Blog Event: Spring Blog Carnival

Welcome to Spring Blog Carnival 2013 hosted by Angela from Reading Angel and Candace from Candace’s Book Blog. I am very excited to be a part of this event this year. Last year I participated in all the fun but I wasn't able to join in on the hosting. I hope you enjoy my booth! 

Beautiful Faces and Beautiful Art

Challenge: 

First Challenge: There are 6 book covers with beautiful faces. Identify them, each guess is an entry.  All these books can be found under my reviews. 

Second Challenge: Make a doodle... on paper, on your face, on the wall, on a canvas.... anywhere take a picture, post it to your blog, and leave the link in the comments. This is also another entry. 

The prizes.... one beautiful face and one awesome doodle.  Two prizes for two people. 

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter 

My Review: Here

                                       

She won’t rest until she’s sent every walking corpse back to its grave. Forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real….

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies….


I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I'd tell my sister no.
I'd never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I'd zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I'd hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I'd tell them I love them.
I wish... Yeah, I wish.

This Journal Belongs To Ratchet by Nancy J. Cavanaugh

My Review: Here

                                                               

A debut middle grade novel about a girl named Ratchet and her quest to make a friend, save a park, and find her own definition of normal. Ratchet tells her story through the assignments in her homeschool journal.


If only getting a new life were as easy as getting a new notebook.
But it's not.

It's the first day of school for all the kids in the neighborhood. But not for me. I'm homeschooled. That means nothing new. No new book bag, no new clothes, and no friends – old or new. The best I've got is this notebook. I'm supposed to use it for my writing assignments, but my dad never checks. Here's what I'm really going to use it for:

Ratchet's Top Secret Plan
Project Goal: turn my old, recycled, freakish, friendless, motherless life into something shiny and new.

This year, I'm going make something change.

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Release Day Blitz: Centaur Rivalry by Nancy Straight

Release Day Blitz Hosted by SupaGurl Tours

Centaur Rivalry Release Day Blitz!!Today ‘s the day!! Centaur Rivalry is available right now from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. It’s the third book in Nancy Straight’s Touched Series!

Centaur Rivalry by Nancy Straight

 

Barnes and Noble

  

        

The Centaur world is rocked as news spreads of the Lost Herd, Camille's existence, and her Centaur protector. A death order against Camille's father and family sends all into hiding. 

Camille and Drake leave the country pursued by the Lost Herd as well as by Centaur Council enforcers. Camille's twin brother Cameron is manipulated by the Council Head and is quickly becoming her newest enemy.

Amid unexpected new protectors, enemies, and romances, Camille and Drake make their plans to travel to Africa to confront the Centaur Council. They hope acceptance of Camille as Chiron's heir, yet knowing that her link to the Lost Herd could require them to kill or to be killed.

Nancy was born in Sioux City Iowa, left the cold of the Midwest in 1991 and only returns to see family in the summer time. She spent ten years traveling the world as a US Marine and settled in rural SC with her husband and two children.

She enjoys reading all types of Paranormal and Young Adult literature.You can stalk Nancy here:Twitter/Blog/Facebook Page/Goodreads

So, what would be the ultimate giveaway for this blitz? How about Paperback copies of Blood Debt, Centaur Legacy and Centaur Rivalry?

What? Not good enough? How about we have FIVE, count them FIVE, winners who will EACH win a paperback set!! Still not good enough?? Man!! Okay, INTERNATIONAL WINNERS, TOO!!
Enter the Rafflecopter below.

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Blog Tour: Monster Night by P.B. Azeltine and M.E. Drewry

Tour Hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours : Schedule

SCAVENGER HUNT / GIVEAWAY

Each blog stop in this tour will have a hidden phrase/object within their post that you must look for and mark down. Be sure to keep a look out and you will need to match the item to the blog it was shown on.

Once you have them all figured out, head on over to Reading Addiction Blog Tours’ blog and enter to win!

Title: Monster Night 

Author: P.B. Azeltine and M.E. Drewry
Publisher:  Createspace
Publishing Date:  December 4th 2012

Pages: 234
Genre:  YA Urban Fantasy 

Series: Monster Night #1
Source: Kindle Edition provided by Reading Addiction Blog Tours

  

Smashwords

When a drug surfaces in town that turns teens into the mythological creature of the chupacabra, DavidCopperfield Finkleman is called in to help. Why? Because David possesses a rare gift. He is a true blue,
magic out of the fingertips, potions and spells, wizard. Well, that and because his grandfather is the lead investigator on the case and the drug is circulating in David's own high school. David is thrust into a world of danger and monsters he never knew existed, all the while living his normal daily life. He learns that he will have to save the very bullies who torment him in school and the chemistry teacher who wants nothing more than to flunk him. Adding to his problems, he deals with girl troubles, a boss who doesn't appreciate his sarcasm, and saving an agent's life before it's too late...no pressure!

I had a lot of fun with this book. I thought the cover was cool, the synopsis sounded intriguing, and the title was catching, so I read the book. I really enjoyed reading the story of David and his friends and family. The book was a very quick, light, fun read. Great book to pull out after reading a heavy or intense book. Just enough story to keep me going, a good mystery, and interesting characters. 

David's  grandfather is a wizard who works for a special division dealing with the not so normal mysteries or crimes.  David is the only one in his family who has inherited the magic gene. His grandfather has been slowly teaching him to handle his power and to work with spells. When David's grandfather has a heart attack and his partner turns up missing, David is recruited to solve a mystery including chupacabras. With the help of his brother, a couple of friends, and of course his grandfather, David must catch the culprit behind the chupacabras before they destroy the town. 

One of my guilty pleasures in reading is the quick easy reads that are built around fun mysteries. This one hit the spot. I liked the story, the mystery was good, and it was paced very well. The writing was great, nothing confusing, it wasn't rushed, and it flowed well. It was just enough story, just enough mystery, and just enough character goodness to keep me entertained. 

The characters were interesting and quite a bit different from each other. It was easy to get connected to their personalities and how they fit their part in the modern magical scooby gang. 

The main character David, is a very skilled wizard especially for his age. He struck me as the nerdy type that has a cool vibe. He wasn't the best looking, but still cute. He wasn't the brainiac but he was pretty smart. He wasn't a smooth talker but he could handle his own. He wasn't popular but he was well known. He was easy to relate to as the normal average kid in school that every one knew but he still went unnoticed. His main issue is that he lived in the shadow of his older brother. 

Henry, the older brother had no magical skill or power. He did however get the looks, the brains, and the popularity genes of the family. David is in the magic club and Henry is the FOOTBALL PLAYER. He gets all the girls and he's the smooth talker. What I liked about Henry is he was a butt for a big brother but he still was there for David, helping him out whenever he could. He may be the star of the family to everyone else but he still sees his little brother David as something special. 

There are many characters in this book, each one their own person. Sabrina, the mystery solver, gramps, the smart elder, Sam the best friend, and the Wicca sisters. The villains of the story range from pure bad guy to school bullies. A very well rounded cast. 

The story didn't have any lessons learned or reading between the lines, nothing deep or profound but it was fun and enjoyable and I am sure I will continue the series. 

I liked it and if you are looking for something cute and light but still has some good mystery and little bit of action, check this book out. 

P.B. Azeltine

P.B. Azeltine has been writing for many years. She is a Land Surveyor Instrument woman by day and a writer at lunch time, traveling in the car time, any spare moment time, days off time, and evenings. She loves writing young adult, middle-grade, historical romance, and contemporary romance. She tries to put humor in all her writing. She has learned that as she goes through life, humor can make it much easier to get through. She lives in Olympia, Washington (U.S.A.) with her husband, two daughters, son in-law, future son in-law, two dogs, one cat, and one lovebird.  

www.pbazeltine.com


M.E. Drewry

M.E. Drewry is a teacher and writer. An avid fan and reader of fantasy, she decided to co-write her own fantasy story for young adult. She lives in Rochester, Washington (U.S.A.) with her husband, Jacob and her overly pampered black lab Shadow.

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Blog Tour': Timespell by Diana Paz- Review and Giveaway

Tour Hosted Xpresso Book Tours : Schedule 

Title: Timspell

Author: Diana Paz
Publisher:   Rhemalda Publishing
Publishing Date:  April 1st 2013

Pages: 312
Genre:  YA Time Travel

Series: Stand Alone ( but possibly not)
Source: Kindle edition provided by Xpresso Book Tours

  

In TIMESPELL, the brash and impulsive Julia must team up with her sweet and straight-laced best friend, Angie, and the malicious and power-hungry Kaitlyn in order to keep the witch-like powers of her inheritance. But these powers come at a cost. The girls are bound to serve the Fates, and their first mission sends them back in time to Marie Antoinette’s Paris and eventually, into the chaos and war of the French Revolution.

The thing that drew me in first... the cover. Wow it is so beautiful. I did a cover reveal a while back and knew at that moment, I wanted to read this book and I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a fast read, I didn't want to put it down. I just needed to know what happened next. I liked the story and the plot line very much and found it very different than what is out there right now which was very refreshing for me.

The story is about 3 very different girls, Julia, Angie, and Kaitlyn, who are sisters of fate. Past, Present, Future and they have a job to do... save the past.  They each have their own powers and can manipulate time. Of course this sounds exciting, but they have problems from the very beginning. ...  Julia and Angie are best friends they get along great but Kaitlyn has always been their enemy, the mean girl. Now they must team up with her and depend on her. Oh and then there is Ethan, the mysterious good looking boy... and of course don't forget, they have no clue what they are doing. So the three end up in France, during the French Revolution and of course nothing is at easy as it should be.

This was a very fun book  The writing was fast, I felt it took off from the very beginning and I was quickly into the thick of things. It was easy to get acquainted with all the characters and I was able to love and hate a bit about all of them.  The story was very exciting and at times I thought it was predictable but then at other times it caught me off guard. It was a great mix of romance, friendship, history, and action.

The characters really were fun. Each one had their strengths and weaknesses. Angie is a great leader. She had her issues with Kaitlyn before they they became the sisters of fate and she was able to get past it pretty easy to do what she was meant to do. She was very level headed and knew how to hold the group together. Her weakness though... she didn't know how to relax, she was too serious all the time. Julia is well, she is hard to put into words. Her weakness is definitely her heart. She can be very sweet and is there to help when she is needed, but sometimes... her loyalty can get in the way. Kaitlyn is mean, selfish, quite the witch, but she is very fast thinking and even thought I thought she would be the death of them all... she comes around... eventually.

At the very beginning Angie and Julia are already friends and I loved how the third sister just happens to be someone they can't stand and they do what they need to do accept her and work with her. I also like the loyalty and the friendship between the group. They are very dependent upon each other for survival and they embrace that well. Its a great story about loyalty, duty, and friends

The book had many fascinating moments in the present and especially in the past. I loved reading the parts n France int he past. The clothing, the customs, the parties. It was fun. I also really enjoyed the mythical creatures that are thrown into to the mix. This is the book for you if you like historical fiction and fantasy.

The only complaint, and it is truly the only complaint I have about the book, it did feel rushed at times. .I loved the fast paced read it provided but at times I felt a little confused and had to reread a few parts to try to understand where I was in the story. It is not a major flaw, as I still enjoyed the book very much and would be happy to read more if there is going to be more... it just made it a little hard to keep up with.

I really enjoyed it and would love to read more from this author and especially this story... maybe possibly if there will be another???

Diana Paz writes books about magic, adventure, and romance. She was born in Costa Rica, grew up on Miami Beach, moved to Los Angeles in high school, and went to college in San Diego. Basically, she’s a beach bum. Diana graduated from California State University, San Marcos with a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Arts. She loves old movies, epic fantasy, all kinds of music, and heading to the beach with a good book. Preferably sipping a highly sweetened iced coffee.

Social Media: Website/Blog/Facebook/Twitter

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Giveaway Hop: Paranormal Activity Hop

Giveaway is for Paperback edition of 

The Blood Coven Vampires Volume One by Mari Mancusi

          
The first two Blood Coven Vampire novels-now in one volume.

Boys That Bite
When Sunny McDonald's sister drags her to Club Fang, all she expects is a bunch of Goth kids playing at being vampires. But when a tall, handsome stranger mistakes Sunny for her dark-side-loving twin and bites her on the neck, she realizes his fangs are real-and deadly...

Stake That
Rayne McDonald had it all figured out: become the vampire mate of the Blood Coven master and live the high life for all eternity. But now, not only is Rayne fangless, but she discovers she's destined to be a vampire slayer instead...and sexy vampire bad boy Jareth keeps getting in her way

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