My Bookworm Santa

I joined My Bookworm Santa this year hosted by Bree from The Magic Attic and Michelle from Book Briefs. I had fun putting together a package for Larissa Brunken. I filled it with various bookmarks, a book light, a puzzlebook, candy, and a book from her wishlist called

If you are Larissa and not received this package yet it is on the way...delivery confirmation continues to be updated for delivery on Dec 27, 2011.

I have not received my pressie yet but am still anxiously waiting as well. lol I still have some milk and cookies waiting for Santa and once he shimmeys down my chimney I will be back to update this post. :)

Review - Shadow City by Diana Pharaoh Francis

Shadow City by Diana Pharaoh Francis
Released: December 27, 2011
Publisher: Pocket Books
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: Diana Pharaoh Francis

The world is falling apart. The magical apocalypse has come. Now is the time to guard the covenstead against both raiders and refugees. But Max has been stolen by a powerful demi-god who is determined to force her to find a way to use a magical power she never knew she had—even if it kills her. Meanwhile, back in Horngate, a Fury is birthing. When the creature breaks free of the fragile bonds that enclose her, her rage will scour the covenstead from the earth.

The Horngate Witches is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy Series and it seems it only gets better with each book. I loved the back n forth in this particular book with Alexander and Giselle fighting one battle at Horngate while Max and Scooter at the same time were fighting for Scooter's life at Chadare. The interactions were great between them and I enjoyed the growth and sort of respect they all began to feel for each other against the circumstances that put them on the pats they were now on.

Giselle, Max and I, will probably always despise but in Shadow City she shows more of herself and for lack of a better word seems more "realistic" to me somehow. It was sort of funny when Alexander told Giselle to get dressed and she came back wearing jeans, hiking boots, and a pullover along with her hair up in a ponytail and he said to her that it amazed him how "natural" she looked and she scowled back at him that she did bathe every day and keep her armpits shaved.

I recommend this series to any urban fantasy lover. It's action packed with a tough herione, has magic and plenty of adventures involved and just is really good. You can possibly read them out of order and still have a general idea of whats happening but I feel you would be missing out on alot of fun.

Giveaway Winners

I have two giveaway wrap ups to post.

The first is the winner of the Holiday Hop which goes to
Rose with Comment #7

and the second giveaway for Eden books, the two winners are

The name's Kara! Comment #1
Mandroid Comment #3

Congrats to the winners! All have been notified! Happy Reading!

Review - Eden by Tony Monchinski

Eden by Tony Monchinski
Released: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Permuted Press
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 2/5
Author Site: Tony Monchinski

Seemingly overnight the world transforms into a barren wasteland ravaged by plague and overrun by hordes of flesh-eating zombies. A small band of desperate men and women stand their ground in a fortified compound in what had been Queens, New York. They've named their sanctuary Eden.

Harris--the unusual honest man in this dead world--races against time to solve a murder while maintaining his own humanity. Because the danger posed by the dead and diseased mass clawing at Eden's walls pales in comparison to the deceit and treachery Harris faces within.

I tried really hard to like this book because I am very pro zombie but it was just hard for me to get into. This is one that would have made a far better movie than book because of all the jumping around it did. It just did not read well for me because it starts out with zombies attacking then it jumps to the past then to a set of totally different folks then back to the zombie situation then another visit to the past and so on and so forth.

It's sad because it has the potential for a remarkable story had it been put together more chronologically. It was just to hard to keep up with what was going on as it is. I may have even been able to deal with it had the author marked the chapters like I have seen in some books like where they say "present day" or "2 months ago" ect... I should have been able to read this book in about an hour or so but instead it took me about a week because I kept wanting to throw it against a wall and not because it was that bad a book but because I wanted to like it so bad and couldn't I kept getting frustrated and puttin it down and reading books in between it and kept trying to get into the flow of it but alas it was to no avail.

Review - Killing Rites by MLN Hanover

Killing Rites by MLN Hanover
Released: November 29, 2011
Publisher: Pocket Books
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: MLN Hanover

JaynÉ Heller has discovered the source of her uncanny powers: something else is living inside her body. She's possessed. Of all her companions, she can only bring herself to confide in Ex, the former priest. They seek help from his old teacher and the circle of friends he left behind, hoping to cleanse JaynÉ before the parasite in her becomes too powerful.

I am getting frustrated but a good kind of frustrated. I want Ex and Jayne to hurry up and get together but maybe it's better this way letting them take their time because she is still kinda on the rebound with Aubrey and Ex is well he's Ex.... but to get on with my review; this was a very happening book! Jayne realized that she did in fact have a rider and worked with Ex and some of his old comrades to try to disperse it but during the ceremony something goes wrong and she tries to let them know but they think it is a trick and Jayne barely escapes some dreadful consequences not to mention having to go on the run from her dear friends because they think she is not in control therefore once again landing her all on her own. I felt so sad for her because seems everytime things start looking up and she has some makeshift family all heck tears it apart.

On the upside my favorite character was back for a short snip in this book; Midian. I just love his snippy short comments and his view of how things are and he flat out let Jayne know exactly what he thought of dear old uncle Eric but um I will let you see for yourself.

As much as I really enjoyed Killing Rites and look forward to another installment, I just can't say I was totally satisfied with the ending. I expected more to come from the big fight scene I guess and felt it lacked the umph it should of had.

2012 YA/MG Fantasy Reading Challenge

I really want to give this one a try. I don't feel like I really read alot of Fantasy and hopefully this will broaden my reading experience.

The rules of this challenge are:
- Read 10 YA or MG fantasy that are released in 2012
- Post a review on a personal blog or Goodreads
- The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012
- Anyone can join at any point throughout the year
Signing Up:
Please visit this POST

My tentative list which will most surely change as we go along.

01-Bewitching by Alex Flinn (2/14/2012)
02-Touched (Touched #1)by Corrine Jackson
03-Goddess Interrupted (Goddess Test, #2)by Aimee Carter (3/27/2012)
04-Witch's Brew (The Spellspinners of Melas County #1)by Heidi R. Kling
05-Sweet Shadows (Medusa Girls, #2)by Tera Lynn Childs
06-Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (5/22/2012)
07-Lies Beneath (Lies Beneath #1)by Anne Greenwood Brown (6/12/2012)
08-The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Frances Long (8/16/2012)
09-Above by Leah Bobet (4/1/2012)
10-Queen of Glass (Queen of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
11-The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Córdova (4/12/2012)
12-Cinder by Marissa Meyer (1/3/2012)
13-Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (12/1/2012)
14-Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (1/31/2012)
15-Fathomless by Jackson Pearce (August 2012)
16-When the Sea is Rising Red by Cat Hellisen (2/28/2012)

Review - Across The Universe by Beth Revis

Across The Universe by Beth Revis
Released: March 28th 2011
Publisher: Razorbill
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 398 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Beth Revis

Amy is a cryogenically frozen passenger aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed. She expects to awaken on a new planet, 300 years in the future. But fifty years before Godspeed's scheduled landing, Amy's cryo chamber is unplugged, and she is nearly killed.

Now, Amy is caught inside an enclosed world where nothing makes sense. Godspeed's passengers have forfeited all control to Eldest, a tyrannical and frightening leader, and Elder, his rebellious and brilliant teenage heir.

Amy desperately wants to trust Elder. But should she? All she knows is that she must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets before whoever woke her tries to kill again.

Amazing is my thought of this book! Just pure amazing! Loved it! I cannot begin to imagine if I had to decide between being frozen and facing a life of uncertainties and leaving behind the only real life I had ever known or staying behind and never seeing my parents again. Either way I would choose would be devastating for me.

Across the Universe pure intrigued me and filled me with many thoughtful nights of what if situations and while Amy was heartbroken over a few things I can't go into due to spoilers she seemed to take things in stride, far better than I would of been able to handle them. I pure hated Eldest from the beginning and right up to the end of the book although after completing the book and having time to sit back and reflect I can understand "some" of the things he done and can even rationalyze them but alot of it just seemed pure controlling and having his way at any cost whether it be right or wrong and not for the greater good at all.

I am anxious to see how Amy and Elder progress in the next book and if they will get closer and deeper explore their feelings for one another.

In My Mailbox (10)

Hosted by The Story Siren, In My Mailbox is a weekly meme of what goodies we got to read during the week either thru mail, library, or ect..All books are linked to Goodreads.

For Review: (thanks to David Wasserman, Gallery Books, and Harlequin Teen)
The Eternal Child by David Wasserman
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Eden by Tony Monchinski


Bought and Paperback Swap:
The Nine Lives of Chloe King by Liz Braswell (Books 1-3)
Matched by Ally Condie
The Secret Circle (The Initiation and The Captive Part 1) by LJ Smith
Wicked Resurrection by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie
Soul Screamers (Books 1-3) by Rachel Vincent

What did you get in your mailbox?

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis Blog Tour Review and Feature

USA Today bestseller Jill Shalvis is the award winning author of over four dozen romance novels, including her sexy contemporary novel Simply Irresistible, book one in the Lucky Harbor series. The 4-time Rita nominee and 3-time National Readers Choice winner makes her home near Lake Tahoe. Visit her website for more fun and updates on her wonderful books! Website

I was able to ask a few quick fun questions of Jill and here were her responses:

1) If you could literally dive into any Christmasy book/movie and become any character who would it be and why?

Christmas Carol. It was my favorite scary movie growing up, the old version, the black and white one … shiver. I’m not sure I’d want to be a character from it, but I still watch it every year.

2) What has been one of the strangest or most awesome Christmas gifts you have ever received as a child or adult?

Most awesome … the black lap dog sitting on my feet right this very minute, wanting to go outside and play ball. He was last Christmas’ present and he’s the gift that keeps on giving. If you count having to keep buying new boots because they get chewed…

3) Santa has you on his extra good list this year and gives you your choice of 10 minutes in any book/movie/music store of your choice. What kind of store would you choose and name a few of the first items you'd grab?

Any book store, and I’d be in heaven, thank you very much! I’d grab every mass market “trash fiction” on the display because that’s the way I roll. I like the brain candy.

Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis
Released: December 1, 2011
Publisher: Forever
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 368 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: Jill Shalvis

Free-spirited Chloe lives life on the edge. Unlike her soon-to-be married sisters, she isn't ready to settle into a quiet life running their family's newly renovated inn. But soon her love of trouble--and trouble with love-draws the attention of the very stern, very sexy sheriff who'd like nothing better than to tame her wild ways.

I have not read the first two books of the series but it did not keep me from enjoying this light fluffy read. Chloe was just a really high spirited and fun character to follow and Sawyer well he was a sexy sheriff who ran around behind her usually having to help untangle the messes she made in her life. The sexy parts were interesting and really awesomely handled to portray Chloe's asthma condition.

I really enjoyed it. It was a quick read fun book and you just cant help but begin to feel like the chacters in the story could be your real life neighbor or friends.

Eden Giveaway

Thanks to Gallery Books I have two copies of this awesome book for giveaway to two followers of Gimme The Scoop Reviews!

Synopsis:Inside its walls, a community of survivors scratches out a terrifying existence. Outside, hordes of undead pound relentlessly against the barriers and rattle the gates of the humans' last sanctuary-- Eden.

Overnight, the world transforms into a barren wasteland ravaged by plague and overrun by hordes of flesh-eating zombies. In the aftermath of the gruesome destruction of New York City and its inhabitants, a small band of desperate men and women stand their ground in a fortified compound in what had once been the outer borough of Queens. Those who built the walls of Eden fell prey long ago to the undead…those who remain survive by sheer determination, camaraderie, and human ingenuity, making forays into the outside world through the network of pipes under the city streets.

Harris—the exceptional honest man in this dead world—races against time to solve a murder while fighting to maintain his own humanity. Ultimately, the danger posed by the dead and diseased masses clawing at Eden’s walls pales in comparison to the deceit and treachery Harris faces within.

To enter just be a follower of this blog and tell me what your favorite zombie book or movie is in a comment below along with your email address. (US Only Please) Giveaway ends on December 12, 2011 at midnight.

Review - Vicious Grace by MLN Hanover

Vicious Grace by MLN Hanover
Released: November 30, 2010
Publisher: Pocket Books
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: MLN Hanover

For the first time in forever, Jayné Heller’s life is making sense. Even if she routinely risks her life to destroy demonic parasites that prey on mortals, she now has friends, colleagues, a trusted lover, and newfound confidence in the mission she inherited from her wealthy, mysterious uncle. Her next job might just rob her of all of them. At Grace Memorial Hospital in Chicago, something is stirring. Patients are going AWOL and research subjects share the same sinister dreams. Half a century ago, something was buried under Grace in a terrible ritual, and it’s straining to be free. Jayné is primed to take on whatever’s about to be let loose. Yet the greatest danger now may not be the huge, unseen force lurking below, but the evil that has been hiding in plain sight all along—taking her ever closer to losing her body, her mind, and her soul. . . .

WOW this series keeps getting better and better! This part is basically about a haunted hospital and a buried demon and the first thing that popped in my mind was that movie by Stephen King called Kingdom Hospital! That was a freaky show and I loved it so obviously this book had my attention!

Some not so nice information was discovered about Uncle Eric that threw the entire group for a loop and has left me wondering just what else has dear Uncle Eric been hiding and why. I continue my stand against Aubrey. Don't get me wrong I love his character but he is not right for Jayne. Aubrey is more of a lover than a fighter type guy and I just feel he fits better behind the scenes and out of Jayne's bed. I am very proud of Jayne in Vicious Grace because I finally believe she is beginning to find herself and her inner strength. She is faced with some very hard decisions..harder than she has ever had to deal with and she stands up and puts her big girl panties on and does what needs to be done. By books end I was chanting Yes Yes Yes You Go Girl!

Book Lover's Holiday Hop

Welcome to the Book Lover's Holiday Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Kid Lit Frenzy

Our hop prize for you is any book up to $10 from The Book Depository! Prize is International but Please be sure they ship to your country!

It's simple to enter. (Up to 4 entries) 3 Extra Entries are only if you want to. :)

Mandatory Entry-You must be a follower of this blog and comment below with your email address and answer this question. What is your favorite holiday food?

+1 Make a new comment and list a few books on your X-mas Wishlist (leave email address)
+1 If you tweet this giveaway and provide link. Make a new comment along with your email address)
+1 Make a new comment and tell me what your most favorite or most weirdest gift has ever been. (leave email address)

2012 TBR-Reading-Challenge

I found another challenge that is right up my alley.

We all have those books. We buy them, win them, they're gifted to us.. Then we put them up on a bookshelf and there they stay, collecting dust, waiting for the time when we'll finally decide to pick them up...

Challenge runs from 1/21/12 - 12/31/12. All you have to do is read books on your shelf that you keep meaning to read. They have to be books printed before 2012. You must be a blogger to enter.
You can find out all the details and sign up yourself at Evie-Bookish

I am going to do The Sweet Kiss Level which is 21-30 TBR Books. My tentative list follows with books I am kinda ashamed I have not yet read but just for one reason or another these are still waiting and calling my name....

01-Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
02-Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
03-New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
04-Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
05-Matched - Ally Condie
06-Bumped - Megan McCafferty
07-Sweet Venom - Tera Lynne Childs
08-Wither - Lauren DeStefano
09-Rampant - Diana Peterfreund
10-Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
11-Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
12-Hex Hall - Rachel Hawkins
13-The Good Ghouls Guide to Getting Even - Julie Kenner
14-Rocky Road Trip - Catherine Clark
15-Pretty Little Liars - Sara Shepard
16-Flawless - Sara Shepard
17-Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
18-Ballad - Maggie Stiefvater
19-Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris
20-Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris
21-Karma Girl - Jennifer Estep