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31 July 2012

Short Story Review: Forever Mine


Forever Mine (The Rumor #0.5) by Delilah Marvelle
Publication date: 01 December 2011 by Harlequin
ISBN 13: 9781426834110
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Category: Adult Historical Romance novella
Keywords: Historical, romance, novella, short story, missing persons, prequel
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased


Synopsis:

London, 1802

Lady Augustine Jane Ascott longs for a man who will do more than offer his hand in marriage. She wants a husband she can trust, someone who will shield her from the darkness of the world. Her heart was broken when her little brother was kidnapped years earlier, and she still carries the pain of his loss.

When the handsome Duke of Wentworth makes his feelings for her known, Augustine's past demons warn her away. Besides, every woman in London knows he's devoted to the memory of his late wife. But is it possible he cares for her after all and that their love can bring them the peace they both crave?

Review:

This is my first read by Delilah Marvelle. I thought it would be a good primer for the first full length book in the series, which I recently purchased. Unfortunately this novella was just OK for me. It did not feel like this novella had a complete beginning, middle, or end. Rather, if feels like we’re dropped right into the middle of things with no back story to make sense of it all. There is little romance in the story. By the time the novella starts, Wentworth is already in love with Augustina and is looking to propose marriage. The hows and whys of it are never explained and I never really understood why he was in love with her. Later on, Augustine admits to herself that she is also in love with Wentworth but again, it seems to happen very suddenly and without any reason. I wish I could say that the sexy times made up for the lack of romance but there wasn’t a lot of that either. The love scene seemed more rushed than anything.

Even the ending is somewhat unsatisfactory and the fate of Augustine’s brother remains a mystery. While I think the story had potential, it just wasn’t developed enough. I didn’t feel an emotional connection with the characters and was never fully invested in their fate. I am still going to read the first book in the series (because I have it) and I hope that the format of a full length novel will eliminate some of the problems I had with this short story.
 

Visit the author online at www.delilahmarvelle.com and follow her on Twitter @DelilahMarvelle

Skyfall - New International Trailer


Have you guys seen the new Bond trailer yet? I admit that I didn't love Quantum of Solace. After Casino Royale, Bond got a lot more grim and lost the cheekiness that the older Bond films had. I know being a super spy isn't all laughs but I you still have to have a little fun. But I'm a Bond fan so I'll definitely be seeing this. Poor Javier Bardem. That hairstyle almost rivals his haircut in No Country For Old Men in its badness. And oooh. did you see Ralph Fiennes? Love him. That's my very random take on the new trailer. I'd love to hear what everyone else this trailer so leave your thoughts below. :)




29 July 2012

Stacked (14): RWA Edition


Hello again! Thanks for visiting another week of Stacked, my weekly haul post where I share what I have bought, borrowed and received during the week.

This past week I was lucky enough to be able to attend the RWA Literacy Autographing session that was being held in Anaheim. I swear I have been living at the convention center lately. Full recap coming soon but it was a great event with hundreds of romance authors signing books, with all proceeds going to charity. I picked up books by some of my favorite authors as well books by few new to me authors. I really tried not to go too crazy but, well, you'll see. :)


These were the paperbacks I bought. I already own 3 of these in e-book format but I could not say no to my favorite authors. 
  • Unclaimed by Courtney Milan - I love Courtney Milan. All of the books in this series are fantastic.
  • Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth - Recently finished Thief of Shadows in the Maiden Lane series (the first I've ever read). I am kind of working my way backwards and picked up book 3 in the series, Scandalous Desires.
  • More Than A Stranger by Erin Knightly - I came upon Erin while wandering the signing room. She was super friendly and sold me on her historical romance. The two main characters fall in love over letters, which I love the idea of.
  • Chaos Burning by Lauren Dane - I've seen Dane's name a lot in the romance world but I have never actually read one of her books. Decided to stop by her table to see what she had and picked up Chaos Burning, which is a paranormal romance with vampires and witches. Nice!
  • Eleven Scandals to Start to Win a Duke's Heart by Sarah MacLean - I love MacLean's Love By Numbers series and this is the last book in it. I've already finished this one and, sigh, I love this series.
  • Angels' Flight by Nalini Singh - This is one I already have on my Kindle. But I adore Nalini Singh and had her sign this one for me. Can't wait for Archangel's Storm!
  • Moonglow by Kristen Callihan - Another one I've actually already read (and need to review) but I just had to get it signed. Really good paranormal historical romance.

I also picked up a hardcover copy of Jennifer Echols's Such a Rush. I haven't read any of her books yet but my friends love her, and I love this cover. 


I also got a ton of fun swag at the signing. Lots of bookmarks, samplers, and other fun tidbits. I especially love the oversize postcards from Jaci Burton's Play by Play series. Lord, those models are hot. 



I haven't requested anything for review lately because I am overrun with books, which is awesome, but I need to curb the book acquisitions. I am going to try really, really hard not to buy any more books for awhile. I have plenty to keep me busy.

Hope you're all having a good weekend. Finally saw The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, and it was awesome. Not as good as The Dark Knight, and Catwoman could have been more developed, but I really enjoyed it. A great end to Nolan's run with the series. Plus, Joseph Gordon Levitt. :)  

Have a wonderful Sunday!




27 July 2012

Uncovered (24): Wonder


This week's Uncovered features a book that you've probably seen. Wonder by R.J. Palacio has gotten rave reviews and has a great cover to boot. The cover is minimal and totally unique. The bright blue really stands out and the bold black lines really pop. The story is about a boy who has a facial deformation, and I love how the cover only shows part of his face. I also love the way the text is used as part of the illustration. A very simple yet very effective cover. 

R.J.Palacio is actually a book jacket designer by trade but she did not design the cover for her own book. That honor went to Tad Carpenter, who has done lots of illustration work. Awesome, awesome cover.
 


25 July 2012

Comic Con Recap: Sat & Sun

Thanks for stopping by again. I am going to do a (hopefully) quick recap of my last two days at Comic Con. I can't believe it was only a week ago and it seems like it was soooo long ago. I am just getting over a bad cough and cold which I think I may have caught just from being around all those people. Alright, let's get down to it!

Saturday

My first panel on Saturday was the Faeries in the City urban fantasy panel which included authors  Benjamin Tate (Leaves of Flame), Kevin Hearne (The Iron Druid Chronicles), Kat Richardson (Seawitch), Jennifer Bosworth (Struck), Anton Strout (Simon Canderous series), Seanan McGuire (Discount Armaggedon), Jeanne Stein (Anna Strong Vampire Novels), J.F. Lewis (Burned: A Void City Novel), and S. G. Browne (Lucky Bastard). This was a really fun panel with a really good mix of authors. The authors spoke about how important a role location is in their books. Anton Stout wanted to take a city he loved (NYC) and twist it around. Kat Richardson's Greywalker series was inspired by the Seattle fog. Seanan McGuire has a different approach and she writes about cities that she despises and, in the process, usually develops an appreciation for them.

anton strout, kevin hearne, jen bosworth, jeanne stein

s.g. browne, j.f. lewis, seanan mcguire, kat richardson

After the urban fantasy panel I hightailed it to get in line for the Gail Carriger spotlight panel. I've never seen Gail before so I wasn't sure what to expect. But she's as sweet and charming as you'd imagine and it s fabulous dresser. She and her agent, Kristen, talked about how she got her start with the Parasol Protectorate series and also talked about her new YA series, Espionage & Etiquette. She share some big news with the audience and that news is that the Parasol Protectorate series has been optioned as a television series! This doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to happen but it is a first step. We stopped by the signing afterwards to get some books signed by Gail, who was super nice and chatted with everyone.

gail carriger


After Gail I wandered around for awhile until the Harper panel later that night. This was a fun panel with reps from Harper and HarperTeen. They also had Tahereh Mafi, Kiersten White and Dan Wells in attendance. It's always fun hearing about the new releases from publishers, and at the end, we all got a book (I got Insignia by SJ Kincaid). 

harper teen rep along with white, mafi and wells

new kim harrison cover

Sunday

On Sunday the only panel I went to was the What's Hot in YA Panel which was moderated by Nathan Bransford (Jacob Wonderbar for President of the Universe) and featuring Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone), James Dashner (The Maze Runner series), Kami Garcia (co-author of the Beautiful Creatures novels),Tahereh Mafi (Unravel Me), Melina Marchetta (Froi of the Exiles), Lish McBride (Hold Me Closer, Necromancer), Myra McEntire (Hourglass trilogy), and Scott Westerfeld (Uglies). 

One of the questions was why have superpowers? Kami Garcia said that they were a safe to explore the idea of what you would do if you were more than normal. Dashner said that he was a super nerdy kid and always daydreamed about having super powers and writing about them is a way of living those fantasies. Westerfeld said that super powers, to him, were always more about the teamwork involved and how those with super powers worked together. 



After that panel, I mostly putzed around the exhibit hall, catching the booths that I may have missed during the crazy weekend. Below are some photos of my Sunday afternoon.


OMG this woman had on the most amazing Ursula costume. How great does she look? Seriously I was totally jealous.


And look what I found at the Quirk Books booth. Her makeup was really good and this gave me some ideas for next Halloween.


Next up is Lish McBride who was signing copies of her book Hold Me Closer, Necromancer and ARCs of its sequel, Necromancing the Stone, at the Macmillan booth. I really loved Hold Me Closer and am looking forward to reading the sequel soon.


I ran into a whole bevy of superheroes over at the DC booth, which shouldn't be a surprise. 


I am a total Fables fangirl. The line for the Bill Willingham signing was insane but I did manage a quick drive by to snag some pics. There's Bill with Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha. Unfortunately I did not make it to the Fables panel this year I really want to make it next year.


Cornelia Funke was signing ARCs of her new book Reckless at Little Brown. She had on this awesome dress that her friend, who is a costume designer, made. Isn't it gorgeous?


I also got to meet Marjorie Liu, super talented writer of the Dirk & Steele and Hunter Kiss series, as well as a writer for Marvel Comics. My friend Nasya introduced me to Marjorie's work awhile ago and I was super excited to finally meet her. 


And look who else I ran into? It's Archer and Katya! I am kind of obsessed with the Archer cartoon series. I totally missed the Archer panel at Comic Con. It was just too far away at the Hilton and I knew I would not make it in time. But I was so stoked to run into some Archer cosplayers while wandering outside by the Batmobiles. Don't they look great?

We've finally reached the end of this really long post. Thanks for sticking with me if you've actually been reading this whole time. I always have so much fun at Comic Con and can't wait for next year. I should have a fun SDCC swag giveaway coming soon. I just need to organize myself a bit before I put it up. Hope you guys are all having a great week!




24 July 2012

Bared To You - Review


Bared To You by Sylvia Day
Publication date: 03 April 2012 by Berkley
ISBN 10/13: 0985114606 | 9780985114602
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Indiebound

Category: Adult Contemporary Romance/Erotica
Keywords: Romance, erotica, contemporary
Format: Paperback, eBook
Source: e-ARC received from Netgalley


Synopsis:

Our journey began in fire... Gideon Cross came into my life like lightning in the darkness-beautiful and brilliant, jagged and white-hot. I was drawn to him as I'd never been to anything or anyone in my life. I craved his touch like a drug, even knowing it would weaken me. I was flawed and damaged, and he opened those cracks in me so easily... Gideon knew. He had demons of his own. And we would become the mirrors that reflected each other's most private wounds... and desires. The bonds of his love transformed me, even as I prayed that the torment of our pasts didn't tear us apart. 


Review:

I picked up Bared To You in a whim after reading a favorable review of it on one of the blogs that I follow. It wasn’t until after I had gotten it that I learned that it was being compared to Fifty Shades of Grey. I am one of the few people who hasn’t read Fifty Shades yet and I am not likely to. I’ve been able to read a few excerpts from it here and there that have convinced me that I will not enjoy it. So I can’t really make any comparisons to Fifty Shades, which is probably a good thing, as this book should stand on its own.

Bared To You begins when NYC transplant Eva Trammell starts a new job and runs into possibly the most handsome and compelling man she’s ever met. Gideon Cross is a force to be reckoned with, a billionaire businessman who owns properties all over NYC who also happens to be drop dead gorgeous (seriously where are all these hot men in my office building?). The chemistry between Eva and Gideon is immediate and Gideon wastes no time in letting Eva know exactly what he wants from her.

This is the story of two extremely damaged people trying their best to be in a relationship. On one hand, I think that their pasts make Eva and Gideon perfect for each other. Both understand the kinds of things that the other has gone through and are willing to work on their issues. But on the other hand, you have two really messed up people together who don’t always deal with things in a healthy way. Eva, for one, runs away when things get tough or uncomfortable. But it’s something that she admits to and is trying to overcome.

Gideon seems like the more put together of the two, but he has his own dark demons. The author doesn’t really get into too much detail with Gideon’s past, which I think we need to understand him more. I also had some issues with Gideon’s stalker tendencies. I enjoy a little possessiveness in my male protagonists but I felt like Gideon was stepping over the line at times. Making copies of her keys, following her, looking into her cell phone - these are all things that I think are really not cool. He justifies his actions in many ways and Eva accepts his excuses, making them seem sweet instead of creepy. Given Eva’s character and her past, I just don’t think she should have accepted his excuses so easily.

Despite some of the issues I had with it, I did enjoy reading this. Gideon and Eva are both very compelling characters. They are both very flawed but are working to overcome their issues. Day does a good job of showing how their intense physical attraction evolves into something more.

I am not sure how Gideon and Eva’s relationship is going to translate into three books. That seems like a really long time to follow these two so I can only imagine that there is going to be a lot of drama in the next book. Hopefully we’ll learn more about Gideon’s past and I’d also love to see more of Eva’s best friend Cary. Day's definitely piqued my interest with this one and I look forward to seeing where she takes these two.

*I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
 


Visit the author online at www.sylviaday.com and follow her on Twitter @sylday

22 July 2012

Stacked (13): Top Ten from Comic Con


Hi, everyone! Welcome to another week of Stacked, my weekly post where I share what I've bought, borrowed and received for the week. As you know, last weekend I was at Comic Con. I picked up a lot of great stuff there (both purchased and giveaways). I am going to share with you my top ten books that I got from Comic Con this week. Let's get the show going!

Top Ten Books from Comic Con




YA
The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress - Totally love this cover and have been wanting to read this one.
Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger - So excited about this Gail Carriger book!
Second Chance (The Slayer Chronicles #2) by Heather Brewer - I heart Heather Brewer and can't wait to read book 2 in her new Slayer Chronicles series.
172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad - I checked this out from the library a couple of times but never got around to it. Very happy I was able to get a copy signed by the author.
Black City by Elizabeth Richards - I was on the fence with this one but kept seeing it in the blogosphere, which made me want to read it. 
Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes - Dying to read this high fantasy novel.  Looks like a lot of fun.
Every Day by David Levithan - Sad I didn't pick this up at ALA as I keep hearing amazing things about it. Luckily I was able to snag a copy at Comic Con. 



Adult
A Blood Seduction by Pamela Palmer - I have heard positive things about this new series and was excited to see that they were giving out copies last weekend.
Wayne of Gotham by Tracy Hickman - I didn't know much about this one except it's about Batman. But the cover sold me. 
Once Burned by Jeaniene Frost - I actually bought this on my Kindle already but they were giving out physical copies and I could not resist. I love Jeaniene Frost and I have a feeling that Vlad's story is going to be great.

Non SDCC books

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff - I am excited that I got this one from NetGalley! Another one that has great buzz and an awesome cover. I will be reading this soon.
The Vincent Boys by Abbi Glines - Recommended by my friend Crystal at Elegantly Bound Reviews. It has a hot bad boy in it. Sold!
A Night To Surrender by Tessa Dare - Only $0.99 on Kindle. I've been meaning to read some of her books and you can't beat the price.
Going to Far by Jennifer Echols - $3.99 on Kindle right now. Can you believe I've never read a Jennifer Echols book? For shame! I hear this one is excellent.

Thanks for putting up with me for this long. As you can see, I have a lot of great books on my shelf to be read. Now all I have to do is decide which one to read first. :)





21 July 2012

Movie Review: Magic Mike

Magic Mike
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Starring: Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matthew McConaughey, Cody Horn
Release date: June 26, 2012

Synopsis:

A male stripper teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women, and make easy money.

Review:

Oh yeah. I totally went to see Magic Mike. How could I resist that hotness that is every cast member of this movie? I am not really a huge Chaning Tatum fan normally. He's fine but I don't think I would ever go see a movie just for him. But he, along with the draw of a mostly naked Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello was just too delicious to pass up.

Adam (Pettyfer), the new kid in town is taken under the wing of seasoned stripper and entrepreneur (Magic) Mike played by Channing Tatum. Of course, the party life of a successful stripper goes to the kid's head and he starts to go down a path of debauchery. It sounds dire but it really never gets quite that serious. The main character of the story is really Magic Mike, the stripper with a heart of gold. I've never been a huge Channing Tatum fan (nothing against him at all) but I have to admit that he's very charming and likable in the film. Matthew McConaughey is pitch perfect as the somewhat sleazy manager of the show. His character is oiled up and wears the most ridiculous outfits. But McConaughey really commits himself to the role I really can't imagine someone else playing it better. There is one scene where he is teaching Adam to dance while looking in a mirror that is hilarious.

The plot for this one is pretty predictable. It does feel like a Steven Soderbergh movie though, with lots of long conversations between Tatum and Adam's sister (played by the wonderfully sarcastic Cody Horn). The dance numbers were pretty awesome. They're so cheesy that I can imagine them being real strip numbers. Channing Tatum definitely knows how to dance, too. Sadly Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello don't have very many lines in this. They are more man candy then anything else, but very pretty man candy.

If you're looking for a good time, Magic Mike is a fun flick to see with your girlfriends.


20 July 2012

Comic Con Recap: Friday

Hello again and welcome to my Day 2 Comic Con recap. Friday was the big day of the Firefly 10th anniversary panel. We knew it was a long shot but my friends and I were going to get in line to see if we might get in. We're not the types to spend the night so we just got there somewhat early. Unfortunately, as suspected, the line was crazy insane so we gave up.

Instead, I went to the panel Art of the Thrill Kill which featured authors Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers), Michelle Gagnon (Don't Turn Around), Johan Harstad (172 Hours on the Moon), Dan Wells (I Am Not a Serial Killer), James Rollins (SIGMA Force novels), Mark Z. Danielewski (The Fifty Year Sword, House of Leaves), and Chase Novak (Breed). I was pretty excited about this since I, like a lot of people, have a fascination with serial killers. There's just something so creepy and compelling about them. 

It as a really interesting panel and the authors talked about why serial killers are so interesting to people. I think Dan Wells was right when he said that serial killers are America's monsters, our version of the boogeyman. Barry Lyga said that serial killers are very, very real and that America leads the world in the number of serial killers (not sure if this is true but that's scary). All in all a really cool panel. I went to the signing afterwards and got a copy of 172 Hours on the Moon signed by Johan Harstad (which I have been dying to read) and an ARC of Michelle Gagnon's Don't Turn Around. 

mark z. danielewski, jordan harstard, michelle gagnon


barry lyga & dan wells

Next Up was the Remixed Fairy Tales and Superhero Lore panel. There was a bit of a line for this one (fairy tales are popular) but we ran into Cindy Pon (The Silver Phoenix) and Marie Lu (Legend) in line and had a nice chat with them while waiting. The panel included Sarah Maas (Throne of Glass), Marissa Meyer (Cinder), Rae Carson (The Girl of Fire and Thorns), Paul Tobin (Prepare to Die), Tom King (A Once Crowded Sky), Michael Scott (The Enchantress), Tracy Hickman (Wayne of Gotham), and Cecil Castellucci (The Year of the Beasts).

I am a big sucker for fairy tales so this type of panel always interests me. It was really cool to hear from all of these authors how fairy tales and folk tales have influenced them. Most of them agreed that one of the benefits of basing your story on a well known fairy tale is that the reader is already familiar with the story and character. But the downside of that is that you need to be really original in finding a way make that story unique and your own.


After wandering around a bit it was time for the Epic Fantasy War Panel. Panel included Brandon Sanderson (Alloy of Law), Raymond E. Feist (A Crown Imperiled), Robin Hobb (City of Dragons), N.K. Jemisin (The Inheritance Trilogy), Christopher Paolini (The Inheritance cycle), Rachel Hartman (Seraphina), Patrick Rothfuss (KingKiller Chronicles), Heather Brewer (The Legacy of Tril), and Lynn Flewelling (Casket of Souls). This panel ended up being more about fantasy than fantasy war I think but was still really cool. The authors talked about their methods of research, which included books, consulting the experts and visiting locales. Heather Brewer said that when she wrote The Legacy of Trill, she bought two wooden swords and beat the crap out of her husband. She wanted to know what it felt like to hold and swing a sword since she was writing about her character who did the same. She needed that visceral experience. And N.K. Jemisin said that she visited Hawaii (lucky!) and visited various volcanoes for research.

couldn't get a good pic of epic fantasy but here you go

My last panel of the day was What's Up with Penguin. I always have fun at the Penguin panel learning about their upcoming releases. There are always drawings for book giveaways, too, but I never win. They showed us the gorgeous new cover to Patricia Briggs's next Mercy Thompson novel, Frost Burned. I am so sad I didn't snag a picture in time but it is so beautiful and I can't wait to get it. A couple of books I am looking forward to after the panel:

A Soldier's Duty by Jean Johnson - military paranormal romance!
Fated by Benedict Jacka - This is the first book in the series which came out this year. It's been compared to Harry Dresden.

I will leave you with some random pics from the day. Recaps for Sat and Sun coming soon. If you want to see all of my pics, I do have a FB album for the whole thing here. Thanks for stopping by!

gennifer album signing crewel


mira grant signing blackout and feed


it ain't comic con without chewie

the awesome cartoon network wall

domo!

i passed by chad michael murray doing a signing

how awesome is this costume?