of Magic entails. And magic, it seems, is nothing like it seems in children’s books; it’s dark and bloody and sexual.


My Thoughts:
This was a little on the strange side in that I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know what happened next, but at the same time, wasn't really interested in what was going on. Does that make sense? I didn't really care for the characters, as Jazz and Rocky weren't all that likable. And their boss really was Creepy, in more ways than one!

Jazz and Rocky are the newest recruits in a strange organization, where they are bound together as partners in more ways than one. They more or less have to learn on the job, as their boss is dead. Not that he stops supervising them....as death doesn't seem to slow this agency down.

They are taught various methods to help in their new job, not that they really know what their job is. And all of the methods are old school, so they sometimes have to improvise.

There are monsters and bad guys and patriotism(!), all leading up to an epic battle. There's always an epic battle, isn't there? Couldn't really work up much excitement, but it may have been because everything was wrapped in the American Flag. Or because things were hard to keep track of. Or I was just bored.

I didn't like the ending as it just....ended. Very dissatisfying. I don't mind a cliffhanger, but this was more like running into a brick wall. Or the author suddenly realized that he had used up his whole allotment of words!

This was a quick read and wasn't all that bad, but didn't knock my socks off. Couldn't work up much interest in the characters and as I tend to like characters more than non-stop action, that could be why the book didn't rate higher with me. Have you read this one? Ever have a book fall flat like that? Ever have a book just end on you, like the author ran out of words? Inquiring minds want to know!

My Bookish Wants & Gots

I've decided to "test drive" a few different IMM options, and this week it's My Bookish Wants & Gots, hosted by The Book Vixen. This is a chance to share the titles received this week, either from the library or bookstore or if I'm lucky, publishers! The intent is not to brag, but rather to share new titles and discover what others have received this week. I've included links to Goodreads if you want more information on the books.

I'm still on my self-imposed book buying ban and have stopped accepting review copies from anyone I haven't worked with before, as Book Expo is next month and I want to have a clear calendar. But since I have a love affair with anthologies, and have worked with Meryl L. Moss Media Relations several times before, I couldn't resist signing up for an upcoming blog tour for the below book!

Love is Murder anthology

Prepare for heart-racing suspense in this original collection by thirty of the hottest bestselling authors and new voices writing romance suspense today.... Bodyguards, vigilantes, stalkers, serial killers, women (and men!) in jeopardy, cops, thieves, P.I.s, killers - these all-new stories will keep you thrilled and chilled late into the night.


***


Signed up for another blog tour by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations as I've read the Forensics Instincts series before and enjoyed it. Will also be hosting a giveaway at the end of July, so keep an eye out!

The Line Between Here and Gone

by Andrea Kane

Each day is a struggle for Amanda Gleason's newborn son as he battles a rare immune deficiency. Justin's best chance for a cure lies with his father, who was brutally murdered before Amanda even realized she carried his child. Or was he?

What did you receive in your mailbox this week?
Leave me a link and I'll stop by to check them out!

Book Review: Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward

Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward

Ever since the death of his shellan, Tohrment is a heartbroken shadow of the vampire leader he once was. Brought back to the Brotherhood by a self-serving fallen angel, he fights again with ruthless vengeance- and is unprepared for a new tragedy. Seeing his beloved in dreams - trapped in a cold, desolate netherworld - he turns to the angel to save his former mate, only to despair at the path he himself must take to set her free. As war with the lessers rages, and a new clan of vampires vies for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between an unforgettable past, and a future that he doesn’t know he can live with… but can’t seem to turn away from.

My Thoughts:

This is one of the series that I stopped reading several books ago, as it just sputtered out for me and I lost interest. But when I saw that this one was about Tohrment, I knew that I had to read it as he's one of my favorite characters! Loved his relationship with his mate Wellsie, and how the two of them welcomed John Matthew into their lives and gave him the love and care he so desperately needed. Broke my heart when Wellsie was killed, so of course I had to read Tohr's story to see how he was doing!

There's an awful lot going on in this one and, while most of it was easy to follow, a few things had happened since I last visited with the Black Dagger Brotherhood and I felt like I was missing something. A few characters had gotten married, and there were new people I didn't know. 

There is the continuing war with the lessers, who seem to have an infinite supply of soldiers but aren't a large part of the story for some reason. Then there is a new threat from a rogue vampire clan, who seem to be after Wrath's throne. There is the new union between Xhex and John Matthew that is more than a little bumpy. And why is the angel Lassiter so interested in what Tohr thinks about a certain female?

Gave this one a 3/5 as while I liked it okay, it wasn't a must-read. The story was on the long side for me, and there was so much going on that it could get a little confusing at times. So many characters to keep track of. And there were several times that I wanted to reach into the book and smack Tohr, No'One, Xhex, and JM, among others! The way they behaved! *shakes head*

I don't know that I'll continue with the series, as the rose lost it's bloom for me awhile back...

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my birthday!

Time flies when you're having fun! Last month was my third blogoversary. Not sure when I passed the 500 mark with my followers (THANK  YOU!). Was going to mark both of those occasions, then suddenly it was May and I'm not sure where the time went! Oops!

But I want to celebrate!

Want to spread the love as it's hard for me to believe it's been three years already! And that other people actually want to read what I've written! Plus, it's my birthday and everyone knows it's always more fun to party with your friends! 

So in honor of my 3rd year Blogoversary and my Birthday Month, I'm having a giveaway!

For US winner:

NOOK Simple Touch

I really, really love my Simple Touch! I'm a reader, so don't need the bells and whistles of a tablet. Plus, it's so lightweight and the screen is so easy to read! I was late jumping on the eReader train, but love it! It's great for travel, and publishers are starting to offer more eARCs than print, as it's more cost effective. And if you have an eReader, then you can request titles from NetGalley! So want to spread the eReader love around by offering a NOOK Simple Touch to one lucky reader! It's US only as it won't work for anyone outside the country, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten my friends overseas!

For international winner:

$25 Barnes & Noble online gift certificate
or

$25 Amazon online gift card

or

Book of your choice from The Book Depository (up to $25 US) 

Sound good? Want to enter? Just fill out the form below!
Earn one extra entry by leaving me a comment with book suggestions on what I should buy with my birthday gift card! Looking for books that will grab me by the throat and won't let go!

Must be at least 18 years old to enter.

Giveaway will end on 5/31/12 at 11:59PM EST

Winners will be chosen using Random.org

Winner will have 48 hours to respond to the email notification or a new winner will be chosen.

Good Luck!

My Goodie Bag

Decided to participate in Grace's Goodie Bag meme this week, over at Books of Love! This is a chance to share the titles I've received this week, either from the library or bookstore or if I'm lucky, publishers! The intent is not to brag, but rather to share new titles and discover what others have received this week. I've included links to Goodreads if you want more information on the books.

For Review:
Rhemalda Publishing has been sharing free titles with us for a few weeks now. I don't have a kindle, so they were nice enough to email me an ePub copy for my nook. Sounds awesome!

Subliminal by Brian Blocker

Robert Dawes is a hard man to say no to. In fact, it's almost impossible not to let him have his way. After using his charm to construct the perfect life and conquer his part of the corporate world, he meets a stranger who tells him the real reason for his success.

Robert is subconsciously controlling the minds of others.

Purchased:
Saw this title featured over at The Book Vixen's My Bookish Wants & Gots and she was nice enough to let me know if was a free eBook when I mentioned that it sounded awesome. Love the whole premise!

Wolf Signs by Vivian Arend

Robyn Maxwell doesn't care that her brother has to cancel out on their backcountry ski trip. She can do it alone. The fact she's deaf doesn't make her survival skills any weaker. The chance to get away from it all and relax in the Yukon wilderness is just what she's been craving. Meeting wilderness guide Keil at the cabin starts cravings of another kind. Keil's one hot hunk of ripped, tasty male. Now she has to deal with raging hormones as well as strange questions about wolves and mates and challenges to the death. Keil was trying for a nice reflective retreat before challenging for the Alpha position of his Alaskan pack. He wasn't planning on meeting the woman destined to be his mate, or finding out she's not aware she has the genes of a wolf. Between dealing with his accident-prone younger brother, a deaf mate with an attitude and an impending duel to the death, his week--and his bed--is suddenly full. Far from the relaxing getaway any of them had in mind....

***

I should really know better by now....I can never walk into a bookstore and walk out empty handed. In fact, I'm surprised I made it out of there with only one book! Okay, I also bought another journal, but that doesn't count (does it?). I've seen this book around the blogosphere and when I saw it in person, it just jumped into my arms and insisted I take it home with me! Honest! ;)

Croak by Gina Damico

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure. He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

What did you receive this week?
Leave me a link and I'll swing by to check them out!

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's a way to highlight eagerly anticipated hot, new titles.

I've never participated in this meme before, but once I read the excerpt on this one, it immediately went on my Must Read list!

Between the Lines

by

Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t? Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book - one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah. And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom. Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

Expected publication: June 26, 2012

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Yeah, I know the post title is lame, but it rhymes!

Congratulations to the winner of 
The Day the World Ends!

Victoria Z!

I've sent Victoria an email confirmation and am just waiting for her response.

Thanks to everyone who entered!