Tuesday, September 28

Winner: Alpha by Rachel Vincent

And the winner of my giveaway in celebration of it’s release, Alpha by Rachel Vincent is……

Congrats Angela! I’m emailing you to inform you of your winnings and I’ll be placing the order with Amazon.com shortly!

Thanks to everyone else who entered. I hope you all go ahead and order Alpha for yourselves!

Alpha (Shifters Book 6) by Rachel Vincent

480 pages, Mira, (2010-10-01)

$7.99 (Amazon.com)

Saturday, September 25

Alpha Blog Tour! (and Giveaway)

If you’ve been following me for a while then you know just how much I LOVE Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series.

This coming week she will release her final installment to this beloved series with ALPHA.

I’ve already devoured Alpha through the lovely promotion done by NetGalley. You can read my review HERE. While I wasn’t a fan of the ending, because of the fact that it was ENDING, I really enjoyed Alpha.

Rachel was so kind to add The Cozy Reader as a stop on her Alpha Blog Tour. Below she discusses the lovely and ever increasing in popularity, love triangles.

Rachel Vincent on Love Triangles

Love triangles. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you can’t deny they’re a large presence in romance, as well as in genres which typically have heavy romance subplots, like my Shifters series. Now normally, I’m a path-not-taken kind of girl. So why, Rachel, you might be thinking, did you decide to take the Shifters series down the love-triangle path?

The simple answer is that I didn’t. Not originally.

I come to urban fantasy by way of horror and high fantasy, rather than through romance, so when I started Stray, I had no idea there were genre expectations for the romance subplot. And what little I may have intuited probably came through movie watching. I didn’t know that love triangles were a common “thing.” I didn’t know that romances were supposed to have happy endings. I didn’t know that what I was writing would eventually be shelved in the romance section of your local bookstore (if you’re in the US).

And I didn’t intend for the whole Marc/Jace thing to be a major focus of the books. So imagine my surprise now that “Who is she going to pick?” has become the question I’m asked most often. By far. You guys are really serious about this! ;)

So what did I intend? I intended for Faythe to have options. Choices. If you’ve read the series, you know that freedom and independence are two of the big themes. Faythe is a feminist living in a staunchly patriarchal society, and while her father is one of the more liberal Alphas, most of the others—even his allies—are not so eager to give the few women in their society such extreme freedoms of choice. Because they’re needed to repopulate the entire werecat species.

So it was really important to me for Faythe to know she has options, even if no one else recognizes that fact.

I’ve heard from a lot of people who seem to think that the love triangle aspect is the true fantasy element in my urban fantasy (Evidently the shape shifting doesn’t count!) because no one in real life could possibly have two such wonderful men interested in them. But that, I believe, is not true. I’ve known many people (and have, on occasion been one of them) who had romantic interest from more than one person at a time. How many people from your high school got more than one invitation to prom? How many girls (or guys) were secretly (or not so secretly) crushed on by their sig. other’s best friend? Or some stranger? How many junior high (or college girls) are in love with an entire string of boys they’ve never even spoken to?

Does everyone act on more than one interest at a time? Of course not. But some do. Even in real life. Especially at Faythe’s particular position in life.

By the end of the series, it’s easy to forget that Faythe is only twenty three years old. In the beginning, she’s stubborn and impulsive, fighting for her freedom before she really has the means to defend it. But a couple of books later, we have a better view of the society she grew up in and we come to understand that freedom isn’t just going to be handed to her. She’s going to have to fight for it, and fight she does. She takes on enormous responsibility and makes decisions knowing that someone’s going to die, no matter what she chooses. So it’s easy to forget that most people her age have no idea who they want to spend the rest of their lives with, and of those who have made that decision by twenty-three, more than half (in the US, at least) will later change their minds completely.

So let me pose a question (in good, clean fun) to all the Marc/Faythe/Jace skeptics out there, criticizing Faythe for “dragging” this out: do you think it would be responsible to make a decision of this magnitude—a life-long promise—without thoroughly exploring all of your options? Wouldn’t that be doing a disservice to both men involved? If you were Marc/Jace, would you want Faythe to commit to you without knowing for sure what she wants? Wouldn’t that be worse than taking the time to explore the issue properly?

Okay, that was more than one question, and since you can’t tell my tone from a type-written essay, let me assure you all that I’m smiling as I write this. I love all the discussion and dissenting opinions. ;)

That said, do I mind it if you prefer one guy over the other? No! I love that! I also love that the opinions so far are almost split down the middle. And I’m thoroughly amused by all the people who love one or the other the most because “he’s hotter.” I may be the writer, but you guys have some great imaginations! ;)

Thanks so much for having me Jessica!

Alpha Teaser

"Yeah. And if you try to stop her, she'll ground you till your thirty." -from Alpha, pg 437

Giveaway

If you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy of Alpha yet, (why not!?!) then this is your chance to enter to receive a copy!

I’ll be making this an International Giveaway and order from The Book Depository, so please make sure your country is on their shipping list.

I’d like the winner to have this book as soon as possible so this will end in just a few days! To enter please head over to The Cozy Reader and see the details.

Oh Baby!

Thought I’d fill you all in on the topic of our household!

We’re expecting baby # 2! After 3 years of hoping for another baby it’s finally happened.

We went for our first appointment yesterday. All is well!

Baby is measuring in at 9 weeks, has a strong heart beat and was moving around a lot.

Our due date is technically May 3 but with the early measurements being above we're told it could be as early as April 29th.

I’ve been really tired and not doing much of anything except eating and sleeping. I’ve been reading a bit but not too much more than before. I can’t wait for a few more weeks to go by so I can get my energy back!

I hope you all are doing well! I’ll keep you updated as we go along.

Monday, September 20

Review & Giveaway: Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

Girl Parts by John M. Cusick

240 pages, Candlewick, (2010-08-10)

$16.99 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

Grabbed this author signed copy at BEA 2010.

My Grade

Plot: 4

Setting: 4

Writing: 4

Originality: 5

Characters: 4

Romance: 3

Overall: 24/30 = 80% B

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

Overall

A great look at teenaged interaction between boy and girl and technology.

Saturday, September 18

Cover Art: Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, # 4) by Chloe Neill

Chloe Neill has debuted her lovely cover for the next installment of the lovely Chicagoland Vampire series, Hard Bitten.

The cover is awesome. But more importantly I can’t wait to read it! I recently consumed book three, Twice Bitten.

Hard Bitten is set to release May 2011.

Cover Art: Possession by Elana Johnson

Saw another 2011 cover debut over at the Elevensies.

Goodreads

In this world, you're just a possession.

**Formerly titled Control Issues.

It’s beautiful. Love it.

Cover Art: Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

Saw this 2011 cover debut over on the Elevensies.

Moonglass by Jessi Kirby

224 pages, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, (2011-05-03)

$16.99 (Amazon.com)

A contemporary YA novel about a girl who, years after her mother's death, gets a fresh start in a new seaside town. She seems to be outrunning the past, but discovers that the sea glass she wears around her neck is not just a token of her mother's memory but a connection to the very stretch of water she now calls home.

Sounds like a good read and it has a lovely cover.

Thursday, September 9

Trailer: Alpha (Shifters, Book 6) by Rachel Vincent

Rachel has posted the final trailer for her Shifters Series, Alpha, book 6.

Alpha (Shifters Book 6) by Rachel Vincent

480 pages, Mira, (2010-10-01)

$7.99 (Amazon.com)

Share the trailer on your blog and report back to Rachel for a chance to win an early, signed copy of Alpha! Ends Wednesday, September 15, 11:59 (central).

Sunday, September 5

In My Mailbox: Week 35

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

Only one book received for review this week.

Review

The Limit by Kristen Landon

304 pages, Aladdin, (2010-09-07)

$15.99 (Amazon.com)

An eighth grade girl was taken today . . .

With this first sentence, readers are immediately thrust into a fast-paced thriller that doesn't let up for a moment. In a world not too far removed from our own, kids are being taken away to special workhouses if their families exceed the monthly debt limit imposed by the government. Thirteen-year-old Matt briefly wonders if he might be next, but quickly dismisses the thought. After all, his parents are financially responsible, unlike the parents of those other kids. As long as his parents remain within their limit, the government will be satisfied and leave them alone. But all it takes is one fatal visit to the store to push Matt’s family over their limit—and to change his reality forever.

What a scary premise, huh? I’m looking forward to reading this one. :)

Friday, September 3

Author Guest Post: Kimberley Griffiths Little on book trailers

The Healing Spell by Kimberley Griffiths Little

368 pages, Scholastic Press, (2010-07-01)

$17.99 (Amazon.com)

Hi everybody!

Jessica invited me to guest blog about book trailers. Which is a good thing because I love/adore/covet good book trailers!

When my agent sold THE HEALING SPELL (part of a three-book deal to Scholastic), I knew that I wanted to create the perfect book trailer for it.

Thursday, September 2

Review: The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter

288 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2010-09-14)

$16.99 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

Feiwel and Friends sent me an ARC for review.

My Grade

Plot: 5

Setting: 5

Writing: 3

Originality: 5

Characters: 5

Romance: 5

Overall: 28/20 = 93% A

Cover/Title Bonus: 5

Overall

An amazing castle adventure showing just how strong a child’s love for a mother really is; fire breathing dragons and all.

Wednesday, September 1

Trailer: Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

Another great trailer for a relatively new release!

HALO by Alexandra Adornetto was released yesterday, August 31st.

Summary (Goodreads)

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls in love with the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

496 pages, Feiwel & Friends, (2010-08-31)

$16.99 (Amazon.com)

In My Mailbox: Week 34

I’ve been neglecting you guys! But you’ll be happy to hear that most of my time that I haven’t been blogging I’ve been reading. :) I’ve read so many books the last couple of weeks it’s crazy how many reviews I have to write now. But they were some awesome books so I can’t wait to get started.

Here’s what I’ve received over the past few weeks.