In My Mailbox 11/13/11

~For Review~




Uncaged by Paul McKellips




The Pony Principles by Keith Elkins




Pscyhed Out by M.A. MacAfee




Me and My Manny by M.A. MacAfee




Ayjay's Millions by Jack Wasserman

Casatigate My Sins By Elicia Clegg

It has been said perception is reality, and yet, what if the reality in question was twisted and corrupted to a disheartening degree of depravity? Would the corruption have the power to shift the human consciousness and control the very nature of what is and what is not?

In Elicia Clegg's newest novel, five teenagers: Michael, Suzy, Christopher, Beth and Leigh, will have to answer that very question. Their souls will be thrown into a pit of malevolent despair where they will come face to face with their archetypal selves. Their characters will be tested, they will be deceived, given half-truths, and face punishment for crimes they did not commit. Will any surrender to the ever growing lies, or will they escape the void of light and breathe life once again?

~My thoughts on this book~

I had a difficult time keeping up with everything that was going on in this book. The five main characters are friends that spend alot of time together. When one of the girls faces a crisis, they all come together to help her out. While doing so, they all face a bigger crisis that leads the reader to find that some of the characters have a history that no one is aware of.

The Parrot's Perch By Karen Keilt

Brazil...Electric. Exciting. Hot. Brazil is famous for its world class beaches, beautiful women, Samba and soccer, but even its gently swaying palms and sultry nouveau beat can't cover up the sound of screaming.

Soon to be a major motion picture The Parrot's Perch scores high as it weaves together a chilling tale based on actual events in a triple play of greed, deception and betrayal conjuring up images of unsurpassed beauty and unimaginable horror.

Bright iridescent feathers, resplendent tropical hues, fast cars, and the ultra privileged life in the equestrian circuit are the lives of Catlin Lauria and her big brother, Freddy. But evil has found them, and it won't back off until someone makes a final pay-off.

A sexy-successful-girl-next-door, an uber-cute-party-boy, drugs, Carnival and the good life; dirty cops, corruption and torture, this story has it all, and you won't be able to put it down for a second, wondering "Can this world be real?" It is. Fasten your seat belts as you take this journey of revenge, retaliation, and redemption; it's gonna change your life.


~My thoughts on this book~

Wow!!!!!! I was intrigued at the title of this book, and once I got to the part of the book that tells what the Parrot's Perch actually is, I was shocked. I'm not going to give it away, you'll have to read the book to find out, but you will probably be like me and have a hard time putting this book down until you have finished reading it. The author actually signed my copy, and I plan on keeping it in my personal library. There were a few errors in spelling, but not enough to take away from the story. It is terrible to know that people are actually treated like this in foreign countries; and the people don't have to be foreigners, these people were citizens!!! This book makes me feel even more blessed to live in America.

The Breath of Allah By Steven W. Ritcheson

The United States has no shortage of enemies. Some attack with technology, others attack in spite of it. If successful, either attack could be devastating. Even if our heroes are flawed and our enemies are sympathetic, our battles must still be fought -- and won. Today, we look for our heroes wherever we can find them. Many times, they can be found in the shadowy world of private defense contractors.

Comprised of elite intelligence, defense, and technology experts, the Technology Applications Group -- known as TAG to its government handlers -- creates and deploys tomorrow's solutions to today's problems.

Through the eyes of its head of operations, Charles Rayson, TAG races from Europe to the Middle East to thwart an attack that could kill thousands and destroy the government of a fragile but critical ally while overcoming treachery from within their ranks, investigation by self-interested politicians, and bureaucratic back stabbing.

~My thoughts on this book~

It was a little slow in places, but kept me interested enough to finish it. I find myself interested in our military heroes such as the Rangers, SEALS, etc. Even though this book wasn't about them, some of the action made me think of things they might do for our country.

In My Mailbox 10/23/11

for review~
Kiss of Frost by Jennifer Estep

just for me!~
Splitsville.com by Tonya Kappes

Weekly Wrap Up10/22/2011

reviews

Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep

posts

In My Mailbox

what's been happening

Triple Shot by Sandra Balzo

The new Maggy Thorsen coffeehouse mystery -- There's a chill in the Wisconsin air, and it's a shot in the arm - a triple espresso shot- to Uncommon Grounds, the Brookhills coffeehouse owned by Maggy Thorsen and real estate maven Sarah Kingston. Their new autumn drink is a huge success. But two brokers have died lately, and Sarah herself is under investigation for irregularities at her job. Then a stench begins to percolate through the coffeehouse, and soon it's clear that corpses - like other bad things - do indeed come in threes.....

~ My thoughts on this book~

I was not aware that this was one in a series of books written by the author, but I will be loooking to find the books in this series that came before this one because I really liked it. The book does stand alone well, but I want to find out how some of the main characters came to know each other. I love a good murder mystery, especially when it keeps me guessing, and this one surprised me at the end which was great.

In My Mailbox 10/16/11

~For Review~

Triple Shot by Sandra Balzo
The Parrot's Perch by Karen Keilt
The Breath of Allah by Steven W. Ritcheson

~From the Bookstore, Just for Me~

New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
An Eye For An Eye by Irene Hannon
Let The Dead Lie by Malla Nunn
A Happy Marriage by Rafael Yglesias

~For My Kindle (Still working on the freebies!!!)~

Baby, I'm Yours (Southern Roads) by Stephanie Bond
Dating a Cougar (Never Too Late Series) by Donna McDonald
One Final Night by Wendy L. Young
Death Wishing by Laura Ellen Scott
Terror by Night by Terry Caffey, James H. Ponce
Enemies and Playmates by Darcie Helle

Touch of Frostby Jennifer Estep

My name is Gwen Frost, and I go to Mythos Academy — a school of myths, magic and warrior whiz kids, where even the lowliest geek knows how to chop off somebody's head with a sword and Logan Quinn, the hottest Spartan guy in school, also happens to be the deadliest.

But lately, things have been weird, even for Mythos. First, mean girl Jasmine Ashton was murdered in the Library of Antiquities. Then, someone stole the Bowl of Tears, a magical artifact that can be used to bring about the second Chaos War. You know, death, destruction and lots of other bad, bad things. Freaky stuff like this goes on all the time at Mythos, but I'm determined to find out who killed Jasmine and why—especially since I should have been the one who died. . .

my thoughts~ Before I started reading Touch of Frost yesterday, I went over to Goodreads and read some of the reviews for this book and First Frost. Now I know that not everybody will like a book, but what I noticed was that all the things that most mentioned were what I consider normal teenage things. Like designer labels. Teenagers (most teens) obsess over the label name. So anyway...I really, really enjoyed this YA book! I loved that it is about Spartans, Valkyries and Amazons, OH MY! And don't forget the Gods & Goddesses too! Gwen has a hard time believing the 'Myths' that the professors are teaching at Mythos Academy. Well until events happen that make it hard for her to deny that those myths aren't myths at all! Will I continue reading this series? HECK YES! Next book out: Kiss of Frost. Look for it on sale November 29, 2011!

First Frostby Jennifer Estep

I am Gwen Frost, and I have a Gypsy gift.  It’s called psychometry – that's a fancy way of saying that I see images in my head and get flashes of other people’s memories off almost everything I touch, even guys. 

My gift makes me kind of nosy. Okay, okay, maybe a lot nosy--to the point of obsession sometimes. I want to know everything about everyone around me. But even I don't want to know the secrets my friend Paige is hiding or the terrible loss that will send me to a new school – Mythos Academy, where the teachers aren't preparing us for the SATs, but to battle Reapers of Chaos.  Now I have no friends and no idea how my gift fits in with all these warrior whiz kids.  The only thing I do know is that my life is never, ever going to be the same.

my thoughts~ excellent start to a new series! First Frost is the prequel to Touch of Frost by Jennifer Estep. Gwen can just touch things and get emotions, images, etc from the people who touch them. This was a quick read at 27 pages and I immediately bought and started reading Touch of Frost... If I'm not mistaken, I think this series is set before the Elemental Assassins series (and is it possible that Gwen Frost is related to Gin in someway (like her MOM? Does the whole world know this but me?) I don't know, but I can't wait to find out! Up next: Touch of Frost!

Ghost Trackers by Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson with Tim Waggoner

For fifteen years, Amber, Drew, and Trevor have barely been able to recall—let alone explain—what happened the terrifying night they decided to explore the old, abandoned Lowry House. According to local legend, the house was cursed by a dark past and inhabited by evil. It burst into flames on the night of their visit, leaving the friends traumatized and nearly dead with only vague memories of the frightening events they had witnessed inside. Now, on the eve of their high school reunion, they have gathered to reopen their investigation and figure out, once and for all, what took place that fateful night . . . before the supernatural entity they escaped threatens to overtake them again.


my thoughts~
It had been awhile since I had read a chiller, but when I was asked to read Ghost Trackers written by Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson, you know the guys from Ghost Hunters on Syfy, I couldn't say no! And I am really, really glad I didn't! I started reading Ghost Trackers mid afternoon and was reading until early in the morning! I couldn't stop, and I had to have ALL the lights on! I LOVED IT!! It scared the heebies out of my jeebies! If your in the mood for a good scare, pick up/order this book!!

Blood Boundby Rachel Vincent

By blood, by word, by magic…

Most can’t touch the power. But Liv Warren is special— a paranormal tracker who follows the scent of blood. Liv makes her own rules, and the most important one is trust no one. But when her friend’s daughter goes missing, Liv has no choice but to find the girl. Thanks to a childhood oath, Liv can’t rest until the child is home safe. But that means trusting Cam Caballero, the former lover forbidden to her. Bound by oath and lost in desire for a man she cannot have, Liv is racing to save the child from a dark criminal underworld where secrets, lies, trauma and danger lurk around every corner…every touch…every kiss.

And more blood will be spilled before it’s over…

my thoughts~ Yay! A trilogy  from Rachel Vincent! And it starts with Blood Bound which was a great start! Liv & Cam are a couple that you can't help but root for! All though in the beginning I just thought Liv was not the brightest bulb in the pack for letting Cam go 6 years ago. Blood Bound introduces a world so completely different from the Shifter series, the Soul Screamer series that I just have to applaud Rachel Vincent for such a wonderful imagination! I can't wait for the next book! 

Waiting On Wednesday10/12/2011

Clouds are brewing over Cadogan House, and Merit the vampire can't tell if this is the darkness before the dawn, or the calm before the storm. With the city itself in turmoil over paranormals and the state threatening to pass a paranormal registration act, times have never been more precarious for the vampires. If only they could lay low for a bit...

Then magic rears its ugly head when Lake Michigan turns black. The mayor insists it's nothing to worry about, but Merit knows a panic is coming. She'll have to turn to friends old and new to find out who's behind this, and stop them before it's too late for both the vampires and humans.

• Pub. Date: November 2011
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Format: Paperback , 352pp
• Sales Rank: 37,566

• Series: Chicagoland Vampires Series #5
• ISBN-13: 9780451234865

Twistedby Gena Showlater

His vampire girlfriend might have brought him back to life, but he's never felt more out of control. There's a darkness within him, something taking over…changing him. Worse, because he was meant to die, death now stalks him at every turn. Any day could be his last.

Once upon a time, the three souls trapped inside his head could have helped him. He could have protected himself. But as the darkness grows stronger, the souls grow weaker—just like his girlfriend. The more vampire Aden becomes, the more human Victoria becomes, until everything they know and love is threatened.

Life couldn't get any worse. Could it?

my thoughts~

AWESOME!!! I ♥ Aden! The worst part? That it had to end. I read this book without re-reading the first 2 and I really should've skimmed the 2nd book at least. There was a lot that I had forgotten, but was quickly reminded of.  Twisted is the perfect name for this book, because not only is the whole thing Twisted, I think Ms. Showalter just might be Twisted as well! This series is a MUST read for me!

In My Mailbox 10/9/11

For review~
Ghost Trackers by Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson with Tim Waggoner
Ghost Files by Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson with Michael Jan Friedman


for my Nook~
Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes
Foreplay by Jill Myles
Claimed by K.R. Smith
Katie's Hellion by Lizzy Ford
Graves by Justin Cawthorne
Graveyard Games by Sheri Leigh
Bloodlust by C.L. Bevill

FIRST LOVE Just Once in a Lifetime: A Memoir By Violeta Barrett

By 1956 Violeta Barrett had been working for a Wall Street investment firm more than a decade. Recently separated from her husband and feeling overworked, Violeta decided to vacation in Mexico. After her plane landed in Mexico City, a stranger with a deep, accented voice introduced himself as her tour guide. Violeta and Jorge had no idea they were about to begin a four-year romance that would endure the test of time and distance.

In her compelling memoir, Violeta shares a nostalgic and emotional journey where principles, love, and obligations collide and force unexpected decisions. Energized by the Mexican culture and Jorge's charm, Violeta is soon caught up in the joy of being loved. But before long she must return to her obligations, leaving Jorge behind. Through the more than seventy love letters she would receive from Jorge for the next few years, the two share a forbidden passion -- until the forces of morality prevail.

Nearly fifty years ago, Violeta and Jorge fell in love, changing their lives forever. Their heartfelt story proves that true love is not affected by time. It is ageless. It is eternal.

~My thoughts on this book~

Yes, I started and finished this book in one sitting!!! I'm a sucker for a good love story. This one tugged at my heartstrings.

http://youtu.be/oVU9Ay-6zX0

Bring Back Summertime By Jeanne Starr Gater

When Jeanne Starr Gater picks up the phone one morning, she receives the shock of her life. Her strong, robust, athletic husband, Dr. Julius Gater, is in the hospital! -- comatose, suffering from a stroke, broken bones...Dr. "J" IS DYING!!

A car accident that morning has left her husband unconscious, though still alive and hanging on for dear life!...And it has been a good life -- full of sunshine! Why this! .. Dear GOD! ... Why this?!

She knows she must get to him -- and fast! They had come through too much together. If she gets to the hospital in time, they will come through this awful thing too. But she needs all her resources now. In her inner spirit, she petitions her God for mercy and compassion and strength to bring Dr. "J" back from near death. Next, over time, she contacts her family and friends for their positive thoughts and prayers. She begins her long hard journey to "BRING BACK SUMMERTIME."

Thus begins the remarkable true story of one woman's courage and faith in the face of the bitterest of odds, and one man's miraculous recovery despite doctor's dire predictions. Family, and friends, new and old gather round to offer support, faith and love, as the Gaters' begin their trek back to a normal life. They encounter incredible (and numerous) obstacles from resistant medical personnel and uncooperative rehabilitation staff, to other family misfortunes. Their very survival as a family depends on their determination to hold fast to their hopes and faith.

BRING BACK SUMMERTIME is a soul searching story of a family's struggle for the restoration of physical strength, grace and human dignity. A story that portrays the power and strength of human bonding, prayer and the belief in the power of God to sustain and revive. This family somehow does not allow itself to be thrown even by this devastating accident. They continue their noteworthy accomplishments, as they struggle to deal with the prolonged recovery of Dr. "J". Their story is truly an inspiration to all.

~My thoughts on this book~

The above statements pretty much express everything I have to say. I was moved to tears at times, and strongly admire the author and her family for never giving up when faced with very difficult circumstances.

Waiting On Wednesday10/05/2011

In Destined, the forces of Light and Dark collide as their epic struggle focuses on Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey is home where she belongs, safe with her Guardian Warrior, Stark, by her side and preparing to face off against Neferet. Kalona has released his hold on Rephaim, and, through Nyx's gift of a human form, he and Stevie Rae are finally able to be together if Rephaim can truly walk the path of the Goddess and stay free of his father's shadow.

But is Zoey really safe? Does she truly know those who are closest to her? And will love win when it is tested by the very soul of Darkness? Find out what s destined in the next thrilling chapter of the House of Night series.

• Pub. Date: October 2011
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover , 336pg
• Sales Rank: 25

• Series: House of Night Series #9
• ISBN-13: 9780312650254

One Grave At A Timeby Jeaniene Frost

 

How do you send a killer to the grave when he’s already dead?

Having narrowly averted an (under)World War, Cat Crawfield wants nothing more than a little downtime with her vampire husband, Bones. Unfortunately, her gift from New Orleans’s voodoo queen just keeps on giving—leading to a personal favor that sends them into battle once again, this time against a villainous spirit.

Centuries ago, Heinrich Kramer was a witch hunter. Now, every All Hallows Eve, he takes physical form to torture innocent women before burning them alive. This year, however, a determined Cat and Bones must risk all to send him back to the other side of eternity—forever. But one wrong step and they’ll be digging their own graves.

my thoughts~

I never tire of Cat & Bones! They are tied for first place as my all time favorite literary couple! One Grave At A Time was not a quick read for me. I wanted to relish it, because I knew the next book wouldn't be coming out soon. This book introduced some new characters, while some of the regulars were involved too! I ♥ One Grave At A Time and look forward to the next book!

Meggie Brooks By Daphne Woods

Growing up in a small rural township in New Jersey, Meggie Brooks lives an almost idyllic life, enjoying the beauty of her extended family despite her relatives' often hilarious, dysfunctional, and sometimes mysterious behavior. But there are some things too strange for even a child to ignore, and as the years pass, Meggie is forced to question whether all is as it seems. As she uncovers the secret that has held the family in its grip for twenty years, the greatest desire of her heart is to find love and acceptance, but can she overcome the loss of her best friend, the deception of her family, and the betrayal of the man she loves? Will she ever find a man who shares her values, or is she doomed to a life of loneliness?

A young girl's journey into adulthood, a poignant search for love, a family saga full of mystery and intrigue, and a passionate romance -- this amazingly rich novel is all these and more.

~My thoughts on this book~

I was enamored with Meggie from the very beginning. This book shows the idiosyncrasies that are apparent in most families, large or small. We learn how ones past can effect the future of more than one person. I was adopted as a child, and have a second cousin who was adopted also (Her adoptive mother was sister to her natural mother as in this story. They did not tell her right away, and when they did she was upset about it until my parents asked me to talk to her and explain that it isn't a bad thing to be adopted.) But, I digress, to return to my review, this book is one that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. I look forward to more works from this author.