Waiting on Wednesday (1)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week on Waiting On Wednesday:
I really want to read this one. It sounds AMAZING!!!

Calder White lives in the cold, clear waters of Lake Superior, the only brother in a family of murderous mermaids. To survive, Calder and his sisters prey on humans, killing them to absorb their energy. But this summer the underwater clan targets Jason Hancock out of pure revenge. They blame Hancock for their mother's death and have been waiting a long time for him to return to his family's homestead on the lake. Hancock has a fear of water, so to lure him in, Calder sets out to seduce Hancock's daughter, Lily. Easy enough—especially as Calder has lots of practice using his irresistible good looks and charm on unsuspecting girls. Only this time Calder screws everything up: he falls for Lily—just as Lily starts to suspect that there's more to the monsters-in-the-lake legends than she ever imagined. And just as his sisters are losing patience with him.

Review - Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Released: January 3, 2012
Publisher: Macmillan Young Listeners; Unabridged edition
Read By: Rebecca Soler
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 224 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Marissa Meyer

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

OMG this has been one of my all time favorites so far this year! I completely fell in love with Cinder's story and what a unique story it was. I just loved the fairy tale retelling. Cinder made me laugh and at times I wanted to cry and be so very angry. The ending was sort of bittersweet leaving me feeling sad because of the way things were left with Prince Kai and I cant wait for the next installment of Cinder so I can see The Lunar Queen get hers because she does have it coming that's for sure! She is so mean and vindictive..almost could be a sister to Cinder's stepmother! She is just being so unreasonable.

Cinder is a true Cinderella in my book as everybody she cares about has been taken from her at some point and time but she has the spirit and spunk of a warrior and I just know she is going to come back all systems blazing and kick some serious butt in the next book and I will be right there front row and center to cheer her on!

IN lieu of reading the book I listened to the CD version from Macmillan Audio and Rebecca Soler did a Fantastic job reading it! She had a separate tone/voice for each character and her voice was not dull like some audio's I've listened to. Thanks again MacMillan!

Review - Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu

Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu
Released: March 15, 2011
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 224 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: C. J. Omololu

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy's is bigger and dirtier than most. It's one she's been hiding for years-that her mom's out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame.

Dirty Little Secrets was a story that made me want to run thru my house and start filling trash bags although I am not even close to being what could be considered a hoarder. I can't imagine having to live like Lucy did with her moms addiction. This book was great and was a story that definately needs to be told but ewwww it just made me feel plum nasty and gross. How a parent can be this irresponsible to their childrens happiness and health or how it gets so bad that a child is so ashamed of their home they wont even call for help when it's needed.

I have went back and forth in my mind pondering what I would have done and I guess without having lived in that kind of shame and turmoil for all those years I have no clue if I would have handled things like Lucy did. I would like to sit here and say no way that I would have called 911 but I can also easily feel Lucy's pain and conflict and even sort of understand why she did as she did.

A must read...

Review - Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole

Wicked Deeds on a Winter's Night by Kresley Cole
Released: October 30, 2007
Publisher: Pocket Star
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 384 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Kresley Cole

Bowen MacRieve of the Lykae clan was nearly destroyed when he lost the one woman meant for him. The ruthless warrior grew even colder, never taking another to his bed -- until a smoldering encounter with his enemy, Mariketa the Awaited, reawakens his darkest desires. When sinister forces unite against her, the Highlander finds himself using all his strength and skill to keep her alive.

This is Bowen and Mari's story and they were hilarious to read about. They are on The Hie each for their own reasons when they encounter each other and Bowen thinks Mari has cast a spell on him that is making him want her because he thinks his only mate died a couple hundred years ago.


This one has a bit of everything passion, magic, adventure, wickedness, and I love the mix of witch and werewolf. The characters are strong and work good together and although I had a love/hate relationship with them at first, I felt the sparks flying in just the first couple of pages! I wasn't liking Mari's angle of wanting to "prove herself" and Bowen was just a bit overly mean and full of anger but everything starts coming together quickly and I got a better grip and understanding on them and so far this is my most favorite book of this series hands down!

In My Mailbox (13)

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... This is my catch up post for like two weeks worth of mail. All are linked to Goodreads. I also received some awesome bookmark swag from Tracy Bilen for her book "What She Left Behind" which I can't wait to read! Thanks Tracy! What did you get in your mailbox?

For Review:
Cinder by Marissa Meyer Thank you Macmillan Audio!!

Bought:
Lemony Snicket Books 1,2,3 by Lemony Snicket
Vampire Beach: Volume 1 by Alex Duval
Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Once by Cameron Dokey
Beastly Deluxe Edition by Alex Flinn
Cloaked by Alex Flinn
Bewitching by Alex Flinn
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
I kissed a Zombie & I liked It by Adam Selzer
Romeo, Juliet, and Vampires by Claudia Gabel
The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

Review - Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan

Jenny Pox by J.L. Bryan
Released: July 24, 2010
Publisher: CreateSpace
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 310 pages
Format: Kindle
Source: Amazon Freebie
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: J.L. Bryan

Jenny's touch spreads a deadly supernatural plague. She can't control her power, so she devotes her life to avoiding contact with other people in her small Southern town. Her senior year of high school, she meets the one boy she can touch...but if she's going to be with him, Jenny must learn to use the "Jenny pox" inside her to survive his devious, manipulative girlfriend, who secretly wields the most dangerous power of all.

Not recommended for readers under eighteen.

I heard of this book from Loretta over at Between the Pages and OMG I finally had the chance to read it and loved it! Thank you so much for bringing it to my attention Loretta!

Jenny was an amazing character with a deadly power to kill anything her skin came into contact with including her mother on the day she was born. Her and her father have lived in fear of Jenny's gift/curse becoming exposed and having her exploited by doctors and such and Jenny has had to live her entire life in gloves and full body suits just to be able to have some semblance of an ordinary life. It broke my heart because she had no friends and no hopes for a future especially of falling in love and having kids of her own until one tragic moment when she has to rely on the help of a fellow classmate, Seth and realizes she is able to touch him without him suffering any discomfort, only his girlfriend, Ashleigh pure hates Jenny with a passion and things begin to heat up and other folks with hidden powers begin to emerge.

I can't believe I waited so long to read this one! It was fantastic. The characters were great and I loathed Ashleigh and her possee. There were a few all knowing moments but for the most part I couldn't imagine what was gonna happen next which I love in a story! I love having surprises tossed at me and Jenny Pox was full of them.

Review - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Released: March 19, 2009
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 288 pages
Format: Hardback
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Laurie Halse Anderson

Lia and Cassie had been best friends since elementary school, and each developed her own style of eating disorder that leads to disaster. Now 18, they are no longer friends. Despite their estrangement, Cassie calls Lia 33 times on the night of her death, and Lia never answers.

So many times I wanted to fling this book at a wall while reading it. I wanted to yell at it, be mad, and hate it. I know your wondering how can that be when you gave it a 5/5 rating Jennifer? Quite simply is because it scared me, it made me cry, and it made me "feel". Laurie's books are strong and I wished they or some like them could have been around when I was a teenager. I needed them. My friends needed them. I mean basically when I was a teenager all we had was Dr Seuss and other typical "happy" feely books and as much as I adored Dr Seuss he didn't help a dang bit with our growing pains.

Wintergirls is a powerful book as was Speak and I think it offers a bit of something for anybody not just teens who suffer from most any type of disorder or depression. Laurie has a unique voice and gift to get her point across on disturbing subject matter in a way that offers the reader strength and hope and lets one know that they are not alone and things can be better.

Review - Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep

Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep
Released: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 368 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 4/5
Author Site: Jennifer Estep

Bigtime, New York, is not big enough for both Carmen Cole and the superheroes and ubervillains who stalk its streets. An intrepid reporter, Carmen's dedicated her life to unmasking the spandexwearers, all because her fiancŽ turned out to be a superhero, and a cheating one at that-sleeping with none other than his nubile nemesis.

This was a very fun read about a woman scorned who just so happened to be a modern day Lois Lane! On the day of her wedding she finds her fiance having sex with her best friend and on top of that they turn out to be a super hero and a ubervillain and she never had a clue! Was she hurt? Heck no she was mad as hell and went on a rampage using her job as a reporter to unmask any and every superhuman she could to exact her revenge. We can already see even this far in that she is gonna find herself in some deep doo-doo fairly quick right? Trajedy is certainly on the horizon and she must depend on the very ones she is unmasking for help and/or love perhaps?

This was my first taste of Jennifer Estep and now I am not only anxious to continue this series but also pick up her Elemental one! It was just different from the stories I am used to reading with my furry friends and dead friends and those hunks that bite. Makes me wanna sing out "I kissed a superhero and I liked it!" lol

Review - Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Released: January 2, 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 432 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: Cate Tiernan

Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicably linked to her past.

Cate Tiernan is one of my favorite authors. I Loved her Sweep Series! With that being said when I began reading Immortal Beloved I started feeling a bit let down at first. It's not that I didn't like this story it's just I think I had expected it to resemble The Sweep Series and it so totally doesn't! Have no worries though I quickly fell into Immortal Beloved and hated to put it down. It was incredible! I have read so many books about immortal beings but not once had I really given thought to what it would actually be like to be immortal and have to basically reinvent yourself over and over as if your a new person which is what has happened to Nastasya. She has lived so long and suffered so many painful memories that she has shut herself off from "feeling" but deep inside she still has a sense for what she feels is right and wrong so when her closest friend hurts a mortal she takes steps to try to find herself and hopes that being immortal has more to offer than this.

I bonded to Nastasya really quickly and just adored her character. She has spunk but she also has an inner pain and troubled spirit that makes her even more real in my eyes. I wasn't just reading her story...I could at times feel her pain in her memories especially thru the flashbacks of her family and their demise. I yearn for her to find peace and happiness and I want her and Reyn to hook up so badly because he has had a tortured past it seems as well and they would really be so great together.

I just really ate this book up and think Cate has done another remarkable job in this new series and look forward to the rest of the story!

The Walking Dead - A Quiz

I took The Walking Dead Quiz to see which character I would be more like and below was my result. Take the quiz and let me know which character you would be!

February TBR List

Running a bit behind posting what I hope to get read this month but here she goes. Some are left overs from January (yikes) All are linked to Goodreads. What are you reading this month?

February 2012

Immortal Beloved by Cate Tiernan
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Cliques, Hicks, and Ugly Sticks - KD McCrite
Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
One For The Money by Janet Evanovich
The Eternal Child by David Wasserman
Jenny Pox by JL Bryan
The Soulkeepers by G.P. Ching
Me and My Manny - M.A. MacAfee
Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 2 - John Austin
Triple Shot by Sandra Balzo
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
Deadish by Naomi Kramer

Review - Cliques,hicks, and ugly sticks by KD McCrite

Cliques,hicks, and ugly sticks by KD McCrite
Released: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 288 pages
Format: Paperback
Source: Publisher
Rating: 5/5
Author Site: KD McCrite

A clique of mean girls, a grandma--yes, you heard it--a grandma stuck in a love triangle, a church pageant run by a dictator, and a mom who's acting very mysterious--it all sounds like a disaster, but it's just another day in the life of April Grace Reilly!

I Loved Loved Loved this incredibly funny book! April Grace is a child after my own heart! This book was breaming with southern hospitality, charm, and good ole country living and being an good ole country gal myself I ate up every page.

The cover itself is just adorable before you ever begin reading the pages inside with little squigglies around it. Then you open it up and the pages are filled with more of the same little squigglies and designs, and across the top is "boxed off" sort of with the page numbers. Really super cute.

The story begins with Isabel, a house guest of April Grace's family being in a car accident and boy is she a mouthy city gal who thinks everything should revolve around her! She is just so bossy and high & mighty I want to sock her one a couple of times. While everybody is trying to help Isabel, April begins to notice her mom is not really her usual self and begins to worry over her and her health which leads to a very scary ordeal for the family, and then there are The Lottie's, a clique of bratty little girls who over the summer vacation decided they were somehow better than all the other school kids and April has to come to terms with them now as well. Oh and let's not leave grandma out who is juggling three, yes I said three men! Good Lord have mercy on poor April as she has to run some interference for granny as well as deal with the rest of her crazy goings on!

If you need a break from the more serious and involved books then grab this one for some laugh out loud fun. April Grace is a quirky, fun, and tell it like it is young lady who will not dissapoint you!

Winner of Young Adult Hop

Congrats Meghan Gale you won a copy of Witherby Lauren De Stefano!

(Winner has been notified by email.)