In My Mailbox (#8)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

First off, I bought the following because I am a HUGE Rick Riordan fan! His mythology books are totally brilliant!

The Kane Chronicles: Survival Guide by Rick Riordan

Not only does this little book talk about the Kane Chronicles, but as I was skimming through it I saw that it also talks about Egyptian mythology! It's great!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next one is also about mythology, but this time it's Greek! My favorite! I received this one from the author herself, so THANK YOU!

Pandora's Key (The Key Trilogy #1) by Nancy Richardson Fischer

Such a pretty cover :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm borrowing the next one from the library:

Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars #4) by Sara Shepard

I LOVE Pretty Little Liars...the show too! Did anyone watch the season finale?? It was EPIC! Cant wait for next season! So for now I'll just read this! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And lastly, the next ones I got from Netgalley:

   

Dark Kiss (Nightwatchers #1) by Michelle Rowen

The White Oak (Imperfect Darkness #1) by Kim White

Tomorrow Land by Mari Mancusi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What did you get in your mailbox this week??

 

Review: Night School (Blood Coven Vampire #5) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Night School

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #5

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3) | Bad Blood (#4)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: January 2011

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Vampires, Slayers and…FAIRIES? Sunny and Rayne McDonald are about to get SCHOOLED.

After their parents’ shocking revelation about their fae heritage and an attack on their lives, the McDonald twins find themselves on the run—forced to hide out at Riverdale Academy , a boarding school for vampire slayers, deep in the Swiss Alps. With no cells, no internet, and no way to contact their vampire boyfriends—the twins are on their own.

Being a vampire stuck in a school full of slayers isn’t easy. Especially with no blood substitute stocked on campus. Soon Rayne finds herself succumbing to her bloodlust and losing control—especially around the arrogant, but devastatingly handsome Corbin Billingsworth the Third—who isn’t sure whether he wants to kiss her…or kill her.

But when Sunny starts acting strange, Rayne realizes Riverdale Academy may be hiding some deadly secrets of its own—leading to a showdown in Fairyland that may cost the twins their lives.

My rating: ★★★★☆
After the fairy attack at the apartment, the twins are sent to a slayer school where they will be "safe." Right, like Rayne, a VAMPIRE could be safe in a school where they train kids to KILL vampires. Rayne will be in soooo much trouble if someone finds out she's, you know, a vamp.

Review: Bad Blood (Blood Coven Vampire #4) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Bad Blood

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #4

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2) | Girls that Growl (#3)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: January 2010

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Sunny McDonald is in the ultimate forbidden relationship. Her boyfriend Magnus is a vampire, and the leader of the Blood Coven. And when the Coven decides that Magnus needs a mate to be his co-ruler, Sunny's humanity puts her out of the running. The Coven's chosen candidate is Jane Johnson, a magna cum laude graduate of Oxford University who just happens to look like a vampiric supermodel.

Sunny is suspicious of a Rhodes Scholar who can't answer the most basic poli-sci questions, but Magnus brushes it off as petty jealousy. Still, when the Blood Coven goes to Las Vegas for a vampire convention, Sunny and her twin sister Rayne secretly tag along. And Sunny's not going home before she learns the truth about Jane. Because not everything stays in Vegas-especially bad blood.

My rating: ★★★★★
These twins...they barely get out of one problem when they're already getting sucked into the next! Bad cases of mistaken identity seem to be a theme in this series.

Review: Girls That Growl (Blood Coven Vampire #3) by Mari Mancusi

Title: Girls That Growl

Series: Blood Coven Vampire #3

Previous books in this series: Boys that Bite (#1) | Stake That! (#2)

Author: Mari Mancusi

Genre: YA, paranormal

Publication date: October 2007

Published by: Berkley Trade

Source: Borrowed from the public library

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

Rayne McDonald thought getting into the Blood Coven was the hard part. But now there's a new breed of trouble in town...and the former slayer and her vampire boyfriend may be the only ones who can stop it.

Now that she's an official vampire and full-fledged member of The Blood Coven, Rayne assumes her vampire slaying days are over. Sure, she doesn't have any vampire powers, thanks to a mutated blood virus, but she and Jareth can go out in the sun, which is a pretty good trade-off.

But just when Rayne's starting to enjoy her afterlife, she's contacted by Slayer Inc once again. It seems that a member of her high school's football team has disappeared—and the powers-that-be think the cheerleaders had something to do with it. Now Rayne has to infiltrate the squad before the cheerleaders have a chance to sink their teeth into someone else...

My rating: ★★★★★
Oh this Rayne...I don't think she'll ever stop surprising me: First a vampire slayer, and now a vampire?? A vampire vampire slayer? She's got quite a few titles there, now doesn't she?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? (#9)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*click on the pictures for more info on the book

I haven't done one of these in a while! But here is what I read last week:

         

Pantheons (Pantheons #1) by E.J. Dabel

Hades: Lord of the Dead (Olympians #4) by George O'Conno

Shattered Dreams (Midnight Dragonfly #1) by Ellie James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And up next, not in any particular order:

           

Haunted Destiny (Midnight Dragonfly #1.5) by Ellie James

Blood Ties (Blood Coven #6) by Marie Mancusi

If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent

Crave (The Clann #1) by Melissa Darnell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are you reading this week??

Interview with Derrolyn Anderson author of "Marina's Tales" + a FREE e-book!

I am happy to have Derrolyn Anderson on my blog today! She is the author of a mermaid series called "Marina's Tales" that I have totally fallen in love with! And to celebrate the fourth and final installment of "Marina's Tales" (titled The Turning Tides) she is giving you a chance to read book #1 of the series: Between the Land and the Sea. And you can get it for FREE!
But first, here is a little bit about her and her writing:

Derrolyn Anderson is a visual artist and writer who specializes in young adult fiction. She is the creator of the four part "Marina's Tales" series, and is currently hard at work on her next book.

Interview: Sabrina Sumsion author of "Energy Book 1: Jasmine"

I am happy to have Sabrina Sumsion on my blog today!

Here is a little bit about her (I kinda stole her bio from her profile on Goodreads :P)

Formerly a literary publicist, I now spend my time writing and teaching others how to gain attention for themselves, their products or their companies. I have a website (sabrinasumsion.com) with publicity tips, pictures of some of my jewelry and profiles of authors.

I wrote Produce, Publish, Publicize to assist writers in making good publishing decisions and market their books. Jasmine: Energy Book 1 is my first foray into fiction.

I am a mother of three wonderful children. My two boys and girl are the lights of my life and I am humbled and grateful to have them.

In My Mailbox (#7)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Netgalley I received:

*Dark Frost (Mythos Academy #3) by Jennifer Estep

The Girl in the Clockwork Collar (Steampunk Chronicles #2) by Kady Cross

*I'm super excited for this one! I LOVE this series!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following I got for review from the author/publisher:

The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales #4) by Derrolyn Anderson

Entangled (Spellbound #1) by Nikki Jefford

Bonds of Fenris by S.J. Bell

Cursed: Wickedly Fun Stories by Susan Abel Sullivan

Dark Passage by Griffin Hayes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And from the library I got:

Anna Dressed in Blood (Anna #1) by Kendare Blake

I cant wait to read this one! It sounds awesome!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, what did you get in your mailbox this week??

Review: Oppression (Children of the Gods #1) by Jessica Therrien

Title: Oppression

Series: Children of the Gods #1

Author: Jessica Therrien

Genre: YA, paranormal, Greek mythology

Publication date: February 28, 2012

Published by: ZOVA Books

Source: For review

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Book Depository

Synopsis:

Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than the average person, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Among so many of her kind, she should not be very remarkable--except for the prophecy. Some believe she will put an end to traditions, safeguarded by violence, which have oppressed her people for centuries. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning--and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

My rating: ★★★★★
Elyse is not a normal 18-year-old girl. In fact, she isn't even 18! She is 89 years old but looks 18. Why? Well, its simple, really: she ages slower than a normal human. Plus, she has the very cool ability of healing! At first, Elyse doesn't know why she is the way she is, her parents never explained it to her before they died. And then she meets William...the lovely, charming William *sigh*

Oppression Blog Tour: Interview and Book Review!

I am honored to have Jessica Therrien on my blog today! For those of you who don't know who she is (shame on you ;P ), Jessica is the author of Oppression, book one in the Children of the Gods series. A little bit about Jessica:

I am a newly married and soon-to-be published 26-year-old. OPPRESSION, book one of my YA paranormal romance/adventure series, CHILDREN OF THE GODS, will be out February 28, 2012. I am a graduate of San Diego State University. I lived in Taiwan for a year where I learned Chinese, but I live in Chula Vista where everyone speaks Spanish instead. Although I spend most days in a cubicle at my day job, my alter ego is a writer, who loves the arts with a passion.

Review: Incarnate (Newsoul #1) by Jodi Meadows

Title: Incarnate

Series: Newsoul #1

Author: Jodi Meadows

Genre: YA, high fantasy

Publication date: January 31, 2012

Published by: HarperCollins

Source: the publishers via NetGalley (thanks to both!)

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon| Book Depository

Synopsis:

New soul

Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

No soul

Even Ana's own mother thinks she's a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she'll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

Heart

Sam believes Ana's new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana's enemies--human and creature alike--let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else's life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

My rating: ★★★★★
In Ana's world, there are a million souls that reincarnate after every death. They’ve been around for hundreds of years, and each soul retains all their memories from previous lives. I guess you could call them immortal.

Review: Aliens Are Real (Part 1) by Sabrina Sumsion

Title: Aliens Are Real (Part 1)

Series: Aliens Are Real (Part 1)

Author: Sabrina Sumsion

Genre: YA, sci-fi, contemporary

Publication date: January 2012

Published by: Sabrina Sumsion

Source: Review copy from author

Add it to your Goodreads shelf

Buy it: Amazon | Smashwords

Synopsis:

When Jasmine moves to Omaha, Ne with her Colonel father as he works on top secret matters at Offut Air Force Base, she prepares herself for another lonely station. Jasmine meets Yumi, a mysterious girl in Art Class, and her world changes.

Jasmine plots to stay in Omaha but the acceptance of Yumi's housemates is central to her plans. Their rejection surprises her until she realizes they have a secret. For a chance at stability and blossoming love, Jasmine puts herself in harm's way to rescue Yumi and find the home she's been searching for since her mother died.

My rating: ★★★☆☆
Most of her life, Jasmine has moved around a lot thanks to her dad’s job in the military. At her new school, Jasmine meets Yumi and her group of very rude friends. Jasmine and Yumi hit it off right from the start, becoming really good friends. Jasmine then finds out the Yumi and her friends live together…with no parents. This gives Jasmine hope because if she could just befriend them and allow her to live with them, she wouldn’t have to move around anymore! It’s perfect! Except, Yumi’s friends make it very clear that they don’t want Jasmine around…not even as a friend. But Jasmine is persistent, and her persistence certainly brings out that even worse side of the group. They are mean and rude and they humiliate Jasmine…Jasmine thinks their hostility is due to them being involved in some really bad and shady things…drugs perhaps? Jasmine then decides that Yumi does not need to be around the bad influence of these so called “friends,” and she does everything in her power to try and save Yumi. Only Yumi doesn’t need saving…and what Jasmine thought was drugs, turns out to be something more…supernatural.

In My Mailbox (#6)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Netgalley I received:

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin #1) by Robin LaFevers

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The following I bought for my Kindle:

*Oppression (Children of the Gods #1) by Jessica Therrien

The Goddess Hunt (Goddess Test #1.5) by Aimee Carter

* Yes, I bought Oppression (for .99 cents, BTW!) but I also received a paperback copy for the DAC ARC Oppression book tour. I switch between reading the paperback and reading it on my Kindle. No, I'm not crazy...at least, I don't think I am, lol.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And the next two I am borrowing from the public library:

If I Die (Soul Screamers #5) by Rachel Vincent

**Blood Ties (Blood Coven #6) by Mari Mancusi

** This one I actually borrowed from my cousin who borrowed it from the library...she's had it overdue for a while (which happens to her a lot) so I asked her to borrow it and return it directly to the library after I was done. I'm a little surprised they still allow her to borrow books...this happens to her quite often! I don't know how she doesn't have a huge library fee yet, lol!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, what did you get in your mailbox this week??



Cover Reveal: Bonds of Fenris by S.J. Bell

Blurb:

Talia Thornwood's life ended one year ago, when she became a werewolf. She survived the attack, and the horrifying transformation a month later, but the life she has now is barely worth living. She lurks about in a filthy, run-down house, with too many werewolves crammed into too small a space. Every day is a struggle against the stress of human contact, the romantic prodding of her obnoxious packmate Pierce, and the gnawing hunger for flesh in her soul.

She's all but resigned herself to a dreary existence on the margins of society when she meets Corwin. Corwin is a werewolf like none other. He walks among humans as if it was nothing, and can keep his wolf under control even when the moon is full. Talia's mind is suddenly opened to the possibilities before her, and the realization of how little she really knows about lycanthropy.

Corwin claims that he can teach her how to cope as he does, even how to transcend her affliction. But it will not be easy. It is a hard education that requires her to question everything her pack taught her, and confront exactly what she has become. And, more amazingly, what she never stopped being.

Bonds of Fenris is a paranormal novel by S.J. Bell, due to be released through Smashwords on May 7, 2012. Visit the author's website at http://wolfmanbell.blogspot.com. Cover art is by the delightful Stephanie Mooney, at http://www.stephaniemooney.net/ 

I personally love this book cover! Its sooo pretty! And it sounds pretty cool, right? I'm going to get my review copy soon from the author (thanks!), but as we read above, this comes out May 7th, so make sure you keep your eyes open! Add it to your wish list, pre-order it...whatever! If you love werewolves make sure you check out this book!