Saturday, September 21, 2013

manda-rae's Haul

Stacking the Shelves consists of books we received in the last week, hosted by Tynga's reviews.

It's been three weeks since I've done one of these.  And oh boy, have I been reading lots.  Lots of good books out there.  Happy Saturday!

From the Library:

  • Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich
  • Omens by Kelley Armstrong
    • Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
      • I was super excited to see a new series starting up.  I didn't realize how big this book was until I picked it up from the library.  Regardless, I'll probably finish it before the weekend's over.

Purchased:

  • Nook HD
      • I upgraded from my Nook Simple Touch to a Nook HD.  I found it online for a good price and figured why not.  I'm really enjoying the tablet feel of it and being able to open other apps.  We'll see how much reading I do with this thing.

Purchased (e-edition):

Never to Sleep by Rachel Vincent
Amazon | Goodreads
I decided to check out some short novellas by some of my new favorite authors.  I really enjoy the Soul Screamers series.

Reaper by Rachel Vincent
Amazon | Goodreads
Can't get enough of Tod.

My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
I can back up and see where it all started.

Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
Amazon | Goodreads
This one's from Warner's point of view.  I kind of want to know more...

Waterfall by Lisa T Bergren
Amazon | Goodreads
I picked up this freebie because it involves time travel.

Shadows by Jennifer L Armentrout
Amazon | Goodreads
I've heard a lot of people talk about the Lux series.  Is it really that good?  I thought I'd look at the pre-novella and check it out.

Vampire Shift by Tim O'Rourke
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
Let's face it: the cover's awesome.  And it's vampires.  I'm sold.

925 Ideas to Help Save Money, Get Out of Debt and Retire a Millionaire so You CanLeave Your Mark on the World by Devin D Thorpe
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
These are kind of short essays on how to manage your money and save for your future.  It's nice to pick up and read for five minutes at a time.  Not sure it's given me a lot of ideas yet though (as you can see with my library haul, I tend to be a frugal person).

The Blood that Bonds by Christopher Buecheler
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
If it were just me, I don't think I'd pick this one up.  The cover isn't appealing for me.  But someone recommended it for me.  Can't say I'm going to read it right away, but I'll try it one day.




Friday, September 20, 2013

Excerpt and Giveaway: The Devil You Know by JM Gregoire


Have you checked out this paranormal read?  It's fun and a little demonic.

The Devil You Know by JM Gregoire
Genre:  Adult Paranormal Fantasy
Demon Legacy, Book 1

Description (taken from JM Gregoire's website):
Deziree Davanzatti is a thief by trade and to keep herself occupied between jobs, she owns and operates Onyx, a trendy nightclub for the supernatural citizens of New York City.

What else would a 400-something year old demon-human hybrid do with her spare time?

Following a drunken night of questionable decisions, the vampire Michael “Vegas” Tremayne leaves town with no explanation. Dez is left wondering if they made a mistake and if it cost her a price she wasn’t willing to pay – her best friend and confidant.

When he returns after two weeks of no contact, he comes bearing grave news that could potentially change the world forever….or end it all together. To make matters worse, they suspect that someone they know may be behind it all.

An extremely dangerous chain of events has been set in motion and it is up to Dez and Vegas, with the help of his brother Lucas, to find a way to stop it.


About the Author:  JM Gregoire
J.M. Gregoire was born and raised in New Hampshire, USA and despite her abhorrence for any season that dares to drop to a temperature below seventy degrees, she still currently resides there with her two children and her two cats. Always a passionate reader, her love of urban fantasy books eventually morphed into a love of writing them. She is currently working on the Demon Legacy series and has an urban fantasy thriller project coming up that will be co-written with one of her best friends and favorite authors, Ginny Lurcock.


Excerpt
The time seemed to pass quickly. Deziree had taken a second to pan around the room and felt the mild pangs of disappointed when she didn't see Vegas anywhere. She took a look over the main bar and realized that some of the bottles were getting a low.

"Hey Danni,” she called to the bartender, “I’m going to take a break on the roof. When I get back, I will run out back and grab some refills."

As she stepped out of the roof-access door onto the flat expanse of building, Deziree opened her pack of cigarettes, took one out, put it to her lips and lit it. She could feel his presence as she took her first drag. She exhaled and smiled when she heard his voice behind her.

"Those are bad for you, you know."

When she spun around, he was standing a few paces away.

"Hey you." As Deziree gazed at Vegas, her smile didn't attenuate. Besides the fact that he was her best friend, she loved to look at him. He was by far the most beautiful creature she'd laid eyes on in her extraordinarily long life. He was stereotypically hot guy. Tall, dark and every bit of him was dangerous. He was six-two or three, the top of his smooth, bald head towering above her. She couldn’t imagine the number of razors he’d gone through over the centuries to keep that look. He had the perfectly chiseled appearance of a deadly hunter. Most people would have to spend hours in the gym every day for a body like that, but his undead status meant he didn't even have to try. He would look like that forever. His eyes were the only tell-tale sign that he was a vampire. Those irises – each a pure gleaming gold with a darkbrown ring bordering the edge - were the only giveaway to the general public of what he was. She, on the other hand, could feel it. She could feel the electricity crackle in the air whenever her was around. In more than four hundred years, she had never met someone as exciting as Vegas, and she wanted him from the moment they first met. Why did we fight it?

"Can I bum one off you?" He nodded his head toward the cigarettes.

"You would make a terrible spokesperson for anti-smoking public service announcements," she replied with a snarky tone. As she fumbled with the pack of cigarettes, he stepped closer to her. Her nerves hummed.

With a predatory smile that revealed his intentions, he closed what little remaining space there was between them. Reaching his hand around the back of her neck and tilting her head, he brought his lips down to meet hers. Her head spun with euphoria. His scent washed away every negative thought she'd had about him in the last two weeks. When the kiss finally broke, it was not her doing. Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes to see that he had that his smile had grown wicked.

"You didn't answer me on the phone," he purred. "Did you miss me?"

"Well, with the harem of men I have at my disposal, I couldn't find the time to miss someone I only had a little fling with." She stepped back and with a smirk, she added, "I mean, I didn't even get breakfast."

Vegas dropped his gaze. "I honestly am sorry about that. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I had a fantastic time and I didn't want to leave, but I was contracted at the last minute and it was time-sensitive."

Deziree smiled. "I'm just fucking with you, Michael. I'm not mad. I mean, I was initially. But I figured something must have happened. A call or a text would have been nice, but shit happens, right?"

"Well," he said, his wicked grin firmly in place and his eyebrow cocked, "let me make it up to you."

"We'll see about that," she replied as her heart pounded in her chest.

"I can hear your heart racing." Stepping forward, he leaned down and kissed her again. When he broke away again, she found herself wishing that she didn't have to go back to work. He leaned his forehead on hers and whispered, "My place when you get out?"

"Sure," was her quick breathy reply.

"I have a few things to take care of," he said quietly, "and then I will meet you here around the time you guys usually lock up."

She nodded in response, and he turned, walked to the edge of the roof and dropped off the side. After standing there for a few moments in a daze, she finished her cigarette and headed back through the roof-access door to finish her shift.

Giveaway
JM Gregoire is offering one of you a copy of her book, The Devil You Know.  The winner will receive a signed paperback if he/she lives in the US/Canada or an e-copy if he/she lives elsewhere.
  • This giveaway is open to open to everyone.
    • If winner is in the US/Canada, he/she will receive a signed paperback.
    • Otherwise winner will receive an e-copy.
  • Entrant must be 13 years of age or older.
  • Giveaway ends on Sunday, October 6, 2013.
  • You can enter via the Rafflecopter form below. You can enter by doing one of the following:
    • Free entry.
    • Tweet about giveaway. Leave link.
    • Follow @PureTextuality.  Leave userename.
    • Leave a comment.  Answer the following question:  Who's your favorite paranormal love interest?

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Star Cursed by Jessica Spotswood


Genre:  YA Historical Fantasy
The Cahill Witch Chronicles, Book 2

Note:  Read the first book in the series.  Information below will spoil some plot lines in the first book.

Description (taken from Jessica Spotswood's website):
With the Brotherhood persecuting witches like never before, a divided Sisterhood desperately needs Cate to come into her Prophesied powers. And after Cate's friend Sachi is arrested for using magic, a war-thirsty Sister offers to help her find answers—if Cate is willing to endanger everyone she loves.

Cate doesn't want to be a weapon, and she doesn't want to involve her friends and Finn in the Sisterhood's schemes. But when Maura and Tess join the Sisterhood, Maura makes it clear that she'll do whatever it takes to lead the witches to victory. Even if it means sacrifices. Even if it means overthrowing Cate. Even if it means all-out war.

In the highly anticipated sequel to Born Wicked, the Cahill Witch Chronicles continue Cate, Maura and Tess's quest to find love, protect family, and explore their magic against all odds in an alternate history of New England.

The story continues as Cate joins the sisterhood.  And we find out they're not as scary as we thought they were.  Kind of like the rest of groups of people:  you've got the good, the bad, and the power-hungry.  Maura and Tess soon join the Sisterhood to remain under their protection.  And that infamous prophecy begins to unravel some details which puts the sisters in a tizzy.  Maura who's just trying to prove herself, Cate who's trying to protect her sisters, and Tess who's trying to make grown up decisions without yet having had the chance to grow up.

Honestly, I thought this book was so-so in the beginning.  I love how Cate tries to be her own person even with the prophecy overshadowing her.  And the sisters' relationship with each other is so believable.  And we see more of Finn, and how much of himself he has sacrificed to the Brotherhood in order to keep Cate safe.  I kind of got sick of the Sisterhood fighting the Brotherhood, girls fighting their oppression by fighting the power-hungry men.  But, it was alright; I was entertained.

Then 100 pages from the end, I got a horrible premonition about how things were going to end.  About how the sisters were going to end up killing each other.  And while I'm happy to say my premonition was wrong (phew, in the clear, right?), what actually happened was so much worse.  The last two pages, my jaw dropped.  And I was fuming.  And then I realized that was the end of book 2, and I was screaming.

I really want to go make a voo doo doll of one of the sisters.  Then, I'll rip her head off and burn the body.  Yes, this book got a reaction from me.  And I'm dying to read the third one...

Monday, September 16, 2013

Cover Reveal: Undertow by Amber Lynn Natusch

Look at this beautiful cover!  I think I might have to check this one out...

Undertow by Amber Lynn Natusch
Genre:  Adult Contemporary Romance
Expected publication date:  October 2013

Description (taken from cover reveal email):
How far does a girl have to run to escape a lifetime of pain and loss at the hands of Alaska's notoriously unforgiving Bering Sea?

Twenty-seven-year-old Aesa Fredriksen thought landlocked Columbus, Ohio would suffice, and it does until the fear of regret drives her to return to Dutch Harbor in a final attempt to make amends with her nearly-estranged father. Intent on salvaging the wreckage of their relationship, she reluctantly agrees to join him—the only family she has left—as he heads out to fish for king crab, forcing her to brave the very waters that pulled him away from her as a child. The waters that stole her mother's life.

When the day finally arrives for the Norwegian Queen to sail off into an uncertain future, Aesa can't help but fear the worst. Beyond the violent swells and impending storms, there is far more than death and danger awaiting her on her journey: love awaits her too.

Decker, a young but seasoned member of her father's crew, is a force of nature as strong as Aesa, He's her perfect match, and even she can't deny it. But he too is a man of the sea, and with memories of tragedy and abandonment etched so deeply into her mind, can she overcome her demons and let him in or will she drown in her darkness, forever caught in its undertow?

About the Author:  Amber Lynn Natusch
If you're dying to know more about me, allow me to put you at ease. I'm a sharptongued, sarcastic cancer, who loves vegetable smoothies, winter storms, and the word 'portfolio'. I should NEVER be caffeinated, and require at least eight hours of sleep to even resemble a human being. At thirtyfour, I just now feel like I can keep a straight face while saying the word "rectum" (which is actually a huge lie because I just laughed out loud while reading this to my husband). I live with my iPod firmly affixed to my body, drive too fast, and laugh/cry at inappropriate times. I'm obsessed with urban fantasy... When I discovered that genre, I knew I had found my tribe. Now I write in that world because that's what the voices in my head tell me to do. And they are very, very loud.


Excerpt
“What do you want?” he asked, cocking his head slightly to the side. For whatever reason that tiny movement set something off in me and I knew why my heart had won. I wanted him. I wanted him for all that he was and all that he promised to be.

“You,” I said with slightly more power behind the words that time. He smiled at me in a devilish way, like he had won the game I hadn't known we were playing. “That wasn't so hard to say, now was it?” His voice was playful, covering an almost palpable passion that hid just below the surface. He was holding on by a thin thread himself, his immense self-control dissipating rapidly. “Say it again...”

“I want you,” I replied with a purr, joining in with his little game. Judging by the response my words garnered, I had won.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Sea Change by SM Wheeler


Sea Change by SM Wheeler
Genre:  YA Fantasy

Description (taken from Blog Tour):
The unhappy child of two powerful parents who despise each other, young Lilly turns to the ocean to find solace, which she finds in the form of the eloquent and intelligent sea monster Octavius, a kraken. In Octavius’s many arms, Lilly learns of friendship, loyalty, and family. When Octavius, forbidden by Lilly to harm humans, is captured by seafaring traders and sold to a circus, Lilly becomes his only hope for salvation. Desperate to find him, she strikes a bargain with a witch that carries a shocking price.

Her journey to win Octavius’s freedom is difficult. The circus master wants a Coat of Illusions; the Coat tailor wants her undead husband back from a witch; the witch wants her skin back from two bandits; the bandits just want some company, but they might kill her first. Lilly's quest tests her resolve, tries her patience, and leaves her transformed in every way.

A powerfully written debut from a young fantasy author, Sea Change is an exhilarating tale of adventure, resilience, and selflessness in the name of friendship.

In Lilly's world, her dad is a powerful man while her mother has a past filled with fantasy.  From what I could tell, they grew tired with each other because he wanted the perfect offspring while she didn't want more kids.  Did I mention Lilly's not perfect due to a birthmark on her face?  Ridiculous, I know.  Anyways, in this world, the mother leaves and the father works towards making a new and improved family.  Lilly's home life has a lot of sore spots where some of us can relate to.  And to fight off this crap she's faced with, she befriends Octavius, a kraken, the one person (or thing) she can depend on.  But he ends up disappearing.  So begins her fantasy journey to find him and bring him home.

No matter what I say next, I have to give the author credit with the creativity used in this story.  But I didn't connect with Lilly at the beginning, and I believe this shaped my opinion negatively.  Gruesome and horrible things happen to Lilly.  And without the connection to Lilly, I was kind of disgusted and questioning my tastes in reading.  I figured there had to be some rhyme or reason to why she did what she did (besides saving her best friend).  But there just isn't.  And I couldn't make the connection from my selfishness to her selflessness.

I can't say I liked this one.  It's a story about how much someone will go through (or suffer) in order to save her best friend.  And there isn't a happy ending.  I guess I'm just one of those people who needs to have some type of hope in the end that things can end happy.


Thanks goes to Tor for providing me a review copy.

About the Author
I spent the first thirteen years of my life on a slow-motion tour of the United States, following my father’s work in the telecommunication business, with a brief side trip to Jamaica. Settling down at last in Upstate New York when my parents purchased an inn, I spent a difficult year attempting to adapt to the small local school and the company of my agemates. Ultimately, my family made the decision to educate me at home. Some of my time came to revolve around the business, which grew to include a bookstore and restaurant; some of my attention went to the school textbooks from which I learned. Mostly, I read and wrote.

Fantasy, science fiction, myth, folklore—I favored the unreal in reading and told the same sort of stories as soon as I could articulate those ideas in words. This became an important tool when I developed several chronic health problems in my adolescence. Rather than using the world of fantasy to escape from these, I normalized them by creating disabled characters within the familiar landscapes of the fantastic. One o’ clock in the morning with an unruly mind and aching joints was best faced with characters whose hallucinations and missing limbs were oversized projections of my own difficulties.
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