Saturday, February 20, 2010

Weekly Wrap Up...

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Books read and/or reviewed this week


Born of Night







Current Giveaways







My Posts











My Week



My Valentines Day was very sweet. I recieved the saucepan that I asked for and a huge Hershey's Chocolate Bar. Walmart was out of one of my prescriptions, so instead of paying $4, I had to pay $18.80, which is alot cheaper than I thought it would be. Matt turns 17 on the 25th, so I've been planning his birthday dinner~ he asked for Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwiches and he asked for a Jello Poke Cake and I've been thinking about how my baby really isn't a baby anymore. And feeling oh, so old! LOL! We went out to dinner Friday night-The Outback Steakhouse. Then after dinner we just went for a drive, just the two of us. It was really nice.

So, how was YOUR week?






Friday, February 19, 2010

Audobook Giveaway~ Worst Case by James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

WORST CASE (Unabridged)
By James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge, read by Bobby Canavale, John Glover, Orlagh Cassidy
From the bestselling author who brought you the Alex Cross novels comes James Patterson's most action-packed series yet. With the heart-pounding suspense that only Patterson delivers, WORST CASE will leave you gasping for breath until the very end.
View the Video
Available in CD and Digital Download Formats
Also Available in Hardcover, in a Large Print Edition, and as an eBook

about the contest
Thanks to Anna at Hachette Book Group
Three winners will be choosen
The Contest ends at midnight on February 26th
Open to US & Canadian addresses.No PO Boxes please.
We are changing how we do things!
Go HERE to enter for the giveaway!!

Friday Fill Ins

Friday Fill Ins is hosted by Friday Fill Ins!


1. Johnny Weir who.

2. _I have not watched the 2010 Olympics.

3. And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom..

4. Laugh if you get an urge.

5. Having sweet dreams are SWEET!

6. What does it take to be happy.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hanging out at home, tomorrow my plans include Taylor & Kaylee spending the night and Sunday, I want to recuperate!



Shift by Rachel Vincent


Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.
As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.
With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option….

my thoughts~

WOOHOO! I didn't have to wait until the original March 1st date! My copy arrived on Thursday and I read it in one sitting (ignoring everything & everyone else of course!)

This was a great book! It makes me incredibly sad that there is only one more book in the Shifters series. Shift hit all the right spots for me...yet leaving some things open for Alpha. You really see how Faythe has matured since the first book, Stray. If you haven't read the series yet, you should! The books already out: Stray, Rogue, Pride, Prey & Shift. Alpha is due out October 2010.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Blog Tour~ Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep

My name is Gin, and I kill people.

They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South -- when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.
Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way -- good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.



about the author~
from Simon & Schuster website


By night, Jennifer Estep is an author, prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fun, sexy fantasy idea. Jennifer currently writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. The star of the series is Gin Blanco, an assassin who can control the elements of ice and stone when she’s not too busy running her barbecue restaurant, the Pork Pit. Jennifer is also the author of the Bigtime paranormal romance books, which feature sexy superheroes, evil ubervillains, and smart, sassy gals looking for love. Titles in the Berkley series include Karma Girl (May 2007), Hot Mama (November 2007), and Jinx (September 2008).By day, Jennifer is an award-winning features page designer for a daily newspaper with a broad range of journalism and media experience. She's also a certifiable fangirl and an authority on fantasy literature and culture. Jennifer is a member of Romance Writers of America, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and other writing groups. Jennifer's books have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, Southern Living, and a variety of other publications.
For more information, visit her Web site at http://www.jenniferestep.com/.


my thoughts~
This was another book that once I started reading, I just couldn't stop! I put off going to the grocery (sorry kids) and doing the dishes (sorry honey)! This book kept me on the edge of my seat. What a ride! Gin is one tough chic who knows how to kick some major ass! I loved getting to know her, Finn, Sopia & Jo-Jo. I can't wait for the next book 'Web of Lies' to come out!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of this book.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted
by Jill over at Breaking The Spine






In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other - vampire warriors, defenders of their race...John Matthew has been through his vampire transition and taken to the life of the Brotherhood with a vengeance, but he still can't shake the nightmare of his past and is unsure of his future as a warrior hero. He's made a promise to honour the Brotherhood and their fight with the slayers at all costs, until the love of his life is kidnapped and he is forced to make a choice that could change his life and the Brotherhood's forever...

Oh, I love me some Black Brother Daggerhood! Is it April yet?


Reminder! Interview with Larissa Ione on Blog Talk Radio TODAY!

Please join us in a live interview with Larissa Ione, author of
ECSTASY UNVEILED!!

Date: February 17, 2010
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Author: Larissa Ione
Title: Ecstasy Unveiled
Publisher: Forever Romance
BlogTalkRadio/HBG Program:
Larissa Ione, an Air Force veteran, lives a nomadic lifestyle with her U.S. Coast Guard husband and young son. She currently lives in Wisconsin and is hard at work on her next Demonica novel. Visit her website at http://www.larissaione.com/. She writes: "After I'd joined the Air Force and was in dire need of something to read between shifts at the weather station, I continued to read horror, but I'd branched out into fantasy, and then, finally, romance (though I admit I went kicking and screaming to the latter.) Turned out that I loved romance! So I started writing it, but again, my style and voice leaned toward the dark, paranormal side. Fortunately for me, paranormal romance, as a sub-genre, was booming. I let my imagination fly, and soon I'd sold a series of dark, sexy paranormal romances to Grand Central Publishing. I still read a lot of horror, science fiction, and fantasy, and in fact, one of my all time favorite books about writing is On Writing, by my favorite childhood horror author, Stephen King. If you're an author or a reader, I highly recommend this book for an insight into an author's mind—which can sometimes be a very scary place. Go ahead; Seduce your dark side."
Call-in with your questions during show time to participate in the live interview @ 646-378-0039. Listen-in or chat on the Grand Central Publishing channel on BlogTalkRadio. If you would like your questions to be read on air by the host or if you would like to give advanced notice of your participation during the live call, email anna.balasi@hbgusa.com.


Tuesday, February 16, 2010

My Valentine's Day (and I'm tossing in a product review!)

I'm never big on celebrating Valentine's Day. I mean, really. Why do you need that one day to show the person you love, that you love them? I try to show Jim my love everyday. Don't get me wrong. If he wants to bring home a box of chocolates (or anything chocolate for me), hey, that's more than ok. But he surprises me with chocolate often anyway. This year he asked what I wanted and I actually told him something besides "pshh, nothing". I wanted a new 3 qt saucepan. It didn't have to be fancy, just not teflon. So, for Valentines Day, we went out to eat at Applebee's, where I had the 3 Cheese Chicken Penne, we went to some Antique stores that we hadn't visited for about a year at least and I got the best 3 qt saucepan, EVER!!! This is what I received from my Valentine:
It has the dual pour spouts, with the strainer in the lid. It has even heating distribution, that makes it wonderful to cook with!
my thoughts~
I love cooking with this pan and I've already told Jim, that as my other pans (that are not good quality pans) wear, I'm buying only Wearever! This pan will last until I'm no longer able to cook!

Oh Things, they are achangin'!

Well the most notable thing that has changed is the look...what do you think? I love the purple! And the girls up there drinking their coffee & having some girl talk? LOVE IT!! I love that it is so simple!! Oh and the navi bar accross the top! I love that too!

What else is changing? Well, when I host a giveaway, now you fill out a form that includes your mailing address so when you win, I already have. Don't worry, I'm not going to sell your info, or anything nefarious like that. You will still be notified by mail, and the winners will still be posted here.

And of course theres Tasty Tuesday. I'm really enjoying searching the web for those easy, inexpensive dinner recipes and when I find one, sharing!

I'm just now getting back into my reading 'groove' it seems. I think I might have been depressed after getting out of the hospital & losing my job. I just wanted to watch tv. Worse-reruns. Of shows that I've already seen and almost know by heart. But like I said I'm getting back into my reading groove, blogging groove, woohoo! Thanks for baring with me through the tough times!

Giveaway & Blog Tour~Dare to Surrender by Lilli Feisty

HE MEETS HIS MATCH.
SHE MEETS HER MASTER.
Art gallery curator Joy Montgomery has never liked her body's generous curves. And she's always been too shy to explore her wild side. But tonight, everything is going to change . . . Desperate to save her job, Joy approaches bad-boy artist Ash Hunter and asks him to exhibit his erotic work at her gallery. Ash agrees on one condition: Joy must pose as his model. But business soon turns to pleasure, as Joy experiences a passion beyond her wildest imaginings and Ash finds more than just inspiration in his voluptuous new muse.



Product Details~
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Forever; 1 edition (February 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0446541931



about the author~
(from the authors website-it's long but I LOVE IT!!)

Lilli Feisty was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. Like a piece of driftwood, she has washed up on nearly every beach between Santa Cruz and the Oregon border.
Because she never attended any particular elementary school for more than a few months at a time, she amused herself during lonely recesses by writing what would nowadays be labeled fanfic featuring Michael Knight and Han Solo. Sometimes in the same story.
She owned an own art gallery for several years, holds a degree in Creative Arts and was just a few units short of her MA when she decided to drop out of school to write smut.
Her first novella was published in March 2007 and she’s been hard at work ever since. Her last novel, Bound to Please, has been nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Erotic Romance.
Ms. Feisty currently resides in Northern Nevada. When she’s not writing you might find her conducting “research” at brothels, staring out windows, or making Martinis.
And if that wasn’t enough….
Here are 50 Fascinating Feisty Facts!
Fascinating Feisty Facts:
1) She thinks the movie Clueless is one of the most brilliant Jane Austen film adaptations ever.
2) Her keyboard frequently needs to go in for repairs do to pesky, invasive toast crumbs.
3) She shattered her leg playing roller derby and, despite an overwhelming amount of pain, still managed to make the ER doctor blush.
4) She smokes little cigars.
5) She’s had a crush on Will Smith for over two decades.
6) She can do the Humpty Dance because it’s her chance to do the hump. She also once got busy in a Burger King Bathroom. Okay, it wasn’t Burger King.
7) Her favorite band is the Pixies.
8 ) Her favorite live performance was Prince.
9) She loves the phrase “Sugar on my Tongue”.
10) She thinks the musical episode of Buffy is the most brilliant thing ever written and considers Joss Whedon a genius.
11) She keeps threatening one of her best friends, who is a tattoo artist, that she’ll make him tattoo Spike on her right hand.
12) She’s right handed.
13) She likes sandwiches, and Joey is her favorite Friend.
14) One day she wants her house to be totally illuminated by Christmas lights.
15) She cried once while standing in front of a Kandinsky painting.
16) More than once, she’s sold the majority of her belongings in order to buy a plain ticket.
17) Once, she got off a train in Budapest and had no idea why. Turned out the city was amazing.
18) She once ate octopus at a tapas bar in Madrid at 2AM. She proceeded to get sick on a moving train the next morning, which belied the fact that she is:
19) Totally clumsy. She’s always falling down and covered in bruises. Hence, a friend has coined the phrase: Feisty Falls Down. So?
20) She will never stop saying the word “rad” and has passed on that legacy to her young son.
21) She has a habit of trying to urinate in mens’ urinals and has not quite perfected the skill.
22) Every year, on July 14th, she gets sad for no apparent reason. Then she remembers it’s the anniversary of her mother’s death.
23) Her next important birthday takes place on December 21st, 2012, a day some people believe the world will end due to a series of cataclysmic events. Lilli just hopes her friends will still remember to bring her presents despite all the end-of-the-world hoopla.
24) She likes writing when it’s raining outside.
25) Her biggest pet-peeve is when people say they “could” care less. She realizes this makes her a snob and really could not care less.
26) Thinks it’s funny when snobby people have bad table manners.
27) Enjoys cooking, but only for people she likes.
28) Is fascinated by Día de los Muertos
29) Her mother’s birthday is on Dia de los Muertos,
30) She thinks her ankles are her best feature but only the right one since the left one did not heal correctly after she broke her leg. It really bothers her that her calves and ankles are no longer symmetrical.
31) Always looks at a man’s hands.
32) Is a hopeless romantic and loves the phrase hopeless romantic.
33) Thinks Wild at Heart is one of the most romantic films ever made.
34) Her first finished novel was published and was nominated for an award.
35) She detests warm sprouts. They make her gag.
36) She thinks the lyrics, “Sometimes the tapestries of life get tangled in the loom” are brilliant, and the fact that they’re from a song called Writer’s Block make them even more brilliant.
37) She will sing karaoke anytime, anywhere, but will not speak in front of a crowd.
38) She has an uncanny sense of direction.
39) She hates exercise. Hates.
40) She loves the song “My Dick” by Mickey Avalon.
41) She can sing every song featured in The Pick of Destiny. By heart.
42) She owns one pair of jeans and approximately 100 dresses.
43) She hates shopping but likes things.
44) Dorothy Parker is one of her idols.
45) So is Peaches.
46) She likes to dance, but isn’t very good at it. However, her milkshake still brings the boys to the yard. And a few girls, too.
47) Her favorite book is Choke, by Chuck Palahniuk.
48) Eating waffles in a hotel room at 3AM is one of her favorite activities.
49) Would like to one day kiss Colin Firth, in the snow, while standing in her underwear.
50) Thinks the song “Fuck her Gently” by Tenacious D is incredibly romantic.
follow Lilli on Twitter


my review~
Sexy. Fun. EROTIC. If someone said that I could only use three words to describe this book, those would be my three words. I am planning on picking up 'Bound to Please' and any other book Lilli Feisty writes! I loved Joy and how messy she was. I loved Ash and how he took care of his family.

about the contest
Thanks to Anna at Hachette Book Group
Five winners will be choosen
The Contest ends at midnight on February 26th
Open to US & Canadian addresses.
No PO Boxes please.
We are changing how we do things!
Please go HERE & enter your info for a chance to win!

Tasty Tuesday! Three Cheese Chicken Penne from Deanna's Corner Cooking


I was surfing the web Monday morning and found this wonderful blog! Deanna's Corner Cooking is fantastic! She has some fantastic recipes! If you haven't found her blog before, you should head over and check it out!!



Three Cheese Chicken Penne

Ingredients~
1 stick of butter
1 cup of cream
6 ounce provolone
6 ounce mozzarella
1 cup parmesan
4 chicken breasts
1 box of penne pasta

Directions~
Grill or bake your chicken according to your taste preference. Cut into bite size strips. Boil penne pasta in salted water according to package directions.Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Pour in cream and add cheese. Stir until all is melted and well mixed. Pour sauce over pasta and chicken and toss well.


Monday, February 15, 2010

Storm of Visions by Christina Dodd


Jacqueline Vargha has always run from her gift. Now Caleb D'Angelo forces his way into her life, demands his place as her lover, and insists she take her place as one of the Chosen. She flees, he pursues, but she can no longer deny her visions, or the dangerous man who is her downfall — and her destiny.

my thoughts~
I'm torn. Really. I wanted to love this book. It's the first in the Chosen Ones series and I love a great series. This book was ok. Not great. Not 'WOW'. I don't feel the need to rush right out and find the second book so I can read it right now. I will pick up the second book "Storm of Shadows" but I'm not in a rush. I think there is great potential for the series, which is why I'm not willing to give it up yet. The book was a little slow, but the last 50 pages or so felt overstuffed with...everything. If you've been wanting to read the series, go ahead. You might really enjoy it. Maybe it was the mood I was in. But I will be giving the second book a chance, but I'm buying from the UBS. If you've read "Storm of Visions" what did you think?

Wake by Lisa McMann

Not all dreams are sweet.
For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people's dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie's seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She can't tell anybody about what she does -- they'd never believe her, or worse, they'd think she's a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn't want and can't control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else's twisted psyche. She is a participant....

my thoughts~
I'm usually the last one to get into a series. It was no different with Wake. I've wanted to read Wake forever, but just hadn't gotten around to it. I'm so glad I finally did! I decided this was going to be the first book that I read for the 2010 YA Challenge that I had signed up for. Well Fade (book2) and Gone (book 3) will now be included! I thought Janie, Carrie & Cabe were fantastic characters! If you read YA books, and you haven't read Wake yet, what are you waiting for? Go on, go get your copy...and while your buying Wake, you might as well pick up Fade & Gone. It will save you the trip!

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